No one said anything for a while, just let Esposito get it out of his system; when he regained a little bit of composure, it was Beckett who leaned forward, quietly asking the questions for the whole group so he wouldn't have to repeat himself again and again.

'What is going on, Javier?' she asked in her quiet survivor's voice.

'There's good news and fu- really terrifying news,' Esposito caught himself before dropping an F-bomb in front of the toddlers. 'Which do you want first?'

'The good news,' Shane said immediately. 'Always go with the good.'

'Meredeth is pregnant. Seven weeks,' he told them and they all looked hopeful; Beckett gripped Castle's hand excitedly and felt a flicker of warmth in her chest.

'That's awesome you guys, did you just find out today?' Lanie asked in a timid voice.

'Lanie, let me finish.'

'Of course.'

'She also has an ovarian cyst that's close to bursting and if it ruptures, it could cause serious, life-threatening infection, so they are going to take out the cyst so that...so...'

Castle nodded in understanding. 'It's okay, Javier, we get the picture.'

'Javi? Here.'

They watched little Carey walk over to the man he'd always thought larger than life, a superhero like his own father, and gave him his battered stuffed duck. 'Emilio is a good cuddler.'

'Thanks.' Esposito thought of how Tessi would...oh, god. The kids. 'I...Andrea, what is your mother's number, I have to call her, I-'

'I have it here. Would you like me to call her?'

'Yeah. I want Tessi here. The twins are too little, they would only get scared and not understand it, but Tessi...Tessi needs to be here.'

'Okay.'

Andrea stepped into the hallway to make the call, and Esposito closed his eyes, sighed. Beckett could feel the weight of it in him as he did.

'I thought the worst thing that would happen today was that Meredeth would get pissed off about me having dinner with Victoria and then we'd have a good cleansing fight about it, and then awesome make-up sex.'

'Javi, shhh!' Dell shushed him, scandalized at such casual use of the naughty S-word. 'There are little kids here!'

'Sorry, buddy, I forgot. I'm just worried about Meredeth.'

'Like Mama and Daddy worried about me when my sugars were all crazy?'

'Exactly like that.'

'No be 'cared, Javi.' RJ walked over, patted the cop's knee, totally unaware his actions had his mother choking up as she watched him. He got that confidence from his daddy, no question. 'She be fine, you see. Lanie hadda 'pation fo' Finn, she fine.'

'That's right I did,' Lanie agreed, then looked to Lili. 'You had one too with Rosie, and so did Honey-Milk with Mallory.'

'See? Jus' fine.'

Honey-Milk walked in then, in her scrubs; looking around she found Esposito and wrapped her arms around him. 'Javi, God, I just saw it on the surgical board. What happened?'

'I can't answer that question anymore Jenny,' he replied dully. 'I need to focus all my energy on not losing my mind right now.'

'Why don't we take a walk downstairs, a little fresh air and some coffee while we wait for Tessi and Agnes?' Shane stood up, walked over to him. 'It might help you clear your head.'

'Uh-huh.'

When the men were gone, Beckett pressed her fingers to her lips and before she could hold it in, she felt the tears slip out - one, then two, until she was sobbing her eyes out against her husband's shoulder. 'Oh, God, Rick.'

'I know, Katie, I know.'

'No, on Saturday, just a few days ago, she...she was terrified there was something really wrong. And now...'

'Mumum.' RJ came over to his mother, scared to death at what he saw. His mother was a superhero, she never broke down like this. 'Mumum, whassa madda? Why cuh-ryin'?'

'Because I'm very worried about Meredeth, RJ, I'm very scared.'

'No be 'cared, Mumum. It o-kay, dottas gon' fix-it.' But even as he said it, RJ felt a new vine of fear twist in his stomach. 'Mumum, where my Tah-rini? She 'cared too?'

'I honestly don't know, sweetie.'

'I tell her nodda be 'cared. Mer-det very buh-rave. She be fine.'

Beckett rubbed her belly, thought of the baby growing in there and could only think of her friend, how scared she'd been before even visiting the doctor. What if something went wrong? What if they found something else in her surgery?

What if?

Castle didn't need to be psychic to read his wife's mind, it was all over her face. Threading his fingers through hers, he tugged her to her feet. 'Kate and I are going for some fresh air.'

'Okay.' Lili nodded, then looked at RJ. 'You cool to stay here with us while Mama and Daddy have a private talk?'

'Uh-huh, I lissen you, Lili. I be buh-rave for Mer-det.'

Castle waited, bided his time until they were in the elevator. Once there, he watched as Beckett's brave face all but melted off her and she turned to him, her body shaking as she sobbed her eyes out. 'It's okay, Kate,' he murmured, 'she'll be fine.'

'I went to her, told her everything would be fine, and it's not.'

'And that's somehow your fault?'

'No,' Beckett warbled, 'but I told her not to worry. She trusted me, she believed in me and look where we are three days later.'

'Yeah, look where we are. The doctors caught what was wrong in time, they are fixing the problem in surgery and more importantly, Meredeth and Javier are having their fourth baby, she's already two months gone.'

She sniffled, breathed deeply against his shoulder. 'And what happens if the baby doesn't make it? What happens if Mere doesn't make it? Javi and the kids love her so much, he needs his wife and those babies need their mother.'

'Kate-'

'I know what that's like, and I was nineteen years old when I lost mine. Those children aren't even ten years old combined, they don't deserve that.'

'And it won't come to that, Kate.' Castle took her face in his hands. 'Meredeth is strong, she's got everyone praying for her. She will get through this and seven months from now, about a month after our baby comes along, we'll be back here pacing the floor and drinking too much bad coffee while we wait for the fourth Esposito to be born. You hear me?'

'Yes. I hear you. Even when I don't want to, I hear you.'

He kissed her, pulled her close as the elevator doors dinged open. 'Come on, let's go get some of that bad coffee now. Decaf for you.'

That night was one of the longest Beckett and Castle had ever endured as they waited and waited for Meredeth's surgery to be done and to hear the good news she was going to be just fine along with the baby. There was a moment that was almost a welcome distraction when Tessi and Dell had temporarily disappeared from the lounge, sending their parents into a tizzy; it was resolved when they realized that the good little Catholic girl and her equally good little Catholic boy had gone to the hospital chapel to pray for Meredeth to be okay.

By about midnight, Esposito had left with the doctors and returned looking positively shipwrecked but not devastated - Meredeth and the baby had pulled through the surgery, but Meredeth's cyst had burst and she'd lost her right ovary. As a result of potential lingering infection and a vulnerably immune system, she was being kept in isolation under sedation for two days so that her body could right itself as soon as possible. The news had made everyone breathe a shaky sigh of relief, one they knew would grow stronger once Merdeth was awake and speaking to them all once more.

To their surprise, Alexis had shown up and she and Shane had volunteered to look after Arturo at the Esposito townhouse in Chelsea, making Castle breathe an extra sigh of relief; it was one less outside worry for them to think about.

Once back at home, neither Castle nor Beckett were surprised to see Martha sitting in the living room with a cup of coffee as they came through the door.

'Oh, good God, my darlings, what is going on?' she asked in her patented worrying-trill. 'Here let me take him,' she added, plucking RJ out of his father's arms.

'Gams?' RJ mumbled sleepily.

'Yes, it's Grams, my prince.'

'Mer-det haffa 'pation. Nee' tell Tah-rini she okay.'

'You'll tell her in the morning, RJ.'

'Love Tah-rini. She my see-hot,' he yawned. 'Wan' Omeo, I suh-leepy.'

'I've got him.' Martha looked at her son and daughter-in-law. 'You need to get some rest yourselves.'

Too tired to argue, Castle and Beckett trudged upstairs to their room, stripped down to their underwear and crawled into bed. The minute her head hit the pillow, Beckett felt her husband pull her close.

'Don't worry, my love,' he murmured to her, 'she'll be just fine.'