Castle felt tears in his eyes as he stared at the picture. He saw what appeared to be a very tiny human form. He couldn't believe it. This was their baby...His and Kate's. They had a baby.

Disclaimer: I still don't own the characters.

Dr. Bernstein led Castle to Kate's room. His breath caught in his throat as he noticed how broken and fragile she looked. She had a large gauze bandage on her left temple and an elbow-length cast on her left arm. He noticed she had several bruises. She was hooked to an IV and a heart monitor with a blood pressure cuff. For the life of him, he didn't quite comprehend how their baby was spared. The only explanation he could think of was that this baby must have his and Kate's innate ability to survive.

He went over to her bed and tenderly grasped her hand. While rubbing circles on her hand with his thumb, he gently pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Even though she was hurt and bruised, she still was so beautiful, and his heart ached for her.

"Kate...C'mon Kate, you've got to wake up...I promise everything will be okay, but you've got to wake up." There was no response. Castle felt utterly helpless.

"It may take her awhile to regain consciousness. She hit her head pretty hard. I'm not worried right now, but the longer she remains unconscious, the greater the chance of residual damage. Just be with her, talk to her, and encourage her to wake up. Sometimes touch is the best medicine. If you need anything or if she wakes up, just press the call button. The nurses will be in every once in awhile to check her vitals and the baby's heartbeat," assured Dr. Bernstein.

Dr. Bernstein left Castle alone with Kate. To say the least, Castle was overwhelmed. Tonight, he almost lost Kate forever. She was the most maddening, remarkable, and frustrating woman he ever met, but he loved her nonetheless. How would he survive if he lost her? He shuddered to think about it. How many times had they almost lost their lives already? This had to stop because he wasn't getting any younger and now they had a baby to consider. He wondered if she knew that she was pregnant. He hoped so because it would be terribly awkward to have to tell her himself. He remembered the first night they were together. They weren't exactly being as careful as they should have been, but he was so hot for her that he lost most of his control. Even though he already loved their child, his mind was still having a hard time processing everything. There would be eighteen years between this baby and Alexis. How would he tell Alexis? Sure, he thought about having kids with Kate before, but he thought they would be married first. They had so much to work out between them yet. However, the fact remained that they had a baby...part him...part Kate...together.

Castle tried to wake Kate a few more times, but with no success. He tried to call her dad, but he wasn't home. He updated Alexis and Martha about Kate's condition, omitting the fact that she was pregnant for now. He did the same for Lanie, Ryan, and Esposito. Since it was so late, they all planned to visit Kate the following day. Castle finally dozed off for a couple of hours, his head on Kate's bed with his hand still holding hers. The nurse woke him up when she checked Kate's vitals. All of his previous concerns vanished when he heard the baby's heartbeat. He thought it was the most wonderful sound in the world, and he and Kate had been the ones to create it.

"Baby's heartbeat is strong at 160. Miss Beckett's vitals are fine. You should try to get a little bit more sleep, Mr. Castle. I brought you a pillow and a blanket. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."

Castle thanked her, and she left. He tried to wake Kate again, but she remained unconscious. He tentatively let go of her hand and gently moved his hand to her lower abdomen. He immediately felt a small swelling where their baby was. He tenderly placed his hand over it, as if protecting it from the world.

"Little one, this is your dad. I know things have been a little rough in there lately, but I'm here now, and I'm going to do my best to protect you. So, just hang in there. Everything's going to be alright. I promise."

When the nurse checked Kate's vitals later that morning, she found Castle asleep with his hand resting protectively on Kate's lower abdomen. She smiled.

In honor of Castle finale Monday, I'm posting two chapters. Please review! Thanks for all your wonderful reviews already!