January 22nd was a cold day in New York, but a warm and happy one inside of the loft. It was the day that Christopher Castle turned 1. They had a small birthday party, complete with family and friends. Castle had even purchased an inflatable ball-pit, where Christopher could play safely and enjoy throwing the small plastic objects to his content.

He crawled into the structure, which was clear and fashioned to look like a space ship. From the inside the family watched him play, snapping pictures and laughing as he continuously picked up a bright colored plastic ball and yelled "ba!" He was getting better and better with language, using a limited vocabulary including, mama, dada, baba, ba and his favorite of all, no.

When they finally pulled him out of his new sanctuary, they sang him happy birthday and presented him with a large cake. It was a wonder to behold, depicting a rocket sailing through outer space. The stars and planets sparkled and a comet flew across the confection with a long and shiny tail. He was enthralled with the cake and no sooner had it been set in front of him, his hands were in it.

He lifted them and stared at the dark substance that lie beneath the frosted surface. Cameras flashed and videos rolled as he placed a hand in his mouth and discovered with delight the taste of the cake. Soon his hands were buried and quickly brought back to his face, which was now covered. He squealed and laughed as everyone else did the same. It was a wonderful party and they'd worn the boy out.

That evening Rick helped his wife into bed. She was nearly 36 weeks and her pregnancy was really taking it's toll on her body. She no longer could get around without assistance for many things, including taking baths and getting in and out of bed. Rick delighted in being able to help her in any and all ways, helping her to get as comfortable as possible.

It was a time of conflict for Beckett, who felt two very strong emotions. On one hand, she was desperate for the pregnancy to be over. She needed her body back and she was driven to her limits of being pregnant. She was ready for the baby to come. However, she was also filled with a strong emotion of dread, not wanting the baby to come. Her fear over the baby's health and over what would come next made her want to keep Audrey inside her forever.

She needed help in the evening before bed. For the very pregnant Kate Beckett-Castle, getting comfortable in bed was a long and difficult process. First she would lay down in bed, Rick helping her to turn to her side briefly as she slid the body pillow between her legs and pulled it up to wrap her arms around it and rest her chin on the top. Then Castle would climb into bed behind her, spooning her and allowing her to lie back onto him and take all pressure from her side.

It placed her back against Castle, leaning back, and her stomach somewhat against the body pillow but mostly in the air. It was the only position she could sleep in and it required all three of her pillows, the one under her head, the one against her front and the one on her back, who happened to be Richard Castle.

Once they were settled in, more often than not, a few moments of silence would pass before he heard,

"Castle?"

"Yes love?" He would answer, already knowing what was going to come next.

"I have to go to the bathroom." With that, it would all begin again.

By 37 weeks the first of the Braxton Hicks contractions started. At first Kate did not recognize them as the false labor that women commonly reported. She was going crazy at the loft and was busying herself by helping Martha prepare dinner while Rick worked on his latest book. As she chopped the vegetables she bet over suddenly, letting out a surprised, "oooh."

She felt her uterus contract and simply waited for it to pass. It didn't hurt too much, and they seemed sporadic, but they continued. Soon Rick was alerted to her condition and his concern prompted a trip to the hospital. Much to Beckett's chagrin, they ventured out into the bitter cold and snowy February winter and made their way to the hospital where they'd planned to deliver.

When they arrived, the doctors saw Kate right away. Once she was hooked up to the monitors they confirmed that because the contractions were sporadic and not rhythmic, and because they weren't painful, she wasn't in actual labor. They also saw no need to induce labor, as she was still early for her due date. At the news, Kate was both relieved and disappointed, again faced with the conflict of wanting to keep the baby in and wanting to not be pregnant anymore.

Despite her being cleared, they were not impressed with the detective's vital signs, as her blood pressure was very high and she'd started retaining water. During other visits to the doctor she'd always had low blood pressure or normal levels at least. Therefore, once they returned home, she was ordered to be on bed-rest until the baby arrived. What started out as annoying, due to her limitations, became unbearable when she couldn't get out of bed. Movie nights were had in bed, dinners were served to her there, and each evening he would help her to the tub to bathe.

Kate struggled to be a good patient, as she wanted to be up and around. She was sick and tired of not being able to do things for herself and she hated feeling feeble more than anything. Her current situation reminded her too much of being sick and she didn't like it at all. Castle was patient with her, allowing her to do as much as was safe and stepping in when necessary. Although not pleased, she did appreciate how sensitive he was being throughout everything.

Valentines day that year came and went and no romantic date was had. Kate, who remained on bed rest at 39 weeks, simply spent the evening watching sappy movies with Rick. He'd given her chocolate, as well as a beautiful ring with three stones. It matched the beloved bracelet that Martha had once given her, symbolizing the family that she'd belonged to. The major difference here was that the three stones on the ring represented three children, Alexis, Christopher and Audrey.

He'd informed her that Alexis insisted on being included, and had gone as far as to write Kate a heart-felt letter that expressed how much of a mother-figure she'd always been to her. The letter told her that the girl had looked up to Kate long before she and Rick had become romantically involved, and most touching to Kate; the letter told her that she was the closest thing to a mother Alexis would ever know.

The gift was perfect, and became a permanent fixture on Kate's right hand. Of course, until the swelling that took over her fingers and ankles went down, it remained on the chain with her mother's ring.

The day provided a nice distraction for the family, and gave Castle yet another excuse to pamper his wife. He knew that she felt miserable and that she thought she was huge and unattractive, but he still thought she was more beautiful than ever. He liked to reflect on their relationship from time to time, to think about where they'd been and how far they've come. It was difficult to imagine that the woman who was once his partner, unreachable, was now in his bed; ready to deliver their child at any moment.

However, it wasn't Valentine's Day that brought about irrevocable change to the Castle family. That change came the next day; when Castle approached his sleeping wife mid-evening and found that he could not wake her.

Eekk!