I'm actually finished with the story now, so I'll be posting them as they get checked for errors :)
Disclaimer: Not mine...
It was 8pm on February 15th and Rick Castle was preparing his wife's favorite soup for dinner. She'd come to love the soup back when she was undergoing chemotherapy, as it was one of the few things she could stomach. Luckily, once she was well again she still enjoyed it. It had been awhile since he'd prepared the comfort food for her and decided that she deserved the surprise.
It had been a tough several weeks, and although the baby continued to grow and all signs pointed to a delivery at any moment, Kate's blood pressure had sky-rocketed and they'd struggled to keep it under control. It was always within the upper limits of what was considered safe to remain home.
It was something that Kate was grateful for, as the thought of spending unnecessary time in the hospital made her head spin and her stomach churn. So Rick had doted on his wife, offering her his companionship and entertainment over the weeks that she yearned to be free of the captivity brought on by bed rest.
About 20 minutes before the soup was ready he decided to wake her from her nap and help her to get ready to eat. He knew she would appreciate his having made her favorite meal, and he couldn't wait to see the smile on her face. He grinned to himself as he made his way down the hall, even after all this time, he still would do anything just to see her smile.
He entered their room and crawled across the bed, whispering her name softly. "Kate." He spoke, moving closer to where she was. She nudged her shoulder and called her again when she did not stir,
"Kate," he spoke again, "dinner's almost ready. It's time to wake up." There was no reply.
"Kate." He said a little more forcefully, "Kate, come on. You've got to wake up. If you don't you won't be able to sleep tonight and then I won't be able to sleep tonight." His wife still did not reply. He finally moved to switch on the light and was met with a sight that made his blood run cold.
There, in their bed, Kate Beckett lay unconscious. Her face was pale, fingers bluish and no matter how he yelled or pleaded, she couldn't be woken. Rick screamed for his mother, who ran down the hall in alarm.
"Call 911. Kate's won't wake up." He yelled to his mother. Tears were in his eyes and panic in his heart as he continued to get some sort of response from her. The only peace that came to him was that he could feel the rise and fall of her chest, it was shallow and labored, but it was there.
He also held his hands to her stomach as he waited for the paramedics to arrive, feeling an intermittent kick that acted as some proof of life. For now, both Kate and Audrey were alive. However, he didn't know how long that would last.
He was directed to stand back when the paramedics arrived, stepping to Kate and loading her onto the stretcher. They fastened an oxygen mask to her face and barraged Castle with an abundance of questions.
"How long has she been like this?"
"Has she been having seizures?"
"When was the last time she saw her doctor?"
"When was the last time you checked her blood pressure?" Was the final question they asked as the cuff attached to her arm attempted to inflate and gather a reading. However, the machine had no luck, as her systolic blood pressure was not registering. The paleness on her face, the sweating on her body, the erratic heartbeat and the unconsciousness all pointed to one plausible cause of Kate Beckett's current condition. Despite their best efforts to take precaution with bed rest, she'd developed Eclampsia. He wasn't in the room with her, so it was impossible for him to know if she'd had a seizure or not.
Rick held her hand firmly in the ambulance as they rushed her to the hospital, and soon found himself waiting as they wheeled her away. It reminded him of another time long past, a time that he didn't want to be reminded of. It reminded him of a time where he'd nearly lost her. Now he was helpless to wait again, as the fate of the love of his life and their unborn child lay in the balance.
He was soon joined by his daughter and Martha, who had called a sitter for Christopher. Ryan, Jenny, Lanie and Esposito were soon behind them. Finally, Jim Beckett arrived and they all waited in silence for news. The only sound from the room for what seemed like hours was the ticking of the clock, which mercilessly reminded them that there was still no news. He was on the verge of insanity when the doctor finally entered the room.
"Hello Rick." The familiar OBGYN entered the room. "We performed a C-section and mom and baby are both recovering." Rick let out a sigh of relief.
"How is Kate?" He asked.
"She is still unconscious, but her vitals have returned to a normal level. We've got her in recovery, but she'll be moved to a room of her own soon." The family nodded in relief at the doctor.
Rick continued, "and the baby?" He spoke apprehensively. The doctor nodded his head in understanding.
"Rick, why don't you come with me and I will introduce you to your daughter while we discuss what happens next." Rick looked back at the family and they all motioned for him to go. The doctor assured them that they would be informed when Kate was in a room of her own.
"Doctor," he asked again now that they were alone as they walked down the hall. "Doctor, please tell me. Audrey, how is she." He was eager to see Kate, but knew that if his wife were conscious she'd demand he be with their daughter.
"Rick, remember what we discussed about infants born with this disorder? They can appear normal, completely absent of birth defects, and they usually show no signs of disorder immediately." Castle nodded as they rounded a corner and stopped outside of a door. The doctor held up his hand one last time before entering the room and spoke,
"I am saying that Audrey is moving her arms and legs, she's crying and she appears to have a sucking reflex intact. She appears normal and healthy, but that doesn't mean that she is Rick." He nodded somberly at the doctor, waiting to be led in to his daughter.
When they walked into the room the doctor had him stop and wait as he entered the nursery. Soon the man walked back out holding a bundle, wearing a pink hat and swaddled in a pink hospital blanket. He passed the baby to Castle's arms and spoke softly, "7lbs, 8oz and 19 inches."
Tears filled his eyes as he took her in for the first time. Audrey Johanna Castle was perfect. Her skin was pink, her complexion perfect and her head round due to her C-section removal. He caressed her tiny arm and placed his finger in her hand, earning him a reflexive squeeze from his daughter. Her lips moved and she made tiny whimpering sounds.
Her eyes opened as he began to speak and she turned towards his voice, "Hello beautiful girl. It's daddy. I'm so happy to meet you may angel." He softly spoke to her. Tears fell down his face as he leaned in to kiss her forehead. "You are perfect Audrey. So perfect, little one." More murmurs sounded from her deep pink lips.
He softly caressed her brow and removed the pink hat, revealing a full head of brown hair. No matter how many times he brushed through to smooth it, the baby girl's hair refused to comply. It was a beautiful unruly mess on the top of her head, resembling the exact shade of hair on her mother's head.
"I can't wait for you to meet your mama precious girl. She is going to fall so deeply in love with you. What a good job she did!" His tears increased as the doctor approached, knowing it was time to give her back so that they could run their diagnostic tests to confirm what the protein markers had told them.
He didn't want to let go of her, he wanted to hold her there and guarantee that she would be safe in his arms. It seemed unfair that he had to give her back already, so soon after meeting her for the very first time. The doctor spoke,
"Rick, the sooner we do this the better it will be for everyone." He nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand while cradling Audrey in his other arm. He looked back to the soft, warm bundle in his arms and kissed her gently.
"What are you going to do?" He asked them.
"We are going to start with a light test." We'll shine a light on her temple. It will be bright enough to enable us to look inside of her skull to take a look at what we see. Rick nodded and replied, "cover her eyes though. So it's not too bright." He looked back to the doctor, "what else?"
"We'll do an MRI, and that will tell us all we need to know." Castle nodded.
"If she has it?" He questioned.
"If she has it we will simply see fluid filled sacs where her brain hemispheres should be. If she's normal, the MRI will show a normal infant brain." He paused and then squeezed Castle's arm,
We will know soon Rick." Knowing it was time, he handed his daughter over to the doctor and kissed her again.
"Be brave sweetheart. Daddy will see you soon, ok?" His voice broke as he lost contact from the warm body. The doctor smiled at him sadly, understanding how hard this all was for him.
"Rick, if you go to the Nurses' station she can give you the information you need about where Kate's room is. She should be settling in soon." Castle thanked the doctor and, after being assured that their daughter would be wheeled to Kate's room in the maternity ward after the tests, made his way to his wife.
She still wasn't awake, but her vitals were stable and her coloring looked good. She had a private room and their loved ones already started to place balloons and flowers about. They weren't allowed back yet, but nurses saw that their gifts were delivered.
As her husband, Rick was allowed to wait by his wife's side until she regained consciousness. However, before he settled in, he pulled out his phone and saw to it that flowers would be promptly delivered. He knew exactly what he wanted to order too.
After the flowers arrived, he arranged them so that they sat close to her bedside. He wanted her to enjoy their aroma when she awakened. He also unpacked the bag that Martha and Alexis had returned home for, producing toiletries for he and Kate, as well as supplies for the baby.
About 2 hours after letting go of her, he heard a knock on the door and saw the face of a nurse. In her arms was his sweet baby girl. She was handed to him and her wheeled bed was brought into the room and placed by Kate's bed, next to Rick's chair. He studied her and, after determining that she was unharmed, rocked the infant and kissed her face gently.
When he looked up again the doctor was standing there, ready to deliver the news from her tests.