Sorry about the update delay, but my muse was on strike or something. All of a sudden she decided to tell me a whole chapter in one day.
Kate sighed contentedly as she settled back into the armchair, relishing a lazy Sunday morning. On the table at her elbow was a steaming cup of fruity-scented tea. As she began to flip through the April issue of one of the parenting magazines that had mysteriously started arriving in their mailbox, she paused at a top ten list titled 'useless games for mothers'. She laughed aloud when she got to number 9. 'Clue: After determining which child squirted mayo on the dog, you're ready to join the elite CSI team.' The laughter died when she realized she might actually have such challenges ahead. Given that she was about to bring three (count 'em three) of the incorrigible Richard Castle's offspring into the world, the genetic dice pretty much had her screwed. She'd moved on to an article weighing the benefits of cloth diapers versus disposables when her phone rang. The caller ID window displayed 'Captain's office'.
"Good morning, sir, what can I do for you?"
"Morning, Beckett. Listen, I really hate to do this to you, and I know you're not really supposed to be in the field anymore, but I need a favor. I've got a high profile case and the commissioner breathing down my neck, so it's all hands on deck. Can you two go do a witness interview for me?"
"Sure, sir, we'd be happy to help." She jotted down the address he gave her, then set the magazine aside with a sigh. Taking a sip of her tea, she brought it into the kitchen to transfer it to a travel mug. She then made her way to Castle's office, where he'd gone earlier to write, and rapped lightly on the door. At the faint 'Come in', she opened the door and poked her head in. "Hey, Captain sends his apologies for disturbing us, but he really needs a witness interview done. Can you be ready in 15?"
He nodded absently, still typing away. She went up and got changed. She prided herself on her professional appearance, and she didn't feel that being pregnant needed to change that. Back downstairs she scanned the room and saw Rick…nowhere. She found him still parked behind his desk. "Sweetie, we've got work to do, would you mind?"
He glanced up at her. "Yeah, sure, just hang on a sec, I'm on a roll here."
Five minutes passed. She weighed her next words carefully. On the one hand it was an honest offer, but on the other hand she knew exactly the response she'd get from him, and she grudgingly accepted that this sort of 'guidance' (she hated the word 'manipulation') was sometimes necessary between a wife and her husband. "Honey, the Captain said he wanted both of us, but if you really can't tear yourself away here, I can go by myself…"
His head snapped up then, eyeing her with the intensity of a hawk. "The hell you will." Three keystrokes later he had shut his laptop and was moving around the desk. He dashed upstairs to get changed and was at her side exactly three minutes later.
When they got down to her car, she headed for the driver's door and stopped when he cleared his throat. She turned and found him right behind her, hand out for the keys. She shot him a withering look as she handed them over and made her way to the passenger side. "Don't look at me like that," he protested. "It's not my fault your stomach doesn't fit behind the steering wheel anymore."
"Isn't it?" she demanded once she'd settled in the passenger seat. "Who exactly gave me these?" she asked, pointing to her belly. "It sure as hell wasn't the Easter Bunny!" At 24 weeks, she looked like she was smuggling an oversized beach ball under her tunic.
Sheepishly he conceded her point. "Well, ok, that's true. Have I mentioned lately that the glow of motherhood has made you more gorgeous than ever?"
"Can it," she snapped. "Flattery's getting you nowhere right now. Just drive the damn car."
"Yes, dear."
He deftly blocked her lunge to twist his ear and quickly started the car. She gave him the address and he drove in silence.
They found their destination and made their way up to the apartment that Roy had sent them to. Kate pressed the buzzer and a moment later the door opened. Her badge and her jaw both dropped when she registered the occupant. No, make that occupants, plural, as in twenty or more, all familiar faces.
"Surprise!" they all shouted. Pastel streamers hung from the ceiling, framing a baby shower banner. She looked beyond Lanie and Jenny (who she now realized owned the address) to the familiar auburn tresses of Martha and Alexis. She glanced over her shoulder to Rick, who seemed equally dumbfounded. As their friends and family welcomed them, they finally shook off the shock. Kate noticed a few guys present, deducing that this was a 'jack and jill' type party, as opposed to 'girls only' She scanned the room for Roy, and found barely concealed mirth in his gaze.
"Gotcha!" he mouthed. He watched with amusement as Rick steered her over to a white rocking chair wrapped with pink and blue ribbons. Their most recent ultrasound had shown that one of the triplets was a boy, and another was a girl. The third one was playing 'shy', hiding behind his or her brother, and they decided that even if it shifted, its gender would remain a mystery until delivery.
When she was comfortable, Alexis came over and crouched to hug Kate. She eyed her stepdaughter. "So the whole 'I have to stay on campus and study' was just to throw me off?" she asked.
"Throw BOTH of you off," the beaming woman corrected. "We couldn't chance that Dad could keep quiet about this, but believe me it was NOT easy. Can you imagine trying to keep a secret like this from a detective AND a mystery writer?"
Martha took her turn next, carrying glasses of sparkling cider for both Kate and Rick. "Hello, darling. You look wonderful!" Since it looked like Kate was in good hands, Rick excused himself and returned a short while later carrying a plate for each of them. Hers was piled with cheese and fruit, plus some crab salad and crackers. After having a snack, she made a move to get up and mingle. Before she could, Lanie came over.
"Girl, don't you MOVE from that seat. Mohammad is definitely going to the mountain today."
"Did you just call me a mountain?"
Lanie was one of the few people who was immune to the Beckett glare. "Don't look at me like that. I taught you how to look like that."
Despite the ME's tone, Kate felt more like a freak show than a guest of honor, everyone waiting on her, waiting to talk to her. She was faintly relieved when, after a time, Jenny rang a bell to get everyone's attention. "Time for presents. Kate, I can tell you, you are sitting in your first present, with Kevin's and my best wishes. That rocker goes home with you, to be placed in your nursery."
She looked up at Rick, who had the good grace to look slightly repentant. "Does this have anything to do with your unusual indecisiveness about picking out furniture?"
He grinned. "Well, yeah, Ryan mentioned that he wanted to have something made for us, but wanted to be sure we didn't already have one. But I swear, that's the only thing I knew about."
Lanie took a post in a chair near them, pen poised over a notebook, ready to jot down the 'who gave what' details. She started with the rocking chair, not that they would easily forget that.
Next came the car seat and stroller 'travel system', from the Captain and his wife. The stroller would accommodate all three car seats, and the children could sit up in the stroller seats, lined up like little ducklings, once they were big enough. Since the stroller and three car seats and bases would have occupied half of Jenny's living room, they were presented with one seat and a picture of the stroller, with a note penned on it that the rest of the system would be delivered to their loft within the week. Kate murmured quiet words to Rick about the need to make space in their storage unit, until these items were required.
Given her medical background, it was appropriate that Lanie gifted them with a large first aid kit, plus extras of things that should not be shared, like nasal bulbs, and things frequently misplaced, like digital thermometers and nail clippers. In addition, the basket contained three of each of the most popular diaper rash creams and ointments, so that they'd have a chance to find what worked best on each little tushie. There were also a couple of baby "bibles", medical/developmental references that were considered standards in the child care community.
Alexis gave them a trio of bibs that, when laid side by side, read "My Big Sister" "Is The Best" "In The World". These were in a box that also held a leather bound album for baby pictures, with the words "The Castle Story" imprinted in gold ink across the cover.
Martha & Chet gave them a bathtub that could either stand freely on a tabletop or be placed in the kitchen sink. In the bathtub was a collection of matching washcloth/towel sets in every color of the pastel rainbow. They had also included a complete set of bath products, from baby wash to shampoo to soothing lotions.
Esposito had given them a high chair and a 'mess mat' to place underneath it. Karpowski gave a play gym mat with rainbows arching over it. From the rainbows dangled toys for baby to bat at. Paula, Rick's agent, had given them a diaper Genie and a large package of refills. Mayor 'Bob', though unable to attend, evidently shopped the same place Martha had, because he sent along a set of six fleece receiving blankets in pastel rainbow colors. His note read 'One to wash, one to use. Trust me on this.'
Even Patterson was in attendance, just so he could watch them open the pajama, onesie and matching bib collections with "Three of a kind" embroidered on them above various playing cards. Another set said "Full House" and was tied with a ribbon to a his-and-her t-shirt set for Kate and Rick.
When everything had been opened, the paper cleared away and the party guests graciously thanked, they had dessert, a three layer cake.
A note of thanks to myboygeorge for planting the seed about a theme for gifts. Thanks also to all of you who continue to review, alert and favorite. You all make my day!
