A/N: I should be cleaning my house or studying my Spanish. Instead, I'm writing. And it's all your fault. So many wonderful reviews, pushing me to keep going. However, this will be the last update until my trip as I must prepare. But who can do that with Castle back tomorrow? On a depressing note, I'll only be able to see the first two episodes before my self-imposed exile. Wondering if I can buy the eps from Amazon or Google play and watch them in South America?

Much love especially to: ilovetoread09, torontosun, cheetahluke, karisha1, rivertam09 and everyone else who have let me know how much they like this story.

When Rick and Alexis got back to the ICU waiting room, they found Martha reading a magazine.

"Darlings, really, you needn't have rushed back. Really Richard, we want to help with everything you know."

"I know Mother, but I'm so afraid something will happen without me here."

Martha could see how distressed he was at the thought of missing something and there was no point in haranguing him over it. She knew his disquiet didn't spring from a distrust of them, rather from his deep love of Kate and needing to try and protect her from anything he could.

"Have you seen any of the doctors?" he asked.

"No, but Lanie and Jim are in there now. She was still sleeping last I saw but that was about half an hour ago."

"Ok, I'm going back there. Alexis, are you staying here?"

"Yeah Dad, I'll keep Grams company for a while."

Rick turned and went through the doors to the ICU. The unit was set up in a u shape, with all the little rooms surrounding a central nursing station. Each room had glass doors that could be closed, but allowed the nurses to see in the room. Rick hadn't paid much attention to the other rooms previously, too caught up in his own misery. Now that his anxiety over Kate was much lower, he was able to take in more details of the rest of the unit. He could see other patients on ventilators, some with visitors and some tragically alone. One room had far more than the mandated 2 visitors. However, they were all sobbing and he could see the monitor that showed the vitals of the patient in that room was completely black. He was suddenly aware of the scale of human tragedy and triumph that played out on a daily basis in an ICU. It was gut-wrenching and he was even more thankful that his own part in it seemed to be ending on a happy note. They weren't completely in the clear but seeing her this morning responding to him had made him very hopeful.

He saw Lanie and Jim talking to Amanda in Kate's room. Kate still appeared to be asleep; some more of his anxiety over leaving her, albeit briefly, dropped away. He entered her room in time to hear Amanda giving Jim a quick run-down on Kate's current status. She noticed him standing behind her and quickly recapped things for him.

"Hi Mr. Castle. I was just telling Mr. Beckett and Dr. Parish how well Kate is doing this afternoon. Her sodium level has come back up to normal. Urine output is much better and her urine is slowly clearing, as you can see in the bag there." Rick noticed that Kate's urine did look less like coke and more like a light tea color.

"She's been sleeping since you left, but she's not having any increased work of breathing or stridor. We're hopeful that the throat swelling is much improved. She'll keep the NG tube in until we see if she's able to tolerate food. We don't want her puking a lot more; that might set her throat back. She's only needed the one dose of the morphine. Once she wakes up again we'll have a better idea of her pain requirements."

Rick nodded. Everything seemed like good news. "What are the next steps?"

"Well, I think Dr. Baker will probably move her to a regular ward bed if her mental status is ok once she wakes up."

Rick gave a quick prayer. To have been on death's door just yesterday and now they were discussing Kate leaving the ICU. It was incredible how well she'd bounced back. Thank god she'd been so healthy going into the illness.

Amanda left the room shortly after this and Jim and Lanie both decided to go out to the waiting room for a break, leaving Rick alone with Kate once again. He sat down in the chair near her right hand and took it in his own. He lowered her bedrail and bent his head over her hand cradled in his. Tears flowed again as he took the time to thank whatever power had protected her and allowed them more time together.

Lost in his emotions, he didn't initially notice her hand twitch in his. A raspy voice finally broke through his sobbing.

"Rick."

He looked up and saw her green eyes locked on his. She looked confused and concerned. He reached up and caressed her face, stroking her cheeks and hair.

"Yes baby. I'm here."

"Why are you crying?" Her voice was definitely stronger.

"Because I almost lost you. Because I didn't lose you. Because you're going to be ok. Oh Kate, I love you so much." He still had tears dripping down his face, but he didn't really care at that moment.

"What happened?"

He could tell she didn't remember anything from the morning, so he gave her a quick rundown again as to how they'd ended up where they were. She seemed to understand, though was clearly surprised about the NG tube and the bladder catheter.

"How's your throat? You sound much better."

"Hurts. Feels like a knife in there. Can I have some water?"

"I'll have to ask Amanda, your nurse. Let me call her in here."

Nodding her acquiescence, Kate closed her eyes again while she waited for the nurse. Rick pushed the call button and shortly afterwards Amanda re-entered the room. Kate opened her eyes when she heard Rick speaking to Amanda but didn't say anything. It hurt too much.

"I have to grab Dr. Baker now that she's awake again. She still has orders to be NPO except for ice chips until he gets to re-evaluate her. Let me page him and you can give her some ice chips like earlier."

Rick looked at Kate and told her he would go grab the cup and ice. Amanda asked Kate if she wanted any pain meds but she shook her head no. She just wanted something wet in her mouth.

When Rick returned, he carefully fed her a few chips at a time. He knew she was mad that he wouldn't give her more, but he was not about to circumvent doctor's orders.

"More" she croaked.

"No Kate. Dr. Baker will be here soon and if he agrees you'll have some clear liquids. But not until he says so."

Kate closed her eyes frustrated. To take her mind off of water, she thought about what Rick had told her earlier. That she'd been very dehydrated. Reopening her eyes, she captured his attention again and asked "Why?"

Misunderstanding her, he launched into a spiel about obeying the doctor again. She interrupted him by clutching his hand with hers. She was so weak, but just that little movement was enough to make him silent, looking at her with a question in his eyes.

"Why am I here? What's wrong with me?"

Rick had told her what had happened, but not why they thought it had happened. He set down the cup of ice to one side and moved so he held her right hand in both of his; his eyes held hers as he spoke.

"They said the vomiting can be caused by several different things. However, one of your blood tests was abnormal." She nodded, willing him to go on. "It's a blood level that is elevated in women who are pregnant."

Her eyes got huge. "Pregnant? I'm not pregnant."

Rick gave a grim smile. "Well, I hope you are, because the other causes are not things I want to think about. Like cancer."

She took in a deep breath. "This is crazy. How could I be pregnant?"

"Do we really need to have that discussion Kate?" She knew he was trying to lighten the mood, but she wasn't ready to joke about things like this.

"Kate, there's more."

More? Dear God.

"The levels of the blood test are so high they suspect if you are pregnant, there may be more than one."

Holy crap, he was right. This was…more. She remained silent for a few minutes, processing the information, trying to make sense of it all.

"When will we know?"

"They have to do a special ultrasound. They wanted you to be more stable before they tried it. I suppose when Dr. Baker comes in we can ask him."

Rick could see she wasn't ready to discuss the issue anymore, so he busied himself giving her more ice chips and adjusting her pillows as best he could. Her hair was a wild mess. The nurses had rinsed it as best they could when she was still intubated, getting the worst of the vomit out of it. It would take several shampoos to get it clean though. He felt a spasm of gratitude that she'd get that shampoo at some point; it certainly beat the alternative.

Kate dozed for the half hour it took for Dr. Baker to come to her room. He woke her and asked her several questions regarding her orientation. She was alert and answered easily, a huge relief to Castle and to the physician. After rehashing much of what Castle had told her, he decided to let her try some clear liquids. He also let them know they'd be able to do the transvaginal ultrasound that afternoon.

"Now that she's out of the most critical stage, it's time we figured out what we're dealing with. I still think a diagnosis of hyperemesis gravidarum fits best with all the information we have, but we have to be sure. Plus, there is the issue of dating the pregnancy if you are expecting."

Confused by this statement, Kate looked at Rick. He hadn't told her about the issue with the dates predicted by the hCG. Dr. Baker saw the confusion and explained the problem. Kate just stared at him.

"That makes no sense Dr. Baker. We've been apart for more than we've been together over the last 3 months. So much so that I can definitely tell you there is no way a baby could have been conceived 8 weeks ago." She was more confused than ever. "Does this mean I'm not pregnant?"

"No Ms. Beckett. It makes me more suspicious that we're actually dealing with a multiple pregnancy. That would make the levels much higher than expected. However, I must caution you that it is very possible if you were pregnant that you aren't now. Your body has been through a tremendous stress and the chances of a viable pregnancy are small after everything that happened."

Kate hadn't known how excited she was about the idea of a possible baby until she heard those words. She clutched Castle's hand a little tighter, knew by the look on his face that he felt the same.

"In the meantime, let's see how you do with some clears. Amanda is going to turn the suction off of your NG tube, but we'll keep it in place until I see how you're going to respond." The doctor left and Amanda went to go get some water for Kate to try.

"Rick. What if it was a baby?"

"Kate, we don't know yet. You're so strong. If you are pregnant, I think there's a good chance you'll carry this baby. They don't know how tough you are. But if it's not good news that doesn't mean we can't try later. I want kids with you Kate. But let's not jump ahead until we know what is going on."

He was right. She always over thought things until she had every worst case scenario running through her head. She let his presence and the conviction in his voice soothe her. He was the only one who could slow down the freight train of her thoughts when they started barreling around her head, sending her into a spiral of anxiety and panic. She sank into the comfort of his love, let him be the strong one, the one caring for her. Not a position that she'd ever allowed anyone else to assume after her mother's murder. A position that Castle alone would ever have. He was the only one she allowed access to all of her heart, to all of her fears and desires. Alone she was an outwardly strong, confident detective with a carefully guarded heart that let no one in. Alone he was equally guarded; he'd only allowed a few people in to his inner circle. But together; together they were synergy, each far exceeding together what they could do alone.

Amanda returned with some water. Cautioning her to take it easy, she handed it to Castle. He held the straw carefully to Kate's lips and she was finally able to drink. The water tasted like ambrosia. It felt so soothing on her throat. Rick let her drink about half of it before he took it away, grinning at her.

"Slowly Kate. There's plenty more out there."

She pouted a bit. "Tease."

"Just give yourself some time."

She was patient for about 10 minutes before giving him a pleading look and a drawn out "pleeaassee?"

He let her drink the rest of the water and was about to ask Amanda for more when he saw Kate's face change dramatically. She clutched his hand hard, turned pale and started breathing fast.

"What's wrong Kate?"

"I'm going to be sick. Rick!" She groaned his name in frustration and panic, feeling very ill suddenly.

Rick yelled for Amanda, not wanting to let go of Kate's hand. Amanda ran in, not having been far. As soon as she saw Kate's face she knew she was about to be sick. She grabbed an emesis basin for Rick to hold for Kate and helped her turn sideways. As the little water she'd drunk came up, Amanda flipped the NG back to suction to help empty Kate's stomach as quickly as possible. Making sure that Rick was helping Kate, Amanda left the room to page Dr. Baker for further instructions.

Kate's dry heaving slowly stopped. Rick felt useless as he stroked her hair. He'd never seen her so vulnerable. He wished there was something he could do to make it all better. He got her settled back on the pillows once she seemed over the vomiting. Her eyes were closed as she fought off the waves of dizziness that had come with the nausea.

"Better?" he asked quietly.

She nodded, afraid to say anything, afraid of what would happen if she opened her mouth. She needed his touch, needed his strength. Her hand made a spasm towards the edge of the bed, seeking his. Feeling him grab it and provide the anchor she wanted helped beat the nausea back some more.

Some minutes later she felt it was safe to open her eyes again. She found Rick still holding her hand, watching her with undisguised concern in his deep blue eyes.

" 's ok" she managed, her voice noticeably raspier. "Don't leave me." She couldn't tell him in words how much she needed him right now. He was her solid ground in a sea of quicksand. Yet she didn't need to verbalize it; he could see everything she wanted to say in her eyes.

"I won't Kate, I won't. I'm not going anywhere. Get some rest. I'll be here."

She closed her eyes again, using his hands as the buffer against the waves of nausea.

Amanda returned while Kate was sleeping.

"Dr. Baker ordered an anti-nausea medicine called ondansetron. It's IV, so I'll give it to her now and once she wakes up she may be able to try some clears again."

Rick nodded; he wasn't sure he wanted to try again soon given how violent her vomiting had been. It had shaken him, watching her lose control over her body so completely. It gave him an idea of what she'd been through alone in their townhome and he found himself giving thanks once again that he and Alexis had found her in time.

Martha and Alexis came in soon after and convinced him to go out to the waiting room for a bit. He didn't want to leave but knew they needed time with Kate as well. Lanie had bought him a sandwich, so he ate with her and Jim. She told him how Espo and Ryan had been calling, concerned but unable to leave New York. Jenny had called a few times as well. Rick hadn't checked his phone for hours; it was set on silent so not to disturb Kate. He flipped it on and discovered multiple messages from Kate's work, most of them from Agent Murray. Other messages from Paula and Gina were interspersed with some from Captain Gates and the boys. He smiled to himself. Kate may have left the NYPD, but they still had her back even several hundred miles away. He made his first call.

"Agent Murray." She was all business today, the epitome of an agent.

"Hi, it's Rick Castle. Sorry I took a while to call back."

"How is she?"

"Better. She's off the ventilator and her sodium levels are normal. She's awake at times and there doesn't seem to be any brain damage."

"Oh, thank god. Do they know what happened?"

Rick still wasn't sure of course and knew Kate wouldn't want any wild speculation running around her new job. "Not yet, they're still doing tests."

"Ok. Well, call me if you need anything. I'll let the bosses know that she's doing better. I hope that it's ok that I told them this morning that she was in the hospital."

"That's fine, and thank you for all you did for us yesterday. We really appreciate it."

After hanging up with Murray, he made some quick calls to Paula and Gina. The same brief explanation seemed to work on both of them. Alexis then returned to the waiting room to tell him that Dr. Baker was waiting for him. Castle jumped up and moved quickly back to Kate's room before his daughter even finished her sentence.

Kate was still sleeping to his great relief. Dr. Baker kept his voice low so as not to disturb her.

"I've started her on an antiemetic, an anti-nausea medicine called ondansetron. It comes in IV and enteral forms, so for now we'll use IV. The NG is back to suction, but if she wakes and wants to try again we'll turn it off and give her some clears again. We'll need to watch her a bit longer here, though I think we'll be able to move her to a regular bed tonight if she's stable. We'll have them do he ultrasound here; it's not ideal, but at this point we need to know what we're dealing with."

Rick nodded his agreement; they all need to know what is going on. The not knowing for sure is difficult and eating away at the periphery of his thoughts. He just wanted Kate to get better, but without knowing what was causing the problem it was hard to know if she would ever improve. What if it was cancer?

Several hours passed as Kate continued to sleep. Rick remained with her as the others rotated in and out. In the late afternoon, the ultrasound tech came in the room with her equipment. Rick had to wake Kate.

"Sweetheart, you need to wake up now."

Her eyes slowly opened and locked on to his. He put all of his love and reassurance into his look at her.

"Sorry, but they're here to do the ultrasound."

The tech took over. "Hello Ms. Beckett. They've asked me to take a look and hopefully get a diagnosis for you. I believe Dr. Baker explained it all?" Seeing their nods, she continued. "Well, I need everyone to step outside for about 30 minutes then. Once we're finished, you can come back in."

Alexis was currently in the room with them and didn't need any encouragement to leave. However, when Rick stood to go with her Kate suddenly grabbed his arm and said "NO!"

"Kate, sweetie. I need to step out for a few minutes. You heard her, it won't be long."

"No. You're staying here."

Rick looked at the tech, eyebrows raised in question.

"Ms. Beckett, this type of ultrasound is quite invasive and not very comfortable, though I'll do my best to minimize any pain. Are you sure you want him here?"

"Yes, I'm sure. He's my fiancé; he's seen me naked before."

"Ok, if you want him here he can stay."

Rick wasn't sure he wanted to stay, but if Kate needed him then he would support her. He watched as the tech got everything ready. He gulped a bit when he saw all how it all worked and gave thanks he wasn't a woman.

"Rick, hold my hand." She was nervous about what was about to happen and needed him to carry her a bit through this. "Please, just look at me."

"Always."

"Ok, we're ready." The tech had pulled the curtain of the room so no one in the ICU could look in while they were doing the procedure. Amanda had placed a sign on the door warning any visitors not to come in. She was ready to give Kate more pain meds if needed.

Rick knew they had started by the sudden gasp of pain from Kate and the incredible vise like grip she had his hands in. Involuntarily, he glanced down to the foot of the bed but the tech had positioned some sheets over Kate's abdomen and her splayed legs. Thank goodness. His eyes then went to the screen of the ultrasound. It looked like a bunch of static on a black and white TV.

The exam took about 15 minutes; Rick thought he might lose his hands permanently as he wasn't sure any blood was getting past the area where Kate was gripping them. However, the tech seemed pleased with the results. After withdrawing the wand and helping Amanda clean Kate up a bit, she told them she needed to upload the imaging and speak with the radiologist quickly. She left everything else in place in case they needed more pictures.

"Well, that sucked." Kate said, face still tense. She'd let go of his hands quite so tightly, but still clutched them.

"Yeah, I was just thinking how happy I was not to be a woman." He said it to make her laugh a bit and it worked.

"Yeah, I don't think you could handle it Castle."

"I'm fairly certain you're right Beckett." God, they almost sounded normal there. Back to being them. With everything that had happened in the past days, even weeks, that exchange gave him even more hope. They were still them and would face whatever this was together.

The technician came back in a few minutes later. She smiled at them and asked them to wait while she completed some work on the machine. Rick didn't pay too much attention to her, focused on Kate and trying to get her to relax after the uncomfortable procedure. She was finally smiling again, until the tech spoke once again.

"Well, congratulations are in order. I just spoke with the radiologist, Dr. Williams. He confirmed my findings. You are pregnant. With twins. And they are about 7 weeks gestation." Turning on the video she showed them their heartbeats; both seemed to be doing well and were still viable. She then handed them the sonogram pictures that she'd printed, then wheeled out the machine as they both simply stared at the two little sacs visible on the picture. Rick was completely overwhelmed by emotion. Thankful it wasn't cancer, grateful they now knew why she was puking so much. Love for Kate and their babies. He was startled out of his reverie when Kate suddenly smacked him hard in the chest.

"What was that for?" he exclaimed.

"God Castle. Not only did you get me pregnant, you just had to outdo yourself, didn't you. Twins! What were you thinking?"

A/N: In 24 hours I'll be watching the Castle season premiere. OMG, OMG. I love Castle Mondays!