DISCLAIMER: Two words: Not mine.

CHAPTER 11: DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS AND BABY KISSES

Kate's Point of View

A month had passed since LJ's arrival, and that meant two very important things for Alexis and I, the first of which was now that it was April, we were both due for our four month check-up at the doctor's office. The second thing was now that she and I were both showing; we couldn't keep LJ in the dark much longer.

"How are we going to do this?" Alexis asked me curiously. "Dad's gone for the weekend in Jersey and Gram's busy with her work at her studio. We both have to leave for doctor appointments soon, and LJ still doesn't know about the babies!"

"I really hope she doesn't freak out on us. I know it's been a month, and she's improved remarkably, but I'm sure there's still a part of her that's a little flighty." I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose to fight off any oncoming headaches. "Not only do we have to tell her about the babies, but we also have to tell her that she's going to be a big sister and an aunt!"

"I just remembered that Ashley is coming with us…" Alexis muttered. "How are we going to pull this off?"

We both looked over at LJ, who standing against the living room window, watching the cars and the passerby on the streets down below. Olivia the pig was tucked underneath her arm.

A sudden idea popped into my head, and I turned to my friend. "Lex, do you have your notebook with you? The one with the journal entry with the sonogram?"

She held it up. "Right here. Why?"

"Because I have an idea. Go wait for me on the couch and keep an eye on your sister."

Alexis nodded and walked off toward the couch. I crossed the room from island and went into Castle's office and took a particular picture frame from his desk before rejoining my daughters and sitting on the couch next to Alexis. I put the frame down on the table and called out to LJ.

"LJ!" She turned around at the sound of her name. "Will you please come here for a minute?"

I outstretched my arms and she ran for them, laughing happily when I caught her and
pulled her up onto my lap. She cast a glance at her sister and then looked up at me with a slight three-year-old type of worry.

"We talk 'bout something, mama? LJ in trouble?"

I bit my tongue in an effort not to laugh. LJ had just shown me that of the many things, her dad's guilty conscience hadn't been left out of the gene pool.

"No, baby girl," I assured her. "You're not in trouble."

She breathed a sigh of relief, and I suddenly wondered if she'd left me a mess somewhere, but quickly brushed the thought aside. "What we talk 'bout, mama? Lexie talk wif us, too? Is it 'portant stuff?"

Alexis moved closer to me and looked at her sister. "Yes, actually. It's really important."

LJ looked back at me with an expectant expression on her face. "Mama?"

I took LJ's hands and put them on my belly. "There's a baby growing in my tummy, LJ."

LJ's eyes grew as wide as saucers as she patted my belly. "Baby in there?"

"Yes, sweetheart." I pressed her hands against my belly, hoping that the baby would move, but it didn't because it was probably sleeping. "There's a baby in there."

"Wow…"

She crawled into Alexis' lap and gave her belly a gentle pat just like she had with mine. "Baby here, too, Lexie?"

Alexis and I raised our eyebrows at each other. LJ was frighteningly smart sometimes.

Alexis looked back at her sister. "Yes, LJ, there's a baby in there, too."

"LJ see Lexie's baby?"

"Not for a few more months, yet." LJ pouted and crossed her arms, whereupon Alexis picked up her notebook and started flipping to the page with the sonogram on it. "See this picture?"

LJ studied it intently before nodding. "Yes."

"Well, that's my baby."

"Baby is tiny…"

"Yes, it is, but it's growing."

LJ seemed awestruck by these words. "Really?"

"I promise you, LJ, the baby is growing in my tummy." Alexis responded. "Even when it's born, it's going to be awhile yet before they can play with you."

She nodded solemnly at these words. I couldn't believe how well she was taking this. It made me wish that Castle was here, and not on that tour Paula had sent him on…

"Is baby boy or girl?"

"I don't know yet. I want it to be a surprise."

"LJ like surprises…" She put both hands on her sister's pregnant belly and looked into her sister's eyes. "Baby sisser in your tummy?"

Alexis smiled slightly. "No, sweetheart. This is your niece or nephew, and you are their aunt."

The words 'niece' and 'nephew' meant nothing to LJ, but the word 'aunt' did. The joy and awe was clearly written all over her face and it was in her voice, and I wiped my eyes as happy tears fell.

"LJ gets to be aunt, like Aunt Jenny and Aunt Lanie?"

"Yes, you do. That means that you get to be a friend to the baby and keep an eye on it so it doesn't get into trouble. Do you think you can be a big girl and do that?"

"Yes, Lexie. LJ is big girl."

In a sudden movement, LJ leaned forward and threw her arms around Alexis' middle, effectively hugging her belly. Alexis could only smile happily at her little sister, happy tears running down her own face. LJ held on for another minute before making her way into my lap and sitting down to face me with her hands on my belly.

"This my baby sisser?"

"I don't know if it's a boy or a girl, either." LJ pouted again. "But I have a picture, too." LJ's expression brightened quickly as I picked the frame off the table. "See the picture in there?" Nod. "That's the baby that's in mama's tummy."

"That baby tiny, too." LJ observed, leaning against my belly and shifting slightly as the baby fluttered around. "LJ is a big sisser, like Lexie?"

I was once more blown away by her brain. "Yes, you are."

"Oh." LJ became a little fidgety and sat up as the baby fluttered a little bit more. "Please to touch your tummy?"

"Yes, you may." I handed the picture frame to Alexis and lifted my shirt to expose my four month pregnant belly. Anybody could tell I was pregnant now. I laughed when LJ's little hands went straight for my belly, and I giggled as her eyes went wide at feeling the baby's fluttery movement. "You like that, don't you?"

LJ nodded. "Baby swimmin' in there." She looked over at Alexis, who was watching us with one of her hands resting under her shirt on her own belly. "Lexie feelded baby brudder."

Alexis looked at me for permission and I had barely nodded when LJ had grabbed Alexis' hand out from under her shirt and put it next to her own.

"Feelded baby brudder, Lexie?" LJ asked her, turning her gaze back toward my belly. "LJ feelded."

Alexis was in a state of childlike awe as she pressed her hand down a little firmer. "I can feel him, too, LJ…"

I laughed inwardly as I realized that both of my daughters were rooting for a little brother without even saying it directly.

LJ's little fingers began tracing a pattern on my stomach. "Mama, what that? Looks like a flower."

She was pointing to a tattoo on my stomach that was indeed of a flower. Even Alexis was inspecting it with real curiosity.

"This is a tattoo of a lily."

LJ blinked in surprise and pointed to herself. "LJ is called Lily."

I smiled at her. "I know, but lilies were my mama's favorite flower."

"Really?"

I nodded. "Yes, Baby Bird."

She pointed to some words next to the lily. "What that say?"

"It says my mama's name: Johanna Lily Beckett."

"'Johanna Lily…'" My youngest daughter echoed. As she thought of something, a sudden thunderstruck look appeared on her face. "Her name Lily, too! Where Mama Joey?"

My throat immediately became too clogged up at the nickname LJ had given my mother. (A nickname she would've loved, too…) Alexis came to my rescue.

"Mama Joey is with the angels now, but she's watching us right now, and making sure that we're all okay." She pointed to something else near my tattoo. "Why don't you ask mama what that is?"

LJ inspected what her big sister was pointing at before looking up at me. "What that, Mama?"

She was pointing to my belly button, which was pierced with a navel ring in the shape of a baby's footprint.

"That's my navel ring, LJ." I explained. "You can touch it, but you have to be really gentle."

LJ nodded seriously. "LJ very gentle."

She reached out and touched the little decoration. LJ looked at it for a second before casting a curious glance at her sister. "Lexie have ring on her tummy?"

Alexis shook her head. "No, sweetie, I don't."

"Tattoo?"

"Yes, but not on my tummy."

This took me by surprise. "When did you get a tattoo?"

Alexis smirked, knowing that she had thrown me for a loop. "During my first weekend at Oxford, and because I know you'll ask: dad doesn't know."

LJ crawled into her sister's lap and tugged on her shirt. "Please to see tattoo, Lexie!"

Alexis obliged and pulled back her left shirt sleeve up to her elbow to reveal two simple words in huge block letters: love wins.

Alexis explained what the words meant. LJ seemed to understand and then asked Alexis to lift her shirt so she could see her belly. Alexis did as LJ asked, and when Alexis' belly was visible, LJ leaned forward and kissed it gently. She leaned over and repeated the same process with my belly.

With my insides once again turning into mush because of LJ's love, Alexis spoke up once more. "Why did you do that, LJ? It was very nice of you."

"LJ did it 'cause you say love wins. Hafta teach babies that."

Alexis was immediately reduced to a puddle. As she reached for a tissue box on the table to clean herself up, I reassured LJ that everything was fine and pulled her onto my lap. She paused for a second and tilted her head to the side, obviously thinking about something.

"Mama, how babies get in you an' Lexie's tummies?"

At this point, Alexis laughed but quickly turned her laugh into a bad cough. I ignored her.

"I'll tell you how that works when you're a lot bigger, all right?"

"Okay." She replied with a sweet innocence and then looked from my belly to Alexis.' "LJ take good care of Nemo an' Squishy."

Alexis recovered from her 'cough' and raised an eyebrow. "'Nemo and Squishy'?"

LJ touched my belly while looking at her sister. "Nemo in mama's tummy. He Nemo 'cause we feelded him swimmin' like a fishy."

Alexis pointed to her own belly. "And this is Squishy?"

LJ nodded eagerly. "Mhm. Your baby Squishy 'cause he tiny an' squishy."

I liked how LJ was assuming the babies' genders, and how she was making two Disney references.

"If you say so, LJ." I glanced at my watch briefly. "LJ, we have to get ready to go soon."

She drew her gaze away from her sister and looked back at me. "Go where?"

"Alexis and I need to go to the doctor's office, and she's going to check on the babies with a special machine."

LJ's eyes grew wide yet again. "Wow! I go wif you?"

"Yes."

"And guess what, LJ?" Alexis chimed in.

The little girl looked at her sister again. "What?"

"Ashley's coming, too."

She squealed happily. "LJ loves Ashy a lot, but you 'gon marry him."

Alexis promptly turned bright red, and LJ found that hysterical and she spoke to me with complete glee.

"Lexie turneded red, mama!" she giggled. "She silly!"

"She sure is." I laughed and ruffled LJ's hair. "But we have to get you ready now."

LJ shook her head furiously. "Nu-uh, mama!"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "And why is that, Miss Lily?"

"LJ tell you somethin' real quick."

"What would that be?"

"LJ always be your baby, right?"

"Right…"

"Nemo an' Squishy gon' be my babies 'cause LJ yours." My heart caught in my throat. I looked over at Alexis and saw that she had happy tears in her eyes. "LJ love and protec' Nemo an' Squishy forever. They also gotta learn how to bird feed and letters, too…"

LJ slid off my body and wandered away, clutching Olivia the pig, and started reciting the alphabet way out of order. She knew all twenty-six letters, but didn't know the correct order at all.

I looked at Alexis, who had a very content look about her.

"Well, that went a lot better than I thought." She remarked.

"No kidding!" I agreed. "The protective streak runs deep in her veins."

Alexis nodded. "I know that she got that from dad, no question about that. Dad has always loved protected the most important people in his life: me and Gram, and then you. Now he has LJ and my little brother or sister that you're growing in your womb, and I know he's going to protect his grandchild, too. But—" She stopped in mid sentence, thinking, but stood up and continued on with her words. "But you know what, Kate?"

"What?"

"Dad has always loved you. He told me so the day after we first met you at the bar."

My mouth dropped open in surprise. "You knew?"

Alexis' eyes twinkled, much like the way Martha's did. "I guessed before he even told me. The look in his eyes that night told me everything."

I was about to say something, but got interrupted by LJ who was at the top of the landing, asking for help to get dressed at the same time Alexis excused herself to answer a text. Forty-five minutes later, Alexis, LJ and I arrived at the doctor's office and were sitting down in chairs in one of the exam rooms. Ashley joined us shortly thereafter, having made arrangements to meet us there.

Alexis' Point of View

Ashley arrived shortly after we did. He gave me a hug and quick kiss and greeted Kate and LJ, the latter of whom burst into giggles at the sight of my boyfriend.

Ashley found this very amusing, too. "What's with her?"

"LJ is bent on the belief that you and I are going to get married someday."

"Well, she isn't wrong, Alexis. We will get married someday."

At a complete loss for words by that statement, I just leaned my head against his shoulder and let him play with my hair as we waited for time to pass.

Words just couldn't begin to express how much I love Ashley Noah Kerrigan.

Kate's Point of View

With Alexis and Ashley wrapped up in their own little world, and LJ sitting on the ground near my feet, I let my mind wander.

Since I've never been pregnant before, I needed an OBGYN. Lanie and Jenny both had the same one, and recommended her for Alexis and me. I had been very satisfied with her credentials when Lanie and Jenny recited them, so I went ahead and booked back-to-back appointments for us. The only things I knew about this doctor personally is that she is very good friends with Jenny's family, and that her name is Emily Ryan.

After the nurse checked on mine and Alexis' vitals and basic information, we didn't have long to wait for Doctor Ryan. When I saw who she was, my stomach turned over in surprise, and the look of surprise was clear on her face, too.

"Emily," I stood up and walked toward her, careful not to trip over LJ. "Is that you?"

Emily's face lit up. "Katie J!" she used an old nickname, and when she spoke I was surprised to hear a heavy Australian accent that she had picked up since the last time I saw her. "I haven't seen you in years and years!"

"Yeah, not since the Paint Incident—"

She laughed at that particular memory. "Never mind that. Introduce me to your family."

We turned to Alexis, LJ and Ashley who were each watching us with curious looks.

"Alexis, Ashley, LJ, this is my old friend, Emily Queller." Alexis opened her mouth to say something, but I beat her to the punch, knowing exactly what she was going to say. "And yes, Alexis, she is Madison Queller's little sister."

"My last name is Ryan now." Emily wiggled her left hand, showing a wedding ring. I made a mental note to check with Ryan when I got back to work on Monday to ask if he had a brother. Ryan is a common last name, but still, given the circles that I run in, anything is possible. "But we're going to have plenty of time to catch up later. Are you ready, Kate?"

I nodded and climbed onto the table, once more wishing that Castle was here. Everything was a complete blur until it was Emily was wheeling out the ultrasound machine from the corner. LJ, who had been dying to see her beloved Nemo, realized that something important was about to happen and slid out of Ashley's lap and ran across the room next to the bed.

"Mama, we see Nemo now?"

"'Nemo'?" Emily questioned as she fired the machine up.

LJ sighed heavily, as if she'd explained this a thousand times. "My mama's baby is Nemo and my Lexie's baby is Squishy! Please to see Nemo?"

I laughed and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Yes, Baby Bird, we're going to see Nemo now."

LJ squealed happily and jumped up and down as Alexis and Ashley came over to watch, too. Ashley held LJ in his arms and Alexis stood next to them. I smiled as I marveled about how much they looked like a family.

In that moment, I cursed Gina and Paula for making Castle go to New Jersey for the particular day. He was missing a great family moment…

Remembering where I was, I turned and saw Emily standing at the ready with a tube of gel.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes." I sighed. "I'm fine. I'm just missing Rick right now. He's in New Jersey for a two day book signing, but he'll be back on Sunday night." I eyed the tube of gel in her hands. "Is it time to see the baby?"

Emily nodded. "It is. This gel is going to be a little cold, so don't say I didn't warn you."

I lifted my shirt back to expose my belly, and she squeezed the gel on. It was quite cold, and I couldn't help but shiver. We all watched in a hushed silence as Emily glided the wand across my belly to get a clear image of the baby.

Emily spoke after a moment. "There we go. There's Nemo."

I was speechless, just as I had been the first time I saw the baby on the screen last month.

This child was mine and Castle's creation.

Our child…

I looked over at the other three. Alexis and LJ were both entranced by the sight of the baby. Even Ashley was, even though he was here for Alexis. He isn't my son, but after the way that he had stepped up in the past month to take care of Alexis and be with her, I realized that Ashley is the closest that I have to a son right now.

LJ leaned over from her position in Ashley's arms and tapped me on the on the shoulder. "That's Nemo, mama!" She was clearly excited. "That's LJ's Nemo!" She looked back at the screen and blew kisses to it. "LJ love you, Nemo!"

Just like Alexis had been earlier, I was reduced to a puddle. I propped myself up on my elbows and LJ seemed sense that I wanted her, because she leaned over and wiped my tears before placing a gentle kiss on my forehead.

"LJ love mama, too."

Ashley backed away so Emily could help me wrap things up.

"Would you like to know Nemo's gender?"

I smiled as she used the baby's nickname. "No. Rick and I decided that we'd rather have it be a surprise. He's a writer, so he can write surprises, but I'm a cop, so with my line of work, a surprise like this is one of the last few good surprises I have left."

"Fair enough." Emily agreed and handed me a blue cloth. "You ready to hear Nemo's heartbeat?"

I nodded and she flipped a few switches. A steady thumping noise filled the room and I couldn't stop my heart from melting.

Alexis' Point of View

Once I was up on the table watching Emily going over the notes, I prayed there was one thing that she wouldn't talk about: my weight. Ever since I got that text from Conrad when I spent the night at Ashley's house, I'd been worried about him coming back. That fear had gotten to me, and I was starting to lose a little weight, and one of the things I knew best about pregnancy was that I needed to gain weight, not lose it.

Unfortunately, the look on Emily's face told me that my weight was exactly what she was going to talk about.

"Alexis, just about everything checks out, but it's your weight concerns me" she spoke as she looked up from her notes. "You seem to be a little underweight, and that's not good for the baby. Did something happen recently that would have stressed out?"

I tried to ignore Kate's penetrating gaze from where she and LJ were sitting and reached for Ashley's hand. He held onto it tightly as I spoke to my doctor.

"I was away in Oxford for the beginning of the semester, and I… got into some trouble." I glanced at LJ, who was in La La Land with Olivia the pig, but I still didn't want to risk her hearing anything she shouldn't…and I didn't want Kate to blow a gasket in front of her. "To make the story G-rated for LJ's sake, there was a lot of mistakes made and a very brief engagement to the baby's father that didn't end well. Those are the biggest reasons why I've been stressed out lately."

Emily just nodded and chose not to press the subject. "I see. To be on the safe side, I'm going to need you to gain thirty extra pounds. Do you understand?"

"I do." I sighed heavily. "I'm only four months along, and now I'm really going to look like a whale by the time this is all over."

Kate looked like she was going to say something, but didn't because LJ chose this moment to look up from what she was doing. "But Lexie, LJ like whales 'cause the whale helpeded Marlin an' Dory to find Nemo. Whales good."

I could only smile in thanks to my sister as Ashley spoke. "I always liked the whale, myself…"

Feeling better, I turned back to Emily who was smiling.

"See? Nothing like your family to make you feel better." She put her clipboard down on a nearby counter. "Are you ready to see your baby now?"

"Yes, please, but LJ will make you call the baby 'Squishy,' so don't say I didn't warn you."

Emily laughed as she helped me lay down. "First Nemo and now Squishy?" She looked at Kate, who was now walking over with LJ on her hip. "Kate, how much Pixar does LJ watch?"

"Lots." Was Kate's wry reply. "Rick and Alexis—and Ashley, too, now that I think about it—spoil her with Pixar and Disney."

Ashley pretended to be very interested in his watch while I put on an expression of innocence. "We have no idea what you're talking about. No idea, whatsoever."

Kate just rolled her eyes and shook her head. LJ didn't miss a beat and giggled. Emily just smiled and got the ultrasound machine ready.

As soon as I saw the baby on the screen, my heart turned to butter. Sure, I had seen the baby at my appointment last month after I had returned from Oxford, but it was different now because Ashley was standing next to me and holding my hand this time.

"Look at that, Ash." I pointed to the screen. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?"

Ashley held my hand in both of his and kissed it. "You mean besides you? No."

LJ once more chose this moment to interrupt. "Lexie, mama, Ashy! I see Squishy over there!" she was pointing to the monitor. "Squishy tiny, but LJ still love him every single day." Just like she had when Nemo was on the screen, she focused on the screen this time around, too and blew kisses to Squishy. "LJ love you an' Nemo so much 'cause you're gon' be LJ's babies, too."

She fell silent after that and sighed contently from her hold in Kate's arms.

…It was impossible not to love that child…

Ashley leaned over and wiped my tears for me before we turned our attention back to Emily.

"Do you want to know Squishy's gender?"

Ashley and I exchanged glances with each other, conversing silently with just our eyes. He's stepped to the plate recently to take care of the baby and I as best as he could. For that, I included him in all of the major choices and decisions, including this one.

We looked back at her and answered in unison. "No, thanks."

Emily just laughed. "Do you want to hear Squishy's heartbeat, then?"

Again, we answered in unison. "Yes, please."

Sure, I'd heard the heartbeat at my last appointment, but I had been alone. But now that Ashley was here, it just felt…different.

The heartbeat was the most blessed thing I had ever heard.

Kate's Point of View

Once Alexis was done, I shooed her, Ashley and LJ out into the waiting room so I could have a moment alone with Emily as she put her things away.

"When did you get married, Em?"

"Oh, Kate." She laughed. "I'll tell you that story if we have dinner together. I'll even throw in the story about how I picked up my accent."

"You're on. Come to dinner at the loft with Castle and me." I reached into my wallet and pulled out one of my cards. I quickly jotted down on our address on the back and handed it to her. "Bring your husband."

Emily pocketed the card and looked at me. "Have you heard from Madison recently? She did tell me about how your paths crossed two years ago during a case."

"I haven't seen Maddie since then." I answered truthfully. "How's she doing?"

"Maddie is great. She's married, too—and has two stepsons."

"Good for her." I smiled happily, but a new thought crossed my mind. "What about Melissa?"

Melissa is the youngest Queller sister at nineteen years old.

Emily sighed, and there was a sad tone about it. "There's a lot of things we need to catch up on, seeing as the last time you saw me, I was like, twelve and being shipped of to Switzerland for boarding school. And just for the record: boarding school sucks."

"I'll be sure to make a note of that."

My old friend looked at her watch and jumped a little. "I need to go, Katie J. I'll call Madison and get back to you."

We walked toward the door and stood in the doorway. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alexis and Ashley at the fish tank in the waiting room with LJ, pointing out all the different fish to her.

"How does Tuesday at seven sound for dinner?"

"Sounds great." She glanced at her watch again and then back at me. "I really have to go now…"

I nodded and watched her leave before heading over to the kids.

AN: Done! I hope none of you OD'd on all that fluff, because that means that I can't give out gold stars when y'all press that little button down there to give me a nice review…