Richard Castle is sitting in the breakfast room at the hotel having a lite meal. He wanted to be ready to head home the minute the signing was over. Paula came into the area and found the coffee service and poured herself a cup. She then looked around and when she spotted Rick, she moved over to his table.
When she sat down Castle looked up and without many pleasantries in his voice said "Why were you so insistent I come to the grand opening?"
She takes a sip of her beverage "Because Paterson had to cancel and this is a great opportunity to put you in front of a group of fans that might not otherwise read your novels. They come for Paterson and see that you are considered equal to him and then they buy Nikki Heat and Derrick Storm"
With that explanation, Castle decides this trip just might be good for his books "You know this comes at a difficult time for me. Kate is almost ready to have our baby and I will be there when it happens"
"Of course you will Rick. This was just too good to pass up for you" Paula responds just as Castle's phone chimes
He reaches down to see there is a message from Lanie "Kate in labor GET HOME ASAP"
Castle drops his fork and looks up to Paula "Kate has gone into labor"
The moment that he got the message that Kate was going into labor, he told Paula to get him on the first plane home. "Rick there is no way to get a seat booked that fast".
Rick looks at her and says "You insisted I come to this signing, I am insisting you get me on the first jet leaving Denver to New York. Preferably a charter jet. I can get on immediately, they fly higher and faster, and will get me home in time. Do I make myself clear?"
"Rick, that will cost a fortune"
"Not as much as it will cost you if I find a new agent! Go get me on a plane"
Paula starts calling and actually has a charter flight and Castle onboard the aircraft within an hour. Rick did not even bother to pack his bags. He asked the concierge to have them sent back to New York later
Once on the ground in New York there was a police cruiser waiting to take him to the hospital red lights and siren.
Richard Castle is able to enter the labor delivery room just in time for Kate's next contraction and she is so ready to see her husband's face. As she reaches out to him she grabs for his left ear…
The comedian Bill Cosby once told the story about his wife having a baby. He said that she described it to him in this manor:
"It is like taking your bottom lip and pulling it over the top of your head"
Kate Castle has just grabbed Rick Castle's ear and is attempting to wrap it around his head as she is screaming in pain with the latest contraction
Rick is so glad that he was able to get home for the birth of his son, but he is not positive that his ears will survive the event.
The current situation with his wife gives Rick a completely new appreciation for what a woman goes through to bring a new life into the world.
The doctor offers to give her a spinal block but with typical Beckett force of will, Kate refused to accept the pain killing procedure
After what seems like hours but in fact much less time had actually expired, a new life entered the world.
"James Alexander Castle arrived at 5:16 in the afternoon. Weighing in at 6 pounds 5 and ½ ounces and already 21" in length. He seems to be ready to take on the world.
Mother is doing great, but the father could have used medical assistance as he actually had a very hard time watching Kate in pain
When big sister Alexis, Grandmother Martha, Grandfather Jim along with Lanie, Esposito, Kevin, Jenny and a few others finally were allowed to come see the newborn he was definitely the center of attention.
Looking and feeling like she had just recovered from a three day bender, Kate was sitting up in the bed proudly holding her son.
"OH! Can I hold him" Come the words from big sister. "With mine due soon, I need the practice"
Kate and Rick know that the newness will wear off soon but for the moment it is best to allow the adopted aunts and uncles' access to the little guy
By bedtime everyone has gone their separate ways leaving mommy and daddy and little Jimmy for them to bond.
"Kate, he is beautiful. You did good" Rick comments to his wife as she is sitting up in the bed feeding little Jimmy
Kate is looking at their baby smiling then up to her husband "Yes WE did. Didn't WE?"
Castle touches his son's hand and takes a hold of the tiny fingers then Kate look up to Rick "I understand now what you mean about falling instantly in love"
Rick leans down and kisses Kate then Jimmy before retuning to his chair to just watch
By the next afternoon the doctors are ready to release the parents to take their newborn home. Castle has arranged a nanny to come in to help Kate full time for the first few days, the he said that they will cut back to part time.
Kate tells Rick that she can take care of their baby but Castle insists on having some help around just so Kate can rest when she needs it. She finally accepts the inevitable. She is fully aware Rick will insist on taking care of her and the baby
The third day Kate gets a business visit from her two partners, Ryan and Jenny and Esposito along with Lanie. When the two enter the loft they find Rick and Kate in the living room along with Martha
Kate, Rick, Ryan, and Esposito moved over to the study and began talking about the case they were working on when she went into labor
"So guys did you find out anymore from the sister? I know our meeting got interrupted by my little one" Kate starts
"It appears that the victim had been working for Deep Six since he left the service in 2002. We are not sure what he actually did for them but his sister said that he never would talk about any part of the operation. He never told her where he was going or what he was doing. Just to say he was going out on a job and about how long till he came back" Ryan begins
"The type operations Deep Six was involved in could be anything from extraction of a businessmen trapped in a foreign country to someone being detained by a corrupt government to out and out assassinations" Esposito continues "We can't be sure what he was doing but the general consensus is it was covert and probably illegal on several fronts"
Castle looks up to see his father standing in the doorway. Up until this moment he and Kate have not discussed his father or his involvement in the downfall of Deep Six
Hunt had only just arrived moments before. He came up the back and said he could only stay a minute but he wanted to see his grandson
"Did I hear you talking about Deep Six?" Hunt asks
Esposito answers "Why are you asking?"
"Are you looking for someone who worked there?"
"We have a victim who had been involved with the company. Why are you asking?" Ryan questions
"Nothing" Hunt responds then steps out of the opening. What the group does not see is that Hunt has moved out of sight but not our of ear shot. He is listening to the conversation.
The conversation returns to the case at hand
"What was the cause of death on our vic?" Kate asks
"Strangulation. The killer used a piano wire. Looks like a professional hit" Esposito states
"So our victim was killed execution style. Did something from his past come back to haunt him?" Castle asks
"It looks like sanctioned hit to me" Javier states
"Are you saying this was CIA, NSA type action?" Ryan looks concerned
"Not sure if it is our government or retaliation for something he did while with Deep Six" Esposito answers
"Was there ANY other evidence in the apartment? Anything that would help us find his killer?" Kate asks
Ryan is reading over the case file "No. Nothing. The apartment was not trashed. There was the usual stuff there…" his voice trails off
"What's wrong?" Castle asks
"There was a .poker chip on the counter. It was from a Casino in Monte Carlo. It was found on the counter in the kitchen" Ryan answers
"A poker chip from Monte Carlo? That is somewhat unusual except he probably had been there at some point" Castle comments
"According to his sister, he had never been there" Ryan reads from the notes.
"This might be important or just a red herring" Caster observes
After several minutes in discussion the groups breaks up and moves back to the living room where they find all the women swooning over the latest New Yorker
The two detectives finish their visit with the newest Castle and then the two couples bid farewell to the parents.
Kate sits down on the couch beside the bassinet where Jimmy is sleeping quietly. Rick places himself beside his wife and the two of them watch him sleep
They are startled when Jackson Hunt reappears in the room
"I thought you left?" Castle comments
"I just left your office. I needed to make a call. Rick, Kate the man you were talking about was one of my operatives. He was an early attempt to infiltrate Deep Six. They discovered that he was a plant and we were working on extracting him safely when Katrina hit. So we figured it was the best way to make him disappear"
"Well someone found him "Kate responds
"Yeah but it had nothing to do with Deep Six. The poker chip tells me that"
"What does the poker chip have to do with anything?" Rick asks
"Monte Carlo is where LuPlace did his last operation for my unit. He took out a corrupt general who was working toward a coup in his country that would have taken out the legitimate government and sent that nation into chaos. The action took place in the casino"
Rick and Kate are looking at their child's grandfather with concern. "Are you telling me you are part of a group that does assassinations" Castle asks