Note Below, but do know that for the sake of this story, Beckett only got shot in the shoulder.
The regular blip of a machine she knows all too well is the first thing she wakes up to.
That and a flash of pain that seizes her whole arm from the base of her left shoulder to the very tip of her fingers, making her moan loudly. Her eyelids seem to feel lighter, less of a crushing weight against her eyeballs. As she opens her eyes to take her surroundings in, let the familiar scent reaffirm what she can see, everything rushes back to her, memories of what happened flooding her and she lets out a grunt, tears already escaping from the corners of her eyes.
Everything is confused and heavy, the room stifling with it.
"Cas-" her voice breaks around the dryness of her throat, making her cough violently and cry out against the bright pain surging once again, reaching her stomach this time. She can't fight the sob from breaking free, her head turning on the side so that her teeth can catch the rough fabric under her head as her eyes screw shut.
"Katie, Katie, shh."
A hand settles on one of hers, the touch both hesitant and desperate and she knows that voice. Yet, she can't bring herself to open her eyes.
"Stay calm, Katie. You're okay, you're okay." She's not sure whether he's talking to her or simply reassuring himself, but it does the trick and she slowly curls her hand around his, looks at him as tears keep rolling down her cheeks.
"Daddy," she rasps and watches as her dad springs into action, holding a straw to her lips so as she can clear and cool her abused throat.
"I know, sweetheart. You got us scared there for a moment." He smiles, but it's strained, not quite reaching his eyes. Taking in his face, she can't help but notice how weary and tired he looks, how older. Something is wrong, she can feel it radiating off him.
God, Castle, no.
Her lungs contract painfully, the air making itself terse as more tears escape, her head thrashing from one side to another.
"No, please," she gasps as every movement makes the pain in her left arm come alight.
"I know it hurts, I know," he soothes, brushing off her hair from her face and wiping at her damp cheeks. "Your doctor won't be long but Katie-" he chokes, his own eyes blurry with tears.
"Castle, no," her breath stutters, her chest heaving, the pain cracking her ribs apart, leaving her breathless, heart frantically pounding. He can't be dead, she can't be the reason she's lost him, they were just-
"Hey, Rick's fine. He's lost a lot of blood and he will certainly need more physical therapy than you, but he's doing great, Katie. In fact, he's been fighting the nurses to see you before falling asleep not long ago." He smiles but still, it's teary and she doesn't understand.
Frowning, she tries to get a hold on her breathing, sniffing.
"If he's fine then..?"
Her father is about to answer, but a tall, fairly young man comes in, wearing a white loose blouse above a clear blue shirt.
"Mrs. Castle, glad to see you joining us! How are you feeling?"
Letting her eyes track him as he walks closer to the bed, she wets her lips the space between her eyebrows narrowing as he flashes a light above her eyes from one side to another..
"I- I don't know. Just, what's going on?" They're hiding something from her. First her dad, and she can see her doctor doesn't look quite as glad she he lets on. "Can I see Castle?"
First thing, first.
"Ah, your husband, yes. Mr. Castle woke up shortly before you and was very well aware. He will be brought here once he wakes up, don't worry." Again he smiles but there's still something left unsaid, and she has had enough.
"Okay, what is it?" She shoots a look to her dad who avoids her gaze and then to her doctor who's regarding her with a pity she doesn't understand – nor want.
"There is something you need to know, but we would like to tell you both at the same time. Nothing to worry about. Not for now anyway, you need to rest some more, sleep off the medication. You took a bullet to your shoulder and it hit a nerve, this is still a concern. Can you move your fingers for me ?"
She wriggles her fingers with a huff, her annoyance towards both men in the room starting to get on her every nerve.
"Good. Please call a nurse if you start to feel tingles or if you lose sensation in a part of your arm. I'm gonna raise your medication so you can rest. I promise, everything will be explained to you in time." Smiling, he nods to her dad before retreating, his blouse flying behind him.
Her dad stays silent next to her, his eyes staring at the ground, still grim, and all she wants is to know.
But before she can even ask, her whole body gets heavier and heavier and blackness overcomes her.
The second time she opens her eyes, he's the first thing she sees and it instantly brings tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Damn painkillers.
"Castle," she chokes, a hand hovering over her mouth as he gives her a watery smile of his own.
"Hey there, sleeping beauty. I was just about to come and kiss you. Took you long enough." Crackling smiling eyes lock with hers, the warmth of it like a blanket around them both.
She sobs on a laugh, smiling wide and stretching her right arm toward him. "Please."
His own arm comes with a bit of difficulty as his eyebrows flex with concentration, but thankfully they're pretty close and she does most of the reaching. His hand wraps around her own, fingers intertwining, and her smile softens. "I- God, Castle. They were all looking at me like you were dead and I-"
"Hey, shh. I'm fine, see?" She feels his hand squeeze her with emphasis, making her bite her lips to keep from letting yet another sob free. "But let me call someone. You're right, they also acted pretty strangely around me."
Nodding, she lets him hit the button as she allows herself to relax – as much as she can.
"I'm not cleaning up the kitchen, by the way," he blurts out lightly, looking at her so seriously she could hit him.
"Castle!" she admonishes with a laugh, slowly shaking her head at him.
"Too soo-"
"Ah, both awake, I see!"
They turn to look at their doctor, who they apparently haven't heard coming in. He walks around, looking at their charts one after the other, nodding to himself before looking back at them, arms crossed.
"I'm afraid there is no easy way to say what I'm about to say, and giving your conditions I need you both to stay calm and not panic, understood?"
Swallowing hard, she shoots a look at Castle, her hold on his hand tightening.
"Well, shouldn't have said that," he grunts, his hand squeezing in return as he keeps staring at their doctor.
"Kate," he starts, looking at her, "did you know you were pregnant?"
It comes like a bomb, the blow hitting hard, leaving open wounds and horrified gaps.
Frowning fiercely, she shakes her head.
"I- No, I'm. Am I?" She sees the way her doctor's jaw tightens, sees the breath escaping him. "Did I- Did I lose him?" she chokes, a hand flying to press against her stomach, making her gasp and jerk violently as the tears come back, stronger this time.
"Kate." She screws her eyes shut as she hears Castle, the hurt lacing her name. Hurt for her, for them.
"Not exactly." Her eyes snaps open. "She's well alive and she's doing really great, which is highly surprising. She's a fighter this one." He smiles sweetly at them both as they stare at him dumbly.
"What do you mean, she?" Castle asks, something raw.
The doctor redirects his eyes to Kate. "Kate, you've done what we call a denied pregnancy. Your body came under too much stress and we had to get to her while operating your shoulder, it's a chance she made herself known and we were able to see it. However, she's born two months premature and we're keeping her on a continuous positive airway pressure until her lungs get big enough. Other than that, she should be just fine."
"Oh god," Kate gasps, hiding her face in the cushion, silently sobbing but still holding her husband's hand with a renewed strength.
Castle clears his throat trying to sit up but failing with a groan, tears of his own rolling down his cheeks.
"Please, stay calm. It happens more than you'd think. Your baby might have produced scant amounts of HCG, and that's how she went under the radar. Neither your body or mind was aware of her, at all. This lack of HCG also explains why she came out prematurely, simply because she didn't get enough resources from you as she would have needed to. It would have happened eventually even if you hadn't been shot." Watching the shocked parents, he walks to the new mom, circling her ankle. "Keep in mind that she is as healthy as can be, it's just a matter of time now. She is small, but that will change very fast."
"When can we see her ?" Castle is the first to speak up, brushing his tears off his cheeks.
"As soon as you two are ready, we can wheel you to her. But please, don't push it, if you don't feel capable, she's well taken care of."
"Like hell." Castle's voice booms in the small around, his thumb tracing light circles on his wife's hand. Kate is still staring ahead without really seeing, breath ragged and silent tears still running.
"Fine. I will call a nurse and she will get you both to her in a moment, but you have to take it easy."
4 days ago, they took down Loksat and got shot inside their own home.
Today, they had a baby.
TBC.
Alright, I know. It's been ages since I've updated *anything*. Fear not, this one should be a two-shots, which means it WILL be completed, yaaaay? Also, like I said it's been a while, so I'm a lil bit rusty and this didn't write itself exactly the way I wanted it to, but it just wanted out, so. Still felt selfish to keep it to myself.
For the medical/pregnancy part. It might make some of you cringe but I did some research, read *a lot* and even if it happens rarely it *is* possible. Please, don't ever take a stomach ache lightly, you could end up giving birth in your car, nice isn't it! If you still can't run with it, just imagine they live in an universe where it is possible, kay? okay. I just wanted to write something slightly different.
Thanks Alex for beta-ing this :)
twitter : Katherinehgt
