A/N #1: I apologize for taking so long with this chapter.
A/N #2: There will be another time jump in this chapter and the next.
A/N #3: This chapter will cover the beginning of the trial of William Bracken. There will be spoilers from 'Veritas.'
In My Veins
Chapter 9: Resolution and A New Beginning
January
Kate was propped up in bed, reading something on her laptop when Castle walked in from his office and sprawled out next to her. She smiled when she felt him brush his lips across her huge belly. "Six weeks to go," he smiled up at her. "Do you want to talk about baby names again?"
"Okay," she closed the lid of her laptop and put it aside. "But I want to pick out serious names, Castle. No cutesy nicknames and we're not calling this baby 'Cosmo.' Are we in agreement?"
"Okay. We're still in agreement that we'll use your dad and mom's names as middle names?"
"Castle, I don't want Martha to feel left out."
"She's not. Alexis' middle name, Harper, is a family name on Mother's side."
"How did you and Meredith come up with the name Alexis?"
"Well, if you ask Meredith, she'll say that she was honoring me by using a derivative of Alexander. But I learned later that Alexis was the name of one of Meredith's relatives. But I liked the name then, and I still like it now, so it all worked out."
"There's something else that I want to talk about first."
"Bracken's trial," he looked at her, watching her nod. "Kate, it's going to be okay. Ms. Weston has already said that she's just going to have you testify about the tape."
"I know. It's just going into a courtroom and seeing the man who ordered the murder of my mom—"
"You've faced him before. And I'll be right there. Okay? Now, let's get back to discussing the name of our son or daughter."
The next morning, Kate and Castle met with Elizabeth Weston in her office. "Good morning, Det. Beckett, Mr. Castle. Wow, how many more weeks?"
"According to my doctor, six. According to the baby, it might be sooner than that."
"I just wanted to talk to you about your upcoming testimony. I am going to be asking you about the tape. However, Mr. Bracken's attorney is going to want to know the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the tape. So, I might have to switch things up a little. Will you be okay with that?"
"It'll show the jury what Bracken is capable of. Yes, I'm okay with it."
"Kate, if you need a break during any of this, let me know. Your testimony shouldn't take longer than a few hours. I'll put you on the stand first thing and hopefully get you off the stand by lunchtime."
"How long do you think the trial will last?" Castle asked.
"It's hard to say. We're predicting four weeks, but we don't really know. This case has a lot of moving parts. Unless you have this baby in the next few days, I will see you on Monday."
"Maybe I'll go into labor during jury selection," Kate mused as Castle drove them home.
"That would make things more interesting," Castle grinned. "Do you want to pick up Chinese food for dinner before we head home?"
"No. I'm just really tired, Castle. I just want to go home and rest."
"Hey," he reached for her hand, "it's going to be okay."
"I know. I keep telling myself that."
***CCC***
Jury selection in the trial of William Bracken took several days. It was another two weeks before opening remarks began. Elizabeth Weston got up from her chair and walked over to face the jury.
"Good morning. My name is Elizabeth Weston, and I am the U.S. Attorney for The Southern District of New York. This case is going to have a lot of moving parts. There are going to be a lot of names to remember. Some of these names will be former co-conspirators of the accused, Mr. Bracken. Those names are John Raglan, Gary McAllister, Roy Montgomery, Vulcan Simmons, Hal Lockwood and Cole Maddox. With the exception of the accused, all of these men are now dead. You will also learn the names of several victims. Those names are Johanna Beckett, Diana Cavanaugh, Jennifer Stewart, and Scott Murray. These four victims were all allegedly murdered on the orders of the accused, William Bracken. You will hear a tape where the accused boasts of the fact that he has had people killed before. You will hear testimony regarding the veracity of the tape in question. This is a case that has been almost 20 years in the making. I thank you for your patience and your diligence."
Kate was one of the first prosecution witnesses called. After she was sworn in, she took a seat in the witness box. "Please state and spell your name for the record," Elizabeth looked at Kate.
"Det. Katherine Beckett. K-A-T-H-E-R-I-N-E B-E-C-K-E-T-T."
"Det. Beckett, you are a detective in the New York Police Department?"
"Yes."
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
"I know that this day has been a long time coming for you."
"Objection!" Bracken's attorney, Howard Dempsey rose to his feet.
"Ms. Weston, keep your commentary to yourself," the judge ordered.
"Det. Beckett, did there come a time in mid-2014 that you and your husband were forced to go on the run?"
"Yes."
"Were you confronted by the defendant during your time on the run?"
"Yes."
"How did that confrontation come to be?"
"I was in a hotel room. Mr. Bracken and two of his cronies—"
"Objection! Calls for speculation!"
"Overruled. You may proceed, Det. Beckett."
"Mr. Bracken and two associates illegally entered my hotel room."
"Where was your husband?"
"He had gone to find us some transportation."
"Did you have a conversation with Mr. Bracken?"
Kate took a sharp intake of breath when the baby gave her a particularly hard kick to her ribs. Seeing her face, Castle sat forward in his chair.
"Yes, I did."
"Are you okay, Kate?"
"Actually, I think that I need a break."
"Court is adjourned for 10 minutes," the judge banged his gavel. "Det. Beckett, are you all right?"
"Yeah, I just need a few minutes."
Kate slowly got to her feet as the baby delivered another kick. Something didn't feel right. "Castle!" She cried out as her knees buckled.
"I'm right here," she felt Castle's arms around her. "Do I need to call Dr. O'Malley?"
"Can I just get some water?"
"I'll get it," Elizabeth rushed off to get Kate some water.
Still anchoring her securely to him, Castle slowly walked Kate over to the prosecution table. "Take some breaths," he forced her to focus on his face. "Is it Braxton-Hicks?"
"I . . . don't know. He or she is kicking the hell out of my ribs."
"Here's your water," Elizabeth placed a bottle of water in front of Kate. "Do you think that you'll be able to continue?"
"Yeah. I think the baby senses my stress. I didn't think that I was feeling stressed, but the baby is telling me otherwise."
"How are you feeling now?" Castle asked after a few minutes.
"A little better. My ribs are sore," she managed to smile.
When court resumed, Kate returned to the witness stand. She rubbed the spot where the baby had kicked her earlier.
"Kate, can you tell the court about your conversation with William Bracken on or about May 14, 2014?"
"He wanted to know why I didn't drop my pursuit of my mother's murder. He told me that I should've just walked away. He claimed that he had made me into everything that I am today. He said that he admired my tenacity. He said that the part of him that admired me wasn't the part that made the hard decisions."
"What did you take that to mean?"
"That he was in that hotel room to kill me. Or to have his 'associates' kill me. I even told him to pull the trigger."
"What was his response to that?"
"He had people for that. He wasn't going to leave evidence of himself at a crime scene."
"You were forced to kill the two men who had come to the hotel with Mr. Bracken, is that correct?"
"In self-defense."
"Were you injured during the struggle?"
"Yes. I suffered a severe concussion after one of them broke a bottle over my head."
"Tell the court about the tape that we're about to hear. How did you learn of its existence?"
Kate took a deep breath, remembering the dream she'd had where Roy had come to her. "A long time ago, when I was a rookie cop, I got caught in the property room by a senior officer, a detective."
"Who was this detective?"
"Roy Montgomery. He became my commander when I became a detective."
"Did you have a conversation with Det. Montgomery that day?"
"Yes."
"What was that conversation about?"
"I told him that I was reading the file regarding my mother's murder. He then suggested that maybe there was a cassette recording somewhere. I told him that my father and I had searched everything and there was nothing."
"Was there a tape?"
"Yes."
"Where was the tape located?"
"In an elephant statuette on my desk at the precinct. The elephant had previously belonged to my mother."
"Your honor, may I approach the witness?" Elizabeth asked.
"You may."
"May the record reflect that I am showing the witness Prosecution's Exhibit One. Det. Beckett, do you recognize what has been marked as Prosecution's Exhibit Number One?"
"Yes."
"Can you tell the court what it is?"
"It's a microcassette tape."
"Is this a true and direct copy of the microcassette that you located on or about May 14, 2014?"
"Yes."
"Your honor, may I approach the bench?"
"You may."
"May I approach as well, your honor?" Mr. Dempsey got to his feet as the judge waved him forward.
"Your honor, I would like to enter this microcassette tape into evidence as Prosecution's Exhibit One."
"Do you have any objections, counsel?" The judge addressed Bracken's attorney.
"Not at this time, your honor."
"Very well. The tape will be entered into evidence as Prosecution's Exhibit One. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you will now be hearing the cassette that has been entered into evidence."
Elizabeth stepped to the prosecution table and inserted the tiny cassette into a player which had been hooked to another speaker to make it easier to hear. Castle watched Kate's face as the tape began to play.
"Raglan, shut the door," Bracken's voice filled the quiet courtroom. "You've got a lot of balls, coming here."
"Look, we just want to make sure we're all on the same page," the late Roy Montgomery's voice is heard. "You took us for a lot of money, Bracken. We want assurances."
"Hey, be happy I haven't busted the three of you for your little mafia extortion ring," Bracken warned them.
"Whoa, relax," Montgomery told him.
"No, no," Bracken interrupted. "You want assurances? Here you go. I assure you that as easily as I pinned Bob Armen's murder on Pulgatti, I can just as easily pin it on the cops that actually did the deed."
"Pulgatti knows he's been framed," Montgomery reminded Bracken. "What if someone gets on this?"
"Then I'll handle them," Bracken said.
"You? How?" Montgomery wanted to know.
"I know people, Roy," Bracken bragged. "Dangerous people. Anyone gets too close, like that bitch lawyer Johanna Beckett has been poking around, I'll have them killed. I've had people killed before."
That's where the tape ended. Elizabeth turned off the player and returned the tape to the evidence bag and handed it to a bailiff to be entered into the official record.
"I just have a few more questions, Det. Beckett. Did you recognize the two people who were speaking on the tape?"
"Yes. Roy was my former boss, Capt. Roy Montgomery. The other person speaking was the defendant."
"And the other person in the room? The one named Raglan? Did you know him?"
"Yes. He was Det. John Raglan. He was the investigator on my mother's murder."
"Where is he now?"
"Dead."
"When did this happen?"
"January 24, 2011. He was shot in front of me and Mr. Castle when he was trying to give me information regarding my mother's murder."
"Was his killer caught."
"Yes."
"Who was his killer?"
"A hired killer who went by the name of Hal Lockwood. We never learned his real identity."
"Det. Beckett, who was Cole Maddox?"
"Cole Maddox was another hired killer who shot me at the funeral of Roy Montgomery on May 16, 2011."
"Was he apprehended by police?"
"No. He died in September of 2012 after he had resurfaced as the suspect in another murder."
"Do you know who hired these two men?"
"The defendant did."
"No further questions, your honor."
"Mr. Dempsey?"
"Thank you, your honor," Dempsey rose to his feet. "Det. Beckett, why were you on the run?"
"My gun had been used to in a murder."
"Who was the murder victim."
"A man named Vulcan Simmons. His name had come up in the investigation into Mr. Bracken's campaign funding."
"Was that gun ever found?"
"No."
"Nothing further, your honor."
"You may step down, Det. Beckett."
***CCC***
January 21, 3:00 am
Castle was having a dream where he was on a boat in the middle of the ocean. The boat was rocking back and forth, making him feel a little seasick. "Castle," he woke up when he felt Kate shaking him. "Castle, I'm having contractions."
"Shit!" He bolted awake. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I've been timing them for the last hour. I called Dr. O'Malley. He's going to meet us at the hospital."
"Did you tell him about court?"
"No. Come on, Castle!"
9:00 am
"How long does it take to have a baby?" Kate groaned.
"It varies. Meredith had a c-section."
"No one is cutting me opened, Castle."
"I've read that first babies usually take a long time."
"I hate you and your man parts right now."
"I know," he took her hand. "Focus on Lily or James."
"I'm not sure that I like James for a first name," she made a face. "How about Jacob? That was our second choice, right?"
"Your second choice. My first choice. Well, after Cosmo," Kate made another face.
"How are we doing?" Dr. George O'Malley cheerfully entered the room. "Let's check on your progress, shall we?"
"I think that I hate his man parts, too," Kate nodded toward her young doctor.
"I'll be back in a few," Castle pressed his lips to Kate's damp forehead.
"As many times as you've put your hands up me today, you're going to owe me a prime rib dinner when I push this kid out!"
"I'm sorry, Kate."
"Please say 10. I don't want to hear any other number come out of your mouth right now!"
"You're not quite there, Kate."
"How 'not quite?'"
"Six."
"Can I get up and walk around?"
"By all means. Sometimes that gets things moving in the right direction."
2:00 pm
"Just think, in a few hours our baby will be joining the noisy bunch behind this window," Castle and Kate were standing in front of the nursery window, looking at the newborns.
"Castle, I'm scared," her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Of what?"
"What if I can't do this? I mean, I've held Sarah Grace and Nicholas, but I could give them back to Jenny when I was done holding them. I can't hand our baby over to anybody when I'm done holding it."
"You're going to be great. I thought the same thing when we first brought Alexis home. Contraction?" He noticed her face and felt the way she grabbed his arm. Unable to speak, she simply nodded. "Do you want to go back?" Again, another nod. "They're getting closer together."
"I know, Castle. I'm the one feeling them. Where is your mother?"
"I think she and Alexis went to get coffee."
"Ooh, don't say coffee."
When they returned to the room, Kate sat on the exercise ball Martha had brought from home. "Do you want me to get her? My mother or Alexis?" Castle asked.
"Yeah."
Kate was rocking back and forth on the giant ball when the door opened. "Richard said that you wanted us girls," Martha said as she and Alexis entered the room.
"I'm terrified, Martha. Rick doesn't get it, but you do."
"Oh, darling, I remember those early days all too well. Taking care of a newborn was the most terrifying thing I have ever done—"
"Gram, I'm not sure that you're helping," Alexis warned her grandmother.
"My point is, Katherine, I was alone. Richard was alone with Alexis. You're not ever going to be alone in this. You have me, your dad, Richard, your wonderful friends. I can't wait to meet my new grandson or granddaughter. Have you and Richard picked out names?"
"Yes, but we're not going to reveal the name until the baby is born. No one else knows. Not even Alexis."
"She's right. I even tried to bribe it out of dad. No dice," Alexis smiled.
"Martha, can you find Dr. O'Malley?"
"On my gosh! Is it time?"
"Gram, let's find the doctor and dad!" Alexis quickly ushered her grandmother from the room.
3:45 pm
Kate was exhausted. None of the books she had read warned you of how exhausting it was to push a small human being out of your body. Hearing the welcome sound of their newborn's cries echo through the room was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.
"Okay, Kate. The hardest part is over. Give me a couple more pushes and we'll see what we have. Are we hoping for a boy or a girl?"
"Do you know what we're having?" Castle asked.
"Of course. I passed ultrasound 101 in med school with flying colors. But you insisted that you didn't want to know."
"I just want healthy," Kate said, breathing through another contraction. "Let's get this kid out already!"
Three more pushes and the rest of the baby emerged, wet and angry. "Congratulations! You have a healthy and very angry baby girl!" Dr. O'Malley held the baby up so that Kate and Rick could both see her.
"Lily," Kate breathed as she watched the nurse briskly rubbing her down as the baby continued to scream. "Is she okay?"
"She's perfect," the nurse smiled to assure Kate. "I'll bring her to you and daddy in just a minute."
"Does your new daughter have a name?" Dr. O'Malley asked.
"Lily," Castle looked at Kate, who nodded. "Lily Johanna. Johanna was her grandmother and we both love the name Lily."
"Here we go, mommy," the nurse brought Lily over, swaddled tightly in a pink blanket dotted with unicorns and rainbows.
Now that she was wrapped, Lily had stopped screaming. Kate stared at her, mesmerized by her tiny face. "Oh my god, Castle. Now I get it."
"Get what?" Castle kissed the top of Kate's head.
"What you meant when you told me about Alexis. About feeling like you had been struck by lightning."
"I should go and tell everybody, but I don't want to leave the two of you."
"Go tell your family. We need to take Lily to the nursery and give her a quick once over. We're also going to get Kate cleaned up and comfortable."
"You're taking her?" Kate suddenly felt possessive of her new daughter.
"Only for a little bit. We'll bring her back within half an hour or so. Then the rest of the family can get a chance to bond with her."
"Kate, she'll be fine. I'm going to go tell everyone, but I'll be right back," he kissed first her and then Lily.
When Castle stepped into the waiting room, he saw that his mother, Alexis, and Jim had now been joined by the boys, Lanie, and Capt. Gates. "Is the baby here?" Alexis leapt to her feet.
"I am pleased to announce the arrival of Miss Lily Johanna Castle."
"Lily! Oh, what a beautiful name! How is Katherine?" Martha asked.
"She's tired, but very happy. They're taking Lily to the nursery for a quick checkup. And you can all see Kate as soon as they get her cleaned up. They'll also be returning Lily to her in a little while."
"You're sure that she's okay, Rick?" Jim asked.
"She's great," Castle smiled.
The nurse got Kate as comfortable as she could, but all Kate cared about was holding her daughter again. Her arms literally ached to hold her. "How long until they bring Lily back?" She asked as the nurse fluffed the pillow behind her back.
"It won't be too much longer. The pediatrician wants to make sure that she's healthy."
"What if she isn't?"
"Mrs. Castle, believe me, that baby is A-Okay."
Castle was getting ready to return to Kate, along with the immediate family when they spotted the doctor pushing an isolette. "Perfect timing," he grinned. "I was just getting ready to take Lily back to her mommy. Congratulations."
Inside the room, Kate perked up when the door opened and Dr. O'Malley walked in, followed by Castle, Martha, Alexis and her dad. "Lanie, the boys and Captain Gates are in the waiting room. But we thought you might want just immediate family right now."
"Is she okay?" Kate asked when Castle scooped Lily in his huge hands and carefully handed her to Kate.
"The pediatrician says that she is perfectly healthy. We'll probably release the both of you tomorrow."
"So, she's okay even though she's more than a week early?" Kate asked.
"Kate, babies have their own timetables. She's perfect. Take her home tomorrow and enjoy the next 18 years."
"At least being a detective has already made you used to not sleeping," Jim noted.
"What do you think of your granddaughter?" Kate smiled at him.
"She's perfect," he said, wiping at his eyes.
"Castle, give her to my dad," Kate urged.
"Katie, do you have any idea how long it has been since I've held a newborn?"
"It's like riding a bike, Jim," Castle assured him.
"She looks like you," he smiled.
"I don't know. I think that she looks like Rick. Martha, help me out here."
"She has Richard's chin and his nose. But overall, I'm in agreement with Jim. I think that she looks more like you, Kate."
"She's gorgeous," Alexis smiled as Jim carefully handed the small bundle to her sister. "I've wanted this since I was a little kid. Thank you, Kate."
"Hey, she didn't do it alone," Castle pouted.
"Thank you, dad. Lily is a perfect name for her."
"It was going to be either Lily or Jacob."
After they all visited for a while, they agreed that it was time to let the new family bond and get some much-needed rest. But the boys, Lanie, and Capt. Gates wanted a chance to see the baby before visiting hours ended.
"I called Elizabeth and told her that you had delivered. She said something about being afraid that you were going to go into labor before you even had a chance to testify."
"At least I got my testimony out of the way."
"How does it feel to be a mom?" Ryan asked.
"Exhausting. Ask me in a few days."
"I hate to tell you, but you are going to stay exhausted for a long time," Gates told her. "But it's going to be the best kind of exhausted. I promise you that."
It was surprisingly quiet after everyone left them alone. Castle stretched out on the bed beside Kate as they admired their new daughter. Kate felt that she would never get tired of looking at her.
"When I graduated from the police department, I felt like that was the best thing I had ever done," she smiled at her husband. "Then when I got my gold shield, I thought that was the best thing I had ever done. Then when I fell in love with you and married you, I thought that was the best thing I had ever done. But having Lily? This is definitely the best thing I have ever done. Because we made her, Castle. She's a part of both of us. And that makes her perfect. I love you. Thank you for Lily."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you."
February
Three weeks later, Kate and Castle once again found themselves in court. This time they were waiting for the jury to return with a verdict. Elizabeth had called them the evening before, telling them that the jury had reached a verdict and it would be announced the next morning.
Kate clutched Castle's hand when the door opened, and the jury slowly entered the room and took their seats in the jury box. She looked at her father and took his hand, as well.
"Madame Foreperson, has the jury reached a verdict?" The judge asked.
"We have, your honor."
"Please pass the verdict forms to the bailiff. When the verdict is read, I don't want to hear any outburst from the courtroom." The bailiff brought the forms over to the judge, who quietly read them over before looking out at the courtroom. "Will the defendant please stand? In the case of The State of New York Vs. William Henry Bracken, Count Number One, Murder in the Second Degree against Johanna Beckett, the jury finds the defendant, William Henry Bracken, guilty."
Kate couldn't breathe. She wanted to scream and shout, but she didn't want to be removed from the courtroom. She couldn't hear over the roaring in her ears as the other counts were read. Guilty, guilty, guilty. They found him guilty of all four murders, as well as guilty of conspiring to commit murder, blackmail, and wire fraud.
"Kate? Kate?" She finally focused on Castle. "Come on, let's get out of here and go home to Lily."
Castle led Kate and her father out of the courtroom and past the throng of reporters waiting outside, looking for a sound bite for the evening news. "No comment," Castle said as he led his wife and father-in-law to their waiting town car.
When they entered the loft half an hour later, Martha and Alexis were waiting for them. "We just heard the news!" Martha hugged all three of them. "I hope the judge throws the book at him!"
"It's highly unlikely he'll ever see the outside of a prison cell," Kate assured Martha and Alexis. "Where's the baby?"
"I just put her down," Alexis said.
Kate walked into their bedroom and over to the bassinette where Lily was soundly sleeping, her tiny lips puckering as if she was dreaming about nursing. She woke up briefly when Kate lifted her into her arms and walked over to the rocking chair in the corner. "One day, Lily, I will tell you all about your grandma," she whispered. "I hope that when you grow up, that you will be every bit as brave as she was. Today, your grandpa, daddy and I got to see the bad guy finally lose."
A/N #4: And that will conclude Part 1 of this story. Part 2 will pick up a few years after the first part and will include the first case-based fic that I have written in some time.
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