Her heart beats wildly in her chest as her husband rubs relaxing circles in between her shoulder blades. She's exhausted, terrified and in pain. She lets the tears slip through her closed eyes as she attempts to steady her breathing. He's whispering "I love yous" and apologies and she loves him, but right now she really wants to shoot him. She tries not to place the blame on him because it's not his fault. But it is because if she had never met him, she wouldn't be in this situation. In a different universe she would be at home reading a book and enjoying a glass of wine soaking up every second of her Sunday.
But when it really comes down to it, there's only one universe Kate wants to be in and it's the universe she's currently living. One where Richard Castle managed to weasel his way into her life and (somehow) got her to marry him. Because if she had never met him, she wouldn't be in this situation.
It was fifteen hours before Kate finally heard the small cries as her first born entered the world. She watched as Rick cut the umbilical cord with tears in her eyes and when they placed her daughter on her chest, the entire world stopped. She was overwhelmed with emotion as her own heartbeat soothed her daughter's cries. How was it possible to love someone so much the moment you laid eyes on them? "She's perfect." Rick managed to choke out through his tears. Kate looked up at him, her lips pulling into a smile that lit every dark corner in her world. She remained silent. She would never be able to conjure the words to accurately describe the love she felt in this moment. Rick placed a soft kiss on his wife's forehead and as he took in the sight before him, he couldn't believe that this was his life. "Seven years ago if you would have told me I would be here with you, married and celebrating the birth of our daughter, I wouldn't have believed it. It was always you, Kate. The one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, have more children with. I didn't think I deserved it, I still don't sometimes. Being married to you and spending the rest of my life with you is more than I ever could have imagined. I had no idea." Blue eyes met hazel, tears pooling and falling from both parties. "Thank you. Thank you for loving me and for choosing to live this life with me."
Castle's eyes drifted to his daughter's taking in her features for just a moment. He offered his pinky finger to the infant who immediately curled her hand around it out of reflex. Kate watched as her husband's face lit up, his smile contagious. He spoke softly to the newborn telling her stories about their family and how lucky she was to have a mother like Kate. "Rick." She finally managed to get out, not speaking again until their eyes met once more. "We have another daughter." She breathed out almost as if she needed to say it out loud for it to sink in. Rick's chuckles filled the room. "Yeah, we do don't we? She's beautiful, just like her mother." Kate smiled at him before placing a kiss on top of the newborns head, her whisper almost inaudible. "Hey there, Lily. I've been waiting to meet you. It's Sunday and Sundays have always been about spending time with your family and the people you love. They're a pretty big deal in our house. How fitting of it for you to be born today."
She stares down at her daughter while her husband stares at her, the unconditional love shining in both of their eyes. She knows that every future Sunday will pale in comparison to today.