"EXCUSE ME? WHAT?"

The panic in Kate Beckett's voice is impossible to miss. She is definitely not ready to deliver a baby. But Detective Beckett is probably the most qualified person in the room

Looking up at her husband, there is no doubt that he is not anywhere close to being qualified to deliver a baby.

"You can't have a baby. I mean not right now. Not until we can get you to a hospital" Beckett says in a very panicked voice

Robin is obviously in a great deal of discomfort at this moment "Kate I AM having this baby and based on my contractions it will be very, very soon"

Kate turns to her husband "Rick! Do you know how to deliver a baby?"

"You are the police officer. Isn't that part of your training?"

At least, while she was in the police academy, they were given a two day course in emergency medical assistance. Training such as choking, heart attack and doing CPR. But the one item Kate paid the least attention to was the four hours of instruction on emergency baby delivery and postpartum care until more qualified medical attention arrives

But there is no way any part of that training is coming to the front of her brain right now.

"And why would you think I would know how to deliver a baby?" Castle asks

"RESEARCH! You do a lot of research for your books. I figured you probably researched delivering babies"

"I did not have Derrick Storm deliver any babies! But what I can do is go see if I can find someone help you"

Castle stands and rushes out the door

"CASTLE! DO NOT LEAVE ME HERE ALONE!" Beckett almost screams

Rick sticks his head back inside "What do you want me to do?"

"Go get Maddie. She is in the kitchen. Tell her to bring some hot water and towels"

"What's the hot water for?"

"I don't know. That's what they always do in the movies. Get hot water"

"OK" then he rushes out the door moving toward the kitchen.

Robin is feeling the contractions and is honestly concerned "Kate. Will you call up and get my husband down here? I need him"

Beckett has a feeling that the husband might actually be their killer, based on what Rick just told her and Maddie's description of a man fighting with Lillian Woodley

"Robin. When Castle comes back with Maddie, I will have him go get your husband and bring him down"

"Thank you" she replies through staggered breath

Kate helps the woman stand from the chair and has her to lie down on the couch on the other side of the room. She asks Robin if there is any bedding nearby and she answers Beckett by pointing at a closet on the opposite side of the room. Kate goes and brings out a pillow and some sheets along with a blanket.

Beckett helps her to partly undress just in case the baby does come. Then has her lay down on the couch. Kate covers her with the blanket and places a pillow under her head

After the task of making Robin as comfortable as possible Beckett continues in her quest to bring in help "Does the police or medical services have a helicopter they could send?"

"They have one but they can't bring it here"

"Why not?"

"We don't have a helipad for them to land on and if they had a place to land, the rotor wash would blow all the snow up and cause a white out condition. Too dangerous for everyone both in the helicopter and in the hotel"

"OK. Don't they have snowplows?"

"Those are already working in town but we are low in the priority list to get the snow plowed up here" Robin feels another contraction coming on and reacts to the pain

This causes Beckett to feel a little increased concern about her own plans on motherhood. Watching another woman in labor is not the most encouraging event for Kate right now

"Are you OK?" Beckett asks as the contraction subsides

"Yeah fine. But that was a good one"

At that moment Castle rounds the corner with Maddie close behind "Becks! What are you doing?"

"Hey, Maddie. It looks like I am going to be a mid wife today" Kate turns toward her husband "Castle. Go get Barry and have them call the paramedics and see if they can get up here some way. I think this baby is coming sooner than later"

If Kate Beckett had a camera she would be taking a picture of her husband. He is standing in the door with a look on his face of sheer terror. Anyone can tell that he has no desire to be in the room at this moment

"Castle! Are you OK?"

"NO…Yes…I don't know. I have…I never…this is not…"

"Castle. You had a daughter. Were you not there when she was born?"

"No! Meredith did not want me in the delivery room. She did not want me to see her sweat…or scream…or cry"

"So you were not in the room when Alexis was born?"

The look of panic on Richard Castle's face should be answer enough for anyone. He is standing slack jaw in the doorway with all the color draining from his face

"Castle. Are you going to be OK?" you look like you are about to pass out"

He staggers a moment then turns away from the scene inside "I am going to go get her husband" and they can hear his footsteps fading as the leave the area

Beckett turns back to her patient "I hope he gets to your husband before he faints"

Katherine Beckett is more nervous than she had been since her first night on the streets of New York as a patrol officer

/\\/\/\/\/\/\

Richard Castle was never happier to remove himself from a situation. Standing in that door, looking at the woman in labor was almost more than he could deal with.

As he is waiting for the elevator, she starts to wonder if he was wrong on going along with them having a child. It would not be fair to ask Kate to go through pain and suffering events he just witnessed.

When the door opened and he is deposited on the main floor, he moves quickly toward the desk where the clerk from the other day is still greeting the guests "hello Mr. Castle. What can I do for you?"

"I am looking for Barry…Mr. Blankenship. Do you know where he is?"

"Yes. I saw him entering the employee hallway. Leading to the staff bedrooms. You should find him there" she is pointing toward the closed door marked 'Employees Only'. The same door that leads to the victim's room

"Thanks" Castle turns and rushes thru the door and down the corridor where he and Kate had been investigating the crime scene earlier.

Initially, he does not see anyone, but just as he nears the last corner before turning toward the victim's room he hears voices.

Loud Voices

He looks around the corner and sees two men standing close to one another. One is Barry Blankenship and the other he does not recognize. But the man has an eerie similarity to the hotel owner. In Castle's mind this man could easily be the owner's twin brother

Rick stands still for a minute to try and hear what is happening between the two men. He does not hear complete sentences but he does hear "I told you to leave them alone! But you just had to do this didn't you?"

When the two men see Castle come around the corner towards the rooms they step back from each other.

"Hey Barry! I…uh" Rick is staring at the other man

"Oh hi Rick" when Barry realizes that Castle is looking confused "this is my brother Mark" pointing to the other man

Castle holds out his hand "Nice to meet you Mark" then looking back at Barry "Your twin brother?"

"No. We only have a little over a year between us. Mark is the younger brother"

"OK?" there is a pause from Castle then "Barry, I came to get you. Your wife went into labor. She is down in the office with Beckett"

Barry turns to his brother. "We will finish this later" he looks at Castle "Is she OK?"

"So far. My wife and her friend Maddie are watching her. But I need to know if we can get the medical teams up here?"

"Yeah. I will have Cindy call and tell them to send paramedics in a snow cat. That is the only way they can get up here right now"

Barry looks at his brother "You come with us?" he points toward the exit

The three men rush back toward the exit door and down to the office. After Barry and Mark pass by. Castle stops at the desk and tells the clerk to tell them to send the police too

/\/\/\/\/\/

Kate Beckett has taken her phone out and called the only person she knew could help, Lanie Parish, MD

"Hey girlfriend, you taking a break from making babies?"

"Lanie we need help delivering a baby"

"WHAT? That was quick. I didn't know you were due"

"Not me silly. I am here at the lodge and the owner's wife went into labor and we are trapped by a giant snowfall. The paramedics are hours away and Maddie and I will have to do this"

"Kate, you know it has been many years since I worked labor and delivery?"

"You are the closest thing I have, so are you going to help me with this?"

"Of course, Kate. Now first thing. How far apart are the contractions?"

Beckett proceeds to answer all of Lanie's questions.

In the meantime, Maddie looks up as Barry enters the room with Mark and Castle stopping in the doorway.

During a break in Kate's conversation with Lanie, Maddie whispers to Kate that the Barry was the man she saw fighting with the spa woman, Lillian

"Are you sure?" Beckett asks

Maddie simply nods her head in the affirmative

Kate tells Lanie to hold just a minute, she stands, and steps outside pulling her husband with her. Once they have reached a safe distance "Castle. Barry is the man Maddie saw fighting with Lillian"

"I know" Castle responds "I caught Mark and Barry fighting. I think they were fighting about killing Kirk"

Beckett responds "You think that Barry was the man who killed Kirk?"

"I think that is very possible"

"I wish the police were here" Kate comments

"I got them on the way"

The conversation is interrupted by the loud voice from Maddie Quillar "Kate! Get in here. The baby us coming"

I Think I will wrap up ths one in the next chapter