Hey!

I am back with a new story! This is going to be like my story The Pregnancy Chronicles but the only difference being that this is about their second child! :) I am posting this exactly one year after the original! Please let me know what you think by leaving a review!

(Entire story takes place between April 2020 and December 2020)

Disclaimer: Castle is not mine :/


[Second Time Around]

April 26th, 2020 (4 weeks)

The sound of giggling and cackling woke Kate up and her eyes hazily opened as she took in her surroundings. Taking a deep breath, she remained sprawled out on the bed, with her legs and arms spread out like a star.

She had no desire to get out of bed whatsoever, wanting to sleep the day away. She knew she couldn't though. Today was Sunday, and that meant their weekly visit to the park.

Kate slowly sat up, stretching her arms above her head as she loosened up the tightened muscles. As soon as she dropped her arms a wave of nausea quickly came over her and she bolted for the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before she made a mess of things.

She stayed bent over the toilet for a few more minutes before she stood and brushed her teeth, trying to get rid of that bitter after taste she had in her mouth. Squeezing out a healthy amount of toothpaste, she began to brush her teeth but the mint flavor had her back at the toilet.

This has been happening for the past few days, and as she emptied out what contents she had left in her stomach Kate had an inkling as to why. But deciding not to let her mind go down that path, at least not yet, she slowly got up, first making sure she looked somewhat presentable, before she joined her husband and son.

When Kate walked out, she found the two in the kitchen making a mess. It looked like they were trying to make pancakes. She stood out of sight from them and merely watched. It was sweet to see Rick helping Braden mix the batter before pouring it out on the griddle.

She leaned against the door and tried to stifle her laugh when Rick flicked some of the batter on his son's face, only to get a helping of batter on his own face in return. Kate decided now was the time to make her presence known, before things got out of hand.

"What's going on in here?"

Braden's eyes found his mother, and he grinned. "Hi, Mom! We are making you pancakes."

Coming up to her son, she brought him in for a hug and smacked his cheek with a kiss. "I can see that. Very sweet of you two."

"Hey," Rick pouted, "Where's my kiss?"

Merely rolling her eyes, Kate extracted herself from her son's arms only to wrap her own around her husband's waist. "Right here." She brought him in for a soft kiss, but not on the lips. She kissed him on the cheek instead.

And before Rick could say anything about the lack of lip contact, Kate began to have the feeling of nausea wash over her, but as soon as it had appeared it had passed. She tried to mask it by distracting herself with the bowl of fruit on the countertop, but it didn't work.

Concerned, he placed his hand on the small of her back. "Hey, you okay?"

Glancing over at their son, she saw he was preoccupied with cleaning himself up and focused her attention back to Rick. "You and I need to talk later," she whispered.

He nodded his head, unsure of what was going on but agreeing regardless. "Okay."

Rick would wait until later, knowing she needed time to gather herself and her thoughts. He had no idea what she wanted to talk about and if he was being honest with himself, it frightened him a bit. But he couldn't let that show.

He could only hope it wasn't anything too serious.


When the trio arrived at the park, Rick and Kate stayed a few paces behind their son and kept an eye on him as he skipped ahead. Not saying a word the entire walk there, Kate kept her mouth shut and the agony of not knowing practically killed Rick. He couldn't wait any longer.

He gave her hand a squeeze, trying to be encouraging. She turned her focus up to him and saw him smiling softly.

It's okay. She could do this.

She could.

Taking a slow breath, she shut her eyes briefly before holding his gaze. "I'm just going to come right out and say it— I think I'm pregnant."

Out of all the possibilities he had running in his head as to what she wanted to speak about, being pregnant was not one of them.

"You— you what? Really? How?" Kate gave him a look that said more than her words ever could. "No, I know how. I just thought...we've been careful."

With a shrug of her shoulders, she sighed. "I had thought so, too. And I don't know for sure if I actually am pregnant, but the same symptoms I had with Braden are there, and in full force."

There was a small silence between them, and Kate figured that was because he was trying to process everything. She saw the gears turning in his head as they walked through the park. As they approached their usual spot, the couple took a seat on the bench across from the playground, while Braden ran over the swings, immediately becoming entertained.

Eyes drifting back and forth from his son to his wife, Rick held Kate's hands in his as they rested on his lap. He spoke after what felt like an eternity. "On the way home, we can stop by the store and pick up a pregnancy test. That way we know for sure, and we're not just jumping to conclusions."

Kate bit her lip. "And if I am pregnant?"

Unsure of what it was, but he sensed a bit of hesitation in her voice. "Do you not want to be?"

She answered instantly. "No! It's not that I don't want to be. It's just..."

"You don't think it's the right time," he supplied.

"Yes. With your book coming out next month and all the parties and signings, and then with my workload, it's not exactly ideal to have a baby right now. Does that make a bad person?"

They'd talked about it but hadn't planned on having another one for another year or two, so the timing was a bit off.

Scooting closer, Rick wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "No, it doesn't. And it never usually is ideal, but we have to know and understand that it might be a possibility we're having another baby and simply go from there. But, Kate. The thing is, you may not even be pregnant."

Nodding, she pulled him in for a hug. "I know. I know," she mumbled into his shoulder. "I just wish I knew for sure so then I would stop worrying over it."

"We'll let the pregnancy test do all the talking, all right? For now, how about you and I go join our son on the swings? Take your mind off of things for a little bit?" He had a twinkle in his eyes at the mention of his son and swings, the idea very appealing.

Giving him a nudge, she smiled. "You go on ahead. I'll be right there."

"Okay," he said, not waiting for a reply as he was already making his way toward his son.

Kate watched from afar as the father and son duo began to have a competition as to who could go the highest, and she thought back to when Braden was a baby and how Rick would push him in the baby swing, the movements causing Braden to giggle and clap.

She wished she could relive those memories that flooded her brain, and that was when she started to think that maybe it wasn't such a bad time to have another baby.

They could do this again. She knew it.

With her hand on her stomach, Kate shut her eyes and wished with all of her heart that she was in fact pregnant again, before walking over to the swings and hopping on one between her husband and son.


"Brae, Mom and I will be in our room if you need us, okay?" Rick asked, his hand on his son's bedroom doorknob. "Just holler if you need anything."

"I will." And just like that he was back to playing with his action figures, creating scenes and adventures for the toys to partake in. Rick smiled as he shut the door and made his way downstairs to his and Kate's room, finding her in the bathroom pacing.

She looked nervous yet hopeful. He couldn't help but feel the same way.

Walking over to her, he brought her in for a hug and held her close. "How much longer until we know?"

"One more minute."

Kate was trembling in his arms, her eyes shut closed as she held onto him with all her might. He was keeping her body steady as her brain was traveling a million miles an hour. Rick whispered sweet nothings in her ear, his hand drawing patterns on her back, as he soothed her nerves.

Thirty seconds passed.

"Longest minute ever," Rick sighed.

And finally, when the timer went off, both held their breaths. The time had come.

Rick pulled her out at an arm's length, his eyes taking in her expression. "Do you want me to do it, or would you rather do it?"

Kate hugged herself, her bottom lip between her teeth as she shook her head. "Could you? I'm too nervous."

Holding his hand out, she took it and watched as he grabbed the pregnancy test off the bathroom counter. She couldn't take his silence, and with his back to her, she couldn't read his face. He didn't say anything for a few moments, and Kate became anxious.

"Well? What does it say?"

Slowly turning to face her, he switched from looking at the test to Kate. It was pure agony, and she just needed to know.

"Rick?"

His blank expression turned into one of pure joy, his smile reaching his eyes. "We're having another baby."


There you go!

Reviews are love. Not sure how quickly updates will be since I now have two multi-chapter stories in the works, but will do my best to update as fast as possible! Until then!

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