On the count of...three?
An AU Series. What if Castle and Beckett had triplets? What would their lives be like?
Chapter 6: Triple Threat
"The good news is," Jane Mars said. "Reece and Jake will be able to go home real soon." She spoke softly, Martha, Kate, Jim, Alexis and Rick all looked at her. "Joey's status is still a bit too unstable for us to give..."
"Cut the crap." It was Kate. Jackson Joseph Castle had come into the world in the midst of tears, desperation and love and yet, after 8 days, his life was still on the thread of uncertainty."just tell us the truth."
Jane sighed. "The truth is Joey is a figther. Agaisnt all odds he's still hanging on to life, hope and that's what you should hold on to as well Kate." The other woman said kindly. "We're still not out of the woods with Joey, but his brothers and you, you all can go home by the end of the week."
"Those are good news Katie." Jim told her softly. Kate's eyes focused on Rick's. "Really good."
"Can you guys give us a minute?" Rick asked. Jane nodded. Martha kissed her son's cheek and ushered the rest out of the room. He sat next to Kate on the bed.
"So much for a miracle huh?" She said bitterly. Truth be told, he was quite shaken himself. The prospect of going home with two babies instead of three scared him. The idea of Joey alone in this place was something his heart couldn't take.
"Kate." He spoke, stroking her cheek as he did. "Miracles can come to you when you least expect it. Our children are miracles."
"I Just don't want him to stay here while we all go home." She told him."Lily's going to wonder where the other baby is."
"I actually had an idea for that." He said. "It will help her understand a little better what's going."
"What..."
"Are we all ready?" A nurse came into the room with Reece and Jake. The babies were no longer in an incubator and instead wore their own onsie. One with an R and J.
"Castle..." Kate watched as Rick set his plan into motion. He had had this idea a few days ago and conffered it with hospital staff.
"Mama!" Lily had come bouncing, followed by Alexis. Rick then placed a finger to his lips. Lily imitated him almost imeditately. "Mama, you ready?" She said, less exitedly this time.
"Ready for what Lil?" She asked. Lily glanced at Rick. He kept quiet.
"You'll see."
Kate was already able to wallk, her resiliance to trauma was astounding, but she was forced to be moved around in a wheelchair. She held on to Reece as Alexis held Jake. Natalie, her nurse wheeled her along as Rick walked behind her carrying Lily.
"Now, remember Lily..." Rick told her. "We have to be really quiet in here, right?"
"Yes daddy, babies are sleeping." His almost four year old said. "Sh..."
"Good girl." He said.
The NCIU was not a happy place, not like the nursery, were Kate had been to most in the last 8 days, she in fact moved betwween the two places. She'd look at two of her boys, with Rick's eyes, watching her. Smiling. And then she'd look at Joey. He was improving, that much they knew. And he did have Rick's eyes too. Identical triplets. A birth in a million. Her babies were indeed a miracle.
Now a miracle would be for Castle to tell the boys apart this early. She already did. Jake was the biggest, her first born. Reece was the one with the gentle glare and a small freckle near his right eye. And Joey, her JJ, was another story entirely. She had only recently been able to hold him and when she did, he opened his eyes for the first time.
"Hey baby Joey, look who came for a visit." Natalie spoke softly as she did a check up on the baby. "You got a lot of people on your corner."
"Hi Joey. I'm Lily, your sister, and Alexis too. We sorry you're sick but daddy says you're getting better. Come home soon." Lily spoke from Rick's arms as he lfted her. Kate looked at her husband and smiled.
"What about we try something?" Natalie said. Lily's eyes lighted up. "Joey's still a bit too small for us to move him, but I'm sure he'd love to get to know his big sister better." Rick knew what she was going to do. He and Kate had done it a few times already. "And LIly gets to wear the special gloves." Her face, filled with happiness was priceless.
And so they put Lily's hands inside the gloves connected to the incubator. The moment she saw Joey move to her touch, she turned to Kate.
"He knows me mommy, he knows me." She said.
"Of course he does Lily. And he's so happy that you are here." Kate reached for Castle's free hand as the other held on to their daugther.
"See?" He whispered. "Miracles happpen all the time."
The end of the week came and it was time for Kate and the boys to go home. "Don't worry, he won't ever not have one of us here." Alexis told her. Rick wheeled her out, she held on to one baby while Lanie held on to the other.
Bless her friends, in the last few weeks since this had all happened, they had finished setting up the nursery, with Rick and Alexis at the head of the operation, so when they opened the door to the loft, Kate had to stop herself for a moment.
"Beckett?" Rick asked. He had come home with her and Martha, just as they had left the night the boys had been born.
"I'm okay, I Just need a minute." She held her breath. She walked inside for a moment. Lily was with her dad for the rest of the morning. The moment came into the nursey, her heart melt. For her husband and their friends. The room was equally distributed for all three babies. The walls were blue. With trains, spaceships and swords painted on the wall. And each of the cribs had one blanket with the boy's name on it. Courtesy of Martha.
"I Just hope it isn't too much." Rick came behind her. Carrying both babies gently. "See here boys, this is where you are going to sleep. That is, if you manage to do it." He joked as he placed Jake on his crib first. He wore a blue knitted hat.
"It's perfect Castle." Kate said, her feelings getting the best of her as she watched Rick place Recee on his crib. "I Just wish..."
"He'll come home soon Kate." Rick told her. "It might take him a little longer, but he'll be here, messing up with my head." She smiled. "How about we pick a color for each one and stick to a system?"
She gave him a sweet smile as she stared at the empty crib.
Yep, soon enough, she'd had her triple threat.
That was until she got phone call from Alexis. Joey needed surgery.
Yay, Reece and Jake are home, it isn't over for Joey just yet. Identical triplets! How awesome is that?