Kidnapped Ch.25
'Kate, calm down, please,' Alexis begged as Kate began to hyperventilate. The machines began to beep wildly as her heart rate quickened, and nurses rushed into the room, alarmed.
'Where's my baby?' Kate cried, oblivious to everything around her. Adrenaline coursed through her body, and she no longer felt the pain in her abdomen. Her thoughts were consumed by images of her baby taken away. Everyone's voices was pushed to the back of her mind, like the background noise in a movie. Everything was insignificant as her maternal instinct kicked in.
'Kate, honey,' a voice pierced through the hazy fog in her mind, and she grasped onto it; it was her lifeline. A hand was laid gently on her shoulder, and her vision began to clear. Castle stood in front of her, his eyes worried, but there was a small glimmer of joy within them. On seeing him, Kate began to calm down again, and the machines stopped beeping. The nurses and the doctor that had came in panicking slipped out of the room once they saw that Kate was fine, allowing the family some privacy.
'Rick, the baby. Where's our baby?' Kate cried. She was so focused on the answer that she did not notice that Alexis had slipped out of the room while she was hyperventilating and had just slipped back in without anyone noticing.
'Kate, our baby is alright. No one took him, and he is safe and sound in the hospital,' Castle told her, rocking her gently.
'I need to see cookie,' Kate told him determinedly, getting ready to stand up despite all the wires and tubes attached to her, but Castle stopped her by tightening his arms around her.
'Kate, you just had surgery. You are in no fit state to go running around the hospital,' Castle told her worriedly, and Kate gave him her patented glare.
'Rick, that's my child. I need to know for sure that my child is safe,' Kate told him, her voice rising dangerously. Alexis stood up and made her way towards them, smiling.
'I just took some pictures of him for you,' Alexis told her gently, handing her the phone with the photos, and Kate snatched it from her greedily. Flicking through the pictures, tears of joy and relief began to run down her face.
'It's a boy?' Kate asked, a small smile tugging on her lips. Her earlier tantrum was already forgotten, a thing of the past.
'It's a boy,' Castle confirmed, kissing her on the crown of her head.
'Can I see him?' Kate asked eagerly, and Castle shushed her gently.
'The nurses will bring him around later, and you can see him then,' Castle told soothingly.
'But I want to see him now,' Kate insisted childishly. She gave Castle a pleading look, and his insides crumbled. Her child had been born and she had not even seen him once. He knew that she was not feeling any pain at the moment because of the painkillers flowing through her system. Who was he to deny a mother a chance to see her son?
'Alexis, can you ask a nurse if Kate can see the baby now?' Castle asked, and Alexis nodded, fiery determination in her eye. Kate chuckled. She knew that Alexis's stubbornness could rival her own, and if she desperately wanted something, she would get it.
However, as soon as Alexis was out of the door, Kate's smile dropped and she turned away from Castle. When he tried to give her another small kiss, she moved away, and Castle was bewildered at her reaction.
'Kate, what's wrong?' he asked, and Kate's shoulder sagged with sadness.
'It's only been 29 weeks, Rick. It should have been for 40 weeks,' Kate murmured. 'It's my fault.'
'Nothing is your fault. There is nothing to fault you for here,' Castle told her, surprised that she was blaming herself for what had happened.
'Look at him, Castle,' Kate looked up, finally looking into his eyes. Alexis' phone showed a photo of cookie, surrounded by machinery. 'How many tubes and wires is he hooked up to? It can't be pleasant, Rick, and it's my fault. I was supposed to keep him safe for another 11 weeks, but I couldn't. I didn't fulfill my responsibility as his mother.'
'Kate, you're not to blame for anything. He is a healthy baby boy, and the nurses said that his vitals are strong, and everything looks good and stable. He's going to be fine,' Castle told her. 'None of this is your fault.'
'I shouldn't have gone to the warehouse,' Kate cried. 'If I didn't…'
'You can't live your life with some many 'if's. We can make the world a better place with 'if's, Kate, but we can't do that. If I didn't get knocked on the head, if I insisted not getting checked by the paramedics, if I had made you come with me… The list is endless.' Castle took her hand is his, and pressed it to his lips. 'Part of what happened… It could also be my fault.' Ghosts and demons of that day resurfaced in his mind, and he gave a slight shudder.
Just then, Alexis waltzed back into the room triumphantly, followed by a nurse pushing a small trolley. Kate sat up immediately, and looked at the small infant that laid inside the transparent box.
The nurse gently picked him up and handed him to Kate, who took over the tiny parcel with some hesitation.
The moment that the baby was placed in her arms, a sea of great calm washed over her. He looked just like any other baby, just a little smaller.
'He's so tiny,' Kate whispered, voicing her concerns, and the nurse smiled at her.
'He's a strong boy. His vitals are good, and if you want to, you can try to breastfeed him. If he catches on, we can get rid of a few of those tubes,' the nurse told her, and Kate nodded, comforted.
The nurse beamed at her. It wasn't often that one would find a 'happily-ever-after' ending in a hospital. Sensing the family's need for privacy, she edged her way to the door. 'Just call if you need help with anything.'
The door closed. Kate undid one side of her nightgown, and she gently placed the baby on her breast. Sensing the warmth, the baby began to yowl and blindly nuzzled his head against her chest until he latched onto Kate's nipple. A soft sigh of satisfaction escaped his lips as he began to suckle, and at that moment, Kate could not be happier. Finally, she felt that she was able to bond with her child.
Castle stood there watching, transfixed. He would forever remember this moment when his child and his wife was just in their own little bubble. Both of their faces were so serene and peaceful that it seemed that no one could possibly interrupt them.
Alexis looked on to see her little brother in the arms of her stepmother. When she first saw him, she had fallen in love with him, and she could just sit there for hours, watching him sleep. He was the sibling she had always wanted to spoil to bits, her tiny adorable little brother who have gone through so much yet survived unscathed.
She also knew that Kate was extremely worried that she would not be a good mother to her baby, but that was something she confided in Castle. Sometimes, there were topics best discussed with a fellow female. She looked at them now, and she knew that no matter what Kate thought, she was going to be the best mother that any child could hope for.
Exhausted after the feeding effort, the baby's head drooped and his breathing evened out. He had fallen asleep.
'He needs a name. He can't very well be called Cookie Castle,' Kate murmured as she traced the infant's forehead with the tip of her index finger. Alexis gave a brief laugh before leaving the room to find a nurse.
'Why don't we use the name we decided on the night we got married,' Castle suggested, and Kate nodded.
'Welcome to the family, Oliver Alex Castle.'
'Rick, wake up, wake up,' Kate called him, and Castle jolted awake. Sweat was running down his face. Someone seemed to have sucked all of the air out of the hospital room. He sucked in deep breaths, trying to compose himself in front of Kate.
'Bad dream, bad dream,' Castle gasped out an explanation.
'Rick,... what exactly did you have to decide about Oliver?' Kate asked, and Castle looked at her, surprised.
'You were talking in your sleep: "why are they making me decide about the life of our baby?"' Kate told him with a frown. 'Rick, what happened after I passed out?'
A/N: Not much of a cliffhanger, but we'll get to see what decision did Castle have to make in the previous chapter. I hope that you all like this chapter, and don't mind that it is not action packed, but I really wanted a chapter dedicated to some time between them. I know that there's very little Alexis in this chapter, but I promise, she will be in the next one, and she will get to have some bonding time with little Oliver.
As usual, PLEASE REVIEW! Criticisms are much appreciated, but no flamers please.
This chapter is dedicated to Bianca tabbycat for being a most wonderful beta, and to my baby cousin Oliver, who begged me to name a character in this story after him, so this is for you, baby boy.
Zoe tabbycat