Look, it's another Castle story. And yet, I still don't own them. Sad.
Like my other stories in this world, I'm changing their daughter's name to Rebecca/Bex. So bear with me if you find a couple missed Sophie/Bex's. I'll fix what I see now, and go back through once my mind wanders a bit, and I can find any others. Thanks. :)
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Rick asked.
Kate rolled her eyes before glaring at her husband. "I'm sure, Rick. I can handle four days alone with Bex."
Rick smiled and shook his head. "I know, Kate. I'm just trying to find a reason not to leave."
Kate sighed and held her hands out. Rick pouted slightly but handed their daughter over. "You have to leave. Paula and Gina will kill you if you skip out on this."
Rick sighed and nodded. "I know."
Kate watched as Rick finished packing while shooting looks back at her and Bex.
"Rick." Kate finally said when her zipped up his bag.
"Hmm?"
"She's 5 months old. She won't remember that you left for four days." Kate said with a smile.
Rick sighed. "I know. Honestly I do."
Kate smiled and gestured for Rick to leave the bedroom ahead of her. Together, they walked to the front door, where Rick had a hired car waiting to take him to the airport.
"I can get the morning flight." He said in a last ditch attempt to postpone his departure.
Kate shook her head. "Then Gina would make you take an evening flight home. And I'd rather have you home sooner."
Rick sighed once more before pulling the door open and turning back to Kate and Bex. "Alright. I'll see you ladies in four days." Rick said as he stepped closer to Kate. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly, but not altogether chastely.
When he pulled away, Rick smiled at Kate before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Bex's head.
"Bye Bye, Bex. I love you, baby girl. Be good for mommy, ok?"
Bex blinked sleepily back at Rick and raised her hand to pat his cheek and babbling happily. Rick smiled at his daughter and kissed her once more before standing and grabbing his bag. With one last kiss to Kate's cheek, Rick stepped outside and made his way to the car where the driver took the bag for him and Rick was able to get into the car.
Kate and Bex stood on the stoop and watched as the car drove away.
"Alright, girlie. Looks like it's just you and me for the next few days." Kate said to Bex as they reentered the house. Bex looked up at her mother and made a happy gurgling noise while smiling up at Kate.
"That's kinda what I was thinking." Kate said with a smile. "Now, let's get you cleaned up and put to bed."
30 minutes later, Kate finished putting Bex's pajamas on and sat down in the rocking chair with her.
"Do you want to go to the park tomorrow, Bex?" Kate asked as she rocked her daughter. Bex coughed in response, causing Kate to stop rocking and look down at her daughter.
"Bex, are you getting sick, baby girl?" Kate asked in a concerned tone.
Bex coughed again and Kate pressed the back of her hand against Bex's cheek, but the baby didn't feel warm.
Kate brought Bex closer to her chest and softly patted her back. The baby coughed a few more times before she finally managed to breathe normally.
"There you go, Bex. You ready for bed?"
Bex shifted slightly in Kate's arms, which she took for a confirmation. Kate laid her daughter in her crib and covered her with the blanket.
"I love you, Bex." Kate whispered as she kissed her daughter's cheek. "Sleep well, little girl."
Kate woke up the next morning to Bex crying at the top of her lungs. After a brief moment of grogginess, Kate hurried from her room into Bex's bedroom where she found the baby lying down with tears streaming down her face.
"Hey now." Kate said softly as she picked Bex up. "Shh, it's ok, baby girl." Kate whispered over and over again.
Finally Bex managed to stop crying, but Kate could tell she was uncomfortable. Kate laid her down on the changing table and grabbed the thermometer to see if Bex had spiked a fever overnight.
Sure enough, the thermometer came back with a temperature of 101.4, causing Kate to let out a quiet curse.
"You didn't hear that, Bex." She added before changing Bex's diaper and putting her in a soft pink onesie.
When Kate was done, she grabbed a bottle from the fridge and a cup of coffee for herself and moved to the living room where she set Bex on her lap and started feeding her while waiting for the pediatrician's office to open so she could try to get her daughter in.
By 10:00, Bex was crying again and Kate had a doctor's appointment at 1:15, which didn't seem to be coming quickly enough. Just as Kate managed to get Bex to stop crying again, her laptop let her know that Rick was calling her over Skype. Kate set Bex on a blanket by the couch and grabbed her laptop, situating it so that she could clearly see her husband.
"Hey." Rick said with a smile when she answered the call.
"Hey yourself." Kate replied.
"How you doing?"
"I'm fine. Better than Bex at least." Kate said while looking down at her daughter who was now holding a toy close to her chest and sitting propped up against the couch.
"What's wrong with the munchkin?" Rick asked, suddenly concerned.
"I don't know. She has a fever and she's been crying off and on this morning."
"Did you call the doctor?"
"Of course. Her appointment is at 1:15."
Rick nodded as he took in the information. "Where is she?" He finally asked.
Kate smiled and moved her computer, setting it on the ground in front of Bex.
"Ah, there's my little munchkin!" Rick exclaimed happily.
Bex looked at the computer and smiled when she saw her father. She shifted so that she was on her hands and knees and crawled over the short distance so that she was right in front of the computer. She raised a chubby hand and placed it on the screen, no doubt trying to touch Rick.
"Hi, Bex." Rick cooed.
Bex let out a little laugh and patted the screen again.
Kate smiled and picked the computer up off the ground before reaching down again and pulling Bex into her lap, noticing that she still felt a little warm.
At 12:30, Kate looked up and saw that it was nearly time to leave.
"We need to go soon, writer boy." She said with a fond smile.
"Alright. Call me when you're done?"
"Of course." Kate said before blowing a kiss to him, something she'd kill him for ever mentioning.
After he'd hung up, Kate picked Bex up from where she was sleeping on the couch and carried her to her bedroom where she changed her into a gray onesie without waking her up.
When Kate was done, she carried her daughter out to the car and buckled her into the seat before climbing in herself.
"Alright, Miss. Bex. Let's go figure out what's wrong with you." Kate said as she began the drive to the doctor's office.
An hour and a half later, Kate was trying to get Bex back into her car seat, but the baby's screaming and wiggling wasn't helping much.
"Bex, come on." Kate said pleadingly. "Just calm down a little bit, ok?"
Bex seemed to finally take pity on her mother because she calmed down just enough for Kate to get her buckled, but she started up again as soon as Kate closed the door. Kate hurried into the driver's seat before starting the car and putting it in reverse and leaving the lot. With Bex still crying, although more quietly now that they were moving, Kate decided that there was only one person who could help.
30 minutes later, Kate was holding Bex on her hip and knocking on her father's front door.
"Katie?" Jim asked when he opened the door.
"Hi, Dad." She said with a smile. Jim held the door open and gestured for her to step inside, which she did gratefully.
"Sorry I didn't call first." Kate said as she walked into the living room bouncing Bex slightly.
"Don't worry about it, Katie." Jim said with a smile as he took his granddaughter into his arms. "I was missing my little girl anyways." He added when Bex gurgled happily at him.
Kate smiled at her dad and her daughter together, glad that he finally got at least one of the grandchildren he'd been bugging her about for years.
"So what brings you out here?" He asked as he lowered himself to the floor to play with Bex. "Rick in trouble again?"
"No. At least, not yet. He's on a book tour, so it's just us for a little while." Kate replied as she sat on the floor across from her dad. She looked at their positions and couldn't help but laugh.
"What?" Jim asked as he looked up from Bex.
"Nothing. We're just two grown adults in a living room with plenty of seating options, and we go for the floor."
Jim just smiled at his daughter before turning back to Bex.
"How long has she been sick?" He finally asked, gesturing to his granddaughter.
"How did you know?" Kate asked, slightly shocked.
"I'm a dad." Jim replied.
Kate sighed and shook her head. "She was coughing a little last night. It wasn't too bad until this morning though."
"You were just at the doctor's office?" Jim guessed.
"Yeah. He said it's jus a cold and that she'll be fine soon."
"He give you any tips?"
"Just to give her the medicine. But I feel like you're about to give me a few."
"Take a bath with her." Jim said.
"Seriously?" Kate asked.
"Yeah. Your mother did it with you when you got sick as a baby. Just fill the tub up and lay her down on your chest. You had the added bonus of falling asleep pretty quickly too." Jim added with a smile.
"Thanks, Dad." Kate said. "I'll try it tonight."
Kate and Bex spent the rest of the day with Jim, who was all to happy to have some company. As they were leaving after Jim insisted on feeding them dinner, or at least Kate anyway, Jim pulled his daughter into a hug.
"Bring her over any time, Katie." He whispered.
"You might just see us tomorrow, Dad." Kate said with a smile.
"I'd love that." Jim replied before letting her go and giving Bex a kiss.
Kate waved once more before pulling away and driving down the road.
When they got back home, Bex was asleep, and Kate decided to save the bath for the next night. She gently laid her daughter in her crib before making her way to the master bedroom, where she was asleep before she could really change into her pajamas.
Kate and Bex spent the majority of the next two days at Jim's house, and Kate was happy to see that her daughter was slowly getting better. Of course, the phone call from Rick saying that he'd be home a day earlier made her happy as well.
By the time Kate and Bex were leaving Jim's house at 7:00, Bex had only had three serious crying fits, each one ending with her falling asleep. All in all, it was a good day.
When they got home, Kate could tell Bex was about to start crying again, so she carried Bex into the bathroom where she started the water and undressed her daughter.
Kate climbed in and relaxed against the back of the tub and let Bex curl up on her chest. She gingerly washed her daughter's body, making sure not to wake her after she fell asleep 5 minutes in.
Kate contemplated getting out of the tub, but as she looked down at the top of her daughter's head, she decided not to. After all, no one really wanted to wake a baby up, especially when the baby is sick.
As Kate continued rubbing up and down Bex back, she felt her eyes starting to drift closed, so she used her toes to pull the plug and allow the water to drain, with the intention of getting out of the bathtub.
Of course, just because she intended to get out didn't mean her brain go the message, which was how she managed to be jerked awake when Rick leaned down and brushed her hair out of her face.
"You look really hot in that bathtub." Rick said with a smile as he leaned down and kissed his wife's forehead.
"You're early." Kate mumbled as Rick pulled a still sleeping Bex into his arms.
"I told you I would be." He reminded her with a smile as he offered her a hand.
"Thanks." Kate said as she allowed him to help her to her feet.
"So what prompted this?" Rick asked as he gestured to his girls in the bathtub.
"My dad's idea. He said my mom used to do it when I got sick as a baby. It works pretty well, actually." Kate said as she followed Rick into their bedroom and handed Bex over while she pulled on a tank top and a pair of shorts. When she was dressed, Rick followed her down the hall to Bex's bedroom where he got her ready for bed before lying her gently in her crib and pulling the blanket over her.
When Rick and Kate got back to their bedroom, Rick quickly changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed with his wife.
"So aside from getting our daughter sick," he started, earning a playful punch, "how was your mommy-baby bonding time?"
"It was fine. We hung out with my dad a lot. He's good with her." Kate said.
"I know he is. He raised you, didn't he."
"Nice way to suck up, Castle." Kate said with a smile, earning a pout from her husband.
Kate kissed him once before rolling over and tugging on his hand until he scooted closer to her and pulled her into his arms.
"Oh, and Rick?" Kate said just before she fell asleep.
"Yeah, Kate?"
"If she wakes up at all during the night for the next three days, you're dealing with it."
"Yes, dear." Rick said before kissing the back of Kate's shoulder and falling asleep.
Until Kate made good on her promise and kicked him out of bed when Bex started crying at 2:00 in the morning.
Done! I've been on a crazy writing thingy the last few days, and I've been trying to get all the ideas in my head turned into real stories. If you guys have any requests for prompts, either for this particular branch of my Caskett universe or one without kids, let me know! I can't promise what I write will be any good, but I'll do my best.
Reviews are wonderful. You should write one. :)