Things are about to get interesting...
The first call Castle made was to his father-in-law. When Jim Beckett answered the phone, he smiled and said, "She's here."
"She is?"
"Yes. They had to do a c-section. Turns out our daughter is more like me than her mother."
Jim laughed, "Is Katie up to having visitors?"
He looked at her clock and noticed that it was nearly ten at night. Time had seemed to stop. He told his father-in-law, "You can come tomorrow morning. It's probably best if she gets some sleep tonight."
"I agree. Sleep is going to be in short supply for awhile. How about you? Are you going home to get some sleep?"
"Honestly? I don't feel the least bit tired."
"You need to sleep son."
Castle knew that he needed some sleep, but he was too pumped full of adrenaline to even think about sleeping. He finally told him, "I know, but all I want to do is watch her and the baby. It was an amazing thing to see. Holding her was..." Castle felt himself tearing up and finally whispered, "the best thing that has happened to me since Alexis was born."
Jim smiled and they talked for a few more minutes and finally hung up the phone. Castle looked at the time and decided to send text messages to the guys in case they were sleeping.
He knew that his mother would still be awake, so he dialed the phone at the loft and she picked up on the first ring, "Richard? Is the baby here yet kiddo?"
Castle smiled, "Yes mother. She's so beautiful. She's surprisingly tiny for being late, but she's perfect mom. Absolutely and completely perfect..."
Martha could heard the pride in her sons voice. She had a huge smile on her face. Then she asked, "When can she have visitors?"
"Tomorrow. Can you bring Alexis?"
"Of course. I bought some presents for her. Oh and flowers and..."
Castle laughed and whispered, "Good night mother."
"Night Richard."
He hung up the phone and walked back to the nurses station. He found out the room that she'd been assigned to and walked inside. He expected to see her wide awake, but she was sound asleep. The nurse brought the baby in ten minutes later. She woke Kate and said, "Time to feed your daughter Mrs. Castle."
Kate woke up and smiled when she saw her daughter in the bassinet. Castle bent down and picked her up. He kissed her on her forehead and whispered to her, "Here's your mommy."
Kate smiled at him and she fell in love with him all over again. He was a man of many faces. The face that she loved best was that of daddy. There was nothing more sexy than a man with his children. At least in her opinion.
She took her daughter and smiled softly, "Hello there sweetheart. Are you hungry?"
Castle watched her in awe. God she was beautiful. She was made to be a mother. She seemed to know just what to do. He watched as their daughter nursed. Kate looked up at Castle and smiled. Then she whispered to him, "She's beautiful Castle."
She nursed for awhile and then she fell asleep. Kate went to burp her, but Castle stopped her and asked, "Can I?"
She smiled and nodded, "Yes."
She watched as he took their daughter and burped her. It was loud and they smiled at each other and Castle said, "Whoa there little lady..."
"She takes after her daddy."
Smiling at her, he handed her back to Kate to see if she would eat. Apparently their daughter was more interested in sleeping than eating. Castle knew that would probably change by the time they brought her home.
Kate didn't want to lay her back in the bassinet. She was more interested in memorizing her face. She ran her fingers over her forehead and whispered, "She's perfect Castle. Absolutely perfect. I could watch her all night..."
He smiled, "I know you can, but you should get some sleep. Let me take her for awhile."
She hated to admit it, but he was right. So, she let him take their daughter and she laid down and watched him. He was talking to the tiny baby girl. She couldn't make out the words, but the smile on his face spoke volumes. He was enamored with the tiny baby. Kate knew that their daughter had him wrapped around his little finger. He carried her over to the bassinet and changed her diaper. It amazed her how everything came natural to him.
He wrapped her back in the blanket and she settled back to sleep. Castle sat beside the bed and whispered, "She's amazing. Thank you Kate..."
Kate could only nod as she drifted off to sleep and Castle soon followed. Exhausted from all the excitement of the day.
They woke a little over two hours later to the sound of the baby crying. Castle startled and Kate whispered, "She sure has a set of lungs on her."
"Alexis was like that. She's still like that when she doesn't get her way."
Kate laughed, "Well they are sisters after all."
There was an awkward moment of silence when Kate realized what she said. Then she smiled and said, "They are sisters."
She said it with such determination that Castle knew better than to argue with her. They were sisters. They were going to grow up in the same household. Once the adoption was final, Alexis would be her sister. In every way that mattered. She was glad that Lillian was here now. Her father had called a week ago to tell her that the adoption papers had been drawn up. All that was missing was Castle's signature.
She finally got her settled down and back to sleep. Castle took her and laid her back in the bassinet. The nurse came in to take her back to the nursery. She promised to bring her back in the morning after the doctors made their rounds.
It was nearly six in the morning when they brought her back to the room. She was still very tired, but it was a good kind of tired. She loved her little girl and she loved being a mother. It was a role that she was meant to play. The best role of her life.
She fed her and then Castle burped her. Handing her back to Kate, he went and sat down in the chair by the window. Then he smiled and told her, "I'm going to go downstairs and get some fresh air. It's been a long night. A long day even."
Kate smiled and accepted the kiss that he offered her. Then she whispered, "I love you."
She watched as her husband walked out of the room. She looked down at her daughter and whispered, "He's a good man little lady. He loves both of us. So very much."
She smiled and she noticed that Lillian's appetite seemed to be picking up some and she ate much more. She burped her this time and then held her in her arms and smiled at her baby girl. Looking down at her nursing daughter, she couldn't shake the feeling that Lillian had Castle's eyes. Eyes that she had stared into for years. Eyes that she loved. She had to shake her head to keep from crying. She wished that it was true, but it couldn't be. Could it? She couldn't deny that her tiny baby girl had her husbands features. Sure, she had her hair color, but those eyes. Those beautiful piercing blue eyes. Those eyes were all Castle.
Logically she knew that all babies were born with blue eyes, but she knew without a doubt that those were his eyes. The same eyes that she had stared into for the past three plus years. Eyes that showed every emotion, better that his facial expressions. Eyes that she had grown to love. She knew that this little girl was his and not Josh's. She didn't know how she knew, but she did.
It couldn't be true. Could it? She hadn't remembered ever sleeping with him before she and Josh split up. No matter how hard she tried to remember, she couldn't. All she could remember was the time for Christmas on. Because that was when she was truly happy. Josh had never made her happy. Not like Castle had. Josh had wanted her to get rid of this tiny baby that she held. She felt the tears well up in her eyes at the thought of missing this feeling. The feeling of being totally and utterly complete. Simply by holding her newborn daughter in her arms.
She couldn't shake the feeling that this tiny baby girl's father wasn't Josh. She didn't have one feature in common with the man that she had thought was her father. If she didn't know better, she would swear that her baby girl looked more like Castle each time she looked at her tiny face.
She sighed and she knew that there was only one way to put her mind at rest. She picked up the phone and called the one person that she knew would be able to help her.
Lanie answered the phone on the third ring. Kate could tell that she was still half asleep. She laughed when Lanie said, "Someone had better be dead or dying."
Kate smiled, "It's me Lanie."
"Kate! Did you have her yet?"
"Castle should have called you. She was born late last night."
She heard Lanie yawn and say, "It looks like he sent me a text. I was out with Javi last night."
"Oh really?"
She heard Lanie laugh, "Yes really. Now, what is this call about. Because I know you didn't call me to ask about my love life."
Kate sighed and then told her friend, "I need a favor. A big favor."
Lanie could tell by the sound of her best friends voice that it was something serious. So, she told Kate, "Whatever you need I will do it."
"I need you to bring something to check get DNA from Castle and Lillian."
"What? Why?"
Kate took a deep breath and then looked over at her sleeping daughter in the bassinet. The next few words out of her mouth had the potential to change everything in her daughters young life. Hopefully for the better, but she was still scared. Scared of not being able to remember something to important, so vital. So, she told Lanie, "I think Castle is Lillian's father."
Kate heard the phone fall to the floor. Then she heard Lanie saying, "I'm here. Dammit! I dropped the damn phone. Give me a second. Ahhhh... I'm back."
Kate laughed and asked, "Are you okay?"
Lanie sounded out of breath and told her best friend, "You really should warn a girl before you blurt out something like that. I dropped the phone and then fell out of the damn bed..."
Kate laughed and said, "I'm sorry Lanie."
"Don't be. Can I ask why?"
"Why what?"
"Why you think Castle is her father?"
Kate swallowed hard and finally said, "She has his eyes. She looks so much like Alexis that it's scary..."
Lanie told her softly, "Sweetie, she isn't even a day old. All babies have blue eyes when they are born."
"No Lanie. Most babies have a dark shade of blue eyes. Her eyes are the same exact color as his. That piercing blue that he has. That Alexis has. She's his daughter and not Josh's. Which I know is literally impossible because we hadn't slept together before I got pregnant and..."
"La la la la la...That's more information than I need to know sweetie. I will bring the things I need to collect their DNA."
Kate whispered, "Thank you Lanie, but do me a favor."
"Why do I think I'm going to regret this. What?"
"Don't say anything to Castle."
"Why?"
"Because if I'm wrong I don't want to get his hopes up. I know I'm not wrong, but..."
Lanie sighed and told her friend, "Fine. Where's his toothbrush?"
Kate smiled, "It's in our bathroom. It's the one with Peter Pan on it."
Lanie laughed, "Figures. I will be there in about an hour. Where is writer boy anyway?"
Kate smiled, "He went downstairs to get some fresh air. Thank you Lanie. I love you."
"I love you to and don't mention it. You owe me one. A big one."
"Anything Lanie."
"See you sweetie."
She hung up the phone and looked down at her daughter and smiled. She had no doubt in her mind that this tiny baby girl was Castle's daughter. What she didn't know was how. How had she gotten pregnant with his child when she had been married to Josh? Had she been unfaithful to him? Why didn't she remember it? Why didn't Castle? What the hell had happened to create this perfect little girl laying in the bassinet beside her now?
She wiped away a tear and whispered, "I'm going to figure this out little lady. I'm not a detective for nothing..."
She finally fell asleep as she watched her baby daughter sleep. Her baby girl deserved answers and she was going to find out the biggest mystery of all. Who the father of her baby girl was...
A/N One reviewer sort of guessed where it was going. I promise you that there is lots more to write about and I'm excited to hear what everyone thinks...