AN: So I just realized that I am suppose to reply coot he comments. I did not know this so I'm so sorry. From now on I will reply to the reviews. Thank you so much to all my readers. Those who review, those who just read and those who favorite and follow. I LOVE YOU ALL AND I APPRECIATE IT.

Chapter 14

Rick ran towards Kate's room. He knocked quickly and opened the door. There she was, awake and laughing. She was laughing...at him. He walked towards her with a questioning look. She was laughing harder now. He just stared at her. He leaned down to capture her mouth in a kiss but she was still laughing. With their lips still connected she put her hands on his chest and whispered.

"Castle, where is your shirt?" She ran her hands across his chest and continued laughing.
Rick looked at her confused. He looked down at his bare chest. Uh-oh. "I...I was...Oh my God I ran around the hospital with no shirt on!" He moved his hand to cover his mouth. "I hugged Dr. Khumbchandani with no shirt on!"

Kate laughed even harder. "I'm sorry, this is pretty funny. Why in the world are you not wearing a shirt? It's not like it's hot in here." She continued laughing. "No but seriously, where is your shirt?" She playfully raised an eyebrow at him. "Should I be worried? Did you shack up with that hot nurse?" She smiled at him but he wasn't responding with a witty remark like she expected. He just kept looking at her. She could see the shadow of a tear emerging."oh no, Rick I'm joking! Come here." She lowered his head so he could place it on her chest. She finally realized that he wasn't emotional over her comments about the shirt. She knew it was because it finally hit him that she was alive and joking. "I'm here. It's okay. I'm here."

"You're here."He lifted his head and placed a kiss on her forehead and then her nose, cheeks, and practically every inch of her face. "You're here and laughing at my stupidity and I couldn't be more thrilled. For hours, all I wanted to know was if you were breathing. If I could count on moments like this. If I would ever hear your laughter, see your smile and touch your skin." He placed his head back on her chest. "All I wanted was to hear your heart beat." He felt her run her hands through his hair. "You're here and I can do all those things and I couldn't be happier."

"I'm glad you never gave up on me, Castle. If you had I would be missing out on so much beautiful and lovely things, things that I only want to experience with you." She pause for a moment, she had been avoiding this question because she was scared of the answer. "Castle, I know I'm on a hospital bed and you think I'm weak but I promise you I'm not. Yeah I'm a bit woozy from all those pain meds but I'm fine. So when I ask you this question, Do not sugar-coat it. Promise?"

"Pinky promise." He replied.

She took a deep breath and spoke with a firm tone. " How are the babies?"

Rick also took a deep breath. "Ella and Joe are doing great. They had minor complications in the first hour but they are doing "superb" as the nurse put it earlier." He took a moment to let her sit up and take his hands. She was smiling and looking right at his eyes. "And Alex? How is he doing?"

"Alex is doing okay. Of course considering the circumstances "okay" is not what we are looking for. He just started breathing on his own but the Doctor wants him to stay for a bit longer than Ella and Joe. I thought we could keep them together and bring them home together." He squeezed her hand.

"Yeah, I think that's best. I want them to experience everything together." she took a deep breath of relieve. "You know, before the surgery I prayed. Ya know, because that's what most people do before a life changing event, so I thought 'why not?' I don't know if that helped but whatever it is that has kept all of us alive, whether it be God or simply the Doctors I'm extremely thankful. I hope Alex gets better soon."

"I prayed too. I also figured 'why not?'" he squeezed her hands. "They're all going to be fine. Soon you'll see them running around the loft And breaking all the nice decorations." He laughed.

She laughed with him. No matter what they had each other and she knew she could always count on that. "So, all in all, they're champs?" She beamed at him.

" Alex and I agreed on superhero." He laughed.

"Superheroes. I like that better." She leaned in to cover his mouth with her own. "Now, I want to see them. Help me into that wheelchair."

"Whoa. Are you sure you can? We should ask the Doctor first, you just had surgery."

"I asked before you came in. She said it's fine as long as I use the wheelchair. Now get me on it. It's not fair that you get to hog all the baby time. You baby-time hog." She teased.

"I didn't hog all the time with them. You're just jealous and if you want me to get you on that wheelchair you have to be nice." He teased right back.

" Fine. Be that way. But are you really going to let your sick, and weak wife get off the bed by herself." She made a fake painful noise and looked at Rick with her best hurt expression. .

"Wife. You said wife." He beamed.

She quickly realized that she did say wife. Damn it, she was going to deny it anyway. "What? No, I said fiancée. 'Your sick and weak fiancée'. Yup that's what I said."

Rick could tell she was lying but he let it go. His chest nearly burst with happiness just at the thought of her thinking of him as a husband.

"For a detective you suck at lying. But I'm going to help you anyway because you are my fiancée." He carefully lifted her off the bed and onto the wheelchair. "I'm also going to wheel you to the NICU because I am your husband, unofficially of course, but officially soon."

He knew she was smiling even without seeing her face.

"So unofficial husband of mine, you still didn't tell me how you lost your shirt."

"Oh yes! It's quite a tale of bravery and love. So you see..." He told her the story with a few exaggerated bits here and there while he wheeled her down the hall.

Thoughts? Xo