Too Close

Chapter 96

Under Castle's concerned gaze, Kate's hand hovers over the screen of her phone. "What's going on, Kate?"

"I got the email with the results of the sergeant exam."

"Aren't you going to open it?"

Kate swallows and attempts to lick the dryness from her lips. "Yeah. Sure. I just need a minute." She touches her index finger to the display, revealing the text of the message."

"How did you do?"

"I got a 92, but with the extra points for my awards, I'm at the top of the list."

Castle grabs her in a bear hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "We should celebrate. We can go out as soon as your shift is over, or I can get something delivered to the precinct that we can share with the bullpen."

Kate slowly pulls away. "Let's keep this between us until I actually get the promotion. Some of the older cops here, like McNulty, took the test too, and I don't want to make it seem like I'm gloating."

Castle nods slowly. "Sure, I get it. But do you want to share a glass of the red wine you love so much, at the loft? I could make that Stroganoff that you like."

"Yeah, that would be nice."

"This is the last of my research," Alexis reports, handing a thick, legal-sized folder to Jim Beckett. The newest statistics on bee populations back up the previous studies. I don't see how a judge or jury can ignore them."

Jim Beckett shrugs, shaking his head. "If the playing field were even, you'd be right, but the firm mounting the defense is massive. It will have at least ten associates searching for grounds to exclude our evidence. Their people will also be looking for any reason, no matter how obscure, to delay the proceedings. They'll be hoping to run us out of resources — and time, so that we'll have to drop the case before it can be adjudicated."

"Can they do that?" Alexis asks.

"Delay, yes, but they're not about to force us to quit." Jim declares.

A grin, eerily like her father's, splits Alexis' face. "You're as stubborn as Kate!"

"I don't know about that. Katie got a double dose — from me and her mother," Jim asserts. "But the Beckett family has never responded very well to anyone who tries to push the little guys around."

"My dad hasn't either. Maybe that's why he and Kate work together so well. I can't wait to get into the fight myself," Alexis declares.

"You're already in it," Jim points out. "The work you've been doing on this case will help a lot."

Ken checks his appearance as best he can in the bathroom mirror of his apartment. He's slowly getting used to the face that stares back at him in the morning when he shaves, but at that moment, he's more concerned with whether his tie is straight and matches his shirt. Martha always looks so perfect, if artistically flamboyant, and he doesn't want to embarrass her. They're meeting somewhere quiet, usually frequented by theater people far from the A-list and very few tourists. Still, with the diva being the current toast of Broadway, her presence may be observed.

That she's with him won't seem too worthy of notice. Allendale is familiar to the celebrity crowd, and it's no secret that Ken's the new man in charge. However tangentially, he's part of Martha's world. That's still a bit disquieting, but he's getting used to it."

He checks his chronometer, his mind still making automatic calculations of the time in hot spots around the world. Someday he may adjust to only worrying about the place his new life is centered, but he hasn't made the leap yet. Martha claims that she never eats before a performance, so they'll be having a late supper after her show lets out. What, if anything, will come next, he has no idea, but a shared meal is a good start.

Two months later

Using the tip of her fork, Kate pushes the eggs around on her plate. "Too much salt?" Castle inquires.

"No, the seasoning is fine, but Gates said the word might be coming through on my promotion today and…"

"Say no more. How about cinnamon toast? That used to be the only thing Alexis could get down before a big test. And you could have herb tea instead of coffee. Alexis used to make some for me when I was waiting for reviews on a new book to come out."

"That's sweet, Babe, but I think I'll just skip breakfast. Maybe a case will come in that will distract me or…" An alert chimes on Kate's phone. "Wow! A guy just handed a baby to a priest in a church and dropped dead."

"That should be distracting," Castle opines. "To the church?"

"To the church." Kate agrees.

"The baby is still here!" Castle exclaims, spotting the child in Lanie's arms.

"We called child services, but they're backed up. They won't have anyone available for hours, at least," Lanie explains.

"Boy or girl?" Castle asks.

"I haven't checked," Lanie admits. "I don't have anything to replace the diaper if I open it. This little one is hungry too. It keeps rooting at the girls."

"I can take care of both of those problems," Castle proposes, "or at least deal with the basics if no one official is going to show up for a while. Want to go shopping, Kate?"

"I've got work to do here, Babe, but you can take one of the unis with you," Kate suggests, "and I'll meet you back at the precinct."

Castle signals to a skeptical looking cop. "Come on! It will be fun. We'll get ice cream."

Kate looks up from her desk as Castle comes in, followed by two loaded down uniformed officers. "Where's the baby?"

"In the lounge," Kate replies. "Gates is in there. She put the afghan she keeps on her couch down on the rug so we'd have someplace to lay the kid."

"That throw will make a good place for a change, too. We should be able to make a gender determination shortly. I got a package of diapers, the good, recyclable ones, with the animals on them. They fit 3-6 months. That should be about right. I got a pretty good idea about such things on my daily perambulations with Alexis when she was about that size. Don't worry; I'll do the honors," Rick adds at Kate's hesitant expression.

Getting down on his knees in the lounge, Castle smiles at the tiny visitor and unfastens a now very wet diaper. "Well, hello, Cosmo."

"Why Cosmo?" Kate asks.

"We have to call him — and definitely a him — something. If Alexis had been a boy, that's what I was going to name him. The appellation connotes a universe of joy all in one lively bundle. Can you hand me the wipes? We don't want anything nasty hanging around to cause a diaper rash. There. Isn't that better, Cosmo? Just a second and we can feed you. I got bottles and formula too, the anti-allergic kind, just in case."

"Castle, what's all the other stuff you bought?" Kate wonders.

"I got a folding crib, and a carrier that converts to a car seat, so he has someplace comfortable to lie and whoever picks him up can transport him safely. I bought him some new onesies and sleepers too. Babies go through a lot of clothes."

Kate stares out at the mass of purchases in the bullpen. "I thought you said you were just getting the basics."

"Detective," Gates interjects, "someday you may find out for yourself, but for babies, those are basics."