(I know I shouldn't do this, but I did. I know it's only been a few hours since I published this chapter, but it never got bumped back up to the top, so many of you might not have seen it. I'm sorry for the story alerters, that you will get this chap twice :( On the bright side I do plan on updating today... if I get encouragement. I'm evil, I know.)
The next installment, as promised… it is still night! Well at least where I am.
I hope you enjoy this. It took me awhile to write, but I think it came out quite nicely. I hope I did it justice… after such a long break. It's actually fluffy!
I do not own Castle.
ooOOoo
The next morning Rick woke up with a crick in his neck courtesy of the overstuffed armchair shoved in the corner of the hospital room.
Rick and Kate both fell asleep cuddled together on the bed. Halfway through the night a very grumpy nurse decided to kick him off because it was against hospital policy. Thankfully Kate did not wake up during their heated conversation.
When Rick checked his watch and noticed what time it was he immediately jumped up and made himself look presentable. He made certain his movements were not loud enough to wake Kate out of her deep slumber. With ten minutes to spare before 9am, Rick sat back down on the chair next to Kate's bedside and took her hand in his. He loved her like this. Peaceful without a care in the world. Her features were smooth without worry or annoyance. She looked happy and that made him extremely happy.
He looked at his watch again and with a kiss to her forehead he ventured towards the door.
"Rick?" Kate mumbled.
Castle stopped abruptly knowing he had been caught. "Go back to sleep," he whispered quickly, hoping she wouldn't notice he was leaving.
"Not so fast, Mr. Castle. Where do you think you are going?" She questioned, trying to sound demanding, but still too exhausted to care.
Rick walked back over to the bed and bent over, whispering in her ear, "That's for me to know and you to find out." She smiled at his words and he placed a chaste kiss below her earlobe. "Just go back to sleep. You will find out soon enough."
She relented and closed her eyes.
He walked swiftly to the nurse's station. There was a surprise to be planned.
Kate had no idea how much time had passed since Rick had left, but if the tiny little kisses brushing against her face and neck were any indication, he was back and wanted her to wake up this time. She waited for a few seconds, waiting for his lips to meet hers, before she opened her eyes. When his lips met hers she took control. Her hands gripped the back of his head, pulling him closer. She took the liberty of running her tongue across his bottom lip begging for more. As always, he complied and opened his mouth for her to explore.
Before the kiss got too heated, Rick pulled away. Kate pouted.
"Don't give me that look, missy. I don't think our visitors would like it very much if they found me on top of you – doing very inappropriate things, I might add – when they walk in," he said in a seductive tone and smirked, before pulling completely away.
"Alexis and Martha?" Kate asked excitedly.
"Nope. They are coming later after Alexis gets out of school. You are going to meet someone new today," he announced giddily, that childish gleam in his eyes.
Kate's shoulders visibly sagged, "But I don't want to meet anyone new today," she said in her own childish voice. "I'm not in the mood."
Rick smiled, trying desperately to keep his secret/surprise a little bit longer. "Oh darling, trust me, you will."
As if on cue, the door opened and the doctor walked in. Kate looked pointedly at Rick and muttered, "I know her."
Dr. Lawson chuckled. "I'm sorry, Kate. Are you expecting someone?" She asked, playing along with Rick's game.
Kate took a deep breath, turning her attention from Castle to the doctor, "Apparently I am meeting someone new today. And this someone," she pointed and Castle, "won't tell me who."
"Well, in that case I will get this examination done as soon as I can." Dr. Lawson smiled and walked towards the bed. Kate Castle definitely had spunk. That's why she and Mr. Castle made such a great pair. "Alright, I just need you to lie back and relax. This is the easy part."
Dr. Lawson took her temperature and blood pressure – which a nurse could have done, but with a high profile patient it was good to be more hands on. She asked a couple more standard questions. All of which Kate's answers were good and normal.
"Now I am just going to check the sensitivity of your abdomen and surrounding areas. It's going to be sore, that's to be expected, but if it's painful you need to tell me, okay?"
Kate just nodded and sucked in a breath.
"I need you to breathe normally though," Dr. Lawson joked.
The doctor's comment got Kate to laugh and loosen up.
"Good. You are doing great. Just relax." Dr. Lawson tentatively placed her fingertips just below Kate's ribs and pressed down gently, then harder. Slowly she made her way down one side and up the other.
So far Kate wasn't experiencing any pain, but it was slightly uncomfortable. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, but her breathing even.
Meanwhile Castle sat next to the bed watching Kate's face intently, searching for any signs of pain.
"Kate, do you feel any pain here?" The doctor asked, pressing her fingers into the flesh right near Kate's hip.
"No, just a little tender."
"What about here?"
Just as she pressed right under Kate's belly button Kate jolted forward. "Ahhhh…" she exhaled. Rick stood up quickly, trying to assess Kate's pain and gently guiding her back down to the bed. "Sorry, yes it hurts, but I guess I just didn't expect it to." She winced.
"I need to keep going. Tell me if it gets worse," she told Kate, then directed her next sentence towards Rick in a quieter voice, "If so, plans might change."
He nodded and reached for Kate's hand again. She looked at him, worry in her eyes, but smiling meekly. He kept her gaze and mouthed, "You okay?" She nodded before closing her eyes for the rest of the test.
Nothing else unexpected happened.
"Alright, all done. Kate, you did fantastic. It looks like you are on the right track. I want to do an internal exam, but not for another week or so… unless the situation changes."
Kate released a sigh of relief. Both Rick and Dr. Lawson chuckled.
They chatted idly for a few moments before there was a knock at the door.
"Is this my mystery guest?" Kate asked dryly.
Dr. Lawson opened the door and answered, "I believe it is!"
A couple of nurses entered the room and Kate looked confused. Rick crossed over to the other side of the bed to block Kate's view of the door. "I always tell you to keep you mind wide open and do you listen?" He paused and smiled. "Nooooo!"
"What?" Kate was really confused now.
"Did I ever say this 'new person' was outside this hospital room? Because I'm pretty sure this 'new person' has been here the whole time. You just haven't been properly introduced to him or her yet." He took her hand again, but this time he placed both on her stomach.
Kate sat there the whole time, a look of disbelief and surprise on her face. Finally a smile blossomed and tears gathered in her eyes. "Really?"
"Really really!" He kissed her smiling face once, twice, three times before continuing. "Are you ready to meet our child?" Kate nodded.
The door opened again and both Kate and Rick watched while Dr. Lawson wheeled in the ultrasound machine. Kate hastily wiped away the tears and scooted over slightly so Rick could sit next to her on the bed. They waited nervously while everyone continued the preparations.
"Now Kate," the doctor started, "from the results of the pressure test we know this might cause you a bit of discomfort, but I know you are a trooper. Plus, I know you want to see your baby."
"Yes. Yes, of course I do!" Kate admitted elatedly.
"Let's just pull up your shirt… There we go. Just relax… and the gel is going to be cold," Dr. Lawson stated as she gently rubbed the gel over Kate's stomach. "Michael, can you please turn on the monitor?"
Rick had never seen Kate so on the edge of her seat, figuratively speaking, before. He stared at her as she stared at the flickering screen. It was unfair to Kate, but he had already seen the baby yesterday. He knew what it looked like, but Kate didn't. He saw her eyes sparkle more and more as the seconds wore on. He squeezed her hand to assure her he was there and everything was still okay.
Dr. Lawson continued to move the wand back and fourth trying to find the perfect view.
Kate stared at the screen. She had never been so nervous in her life. She had never been so extremely ecstatic in her whole life. Right now life was perfect, she had a wonderful husband – and his family – and now she couldn't wait to meet their little Castle baby.
"Aannndddd, the moment of truth." All of a sudden the screen stilled. "Do you see the grayish white blob in the middle? It kinda looks like a peanut or jelly bean. That's your baby."
Kate was awestruck. There on the little screen was her baby… her perfect baby. Her eyes softened and her mouth parted in amazement. She and Rick had created this beautiful life.
Her head snapped quickly to Rick's. He was smiling, really smiling.
"Rick…" she tried, not finding any words to describe the feeling.
"I know… I know, sweetheart, I know," he whispered, and reached up to wipe away the tears she didn't know were flowing down her face.
She gave him the most beautiful, teary-eyed smile he had ever seen. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. They both silently said 'I love you' through the emotion in their eyes before turning back to the monitor.
They hadn't noticed until now that Michael had also turned on the sound.
A whooshing sound filled the room and once again both Castle's were in a trance.
"During the 8th week the baby's features start to develop and define… eyelids, nose, lips. The fingers start to grow too. You can actually see that it's more than just a blob. It is starting to look like a baby, with its head and limbs. The baby is still pretty tiny. Actually this little one is approximately 1.4 inches."
"Is that normal?" Kate asked.
"It's well within the standards, but now that you are aware of you pregnancy you need to make sure you are eating properly. Since at the moment you are a high risk pregnancy, we will be monitoring you more closely."
"Don't worry, doctor, she will be eating lots!" Rick blurted, earning a glare from Kate.
"I will be more careful, that's for sure," Kate added. "Shouldn't we be able to hear the heartbeat?" She asked worriedly.
"Usually we can start to hear the heartbeat between weeks 9 and 12. Occasionally we can hear it before, but that is rare. Your little tyke is perfectly healthy right now. You can relax," Dr. Lawson finished.
"Can we get pictures?" Rick exclaimed.
"Of course. I will print multiple. I will leave you two alone for a moment though. Michael will come back in later with the pictures." She wiped off the extra gel and left the room, the ultrasound video still playing.
Rick could see Kate still staring at the monitor, her mouth still wide open.
"It's amazing." She surprised him.
"It sure is. Amazing, beautiful, wonderful, marvelous, stunning, breathtaking, remarkable, extraordinary," he responded, giving her a knowing smile.
She returned his smile and leaned in for a kiss filled with raw, shining emotions.
"Thank you, Rick."
ooOOoo
The way Rick surprised Kate with the ultrasound (meeting someone new) was definitely not planned. It surprised me when I was writing, and I fell in love with it. I can totally see him doing that in the show. I really hope their emotions spoke loudly to you all. I really try to infuse that into my writing as much as possible.
Okay, I'm done. Thank you for reading!
I hope you do take the time to review
TBC…