Chapter 33

Just then Avril and Kaylee came downstairs and Alexis who was on the phone at the window too came into sight.

"Where are you girls off too?" Castle asked.

"Daddy!" Kaylee squealed and ran into his legs to hug him. He picked her up and she hugged him tight.

"We're going to the mall" she said to him, all excited.

"Okay, stay with your sisters at all time, and listen to them. Don't run about anywhere and hold Alexis' hand while getting onto the escalator."

"I will daddy" she kissed his cheek. And then squiggled until he put her down. Kate walked Avril and Alexis to the door with Jamie in her arms and told them to buy some things that Kaylee may need for school.

Rick got down to be at the same eye level as Kaylee and then spoke softly to her. "Do me a favor doodle bug, when you're on your way back from the mall, buy me two roses from the florist around the corner, and keep them in your bag. Don't take them out until I tell you too okay?" He put a few bills in her hand and said "Can I trust you to do that for me?"

"Yes daddy" she giggled. And then ran off to join her sisters.

Kate shut the door after they were gone and returned to find Castle sitting on the couch looking through his phone.

She put Jamie down on the floor near the coffee table and sat by him, her back resting against the couch. She watched as he crawled towards his toy cars and began banging them on the floor.

She chuckled and took a car that was lying next to her and said

"Look here Jamie, this way." and she rolled the car across the floor towards him. He looked with amusement at the toy car that came his way and crawled towards it to stop it. He tried the same thing his mommy showed him and sent it her way, but instead, it knocked into Castle's foot.

Castle laughed, and so did Jamie.

"You two have the same smile, it's uncanny" Kate said with a chuckle. And then sat herself up on the couch beside her husband and leaned forward to catch her baby's attention.

"Come here Jamie" the little baby, on seeing his mommy sitting up on the couch now, quickly left his toy there and crawled toward her until he was near her feet. She put her hands under his arms and lifted him to sit on her lap.

He began clapping his hand when he realized he was up. Castle laughed again. Jamie crawled into Ricks lap and Kate didn't stop him. The boy loved being close to both of them, and she knew Rick had been trying real hard to stay away from the kids since morning just so that they wouldn't catch his flu. But he couldn't resist now when Jamie was jumping into his lap.

He lifted him up so that Jamie was standing on his lap.

Jamie began tapping the side of his face, but on feeling his slightly rough, unshaven jaw against his palm, his eyes widened.

Kate laughed "your daddy hasn't shaved today baby. He's a bad boy."

Rick looked at Kate with a smug smile "you love my bad boy look."

She didn't deny it, simply smiled and looked back at Jamie. She took his palm and kissed it softly. Jamie smiled.

She saw Rick pulling the neckline of his t-shirt a little away from his skin

"The fevers leaving your body, you might sweat a little" she told him.

"Yea I know" he said on a yawn.

"Why don't you rest a while, and when you wake up, I'll have a nice cup of soup ready for you." he smiled. It sounded tempting. But the thought of just spending some alone time with his wife and son was even more tempting.

"Don't think so much. We'll still be here when you wake up. Come on now, lie down" she said to him as she took Jamie from his lap and rose to allow him the space on the couch.

"Okay, but I'm only doing this so that this sick feeling goes away faster. I'd actually rather entertain you"

"There's plenty of time for entertainment later Castle" she said with a naughty smile and then walked on with her son to the kitchen.

When Castle opened his eyes again, the house was too quiet. He sat up and looked around. He rubbed his eyes, his fever had completely vanished and he was feeling a little better now too. He got up and looked into the kitchen and not finding his wife and son there either, he walked in through his study and into their room.

He began to worry a little when he didn't find them there either. He quickly walked on over to the bathroom door it was open, he pushed it and peeked in, to find Kate , soaking in the tub, with little Jamie fast asleep in her arms, his head resting high on her chest. She had her hand on his back rubbing smooth circles.

Her eyes were closed too, she seemed to be perfectly relaxed and Castle couldn't find it in him to interrupt them. He loved watching them.

Kate would take let him join her in her bath every once in a while. She claimed to have done the same when Avril was a baby, and Rick remembers how she would hold Kaylee with her in the tub just like this a few years ago. She only ever did it until they were around 18 months old.

She said she had read somewhere when she was pregnant with Avril, that the skin on skin contact with your baby could go a long way in making him/her feel loved, and protected. And Kate and Rick both knew Jamie loved it. He loved the warmth, the attention, the idea of splashing water and when his mom would finally make him calm down and relax, he'd fall into a peaceful sleep, just like right now.

Even right now as Rick watched from the door, there was a soft smile on Jamie's sleeping face. And Kate was humming something to him, maybe his favorite lullaby. She kissed his tiny ear and head and he wiggled a little in his sleep to hide his face into the crook of her neck. She smiled.

That's when she noticed Rick at the door.

"Hey" she whispered "you're up."

"Yea, I just woke up" he said softly as he made his way towards the tub. He knelt down beside the tub and leaned in to kiss his wife on the head and then softly ran his hand over Jamie's head.

"How long have you two been here?" he asked in a whisper, trying not to disturb his son's sleep.

"After you fell asleep, I decided to give him a bath, but then he splashed water all over me, so I thought I might as well take a bath with him."

"He must have been delighted. That's twice this week."

Kate chuckled softly. "Yea, we've been in here for a while now, could you take him?"

Rick reached out and slowly lifted sleeping Jamie from Kate's arms.

"Could you lay him down till I rinse off and get into some clothes?"

"Yea yea, take your time"

He moved to leave the bathroom, but then thought for a sec and said

"You know what? How about you stay in there and wait for me, and join me for a shower"

Kate looked at him with eyes that said 'I just got out of the water, you want me to get in the water again?'

"Don't worry, I won't keep you long, please, the kids are out, it's just you and me for a few more hours"

She conceded. "Okay, but come back soon, you have me for 10 minutes"

He nodded and quickly ran out to slowly lay Jamie on their bed, he placed a wall of pillows around him, even though he knew Jamie didn't turn much in his sleep, he just didn't want to take the risk. He then kissed him on the head and said "Sleep tight big guy. It's my turn for bath time with mommy" he chuckled as he walked back into the bathroom, taking his clothes off on the way.

He found his wife under the running shower, the water hitting her face and flowing down her body, and she'd never looked more delicious.

When she looked at him, from head to toe, her eyes darkened and that smile on her lips told her he might just get to keep her in here longer.

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