Disclaimer: The only part of Castle that I own is the TV on which I used to watch the show.

The first time I saw sea lions was when Docky took me to the Central Park Zoo just before my first birthday and I loved them right away. That was the day I started calling Doctor Perlmutter Docky, and it was the day he told me that he had a baby girl Abby who loved sea lions, too, but she died. My sister is named after her. It's also the day that Scrapple met Docky and we found out that he could talk Dog, too, so it was a very important day in my life.

Sea lions are my favorite animal after dogs, and Docky invited me to go with him to a documentary about sea lions and seals at the Museum of Natural History. A lot of people think they're the same, but they're not, even though they're both pinnipeds, which means they have fin feet! I love seals, but not as much as sea lions who for one thing bark really loudly and also have cute ears and huge front flippers. Oh, that's three things. Or maybe five, since they have two ears and two front flippers. I am kind of distracted today and I'm going to tell you why.

I was very excited about seeing the movie last Sunday. It was snowing and Docky picked me up at noon so we could go have our favorite lunch which is spaghetti and meatballs. Dad always teases him about that because Docky is a gourmet cook, but if you ask me spaghetti and meatballs are very gourmet. Anyway, my stomach felt a little funny but I didn't want to say anything. And then by the end of lunch it really felt funny but I didn't want to be a baby, especially since there are about to be two new babies in my family, so I still didn't say anything. And we walked around the museum for a little bit and Docky asked if I felt all right and I said yes and then right smack in the middle of the movie I felt much worse and told him I was going to be sick and we ran out of the theater and I threw up in the museum bathroom.

Docky washed my face and then he put his hand on my forehead and said, "Oh, Eliophant, you're burning up." He asked me if my stomach hurt and I said yes, it was awful. And he asked me more questions about it like where did it hurt and was it tender here or there and he poked me in the belly but not hard, just the way a doctor does. And I hollered, "OUCH." That was when he got out his phone and called a cab and then called Mom and Dad and said he was taking me to the hospital.

The reason is that he thought I might have appendicitis and if I did I probably would have to have it removed practically right that second. Docky said that Dad was going to stay home with Otis and Abby and Scrapple and that Mom would meet us at the hospital. On the way there he said, "You know, I had my appendix out, a long time ago, when I was fourteen."

"You did? Did it hurt?"

"Really only before the operation, like you. You're being very brave."

"Do you have a scar?"

"I do."

"You know who else does? Madeline. Remember in the book? When in the middle of the night Miss Clavel turned on her light and said something is not right? And it was Madeline's appendix."

"I do remember that. We read that book together a lot when you were little."

Then I was afraid I was about to throw up again and I told Docky. We were still in the taxi and he asked the driver please to pull over.

"I have this plastic bag," I said, and I yanked it out of my parka pocket. "I always carry one for when Scrapple poops." And it's a lucky thing I did, because I did throw up, and it was right into the bag. Docky wiped my face off with his handkerchief and I said I was sorry.

"Don't apologize, Eliot. I'm really impressed by your quick thinking. Here, I'll take the bag–"

"Ewww, it's gross."

"I'm a doctor, and I've seen thousands of things much grosser than this, I promise. Now, I'm going to get out of the car and put the bag in the trash can, okay? There's one right there on the corner."

Thank goodness it was only three more blocks to the hospital. They made me ride in a wheelchair which I have never done before and they whooshed me down a long hallway and then they lifted me onto a gurney like the EMTs put Mom on after she fainted and came here and found out that she was having another pair of twins. I was so glad that Docky was with me because it was a little bit scary in there, maybe a lot scary. People were all over the place moaning and sometimes yelling because they were all sick and having an emergency. Me, too. And there were so many machines beeping and whirring and blinking.

Docky was talking to me while a doctor and a nurse did some tests and gave me something to help my stomach not hurt so much and to help me not throw up again. We were waiting for the surgeon when Mom came running towards the cubicle where we were. Not running exactly, even though Mom is a great runner, but her belly is getting bigger all the time. "You're carrying narrow," I heard Aunt Lanie say to her, which means that Bumpy and Thumby are kind of lined up in the front instead of spreading out to the side like you do on the sofa when you're watching a movie. They must like it better that way. I don't know why. I should ask them. Anyway, it makes Mom's belly stick out a whole lot in the front. If you were walking behind her you might not guess that she's pregnant and if she turned around you'd be 100% surprised.

"Eliot!" She didn't hug me because I was lying down but she kissed me and put her hand on my cheek and then she pushed my hair off my forehead which felt good because I was sweaty even though I was shivering. Plus it was only 20 degrees Fahrenheit outside which is almost 7 below zero if you live in most other countries besides this one and use Celsius. "How do you feel, sweet pea?"

"My stomach hurts more then that time at Coney Island. Docky says I have appendicitis."

"He told me. I'm so relieved that he was with you when you got sick, because he knew exactly what to do." And then she kissed Docky on the cheek. "Thank you, Sidney. From Castle and me. You can't imagine."

"Well, I probably can," Docky said. "Eliot has been a champ."

That was when Dr. Greene the surgeon got there. He asked me a couple of questions but mostly he talked to Mom and Docky. Finally I said, "Doctor Greene?"

"Yes, Eliot."

"Could I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Is this going to be a laparoscopic appendectomy?"

"What?"

I don't know why he asked what, since he's a surgeon. "A laparoscopic appendectomy. It's supposed to better than cutting me open, right? Even though I wouldn't get to have a cool scar like Docky. Excuse me, I mean Doctor Perlmutter. He had his appendix out. I haven't seen his scar but he said he has one."

He still looked kind of mystified, which is a word I learned last week that's a lot like confused but I think sounds more interesting. "Yes, we hope to. I guess Doctor Perlmutter told you about laparoscopy."

"No. I looked it up myself after I read about Madeline having her appendix out. Well, not right after I read Madeline, but last summer when I was thinking about it again because I read the book to my little brother and sister. I might be a doctor when I grow up. It's kind of weird that you don't need your appendix, isn't it? Do you think anyone will ever figure out why we have one? Some people think it might be left over from our plant-eating ancestors. Did you know that, Mom?"

She laughed, which was nice because she looked so worried when she came in. "No, I didn't. I learn a lot from you." Then she told Dr. Greene, "My son is an insatiable reader."

Dr. Greene still looked mystified–I'm practicing using that word–even though he said, "I see."

"I think Eliot would be very interested in everything about the procedure," Docky said. "His mother could testify to that."

"Oh, yes." Mom squeezed my hand. "I certainly could."

And then it was time to get my appendix out. I had to wear a cap on my head and a nightshirt thing that tied. I was scared about going into the operating room by myself so Docky asked if he could be there with me since he's a doctor and they said okay. They put a mask over my nose and mouth and I looked at Docky and when I opened my eyes again there he was and so was Mom. I thought it might be the next day but it was only a couple of hours.

After I went to my hospital room Docky and Mom stayed with me for a while, and then she went home so Dad could come see me. I took a little nap but then I woke up and had to walk up and down the hall and then Dad, Docky, and I played hearts. Dad brought a pack of cards with him which was very smart. Gram was staying with the twins so Mom could come back for a visit. When she came in she still had some snow on her hat.

"What's in the bag, Mom?"

"Your slippers, my slippers, and my PJs. Otis and Abby have had their supper and I'm going to spend the night here with you."

"No way," Dad said. "Terrible idea."

"Why?"

"You're thirty-one weeks pregnant, that's why."

"Oh, believe me, I'm aware of that every waking minute. And sleeping, which is now almost impossible."

"Something could happen."

"Really? You mean like I could go into labor? In that case, what better place for me to be than in a hospital?"

Oooooh, the way she said hospital made it sound like it was about eighty letters long instead of eight. Even though I'd just had an operation I could tell that Mom was mad. I can always tell by her eyes and her mouth, too. When she was teaching me how to play poker she told me stuff about ways to read people's faces. And I thought, oh boy Dad, you better apologize! And he must have read my mind or maybe Mom's face since he's a good poker player because here's what he said.

"I'm sorry, Kate." Then he put his hands up. "You're absolutely right. But the bed in here will be miserable, and at least at home you can get some sleep."

"May I make a suggestion?" Docky said. "I'd be honored to stay with Eliot. You have Otis and Abby and Scrapple at home, which is where both of you should be, and the weather is awful. Another advantage is that if Eliot has any questions about his surgery or recovery he can talk to me and we won't have to wait for someone to come by and answer."

"We can't ask you to do that, Sidney," Mom said. "You already bore the brunt." I don't know what that means. I forgot to look it up.

"Nonsense." When Docky says something like "nonsense" he doesn't need to say anything else. Mom and Dad looked at each other and did that thing where they're talking without opening their mouths which is also how I talk to Thumby and Bumpy, but it's different. And then Mom tilted her head sideways and then Dad tilted his head sideways and their eyebrows went up. It reminds me of watching silent movies from the olden days which Dad and I do sometimes.

"Thank you," Mom and Dad said at the exact same second. "That would be wonderful." They said that at the same time, too.

"Is that all right with you, sweet pea?" Mom tickled the bottom of my foot through the blanket.

"Yeah, Mom. We'll be fine. Can Docky and I keep the cards, Dad? In case we want to play a game?"

"You may, but it's way past your bedtime and you've had an enormously huge gigantic day, and I think you should hold off on the cards until the morning."

They left a few minutes later and kissed me goodnight and gave me my slippers.

"I'm sorry you didn't get to see the rest of the sea lions movie, Docky."

"It's going to be showing there every weekend all winter, so you and I will go back another Sunday and start from the beginning."

I was going to ask him if I could see his scar but I must have conked out. That's something Gram likes to say, "I just conked out, kiddo." When I woke up it was still dark but I could see Docky lying in the bed next to mine and he was looking at me.

"Is something wrong, Eliot?"

"I just have to go the bathroom."

So he helped me and we also took another walk out in the hall because he said that would be good for me. He did show me his scar and it wasn't too bad because it kind of faded in 48 years which is how long ago he had his appendix out. Docky says by the summer you won't be able to tell I had surgery. He told me that I still have to be careful for a little while, no running around or sports and no picking up anything that weighs more than a few pounds which means I can't carry Scrapple up and down the stairs until I'm healed.

In the middle of the afternoon I got to go back to the loft. Otis and Abby had made a sign that said WELKIM HOHM ELIOT and Scotch taped it to the front door. It felt like I had been away for a long time, even though it was only about 29 hours. When we had supper I said, "It was pretty magical that I was with Docky when I got appendicitis, wasn't it?" Everybody said yes and then Mom said we had to find a really, really, really special thank-you present for him.

Just then I remembered what Docky told me while we were eating spaghetti. I said I'd like to learn how to speak Italian and I asked him if there was anything he wanted to learn and he said, "As a matter of fact, there is. I'd like to learn how to bake spectacular bread."

Dad said, "Oh, wait, I know just the place." And he found it on his phone and showed us and we all decided yes! It is a three-day bread-making class at a bakery in Vermont and we would also give him a big room with a fireplace for him to stay at in an inn where Mom and Dad went once for before any of us was born. To the inn, not the bread class.

I went to bed kind of early and Scrapple was extra snuggly.

"I was very worried about you, Eliot. It's the first night you've been away since you and Mom and Dad adopted me six and a half years ago."

"Were you lonely?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry. I had Docky with me, at least. You should have gone and stayed with the twins."

"Are you kidding? I had to guard the room until you got home."

"Well, you get an A plus. Everything looks perfect in here."

"Thank you."

"You know what? I was really scared when I had to go in the operating room. For a second I thought what would happen if I died? I wouldn't see you again. You're my best friend and there's something I want to make sure you know since I never told you, but I hope you knew anyway. I love you, Scrapple."

"And I love you, too, Eliot. Night."

"Night."

He licked my hand and then I put my hand on his head and that's how we both fell asleep.

I've had to stay home from school since then, for the whole week, and won't go back until Monday. I thought that I might get a little bit bored but this morning something happened. Around 11:30 when Dad was in his office writing and I was lying on the sofa reading the front door opened. And then I heard a clonk which was Mom dropping her bag on the floor. And then I heard what sounded like her talking to her coat which she was trying to hang up but fell off the hook. Twice. I peeked over my book at her and she looked exasperated, which means very annoyed.

"Hi, Mom. Did you decide to come home for lunch?"

"Yes. And dinner and breakfast and lunch and dinner and breakfast and lunch and dinner." she was making a circle with her hand that looked like the washing machine rotating.

I didn't know what she was talking about but Dad must have heard us talking because he came out to the living room. "Kate? You're home?"

"Yes, I am. I am most definitely home. Home, home, home." Uh, oh, she sounded very cranky.

"Oh, my God. You were just going for a routine checkup. What's wrong?"

Dad was as pale as a snowman but Mom's face was really pink so she didn't look like she was sick. "Apparently nothing that starting my maternity leave an hour ago and being on so-called modified bed rest won't cure. Assuming I don't lost my mind lying around all day for weeks on end."

Mom has to lie around all day? She will go batty. B-A-T-T-Y. Her doctor said her blood pressure was a little bit too high and she's having multiples which means more than one baby so being at the precinct was too stressful right now. She doesn't have to stay in bed all the time and she can walk around outside and stuff but she's supposed to relax on the sofa a lot, or the bed, and not cook or anything. And not go back to work until way after the new twins are born. She told me not to worry, so I won't.

I know it's driving her crazy not to be able to do a lot of things but Dad has a book deadline so he is working very hard and it's fun to have Mom home with me. Today is Wednesday and Valentine's Day is one week away and she helped me make a Valentine for everyone in my home room. We could have bought a box of them but I liked making a different one for each person and there are only 19 kids so it didn't take all that long. Sarah made us soup for lunch and when we finished Mom went to lie down in her and Dad's room.

"Can Scrapple and I come up there with you, Mom?"

"I would be thrilled to the farthest star and back if you did."

So he jumped up and I got on the bed, too, but I was sitting. "I have to whisper so Dad can't hear."

"Okay." She whispered, too. "Do you have a secret you want to tell me?"

"It's secret idea for a Valentine's present for Dad. We could order it online or if you can go in a taxi with me to the Yankee store we could get it there."

"The Yankee store, eh? You love that place."

"So do you, Mom."

"Like mother, like son. But you shouldn't really be going out yet. What's your Yankee Valentine present idea?"

"One of my favorite stories from when you and Dad were working together before you fell in love was when you bumped into Joe Torre and it turned out that Dad knew him and introduced you and you were so excited you couldn't even talk right."

Mom laughed. "Dad never lets me forget that moment."

"Well, I know that Joe Torre's number when he was the manager of the Yankees was six. So I thought we could get Dad that tee shirt with the big number six on the back since after Thumby and Bumpy come he'll have six kids."

She rolled onto her side and gave me a big smooch on the cheek. "What a perfect present. You're a genius."

"Mom! You're not supposed to say that. That's bragging."

"I know. I hope you'll forgive me this once since it's just the two of us."

"Five. Don't forget Scrapple, Bumpy and Thumby. They can hear us even if we're whispering."

"That's logic worthy of your father, sweet pea. So, let me grab my phone and we'll order that Yankee shirt right now to make sure it gets here in plenty of time."

We did and then Mom put her phone down and rubbed her belly. "Oooff."

"Are you okay?"

"Just uncomfortable, but I'm fine. The twins are getting big."

"I can tell."

"Hey!"

But then she laughed again so it was OK.

Since we were through with the secret I used my regular voice again. "Do you and Dad still not know the genders of Thumby and Bumpy?"

"We still don't. Since we have already have boys and girls in the family, we really want it to be a surprise." She looked right into my eyes for a long time, and then she went back to whispering. "If I tell you a secret, will your promise to keep it just to yourself?"

"Cross my heart, Mom. Oops, I should be whispering, too."

"Okay. Here's something that Dad and I do know about Thumby and Bumpy. Are you ready?"

"Yesssss." Even though I whispered I put a lot of esses in there.

"They're identical twins."

I almost yelled but I remembered not to, and I wanted to jump around the bed because I was so excited but that wouldn't be good for Mom and I'm not supposed to for a while because of my operation, so I stayed still and just whispered. "Wow! They're going to look exactly alike! How are we going to tell them apart?"

"Well, we'll figure that out when they get here. You're really happy, aren't you?"

"Yeah! Is it okay if I go tell Dad that I know?"

"Yes, but absolutely no one else. And now that I've told you I'm ready for a snooze."

"Sleep tight, Mom."

"Thank you."Scrapple jumped down and I slid off the bed and we went to Dad's office and knocked on the door. "Can we come in? It's Eliot and Scrapple."

"Sure."

I closed the door behind us. "Is it okay if I interrupt for a minute?"

"More than okay. I'm happy to take a break. You look like you're about to explode. Something you want to tell me?"

I put my finger up to my mouth and went shhhhhh and then I stood right next to his chair. "I'm going to whisper. Mom said I could tell you that she told me about Thumby and Bumpy. That they're identical. Isn't that amazing, Dad? And magic?"

He put his arms around me and whispered, "Those are exactly the words I'd use. Especially magic."

Then we talked about other things in our normal voices until I said, "I have to whisper again."

"Should I?"

"Yes, please. Valentine's Day is in a week and I got a great idea for a present for Mom. From Otis and Abby and Scrapple and me, I mean. I bet you got her a present a long time ago, right?"

"You're right. But tell me your idea."

"You remember Reggie Jackson's number forty-four and Mom being forty-four? Wouldn't it be fun to get her a Yankee tee shirt with the big number forty-four on it? We could go to the Yankee store."

"That's a perfect idea, but you shouldn't be going out much yet, so how about we order it online?"

See? A coincidence! That's just what Mom said, but I couldn't tell Dad. "Yeah. Let's look." Dad pulled up the picture of the shirt on his laptop and I pointed to the box for size. "I think we have to get extra extra large so that it can fit over her extra extra large belly."

Dad raised his eyebrow at me. "You're right, but don't say that to your mother. She's a little sensitive about it."

"I know."

And then he grinned at me and said, "That's my boy." And I am!

TBC

A/N Thanks to all you lovely readers and reviewers!