On the count of...three?
An AU Series. What if Castle and Beckett had triplets? What would their lives be like?
Chapter 4: Just hold on to me
She had been drifting in and out of consciousness for a while. She could listen to voices. Hoping one of them was Rick's. Or Dr. Mars. She had explained that a multiples pregnancy had other risks she had not had when pregnant with Lily.
Her sweet Lily. She was sure was still sleeping in the safe company of Martha and Alexis. She could picture her bouncing toddler coming to the table with Rick dragging his feet after her. She'd laugh over Lily and Castle princess tea parties and they would also melt her heart.
She'd been everything they'd hoped for and more.
"Kate?" Someone was calling her. "Kate, my name is Natalie, listen we need your help alright sweetheart?" She seemed not much older than 30. "We need you to stay awake for as long as you can, alright?"
"Castle..."
"Your husband is right outside Kate. We need you to stay awake sweetie." Natalie tried again.
Oh no. Too late.
Kate would watch her kids sleep for a little while every night. It gave her a sense of peace. A feeling of having something to hold on to after a long day's work.
"Hey beautiful." Rick came behind her, he wrapped her in his arms. Safe. Loved.
"How was class?"
"Fine, although I did have someone ask me for my number." She felt Castle tense. "Relax, they are younger than Alexis. And he saw the ring." He looked at her somberly. "I still don't know if I made the right decision of having my middle life crisis, right after we had triplets."
"Oh Kate." He whispered, turning her around. "It's fine, that's why you take them nightly. You are doing not doing anything wrong"
"I'm not?"
"No. You are chasing a dream. There is nothing wrong with that, in fact I believe it's what keeps us on our toes." He said with a smile. She gazed at him confused. "Me and you multitasking."
"Right." She huffed. Kate turned around again to look at her boys. Two identical. One not so much.
Her and Rick's triple threat.
"Any word yet?" Alexis had come and joined them at the hospital. Lily was safely in the PI Office with Haley.
"No... She's still in there." Espo said. "They haven't told your dad anything."
"Did she... give birth to the babies?" Alexis asked worriedly.
"Not that we know of." Ryan added in.
"Alexis." Rick had come back from down the hall. Martha in tow. "Where's Lily?"
"She's okay dad, don't worry, the real important question is. How are you?"
"Me? Fine."
"Dad."
"Okay, I'm... slowly dying here. Why don't they tell me anything... There was so much, so much blood."
Alexis's heart broke. "I'm sure they'll come and get you as soon as they can." She smiled softly, wrapping her arms around Castle. "Beckett's strong dad..."
"She might be, but I'm not." He admitted shyly.
"Of course you are sweetheart." Martha brushed his cheek. "You just to hold on for a little longer, I know the uncertainty is hard to understand." Her eyes lowered a bit. "I felt the same way that night you and Katherine were shot. I didn't know anything..."
Oh yeah, the shooting. She'd survived that. She would make it trough.
"Mr. Castle?" A doctor came in sight, he was taking off his cap. "Your wife is stable now. She's lost a lot of blood. As I understand she just hit the seventh month mark?"
"Yes." He said softly. "Is she having the babies tonight?"
"She's not strong enough right now, but I would like us to consider the strong possibility we might have to interfere once more."
Oh.
"Your doing a C- Section." Alexis added in.
"We'll have to wait and see. The first few hours are critical." He said calmly. "You can come and see her now. Just one of you for now."
"Dad. Tell her we love her." Alexis pushed her ahead a bit.
"We're all rooting for her." Kevin added in. "And those boys."
She opened her eyes once more. She was now in a bed again, no doctors around her... Just. Rick. He was watching her tentatively. "Hey you."
"Hey." She said softly. He squeezed her hand. "What happened?"
"How much do you remember?" He asked softly. "You..."
"Babies okay?" She asked. He nodded. "We still weren't done picking names."
"Ah that." He brushed her hand with his fingers. "That can wait."
"No." She said harshly. "It can't Rick." He saw the desperation in her eyes. "Not if..."
"It's going to be alright Kate."
"Even if it is. I want us to pick up their names."
"Fine. So we had decided on middle ones. Alexander and James." Castle said softly.
"What about Finn? Beckett smiled. "I always liked that one."
"Finn Castle? Really?"
"We could compromise." She added in. "You like Nathan, I like Finn."
"And Cosmo."
"We're not naming them Cosmo or Rocko. I'll play you if we do eventually get a pet, we can give them either one of those names."
"So... you're liking the dog idea huh?" Castle winked at her. Such a dork. "I like that,"
"Only because you got it into Lily's head and she keeps asking 'if daddy was serious'"
"What did you tell her?" He asked softly.
"That I'd give it a thought, I did have a dog growing up and it made me... I don't know. I think it would make Lily happy."
"And Rick too." He said.
"Of course."
"Oh come on, between the places we lived, the theatre and boarding school I never got a chance to have a dog." His eyes lighted up and Kate felt relieved.
"Alright, on to first names."
"Or dog names?"
"Focus Castle."
"Right." He nodded. "Reece. You said you liked Reece."
"And you liked Jake." She replied almost instantly.
Bless the instant connection thing.
Oh.
"Kate?" He asked as soon as she groaned in pain. "What's wrong?"
They had rushed her off to the delivery room. Dr. Mars had arrived moments before. Kate sighed, she really didn't think she'd be giving birth tonight but her doctor had explained the babies had began to become distressed and they needed to act fast so they would be tended to as soon as possible.
"It's not uncommon for triplets to come this early, but because of what we've seen today, I want to take every precaution."
Kate thought they were doing a C-Section. Again, Dr. Mars proved her wrong. "You've just been treated very aggressively. I'd like to avoid putting your body into more distress. I want us to give the chance to deliver naturally. You think we can do that Kate?"
Wasn't labor qualified as that?
Kate bit her lip. She was tired. Oh so tired. She'd just preferred they cut her open, but...
Another contraction. And Rick was by her side, leaning his forehead against her. "Tell me what you want us to do Kate?"
"I want to try." She said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." She said quickly.
"Alright Kate. I need you to start pushing.
Jacob Alexander Castle came into the world first. Strong lungs and bright blue eyes. Rick was right there to cut the cord and keep her going.
Reece James Castle followed in a close second. His was a more calm entrance. Right until the moment he felt cold. Blue eyes and a mess of hair on his head. Kate took a minute to admire her beautiful boys, even within minutes of being born she knew they'd be more than Castle than her.
She noticed then Jake and Reece were identical, like in her dream. She wondered if the third baby would look just like them or be completely different.
As she joined the calm of having finishing with one ordeal, she wasn't ready for the beeping of the machines and the darkness that suddenly over came her.
Her third baby wasn't out yet. The smallest one.
And she was loosing it again.
"Castle..."
"Kate..."
"C-Section... we need to take her Rick, I'm sorry, I'm not taking any additional risk with this baby..."
And just like that she felt Castle stride after her, she couldn't make out a lot of what was happening. It all happened so fast. She begged Dr. Mars not to be sleeping if it came to the scenario in which they had to do a C-Section, but she could barely stay awake.
"It's almost over. I promise." Rick told her sweetly. He kissed her forehead as she felt herself being disconnected of it all? Just moments before she was enjoining having a quiet moment, taking on the delight her children were healthy and now she was loosing herself again.
"This isn't going to hurt Kate. You'll just feel a bit of discomfort." Dr. Mars said.
Oh crap...
"Rick..."
"I'm here." She felt him kiss her softly. "It's alright Kate. I love you, you can do it."
"And baby is out," Their suspicions from the first ultrasound was right. The baby was considerably smaller than his brothers. And what was worse, he wasn't crying.
Phew...
What do you think guys? Lots of twists and emotions here. Thank you so much for the support.
'Till next time