Rick rolled over in bed, one arm spreading across the empty space beside him. He opened his eyes, rolling onto his back as he searched the room, finally noticing the light on in the bathroom under the slightly ajar door.
He rolled out of bed and quietly pushed the door open until he saw Kate standing topless in front of the mirror, her right arm raised slightly as she examined the unhealed wound under her breast that stretched across her side. She gingerly touched the warm skin held together with thick black stitches.
"Morning," she said suddenly, looking at his reflection in the mirror.
"Morning." He walked into the bathroom, grabbing a pre-cut piece of gauze and surgical tape the hospital had given them from the medicine cabinet before walking over to her. "Doctor said you shouldn't be leaving it uncovered," he told her as he re-bandaged the wound.
She simply nodded. He put the bandages on the edge of the sink then leaned against it to face her as she pulled the t-shirt she slept in over her head.
"Are you happy, Kate?"
"I… what?"
"I mean… would you tell me if you weren't? With me and the baby on the way and… everything?"
She blinked up at him. "Do you really think I'm not happy?"
He shrugged, looking down at his bare feet. "You've just been acting a little… off. If something's bothering you, you can tell me. You know that, right? Anything. Anything at all, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
She lifted one hand to his cheek. "I love you. I know, I don't say that enough but I am happy. I'm just… we're getting married and we're gonna have a baby and it's all happening so quick."
"We can put the wedding off," he offered. "If I could slow down the baby coming, I would for you."
She smiled. "You're perfect, you know that? I don't want to put off the wedding. We should be able to enjoy being newlyweds for a few weeks before the baby's born, right? It wouldn't be much of a honeymoon with a screaming newborn."
"You're right. I don't want to have to fight my own kid for second base."
"Castle, that's gross," she told him, laughing. "Sorry I've been so horrible."
"You haven't been horrible. A bit difficult, yes. But never horrible."
"I hate to blame hormones for me being difficult but…" she shrugged.
"You don't need an excuse. Not until you come at me with a butcher knife."
"Well, I can't make any promises. The baby is in charge of my emotions."
"The baby doesn't want you to stab me with a butcher knife." He knelt down in front of her so he was looking at her swollen belly. "Do you, peanut? You don't want Mommy to hurt Daddy, right?" he cooed.
"I wouldn't hurt you," she said, running her fingers through his hair. "Much." She gripped his ear, pulling him upright.
"Ah! I'm guessing much is the operative word there?"
Kate looked up from her computer at the precinct as Rick sat down in his chair next to her desk. "What are you doing here? I thought you were gonna spend the day writing."
He shrugged. "I got bored. I wanted to spend the day with you."
"Not too much is going on here, babe. Just lots of paperwork."
He looked at the pile of folders under her arm and pulled a few away from her, flipping a file open.
"What are you doing?"
"You're always saying I don't do my share of the paperwork." His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the sheet in front of him.
"Do you even know what you're doing?"
"Not a clue. Do I sign here?"
She looked at the paper. "If you want to confess to a murder, yes." She pulled the folder out of his hands and placed the files back into her pile. "Thanks for trying. I can handle it."
He huffed out a breath, crossing his arms on her desk and propping his chin again his arm.
"Aren't you happy you left home for this?"
He shrugged one shoulder, looking up at her. "I came to spend the day with you. That's what I'm doing."
She smiled. "If you plan to spend all day watching me I should warn you, it's really gonna get on my nerves."
"I know. You can punish me later."