Chapter 28 – continued..

Kate woke up to a ruckus outside her hospital room, hearing multiple raised voices going back and forth at each other. She looked to the screen beside her, and felt the belt wrapped around her stomach. The baby's heartbeat was steady and healthy.

She pressed the call button and within 30 seconds a nurse was sliding through her door, lightly closing it behind her.

"Where's my boyfriend? My baby is fine, right?"

The nurse looked up at her, "Would you like to see him? Your dad refused to let him in, but now that you're awake you can give us permission, and I'll call a doctor in to see you."

Her blood began to boil and tears started to well up in her eyes again, "My dad refused to let him in. You're kidding, right? Actually, I'd like to see my father first."

The nurse nodded, "I can do that, but only If you'll promise to stay calm. There is a reason you're here in the first place and your baby is our number one concern right now.

"Is everything okay, is my baby okay?"

"Your baby is fine, but your doctor is concerned about what happened today."

"I want to see my dad, please."

"I'll go get him."

The nurse exited the room and within seconds her dad came flying in.

"Katie, I'm so glad you're okay."

He rushed to her side, reaching for her hand, which she jerked away immediately.

"Don't touch me…." She hissed at him, "I can't believe you wouldn't let Rick in here, he is my boyfriend, and the father of my child. Imagine if it was mom in here and you weren't allowed in to see her, to check on her."

"She is my wife."

"HE IS MY …. EVERYTHING!," She choked out. "He and this baby are my family, the quicker you realize that, the better off everyone will be. I know you love me, and I know you're angry but you have no right to keep him from me."

"He is not your family…. I am your family, your mother is your family."

Kate turned her head towards the wall, unable to look at her father anymore.

"Leave."

"Katie."

"I wont ask you again."

A few seconds of silence passed and then she heard the door close. The tears began to fall at rapidly, she didn't want to fight with her dad. She knew how much her father loved her, but she had to take her stand. He needed to understand that this was not just some random guy that knocked her up. This was the man she loved, and the father of her unborn child.

Rick opened the door, sticking his head in first to make sure that the coast was completely clear. Then rushing to her, grabbing her face and kissing her senseless.

"Baby, how are you, how is the baby?"

"We are both fine, I think. The doctor still hasn't come in, but the nurse said the baby is fine."

"I am so sorry, I should have never made you do this tonight, I'm so, so sorry." His face fell down to look at his knees, he couldn't quite make eye contact with her. The guilt was overwhelming him.

She pushed his chin back up so that she could look him in the eye. "I don't blame you Rick, this is not your fault."

"If I would have just listened to you. You were nervous, and uneasy about this whole thing."

"Rick, I chose to do this, I was nervous, but I never imagined things would happen like they did. I didn't anticipate Gina and her outburst, and there is no way you could have either."

"I should have told her before tonight. I shouldn't have hid it from her, I just didn't want her to attack me, I was a coward. Instead she attacked you, in public, in front of everyone, and I am so sorry."

"Rick, it's over, it's okay."

"Why are you so calm right now, you should hate me, I thought you did, because your dad wouldn't let me in. He blames me, hell I'd blame me too."

She took his hand pulling it back up to her stomach, and placing his palm flat against her belly.

"This baby is my only concern right now, and as long as he or she is safe, then guess what… I am one happy mommy."

A smile spread across his face, and he leaned over her, placing a kiss on her slightly swollen stomach.

The door opened and both of their eyes shot to the door. Kate's doctor walked through the door, and she didn't look happy. In fact, she looked a little angry.

"I'm glad you're awake." She said as she walked over to her side, checking the monitors and then taking a seat on the opposite side of the bed as Rick.

Kate watched him impatiently, waiting for him to talk, to give her some information.

"Is everything okay?"

"For now, but I'm a little concerned with your health Kate. Your blood pressure is extremely high, and I'm also a little concerned about your stress levels after what happened today."

"I know, things got out of hand today, but this was not anticipated. I didn't know that any of this…"

"It's my fault." Rick interrupted.

"No its not Rick."

"Yes, yes it is. I should have never made you go to this event with me. I knew she would be there, and I knew she would be unhappy with me showing up with you, pregnant, without telling her first."

"Rick, it's none of her business." She reached out running her hand down his cheek.

"You're right, it's not, but I can understand why she would be shocked and upset and I should have never exposed you to that."

"You're right, Rick. You shouldn't have exposed her to that. She is pregnant, and stress is the number one cause of problems during pregnancy. Your baby is healthy and don't get me wrong, I am extremely excited about that, but things could have ended much differently. Just because you're out of the first trimester doesn't mean you're in the clear."

"We know, we want to protect this baby, and like I said this was not intentional. Rick would never intentionally have put me under any stress. He has been perfect throughout this pregnancy."

"I don't doubt that, I saw how passionate he was about you while arguing with your father about seeing you."

Kate smiled towards Rick whose face carried no happiness, he was stressed and tired and she could tell that the worry had taken over him today.

"Like I said, your baby is fine, and so are you, but I'm still ordering you to bed rest. Your blood pressure is too high for someone that is only in their third month of pregnancy."

"Okay, I can do that. How long?"

"I'll start with a week. I'll see you in my office in a week and then we can determine where to go from there. If the problem persists I might have to admit you into the hospital so we can get it under control. Until then, you can go home, and Rick, make sure she stays off her feet."

"I will carry her to the bathroom if I have to." He responded.

"No, you wont, I can walk to the bathroom, dork." She laughed, swatting at his chest.

XX

"Rick, seriously, you don't have to hold on to me while I walk to the bedroom, I'm not crippled."

"I just want to make sure you don't fall."

"Fall? Why would I fall?"

"I don't know, but I never imagined you'd pass out on the red carpet either."

"First of all, we weren't on the carpet anymore, thank you very much."

He released his hold on her, letting her lead the way to the bedroom, following closely behind.

She stripped out of the sweat pants and shirt Rick had purchased from the store down the street from the hospital and got into bed naked.

"No clothes? Really? How do you expect me to survive, with you, like that." He pointed at her.

"I'm more comfortable this way, so maybe you should just sleep out there." She pointed back towards the door.

"oohhhh really," he walked towards the bed, throwing himself down beside her and pulling her into his body, "You want me all the way out there? If that's what you want, then I'll gladly go, but who's going to rub your back as you go to sleep? Or bring you chocolate milk in the middle of the night?"

"You can buy me a bell to ring." She teased, cupping his face and kissing him hard.

"I think I'll take my chances in here, I can't be away from you and the little bug in there." He said, running his hands down her naked body to the bump in her middle.

"Bug"

"Yeah, bug, I don't know, don't ask."

"Well now I have to ask."

"Well I don't have and explanation, it just came out."

"It's cute, babe. Our little bug." She ran her hand down over her belly, meeting his hands, both admiring the little life growing inside of her.

"Well you and that bug are my number one priority. I honestly didn't know what to do when your dad wouldn't let me in that room today Kate. I was on the verge of a panic attack, I just wanted to get to you and he refused to let me near you."

"I'm sorry about that, don't worry though, I let him know how disappointed I was."

"Oh did you?"

"Yeah he tried to tell make excuses for himself, and I told him that you were MY family now and that he couldn't keep you from me."

"How did he take that?"

"Not too well, but I made him leave, and I think that he knows how much he hurt me, and hopefully he will come to his senses about everything."

"I don't want to fight with him Kate, I want to get along, I mean we are going to be around each other for a long time, we have to get along."

"I know, and he will come around. It will be better once we're married, ya know, or at least engaged."

"Whoaaaaa…" he backed away from her, retreating to his side of the bed.

She reached for his arm. "I mean he couldn't keep you from me if we were married."

He began to rub his brow, keeping silent, but in thought. "Kate, I don't…"

"Rick, it's fine. I was just saying."

"I… Just… I don't think we are ready for that step."

"Your right, I…. I'm just being hormonal, and not really thinking straight." She retracted, trying to evade what was clearly something he was uncomfortable with.

"It's not that I don't love you, or want that with you someday. Just not yet."

"I understand," She rolled over to her other side, "Hey, can you get me a glass of water?" She asked, trying to get him away from her as quickly as possible so that he couldn't see how upset she was getting. She knew it was just her hormones, but it still stung a little that he wasn't even considering the possibility of marriage for them yet. They were about to have a baby together, and they were happy.

He placed a kiss on her shoulder before getting out of the bed and heading for the door.

As soon as he was out of the room, she got up and fled to the bathroom. She needed space, and to be alone, and she knew that he wouldn't allow either of those things if he saw her upset.

She ran her bathwater and lit the candle Castle had put on the vanity for her. She sank into the bath and immediately felt relief. A hot bath had always been her go to when she was stressed or upset and after the events of the day she felt it necessary to take a time out for herself.

She was surprised that Castle didn't come knocking on the door. He must have seen the dim light from under the door and decided to leave her be, which she appreciated.

When the water started to get cold she got out, wrapping herself in a towel and heading back into the bedroom, she noticed that his pillow was gone from his side of the bed. She didn't know what that meant. Was he mad at her for asking, or was he protecting himself from having to discuss the matter further. She threw on a pair of cotton panties and one of his shirts and headed out to the living room.

He was lying on the couch, superhero blanket stretched over his body watching cartoons.

She walked around the end of the couch, taking a seat in the chair next to him.

"Babe, why are you out here?"

"I thought maybe you needed some space. I don't want to upset you anymore, it's not good for the baby."

"I'm not upset. I understand, and we don't have to discuss it anymore, not until your ready."

He sat up on the couch, bowing his head down into hands. She could hear him taking deep breaths.

"You're scaring me Rick." She said, moving over to sit next to him, and rubbing his back, while rubbing her stomach with her free hand.

"Kate, I don't want you to feel like I don't want this, that I don't love you, because I do. I love you so much, and I love this baby, and we are going to be a family."

"We already are Rick. You, Lex, bug, and me, we are a family. A ring on my finger does not make that any more so. I'm not going to lie, of course it's been on my mind since we found out about the baby. I never wanted to be single and pregnant, but I'm not alone, and you don't ever make me feel alone. That's all I can ask for at this point."

"I'm sorry."

"Hey," she reached out grabbing his face and turning it towards her. "Do not be sorry, we are fine, we are going to be absolutely great. If we never get married, I will be completely okay with that, as long as I have you to hold me at night."

"Kate, clearly you aren't okay with that. I saw the disappointment in your eyes when I freaked. I saw how much it hurt you."

"Okay, so what. Of course I want you to want to marry me, but I took a time out, and I thought about things. I have every right to have my feelings a little hurt, but you have every right to doubt me, and this relationship. That is completely my fault. Maybe I shouldn't have fucked Josh in the beginning; then you wouldn't have a reason to doubt me."

"Kate, I don't doubt you."

"Yes you do. I see it in your eyes all the time. The insecurity you get when other men look at me."

"Kate…"

"No, it's fine. I can't change what I did. I know I can't, and I accept that, but Richard Castle I promise you, I will never stray from this relationship, I will do whatever I have to do to make you feel secure again. So come back to bed, and hold me, please." She smiled, threading her fingers through his and pulling him up as she stood.

He stood from the couch, pulling her back towards him and wrapping his arms around her.

"I love you Katherine Beckett."

"I love you more."

"No, not possible."

"How so?"

"Because you're giving me….. this." He placed his hand on the side of her swollen stomach, pressing in just enough to feel that it was still there, safe and real.

"No, you gave that to me, you cant take it back." She smiled up at him, lifting up on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his lips.

"Can we at least share?" he laughed, taking her hand and pulling her back towards the bedroom.

Xx

I couldn't leave you all hanging any longer. Hope everyone is still enjoying the story. I also gave you a longer chapter this time to make up for the last one being so short.

Reviews are always nice, and motivating. :)