Disclaimer: The only part of Castle that I own is the TV on which I used to watch the show.
It's only been a month but I love second grade. It's fun not to be the youngest kids anymore. Those first graders really seem little. Well, I'm the youngest kid in math, science, history, French, and English, but only because in those subjects I am in twelfth grade, twelfth grade, tenth grade, tenth grade, and eighth grade. But I'm with my class in home room plus art and music and gym and lunch, so I'm really a second grader. That's where my friends are, and my desk, too. Oh, but my physics partner Matthew is my good friend too, even though he's 17.
Mom has been having something called morning sickness which she says a lot of mothers get at the beginning of being pregnant. She feels terrible in the morning and sometimes she throws up. She says she's okay and morning sickness usually goes away after a couple of months but I feel sorry for her. Yesterday was Saturday and in the morning Dad and the twins went to a kindergarten thing at school and I stayed home with Mom who fell asleep on the sofa. I knew she was feeling crummy because she almost never takes a nap, so I decided it would be a good time to talk to the baby which I hadn't done before.
I sat down on the floor next to the sofa, right in the middle because that's where Mom's stomach was.
"Hi, baby. I'm your brother, Eliot."
"Hi. Are you the one who talks dog?"
"That's me."
"What does it mean that you're my brother?"
"Well, I used to live where you are, inside Mom's belly. We have the same parents, Mom and Dad. Sometimes you probably hear them called other names, too, like Kate or Katherine or Katie or Beckett, all of those are Mom. Dad is also called Castle, Rick, or Richard. But it's just two people, Mom and Dad. Otis and Abby are our brother and sister and they started out in Mom's belly, too. I bet you'd like to have a name."
"That would be nice, instead of just The Baby or It."
"I don't know if you're a boy or a girl, so I'll have to think of something that could be either."
"Mmmm."
"Hey, I remember that sound you're making. Are you sucking your thumb?"
"Yeah, that's one of my favorite things to do."
"Well, enjoy it because after you get out and aren't a baby anymore everyone tells you not to suck your thumb."
"Why?"
"'cause you could get buck teeth."
"What are teeth?"
"Don't worry about them, you won't have any for ages. How about if I call you Thumby? That's a cute name, right? You can have it until you're born and Mom and Dad give you another name."
"Thumby's nice. It reminds me of Thumper. Abby has a toy rabbit named Thumper that she loves, right? Not that I know what a rabbit is."
"It's a nice soft animal that hops around and has big ears."
"I have ears. I found them the other day on the sides of my head."
"Good. Hey, Thumby, what I wanted to say is everyone will be happy to have you in our family. But the most important thing right now is that you're making Mom feel sick."
"I am?"
"I know you're not doing it on purpose. It's called morning sickness. I don't know why it happens but I think maybe it's because you're swimming around a lot in there especially in the morning. People get something called motion sickness and I think maybe it's like that. Like in the car Otis throws up if he looks at a book because he has motion sickness. Anyway you have a lot of room in there to swim now because you're still so little. I remember how much fun it was. Turning upside down and stuff, right?"
"That's the best. I love that. I can kick my legs now. And flap my hands, too. That's new."
"Well, Thumby, try not to do it so much for a while, okay? Please? You'll really love Mom and it's hard for her to be throwing up. I hate it when I throw up."
Just then I felt a hand on my head. "Eliot?"
"Oh. Hi, Mom. I'm sorry if I woke you up."
"It's all right. You were patting my tummy."
"I was? I didn't know I was doing that. I was talking to the baby."
"You were, huh? Like you used to do with Otis and Abby?" She still had her hand on my head but she was combing my hair with her fingers which she likes to do.
"Yeah. This is the first time, though."
"What were you saying? If you don't mind my asking you."
"I asked Thumby–"
"Thumby?"
"That's the name I gave the baby for now because it says it likes to suck its thumb. I asked Thumby not to swim around so much for a while because that might be what makes you have morning sickness. I thought it might be like motion sickness and so if Thumby didn't move a lot right now you might not throw up."
That made her laugh. "That's a terrific line of reasoning, Eliot. Maybe you'll be a doctor when you grow up."
"Do you think I'm right?"
"There are a lot of theories about it, but no one's positive why it happens. If you figure out how to cure it you'll be a hero to millions and millions of moms all over the world."
"Like from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe?"
"And everywhere in between."
So that could be one of my goals, curing morning sickness, but not for when I turn eight next August. I think I would have to go to medical school first. Oh, and college.
But I'm getting up to the really, really, really big part of the weekend, which was today, Sunday. Dad had to go to Washington for the day for a book panel. He said he didn't want to leave Mom alone with us and she said, "Don't be silly, Castle. You'll be gone twelve hours. I'm not a delicate flower. If I run into trouble I'll call for backup."
"Such as?"
"Oh, I dunno. Maybe I'll just put the kids in a holding cell at the Twelfth."
"Mom!"
"She's kidding Eliot. You are kidding, aren't you?"
"Yes." Dad is usually the one who kids so it's good that he asked her to make sure.
Dad left at 7:30 but first he and I took Scrapple for a walk.
"You all behave yourselves today. Especially if Mom doesn't feel well this morning. You can call me anytime, okay?"
"We will, I promise."
"Mom told me about Thumby. That must have been fun to talk to the baby."
"I hope Thumby paid attention when I said don't swim around so much. We didn't talk for very long because I accidentally woke up Mom."
After Dad went to catch the train I set the table with bowls and spoons and napkins and juice glasses. That was Dad's idea to have a breakfast that didn't have to be cooked in case smelling food like bacon or something made Mom feel bad. Mom got four different boxes of cereal out of the cabinet and I put them on the table, too, and then she handed me a pitcher of milk. That was when Otis and Abby came downstairs and said they were staaaarrrrrvvving. Sometimes they remind me of Gram, especially when they do that.
"Sit down at the table, then, and have your Cheerios," Mom said.
"I want Rice Krispies."
"Fine, Otis. Sit down and have your Rice Krispies."
A little bit later Abby was shoving her granola around with her spoon while Mom was drinking her mint tea. "Could I have some juice, please?"
"Oops. Sorry, I forgot that." Mom got up and went to the fridge. I was still trying to decide what cereal I wanted when I saw It Happen. The Big Thing. Not the biggest, which was later. You'll find out. Mom was holding the carton of orange juice and looking almost right at me and then her eyes went all funny and she fell over. Not exactly fell over, she kind of crumpled sideways. I mean I saw her but everything was going fast and slow at the same time and it's hard to describe. The juice went wham! on the floor and spilled all over the place.
I ran right to where she was on the floor. She must have hit her head on the counter on the way there because she had blood coming out of her forehead. I said, "Mom! Mom! Mom!" but she didn't answer or open her eyes. Then the twins started screaming and I told them to go get towels out of Mom and Dad's bathroom. I grabbed the kitchen cell phone and right away I called 911.
"Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?"
"My Mom fainted. I think that's what she did, and she hit her head. It's bleeding and she's on the floor unconscious."
"Is she breathing?"
"Yes."
"What's your name?"
"Eliot Beckett-Castle. I'm seven. My Mom is Captain Katherine Beckett in the NYPD. I'm not supposed to tell anyone yet but she's pregnant and I'm afraid the baby might have gotten hurt. Do you think she fainted because she's pregnant?"
"I don't know, honey. Where are you?"
"In the kitchen."
"I mean, what's your address?"
"Three forty-six Broome Street."
"Is there a grown-up with you?"
"No, my Dad is in Washington today for a meeting. My sister and brother are here but they're only five. And our dog is here. He's guarding Mom."
"Eliot, an ambulance is on its way and will be there in a couple of minutes. I want you to stay on the phone with me, okay?"
"Okay. Do you think I should put ice on Mom's head? My brother and sister just got towels."
"That's a very good idea."
"I'm putting the phone on speaker so don't worry if I sound faraway because I'm really not. I'm getting an ice pack out of the freezer drawer."
Then I thanked Otis and Abby for the towels and asked them to put one on top of the giant puddle of orange juice.
"Hi, nine-one-one lady?"
"I'm Cecilia."
"Cecilia, I'm putting this ice pack on Mom's head. Do you think I should try to get the blood off with a towel?"
"Is the cut still bleeding?"
"Yes."
"Can you press the towel against her head? That should help stop it or slow it down."
"Okay. Should I keep doing that?"
"Yes. And can you talk to your mother and see if she responds–answers?"
"Okay. Mom? Mom? Can you hear me? It's me, Eliot." And then I was afraid I was going to cry and I did. "Cecilia?"
"You're doing an incredible job, Eliot. Don't worry, okay? The ambulance is outside your building now. Can your brother and sister open the front door?"
"Guys, can you go wait by the door and let the people in when they come, please? They're going to help Mom."
"Eliot, do I need to warn the EMTs about your dog? You said it was guarding your Mom. Is it a guard dog?"
I was really glad she said that because it made me laugh. "No. His name is Scrapple and he's the best dog but he only weighs ten pounds. He's a miniature dachshund."
"You sound like a very responsible boy, but you can't be there without an adult. Is there a neighbor who can come over?"
"My grandmother lives three blocks away. Should I call her?"
"Yes, that's good. I need you to keep this line open, though, while you call her."
"Wait! Mom is moving her eyes around under her eyelids. And she made a noise. Mom? Mom? She made a noise. That's good, right? Oh, the EMT people are here."
"Let them take care of your mother and you make your other call. I'll be right here."
Then Scrapple was barking and running around and the twins were crying and I called Gram and she said she'd be right there and told me everything would be fine. And I told Cecilia and she said that was good but she would talk to me till Gram came.
The EMTs put Mom on the gurney, which is that mattress with legs that unfold with wheels that they have in ambulances. And I held onto her hand and guess what, she opened her eyes and smiled at me! Not a big smile but a smile that I think she was smiling to tell me she was OK. And here is another coincidence that just then the elevator door opened and Gram got out and Mom was getting wheeled in. Gram kissed her and Mom said something but it was so soft I couldn't hear. I was still holding the phone with Cecilia so I whispered to her please not to tell Mom that I said she was pregnant and she said she wouldn't. And she asked to speak to Gram so they did.
Gram and the twins and I got everything cleaned up and we finally had breakfast including toast. She called Dad and told him what happened and he was going to get right straight on the fast train but it still meant he wouldn't get home for hours. I called Docky to ask him about Mom fainting and he decided to go the hospital to be with her while Gram stayed with us.
Around lunchtime Mom came home with him and said she was fine. She had a bandage on her head but it wasn't huge. Docky told me that lots of times head injuries look worse than they are because they bleed a lot. Dad got home right after they did. Luckily the twins had a birthday party in the afternoon for a kid in their class and Gram took them over there and stayed so she could bring them back. If you forgot that what happened already wasn't the biggest part of the story, with Mom fainting and the blood and the juice and 911 and the EMTs and everything, it wasn't. Here's the really big part.
Mom, Dad, and Docky were in the living room talking and I was listening with all my might because I had this feeling that something was going on. Not bad or scary going on, just something. Anyway, I was there and paying attention to what everybody said and luckily I have a good memory. Sometimes I wish it weren't so good, like remembering when we found out Otis had car sickness three years ago and he threw up all over Scrapple and me which was gross even if he couldn't help it. But anyway, today I'm relieved that I have a good memory so I can tell you exactly what happened.
Dad said, "I want to hear every single thing that happened at the hospital. All of it."
"Well, as soon as I was compost mantis, they asked how far along I was and I said eleven weeks."
I had to look that up later because I didn't know what she meant. Compost is stuff like coffee grounds and apple skins that you use in a garden to help things grow and a mantis is an insect, so I didn't know how Mom could be compost mantis. It turned out she said compos mentis which is an expression for you aren't crazy and you know what you're talking about. Mom is definitely not crazy.
"They wanted to do a scan to make sure that everything was all right, especially since I'd hit my head. The doctor was a first-year resident, which regrettably is who you get on a Sunday, and I asked him why he thought I'd fainted. He said, completely patronizingly, 'It's not uncommon in the first trimester for an older woman.' Older woman! I wanted to smack him one with his fancy new stethoscope, teach him something about older pregnant women."
Patronizingly is an excellent word I learned last year. It means saying something that is supposed to sound nice but really the person thinks he or she is better and smarter than you. Anyway, I never heard her Mom say so much all at once. She only stopped to drink water which Dad kept giving her more of plus he was massaging her feet.
"Just then Sidney arrived, thank God. Sir Sidney, my knight in shining armor. I asked him if he'd stay with me for the scan."
"I said of course I would." That was Docky, which you probably figured out. "I wanted to call you right then, Castle, but Kate asked me to wait until she got the all clear so that you wouldn't be worried. I couldn't see the screen from where I was standing, but the doctor said, 'It's too early to know the genders, but both of them seem to be absolutely normal.' That's when Kate and I screamed–I admit it, we screamed, in unison, even–'Both?' "
"And then this smug little resident said, 'Yes, both babies,' and I said, 'Twins?' And he said, 'Yes, you're having twins. I'm sorry, you didn't know? That's probably a contributing factor to your having fainted.' Apparently I kept saying, 'Twins? It can't be. It can't be twins'."
"She did. And she also said, 'Sidney, get Castle here right now. I'm going to kill him'."
Mom poked her toes into Dad's stomach. "Heat of the moment, Castle."
"I know.I don't blame you."
"Finally poor Sidney, whose eardrum I may have shattered, moved closer to the screen, pointed at it, and said, 'I can see them, Kate. Here and here. Definitely twins'."
That was when I yelled, "TWINS? More twins?" I should have said it in my head but it accidentally came out of my mouth where I also have a loose tooth. And everyone was so surprised they all turned and stared at me. I think they forgot I was there. "Thumby didn't tell me there was someone else in there."
Docky said, "Thumby?"
"The baby," Mom said. "Or one of them." And then she told Docky about me talking to Thumby yesterday.
"Mom, you're really having twins again?"
"I am. We're all very surprised."
"Where are they going to fit? We'll have seven people in here plus Scrapple. Do we have to move? I don't want to move. I could share with the twins. We could put a trundle bed in there. I read about it in an old book. Please? I don't want to move. The babies could have my room."
"Oh, sweet pea. No. You don't have to give the babies your room. We're figuring this out. You know when Dad was on the phone in his office before we had lunch? He was talking to Mister Halverson."
"Mister Halverson downstairs?"
"Yes. You know they're moving to Colorado to be near their grandchildren and are selling their apartment, don't you? So Dad was talking to him about buying it."
"But Dad, their apartment is much littler than ours. It doesn't have an upstairs. Why would we move there?"
"You're right, but here's what I think we can do: if we get the Halversons' apartment we'll add an inside staircase to connect their place to ours. Mom and I are going to talk to some people next week about doing that. We'd have to do some work downstairs, but that could start pretty soon and it wouldn't affect us up here."
"Except for the noise," Mom said and made a face.
"Which fortunately would be only during the day Monday through Friday. We'd get everything done but the staircase before April, and the construction guys could build the stairs during the summer when we're in the Hamptons. For the first few months after the twins are born they'll be in the room with Mom and me here, so you can stay in your room then, too."
"Wasn't Dad smart to think of that?" Mom said.
"Yeah, Dad. It was. You know what else?"
"What?"
"Isn't it the most amazing coincidence that the Halversons are moving so we don't have to?" Then I gave Dad a high-five and he gave me one back.
We talked for a while and Mom and Dad told me that the new twins are a secret until they say, and I shouldn't tell anyone, even Otis and Abby.
"I won't. They're such blabbermouths."
"You've been known to be a blabbermouth, too, you know," Dad said. But he gave me a hug so I knew he wasn't mad.
"Would it be okay if I ask Thumby about the twin right now?"
"That's up to Mom."
"I would be thrilled to have you ask Thumby," she said.
So I did. "Hi, Thumby."
"Hi, Eliot."
"We found out there's another baby in there with you."
"Yeah, there is."
"I was surprised 'cause you didn't say anything before."
"You didn't ask."
"You're right. I never thought of it. Can I talk to the other baby?"
"Sure. I'm going to swim over there. Is that okay? I don't want to make Mom throw up."
"It's fine. Besides, it's not morning."
I told Mom, Dad, and Docky what Thumby said and then we waited for Thumby's twin.
"Hi."
"Hi. Are you the other baby?"
"Yeah."
"Is everything okay in there?"
"Yup. Hey, Eliot, could I get a name, too? Like Thumby. Not the same name, but a name."
"Sure. Do you want me to help you think of something?"
"Mom gave me an idea already."
"Mom is talking to you?"
"No. But yesterday I heard her tell Dad, 'My bump is really beginning to show. I can't zip up any of my pants anymore.' So I thought hey, I must be the bump! So I could be Bumpy."
I was trying not to laugh because that might have hurt this twin's feelings but it was pretty funny. "Good. You're Bumpy and Thumby. I have to go now. Bye."
"Bye!"
I told Mom and Dad and Docky and they all thought it was funny, too. Docky had to go home then, and so for a few minutes before Gram and the already-born twins got back it was just Mom and Dad and me. And I said, "Guess what? When Bumpy and Thumby said 'bye' to it was at exactly the same time. Just like you do!"
Do you think that was coincidence or magic? I think it's both.
TBC
A/N I didn't decide whimsically–OK, maybe a little–to add another set of twins to this family. It's unusual but certainly not unheard of: I have a lifelong friend who grew up in a family of five children, including two sets of fraternal twins, and I worked with someone who is the father of two sets of fraternal twins. Coincidence and magic are at the heart of this family's story, so I figured, why not?
