'What time is everyone getting here?'

'About eight, but Ryan said he's probably coming early.'

'And you're sure you don't mind Jenn and I hanging around?'

'Not at all, though that decision is not in my hands.'

Esposito sauntered into the kitchen from the living room, where he'd set up his portable poker table top - a birthday gift from Cam - and was pouring pretzels into a big serving bowl while Meredeth organized supplies for both cooking and baking on the kitchen counter. He'd opted to host a poker night for his friends as it was Castle's poker night with his 'Gotham City crew'; he really was like Batman some days Esposito thought.

'Ryan only said he'd come if you'd entertain Honey-Milk,' Esposito said, turning to Meredeth as he munched a pretzel. 'He's a complete basket-case these days.'

'And he's still got two months to go. Jenn says that she can barely fart, sneeze or burp without him hovering and she's ready to kick his ass.'

'Don't worry, we'll keep him occupied at the table.'

He wrapped his arms around Meredeth's waist from behind, kissed her neck. He still cramped up above his left elbow and wore his compression sleeve discreetly under all his shirts, but he was feeling more and more the effects of his physio therapy every day. It would still be another three weeks before he'd be back at work and even then he'd only be on desk patrol, but he'd be back and that was what counted. Even tonight, having his friends over was another step towards moving forward; it would be the first real time he'd had any kind of guys' night at his home with Meredeth. Well, not a total guys night, as Ryan insisted that Jenny come along and hadn't taken no for answer. Thankfully, Meredeth had stepped in and said she'd do some pre-baby meal preparation so that as she hit the ten-week count-down, hopefully Ryan's stress level about his bride would decrease.

Meredeth opened the jar of peanut-butter chips, scooped a few. 'I'm more concerned about Gil than anything. He handed his wife her walking papers because she's having another man's baby, is he going to be okay with Ryan and Jenn being here?'

'I think so. I told Gil both of them would be here tonight, and he said that's cool, it's not like he's going to turn his nose up at their happiness just because Julietta turned out to be a two-faced bitch.'

'How is he doing? I haven't heard you talk much about him since he slept on our couch.'

'Took a week or two on personal leave. Bro needed some space to get his head right, moved out of his apartment with Julietta. And how's this for a kick in the ass, he ended up taking my old apartment.'

'No shit!'

'After I told him I was moving in here with you, and my place was going on the market, he jumped at it. So far he seems to like it. Even said my upstairs neighbour was hitting on him, said he had nice eyes and an even nicer ass.'

Meredeth pursed her lips, tried not to think of some tightly toned twenty-something making passes at her man. 'She ever try that with you?'

'Yeah, he did all the time.' Esposito kissed her again, knowing exactly what image was going through Meredeth's brain. 'Jealous?'

'Would you be mad if I said no?'

He laughed, this time turned her around to give her a full and proper kiss; she tasted like peanut-butter. As he slid his hands down her body, cupped her ass against his palms Arturo barked twice at the window, then raced to the door, sat with his tail wagging feverishly. When Esposito opened it, prepared to haul the dog back by his collar, he got a little surprise when Arturo simply stayed dancing on the spot and snuffled at Honey-Milk's pregnant belly as she and Ryan walked through the door. Honey-Milk looked tired but blissfully irritated as Ryan helped her with her spring coat.

'Kev, I love you, but I haven't lost all motor function growing your child, you know. For God sakes, I'm going to be cooking with Meredeth tonight.'

'Yeah, and you're doing all the work making sure it's all warm and safe inside you. Let me have my little things.'

Honey-Milk rolled her eyes as Esposito hugged her; he felt the solid kick or elbow jab against his own belly through the cotton of her maternity shirt. 'Any more little things and I'm going to add them up to one big thing and beat him unconscious with it so when he wakes up, the baby will already be here.'

'She's in the kitchen already,' Esposito told her, giving Ryan a subtle poke in the chest to give Honey-Milk a ten-second head start with Arturo trotting after her like an honour guard. 'Are you gonna be a total girl tonight?'

'No.' Ryan's response was petulant but he couldn't help himself. 'Just remember this conversation when it's your turn, bro. All I'm saying.'

They went into the kitchen, saw Honey-Milk was sitting at one of the bar stools opposite Meredeth, who was unpacking the bag of plastic and glass containers. She'd donned her favoured green apron and had her supplies and utensils lined up as neatly as Lanie would her autopsy instruments.

'Hello insanely overbearing daddy to be,' she greeted him with a cheeky grin. 'Think you can multitask, hover and play cards and grunt and make manly conversation all at the same time tonight?'

Ryan squirmed a little, accepted the beer she offered him. 'Nice to see you too, Mere,' he muttered as he went into the living room with Esposito.

'Ignore him, he's being sulky.' Honey-Milk folded her hands on the counter. 'So what are we starting on?'

'Well, I know you're doing the veggie thing right now because of the baby, so I figure we can start with some spinach and mushroom lasagne, then some vegetarian chilli, followed up with my broccoli and cheese soup, and if he acts like a big boy, I'll make a batch of Ryan's precious beer-nut cookies.'

Honey-Milk giggled. 'Yeah, the last one definitely came in handy once or twice.'

'Is he really that insufferable?'

'Oh, Jesus Christ on toast, Mere.' The frustrated pregnant lady pulled her hands through her hair. 'You'd think I was made of glass! Last night, I was making grilled cheese for dinner, right, barely even toasted the bread and he says, and I quote, those black bits are carcinogenic, they're going to give our baby cancer. I love him with all my heart but the next time he rubs my belly and says he's only looking out for our child, he's getting a swift kick in the nuts.'

'Eeeee, violence! Can I do it?'

'What you can do is bribe him. Tell him the only one who gets to eat all this-' Honey-Milk gestured to their cooking stations '- is me and he will have to watch and suffer.'

'Done. How do you feel about grating cheese?'

'See twenty, and raise twenty.'

'See twenty, and raise ten.'

'Ten? At least raise a real bet!'

'Fine, twenty.'

'I call.'

Esposito laid down his hand of three fours, much to the groans of the others around the table. 'Maybe I'll take my winnings and get Honey-Milk something for the baby. Or a muzzle for you,' he said to Ryan, who glared at him from across the table.

'Mmm, what is that smell?' Beside Ryan, Ike Thornton twisted around towards the kitchen where the smell of cheese and tomatoes was thick as fog. 'Your woman cook on all your poker nights like that?'

Across the table, Gil Mazzara chewed on the end of a straw from his can of Coke. 'Nah, just on stake-outs, right Esposito?'

'I didn't hear you complaining while we were running surveillance on that club and you had a home-made enchilada in your belly, bro.' Esposito stacked his chips into neat little columns, passed the deck to Ike to be shuffled and drank his beer. 'And she usually doesn't hang around for poker nights, she's hanging with Honey-Milk so Detective Worry-Wart here can focus on the game.'

Ike shook his head, drank his rye and ginger. 'Cut him a break, man. I've been there, you haven't. I was a wreck when Carol's time was getting close to the wire, and Tim was born in the dead of winter. Imagine having a wife three weeks from delivery in mid-January, she walks to work and all those clowns out there are driving like it's the middle of a dry summer day.'

'I thought this was a poker game, not Lamaze class,' Gil said a little tersely, then sighed. 'Sorry, sorry. Ry, you know I'm happy for you, man. It's just-'

'Nah, no worries.' Ryan waved it off. 'I know I've been over the top, I just can't help it. She's my Jenny.'

Esposito chuckled. He didn't understand the whole insanity over watching his woman grow a life inside her body, but he understood what it was to love someone beyond rational reason. 'Honey-Milk is fine, she's fifteen feet away with Meredeth, and if there's an emergency, Cam's a nurse.'

'That may be, but I highly doubt there's many soldiers giving birth on the battlefield.'

'I can assure you, Ry, I've delivered my share of babies at GW General.' Cam tapped his lacquered cane on the floor for emphasis. 'And now that I'm honourably discharged from active duty, I'm considering doing a specialty in obstetrics. That way when Lili and I have one, she won't drive the doctor up the wall, just me.'

Before the next hand could be dealt, Meredeth wandered out, a plate in her hand whose scent carried the promise of hand-made pastries. 'I thought you boys might like a little sugar to go with your card game,' she said putting down a plate of still-warm cookies in the middle of the table. 'Unless you think it's too girly.'

'Depends.' Ike sniffed like a hound. 'What kind?'

'Beer-nut and brown sugar.'

'Sweet deal.' Ryan reached for one but Meredeth grabbed his wrist. 'Oh, come on! They're my favourites.'

'You can have them so long as you behave yourself for the next few minutes. Cam,' she added, dropping her voice lowly as Gil and Ryan dug into the plate, 'can I see you in the kitchen? Quietly?'

'Sure.' Taking his cane in hand, Cam walked with his uneven gait into the kitchen; his departure didn't go unnoticed by Ryan, who went on red alert.

'What, why's he going into the kitchen? Is something going on with Jenny?'

'Gil, take his cookies away,' Meredeth called over her shoulder. She didn't have to look back, only heard the squawk of protest to know Gil had nipped the biscuit from Ryan's hand. Once there, she went over to Honey-Milk, who'd gone from the bar-stool to the regular chairs; she'd begun running her hands in circles over the mound of her belly under its pretty pale-pink shirt and blowing out her breath in little puffs. Arturo was, of course, standing guard beside her, head in her lap and nose twitching at the belly.

'What's going on?'

'I started feeling kinda funny in the stomach, not like gas pains or anything. Something else, something weird.'

'How long have you been feeling them?'

'Maybe every eight minutes or so for forty minutes.'

'Have you felt them before?'

'No.'

Cam nodded briskly, pulled up a chair across from the pregnant woman. His calm, cool soldier's training took over as he gave instructions. 'Meredeth, in my bag by the stairway is my EMT kit, can you bring it in please?'

Meredeth left the kitchen, following his directions to the letter and brought the small black box that reminded her of fishing tackle. When she got back into the kitchen, she saw the entire poker game had ground to a halt as the rest of the men had crowded into the kitchen, with Ryan taking a place of honour beside his wife, concern coating his handsome face as he held her hand.

'Thanks Meredeth.' Cam flipped open the lid, pulled out a stethoscope and put it against Honey-Milk's belly as he listened intently. 'Deep breath in, Jenn. Good girl, and out. One more. And out again.'

'That's it, sweetie,' Ryan murmured, earning a lethal stare from his wife. 'Shutting up.'

'Good idea.'

'What have you had to drink today, Jenny?' Cam asked, now moving her hands out of the way and placing light pressure on different parts of her belly with his own.

'I don't know, maybe a few cups of tea, some water, why?'

'You're experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions, and one of the most common causes is dehydration. You need to get some water into you, maybe something sweetened and hot.'

'On it.' Esposito shoved his way past Ike and Gil, to his beloved cappuccino maker; a few flips of the switches and a couple minutes later was steaming milk to offer to Honey-Milk.

'Anything else I can do?' Honey-Milk blew out a breath, squeezed her husband's hand.

'I'd recommend going upstairs and lying down, on your left side.'

Meredeth nodded. 'No problem. I'll go with her, you guys can get back to your game.'

'I'll come with you,' Ryan offered, but found himself on the receiving end of yet another of his Honey-Milk's vicious looks. 'Or not.'

'Kevin, I'm sorry for snapping because I love you, but you are driving me crazy. I just want a little peace, okay? I don't need to be fussed over all the time. If you really wanted to be nice, you could clean up Meredeth's kitchen since she's made us all these nice dishes tonight, and she made your favourite cookies for your poker game. Come on, Mere.'

'Here.' Esposito passed Meredeth the mug of steamed milk - sweetened with a touch of honey, natch - handle first. 'Careful, it's really hot.'

'Thanks, babe.'

As the women headed upstairs, Esposito clapped his hand on Ryan's shoulder. 'Come on, big daddy. Let's get this kitchen tidied up, then it's back to poker.'

R&R&Enjoy!