Okay guys this is the last actual chapter, but there will be an epilogue and a sequel after that.

But if you read it review it! It's not that hard. The review box is right underneath the end of the chapter! Thnx!


Chapter 12: This Is It

It had been almost half an hour since the doctor had said that they could start setting up for delivery. Nobody had come back in or told them anything since he'd left.

Kate was squeezing his hand, yelling in pain.

"Where…where are…are the Doctors Castle?" she asked panting, as she tried to catch her breath.

"I don't know baby, I don't know." He said, defeated. He hung his head between his knees, on the verge of tears. It was killing him, having to watch the strong, tough, woman; whom he loved more than anything in the world, go through this because he knew that if she was crying it had to be really, really bad.

He felt her squeezing his and again and her cries of pain.

"Oh my god! Castle! Make it stop! Please make the pain stop!"

Castle couldn't take it anymore.

"I'll be right back babe." He said as he getting up.

"Wait! Where are you going?" she asked still squeezing his hand but gently.

"To find the damn doctor and get him to do his fricken job." He was clearly frustrated.

"Okay, but hurry." She said.

He nodded and walked out of the room.

He walked over to the nurses station.

"Can I help you?" a young blonde haired nurse asked politely.

"Well you can start doing your job for starters." He said frustrated.

"Excuse me?" she said clearly very confused.

"My wife and I were told over half an hour ago by a rude doctor that ya'll would start setting up for delivery, and nobody ever came back or informed us of anything, and she's in there yelling in pain."

The nurse's face got red. "You must have been dealing with Dr. Cooper. I don't like him either. He left half an hour ago, and I guess he didn't tell anyone what was going on. I'll find another…"

But she was interrupted by a voice that came behind them.

"Castle?" Kate said.

He spun around in surprise.

"Kate! You should be in bed!" he said rushing over to her.

"I'm fine Castle." But she spoke to soon. She doubled over in pain, moaning loudly. Castle wrapped his arms around her, supporting her.

"Hang in there baby. Just focus on breathing." He whispered.

When it ended he looked her in the eyes. "Why are you out of bed?"

"Because you were taking too long." She said.

"I'm not the one that's taking too long, it's them." He said, glaring at the nurse.

"Sorry. I'll go find a doctor." She said blushing.

"Castle, don't be mean to her. She trying to help and it's not her fault that it's been this long of a wait, it's that ass hole doctor's fault." She said laying her head on his shoulder closing her eyes.

He sighed. "I know. Now come on, let's get you back in bed.

A little while after they were settled back into the room, a doctor and two nurses, one of them was the one they had talked to at the nurse's station, walked into the room. This doctor had a kind looking face.

"Okay, are we ready to bring this little one into the world?" he asked cheerfully. If it were any other person being cheerful while his wife was in pain, he would be pissed, but somehow, he could tell the doctor was just trying ease the nervousness that he knew he and Kate were feeling. They were holding each other's hands tightly, especially Kate.

Castle grinned and nodded.

"God, yes!" Kate said.

The doctor chuckled.

"Okay then! Let's get started."

And suddenly the room was bustling with activity. The doctor scrubbed his hands, as did the nurses and they all put on gloves. Then started sterilizing stuff everything and making other preparations for delivery.

The reality of what was happening came rushing into Kate's mind.

"Castle I'm scared."

"Don't be. These doctors will take good care of you and our son, okay?"

She nodded, but she was still squeezing his hand tightly. Just when Castle thought she couldn't squeeze it any harder, another contraction came and proved him wrong, as Kate yelled out in pain and squeezed his hand harder.

"Ow!" he said.

Kate glared at him. "Shut up, Castle. You have no idea what this feels like!"

Castle opened his mouth to say something else, but decided that his life was worth more than making a smart ass remark to a pregnant, bad ass cop in labor, especially since it was his wife and she probably would shoot him.

His thoughts were interrupted, this time not by Kate's pain, but by the doctor's voice.

"Okay we're all set and we can get started." He said as he sat down on the stool at the end of the bed.

"So Kate what I need you to do for me is…" but he was interrupted by a yell of pain from Kate. She struggled to breathe through it because of the pain.

"Try to breathe in a steady rhythm." The doctor coached. Castle decided that he liked this guy.

When the contraction was over, the doctor continued to give instructions.

"So Kate what I need you to do is when a contraction starts, start pushing. You'll push while

I count to ten and when I get to ten you stop pushing and breathe until the next contraction, or when you catch your breath, and then we'll do it again. But if I say to stop or tell you not to push, you have to not push, even if you feel like you need to. Do you have any questions?"

"Can I have some water?"

Castle chuckled.

"We can get you some ice chips to suck on." He replied.

She nodded.

For a moment they were alone in the room again.

"You're stalling, aren't you?"

"No!" she said too defensively.

He just looked at her.

She sighed. "Okay fine. I'm scared. What if Dylan isn't healthy? What if there are complications? What if… what if.. if…" Castle cut her off.

"Kate. You are the strongest woman I know and ever will know. You have gone to hell and back so many times I can't even count. You were shot in the heart and died twice and came back to life twice and are still alive today, about to be a mommy. You can do this. Besides, I'll be here every step of the way. I love you." He said kissing her.

"I love you too."

Then the doctor walked in.

"Okay Kate, when you're ready." The doctor said.

Kate looked at Castle, who gave her a slight nod and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

When the next contraction came, she started to push, but the new intensity of the pain hit her like a ton of bricks.

She yelled in pain. "Oh my God! Castle, I can't do this!" she said shaking her head, tears were streaming down her face.

"Kate you can do this! Think about Dylan and his first cry and holding him for the first time." He told her wiping her forehead with a cloth.

She just nodded, and when the next contraction came she pushed.

As she yelled in pain the doctor counted and told her she was doing great, but she didn't hear him. She was yelling and she was zeroed in on Castle's voice.

"You're doing great babe, but you got to breathe. Remember to breathe."

She tried but it was getting more difficult as time went by.

After what seemed like hours, really only 10 seconds, the doctor told her to stop pushing and breathe.

She lay back against the pillow. Castle smiled at her.

"You're doing great." He said, brushing a few loose hairs stuck to her forehead and wiped the sweat away.

"It hurts so much, Castle." She said weakly.

"I know, I'm so sorry Kate." He said, his heart was in pieces from seeing her in this much pain for so long.

She felt another contraction coming and groaned.

"You can do this baby." Castle whispered.

She nodded and took a deep breath and started to push.

After a few more pushes the doctor said he could see the head. Kate was exhausted but she wanted to be done with this.

"This is it Kate. You're about to be a mommy." Castle said, giving her a little strength.

When the next contraction came she gathered every ounce of strength she had left, which wasn't much, and pushed harder than she had any other time. Then she heard the best sound she had ever heard; her son's first cry. She looked at Castle and smiled weakly. The doctor let Castle cut the cord. She started to feel light headed and the room was spinning. Exhaustion took over and she passed out.

When she woke up she had a oxygen mask on and Castle sitting next to her bed holding their son.

She took the mask off.

"Castle?"

He looked up at her and smiled.

"Hey.?

"What happened?"

The delivery exhausted you and passed out. You've only been out a few minutes."

"Oh. Well they got him cleaned up and got out of here fast."

"Yeah they were really fast." He replied.

"So he's okay?"

"Yep. The doctor said he's perfectly healthy." He said.

"Let me hold him." She said reaching out for her baby boy.

Castle smiled at her and handed her Dylan. When she finally held her son for the first time it was the most amazing thing she had ever felt.

"Wow. This is amazing." She thought to herself.

Castle laid next to her and he soon fell asleep while Kate stared down at her son and thought about her future as a mommy and as a wife and what her new life would be like because when she left this hospital, a new chapter in her life would begin.