Dedicated to my darling sister-friend from Korea. Happy sixteen years! :D this one is yours, and I think you know why ;)
Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. Any original characters appearing in this tale are my own.
AUTUMN 2022
I'm blessed. I am genuinely blessed.
These days, I have a great life and never once did I think I'd be this lucky. It's been ten years now since the night I turned up sopping wet on Castle's doorstep—after sitting on a swing in a rainstorm—and telling him that he was all I wanted. In the decade since, we dated for a year, and that was followed by a wedding proposal and we got married a year after that. I've been going as Katherine Houghton Castle for eight years now.
A lot has happened since then, including Alexis graduating from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, earning a Doctor of Medicine degree. (She's a medical examiner now and works closely with Lanie) While Alexis was in school, she met a charming young man in her program from South Korea by the name of Kang-Dae Choi. They're married now, and they have a baby boy named Haneul. He is the happiest kid in the world, and with his big brown eyes and shock of bright red hair, he is just too cute for words. Castle and I love to spoil our grandson.
Even my dad and Martha have found other people to love, and it makes Castle and me happy that neither of them will ever have to be alone. Neither one of us wants to admit it, but our parents are both getting up there in age. It's nice to know they have companions in their twilight years.
As for Castle and me, we've been doing quite well. He's still writing Nikki Heat books and I'm still a detective, although there's talk of promotion to the rank of captain in my future. Castle, however, doesn't shadow me anymore, but that's because we have another daughter now, in addition to Alexis.
Her name is Vera, and we adopted her from Moscow five years ago when she was a few weeks old, and today she is a real joy. Vera is five years old now, and she loves to read books and play with her friends, but she really loves doting on Haneul because she says it'll give her practice for being a big sister one day.
One last thing—just last year we caught the Dragon, my sniper and the man who killed my mother put every last one of them in jail. We didn't catch them all at once, but we managed to catch them in the space of a year. That's another story for another time, but all I need to know is that my mother finally has the justice I've wanted for her for so long.
The one person who has been my constant forever, though, is Lanie.
She's known me since I was the new detective at the Twelfth Precinct and she was the new medical examiner in the coroner's office, eager to make a mark on things. When we met, I was continuing to struggle with my mom's death even though three years had already passed. The feeling of knowing that I'd never see my mom again was the hardest thing I'd ever experienced before… until dad's alcoholism started.
That, coupled with learning the ropes of being a homicide detective did such a number on my head that I didn't come in to work for a week because I'd retreated so far inside myself. Lanie was the only person who bothered to actually come check on me, and when she saw the mess that I was in, she took the rest of the week off and stayed with me at my place, taking care of me and giving me a daily pep talk about how I needed to acknowledge that while bad things had happened in my life recently, it was a bad idea to dwell on them because if I didn't start looking towards the sun, despair and tragedy were going to be the words that defined me.
This was a definite wake-up call and I listened to Lanie because at the same time, she was the only friend I had. Listening to her paid off because I started to focus on thinking positive thoughts, and I eventually let myself be a happy person again. When dad's alcoholism got worse, instead of letting me hit rock bottom, Lanie kicked my butt in gear and helped me get dad checked into an intensive rehabilitation program.
For all of that, I'll be forever thankful.
As if her kindness wasn't enough, she even consoled me when I learned that Castle and I wouldn't be able biological children together because of infertility issues with my body. I cried in Lanie's arms for ages because I was beyond heartbroken and couldn't be consoled. As a way of thanking her for always being there, we invited her and Javier to come to Moscow with our family to pick up Vera once her adoption was finalized.
On the night that we introduced everybody to Vera after we came home, Lanie pulled me aside to tell me that she and Javier had actually been back together for awhile, but during the trip, he told her that he wanted to marry her at some point in the future. Lanie also told me that she was pregnant and had yet to tell Javier but knew for sure that the baby had been conceived in Moscow.
She and Javier are happily married now with a daughter named Katherine, after me.
Looking back on everything, I know for a fact that I wouldn't be the person I am today if not for the friendship and unwavering love and loyalty that Lanie has shown me over the years.
I owe her a lot. She says I don't, but I do.
"Earth to Kate! Anyone home?"
I jumped slightly, remembering that I was Lanie's house, visiting with her.
"Yes?"
"The little mister looks like he wants that toy next to you."
I looked down to see that Haneul was in my lap and leaning towards a teething ring just out of his reach. I gave it to him and he squealed happily in response, promptly stuffing the toy in his mouth. At six months old, his main concern is growing teeth.
"There you go, Haneul." I hugged him and kissed his fine downy red hair. "Do you feel better?"
Haneul just babbled happily around his mouthful of teething ring and leaned against me for support. I suddenly noticed Lanie watching me with a vacant expression.
"What, Milena?"
She snapped back to attention. "Don't you 'What?' me, and don't call me Milena!"
"But it's your actual name and it's pretty!" I protested. "Even Alexis knows that your full name at birth was Milena Grace Parish!"
Lanie gave a disproving huff and crossed her hands over her nine-month belly. Her pregnancy mood swings are scary.
"Never mind. Now I'm not even sure if I want to share."
"What are you, five?"
"Nope, but my firstborn, Katie, is."
I rolled my eyes at her diversion tactic. "But I want to know!"
"Don't call me Milena, and I won't call you Katherine." She bargained.
"Deal." I winced a little as Haneul burrowed against me because he hit a sore spot and I've been a little touchy about personal space lately. "What are you thinking about, then?"
"How we've been friends for twenty years now. Can you believe it?"
"No. Has it really been that long since the first time you picked me up off the floor?"
"That's one way to put it, but yes."
"Do you still talk to any friends from twenty years ago?"
Lanie laughed, which in turn sent Haneul into a tizzy of giggles for no reason.
"He's so giggly today!"
"Your grandbaby is always giggly."
I struggled to get back on topic. "Do you still talk to your friends from twenty years ago?"
"Besides you?"
"Besides me."
"No."
This threw me for a loop because Lanie has always been the more social one.
"You don't? Why not?"
She sat back and sighed, rubbing her belly. "Twenty years ago, I was fresh out of medical, eager to make a difference in the world. Twenty years ago, I didn't have any friends."
"You didn't?" (This was brand new information) "Why not? Why didn't you ever say anything? Does Javier know?"
"Javier knows all of it, but I told you because I didn't want you to be ashamed of me, especially since you come from family money."
"Me being a trust fund baby made you not want to say why you didn't have friends when we first met? Lanie, there's nothing to be ashamed of there, and I'm not about to let you go because of something like class difference. That's never mattered before. You can tell me anything, you know that."
She moved closer and looked me straight in the eyes. "I grew up homeless, Kate."
"Really?"
"Really. It was always mom and me, just drifting from shelter to shelter. We don't get along because she didn't want me to get an education because she was afraid that people would find out about us and call CPS to take me away from her. A lifestyle like that doesn't leave time for friends."
"If you were pretty much alone, does this mean that I was your first friend?"
"Yes, and it also means you saved me."
"Come again? I seem to remember you being a mother hen to me at one point, making sure that I ate, bathed, slept and dressed properly while I was in a slump and mourning my mom. You saved me from going down too far down the rabbit hole the first time."
Lanie reached over and tweaked my nose. "It was after that, silly! We were friends at work to begin with, but after that, when you were better, I expected you to turn your back on me, but you stuck around."
"That's what best friends do."
"I didn't really know because I got used so many times over the years by would-be 'friends' that I stopped trusting people, but you stayed, Kate, and you know what?"
"Do tell."
"Our friendship always gave me something to hold onto when I was depressed. Do you remember that?"
"How could I forget? Staying up with you on the phone all night on several occasions when you were sobbing and at total rock bottom isn't something I'll be quick to forget, especially after I would hug you the morning after because I was just do relieved to see you."
"Did you know that you were the first person who made me feel like I mattered?"
"No, actually."
"Well, you were and that's what saved me. If we had gone our separate ways after that week I took care of you, I wouldn't be alive right now."
Upon hearing this, my eyes filled with tears and I pulled Lanie close in a hug as she cried, too, but thanks to her baby and also Haneul, things didn't last long because both kids began protesting. Still in my lap, Haneul became incredibly wiggly, like he was trying to get away, so I set him down on the floor at my feet where he abandoned his teething ring for some new toys. Lanie's child, however, started kicking the crap out of her because he didn't like me sitting so close to his mother, and when he kicked her, I could also feel the kicks. It hurt and made me massage my stomach a little longer than normal.
Of course Lanie noticed. "And just how long did you plan on trying to hide your pregnancy?"
I smoothed my purple maternity dress over midriff, making my bump hard to miss. It's taken a few rounds of IVF treatments and even two miscarriages, but Castle and I have finally gotten the miracle we've been trying so hard for. At age forty-one, I'm finally being able to experience pregnancy the way I was meant to.
"You can tell I'm pregnant?"
"I've been able to tell for awhile. Katie, you look like you swallowed two small watermelons."
"We're going to tell the kids tonight since I'm finally in the safe zone, and depending on how things go, we'll share the news at the dinner party tomorrow night. You're still coming, right?"
"I won't miss it, and you know that Little Katie wouldn't pass up a chance to play with Vera."
(Our daughters are practically joined at the hip and are in the same class at school)
"How do you think everyone is going to react when I tell them I'm carrying twins?"
Lanie's expression became even more joy-filled and this time, we hugged happily.
"Twins? Oh, girl, your family is going to be ecstatic!" she gave my hand a squeeze. "Congratulations!"
"Thanks, Lanie."
"Have you and your hubby thought of names?"
"If there's one of each in there, then we'll call them James and Johanna—for my parents."
My best friend just grinned broadly, at a loss for words.
"Cat got your tongue?" I teased.
"No!" she sassed. "I was just thinking that I don't ever want to lose this."
"Our friendship?"
"Bingo."
"You're never going to because we've been friends for exactly the last half of our lives now, and I wouldn't have it any other way. You're more the sister I never had but always wanted, so that means you're stuck with me for the rest of your life, all right?"
"Okay."
My phone suddenly chimed at me, indicating a new text. I read it and stood.
"That was Alexis; she and Kang-Dae are coming in on their train right now. I'm going to go get them."
"Tell them hi for me."
"I will." Bending down, I scooped up Haneul and spoke to him with lots of enthusiasm. "Hey, big boy! We're going to go get Umma and Appa now!"
Even at six months old, my grandson knew what my words meant and squealed, his enthusiasm matching mine. Alexis and Kang-Dae have been away at a conference in New Jersey this weekend. Castle and I have been babysitting Haneul in the meantime.
Lanie watched me get all of mine and Haneul's things together, but when she tried to get up, she failed miserable because the weight of her belly was weighing her down.
"I was going to give you a hug but I don't think that'll be happening." She sighed heavily and resigned herself to holding her arms out, like her little boy August does. "You have to come down to my level."
I laughed and obliged, giving her belly a pat when we pulled apart. Her baby punched me in response.
"At least you have a few more days left!"
"Thank God." She watched us leave. "Thanks for coming!"
"Thanks for having us!"
With a final wave goodbye, I left the house with my grandson, reflecting on just how blessed I've been by Lanie's friendship for the last twenty years.
Done