Hey guys! This story stemmed from my new obsession of Castle! Caskett, Esplanie and Ryan/Jenny forever! Anyway, this is set during Under Fire, when Kate takes the phone to Jenny in the ambulance. This one's Esplanie and Ryan/Jenny, with the side pairing of Caskett. It is Lanie's POV. This is my first Castle story.
Lanie's POV
'Jenny,' Kate said, coming at the entrance of the ambulance, holding her phone in her hand. Castle was following her.
'What? What is it?' Jenny gasped out.
I let out a deep breath. This really, really felt like a horribly realistic dream. I was still in shock. I didn't want to believe that Javi and Kevin were stuck in a burning building while I helped the latter's heavily pregnant wife give birth.
When I had come running toward Kate, she had given me this stunned, half-disbelieving look. When she told me what was going on, I had the urge to burst into tears. Javier was inside the damn building?
When I went to the barricade line to take a few calming breaths, I saw Jenny standing there, arguing with an officer.
'You have to let me in!' she was exclaiming to the poor fellow.
'Jenny?' I half-yelled. 'What the hell are you doing here?'
'Lanie!' she said relieved. 'Oh my god, I had been so worried!'
'Let her in,' I told the officer, who reluctantly allowed Jenny in. I took her to Kate and Castle.
During the conversation that followed, I was only partly aware of the fire raging behind me. I was focusing on Jenny, as she was very obviously in labor. Of course I couldn't forget that Javi was either burnt to a crisp or very close to it, but being a ME, I had trained to focus on the patient before I thought of my own problems.
I took her to the ambulance, telling her to focus on breathing in and out, when I myself was suffering the same problem. What a hypocrite you are!
'It's him,' Kate said, holding out the mobile.
'It's Kevin?' she asked, grabbing the phone as fast as possible for her.
'Is it you? It's really you?' she said, looking as if she hardly dared to believe it. I could agree with her.
I heard garbled voices on the other end, and I felt a gut-wrenching pain seize me. I wouldn't be able to talk to Javi; I knew I wouldn't. They would lose the signal soon, and the pregnant woman needed to hear her husband's voice more than I did. Javi and I weren't really dating, after all.
'Oh, thank god,' Jenny sighed with relief. 'Where are you? Baby's coming.'
She paused, then said, 'Inside…?'
I turned to look at Kate, asking for permission as to further elaborate the situation for Jenny. Kate shook her head no.
She deserved to at least talk to him without the burden of the fact that his body would probably be never found. I again slipped into thoughts of never seeing Javi, and almost let a few tears slip out.
Jenny looked at the roof of the ambulance with a devastated scolding look and down again, saying, 'Don't say that. Please don't say that.'
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Castle turn around with grief on every pore of his face. Kate turned to look at him. I felt a pang of jealousy for my best friend. She had the love of her life standing next to her, while I might never get to talk to mine ever again.
Jenny let out a strangled moan of pain, taking a deep breath in and letting it out. She paused, listening to Kevin.
'Kevin, please,' she moaned, eyes shining with tears. 'No! Don't leave me!'
I heard Ryan speak, and even though I was wallowing in self-pity, I felt my heart go out for Jenny. The poor woman was probably going to lose her husband, and her only momentums of him would be his things around their house and their tiny baby. The knowledge of her child never being able to know his/her father must be crushing her.
'We need a name,' she gasped out between her cries. 'For the baby. We need to do that together.'
I felt another pang of guilt for my self-pity. Jenny was almost going to lose the opportunity to name her child without her husband.
She paused, and then nodded, presumably at a name. I could guess from her expression that she would name her child whatever Kevin desired because of the fact it might be his last wish.
Kate and Castle exchanged another look that spoke volumes.
'And if it's a girl?' Jenny asked, barely able to contain her sobs any longer.
If I knew Kevin, I felt he would be telling her to name the boy Javier and the girl with some sentimental background.
'I love you so much, Kevin,' she sniffed after a pause. 'I love you.'
I couldn't bear to hear any longer. My own urge to burst into tears was becoming too much. I leaned back, hearing static from the mobile and stared at the ground. The signal was lost and so was my chance to speak to Javi. I had never felt more devastated in my life.
'Kevin,' Jenny gasped. Something just stopped in the phone.
'Kevin?' she asked, confused and desperate for a few more seconds with her husband. I continued staring at the ground, waiting for the inevitable confirmation that my only chance to talk to Javi was gone.
'Kevin!' Jenny said, half-sternly, half-desperately. The sobs were coming in full force now. I closed my eyes in an attempt to curb my tears.
I opened my eyes to see her hold out the phone to Kate, many half-formed words at the tip of her tongue. Her expression just screamed devastation and confusion.
Kate took the phone. Castle's eyes were filled with tears. Kate was looking like she had lost all sense of hope.
I held Jenny's hand as she took deep breaths in.
'I don't want to do this, Lanie,' Jenny told me. She was in so much pain. 'Not without him.'
'I know, baby,' I said, keeping my voice steady and calm. She let out another pain-filled moan. 'I know. I'm here, I'm here.'
I checked my watch, timing the contraction.
'Contractions are two minutes apart; it's coming!' I told her, trying to be strong for her sake. She let out a sob.
'Together. Do you hear? Together!' I told her. 'Okay?'
She nodded, and I gestured her to keep breathing as I reminded myself to do the same.
/
I bundled up the beautiful crying baby girl and handed her to Jenny. She had tears rolling down her eyes. I heard a scuffling noise and I looked out to see Kevin holding the bottom of the ambulance to look inside.
'Kevin!' Jenny gasped. 'You're alive!'
I had, meanwhile looked out to see Javi outside. My face split into a huge smile.
'Javi!' I gasped and ran out of the ambulance straight into his arms. 'Thank god!'
We looked into the ambulance and saw Kevin and Jenny breaking off their kiss.
'You're both beautiful,' he said, looking at the tiny baby and Jenny. He seemed enthralled by the baby.
'Kevin,' Jenny said, and he looked up to her. 'I'd like you to meet… Sarah Grace.'
Castle, Kate, Javi and I exchanged huge smiles. We looked back to see Kevin gazing tenderly and adoringly at his two angels. He was rubbing Sarah Grace's head.
I tucked my head under Javi's chin, rejoicing in the moment. Castle had his arms around both Javi and Kate, and we reveled in the comfort that our family was together once again.
Hopefully I captured the essence of everyone's three Castle OTPs! I really, really hope that I did justice to the plot! Love y'all!
Yours truly,
Stella
