A/N: Ok, I'm now safely in South America, with a kick ass view from my apartment of the Pacific Ocean. I'm writing from my laptop in the dining room, watching crazy people surfing in what I consider freezing temps. Who wouldn't be inspired by all this? So, here is the long awaited update. Thanks for hanging in there and for all the encouragement to get it done.

It took a second for Rick to understand that she was teasing him. Then he looked in her eyes and all the love for him and the lives they'd created was pouring out of those beautiful hazel orbs that had so long ago captured his heart and soul.

He reached for her at the same time she was moving to him and they embraced, all that they meant to each other and all the excitement of the news they'd just received transmitted in the tender touch of their skin.

"I love you so much" he whispered in her hair and he felt the nearly imperceptible tightening of her arms around him as she acknowledged his words and agreed with him. They were still holding each other tight when the tech left the room, smiling at how obviously in love they were.

"Are you ready for this?" Rick asked. He left unspoken the question whether she would stay in DC. He felt it was still too early for him to bring it up, though he was strongly in favor of her coming back to New York. He had learned the hard way when to push her and when to let her figure things out on her own.

"Ready? I don't know if anyone could be ready for twins. I know we'd talked about having kids, but I wasn't thinking it would be so soon. And that it'd be a two for one scenario."

"I'm never one to turn down a bargain, agent" he said with a huge grin on his face.

"Bargain for you maybe. I'll be the one twice as big as every other pregnant woman" she muttered, shooting him a glare that didn't have much of her usual strength behind it.

"You're going to be beautiful. And you'll be the best mother to these children that they could ever hope for. I've loved you for so long Kate that I didn't ever think anything could be better. But it feels like a part of my soul just expanded and now we'll have our children filling that part, right next to the part of me that belongs to you. I love you in so many ways and this is just going to add to it."

Kate simply reached for him again as tears dotted her lashes then finally spilled down her cheeks. She was scared; of the thought of pregnancy and of feeling that she wouldn't be a good mother. But no matter what happened, she knew she could face it with the man that she loved so deeply at her side.

Dr. Baker returned to the room shortly after the ultrasound tech left.

"Congratulations to you. I can now say with confidence that you're suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum."

"Can you explain that to me? And what do we do about it?" Kate felt the need to take some control of her life back and understanding her condition seemed like the best first step.

"Sure. You're probably aware that it's very common for pregnant woman in their first trimester to experience nausea and vomiting. Most people call it morning sickness, though honestly it can occur at any time." He saw the two of them nodding in agreement.

"So, basically, hyperemesis gravidarum is an extreme version of morning sickness. It's very rare, only in about 1-2% of pregnant women. It's more common in women pregnant for the first time and those with multiple gestations. It results in intractable nausea and vomiting and often causes those affected to lose over 5% of their body weight. It can result in severe electrolyte abnormalities, such as how you presented. I probably don't need to tell you how close to death you were Agent Beckett."

Kate knew in a sense, having awakened in an ICU on a ventilator with a frantic Rick at her side. However, hearing Dr. Baker state it so baldly really drove the point home even further.

"If you had been found a few hours later, maybe even an hour later, I don't think we'd be having this conversation. Not to mention it's very unlikely the pregnancy would have survived. You are one tough lady."

"You don't know the half of it" Rick added. He'd grabbed her hand when the doctor had entered and gave it an extra squeeze as he spoke. They'd been through a lot together, much of which defied explanation when he considered how close each of them had come to dying many times. Together, separate, their relationship had always been a trial by fire that had burned off any dross and left only the tempered steel of their love. It had bent at times, from forces both extrinsic and intrinsic, but it would never break.

"So, now we need to discuss treatment. First, you have lost enough weight that we are going to have to address the issue. I've consulted obstetrics; they'll have someone come see you either later today or in the morning. You're stable enough to move to a floor bed, so you'll be sent to an OB floor later today. I understand you vomited after drinking some water?" Seeing her nod and Rick's grimace, he went on. "I had Amanda give you some Zofran. Has that helped?"

"I don't feel quite as nauseous as before. But I haven't drunk anything else either."

"Well, we need to try again. Some women are able to get through this just with anti-emetics, or anti-nausea medications. That may not be enough though. Some women end up on nutrition given by the tube through your nose, whether it ends in your stomach or in your intestines. And there are some that can't do that and have to have IV nutrition provided as well. We won't know how aggressive we have to be until we challenge your tummy. The good news that I have is that this is usually something that resolves with time. There is no reason to think that by the time the second semester comes that you'll still be suffering from the nausea and vomiting and you should be able to enjoy your pregnancy without feeling quite so ill."

Rick spoke up again. "How long will she be in the hospital?"

"It depends on how she responds to treatment. If something fairly simple like the Zofran is all that she needs, it probably won't be long. If something more is needed, then it will take a bit longer. Her sodium levels are essentially normalized at this point. Now she just needs to gain weight and be able to get nutrition in, no matter what form."

Rick noticed that Kate had closed her eyes, though she still seemed to be listening. Her hand was still clasped in his and he could read both fatigue and anxiety though their connection and his intimate knowledge of her body language in general.

"Sweetheart, do you have any questions for the doctor?"

Her eyes cracked open at the sweetheart comment, as he'd intended. She shook her head no and closed them again, settling back into her pillows with a deep sigh.

"Well, then I'll leave you two alone. Good luck with everything and I'm very glad we were able to help and give you some good news. That's not something I get to do very often in my line of work."

Rick stood to shake hands with Dr. Baker. "Thank you so much for everything you've done. I can't say enough how great the care has been, from everyone involved in saving Kate's life. We are indebted."

"Just send me a picture of the beautiful babies when they're born. That's all the thanks we need."

Rick took Kate's hand again as he resumed his seat. She still had her eyes closed, but he knew she was awake and probably overthinking everything the doctor had just said.

"Kate, we'll get through this. The important thing is that you're here with me and the babies are ok."

His simple, declarative sentence was enough to break the anxious thoughts chasing through her head. He almost always knew what to say to make her feel better.

She opened her eyes for him. Only for him. "You're right" she whispered softly, squeezing his hand again.

"We have to tell the others. They've been waiting out there for a few hours and by now they've probably worked themselves into a frenzy. I'm surprised Lanie hasn't pushed her way past Amanda already." He grinned at her, so happy with the news that they would be giving everyone.

"They can't all come into my room together though, right? Not until they move me anyway."

"That's true. Do you want me to ask Amanda how long that will take?"

"No, Rick you know we're not going to be able to put them off for much longer. I'm feeling really tired again anyway. Why don't you go tell them and I'll sleep. That way when I am moved I might have some more energy to deal with them."

"Ok, but I'm going to sit here holding your hand until you fall asleep."

She smiled her big smile at him. He didn't need to stay; she felt safe in the ICU and Amanda was an excellent nurse. But with Rick at her side she couldn't imagine ever feeling safer and more secure. She closed her eyes again and this time the parade of anxiety that typically marched through her head when she was unguarded didn't appear. She quickly surrendered to a dreamland where she watched two toddlers with Rick's eyes run laughing around her legs.

When he re-entered the waiting room, he saw everyone was sitting anxiously, waiting for whatever news he brought them. He was glad to see Jim and Martha sitting near each other, lending their support to one another. They had had a rocky start at times, but had bonded over the stress of worrying about their only child. Lanie and Alexis were sitting next to each other in some other chairs. He knew Alexis considered the ME a good friend and mentor, so he was not surprised to see Lanie grab Alexis' hand when he came out to talk to them. He was just glad he had good news to share; the simple gesture of support would soon turn into an excited hug he was sure, if only he had the boys there to bet with.

"Richard, what's going on?" His mother looked fairly sick with worry.

"It's good news…great news really" he said. "She's pregnant."

Jim looked stunned. Martha let out an exclamation and brought her hand to her mouth, fighting unsuccessfully to hold back the tears. As he'd thought, Lanie and Alexis flew into a big hug, both exclaiming to each other how excited they were.

"There's more."

Those simple words froze them all.

"She's pregnant with twins." His smile was electric.

"Oh, Richard." His mother rose and enveloped him in a hug, tears now freely flowing down her face. Truth be told, he had a few that escaped as well.

Jim was still sitting in stunned silence, so Rick reached down and clasped his shoulder. The older man finally looked up at Rick's happy face.

"Twins? My Katie is going to be a mom. She'll be a great mom you know Rick."

"I know she will be Jim. She's incredible at everything."

Alexis had squealed at the news that there were two babies coming and hugged Lanie even tighter. Now she jumped up and flew into his arms.

"Oh dad, I'm so excited. I'm finally going to be a sister and Kate is going to be ok."

He drew back a bit as she finished talking.

"Kate will be ok. Eventually." The others were looking at him in confusion and concern. This wasn't coming out right, but he was still worried about her and it made things more difficult to explain.

"She has something called hyperemesis…ah."

"Hyperemesis gravidarum?" He nodded gratefully at Lanie. "That makes sense" she added.

"Yes, what Lanie said. It's why she was vomiting so much and became so sick. It's rare in pregnancy, but more common in women who are carrying more than one baby and if they've not been pregnant before."

"Is it treatable?" Jim was nothing but concerned about his daughter.

"Yes, though we don't know what she'll need to do until they challenge her more. We tried for some water before the ultrasound and she vomited it all back up. They gave her a medicine and she says she feels less nauseous, but she hasn't tried anything since then."

"What if the medicine doesn't work?" Alexis asked, brows furrowed in concern.

"Well, then she can get nutrition through the tube in her nose or an IV. But the important thing is she get some nutrition on her; she needs to replace what she lost and start gaining for the babies. Dr. Baker said it's generally limited to the first trimester." He looked to Lanie and saw she was nodding in agreement.

"She's sleeping right now, and we're supposed to meet with an obstetrician sometime today or tomorrow. They are planning to move her to a regular bed this afternoon or evening, so she's hoping to feel up to visiting with everyone once they move her."

"Richard, do you have the ultrasound pictures? I'd like to see my new grandbabies."

Castle had nearly forgotten to show them in his excitement over telling them the news. He shared the picture with them, watching with his heart full of love as they all huddled around the black and white image of two fuzzy dots that had come to mean so much to all of them. He really was a very lucky man.

Kate was moved to a private floor bed within a few hours. Castle was effusive in his thanks to Amanda and all the staff of the ICU. He was so thankful for everything they'd done for him and for Kate. He arranged with the unit manager to get gift cards for the local coffee shop for all the staff that had worked with them.

Kate's new room was on the OB floor, due to her pregnancy. After she'd been settled in, they learned that there were no restrictions on visitors, unlike the ICU. Kate had gotten a good nap in, so she asked Rick to have everyone come to her room. It was nice being able to visit with everyone at once and she happily listened to their excitement about the babies.

Around 7pm, everyone took their leave except for Rick. Kate's room was much bigger than in the ICU and there was a couch that folded out that was intended for those spending the night with their loved one. Shortly after the others had left, a new doctor entered the room. She was short, with closely cropped blond hair and a kind smile.

"Good evening. I'm Dr. Hill. I've spoken with Dr. Baker and reviewed your chart. How are you feeling?"

Kate gave a wan smile. She was starting to feel nauseous again, despite not having taken in anything since earlier in the day when the water had come back up.

"I'm tired and starting to feel sick to my stomach again" she confessed.

"I'll have them give you another dose of the Zofran; Dr. Baker felt it had helped?" Their nods confirmed her information. "I don't have a lot to add to what you already know, but we need to see if you can handle anything with the Zofran. I'll have your nurse give you the medication now and in around an hour we can try something, liquid only. It doesn't have to be water; you could do Gatorade or something like that."

After a brief examination, she left and the night nurse, Anna, came in and gave Kate the Zofran.

Castle noticed Kate was looking pretty green around the gills at this point.

"Kate, you should try to sleep for the next hour. Maybe you'll feel better with a nap."

"Rick, everything is spinning again. Could you…." she trailed off.

"What baby? What do you need?"

"One: don't call me baby. Two: could you come hold me? You make everything better."

"Of course."

He moved to one side of her bed and carefully climbed in beside her. There were many fewer things to worry about as she basically just had an IV in and her monitors. The central line and bladder catheter had been removed prior to her leaving the ICU. As he settled in behind her, he reached around to envelop her in his arms. He felt her relax against him and soon the rhythmic sounds of her breathing indicated she'd fallen asleep.

Around an hour later, Rick heard Anna enter the room. She let him know he needed to wake Kate. He didn't want to, she looked so peaceful in his arms, but he knew it was time to see if she could get some nutrition into her.

"Kate, baby, wake up." He shook her gently.

"I thought I told you no baby" she said sleepily, with her eyes still closed.

He carefully climbed out of the bed, despite her muffled whine as his warmth was abruptly replaced with the colder air of the room.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much, much better. Thanks." She smiled shyly at him, grateful he was there and was so worried about her.

"What would you like to try?"

"How about some red Gatorade?"

"One Gatorade, coming right up my love."

She rolled her eyes at him as he practically skipped out of her room. He was such a mix of child-like excitement and the strong, serious man. She loved every aspect about him, even if some of his more exuberant displays could get on her nerves at times.

He returned with a cup of red Gatorade chilled with some ice and a bendy straw. She had sat her bed up in the meantime and laughed out loud when he announced in a bad French accent "Mademoiselle, zur Gatordade."

She was feeling thirsty again, now that the nausea had let up again. She reached for the cup eagerly and the first few sips felt like heaven.

"Don't drink it all at once" he cautioned, sitting in a chair near her bed.

She knew he was right, so they sat and held hands, neither saying much. She drank in his eyes, the love shining forth and took strength from his hand. She gave him a big smile.

"Rick, I feel fine. Really." She took a few more sips.

"I haven't spoken with your job again, since we found out about the twins."

She sighed. She wasn't sure what was going to happen on that end. She wasn't entirely sure she cared anymore. But it was still her job, and it helped keep her mind busy.

"I want to find out what I'm going to need first before we talk to them again. I know I have to tell them something, and soon, but right now I just want to enjoy the moment with you and our family."

"Whatever you want Kate. I think that Agent Murray will be calling again though and I wasn't sure what you'd want me to tell her."

"Let's keep it vague for now. I like her a lot, and she was obviously a big help with this whole situation, but I don't want to put her in the awkward position of knowing stuff and having to keep it from the management."

She'd drunk over half the cup at this point and was still feeling fine. She relaxed a little more, having unconsciously been tense over the possibility of getting sick again.

Rick was relaxing more as well; he'd been pretty nervous about her drinking something and not keeping it down. So far there had been no signs of distress. He was relieved, but was now starting to worry about how this was all going to work out with her new job. She certainly couldn't return to it until she'd gained some weight back, but with her pregnancy and the fact that it was twins he was feeling anxious about her health on the job and uncertain how to approach her about it. If he pushed her the wrong way, she'd dig in and be all stubborn about it. He was going to have to play it cool, at least for a while.

Kate was finishing the Gatorade when she first felt the queasiness returning. It wasn't as bad as earlier, but it was still a very unwelcome feeling. She lay back in her bed and closed her eyes, willing her body to get with the program.

It didn't listen.

"Kate, what's wrong?"

"Rick, can you hold me again?"

"Of course." He hopped up and climbed in beside her as quickly as possible. He could see she was struggling again.

She took comfort from his strong arms once more, but while it helped, it did not resolve the increasingly urgent messages her stomach was sending to her brain. Something about Gatorade not agreeing with her.

He was speaking softly to her, nonsense words. He caressed her with his hands and kissed her head. But nothing was helping. He decided to turn her towards him so he could see her eyes, let her know he'd do anything to help.

She groaned, a pitiful and helpless sound, tried weakly to push him away. It was taking all her strength to keep from vomiting. "Rick, I'm gonna…" And suddenly she flexed uncontrollably and all the red Gatorade came back up. All over him.

Kate couldn't stop heaving, couldn't think or do anything but retch. She felt worse than when she'd puked this morning. It felt like she was trying to bring her entire stomach up and out with the liquid that had already been expelled. She faintly felt his arms holding her, but nothing else really registered as she struggled without success to regain control over her body.

After 5 minutes, she finally stopped dry heaving and was able to calm her breathing down a bit. She opened her eyes once the whirling in her head had improved and was horrified to find Rick in bed with her and covered in her red puke.

"Oh my God Rick!"

"Feeling better?"

"No, look at you. I can't believe I puked on you! And why are you still here in bed?"

"I was trying to help, and while I can't say I enjoyed being puked on, you're carrying our babies. I'll do whatever I can to help you with this, even if it is being puked on once in a while. It wasn't your fault."

"Go get Anna you silly man." She closed her eyes again, feeling the writhing in her stomach increasing.

Castle pushed the call button and Anna was soon in the room. She helped Kate get cleaned up and had Rick help Kate to a chair while she changed the bed quickly. Kate was able to keep from vomiting again, though it looked like it took some effort.

Once Kate was resettled, Rick showered and changed in the adjoining bathroom. Soon after he was back at her bedside; Kate was dozing again. Rick couldn't help but wonder what this latest round of vomiting meant for her long term care.

He didn't have long to wait, as Dr. Hill stopped by between some deliveries, having been told by Anna what had happened.

Rick woke Kate up, knowing she'd want to hear first-hand what the plan was going to be.

"Kate, I understand you didn't keep down your drink again."

"No. I was feeling fine, even partway through it, then all of a sudden I started feeling sick and nothing I did helped."

"Well, as we'd discussed earlier, nutrition is key, especially since you lost so much weight to begin with. We have to get some nutrition in to your body, but it's obvious that for now we'll have to avoid using your stomach."

"How do we do that?" Castle asked.

"Tomorrow morning I'm going to send you to radiology to have another nasal tube placed. This one will go from your nose to your jejunum, which is the third part of your small intestines. We can then feed you a special high calorie formula. Since the tube is well past your stomach, you won't be able to puke any of it up. And since it's going directly into your small intestines, you likely won't feel as nauseous with it. We'll continue the Zofran since that was helpful. And I'll leave you on IV fluids until we know you're tolerating the formula."

"And then?" Castle wanted to know where they went from here.

"And then if she tolerates it and starts gaining some weight then we send you home with the NJ tube and the formula."

"But my job" protested Kate. Rick remained quiet. He decided the doctor was a much better target for Kate's ire and there was no way she was going to be able to work with these conditions. Yes, better to let the doctor be the bearer of bad news.

"Kate, you don't understand. Even without the NJ tube you weren't going to be able to go back to work anytime soon. You've just been through a major illness, near death and are pregnant with twins. You'd be on bed rest no matter what. But you're right; you can't work with the NJ tube. The formula has to run continuously since its' being delivered to your small intestine."

"There's nothing else?" Kate knew she was sounding petty, but she couldn't imagine what she would do with herself without a job to occupy her mind. Too much time alone often led to overthinking, and that was nearly always a bad thing in her world.

"Well, there's IV nutrition. But that's also continuous, we'd have to place a permanent central line and it's hard on your liver over time. Not my first option, but it is an option if the NJ tube doesn't work. Ultimately, if nothing helps and you continue to decline, we'd have to discuss termination."

Rick and Kate both looked stunned at that. No one had ever mentioned anything of that nature.

"I can see that isn't what you want; it isn't an option I discuss casually. However, we have to work to get you better. I really think the NJ tube will be all that we have to do. But if your life is in danger, termination is an option."

Kate finally understood with clarity how serious this all was. Her job, any job, was not worth risking her children.

Dr. Hill left after answering a few more questions. Rick took one look at Kate's face and climbed into bed with her once more. He held her tight as she finally let herself succumb to the tears that had been building since she'd thrown up all over him.

"Ssshh Kate. It's going to be alright."

"How do you know? What if I can't carry them? I can't even nourish them properly."

"You're going to be fine. It's not your fault you keep puking. It's just all the hormones have your body in a tailspin. It's going to get better and you're going to be a great mother. Now, let me hold you and get some sleep."

She cried for a while longer, but his presence around her did make her feel better. She slowly drifted off to sleep, knowing he'd always be there for her. And for their children.

A/N: Sorry it took a while. I've got a ton of homework, but I love my new school. And I bought the season pass on Amazon for Castle. I was able to watch the ep this morning (Tuesday). Very happy I won't miss the whole month. Thanks to A. Anzures for other suggestions.