Thank you so much for all the feedback. Even though I know it is considered "bad luck" to tell about your pregnancy before the first trimester is ended, I felt that Kate and Castle needed to tell everyone, especially because she will be on desk duty. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
He left her to finish getting ready as he went to answer the door, grabbing the soiled pajama pants on his way out, tossing them in the garbage. When he got to the door, he opened it, finding Jenny, Ryan, and 10 month old Olivia standing outside.
"Hey guys," he said, letting them in, "Thanks for coming."
"Thanks for having us," Ryan said, taking Olivia from Jenny so his wife could remove her coat. Castle took the coats from his guests, hanging them in the front closet.
"Where's Kate?" Jenny asked, looking around, "Kev said she was sick yesterday. Is she doing alright?"
"I'm ok," a voice came from the bedroom doorway.
Kate came out, her eyes still a bit red, but better than they had been. She walked to Castle who put his arm around her.
"Come on in guys," Castle said, leading them to the couch.
"How's Olivia doing?" Kate asked Jenny, looking at the little girl who was happily sitting on her mom's lap.
"Really good," Jenny said, "she and I had the stomach bug thing last week, which was rough, but we're doing much better now."
"That's good," Kate said, smiling as her pseudo-niece reached for her.
"Can I?" Kate asked, looking at the little girl.
"Of course," Jenny said, handing Olivia to Kate. The baby smiled at her, giving Kate a small sense of peace she hadn't felt in quite a while.
Just then, the doorbell rang, forcing Rick up and to the door. Lanie and Esposito were standing outside along with Kate's dad.
"Hey guys," Castle said, letting them in.
"Dad?" Kate said, smiling.
"I called him too," Castle whispered into her ear, "But I wanted it to be a surprise."
"Thanks Rick," she whispered, smiling slightly. Her dad had been her rock for a long time and she needed him here with her.
"Girl," Lanie said, going to her best friend, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine Lanie," she said as Lanie gave her a hug, careful not to crush baby Olivia.
"You know you can always talk to me," Lanie whispered into her ear.
"I know Lanie," Kate whispered back.
"Hey guys," a voice from the doorway sounded.
"Alexis," Kate said, getting up, handing Olivia back to Jenny. Alexis hugged Kate tightly, sensing something was off with the older woman.
"Are you alright Kate?" Alexis asked, pulling back slightly and studying the older woman's face, "Why were you crying? Did my dad do something?"
"Your dad is innocent," Kate said, giving Alexis a small smile, "I'm doing ok."
Alexis eyed her with a suspicious glance before getting swallowed into a hug by a certain writer. Kate then went to her dad, receiving a warm embrace.
"Katie," he said, "Something's not right with you."
"I'll tell you soon Dad," she said, not releasing his embrace, "Promise."
He kissed her head, hating that his baby girl wouldn't tell him what was wrong. As she released, he noticed her finger bearing a ring.
"Katie," he whispered, grabbing her hand, "What is this?"
"I'll tell you soon," she said again, "Come on in and sit down."
As everyone sat down and Castle put out the food he had made, Kate knew it was time for the announcement. Castle came over to her side, sensing her worry and pain.
"We need to tell them Rick," she said, resting her head on his chest as he hugged her.
"Alright," he said, turning to the rest of the room, "Attention everyone. We have a few announcements."
"First off," Kate said, deciding to start with happy news first, "We are engaged."
She held out her hand which bore the ring he had given her the day before. "Oh my goodness" and "Congratulations" were heard all around.
Alexis hugged both of them. Her dad hugged her and shook Castle's hand. Lanie hugged her and warned him about breaking her heart. The boys offered hugs and handshakes as did Jenny. Once everyone was seated again, Kate grabbed Castle's hand for support, knowing what was next.
"Also," she started, feeling tears welling up, "Yesterday, I was pretty sick and eventually, we went to the ER where they told us…I…we…sorry…" she broke into sobs, running into his room, ignoring all the shocked sounds from their friends.
"Excuse me," he said, running after her.
He found her curled up in a ball on their bed, sobs racking her small frame. He pulled her to him, letting her sob into his chest as they sat on the bed. After a few minutes, the sobs had turned to lighter tears. As this happened, a small knock on the door was heard.
"Come in," Castle said, rubbing Kate's back gently. Alexis entered slowly.
"Is everything alright?" she asked, seeing Kate curled up in his lap, still crying, "Does she have cancer or something?"
"I'm alright, Alexis," Kate said, turning to face her soon to be step daughter, "Come here."
"I'm gonna give you two some time alone," Castle said, "Do you want me to tell everyone else?"
"Go ahead," she said, "I'll be down in a little while with Alexis."
He nodded, kissing both his girls on the head before leaving them alone. He knew the conversation would be painful for both, but he also knew it was necessary. He headed back downstairs where everyone was clearly nervous and scared. Kate was not a crier, everyone knew that so the tears had shaken all of them.
"Is Katie alright?" Jim Beckett asked as Castle rejoined the group.
"Kate and I got some news yesterday," Castle said, looking at his friends and family, trying not to cry himself, "We went to the ER after she got bad cramps and heavy bleeding coupled with continuous vomiting and a high fever. They did an ultrasound and found that she was pregnant with triplets; however, one of them was miscarrying, causing the bleeding and cramping. She was admitted overnight to monitor the other two who are doing fine. However, losing the one baby, who we decided to call Carson Beckett Castle, has been hard on her, on us. She is being placed on desk duty at work for the rest of her pregnancy to help keep the remaining two safe."
"Oh my gosh," Lanie said, shaking her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. Kate's dad got up and walked out of the apartment, needing a little space. Jenny had tears rolling down her face as she held Olivia to her chest. Both Ryan and Esposito were in shock, Ryan looking at his little girl while Espo tried to comfort Lanie.
A moment later, Ryan got up, going to castle and hugging him. "I'm so sorry man," he said, "I can't even imagine."
"Thanks," Castle said, "I keep trying to think of the other two, how blessed we are that they are alright, but it's hard. Especially with Kate as torn up as she is."
Ryan nodded, shaking his head. "We're here for you man."
Castle smiled, nodding graciously. He then decided to go find Jim, hoping the man was alright.
Meanwhile, Kate and Alexis were sitting on the bed.
"Alexis," Kate said, looking at the younger woman, "I am so glad you are in my life. You and your dad have shown me things I had almost forgotten about after losing my mom."
"Kate," Alexis said, "I love you. You've been like a mom to me. Please tell me what's going on."
"Alright," Kate said, taking a deep breath, "Yesterday, I thought I had started my period. However, I went to work and as the day went by, I felt worse and worse. Your dad convinced me to come back here, where I started throwing up and my cramps got really bad. I couldn't hold down anything and my cramps got very intense. I was also running a fever. Your dad took me to the hospital where they did an ultrasound. They found that I was pregnant with triplets, but one of them was miscarrying."
By this point, tears were running down both women's cheeks.
"The other two were still alright," Kate continued through her tears, "They admitted me and the miscarriage completed. They kept me overnight, just to make sure the other two were alright. We decided to name the baby Carson Beckett Castle."
"Oh my gosh, Kate," Alexis said, wrapping the woman in a hug, "I'm so sorry."
"Thanks Alexis," Kate said, drying her tears a bit.
"Are the other two still ok?" Alexis asked after a few minutes.
"Yeah," Kate said, "You are going to be a big sister." Alexis smiled a bit at this. "I'm due around June 5th," Kate said.
After sitting there for a few minutes more, Kate decided she needed to go back to the rest of the group.
"Ready to go back out there?" Kate asked Alexis as she sat up.
Alexis nodded, wiping her eyes one last time. They walked out arm in arm. Kate scanned the room, not seeing her fiancé or father.
"Kate," Lanie said, getting up and going to her friend, "I am so sorry."
"Thanks Lanie," Kate said, "Where are my dad and Castle."
"When Castle told us the news," Ryan said, going to her and offering a hug, "You dad left and Castle went after him."
"I'm gonna go try to find them," Kate said, "Sorry for abandon you guys again."
"Don't worry about it," Esposito said, "You do whatever you need to."
Kate nodded, going out the door. She found her dad and Castle sitting on the floor just outside the apartment.
"Oh Katie," her dad said, getting up, "I'm so sorry."
"Thanks dad," she said, "What's going on?"
"I just needed a bit of space," he said, looking at her, "It just reminded me of your mom too much."
"What do you mean?" Kate asked, confused.
"Before you, your mom lost three separate pregnancies," her dad said, tears in his eyes, "We almost lost you too, but by some miracle you survived."
"I never knew," Kate said, tears in her eyes.
"We didn't think it mattered," Jim said, "We had our princess and that's all that mattered to us."
Kate smiled, hugging her dad. Castle got up, hugging both Becketts as they stood in the hall.
"Let's go back inside," Kate said, giving each of her favorite men on last hug before opening the door to the apartment. Everyone else was inside waiting, chatting quietly.
"I think I'm gonna get going Katie," her dad said, hugging her, "I'll call you later."
She nodded, hugging him, knowing he was probably going to visit her mom before it got dark.
Once he left, Kate went and sat on the couch next to Castle, putting her head in his shoulder. She half listened as everyone around her chatted quietly. She was emotionally more drained than she had been earlier. She was also physically tired, allowing her eyes to close for a minute as the conversations continued around her.
What should happen next? Should I end it here? I need your help. Let me know what you want to read. Thanks again for reading. Constructive feedback or nice reviews always welcome. :)