Another Chance

Chapter 29

Kate's bedtime wear is hardly seasonal, but Castle isn't complaining. The sheer top that skims her curves could easily generate enough heat to counteract any dip in a man's temperature. The timing seems a little off though. As long as he and Kate have been together as more than investigative partners, he's never known her to be regular. However, their occasional need for a towel to protect the bedding when the urge strikes during that time has happened every so often. Doing some rough calculations, he figures that the handy piece of terrycloth has been unused for much more than the usual span - and not because he and Kate have been inactive.

Is Kate? She hasn't been wolfing down the crackers that Meredith did when she was carrying Alexis, but she has been devouring almost everything else. Could a developing presence have been demanding a snack? The notion is in equal parts terrifying and enthralling, but his capacity to think about much of anything is quickly banished as Kate presses her body to his in desperate demand.

He is usually the warmer of the two of them, but her heat is radiating through his skin, as her lips find his, and her tongue plunges deep into his mouth. As she grinds against him, even before jerking his pajama bottoms out of the way, his lower regions are working overtime to catch up. She arches at the lightest touch of his fingers against the firmness of her sweet spot, grabbing him to guide him in.

She wraps her legs around him, the pressure driving him deeper with every thrust. He can feel the inner muscles over which she has such magical control, tightening, urging them both toward climax. With a sharp intake of breath, she begins to convulse, triggering his release in concert with her own.

Castle sucks air into his own lungs. "That - was - incredible."

"I - know - Babe," Kate pants. "I was so turned on - like - the first night I came - when all I could think about - was wanting you."

Castle draws her close. "Wow! Whatever that was, if it doesn't kill me, I hope it happens again. Even if it is my last act, I can't think of a better way to go. But you know, you are a little late. More than a little actually. You don't think…?"

Kate jerks upward, slamming against the tufted backboard. "Rick, I hadn't even thought about it. I mean, I have an implant. I told you that our first time. But what happens with bleeding when you have one is supposed to be different for different women, so timing doesn't really mean anything."

"How long have you had it?"

"Since I was with Jo…"

"Kate, you hooked up with Dr. Motorcycle Boy over three years ago. Believe me, I remember his unwelcome materialization at the precinct, vividly. Don't those devices run out of juice after about three years?"

"Castle, I'm not even going ask how you know that, but I think that's what the doctor said - not in those terms."

"So you could be. Kate, we need to find out."

Kate reaches for his hand. "I guess we do."

Castle is fidgeting in the waiting room. He'd tried making some notes for his book, but he couldn't clear his mind enough to think of a remotely plausible plot twist. He can't even bring himself to be interested in any of the only slightly outdated magazines that occupy a rack, either. On a previous visit, Kate had her blood drawn for a pregnancy test that would be accurate despite the hormones that the implant still might still have been putting into her system. The doctor wanted to run some other tests as well, concerning her general health and any lingering effects from the bullet that almost took Kate's life. He springs from his chair as Kate emerges, carrying several sheets of paper. "Is everything all right?'

Kate places a calming hand on his arm. "Pretty much, Babe. But let's talk in the car."

Castle opens the passenger door for Kate before walking around his automobile to slide behind the wheel. "So, what did the doctor say?"

"I am pregnant. She estimates 6-8 weeks. She may be able to tighten that up a little at our first ultrasound."

"So we'll have a birth certificate before we have a marriage certificate - unless you want to move up the wedding."

"Castle, no. You've worked so hard on the plans. We both have. And they're just what I want. Anyway, these days nobody cares about whether the parents are married or not, as long as they take responsibility for the child. Hey, and I'll have enough time after the baby is born to fit back into my wedding dress."

Castle's eyes narrow. "Kate, what the hell aren't you telling me? Something is wrong."

"Not really, Babe. All the tests look normal except for the scar tissue from my shooting. There's a lot of it - on the inside. While I was in the hospital, Josh told me that he and the other surgeon didn't have time to be neat, because I was bleeding out. And apparently, I'm one of those people who are prone to extra scarring. But the doctor says that right now it doesn't put me in the high-risk category, she's just going to keep an eye on it."

"Keep an eye on it?"

"Yeah, she wants to keep track of my numbers. There's a little piece of electronics she said we could get so we can monitor them at home and send them to her from my phone or from a computer. She'll call me in if anything looks off. And I'm supposed to call her or go to the hospital if anything on a list of stuff she gave me happens."

"Kate, I want a copy of that list. And we're picking up that 'little piece of electronics' on the way home."

"Honestly, Castle, I don't think it's that serious. You can put away your giant roll of Bubble Wrap. I'm not going to break, and neither is the baby."

"Kate, as you, Alexis and mother have so often pointed out, I've spent a couple of decades being the overprotective dad. And as it turned out, the father rooster mode seems to be inherited, even if my own progenitor kept it under wraps. I think the overprotective husband-to-be is all part of the package you'll have to put up with. I will try not to drive the fiercely independent Kate Beckett too crazy, but I'm in this, every step of the way. That's not negotiable - not even a little bit."

"Babe, I didn't think it would be. The medical supply store Dr. Lyra said would have what I need is in the 500s on Madison Avenue. I'll put it into the GPS."

"Madison Avenue it is. What about your - our - work at the 12th?

"The city will let me stay on active duty as long as I'm able, we'll just have to see how it goes."

"With the boys taking point on stalking some crazy killer," Castle insists. "Hot lead is not good for babies and other growing things - including my gorgeous fiancée."

Kate leans over the console, touching her lips to his. "I promise, the baby and I will stay out of the line of fire. But I'm not bringing a child up alone. From now on, when I tell you to stay back, you actually have to do it."

Castle grins at her. "I can see you're getting the mother thing down already."