Chapter 33- 17 Weeks
Kate had been able to talk Rick in to staying the rest of the week in the Hamptons so they could avoid the paparazzi for a bit longer. After the leak of their pictures neither of them paid much attention to their phones, and both tried to stay off the internet as much as possible. The week had been quite relaxing and keeping themselves in the Hamptons had turned out to best. The media had forgotten about the story by weeks end and moved on to the news of Lindsay Lohans trip to rehab.
Over a phone call with her mother Kate had learned that her parents had moved back in together, which she was annoyed with, but she also knew that she had no room to judge their relationship. It was also better for her relationship with Rick seeing how her mother loved Rick and would surely be able to rub off on her dad a bit.
They made it back to the loft by Friday evening and Kate decided she would make dinner and they could have a family night with Martha, spaghetti at Alexis' request.
Kate stood in the Kitchen, apron tied around her back tightly her ever growing stomach making it hard for her to reach into any of the cabinets.
"Castle I need a stool to climb on to reach anything. Your baby is in my way."
"My baby?" he questioned, walking around the counter, hip bumping her aside to grab the garlic powder from the cabinet.
"Yeah, your baby." She swatted his butt.
"We find out if my baby is a boy or girl next week, right?"
"Yeah, on Thursday we go to the doctor, and hopefully we will find out that there is a sweet baby girl in here." She patted her hand against her stomach.
"Hey don't pat to hard."
"Yeah because me patting my stomach is going to hurt the baby."
"It might not hurt the baby but it might be scared."
"Isn't that the same excuse you used when I asked you to be a little rougher the other night in bed."
"That's different, I just can't bring myself to do that with my child in there."
Kate lowered her voice to a whisper so that Alexis and Martha couldn't hear what she was saying as she grabbed him and pushed his back against the counter, pressing her stomach to his.
"Well that didn't work out as planned, my stomach is in the way of seducing you too." She frowned, and he pulled her mouth up to his for a kiss.
"Hey," he whispered, "so what if we have to make some changes in the bedroom, it's normal, eventually the baby will be so big it will be hard for us to have sex at all. Right now we just have to make some adjustments."
"Yeah, well at least I can still be on top for now, it doesn't hurt right? I'm not too heavy."
"Kate you've gained like 10 lbs and it's all in your stomach. It does not hurt me for you to be on top, in fact, I love it, the view is great, that big ole belly and those big…" she placed her hand over his mouth.
"Don't you dare talk about my big swollen boobs that hurt all the time."
"Well, I could always massage them for you, if you'd take your bra off while we have sex."
"I'm sorry, but there isn't anything more uncomfortable then my sore and swollen boobs bouncing around while I'm trying to have sex. Sex is suppose to feel good, not like there are a thousand needles poking you in the chest."
"It's that bad?" he reached up, cupping one of her boobs softly.
"Even that is uncomfortable." She pulled his hand away. Turning to stir the spaghetti sauce.
"I can't wait for this baby to be here just so I can touch them and squeeze them, and suck on them again." He whispered in her ear from behind as he ran on of his hands below her belly into the v of her legs.
"Castle, cool it. Your daughter could walk in at any moment."
"Doesn't that make it all worth it? The risk."
"Not with your four year old you dork." She shoved her butt back into his groin, forcing him away from her.
"You're right, but tonight I'm going to give mama all kinds of lovin."
"Not if you don't go set the table you wont.
Over dinner Kate noticed that Alexis was little quieter than normal. The usually rambunctious, talkative little girl kept quiet for most of dinner, picking at her food as though she didn't like it.
"Lex, you don't like the spaghetti? I thought that's what you wanted."
She shifted in her chair, placing her fork down on her plate, "I don't feel good."
"Whats wrong?" Kate reached her hand over, placing her hand on the little girls forehead to see if she was hot.
"My belly hurts."
"Wow, you feel really warm, Castle, where's the thermometer?"
"I think it's up in her bathroom, I'll go get it really quick."
"Don't worry about it babe, I'll take her up and run her a bath and I'll check it then. That okay Lex?"
The little girl nodded, before shimmying off her chair and over towards Kate. Kate took her hand and walked the little girl upstairs.
When they got to the bathroom Kate started her bath and then pulled out the thermometer. She had a fever, but it was only at 100.1 so she got her undressed and put her in the bath.
"Hopefully a relaxing bath will make you feel a little bit better, it always helps me when I feel sick."
"Or when you and daddy fight." The little girl said, pulling her bucket of toys down from the side and dumping them into the water.
"Yeah, sometimes when we argue I like to take a bath so I can relax and calm down."
"Why do you and my daddy fight? I thought you loved him."
"I do love him, very much Lex, but sometimes we get into arguments because we haven't quite figured out how to co-exist." She paused, "Why am I talking to a four year old like she knows what the means," She paused again, "Why am I talking to myself right now."
"I love you Kate, I just don't want you to go away like my mommy did."
"Well, I don't think that's ever gonna happen. I think me and bug are staying put."
"Forever?"
"I hope so, if you and your daddy will have us."
The little girl giggled, "Duh, Kate."
She washed Alexis' hair and body before taking her out and drying her off. Kate enjoyed bath time with Alexis. It reminded her of her childhood and that special time each day that she got to spend with her mother. Alexis had become rather attached to Kate over the last few months, and Kate had started to feel like a mother figure to her. She had known Alexis for 7 months now and her real mother had not come to visit once. It broke Kate's heart every time Meredith would say she would call, and then wouldn't, or how she said she would spend Easter with Alexis but didn't show up.
After dressing the little girl in her onesie covered in cupcakes and tucking her in, Kate lay in bed next to her, brushing her fingers through her hair, trying to sooth her to sleep. After a while the Tylenol kicked in and Alexis was able to relax enough to fall asleep. Kate turned on the baby monitor that Rick still kept in her room because she was upstairs and he was downstairs.
Kate made her way into their bedroom where Rick was laying in bed, laptop across his lap, he was writing, and she didn't want to interrupt so she slid into the bathroom and ran herself a bubble bath. Right after she slid into the hot water she heard a knock on the door and then heard it open.
"You need company?"
She didn't respond; just shifted her body forward signaling for him to climb in behind her. So he stripped down and got in. Kate leaning against his torso, perched in between his legs.
They sat quietly for a while as Rick's hands ran around her belly over and over again.
"Do you ever get tired of touching my stomach?"
"No, I love it, I love how close it makes me feel to you, and the baby."
"You know what makes me feel close to you two?"
"What?"
"When we make love and the baby is pressed between us. It makes my heart beat fast, just knowing that we created this together, I really can't wait to meet bug."
"Really, because I'm always scared that you're uncomfortable."
"You think I wouldn't tell you if I was uncomfortable? I know it sounds crazy but I'm going to miss that when my belly gets too big for that position."
Just the talk of sex had turned her on and she reached down grabbing his right hand that was running over her belly and forcing it between her legs.
"Oh, I guess this is the part where I act as your sex slave."
"Shut up and just touch me."
"Kate if I start touching you things are going to get out of hand and this bathtub isn't spacious enough for comfortable pregnant sex."
"Pregnant sex is so boring." She complained, pressing her hands to the outside of the tub and lifting herself up.
Her ass was right in his face so he playfully grabbed it and bit it, causing her to turn around and slap his hands away.
"You're ass is getting a little bit bigger too?"
"Good big or bad big?" she asked a little self-consciously.
"The best kind of big," he smirked, staring at her ass as she looked at it in the mirror.
"It is getting kinda big, huh."
He stood from the bath, pulling the drain up to let the water out and wrapping a towel around his waist.
"You gonna let me squeeze on that tonight since your boobs are out of commission."
"Oh so now you're a butt man."
"I'm a Kate Beckett man, her boobs, her ass, her smile, that collar bone, oh my gosh. I think I'm in love."
She grabbed the towel wrapped around him and ripped it off, staring down at his fully erect penis.
"Yeah, me too." She winked at him and then took off running into the bedroom.