A/N: I am no means a doctor, but I do like to be as accurate as possible so I google what I can and read up. Thanks.
Kate is sitting at her desk trying to get through the mound of paperwork she had put off. She had not gotten the results back yet from her 12-week appointment and it killed her. She couldn't wait any longer to hear the results. Kate was feeling sick so she stacked up the paperwork and pushed it aside rubbing her temples before she headed to the bathroom. leaning over the toilet, she lets go of whatever she had for lunch right into the bowl.
"God, I hate this stage." She groans, carefully standing and going to the sink to wash off. She's clean now as she tries to head back to her desk. Just as she makes it into her office closing the door her phone rings. She looks at the caller ID and its Missy, her OBG/YN. Her nerves are trembling as she watches the name on the screen. She picks up moments later trying to calm herself.
"Kate, it's Missy, is Castle with you?" She asks as Kate can feel something is wrong. She holds one hand to her stomach as she replies back to Missy.
"Uh, no, I'm at work." She sighs softly.
"Well, I got your results back. I would like to see you and Castle as soon as you can come in." Missy says trying not to shock the woman. Kate's heart sunk as she heard what was coming from the woman. She knew it, she knew having another baby was risky.
"Thank you, I'll call you, I have to call my husband first." She sighs hanging up abruptly. Kate was done. She just wanted a happy ending. Just one more of her and Castle's babies. Shifting, Kate gets up and grabs her bag heading for the door. She gets in the elevator and calls Castle. She's almost in tears as Castle picks up.
"Hey babe," He smiles, happy to hear from his wife and hear her voice.
"Hi, bean! Daddy did not forget about you!" He yells, Kate pulling the phone from her ear.
"Would you warn me next time?" Kate groans pulling the phone back.
"Sorry, babe." He says shifting the phone to his other ear.
"We need to talk, I'm coming home." She sighs feeling the worry come from Castle's audible scared noises.
"Ok, uh, well, I'll see you soon." He tells her and hangs up. Kate gets in her car and before she can pull out of her spot her face is in her hands and is resting on the steering wheel. She knows this is the end. She can feel the sting of the words. Her mind had not even gone to the fact that this could be happy news. Since losing her last child, Kate and Castle had named him/her Sterling. It's a middle English name that means little star. She's sobbing now as she clutches her stomach thinking about that day two years ago when she was rushed to the hospital.
"Hey bean, you have to hold on ok?"
"Mommy has a nice home for you and I need you to live in it just a few more months." Kate is still crying as she talks to the little baby that was living inside her.
"I am not letting you go live with Sterling." She cries, trying now to calm herself. She needed to get home and be with Castle. She knew he could and would make it all better. Reaching over, she opens the armrest and pulls out a small box of Kleenex taking one from it and dabbing her eyes. She's calm enough now that she feels ok in driving home. It does not take her long because she takes the short cut route she only uses when she really needs to get home. She pulls into her spot about 10 minutes later and gets out slinging her bag over her shoulder and heading up to the loft. Castle is on the couch as he hears the door open and he jumps up to go rush over and embrace Kate tightly. He picks her up moments later and carefully takes her and sets her on the couch.
"Babe, what's going on?" he asks kissing her softly.
"Missy called, she got the results back," Kate tells her husband trying not to cry again.
"She wants to talk to us… In person." Kate sighs looking up into her husband's eyes.
"I can't let this be another Sterling, I just can't." Kate says, she was trying to hold it in but alas it was not working. The tears came again this time flowing a lot more than before.
"Babe, we won't have another Sterling, we are going to have an Arejay or a Melody or even better, a Cosmo." He smiles giving his wife a kiss on her forehead.
"I promise you, I have amazing sperm, this child is, and will be a fighter." He beams pulling his wife in tighter.
"You call her, I want to go see her and get this over with, so what if it's bad news, we will figure it out, just like everything else. I will be there for you, every step of the way." He smiles again letting go of his wife and helping her up. Kate sends a quick text to Missy and tells her the couple will be over soon.
"I am scared Castle," Kate says reaching to hug her husband.
"It's ok, I'm here ok? Always." He perks up just trying to get a smile out of his wife. He takes one hand and places it gently on her stomach.
"Hey there bean, do daddy a favor, ok? Try not to scare mommy too much." He chuckles softly and leans down to leave a kiss on his wife's belly. Kate is smiling now, but only a little as she watches her husband. She knew she married the right man but, what he was doing now was proving her right. He was so perfect.
"I love you." Kate smiles now leaning down to kiss her husband's head as Castle is whispering to the baby.
"Ok, we should go, I don't want bean to be worried for us to long." Kate hiccups taking a finger to her tears and catching some of them as she lets go of Castle. Walking over she grabs her mom purse and gets her keys. Dax is right beside them as Castle takes his wife's hand and leads her out of the door.
"I'll drive." Castle smiles.
"I want you to rest." He adds as they get into Kate's C Max and head to go see Missy. The couple pulls up a while later and gets out going inside and checking in. Kate and Castle are called back, but this is not a normal appointment. Kate and Castle are taken straight to the exam room and Missy is quick to join them. Castle is helping Kate onto the table as Missy walks in.
"Kate, Castle." She smile softly.
"Oh and you too Dax." She giggles softly watching the dog park itself next to Castle.
"What I'm about to tell you may be unsettling, but I promise you, in the end it will all work out. These things can't be changed but I have all the greatest staff to help you through this." Missy tells the couple trying to reassuring to them.
"When I got your blood work back, I noticed a high level of AFP, alpha-fetoprotein, Its a protein thats produced by the baby." She explains as Kate and Castle listen intently to what she has to say.
"When you had your 12 week ultrasound I noticed something but did not want to say anything until I was completely sure." She continues.
"Usually when there are high levels of AFP it can only mean one thing, that there is a neural tube defect, it can be something not even worth worrying about to something a little serious. I will know more when I do a more complete ultrasound and I know what I am looking for." She adds looking up to see Kate's face change from 'I was ok' to 'I'm not ok'.
"It's going to be ok, This baby may not come out healthy but you will be not harmed in any way by the baby and if all goes according to plan, the baby should grow to full term." She smiles softly reaching out to take Kate's hand as Castle takes her other. Castle is shocked to say the least but from what Missy is saying, it sounds like its not life threatening to either party and should turn out to be rather ok. Kate is watching Castle as she tries to hold in tears.
"You will be fine Kate, this baby is a fighter, I already know its going to be the best in a whole world." She smile saga in softly.
"I know, you're not ready for this, and to be honest, these test can sometimes be wrong, but I would like to do that ultrasound, I want to know everything, so I can give you all the information your going to need and any numbers for the best doctors that will keep this baby alive." She tells Kate as kate lifts up her shirt and adjusts her pants.
"I honestly don't know how to feel right now." She says watching Missy set everything up.
"And thats fine, This is hard news to hear, I don't like breaking this news to anyone, wouldn't even wish it on myself." She sighs putting the probe on Kate's belly.
"Will you explain to me?" Kate asks looking up at the screen.
"Yeah, sure." Missy says pointing up at the screen.
"That there is your babies spine. Thats were the spinal cord is as well." She starts off as she moves the probe a bit.
"Down there," She continues.
"You see that?" Missy points out to the parents.
"Thats an opening in the spine, its what we check for when we suspect a fetus has Spina Bifida," She explains to them.
"You can also see a little bit of the sac, It's part of the spinal cord and nerves that did not form properly when the fetus had started growing and got a little out of place." She says as Kate watches. She's not so upset anymore. I mean she is, but, she's glued to the screen watching and listening to Missy.
"I want you to know, It's nothing you did, things like this sometimes just happen. Fetus' all grow differently and this little guy just happened to want to change it up." She continues looking over at Castle and then at Kate. The whole time Castle has had his hand holding onto Kate's. He knows She's scared, but for him, somehow hearing it all made it seem less scary.
"A case like this is called Spina Bifida Cystica, it can be treated actually while the baby is still in the womb with surgery." She explains. Castles eyes go big as he hears what she just said.
"They can do surgery while the baby is still inside? Inside there?" he asks as Missy nods.
"Yes, yes they can." She says looking over to Castle.
"Thats pretty cool!" He smiles brightly kissing Kate's hand hoping to help her feel better.
"Although, we can do surgery while the baby is in utero, It's best sometimes to wait till the baby is born to reduce the risks of preterm labor." She says watching Kate. She moving the probe around and she spots something. She's not sure the couple wants to know the sex yet but its clear as day and she figures it might ease their pain just a little.
"I know all this is a lot to take in and I'll have a packet off information and phone numbers to the best surgeons on the planet to operate when your baby is born." She smiles.
"I also just stumbled upon something."
"I know what the sex is, would you guys like to know?" Missy asks as Kate looks to Castle for his answer.
"Whatever you want babe." Castle says kissing his wife. She sighs and hesitates thinking a moment before she nods.
"I was not ready for all this news, but if I could put a name to the face of our child then I think it will make it easier on me." Kate sighs glancing over at Missy.
"It's quite obvious if you look at the screen." She chuckles softly having not seen something like this for a long while. Kate looks up at the screen and then to Castle as he is studying the screen.
"Looks like we get to have our Arejay." He smiles giving his wife another kiss.
"A boy, another boy. WAY to much testosterone in the house." Kate chuckles finally feeling a little better.
"Between Castle, Nate, Sidney, Arejay and Dax, thats a five to three ratio."
"We may just…" Castle starts as Kate shuts him up.
"No more kids Castle, I am getting too old." Kate chuckles softly as Missy helps her clean off.
"I printed out some pictures, A few clearly showing the babies sex, and a few that show whats going on, I thought you might want them just in case you want to explain to family." Missy says, handing the couple the strip of photos.
"I will see you guys in two weeks at week 18, you should be feeling the baby move anytime soon now, please call me if you don't ok?" Missy explains helping Kate sit up and adjust her shirt.
"Will do." Castle smiles reaching to help his wife off the table.
"Thanks again Missy. I don't think I'd want anyone else helping us through this." Kate says as Missy smiles back.
"you're welcome, I'm glad to have been here through all you're babies." She smiles and hugs Kate.
"Call me. ok? Anything, you need anything I'll be here." She tells the couple as the two share a hug. Kate knows its going to be a long road ahead of them, but its one she knows she has to take and she's now willing to take it. The two head out of the room with their packet of info ration and head up to the front desk to make Kate's 18 week appointment.
The two are in the car now knowing they should get home soon because the kids will be arriving home from school soon.
"I can't believe you're 16 weeks already." Castle sighs happily.
"That means I'm 40 years and six weeks old." Castle chuckles looking over at Kate.
"Because you told me you were 10 weeks on my birthday." He smiles leaning over and kissing his wife.
"I love you, and I'll be here for you, Always." He smiles again softly giving his wife one last kiss.
A/N: Two chapters in like one night. You guys are lucky. I finished the other and quickly started on the next one. I had "In my veins" playing in the background the whole time which helped me get through this. Enjoy!