A/N: Sorry for the delay; I meant to have this chapter up long before now but…I ended up re-writing the whole thing because I wasn't happy with it the first time around…and if it doesn't feel right, I don't post it. Hopefully it will go more smoothly now that this one has finally decided to cooperate.
Chapter 2
"Are you sure we should do this today?" Kate asked as she changed the baby's diaper. "Maybe we should've thought out the plan a bit more."
Castle shook his head. "No; the sooner the better…Thanksgiving is going to be here before we know it and if we wait too long, she might have to go back to the store to get more food and then she might be a little put out with us. We need to do it now so she has time to adjust her shopping needs."
"I didn't know you worried about my mother's shopping needs."
"Normally I don't but since we want her to feed us, it seemed like something I should take into consideration."
"This still feels like a dirty way to go about getting invited."
"Well…you could just ask her," he suggested.
"I already told you that I can't," Kate replied while snapping up Sarah's onesie.
"Then we have to do it this way…this is my epic plan, Kate; don't overthink it."
"Me? You're even thinking about the shopping that my mother will need to do…don't you think you're overthinking it?"
"No," he said with a shake of his head. "I'm strategically planning this with all angles in mind. Speaking of which, I'm signing you up for dish washing after the meal…we can't just grab the kids and run, you're going to have to wash a few dishes."
Her brow rose. "This is your epic plan, why don't you wash some dishes?"
"Because I think given the choice, your mother would rather have you standing beside her at the sink than me," Castle said lightly; "And I'm okay with that."
"I'm sure you are," she laughed as she put a pair of tiny pink pants on Sarah and then a pair of soft pink socks that Johanna had bought her. "How does Sarah look?" she asked, picking her up from the sofa.
"Beautiful," he replied with a nod, noting the pink lacy headband that Johanna had bought her and the long sleeved onesie that proclaimed 'Grandma's Girl' in flowy pink script.
"What about me, Daddy?" McKenzie asked as she popped up at his side.
"You look beautiful as well," he told her; looking over her outfit of jeans and a purple top that said 'Grandma's Bestie' on it. "You remember what you're going to say to Grandma?"
"Uh huh, that we want to have Thanksgiving at her house," McKenzie answered.
"Very good," he said, stooping down to be on eye level with her. "But I want you to say that you want to have Thanksgiving at her house…she'll like it better if she thinks it's your idea."
"That's cause Grandma loves me," McKenzie replied.
"That's right, she loves you so much that we know if you ask her, she'll probably say yes, so your job is very important," Castle told her.
"Rick; don't put that pressure on her."
"I'm not pressuring…I'm coaching."
"Creative engineering, strategically planning and now coaching; what are you going to do next?" his wife asked.
"I'll get back to you on that," he replied before giving his attention back to McKenzie. "Now let's rehearse…what are you going to say after we talk to Grandma for a few minutes?"
"I'm going to say, Grandma, I want to have Thanksgiving at your house."
"Very good,,.make sure you give her lots of hugs…and if she says that we have Thanksgiving here, what are you going to say?"
McKenzie worried her bottom lip. "I forgot, Daddy."
He smiled. "That's okay, that's why we're practicing…even Grammy forgets her lines sometimes. When Grandma says that we have Thanksgiving here, you tell Grandma it will be more fun at her house…that all your friends go to their grandma's house for Thanksgiving and you want to go to your grandma's house too. Can you remember it now?"
"Castle, don't you think this going to look a little too scripted?" Kate asked.
He shook his head. "Not at all; McKenzie, you don't have same those exact words, you can say it how you want, but we need Grandma to know that it will be more fun at her house."
"Why, Daddy?" she asked.
"We talked about that," he replied. "Mommy and Daddy are very tired because of the new baby and we got a little behind schedule…and it would be a big help to us if we could go to Grandma's house for Thanksgiving, okay? You want to help Daddy, don't you?"
McKenzie nodded. "I will help you, Daddy. I want to go to Grandma's…when we go for Thanksgiving, can I spend the night?"
"Of course you can."
"Castle!" Kate interrupted; "My mother might not want to babysit after making a holiday meal, she'll probably be tired."
"We can discuss it after the details of dinner are finalized, Kate. Now, McKenzie, are you ready to do this? Because Grandma is on her way."
Their five year old bounced on her toes. "I'm ready. I'm glad Grandma's coming, I miss her."
"Maybe when you're off school for Thanksgiving you can spend the day with Grandma," Kate told her. "I know she misses you too."
"Landen," Castle called out, drawing his son's attention away from his toy truck. "Come let Daddy see your outfit; you have to look special for Grandma."
Landen got to his feet and hurried to his father. "Gramma coming?!" he exclaimed.
"She's coming; and so is Grandpa."
"Gramma and Granpa coming!" Landen exclaimed, beginning a dash for the door but Castle scooped him up. "They're not here yet, buddy. Let me see your shirt," he said as he sat him down. "Good, you have on your 'I Love Grandma' shirt. Grandma is going to love that so much. Make sure you give Grandma lots of hugs and kisses."
"Me hug Gramma lots."
"Good boy," he told him. "Sissy is going to tell Grandma that we want to eat Turkey at her house. What do you think of that?"
"Turkey gobble," Landen stated.
"That's right," Castle replied; "We learned that in our story last night; the turkey gobbles. Do you want to eat turkey at Grandma's house?"
Landen's head bobbed up and down. "Me eat Gramma's…no baby."
"The baby has to come too but we won't give her any turkey, okay?"
"Kay, no turkey for baby," his son repeated.
"Deal, my man, she can come but she gets no turkey," Castle stated. "You drive a hard bargain like your mommy but it's a good deal. When Sissy tells Grandma that she wants to eat at her house, you tell her you want turkey at her house too…McKenzie, help your brother remember to say he wants to eat there too."
"I can't believe we're coaching our kids to do this," Kate stated.
"It's for the good of the family, Kate," Castle remarked. "It's going to be fine; she won't suspect a thing when she's being smothered in grandchild love."
"Are you crazy?" she asked. "My mother is a lawyer. My father is a lawyer. They know witness coaching when they see it!"
"They're both retired from the courtroom, they haven't seen witness coaching in awhile."
She gave him a disbelieving look. "Trust me, they remember what witness coaching looks like."
"It doesn't matter," he assured. "Once the topic is out there it doesn't matter if it was coached or not; all that matters is that we get invited. You were all for this plan this morning when all three kids were crying at breakfast; don't back out on the plan now, Kate; it's already in motion!"
She closed her eyes at the mention of the morning's disaster of breakfast when all of her children had been cranky and wanted cuddles…and Sarah had loudly proclaimed her need for a bottle and a dry diaper, much to Landen's chagrin. She had to put him down to tend to the baby since Castle had been busy cooking and warming the bottle and her son had cried all through breakfast because of the simple fact that she had to put him down. McKenzie had cried because she woke up cranky and didn't get the smiley face pancakes she had been promised the day before and she refused to eat her eggs until Kate had yelled at her which only made her cry more. She was failing here, Kate thought to herself. They could barely get through a normal meal at the moment with everything still feeling hectic and out of sorts. They should have Thanksgiving elsewhere…and truth be told, she did want to go to her mother's…she needed to go to her mother's, not just for the meal…but for the comfort of just being with her…of maybe having five minutes to fall apart on her before the turkey came out of the oven…because she needed to fall apart and when it came to mommy breakdowns, she felt better having those with her mother. Johanna had been there and done that; she knew how to make it feel better.
"Kate?" Castle said, pulling her from her thoughts.
"What?" she asked, her fingers rubbing against Sarah's hand.
"You are still onboard with this…aren't you?"
She nodded. "Absolutely; continuing coaching."
He smiled. "Breakfast will be better tomorrow, and Thanksgiving will go just right if we get this topic out there via Johanna's favorite people. It's all going to be fine…and even though you haven't said it…I know you'd like to go to her house for the holiday just for the sake of doing so, not just because we're frazzled. You won't exactly admit it, but I know…and I'm not offended by it."
"Why not?" she asked, meeting his eye.
"Because last Christmas taught me that I've been selfish…judging her for being unwilling to bend when I was just as unwilling to bend my traditions. I want the kids to have holiday memories with your parents just like you have holiday memories with your grandparents. I want you to have holiday memories with your parents again…and I'm sorry I made that hard for you the last several years."
"It wasn't just you…it was me too," Kate said quietly. "For awhile I wasn't ready…and then it was hard to change once I was and I guess you gave me an excuse not to despite pushing against it a few times."
"We made a change last year…because McKenzie asked her for it and we didn't stand in the way…and it was a good Christmas," he stated. "I know we're tired and we need help getting through Thanksgiving this time…but it's also another step in the right direction and it's a holiday the kids haven't had with your parents…so, if we can get this thing right, it'll be good."
"What if she says no?"
Castle laughed. "She's not going to look at three beautiful kids dressed in attire proclaiming their affection for Grandma and say no…especially when they're surrounding her…and asking…and we're chiming in that we're fine with the idea. She's not going to say no; she can't, the plan is fool proof, we have adorable children who adore her…and the oldest one takes after her in looks and sometimes attitude, there's no way she looks at the mini-me and says no…. she has no history of telling this child no. It's not in her realm of possibility. This is in the bag, trust me."
"I really hope you're right," Kate replied; "Because I do want to go."
"I'm right, trust me," he repeated before looking at his children. "Alright, guys, when Grandma and Grandpa get here, lots of hugs and kisses. McKenzie you know your job and you help Landen remember his; Sarah, you lay there and look adorable, smile at your grandmother…I know you're tiny but you need to pull your weight on this one."
"Castle!"
"What?" he asked. "I'm kidding…it isn't like she understands me."
"I know, but still."
"But nothing…let's just hope we can keep her pleasant until her grandparents get here."
"They should be here shortly," Kate told him. "She just got done having lunch with Colleen and Dad was there to get pick her up so they should be here any minute."
"Good…then we can get this thing rolling, have our invitation secure and maybe talk tiny people into taking naps."
"I would like to take a nap myself," she stated.
"Even if they don't take naps, you go take one," he told her. "I'll keep things under control."
She smiled. "For how long?"
"For at least twenty minutes…that'll be five minutes longer than the last time."
Kate laughed. "Can you try for at least thirty minutes?"
"I'll try but you are leaving me up against a pretty rough crew here."
"Try hard…I really need a nap. I hate to say that and I know you're tired too but I just need a little nap at some point today."
"You'll get one," he promised; "But first we secure our Thanksgiving plans."
As they rode the elevator up to the loft, Jim slipped his arm around Johanna's waist. "I hate to say this but I have suspicions about this."
"Suspicions?"
He nodded. "Yeah…like there's some kind of set up going on…we usually don't get out of the blue invitations to visit without prior hints in the days before an invitation is issued…and when it does happen, there's usually a set up involved."
"A set up?" Johanna laughed. "You don't think the kids miss us?"
"Oh I think they probably miss us…they are used to being with us a good bit…but something about this is just striking me as a set up. This smells like overnight babysitting."
"Well…we can take the kids overnight; we don't have any plans this evening, do we?"
"No; but I don't have the baby's car seat in the car yet," Jim replied. "We have Landen's and we have McKenzie's booster seat but I haven't put Lizzie's in yet, I need to move Landen's over to put it in."
"If they need us to take the kids, they'll just have to let us borrow their car seat and we'll have to switch things around in the garage. Remember, don't call the baby Lizzie in front of Rick; he doesn't like it."
"When have I ever worried about that?"
"Never…but we were actually invited this time."
"True…that's what is making me a little suspicious. This is an out of the blue invite like I said…we're having company tonight…and one of them is going to be up at two a.m. so I hope you're well rested, sweetheart."
She laughed. "Oh you're not getting up with your Lizzie?"
"You're better at it."
She smiled up at him, giving his hip a squeeze. "That brings back memories."
"It's true every time I say it," he quipped. "If it is overnight babysitting, I'm surprised they're giving us the baby this soon…usually it's around the five week mark when they quietly beg us to take their newborn."
"Maybe they want to beat the holiday rush," Johanna replied. "Or maybe they need some time to prepare for the upcoming holiday and it'll be easier without the kids underfoot for a day."
"I guess we'll find out here shortly," Jim remarked; his tone telling her that he still had his doubts about this being just a visit with their grandchildren.
"Don't be so suspicious," she whispered.
Jim gave her a small smile, keeping his response to himself as he allowed silence to fall between them. He had been burned too many times before not to be slightly suspicious of sudden invitations, free dinners or gifts that didn't have an occasion attached to them. Something was brewing here…most likely babysitting, which was fine…he just didn't understand why they hadn't just asked but sometimes they liked to do things the hard way. He just hoped whatever it was wouldn't be something that would end up hurting Johanna…because he'd seen her burned too many times as well.
"Landen, you don't throw things at the baby," Castle said firmly while Kate lifted Sarah from her swing to soothe her cries.
"Me play ball with baby," Landen said stubbornly, his small soft squishy baseball held tightly in his hand.
"You can't play ball with the baby, she's too little," Castle told him. "You could hurt her throwing things at her. Sarah's crying now because you hit her in the face with the ball."
"Me playing!" his son yelled. "Me play with baby!"
"You can't play with her like that; she's still too little."
A stubborn look crossed his son's face, reminding him of Kate and then Landen drew back and threw his ball at him; the soft little ball bouncing off his chest. "Landen James," he said firmly. "We don't throw things at anyone!"
The stubborn look on his small face crumbled and was replaced by a disgruntled wail, tears filling his eyes as Castle sighed. "Come here, buddy," he said, reaching for him as he gentled his tone.
"No!" Landen cried, jerking away from him. "No want you. Want Gramma!"
"Landen," Kate said softly as Sarah's sniffles faded and she settled in her arms. "Grandma will be here soon but honey, you can't throw things at the baby. She's little and could get hurt. Why don't you come give her a kiss and tell her you're sorry."
"No! No sorry," he yelled at her. "Baby go away!"
Kate sighed deeply. "She can't go away, Landen. She's our baby; we have to keep her."
"No! Me baby!" he cried. "My mommy!"
"Honey, I'm still your mommy. Come here, sit with me."
"Put baby away!"
"Landen," she sighed.
"Landen quit being mean to our baby!" McKenzie exclaimed.
"Sissy play ball?" Landen sniffled.
"I don't want to play ball," McKenzie replied. "I want to play with Sarah; I got her rattle."
Landen's small face crumbled once more; his sobs filling the air. "I'll play ball with you," Castle told him.
"No!"
Castle reached for his son but Landen jerked away from him just as a knock sounded at the door.
"Gramma!" Landen yelled, running as fast as his small legs could carry him in the direction of the door.
"Oh great," Kate whispered; "They're here and we're in the midst of a middle child meltdown…this isn't going to help the plan."
"Don't worry about it, it'll just go to prove that the kids did indeed want her…Landen did ask for Grandma as soon as things went sour here," Castle replied. "Go let her in."
"Me! Why me? This is your epic plan."
"Because, as her daughter, she likes you better," he replied. "If I answer the door, she'll be tense…you answer, she'll be herself."
"But I'm not good at pretending that we're not up to something," she hissed back as another knock sounded.
"That's okay, we have a newborn, you can brush it off as being tired and confused," he told her. "Now go answer the door or they'll get suspicious."
"Gramma!" their son was shouting again, trying to reach the door handle as Kate hurried toward the door with Sarah still in her arms.
"Landen, go find Mommy to open the door," Johanna called back to him.
"I'm coming," Kate called out as she reached the entry way.
"Open door!" Landen whined.
"I will, but you have to step back so it doesn't hit you," she told him as she released the locks and then pulled the door open.
"Gramma!" he cried, racing toward her before she could step inside the door. "Gramma, hold me!"
"Let her get in the door, Landen," Kate said, frustration edging into her tone.
"What is going on in here?" Johanna asked as she and Jim stepped across the threshold, Landen holding on to her leg.
"Hold me!" her grandson demanded.
"Grandma! Grandpa!" McKenzie exclaimed as she bounced into the room.
"My Gramma!" Landen yelled before McKenzie could reach her. "My Gramma hold me!"
"She's my Grandma too!" McKenzie retorted, hands on her hips.
"What about me?" Jim asked with a laugh, trying to buy Johanna enough time to sit her purse down on the stand. "Does anyone want me? I feel left out here."
"I want you!" McKenzie exclaimed running to him.
"I'm glad to see you too, sweet pea," he said as he swung her up into his arms and kissed her cheek.
"Landen wants Grandma because he's in trouble," she stated.
Johanna reached for her grandson, seeing the tears on his cheeks. "What's wrong with my boy?" she asked as she wiped his cheeks. "Who made you cry?"
"Baby mean," Landen sniffled. "Daddy mean."
"The baby was mean to you?" she asked, nuzzling his soft cheek.
"Uh huh," he hiccuped.
"Landen was mean to Sarah!" McKenzie exclaimed.
"He just doesn't understand like you do," Kate told her daughter.
Landen snuggled against Johanna, his tears easing into soft sniffles. "Me go Gramma's house?"
"Grandma and Grandpa came to our house to visit," Kate told him.
"Me go Gramma's. Baby mean. Daddy mean."
"Tell me what happened. Do I need to put them on time out?"
"Landen threw the ball at Sarah!" McKenzie reported.
Johanna glanced at her granddaughter. "I didn't ask you. I asked your brother."
"But he won't tell you it's his fault," her granddaughter retorted.
"McKenzie; sometimes you have to let people tell their story themselves," she gently admonished.
"Yeah," Jim told her; "You don't want your brother to think you're a tattle tale, do you?"
"I don't care," she replied. "He was bad."
"Sissy bad!" Landen stated.
Kate sighed deeply once more. "We're not having a good day as you can tell…I probably picked a bad time to invite you over but the kids wanted to see you."
"We're not scared off by a tattle tale and crying toddler," Jim remarked lightly as his granddaughter gave him one of Johanna's trademark glares. "You look like your Grandma when you make that face," he laughed, kissing her cheek once more.
"I'm not a tattle tale!"
"Good," he said; "Then you'll be nice to your little brother and give him a break. He's having a hard time."
"What happened with this ball incident?" Johanna asked. "I assume that Sarah is fine…she looks alright."
"We should go sit down," Kate replied; thinking to herself that she had to keep the goal in mind but at the moment she was contemplating asking her mother to take her kids so she could go to a hotel and take a nap…but that would be wrong though…but then again, she wasn't sure what they were doing was exactly right either.
They made their way to the living room where Castle was picking up toys and throwing them in their designated bins. He smiled at his in-laws and then looked to his kids. "Are you all happy now that Grandma and Grandpa are here?"
"My Gramma!" Landen said, clinging to Johanna as she settled down on the couch with him.
"She's yours, buddy; no one disputes that," he replied.
"I still haven't been told what has my boy so upset," Johanna remarked.
Kate sat down in the arm chair near the sofa. "Landen threw his ball at Sarah and it hit her in the face and made her cry."
"Why did you throw your ball at the baby?" Johanna asked as she gently nudged his face to look up at her.
"Play with baby," he replied. "Play ball."
"You were just trying to play with her?" she asked.
"Play ball."
"She doesn't know how to play ball," Johanna replied. "You have to wait until she's a little bigger and then she can play ball."
"Daddy mean," Landen stated.
"I am not!" Castle protested.
"What did Daddy do?" Jim asked.
"Daddy be mean," his grandson told him.
"I told him he can't throw things at the baby, she could get hurt…even though it was one of those soft squishy balls he threw."
"Sissy no play ball," Landen remarked. "Mommy no play ball."
"Poor little boy," Johanna said, hugging him tightly and pressing kisses to his head. "You're just having a rough day, aren't you?"
He nodded against her, his hand curling into her shirt. "Me go Gramma's."
"You can't go to Grandma's, mommy's not working today," McKenzie told him.
"Mommy doesn't have to go to work for you to come to my house," Johanna replied; "You know that. You're being awful bossy today; didn't we have a talk about that the other day?"
"Yes," McKenzie answered as she came to stand in front of her. "You didn't hug me yet…you haven't hugged Sarah either."
"Your brother needed me first," she told her, stretching an arm out to her. "Come here and let me hug you."
"You're still holding Landen," McKenzie said in protest.
Johanna's brow rose. "I see were running high on jealousy around here today."
"I want you to hug me by myself," McKenzie remarked before Kate could utter a word. "You were my Grandma first!"
Jim laughed as he met his wife's eye. "The price of being popular, sweetheart; you don't have enough arms to go around."
She smiled a little. "Some days it feels that way. Do you want to say hello to your grandson so I can properly greet our granddaughter who clearly remembers that she was first in line?"
"Sure thing," he said with a laugh. "Hey, buddy, come here and give me a hug, I've missed you so much and you haven't even talked to me yet."
Landen went to his grandfather willingly and Johanna enfolded McKenzie in her embrace. "How come you're not in school today, kitten?"
"It's the second half of that staff training event," Kate remarked. "You know, the continuation of the day off I screwed up last time around."
"It can happen to anyone, Katie," Johanna replied. "I forgot that you told me the second part was today."
"Daddy was supposed to make me what I wanted for breakfast and he didn't," McKenzie told her. "And Mommy yelled at me."
"I said I was sorry," Kate told her.
"I think she needs time out," McKenzie told her grandmother. "You can do that since you're her mommy."
"Yes, Mom, please, put me on time out," Kate remarked. "Make it a long one."
Johanna laughed as she hugged her granddaughter. "Oh I think we'll let you slide with a warning this time. What do you think, McKenzie; can't we give her another chance?"
"Guess so…but Daddy promised me smiley face pancakes and I didn't get pancakes."
"I'm sure he'll make it up to you," Johanna soothed as she pressed a kiss against her dark hair.
"What if he don't?" McKenzie asked.
"Then we'll think up a suitable punishment for him," she replied. "But I'm pretty sure he'll make you pancakes tomorrow…won't you, Rick?"
Castle nodded. "I solemnly swear that McKenzie Grace Castle will be served smiley face pancakes tomorrow for breakfast."
"On my Frozen plate?" McKenzie asked.
"Yes, your pancakes will be served on your favorite Frozen breakfast plate and you may have the juice of your choice to accompany it," he replied; "And since I'm sorry that the customer service was lacking this morning, you may also have a breakfast dessert tomorrow…your choice of small doughnut, powdered or chocolate. Will that make this right for you, jellybean?"
McKenzie nodded. "Yes, but I want two powdered doughnuts."
"Deal…but you don't get them until the pancakes are gone."
"Okay, Daddy."
"See," Johanna said; "I told you he would make it right."
"Can you let your sister have a turn with Grandma now?" Kate asked as she rose and moved to the sofa. "I want Grandma to get some time with her while she's awake."
"Okay, Mommy," McKenzie replied, reluctantly slipping out of her grandmother's arms.
"No!" Landen yelled as Kate laid the baby in her mother's arms. "My Gramma!"
"She's Sarah's grandma too," Kate told him. "You have to share Grandma."
"No!" he cried; turning his face against Jim's chest.
"Hey, little man," Johanna said, reaching out a hand to him. "You know I love you."
"My Gramma," he sniffled.
"She's still your Grandma," Jim told him, running a soothing hand over his back. "Nothing can change that…but we have to love Sarah too. Grandma will just hold her for a little while and then she'll hold you again, okay?"
He nodded. "My Granpa."
"I'm still your Grandpa," Jim assured; "But when Grandma holds you again, I'm going to hold the baby, okay?"
"No!"
"Just for a little bit," Jim told him. "It'll be alright."
"Landen, why don't you show Grandpa your new animal that came with your story book," Castle suggested, hoping they could get around to the topic of Thanksgiving while Johanna was admiring her newest grandchild.
As Landen scooted off his lap, Jim took note of their grandchildren's clothing and his suspicions rose further. "I notice these kids are dressed up for you, sweetheart," he said as he met her eye.
"Are they?" she asked; taking a moment to glance down at Sarah's outfit first and then glancing to McKenzie and Landen. All of their shirts did bear a sentiment about Grandma…perhaps Jim was right to suspect babysitting.
"They are," her husband stated, a hint of a lilt in his voice that only she could detect,
"How sweet," she said; trying to keep her own suspicions out of her tone as she returned her gaze to Sarah's small face. "How is my baby today?"
"Cranky this morning," Kate remarked; "But some better now that she's had a nap."
Johanna smiled down at the baby as Sarah's hand curled around her finger. "Mommy's telling tales on you, isn't she? You wouldn't dream of being cranky."
Kate scoffed. "She fully achieved the goal this morning."
She kissed the baby's forehead. "I'm sure she had her reasons," she remarked as the baby smiled.
"Yeah; she wanted to torment me with her brother and sister," Kate mumbled. "Breakfast wasn't a fun occasion here this morning."
"I had that feeling," Johanna replied. "How did she do last night?"
"She still hates to be bathed."
"So did you," Jim stated.
Kate rolled her eyes. "I know, you've told me."
He smiled. "Comeuppance is sweet, Princess."
"The only reason I'm not telling you to shut up is because you're my father and I love you despite your cruel childhood stories," Kate replied.
"See it's things like that that makes those stories so easy to share," Jim said with a laugh.
"Any excuse will do," she commented; "But as for Sarah, she still hates bath time…she still hates to be burped. She was up at two to eat…at four because she was wet…then back up at six…and she fussed all morning until she finally gave in and took a nap. Then she was happy…until Landen threw a ball and hit her in the face."
Johanna glanced at her daughter. "He said he was playing with her."
"Oh please; he hit her because he doesn't want her," Kate stated, the edge of frustration in her tone.
"Katie; I think you may be unfairly convicting him on circumstantial evidence," she replied. "I know he's having a hard time adjusting but…did you consider that he maybe he really was just trying to play? He's still a baby himself, he doesn't understand that she can't throw the ball back to him."
"He can't throw things at her!"
"No one is disputing that," Johanna said gently; "I'm just saying that maybe you shouldn't just jump to the conclusion that he wanted to hurt her…he said he was playing with her and maybe that's all he was really trying to do…no, of course he shouldn't throw things at her but I don't think he was being malicious. Just because you don't like someone doesn't mean you'll go hurt them the first chance you get. Give him the benefit of the doubt."
"I just can't overlook it, Mom," she said sharply.
"I didn't say overlook it; I said give him the benefit of the doubt while correcting him."
"You act like we beat him," Kate retorted; her defenses rising.
Johanna sighed deeply. "I am not acting that way, I'm just trying to say that yes, you have to correct him but maybe you could've considered in the process that maybe it wasn't what it seemed like…maybe he was just trying to do something with her."
Kate's jaw tightened and she could see her husband cringing from the corner of her eye; a silent plea on his face to stop before their plan fell apart without being fully executed. "Let's change the subject."
Johanna fell silent, feeling like she had over stepped her bounds and she hated to feel that way…especially when in her daughter's home…where things so easily turned sour when she didn't mean for it to happen. "I'm sorry, Katie. I didn't mean to upset you…he's your son, you have every right to take care of the issue as you see fit. I didn't mean to imply overwise."
Remorse filled her; deep down she knew her mother hadn't been implying that she had been wrong or that she had mishandled things…just offering a defense for her grandson who seemed like he didn't have an ally that morning. "You didn't…I'm just tired," she murmured. "I'm sorry."
Her mother shook her head. "No, need to be sorry. We should get going…maybe you can get them down for a nap and have one yourself."
"No, you don't need to go, you just got here" she hurried to say. "Dad hasn't even held the baby yet and the kids have missed you; they need to see you for more than just a minute. Just ignore me…I'm just a mess."
"We could take the kids this weekend so you can get some rest," Johanna told her; figuring that may be the reason for their invitation today as Jim had suspected.
Kate shook her head. "No, I know you have things to do this weekend with the holiday coming up and getting stuff done at work before your break."
"I can manage," Johanna assured her.
"We'll figure out a time…sometime soon but I'm not going to shove it on you this weekend."
Sarah wiggled in her arms, making her glance back down at the baby. She gave her a smile and spoke softly to her as Sarah's gaze stayed upon her.
"Gramma," Landen said as he tugged at her shirt, drawing her attention away from the baby in her arms.
"What, honey?" she asked.
"Turkey gobble!" he exclaimed; sharing his new knowledge as he held up his small stuffed turkey to show her.
She smiled as she gently ruffled his hair. "That's right, the turkey says gobble. You're such a smart boy."
"We learned about turkeys in our Thanksgiving story last night," Castle stated; silently thanking Landen for his need to steal spotlight from Sarah which gave them the perfect opening to get their plan off the ground before Johanna started looking for the exit again. He saw McKenzie glance at him and he gave her a subtle nod, encouraging her to go ahead.
She smiled, her energy and excitement for the role she had been given making her bounce on her toes as she moved to stand in front of her grandmother. "Grandma, we want to have Thanksgiving at your house!"
A measure of panic stole across Johanna's face; the last thing she needed was her daughter and son-in-law thinking that she had put this idea in her granddaughter's head. She had been blamed for far too many things in the past and she wasn't taking the fall for this one. She glanced to Katie as she remained in the arm chair, Rick hovering by her side. "I swear to God that I haven't said one word to this child about that holiday," she stated. "I will even put my hand on a bible…and I'm Catholic so you know I wouldn't do that if I was lying."
Kate shook her head. "No one thinks you said anything to her about it; you don't have to get defensive."
"Yeah, well, I know how quickly I get blamed for things and I want my name cleared right now," Johanna stated. "I didn't say a word. I never say a word about holiday visits. Never."
"We're not accusing you of anything," Castle said with a shake of his head, hoping to soothe the situation. "Your granddaughter has a mind of her own; she thinks up things all the time…she is the daughter of a writer after all."
Jim eyed the scene before him and sensed subterfuge at work just like he had thought. This was no 'come visit the kids' invitation. This was something else entirely…perhaps more than what he had previously suspected.
"But still; I didn't bring it up and I had no intention of bringing it up so don't worry," she said as she turned to Jim. "Do you want to hold the baby?"
"Yeah, I'll hold my Lizzie," he said, knowing that this topic of holidays was making his wife uncomfortable and she didn't want to upset the baby with her unease.
"Sarah. Her name is Sarah," Castle stated.
"Her grandfather can call her Lizzie if he wants," Kate said; catching his eye, warning him that nitpicking over a nickname wouldn't get them invited to Thanksgiving.
He nodded. "You're right…he's the grandfather…her only grandfather; he has a right to the nickname of his choice."
Johanna glanced at Jim. "Does this whole thing feel weird to you?" she whispered.
"Sweetheart, weird doesn't even begin to cover it," he murmured back before glancing down at his newest granddaughter whose gaze remained upon him. "Hi, Lizzie; what's going on around here?"
"Grandma; can we come to your house for Thanksgiving?" McKenzie asked; pushing herself back into the conversation as Landen took the opportunity to crawl into his grandmother's arms now that the baby was out of the way.
Johanna gave a soft joyless laugh as she tried to dig herself out of this before they ended up getting tossed out for causing holiday themed trouble. "Sweetheart, you have Thanksgiving here at home with Mommy and Daddy."
"But it would be more fun at your house," her granddaughter insisted. "Landen wants to eat turkey at your house too. Landen, you want to eat turkey at Grandma's?"
Landen's headed bobbed up and down. "Me eat turkey at Gramma's."
"See, Grandma; Landen wants to have Thanksgiving at your house and so does Sarah," McKenzie stated. "It will be fun. Can we come to your house for Thanksgiving?"
Johanna couldn't understand why her daughter wasn't intervening to save her from this conversation but for whatever reason, both Katie and Rick were silent as they watched their daughter make her plea. "Honey, you have Thanksgiving at home…it's not much different at my house, I promise."
"But I'm supposed to go to my Grandma's house for Thanksgiving," McKenzie said stubbornly. "Abby is going to her grandma's and so is Emily. I want to go to my Grandma's too! Mrs. Porter says Thanksgiving is when families gather together and be thankful; that's what she told us while we were coloring Thanksgiving pictures."
"That's right," Johanna said cautiously. "Thanksgiving is about being thankful."
"Eat turkey!" Landen exclaimed.
"That too," she said, giving him a cuddle; "But McKenzie; I'm sure Mommy and Daddy have already made plans for you for Thanksgiving."
McKenzie poked her bottom lip out as she toyed with Johanna's bracelet. "Don't you want me to come to Thanksgiving at your house, Grandma?" she asked sadly.
Her heart fell; that was the last thing she wanted her granddaughter to think. "Oh honey; I would love nothing more than for you to come to Thanksgiving but I know your mommy and daddy have their own Thanksgiving and they'll want that…especially this year with it being Sarah's first Thanksgiving. I'm sure they have a very nice day planned for you."
"Actually we don't," Kate said, the words dropping one by one in a tone that she hoped didn't sound eager for an invitation but she saw her father glance away from the baby, eyeing her studiously, something flicking through his gaze as if something suddenly made sense.
"What do you mean you don't have plans?" Johanna asked. "Thanksgiving is less than a week away."
"Yeah…well…we kind of lost track of time," Kate remarked. "So we haven't made plans."
Johanna's gaze flicked to Castle. "I thought Alexis was coming home for Thanksgiving?"
"She is," he said with a nod; "But like Kate said…we've kind of gotten behind and off track…it uh, kind of snuck up on us last night."
"I see," Johanna said carefully, having a feeling that Jim had been right about ulterior motives…he had just picked the wrong one. "So what are you going to do?" she asked.
"We're going to come to your house," McKenzie said excitedly. "You want us to come, don't you?!"
"Of course I would like that, sweetheart," she replied; still unsure of what to say or do in this situation that felt like it could become incredibly sticky. "But mommy and daddy will probably want to have dinner here at home with you."
McKenzie shook her head. "No; we want to come to your house. Mommy and Daddy said it would be fun."
Kate cringed and Castle turned and paced away from the group as Johanna looked away from McKenzie. "You dressed up the kids and invited me over to get invited to Thanksgiving dinner?"
"Of course not," Kate said with a panicked laugh. "Would we do that?"
Johanna eyed her with a raised brow. "Looking at the evidence, I'm going to say yes…I mean I think I have an eyewitness here in front of me. Should I question her?"
Kate shook her head. "I don't think there's any need to play Law & Order."
"I think I might have to indulge anyway," her mother replied. "McKenzie; when did Mommy and Daddy tell you it would be fun to come to my house for Thanksgiving?"
"After we were all done crying at breakfast," her granddaughter answered. "Mommy and Daddy are tired and they forgot about Thanksgiving and they said it would be fun at your house. Mommy said she always went to her grandma's house for Thanksgiving and I want to come to your house cause you're my Grandma. Can we come?"
"McKenzie," Kate murmured.
"What?" her daughter asked.
"You weren't supposed to say all that," Castle stated, doing his best not to meet his in-laws eyes.
"You didn't say it was a secret, Daddy. You just said I should ask her because Grandma likes me best."
"Oh my God," Johanna declared, fire snapping in her gaze. "Are you two serious! If you wanted to come to dinner, all you had to do was call and ask. You didn't have to use the kids against me."
Kate cringed further. "Okay, I know it looks bad…but it wasn't my idea."
Her mother eyed Castle. "Oh I'm sensing that…I just can't believe you went along with it!"
"In my defense, I did tell her to just ask you," Castle said hurriedly.
"You have no defense," Johanna told him. "Using my babies against me; did you really think I wouldn't figure it out?"
He shrugged. "It seemed to be going alright…"
"Until McKenzie went off script?" Jim asked.
"There was no script," he laughed nervously. "Really, there wasn't a script."
"I know witness coaching when I see it," Jim stated. "She was coached, I could tell that before she even slipped up and named her accomplices."
"She wasn't really coached…we did mention the idea to her but we didn't coach her," he said with a short panicked laugh as the plan fell apart.
Johanna eyed him and then looked to McKenzie. "McKenzie, did daddy tell you what to say?"
"We hearsed like Grammy does!" she exclaimed.
"Unbelievable," Johanna stated; "You're teaching the kids to lie today."
"Not successfully apparently," Kate replied; "She's standing there telling you everything."
"You didn't say it was a secret, Mommy," McKenzie replied. "Was it a secret?"
She smiled a little. "It kind of was, baby; but it's okay…Grandma would've figured it out anyway…just like I told Daddy she would."
"Cause Grandma's smart," McKenzie stated.
"Not smart enough today," Johanna thought. "I really thought I was being invited here to see my grandchildren…and maybe to be asked to babysit. I didn't realize I was walking into an elaborate plot."
"I wouldn't call it elaborate," Castle stated; "You know…since it failed epically."
"Are we going to Grandma's for Thanksgiving?" McKenzie asked.
"No," Kate said softly. "I'm sorry, sweetheart; Mommy and Daddy messed this up. Mom, I'm sorry…I shouldn't have baited you with the kids…it sounded like a good idea this morning when all three of my kids were crying at breakfast and I was running on three hours sleep but I realize now it was just wrong and stupid and I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry…it won't happen again."
Johanna breathed deeply. "I didn't say you couldn't come."
Kate's voice cracked a little. "We can't come now; we've pushed you into it…I'm sure you have plans and we shouldn't have done this anyway."
"Katie…you know all I've ever wanted was to enjoy the holidays with you. I know how exhausting it is to have a newborn at the holidays…and I imagine that in your case that's tripled because you did outdo me in terms of children, sweetheart…but you could've just asked…it's not like I would tell you no. If you really want to come home for Thanksgiving, then you come…you know that I would never turn you away."
"I feel like I can't now," she admitted. "I tried to con you."
"I'll give you a pass this time," Johanna remarked. "I'll chalk it up to spousal influence that you would've ignored if you weren't so tired and your hormones were settled."
Katie worried her lip for a moment. "That's probably true."
"I know it's true. You can come for Thanksgiving."
"We can come, Grandma?!" McKenzie asked excitedly.
"Yes, kitten; you can come for Thanksgiving," Johanna told her; brushing a kiss against her forehead. "We'll be glad to have you with us."
"Eat turkey at Gramma's?" Landen asked as he peered up at her.
"Yes, baby; you're going to eat turkey with me and Grandpa," Johanna told him, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
"Me go Gramma's!" Landen said excitedly as he slid down off her lap and ran to his pile of toys.
"Well at least the kids are happy," Jim remarked while the baby wrapped her tiny hand around his finger.
"Am I invited to Thanksgiving?" Castle asked sheepishly.
Johanna eyed him oddly. "Why wouldn't you be?"
"Because I came up with this epic fail of a plan."
"I said I'd give it a pass this time," she replied. "Next time just ask…don't con me with the kids anymore."
"Word of honor," he stated.
"If Katie didn't want to ask, you could've always asked yourself," Johanna remarked. "You don't have a problem asking me to babysit."
"Yeah…but this was different."
"Why?"
"Because," Castle said as he shifted uncomfortably. "Past history."
"And setting up a sting operation with a five year old was easier than just picking up the phone?"
"If I say yes do I get uninvited because if so, I'm going to go with no."
Johanna rolled her eyes. "Let's just forget it, Rick. You all can come to Thanksgiving."
"About that," he said.
"What now?" she asked. "You changed your mind?"
"No…it's just that Alexis is coming home for Thanksgiving as you mentioned earlier…so…it'll be six of us instead of five…if that's okay?"
She sighed deeply; was she really so terrible of a person that they thought she wouldn't feed them if they asked? "That's fine; I have no problem with feeding your daughter, Rick."
"Great," he said with a smile as he tried to fend off the awkwardness filling the air. "Kate's already volunteered to help wash dishes."
"Actually you volunteered me," Kate remarked; "But I will help with the dishes, that's not a problem. What should we bring? We should bring something."
Johanna shook her head. "I'll take care of everything; you've got enough on your plate at the moment."
"We can do something…we should…I mean we just added six people to your dinner that you probably already had planned," Kate stated. "We should have to do something."
"Just show up," her mother replied. "Because if you back out on me after all of this without a really good reason for it; we're going to have a major problem."
"We're definitely not backing out," Castle remarked. "We're in this all the way…but we could bring something."
"No, I'll take care of it," Johanna said. "It's the least I can do since apparently I'm so terrible that you have to sic a five year old on me instead of asking yourselves."
Castle sighed a little. "We were desperate…and out of the three people in this house that can speak fully formed sentences, she seemed like the best candidate because…well…you know, she's your mini-me and you're wrapped her little finger."
Johanna's chin jutted up a notch. "I am not."
"You totally are but I can pretend that you're not in gratitude for a Thanksgiving meal…and we are grateful, really…thank you."
She glanced down at McKenzie who was toying with her emerald ring as she always tended to do in quiet moments when they were close to each other. "You like that ring, Kitten?" she asked her softly.
McKenzie nodded. "That's the ring your mommy and daddy gave you."
"That's right…and one day, I'm going to give it you," she told her.
"You are?" McKenzie asked, glancing up at her.
"Yes…one day when you're an even bigger girl and you finish college, I'll give this ring to you just like my mommy and daddy gave it to me when I finished school. Does that sound okay to you?"
"Uh huh; when I'm a big girl like Lexis, you will give it to me?"
"That's right."
Kate glanced at her mother. "I thought you were going to give it back to me one day."
"I think it should go to my eldest granddaughter," Johanna stated; "So it can be the symbol of it was meant to be…instead of what it became. Besides; you'll have plenty one day."
"Let's not talk about that."
"Definitely not…but McKenzie has always played with this ring ever since she was a baby and I'd like to give it to her one day, when she finishes school…unless it'll upset you."
"No, of course not," Kate said with a shake of her head. "You're right…it should go back to meaning the things it originally did. Dad, you haven't said anything in awhile…you know that unnerves me."
"That's why I do it," Jim remarked.
"I'd rather you just lecture me and get it over with," she told him as Castle's phone rang.
"As much as I'd love to hear that lecture," Castle stated as he pulled his phone from his pocket; "That's Alexis, I better go take this."
He hurried from the room and Kate gave her attention back to her father. "Just say it, Dad."
"Say what?"
"Whatever it is you're biting your tongue about."
Jim blew out a breath. "I just don't understand you sometimes, Katie. I don't know why you think you always have to go all the way around something instead of just being direct about it. I don't think we're that terrible of parents, are we?"
"No…it's just…you know, we haven't done well with holidays with the exception of last Christmas."
"But still, you know we never deny you anything…and whether she admits it or not, I know your mother is probably a little hurt by this elaborate little sting operation you had going here."
"I know," Kate replied; "And I'm sorry…and we don't have to come if you don't want us to, no hard feelings."
"Of course we want you to come, Katie. We've always wanted you to come home for the holidays," Jim told her. "But next time just ask, okay?"
"I will…I just felt like I couldn't."
"Why?" Johanna asked. "Why couldn't you ask me?"
"Because you stopped inviting us."
"I stopped because you always said no and you'd get upset and tense as soon as I'd start to invite you," her mother replied. "I just…I didn't want to pressure you and rock the boat between us so I stopped asking…it wasn't that I didn't want you there, I did and I still do…but like I said, you'd get tense and I was always being rejected so it seemed like the right thing to do for both of us. I didn't stop inviting you to hurt you."
"I know," she said softly. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine, Katie…like I said, we'll just let this thing pass and chalk it up to sleep deprivation and wacky hormones."
Sarah started to fuss a little and Jim rose from the sofa and carried her back to her mother. "I think she's tired of me, Katie; she probably wants you."
"She probably wants back in her swing," she said as she took her daughter into her arms. "She loves her swing…it's too bad I can't bath her in it."
"You always liked being in the swing too," Johanna said as she watched Kate put the baby in her swing. "Of course I liked your swing too, it gave me a break from walking the floor with you when you were cranky."
Kate scoffed. "We've been running high on cranky around here. Landen's been having temper tantrums for days."
Johanna smiled. "Well, they do call it the terrible twos for a reason, sweetheart."
"I think it's awful sudden."
"It always is," her mother remarked.
"Landen, what are you doing?" Kate asked, her attention pulled in his direction as her son toddled back into sight with his favorite blanket and his little stuffed Spiderman that he slept with.
"Me go with Gramma," he said as he hurried to Johanna's side, his arms reaching for her.
"Buddy, you can't go with Grandma," Kate replied; "Grandma and Grandpa just came to visit; you're going to stay here with me and Daddy."
"No!," he cried; climbing up on the couch and into Johanna's arms. "Me go sleep at Gramma's!"
"Landen," Kate began to say.
"It's okay, we can take him," Johanna said as she cuddled her grandson. At least someone was straightforward about wanting to go to her house.
"You didn't come over to end up babysitting," Kate replied. "You probably have things to do."
"We don't have any plans," Jim remarked. "He can spend the night if he wants."
"Landen, don't you want to stay here with mommy?" she asked; her heart aching as she still felt a little shunned by her son.
"No! Me go Gramma's," he cried. "Pease, Gramma."
Johanna dropped a kiss against his hair. "Let us take him for the night, Katie; we're not doing anything. He's still adjusting to things, maybe he needs a little break from all of this."
"She's right," Jim said. "He can have a little break…have some attention all to himself…unless McKenzie wants to come too."
"I'll stay here, my baby is awake," McKenzie said as she shook a rattle for Sarah. "Can I spend the night next time?"
"Of course you can, sweet pea," Jim replied. "Your brother can stay tonight and we'll plan a night later on for just you to stay, okay."
"Okay, Grandpa. Grandma, will you miss me?"
"I always miss you, Kitten, but I understand that you want to play with the baby. You can spend the night another time like Grandpa said."
Satisfied that she hadn't hurt anyone's feelings, McKenzie gave her attention back to the baby in the swing.
"Landen," Kate said, drawing her son's attention to her. "If you go with Grandma I'll miss you. Don't you want to stay with me?"
"No! Want Gramma!" he cried.
Tears pricked Kate's eyes and Johanna felt remorse even though it hadn't been her idea. "Honey, Mommy wants you to stay home; maybe you can stay with us another time."
"No, me go with Gramma!" Landen yelled as he dissolved into tears and clung to her.
"What's going on?" Castle asked as he re-entered the room.
"Landen wants to spend the night with us," Jim answered. "We said he could but Katie wants him to stay home."
"Daddy, me go with Gramma," Landen cried.
Castle nodded; there was really no reason to say no if Jim and Johanna were fine with it…and maybe it would help if they let him do something he wanted to do. "Okay, buddy; you can spend the night with Grandma and Grandpa."
"Rick," Kate said, an edge in her tone.
"Kate; he wants his grandparents; let him have them for the evening. Maybe he'll feel better…maybe he'll sleep better too for the night."
"Is he still getting up through the night?" Johanna asked as she rocked her grandson gently to soothe him.
"Yes," Kate replied; "He'll keep you up all night if you take him."
Her mother shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time a kid kept me up half the night; it doesn't bother me. It's Friday so it's not like I have to worry about work."
"Gramma, we go byes?" Landen sniffled as he remained in the circle of her arms, his damp cheek pressed against her chest.
"Only if Mommy says it's okay," Johanna told him.
"Mommy, me go Gramma's," Landen said stubbornly as he eyed his mother.
Her heart broke a little; her only son wanted his grandparents instead of her. "Fine," she said sharply. "You want to go to Grandma's, you can go to Grandma's. I'll go get your bag ready."
"Kate," Castle called after her as she stormed to the stairs.
She said nothing, merely hurried up the stairs, leaving him behind with the kids and her parents as he scratched his head, wondering how he was going to fix this one as he clearly hadn't done what she wanted him to do which was to say no. The only problem was, he didn't know what to do this time…and he didn't feel he was wrong for saying Landen could go for a sleepover…and Johanna hadn't done anything wrong by saying that it wouldn't be a problem to take him. So how was he supposed to navigate this one when really no one was in the wrong?
"I'll go talk to her," Johanna said after a minute, breaking the silence as she handed Landen to Jim.
"Could you?" Castle asked; "Because as much as I hate to admit it; I don't know what to say this time. I keep telling her that he just needs time but…it doesn't do any good."
She gave a nod as she rose from the couch and made her way to the stairs. It hadn't been her intent to upset her daughter…and really she didn't think Katie was mad at her; it was deeper than that.
Johanna sorted through what to say as she made her way down the hallway upstairs to her grandson's room. She had to be careful…Katie was still emotional and she was struggling at the moment.
"Katie," she said softly as she entered Landen's room where her daughter was shoving a pair of pajamas into his overnight bag.
"He hates me," Kate cried.
"Oh, sweetheart," Johanna said, moving towards her and pulling her into her arms. "That couldn't be further from the truth. He loves you so much."
"He doesn't want me anymore…not since I brought Sarah home," she cried. "He only wants me in the middle of the night…that's why I can't make him stay in his own bed because it's the only time he wants me."
"Katie; you're being too hard on yourself. Landen loves you and he wants you…he just doesn't want to share you with Sarah, that's all. He doesn't realize that he's always shared you because McKenzie's always been there…and he's always been the baby in his world…and he is still a baby himself; it's just going to take some time for him to adjust and realize that nothing has changed between the two of you."
She sobbed in her mother's arms, knowing she was being irrational in some respects but feeling like she was on the verge of that mommy breakdown once again. "He cried like I betrayed him this morning when I had to put him down to tend to the baby and I felt terrible…I feel like I'm failing…I'm sending McKenzie to school on the wrong days and Landen feels like I'm not giving him attention and Sarah hates being bathed and hates being burped…and she especially hates when Rick burps her…and in the middle of the night she won't stop crying until it's me holding her and I know that's probably hurting his feelings and I…I just didn't think things would feel this different…that one more baby would throw everything so out of whack."
"It's going to be alright, Katie," Johanna told her as she held her tightly. "It's only been a few weeks; don't be so hard on yourself. Of course a baby was going to throw things out of whack…just because you already had two didn't mean a new addition would just breeze in without any disruption…but you'll get it all sorted out just like you did the first two times. Sarah will settle into a routine and you'll show Landen that you love him just as much as always and McKenzie is fine and I'll try to keep up better with the school schedule myself so we don't have that mix up again…and honey, that could happen to anyone whether there's a baby in the house or not, so please quit beating yourself up about it. It turned out okay in the long run; I enjoyed having her with me for the day…I miss them with you on maternity leave."
"I know," she sniffled. "I just feel like everything is about to fall apart or something."
"You're just tired, Katie. Tired and overwhelmed like all mothers of newborns are…but it's going to be alright, I promise. Next weekend, we'll take the kids, all three of them, so you can get some rest and some time for yourself, okay? Because you need it and I'm not taking no for an answer…you can get some sleep and maybe you and Rick can go out to dinner or see a movie, have some time to yourselves for a little while. As for the baby wanting you in the middle of the night, I'm sure by now that Rick knows it's not a slight to him; just that a lot of babies naturally prefer their mother when they need to be soothed. She'll go to him more at nighttime as she gets older and more settled. Everything is going to be fine."
"I hope you're right."
"I always am," she told her; "And don't you dare dispute it or I won't make you your own pumpkin pie to bring home on Thanksgiving."
"Grandma's pumpkin pie?" she sniffled.
"Is there any other?"
"No," Kate said with a shake of her head. "It's been a long time since I had it."
"I know…that's why I'll make you your own to bring home."
"I'm sorry about today."
"I know…but you can make it up to me by letting me take my grandson off your hands for the rest of the day and evening. I promise I'll bring him back tomorrow."
"Are you sure you want to take him? He has been having tantrums and he probably will keep you up."
"I don't mind…it might do him good to get away for a little while, Katie. I'll call you before he goes to bed so you can tell him goodnight."
"I feel like he's pushing me away," Kate admitted.
"No; he just doesn't know what to do about this new baby being here…we just have to show him that we all still love him the same as always and that he's getting to be a big boy and that's better than being a baby…because that's why he's getting up at night, Katie. He knows the baby gets up and you get up with her…so he figures if he gets up like the baby then he can have that same attention from you."
"I know," she murmured as she reluctantly pulled out of her mother's arms to wipe her cheek. "I just feel like a mess…and I feel like I'm failing him somehow."
"You're not. He loves you, Katie; nothing can change that. He's jealous and his little world has changed with the arrival of this baby and it's going to take time for him to settle. Just try to be patient and show him that nothing is different when it comes to you and him. It'll be okay, I promise."
Kate nodded; feeling a little better for the moment. "Are you sure you want to take him for the night?"
"Positive…but only if you're going to be okay with it."
"I'm okay with it…maybe a night with Grandma and Grandpa would make him feel better…he did think of it on his own after all."
"You're right, he did," Johanna replied; "And maybe if you show him that he can pick things he wants to do once in awhile, he'll feel like a big boy instead of wanting to stay the baby."
"Okay," she said with a nod. "I'll try not to feel like my son is trying to walk out on me."
Johanna laughed softly. "He's not leaving you, sweetheart; he just wants to show a little independence…and maybe show that he knows he has options. Maybe he thinks he's getting even by spending the night with us."
Kate laughed. "That does sound like something someone in this family would think up."
"It does," she agreed. "You're going to be okay with us taking him for the night?"
"Yeah…it's okay. I'll get his things together…I'm sorry I'm a mess."
"No need to be sorry; we've been through it before," Johanna said, wiping the tears from her daughter's cheek before kissing her forehead.
"I love you," Kate murmured.
"I love you too…and I promise that I will bring him back tomorrow…after I've soaked up some time with him. You feel like you have no control and your mother feels like she has an empty nest again now that I don't have my grandchildren running through the house a few days a week," she told her lightly. "I don't know what to do with myself on my days off now…I'm being deprived…so you see, you're doing me a favor by letting me leave here with one of them today."
"When you put it that way, I can live with Landen's decision a little better," Kate said with a laugh.
"Good; then let's get his things together and we'll get going…and maybe then you can get Sarah down for a nap in a little while and Rick can occupy McKenzie and you can get a little nap."
"A nap sounds good," Kate admitted as she returned to her task; but she wasn't sure if it would actually happen despite her husband's earlier promise
After helping Landen put his Spiderman and blanket in his bag along with a few other favored toys he insisted on taking, Kate gathered him in her arms and kissed his soft cheek. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here with me?" she asked him.
"Me go Gramma's," Landen said happily.
"What are you going to do at Grandma's?"
"Play with Gramma. Play with Granpa. Play with kitty."
She nodded. "You've got big plans I see. Will you be a good boy for Grandma?"
"Me good boy," Landen replied.
"Okay," she said with a nod even though her heart still stung that he wanted to leave her for the night. She knew she was being irrational but she couldn't help it. "I think we have everything we need in your bag so you need to tell Daddy bye."
"Bye, Daddy!" Landen said with a smile and a wave.
Castle smiled. "You're so very happy to be running out on me and leaving me with a houseful of women, aren't you?" he asked as he picked him up and tossed him in the air, making him giggle. "You're my main man here, how can you do this to me?"
"Me go sleep at Gramma's," he said happily.
Castle eyed him with amusement. "You're going to Grandma's to have some peace; you can't fool me…can I go with you?"
"No!" his son exclaimed. "My Gramma."
"I understand," he said with a nod; "I'm not allowed to intrude. I'll miss you though. Be a good boy for Grandma and Grandpa and I'll see you tomorrow. I love you, buddy."
"Love you, Daddy."
Castle kissed his cheek and sat him down. "Go give Sissy a hug and tell her bye."
Landen raced over to his sister who was showing the baby pictures in a storybook. "Sissy go Gramma's?"
"No, I'm staying here," McKenzie replied. "I'm telling Sarah a story."
"Hug Sissy."
"No, leave me alone," she said, shrugging off her brother's hug.
"McKenzie," Kate said firmly. "Hug your brother."
Before McKenzie could turn to hug him, Landen grabbed hold of her dark hair and gave it a hard yank. "Ow!" McKenzie yelled, turning around and slapping her brother's arm. "That hurt!"
Landen burst into tears and ran for Johanna. "McKenzie Grace!" Kate yelled, making the baby flinch in her swing which set off a wail from her. "We don't hit each other in this house!"
"Landen pulled my hair!" she cried.
"I know, and I would've taken care of it; you don't hit! You've been picking at him all day and it's going to stop!"
"He's been mean to me too!" McKenzie insisted. "He tried to bite me yesterday!"
"Because you wouldn't play with him," Kate stated. "You can't just ignore him all the time!"
"He never gets in trouble," she cried. "Only I get in trouble!"
Kate closed her eyes and counted to ten; listening to all of her children crying once again.
"Landen just got in trouble earlier," Castle stated, seeing that his wife was on the verge of a meltdown herself. "He can't pull your hair and you can't hit him and neither one of you can hit or throw things at Sarah. We don't do those things. Your brother has been acting up the last few days but you haven't been much better yourself today, McKenzie. I think you need to say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa and then go up to your room for some quiet time until you feel better."
"Fine," she said stubbornly. "I want to be by myself!"
"Katie, are you sure you don't want me to take them all for you tonight?" Johanna asked as she held her grandson in one arm and stooped down to gather McKenzie to her with the other.
"No, Mom, not tonight…not with the moods they're in. Next weekend like you said…and maybe since Landen is getting his own night tonight; we can arrange individual nights for the other two later on…if that's okay."
"That's fine," Johanna replied. "Landen, tell Sissy you're sorry for hurting her."
"Me sorry, Sissy," Landen sniffled. "Hug?"
McKenzie swiped at her own tears and turned to hug her brother. "Tell Landen you're sorry," Johanna encouraged.
"I'm sorry I hit you, Landen; but you pulled my hair and it hurt."
"Okay, you're both sorry," Johanna said; "You're both having a bad day…you can do better tomorrow, right?"
"I'll be better, Grandma," McKenzie promised.
"Okay," she said kissing her forehead. "I love you. While you're having quiet time, why don't you try to take a little nap? It might make you feel better."
"I want to look at my book."
Johanna nodded. "That's another good way to feel better. Hug Grandpa and go on up to your room so you don't get in anymore trouble."
Jim hugged McKenzie tightly and told her he loved her before walking her to the stairs and sending her on her way to her room. "You ready to go?" he asked Johanna as he picked up Landen's overnight bag.
"I'm ready," she said, adjusting her hold on Landen. "Katie, I'll call you before he goes to bed so you can say goodnight."
"Alright, Mom," Kate replied as she hugged her. "Thanks for taking him…sorry about this being a less than stellar visit."
Johanna smiled. "No problem. We'll see you tomorrow."
They said their goodbyes and left the loft, staying quiet until they got on the elevator. Johanna glanced to her husband, meeting his eye. "Well…you were right to be suspicious after all," she stated.
Jim nodded. "I was suspicious but about the wrong thing."
"Well, you weren't totally wrong," she said with a smile as her grandson toyed with her hair. "We are leaving with a grandchild."
Jim smiled and ruffled Landen's hair. "True…but that was his doing, he's desperate to get away from home."
"Can you blame him?" she laughed.
"No," he chuckled.
"But you were right," Johanna said, her tone turning a little more serious. "We weren't invited just for the sake of it."
He slipped his arm around her waist. "I hope one day they'll prove me wrong when I'm suspicious. How do you feel about all of this?"
Landen snuggled against her and she leaned her cheek against the top of his head, breathing in his scent. "I'll have to get back to you on that."
Jim brushed a kiss against her cheek, his arm remaining around her. She hadn't had time to sort it out yet…and Landen would give her an excuse to hold off on that sorting but she'd tell him when she was ready, he was sure of that.