She knows that she is up before her husband. Kate awoke with an upset stomach. She just thought it just had to be something she ate the night before at the reception. She looks to the side table and realizes it is still much too early to be getting up. It is only 4:00 AM
The feelings inside her stomach makes her think back on her selections from yesterday. A salad that originally was supposed to belong to her husband, but he gave it to her willingly. Then the wedding meal was some of the most delicious selections of food that Kate can remember ever…
Her thoughts on the prior day's selections of dining pleasure is interrupted by a driving need to throw up
She is out of the bed and into the bathroom just in time. The prior night's wonderful foods are not as enticing this morning. She realizes that even thinking about what she ate brings on more intense need to relieve herself.
After she empties the contents of her stomach, completely, she is feeling much better. She cleans herself up, turns off the bathroom light and opens the door to return to her husband. After getting back under the covers she realizes that she is still wearing exactly what she slept in the night before
Absolutely nothing
'OH yes...last night! What a wonderful night'
Pulling the covers up yo her neck, she turns to her side and slides herself back against her husband to get warm. It only takes a minute for the heat coming from his body to radiate over to her. She closes her eyes and is quickly back asleep
When the clock on the side table flips over to 7:00 AM Rick Castle begins to move as his very overworked body tries to shake loose the cobwebs of sleep. He can feel the soft smooth body of his wife snuggled up next to him. He rolls toward her direction and places his arm around her stomach. She seems to still be asleep but she does move back against him a little tighter
He whispers "Are you awake?"
"HUM?"
"Good morning love"
"Love you too"
He feels her wrap her fingers around his and holds tight to his hand
"You want to get up? Or do you have something else planed for first thing this morning?"
"I need to get up. We need to determine if our drug salesman is legit and we need to find out who the spa manger was fighting with and what they were fighting about. It might lead us somewhere"
After the previous day's activities, Rick is a little surprised his wife is back to business this morning but in a way he appreciates the time out
As they get up, Rick goes to the coffee machine and starts a two cup brew of morning wake up jolt
Kate goes to the bath room and begins a shower and just moments after her morning wash begins he hears her throwing up
"KATE! Are you OK?" she opens the bathroom door
"I must have eaten something last night that is not agreeing with me and when I smelled the coffee I just…"
She didn't have to finish the sentence. He understood
"Do I need to call a doctor?"
"First, there is no doctor to go to. We are stranded in a mountain resort. Snow bound…and no! I will be fine. Just a bad shrimp or something else I ate"
"Are you sure"
"I'm sure. I already feel better so you can come in and get your shower and we will go down to the breakfast buffet and you can get something. I will probably keep it light"
"If you are sure?"
"I am. So you get your shower and I will get dressed"
She stands and has wrapped a towel around herself as Rick moves past her and gets in the stall to get ready for the day
When Rick finishes his shower he moves to the sink in the bathroom and dries his hair and shaves. When he returns to the bedroom Kate is sitting on the edge of the bed with a funny look on her face
"What's wrong love?"
"I tried to put on my bra and my nipples hurt really bad"
"Hasn't that happened before? Like just before your period?"
"Yeah, but I am not due for another week and this is worse than ever before?"
"So are you planning on going without…like you did to me before on the cruise ship?" He seems a little distracted by the thought
She puts on a shy smile "No. I finally got it on. We will have to see if it keeps bothering me and if it does I might have to make other arrangements"
"OK. Well let me gets some clothes on and we can go down"
It only takes Castle a few minutes to put on a pair of slacks and a shirt. He and Kate have brought very warm outer appearal removing the need for jackets or coats as long as they stay indoors
Walking hand in hand down the hall, it is evident that Rick is concerned about his wife "Are you sure that you are OK, Kate?"
"I feel better. I think that is was just something that did not agree with me"
As the elevator doors open and the pair enter "As long as you are sure. But if you start feeling bad again, you will let me know?"
"Yes" she responds then leans her head over to his side
The couple walk into the main ballroom that has now returned to its normal set-up. Tables for guests surrounding a large table covered with breakfast fare. Then at the end of the room stands a chef preparing custom egg and omelet orders
"Rick, I am going to go sit down. Will you bring me some fruit or something lite? You know what I like"
Kate sits down at one of the tables and watches her husband as he walks to the table containing fresh fruit for her
Just as he walks away she hears a woman's voice "Hello Mrs. Castle. How are you?"
Kate turns her head toward the voice to see the hotel owner, Robin Blankenship, standing beside her table "I am doing very well, how about you?"
The woman responds "I am doing relatively well, but I will be doing much better sometime in the next two weeks"
Kate points to the chair beside her "Please sit. You look like you could use the rest"
"Thank you. I never refuse the chance to get the extra weight off my feet"
Kate decides that this might be a time for her to talk to another woman who has been down the pregnancy road more than once.
"So you are due real soon?"
"Yeah. They say next week, but knowing my schedule, it could happen any moment now"
"OH?" Beckett now seems concerned that it might happen at any moment
"Each of my first two were a little early, but the doctor said they were full term and were ready to see the world and I am so ready for this one" She rubs her stomach gently
Beckett needs to ask some questions so she decides to get some insight into motherhood while her husband is waiting for his omelet to be made
"Robin, you seem miserable yet this is not your first child, so you knew ahead of time what it would be like"
The woman looks at Beckett with a smile "Kate. This is the most amazing thing I have ever done. Having children that is. I would not trade the experience for anything else on the planet"
"It is just…you said something the first time I met you about how miserable you were. Your butt getting bigger along with your boobs and the misery of having to go to the bathroom every few minutes"
"Oh it is an issue but your boobs shrink back, the hips recover and every moment you hold your baby, every time you nurse him or her, every moment of bonding is so worth it. If you work real hard, your body will recover a few months after the baby is born"
Kate is thinking about what this change will mean for her and Rick in their personal life. She has really enjoyed being married to Rick and enjoyed every moment of their more intimate times. She wonders how this will affect that time
"I am just wondering how being pregnant will affect our…personal life and by personal life i mean..."
"I know what you mean. My pregnancies caused my libido to go through the roof. Each time I got pregnant my sex drive went into high gear. I could not get enough of Barry. Kate. If you are satisfied in the bedroom then it will probably be great. Is yours good?"
Beckett's face turns a little pink "Yeah. Very satisfied and I hope it stays that way"
"How has it been during this trip?"
Beckett turns even more red than before "Great. Really, really great"
"So Kate! Let me ask you a question"
Robin pauses then drops the bomb
"When are you due?"
"EXCUSE ME! WHAT?" Beckett almost can't breathe "What do you mean?"
The woman reaches over and touches Kate's hand "You have the glow of a woman carrying a child"
Beckett looks down to see a pregnancy test in the woman's hand "Go verify. But I am right"
Kate smiles and then takes the box and places it in her pocket
At this moment Castle sits down with breakfast and is wondering why his wife looks like a deer in the headlights
"I brought you a bagel with just butter…"
The instant she smells his food, Beckett jumps up and rushes toward the closest bathroom
Rick comments "She has felt bad this morning. I wonder what's wrong with my wife?"
The host decides she is not the one to tell the man he is going to become a father "I am sure it's something she will get over…soon"
The woman stands "I need to go check on something. I will talk to you two later"
After a few minutes Kate returns to the table and waits for Rick to finish his egg dish. When he puts down his silverware Kate takes his hand "Can we go back to the room for a few minutes?"
"Are you wanting to…you know?"
She smiles an evil smile "Yeah, I do. But I need to make sure about something else while we are there"