Author's Note-I know this isn't what people were expecting, but this is what came to me. This really is the end now, this story is officially complete. Thanks for the fabulous reaction to this. NYLF xx
"No, Lanie! I can't do this. This can't be happening now! He's two weeks early! Rick's not here! Rick's in Chicago, signing books! No one is here Lanie! Martha is in London working in the West End, Alexis is in LA with her mother, my dad's out of state on some fishing trip, the boys are undercover in a case they're not allowed to tell me about and you need to watch Lilah! I cannot be in labour now!" Kate cried, clutching her swollen stomach with one hand as she held onto the kitchen counter with the other.
"Sweetie." Lanie started softly, rubbing tight circles on Kate's lower back. "Baby wants to meet you, he doesn't care that it's inconvenient." Kate shook her head desperately.
"I can't do this with out them! I need them Lanie! I need my husband!" Lanie swallowed the urge to cry along with her when tears trickled down her best friend's cheeks. Castle had barely been there in the last few months, working tirelessly on book tours and movie production. He'd tried so hard to get out of it but when it became a choice of fulfilling his duties, but leaving Kate, and loosing his job, but staying, Kate had urged him to just go. Being apart was beyond hard, but they called everyday he wasn't there and Skyped at least once a week. Lilah didn't like it, understandably, but she understood that, just like momma had to slay dragons, dada had to go tell stories.
Kate groaned as a contraction ripped through her. Lanie tried her best to soothe her but knew it was largely useless.
"Lanie, get my phone. Please, I need my phone." The medical examiner was quick to oblige.
"Momma?" A tiny sleepy voice called from the bottom stair. Kate schooled her features to hide her pain before turning to face her big girl.
"Hey Angel, I thought you were still asleep Baby?" Kate asked softly. Lilah shook her head.
"Waked up. What's wrong?" Kate shook her head at her concern.
"Nothing's wrong my Darling. Your brother is just getting impatient that's all." Lilah nodded slowly.
"But dada's not here." Kate could have cried again at the regret in her three and a half year old's tone.
"I know. But he'll only be gone for another three days." Kate assured her softly. "You're gonna stay with Auntie Lanie today while I go and have your brother okay?" Lilah nodded.
"Okay momma." Lanie smiled to the toddler as she handed Kate her phone. Within seconds, Kate was dialling the most familiar number.
"Hey Kate, what's up?" Rick answered happily. Kate could have sobbed with relief at the sound of his voice.
"Rick." She choked. "It's happening, Rick." There was a beat of silence where Castle tried to connect the sentence, and his wife's frantic tone, to a nugget of information hidden in his overworked brain. Kate cried out across the line and everything snapped into place.
"You're in labour? Now?!" He asked incredulously. Kate hummed an affirmative sounding answer. "Okay, I will be on a plane in the next ten minutes. Hold on Baby, I'll be there as soon as I can."
"There's no one here Rick. I can't do this by myself." She sobbed. Rick held onto his composure tightly, forcing his tone to be authoritative.
"Beckett. You are the head of New York's finest detective team. You survived a bullet to the heart. You can do anything!" Kate shook her head desperately.
"Not without you." She murmured heartbrokenly. Rick sighed softly.
"Kate, I believe in you Darling okay? I will get there as fast as I can, in fact I'm running to Black Pawn's helicopter right now, but you have to be strong for me Love. You can do this and I will be there to hold you just as soon as I can." Kate took a shaky breath. "Get Lanie to watch Lilah and text the boys, phone your dad and Alexis and mother and I will be there in two hours tops okay?"
"I don't think your son will wait that long. He takes after his dada in impatience." Rick chuckled.
"I'm at the helicopter, I've got to go. I will call you as soon as I land."
"I love you, please hurry." Rick felt his heart drop.
"I love you too, all three of you. I'll be there as soon as humanly possible Baby." He hung up and strapped in while Kate cried through her next contraction.
"Okay, Sweetie, we have to get you to the hospital, now." Lanie reasoned, laying her hand on the small of Kate's back. Kate nodded. "Okay." Lanie jogged into the master bedroom and collected Kate's hospital bag before scooping Lilah up and fitting her on her hip with practised ease. Lilah settled on her godmother's hip, thumb firmly in her mouth as she watched her mother in concern.
"Mama okay?" The toddler asked Lanie as she came to Kate's side to help her across the loft.
"Mama's fine Baby." Lanie smiled. "It's just time to meet your little brother."
Once Lanie had driven them to the hospital, she had to leave Kate to be processed and examined while she waited outside with Lilah. She sent a quick text to Esposito and Ryan simply saying 'time' so as not to endanger their cover, before calling Alexis, Martha and Jim Beckett. Alexis and Jim promised to be on the next planes home while Martha assured the doctor she'd be home as soon as possible. She knew the boys would have to stay until the job was done, but they would then come straight to her side. With nothing else to do, Lanie held Lilah close and prayed that Kate would get through this, that Castle would get there in time and that everything would be okay.
Kate lay in her hospital bed, breathing deeply through her contractions while nurses flitted all around her. She wasn't paying attention to them though, her focus entirely on her baby bump.
"Hey little man. If you can hear me, just wait a little bit longer okay? Your dada wouldn't be impressed if I get to meet you first." She murmured softly, running her hand across her swollen abdomen. "Please don't let him miss this." She sighed to herself.
"Alright Kate. You're ten centimetres, time to start pushing." Kate threw her head back against her pillow for a moment, collecting herself.
"He's really not gonna be here, is he?" She shook her head before tuning back into the instructions the doctor was giving her, oblivious to her phone ringing.
"Come on Kate, pick up!" Rick chanted as he sprinted through the corridors. The helicopter had gotten permission and dropped him off at the hospital helipad, meaning the only thing standing between him and the birth of his son, providing as he hadn't already missed it, was endless corridors.
"Come on Kate, big push." The doctor urged her. Kate pressed her chin to her chest and pushed with all her might. Bright red and unable to breathe, she pushed and pushed until finally the most beautiful sound could be heard.
"I'm here, Kate. I'm right here Baby, you can do this, I've got you." Rick sprinted into the room and held her hand tightly, kissing her sweaty forehead. Kate smiled wearily.
"You made it." She breathed. Rick kissed her cheek.
"Wouldn't miss it for all the world. Push Kate, bring him into the world, time to meet him." Kate nodded and pushed a final time.
The sound of their son's cries filled the room as Kate collapsed back onto the bed. Rick kissed her gently.
"Thank you, Kate. You're so beautiful and I'm so proud of you." He gushed, kissing her once more before following instructions to cut the cord.
A few minutes later, their tiny baby boy was resting happily in his dada's arms, staring up at him with his mother's eyes.
"He's so beautiful." Kate breathed. Rick smiled at her and kissed her softly. "I'm so glad you made it." Kate stroked a finger through the dark brown tufts of hair on the baby's head before kissing Rick lovingly.
"I promised you always."