Author's Note: So this chapter took me a little longer than normal to write, it just didn't wanna work! I really wanted this chapter to be lighter and a bit of fluff to ease the heaviness of the previous three chapters, which I hope or rather I believe I have done. And finally, some good comes of this situation! You'll see what I mean...Love your reviews :)
"Come on, come on...oh yeah baby, new high score!"
Kate rolled over stiffly in the crisp linen sheets, grumbling at the rude awakening. Opening her eyes she saw her husband silhouetted against the window, hunched over his iPhone. Suppressing a smile at the look of determination on his man-child face, Kate clears her throat, alerting him to her consciousness.
"Blowing up more innocent pigs Castle?"
Rick looked around and grinned, starting out of his chair. "Hey, they started it. I'm just getting justice for the birds!" Stepping over to the bed, he leaned down and planted a kiss on his wife's forehead. "How're you feeling?"
Sighing, Kate sat up in the bed, pressing the button next to her head to bring her into an upright position. "Like I just had surgery. But to be honest, it's not I'm worried about." Smiling at the confused look on his face, Kate continues. "I'm talking about you, Rick. You look exhausted."
Shrugging, Rick sat down on the bed next to Kate's hip and took her right hand in his left. "Well that chair does nothing for my posture, let alone my body clock. I'm fine Kate."
Unconvinced, Kate squeezed his hand gently. "You should go home and get some sleep."
Shaking his head, Rick fixes her with a steady gaze. "Not a chance Kate. I'm not leaving. One for all and all for one, right?" Glancing at his watch, he saw the hands ticking closer to five o'clock. He'd managed about seven hours sleep over the last three nights. No wonder he was feeling like he'd been hit with a sledgehammer.
As if reading his mind, Kate raises her eyebrows. "I don't want you to burn out and end up in a bed down the hall. Dad and Martha will be coming in tomorrow morning won't they? We'll be fine without you until then."
Rick took the 'we' to mean her and their as yet nameless son. Spending a night away from the two people he loved the most would have been difficult anyway, but spending a night away from them while they were hospitalized; he just couldn't do it. There were too many what ifs, too many insecurities hanging over his head.
Shaking his head again, Rick reached up with his right hand and brushed away a strand of hair hanging loose. "You're not getting rid of me that easy, wifey. Besides, the nurses love me. It's an occupational hazard I guess."
Kate laughed and slapped his shoulder for the wifey moniker. "May I remind you, Ricky, this hospital stay is not for the purpose of keeping your fans happy."
Chuckling at the easy banter between them, Rick leans close to Kate's face, lips hovering just above lips, eyes above eyes. "I know what this hospital stay is for; to get you and our little man fighting fight so we can go home and properly be a family. We'll take him to the park to look at the ducks, then to the coffee house on Manhattan Ave where we had our third date, then we'll take him home and watch him fall asleep in his cot, curled up under his blanket. He'll grow up into an intelligent little boy with his mothers' good looks and my charm, and you and I will love him with everything we have. That's what this hospital stay is for." Closing the distance between them, Rick takes Kate's mouth in his, claiming it for his own. Tracing the contours of her lips with his tongue, Rick revels in the moan that escapes her as she gives back as good as she's getting, biting his lower lip before sucking it lightly. A minute passes before breathing becomes necessary, and Rick pulls back, pressing one last light peck on the end of Kate's nose.
Kate smiles, trying to slow her breathing. She'd been through hell over the last four days but damn, that was a kiss. "Careful. We might get arrested for public indecency."
Laughing, Rick sits up straight again and plays with her hand still interlocked with his. "Never! We've done worse than that. Remember on our second anniversary, at the Haunt? What a night…" Rick says dreamily, eyes clouding over with desire.
"You're insufferable."
"Only for you. And our son; our beautiful, nameless son… " Rick adds after a pause. "So, I can stay?"
Kate nods slowly. "Yeah…I guess I'd be lonely without you. Although…I'm kinda hungry. Am I allowed to eat?" she finishes on a sigh, smiling lightly.
"Yes, you are. What can I get m'lady?"
"Mmmm…a really big muffin! And a hot chocolate." Kate says eagerly, her stomach rumbling quietly.
"Your wish is my command fair maiden!" Rick jokes, standing up and bowing. "I won't be long."
"I love you Mr. Castle."
"I love you Mrs. Castle."
"So…" Kate started, moving around trying to get more comfortable.
"Hmmmm?" Rick answered, concentrating on his iPhone, fingers working furiously against the screen. An empty coffee cup sat beside him on the windowsill, a cookie wrapper crumple up next to it.
"You got here after I'd had surgery, Lanie had obviously called my Dad…what else happened while I was in a coma?" Kate asked, picking at the half eaten chocolate chip muffin in her hand.
Switching off his phone, Rick shifted around in the chair so he was facing her. She was watching him with a curious look on her face, a tiny smudge of chocolate sitting on her upper lip. A quiet breathy laugh escapes his mouth, as he casts his mind back to the events of a few days ago, when he'd got the phone call from Lanie.
"Castle."
"Rick its Lanie." Lanie's voice was rushed, concerned.
"Hey Lanie…is everything okay?" Rick asked, becoming worried.
"Its Kate. She's going into premature labour, and we're on the way to the hospital in an ambulance. They're talking about an emergency caesarean."
"Rick?" Kate's voice sounded far away, echoing in his head. Her face came swimming back into focus, watching him closely. Blinking quickly, Rick gave himself a little shake and brought himself back to the present. The memories were fresh, painful and too real; he was still in a state of shock.
"Sorry…" he muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. "Ah, so I got the phone call from Lanie, and it was lucky she got through to me; if my flight hadn't been delayed I wouldn't have known until I touched down in Hong Kong. So I managed to charter a private jet and I arrived here about ten-thirty on Wednesday night. Jim was already here, Lanie had called him after she'd called me. He was with you as soon as you came out of surgery." Rick paused, thinking. "I guess Lanie and Javier were here as well, but they had gone by the time I got here. Kevin and Jenny came into visit on Thursday but you were still out." Sighing, Rick shifted in the chair again, trying to cultivate the rest of his thoughts into coherent sentences. "I rang Mother, and she flew in from California. Gary's going to follow in a couple of days, once he finishes up with a one of his clients."
Kate nodded slowly, taking in the information. She was so incredibly lucky to have the amount of friends and family that she did; she felt more supported now than after she closed her mother's case. "I hope Martha and Gary aren't disappointed that their business cum holiday trip had to be cut short." Kate had always liked Martha's long-term friend and, more recently, partner. They'd tried to deny their attraction for a long time, but a conveniently organized black tie dinner party at the loft for Martha's milestone 60th had resulted in the beginning of their relationship. Kate and Rick, and Alexis were glad to see Martha as happy as she was.
Rick stared. "Of course not! Family always comes first. "
Giggling at his incredulousness, Kate took great comfort from the fact that these amazing people where her family. Even after four years, she was still honored to be a part of a loving family such as this. Then a thought occurred. What about…?
"Alexis?"
"Baby bird is on route from Italy as we speak. In fact, she should be here in a few hours; I called her early Thursday…" Rick trails off, looking at his watch, calculating the time it takes to fly from Italy to New York.
"She's coming home?! What about her internship?" Kate exclaimed; Alexis had managed to be selected for a lucrative internship programme at a prestigious law firm in Rome. It was a five-month job, and she wasn't due home until mid December.
"She's decided the law industry isn't her thing. They'd offered her an extended internship until April but she turned it down; it was her decision, and this just gave her an extra reason to come home earlier." Rick shrugged, leaning his elbows on his knees and resting his head on his hands, watching Kate mulling over this declaration.
Sensing the inner turmoil going on, Rick carried on softly. "Kate, she was coming home anyway. Don't feel guilty."
Sighing, Kate decided to let it go. "Okay."
"Come on, I know what will make you feel better." Rick stands, offering his hands to Kate to help her out of bed.
Kate's eyes light up; it feels like years since they've visited their son, when in reality it was only a couple of hours ago. Then another thought crosses her mind, now that she's feeling better and more mobile. "Actually…"
"Feel better?" Rick's voice floats up behind her as she steps out of the bathroom, dressed in a pair of loose track pants and an NYPD jersey that her father had brought in earlier in the morning while she was asleep.
Kate grins. "That was the best shower I've ever had!"
Rick laughs, holding out his hands, into which Kate willingly steps. "Mmmm," Rick breaths in deeply, "I agree."
Aiming a light slap at his chest, Kate pursues her lips. "Maybe you'd like to try a shower sometime, cave man."
Rick says nothing; he simply pulls his wife to his chest and kisses her sweetly.
"Kate!"
Kate turns around towards the sound of her name and a large smile blooms across her face. Hurrying towards her and Rick are Lanie and Javier, their faces looking flushed from the cool wind outside. Kate starts towards them, with Rick following closely. Soon she's being swept up in the arms of her best friend under a wave of "how are you's", "what's the news", and "how's our gorgeous nephew?"
After the four of them have exchanged hugs and smiles, Rick fills Lanie and Javier in on most of the details; what the doctor talked about and how long their son could potentially being in the NICU. At the point when Rick explains that they can't hold him yet, Kate slips her hand into his, seeking some small reassurance, again.
Lanie and Javier listen intently; identical sympathetic looks glancing across their faces. A silence filled with a state of shock and disbelief stretches out between the four of them when Rick finishes talking; although for him and Kate, these feelings are nothing new.
"Can we see him?" Lanie asks quietly, breaking the deafness surrounding them.
"Yeah of course. We were just going there now." Kate replies, glancing at Rick to gauge his reaction; was he ready to share their son with them? A small nod and a light smile tell her yes, and the gentle squeeze on her hand gives her the confidence she so desperately needs to lead them down to the nursery.
"Ohh he is just beautiful!" Lanie gushes, staring through the thick pane of glass at her nephew, sporting a new blue beanie Jim had spied in the gift shop on the ground floor.
"He really is gorgeous. Congrats you two." Javier agrees, watching the small person wiggle and twitch in his incubator.
"Yeah we think so too." Rick says, looking at Kate who nods vigorously, adding: "Hey little man. This is Auntie Lanie and Uncle Javi."
"You gotta get a little bigger little man, so your Dad and I can teach you how to play football." Javier says with a laugh, lightning the mood.
Suddenly Kate feels a hand slip into hers; Lanie moves closer to her friend, offering her support with a smile on her face.
Smiling back, Kate feels stronger than she has done in the past few days; with her husband on one side, and her friends on the other, and their family supporting them every step of the way. "Thank you…for saving us." Kate whispers, tears slipping down her cheeks.
"We saved you then; that little boy there, he's going to save you now." Lanie motioned through the glass, nodding.
For a moment, Kate was confused; a feeling she was growing accustomed to. Understanding flooded her brain a second later, however. Their son was fighting; he was growing stronger each passing minute; like a tiny warrior. He wanted to be held by his parents as much as his parents wanted to hold him; and that realization shot through Kate like a bolt of lightning. While he was fighting, he was saving them.
It was nearing seven thirty. Javier and Lanie had left to go and buy food for the four of them, gratefully appreciated by Kate and Rick; standing by the nursery window in the same position they'd been for the last hour. Her head on his shoulder, his arm around her waist, and both sets of eyes drinking in their son. Quiet murmurs were the only thing that disrupted the silence around them.
"Are you sure? I mean, do you really like it?" Kate asked quietly, intently.
Rick grinned. "Yeah, I really do. It's perfect. He's perfect."
Smiling back, Kate's face lit up. Finally, finally, they'd decided. Turning her attention to the window again, Kate stepped away from Rick and right up against the glass. She watched her son squirming in his incubator, hands curled up tightly.
"Harrison Alexander Castle. What do you think of that little man?"
For the smallest second, Kate could swear she saw a tiny smile grace the little face before her, lighting up his cheeks with a rosy blush. Eyes welling up with happy tears, she stepped back into Rick's arms, and with one last look at their son, they said a quiet 'We love you Harrison,' and headed away down the corridor.
Harrison Alexander Castle, this is your life.
You were born to change this life,
you were born to make this right,
you were born to chase the light.
Cloud Cult