By the time Shane was back from getting his nose fixed, he found Alexis sitting with Sloan as she panted her way through another contraction. They looked over at him when Sloan took a rest against her pillows and Alexis visibly winced.

'Ouch,' she commented. 'Still sore?'

'ER doc froze it, wrote up some pills for me. How are you doing, Sloan?'

'So mixed up,' she told him. 'I threw Garrett out, so it's just me and baby now.'

'For today or for good?'

'For good,' Sloan replied, rubbing the harden lump of her belly with a gentle hand. 'I'll take him to court or get a restraining order if I have to but I don't think it will come to that.'

'How the hell did things get so badly quickly, Sloan?' Castle asked her in concern.

'Right around the time I felt the baby move, back near Christmas, everything started to change with him. He suddenly realized that it was really happening, that I was having a baby and he started getting cold, distant. He started telling me things like I shouldn't be so sensitive or so dramatic, lashing out at me. He stopped coming to doctor's appointments.'

She sighed, tried to get the words out without sounding melodramatic. 'I knew it was over when he refused to come to Lamaze classes with me last month, and when the doctor told me that my baby was going to be at least two weeks overdue, that I might have to be induced, I was relieved because it mean I had more time to figure out how to tell Garrett I didn't want him in the baby's life or in mine anymore.'

'Sloan, I wished you'd said something, I could have helped you out, a phone call more a week or an email, a thinking of you bouquet of flowers.' Alexis wiped at the tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. 'But like Dad says.'

'What can we do now,' Shane asked her, rubbing her foot with brotherly affection.

'I...I don't have anyone to coach me in the delivery and I could use a friendly face.'

'I'll be there,' Castle replied without hesitation. 'I've been a coach three times, I know what to do. Alexis and Shane can bring you whatever you need until you go into delivery.'

'The last time the doctor was in was just before you guys got here, she said I'm at seven centimetres and it won't be long now.' Sloan let out a shuddering breath and she began to cry in earnest. 'Oh, God, how am I going to do this?'

'We are here for you, Sloan.' Alexis sat on the edge of her friend's bed, put her arms around her and held her tight, stroked her hair. 'You have a brush? I can put this up for you.'

'That'd be nice.'

Alexis nodded, then went to Sloan's bag while Shane patted the pregnant woman's foot. 'I'll stand watch outside the door, make sure Garrett doesn't try to come back.'

'Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you.'

Shane gave her a small smile, the best he could manage with his busted-up face, then stepped into the hallway only to see Beckett and RJ walking down the hallway, holding hands and Beckett with a cloth grocery bag. 'I called Lanie, she's got Jojo at her place. What happened to you?'

'You have an oushie,' RJ added.

'No, Sloan's boyfriend Garrett said some very mean things to Alexis, and he looked like he was going to hit her so I stepped in between them and he broke my nose.'

Both Beckett and RJ's eyes popped to triple their normal size. 'He hit you?' she asked, flabbergasted.

'He mean-a Alessis?' RJ added indignantly, and dropped his mother's hand to move over to Shane. He poked his index finger sharply into Shane's thigh. 'Where he now?' he demanded. 'I fix him, no one mean-a my Alessis.'

'Easy tiger,' Beckett chuckled, stepped over to take RJ's hand so he wouldn't take off on a John MacLane style revenge mission. 'Where are my daughter and husband now?'

'Both still in with Sloan. Rick said he was going to be in the room with Sloan, as her coach.' Shane paused. 'She said she had no one with her during her Lamaze classes.'

'He's a good coach, he'll be great helping her out. I brought food, salad and things for sandwiches and drinks.'

'No juicies, haffa use big-boy cups.'

'Yes, RJ, we'll use the big-boy cups.'

'Mumum, we say hi Suh-loan, hi bumpy?'

Beckett looked at her son, shook her head. 'Not right now, my little prince. Sloan is almost ready to have the baby, and she needs to save her energy to make sure it gets here safely.'

'Like my Sho-sho?'

'Exactly.'

'Okay. Mumum, it okay I 'tay wit' Shane?'

'Just for a few minutes,' Beckett relented, then went down the hallway to the lounge.

Alone with his future brother-in-law, RJ saw a plastic chair down the hallway, and shoved it over to sit beside Shane. 'You needing some bro-time, buddy?' the doctor asked.

'Yes Shane, I nee' buh-ro time. Suh-loan be okay?'

'Yeah, she'll be fine. She's scared right now but we'll all make sure she knows how much we love her and her baby. What do you think she'll have, a boy or a girl?'

'Hmmm.' RJ mulled this over, then looked up at Shane. 'A boy. An' he gonna be Sho-sho see-hot. You an' Alessis haffa baby soon?'

'Not yet, buddy,' Shane chuckled, ignoring the way his face ached as he did so. 'Remember, what has to come first?'

'Firs' be a buh-ride, then a dotta, then a mumum. She ah-mos' a buh-ride, righ'?'

'That's right.'

'An' you ah-mos' a 'room.' RJ frowned in concentration once more, looked up at Shane once more. 'Shane?'

'Yes RJ.'

'You be a goo' daddy.'

'Oh you think so?' Intrigued, as RJ had never really mentioned this before, Shane turned to the little boy with all seriousness. 'What makes you think that?'

'Ah-cause you nice an' funny, and you puh-lay wit' Sho-sho an' she laugh, an' you always say we follow rules an' 'tay safe. Like my daddy.'

'That's the best thing you've said all day.'

'Gassy. We have ice cuh-ream soon?'

And there was the little boy's impishness coming out, the one that came directly from his father, Shane thought. But since he knew the need for reassurance when he didn't know what was really going on, the older man nodded at the younger one. 'Tell you what, tomorrow afternoon, when your sister needs quiet for studying and reading, you and I will go to Roscoe's Sugar Shack, how does that sound?'

'Really?' RJ's heart beat wildly with hope. Roscoe's was a place for very special occasions that called for the city's best ice cream. 'We take it home an' share wit' Sho-sho?'

'No, she's still too little, buddy.'

'But...ice cuh-ream made wit' milk, an' Sho-sho have milk all-a time!'

'Not the same kind of milk, plus remember, we warm up Jojo's milk. Ice cream is frozen, right?'

'Oh yeah. Alessis!'

RJ leaped off his chair when he saw his sister, gave her a hug. 'Alessis, you say-a Suh-loan, it okay, no be 'cared, we love you?'

'I sure did, and I will tell her that once her bumpy is here.'

'Where Daddy?'

'He's still in there with Sloan, he's going to be there to tell her everything is okay while the baby is being born.'

'He a good daddy. Guess wha', Alessis? Shane an' me haffin' buh-ro time tomorrow,' he told her as they went towards the lounge, leaving Shane on guard in case of Garrett's return.

'Are you?'

'Uh-huh, he say you gotta 'tudy, so we goin' to Ros'oe's!'

'Aren't you the lucky little boy. But remember, you have to double check with Mom.'

'Okay. Mumum!' RJ marched over to his mother when they reached the door of the lounge, patted her knee as she set her sandwich onto the paper plate she's found. 'It okay I have buh-ro time wit' Shane ah-morrow?'

'I think that would be a great idea.'

As RJ chattered about going to Roscoe's with his brother-in-law, Beckett sent Alexis a look. 'Bet you weren't expecting to come home to this, huh?'

'Actually, all things considered, it's the best welcome home I could want.'

'Alessis, you 'nacky? You wan' a sah-wish?'

'I'd love a sandwich,' Alexis told her little brother. 'You want to make it for me?'

'Yea!'

'Hold that thought. Rick, what's up?'

They all looked over to Castle, who had changed into a natty pair of pale green scrubs and was standing at the door. 'Hey guys, just wanted to let you know the doctor's come in and seen Sloan, she's ready to deliver the baby so they're taking her to delivery now. Alexis, she wants to see you before she goes.'

Alexis rose, followed her father out. She felt a little hitch in her chest when she saw Sloan looking so little and lost as the orderlies brought her bed into the hallway to move her to the delivery room. Shane was there murmuring to her, and looked up, nodded at Alexis; she came over and kissed her friend's brow.

'I love you honey, I'll see you and baby soon. You'll be just fine.'