A/N: Sorry it took me forever to update this. I'm going to try and be more consistent with my updates, hopefully once a week
Ten years. They say after ten years couples become less tolerable of each other. They're less forgiving. Rick read her the statistics. Told her that most couples say that the year ten mark is when their marriage plummets. Not them, never them he reassured her. He asked if she had any fears. If she still loved him the same way she did ten years ago when everything was new. She held his cheek, drawing him close to her and told him that she didn't love him the same way she did. She felt him flinch, watched as he opened his mouth ready to blurt out suggestions of marriage counseling and working things out. She put one finger to his lip to silence him and the thoughts that were running through his head. "I don't love you the same way I loved you ten years ago. I love you more and every time I think there's no way I could love you anymore than I do, you prove otherwise"
She was 32 weeks pregnant. Just finished her last shift before maternity leave, her small family excited to spend the next couple of months together. She never made it home. Not that night anyway. A taxi ran a red light, crushing the driver's door. Kate's heart stopped in the ambulance, Rick's as he clutched the phone, an unknown voice on the other line letting him know his wife was in an accident and he needed to get to New York-Presbyterian as fast as he could. His voice shook as he yelled for his mother, startling the toddler who was curled by his feet coloring. "Richard, what is it? Why are you screaming?" Martha Rodgers rushed down the steps. When she saw the pale face of her only child, she knew something bad had happened. "Richard, what is it? You're scaring me." Unable to hold it back, a sob slipped through his lips. He willed himself to pull it together. He needed to be strong for his family. "Kate, Kate's been in an accident. I need you to watch Lily." With tear filled eyes Martha nodded as her son ran out the door. She knew if something happened to Kate or the twins, her son wouldn't survive. She picked up her granddaughter and held her close. They had to be okay. There wasn't any other option.
By the time Rick arrived at New York-Presbyterian, Kate was already in surgery. By the time Rick arrived, the twins were already born via emergency C-section. They said it was urgent, a placental abruption putting both boy's lives at risk. Kate had flatlined in the ambulance. The blunt force from the accident causing a cardiac contusion. They told him that it was a rare occurrence. That a cardiac contusion causing someone to go into cardiac arrest, was rare. The trauma from the shooting that took place years ago replayed in his mind. Reminding him that although she was still with him, the damage from the bullet would still make itself known. Still cause her to flatline in an ambulance for the second time since he confessed his love to her.
Castle felt like his entire world was spinning. Dread bubbled in the pit of his stomach and it took everything in him not to fall to his knees. The doctor rambled off statistics while his mind went blank. While his mind went to an outcome him and his wife flirted with more than he would like to mention.
She was very lucky. They were very lucky. That's what the doctor kept telling Rick. How was this lucky? His family was supposed to be at home, watching a movie and enjoying their last few weeks as a family of four. Instead, he waited for six agonizing hours while Kate was in surgery and now he had to wait for her to finally wake up. They had her on a beta blocker to reduce the risk of further heart complications and morphine dripped constantly through her IV. A chest tube was temporarily placed between her ribs due to a complete pneumothorax. Her left arm would be put in a cast the next morning to help repair the compound fracture that was most likely caused by the airbag. The hairline fracture in her femur should heal by itself as long as she did not bare any weight on it.
Rick wanted to scream. He wanted to let every pent up emotion boil over, let it burn him. How was any of this fair? How was it fair that every time his family was happy, the rug was pulled right out from under them? How was it fair that the love of his life, the mother of his children, his soulmate, was once again fighting for her life? He can't scream. He can't fall apart, he has to steady himself, has to ignore every human instinct that wants him to drop to his knees and give up. He can't. He has to think of his daughters. Alexis had texted him two hours ago to let him know she was on the next flight out from London. He wanted to tell her to stay, that her studies were important and she shouldn't leave unexpectedly during the middle of the semester. But he was selfish, he needed his daughter here. He needed the extra hands, someone that could take Lily if Martha needed a break, someone to keep Kate company while he sat in the NICU next to their two sons who came so close to never taking their first breath.
It killed him not being next to Kate's side but he knew when she woke up she would be pissed if he didn't spend every second next to the twins. Both boys were in incubators to help regulate their body temperature and feeding tubes had been placed until they were able to take a bottle without difficulty. Baby A, the smaller of the boys coming in at just three pounds, was having trouble breathing and needed to be on high flow oxygen. The doctors assured Rick that this was completely normal for a baby born at 32 weeks. Baby B, the oldest of the two by one minute, was managing to keep his oxygen levels at a steady rate but was being monitored closely for any changes. Rick had chuckled, wondering if it was the extra 6 ounces he had on his brother that allowed him to have less of a struggle.
Baby A and Baby B.
Rick finally let his tears fall as he pleaded with every god he could think of. Kate needed to wake up. A deal was a deal. She needed to wake up so she could name their sons.