Disclaimer: I own nothing Castle related.
The summer had been great for most everyone in the Castle household, Alexis was about to start her fall semester, Martha had a new off Broadway play she was working on and Rick had just finished his newest Nikki Heat novel. Kate on the other hand was just about 5 months along and was starting to feel every bit of her pregnancy. The plus side, they would soon be finding out the sex of the baby.
"Ugh," Kate grunts as she reaches out to turn of her alarm. This whole trying to sleep while pregnant thing was getting old fast. Whoever said pregnancy was magical, was either high or a man, there was nothing magical about not being able to sleep properly and having to use the restroom all the time.
Kate was showing a fair bit by now and loved to be able to see that little peanut was growing, she kind of wished it would go faster and slower at the same time. Because no matter how much she complained about being pregnant, she was still ecstatic about the idea of having this baby.
She had just showered and feeling very refreshed, when she walked towards her family.
"All right people, this is your last chance to place a bet," she heard Rick exclaim as she drew nearer. She couldn't help the smile on her face when she heard the excitement in Rick's voice.
"We have your odds here, it is a risky bet on a boy, seeing as I have only sired a girl," Rick said with a laugh.
"That's a really weird way of saying that you have a daughter," Kate said with a laugh.
"Honestly, Richard, the things you say," Martha said.
"Yeah, dad, that was a bit on the creepy side," Alexis said as she glanced over at Kate. "What do you think it is? Isn't it supposed to be some sort of mothers intuition?"
"Ah-ah-ah," Rick said as he held up a finger, "that's cheating, Kate you are officially not allowed to bet if you have a cheat sheet."
"Well, I have my theories," Kate mused, "but I will not be sharing them, I wouldn't want anyone to be disqualified."
"Hey, I have an idea, why don't you write it down on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope, then we can see if you were right after the appointment." Alexis said with a smug look on her face, almost as if she wanted to challenge Kate's feeling.
"Sure, bud," Kate said with a smile, "but I will be holding on to said envelope, because we all know that your father would not be able to resist reading it."
"Hey?" Rick exclaimed. Kate, Alexis and Martha just laughed.
There was a knock on the door and Jim walked in, greeting everyone as he entered.
"So? Has everyone decided what they are betting on?" Rick said, looking very serious with a notebook in hand.
"Babe, I'm pretty sure everyone is just hoping for a healthy baby," Kate said with a smile. Little Peanut, you better be healthy in there.
"Well of course, but it's way more fun to play the boy vs. girl game. Isn't that right you healthy little baby you?" Rick cooed to Kate's bump.
Kate couldn't help laughing at her husbands' antics.
"What are the bets so far?" Kate asked, she was pretty sure about what the boys and Lanie would say. Lanie and Ryan were on team girl and Espo was sure it was a boy.
"Well we have Espo, mother and Gates betting on a boy, and Lanie, Ryan and myself betting on a girl. Alexis and Jim have yet to make a bet and you are not allowed to." Rick said as he looked over his notebook.
"So, Jim, Alexis, what will it be?" Rick asked with his pen ready.
They both shot Kate a look, hoping for some sort of hint or something. Kate just smiled and waited for their answer.
"Well, I'm hoping for a little brother," Alexis began, quickly adding, "or a little sister."
"Well, then you're in luck," Rick laughed, "you will be getting either a brother or a sister."
Alexis rolled her eyes at the comment.
"I'll just go with – a boy." Alexis said and looked at Kate, who just smiled.
"Well, I guess I'll go with girl to keep it even," Jim said with a soft smile.
"All right, babe, time to stop betting and start eating breakfast." Kate said as she sat down at the table.
"Yes, dear," Rick joked.
oOoOoOo
"Beckett, Katherine?" Kate looked up as the receptionist called her up.
"Yes?" Kate answered.
"The doctor will see you now." Kate just nodded as she and Rick stood up and followed her down into an examination room.
"Hello, how are you feeling today?" The doctor asked as Kate sat down.
"Fine, just a little tired, that's all," Kate said with a slight smile.
"Well, that's normal," the doctor said, before asking. "Have you been taking your prenatal vitamins?"
"Yes," Kate smiled, "my husband makes sure I don't forget." She squeezed his hand as she chuckled.
"Well, what can I do," Rick laughed, "her pregnancy brain sometimes makes her forget to take them and sometimes it makes her forget she already took them, so I decided make it my responsibility."
The doctor laughed at Rick's explanation. "As long as you take them and you get enough rest, you should be good, the both of you," he said gesturing towards Kate and her abdomen.
"Are we ready to have a look?" the doctor asked.
"Yes, but I was wondering if the rest of our family could join us for the reveal." Kate asked a little apprehensive.
"Sure thing," the doctor smiled, "you can call them in now."
Rick went outside and called for Alexis, Martha and Jim to join them.
"All right, now that everyone is here," the doctor looked around, Kate nodded her agreement, "let's begin. Could you lift up your shirt."
Kate lifted her shirt up off her bump and pushed the stretchy fabric of her maternity pants down. She was feeling a little self-conscious about being so exposed in front of her family, that is until she heard it, the heartbeat. She looked at the screen in front of her and was instantly smiling from ear to ear.
Ricks hand found hers and just held it, Kate looked over at her husband and saw that Alexis was hugging Rick and wiping away a tear.
"Alexis, are you all right?" Kate asked quietly.
"Yeah, I am," Alexis looked at Kate, eyes still filled with tears. "It's just so real now, I mean I've seen ultrasound photos and felt kicks, but I mean." She took a breath to compose herself. "Just listen to that heartbeat."
Kate had to hold herself back from standing up and hugging Alexis at those words. Kate looked at the rest of her family and they too were in tears.
"These better be tears of joy," she laughed through a sob.
Jim just walked over and kissed Kate's forehead, while Martha exclaimed, "yes, yes, yes it's wonderful, just marvelous."
"As you can hear, the heart is beating strong. If you look over here you can see the head, there's the little nose and over here we have five fingers and five on the other side." The doctor pointed out everything he was mentioning, "so in total we have ten fingers and, let me see, yes, ten toes. So are we ready to find out the sex of the baby?" He looked around at a lot of nodding heads, as he moved the wand over to where he could see properly.
"I was wondering if you could look at this and let me know if I was right." Kate said as she handed the doctor the envelope. The doctor just took it and opened it, took the wand up again and looked closely.
"It would seem that mama was right." He said with a smile.
"Really?" Kate's eyes were filled with tears again, "is it really?"
"Yes, it appears to be," the doctor laughed.
"Well, what is it?" Rick said exasperated.
"Mr. Castle, congratulations, it's a boy," the doctor said still smiling at Rick's impatience.
All Kate could hear were the gasps from her family.
"Babe, we're having a boy," Kate said as she leaned over and kissed him, then looked over to Alexis. "What do you think? A little brother."
"I mean wow," was all Alexis said before she walked over to Kate and gave her a hug.
Kate wiped the gel of her belly and fixed her clothes before getting up and hugging her father and mother-in-law.
"This is really great, Katie," Jim whispered into her ear as they hugged.
"Well, I'll let you know that Richard was a wonderful baby, no matter how he turned out." Martha said with a sly smile and a playful slap on Ricks face.
Kate couldn't help but laugh.
oOoOoOo
It felt like a long day before Rick and Kate went to bed, but they were so excited about the prospect of a son that they didn't care.
"We have to think of a name for him," Kate said as she tried to get comfortable.
"What about …" Rick began.
"We are not naming him Cosmo, babe," Kate said sternly.
"But …" Rick tried.
"Not happening," Kate said smiling. "I was thinking more traditional, like John or Peter or …"
"How about we don't name him after an apostle?" Rick said laughing.
"Oh, I know, what about Nicholas?" Kate mused.
"So that we can be the awkward father-son duo Rick and Nick?" Rick said, looking a little perplexed.
"No, your right, that wouldn't work," Kate said.
"I like Alexander as a middle name, we could use that." Kate smiled at Rick.
"Really? You want to name him after me?" Rick sounded incredulous.
"Well, yes, the name has stuck with me ever since I found out from that weird fortune teller, that someone named Alexander would safe my life. I find it fitting." She smiled.
"What about a first name?" Rick asked.
"How about we try some out in the next couple of weeks and see which one we like the best?" Kate sounded quite sure of herself, that this was the perfect solution.
So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
If you have suggestions about a first name, send them my way via review or pm.
