Kate Beckett, Investigator Chapter 10
"How did your tutoring session go?" Castle inquires as Kate drops her briefcase inside the door of the loft.
"OK," she replies shrugging. "It's been a long time since I had to worry about studying for an exam. My promotion to detective was at the department's discretion. I didn't have to take one. I had plenty of them at the academy, but with most of them, I was just showing what was already programmed into my muscles. For the rest, reading through the material was enough."
Sympathy warms Castle's eyes. "But the reading doesn't stick the way it used to?"
Kate throws him a steely stare. "No, but how would you know? You're the fastest reader I've ever met and you remember everything."
Castle's mouth tilts in a crooked smile. "Obnoxious, isn't it?"
"Sometimes," Kate admits.
"You told me once that I had no idea what sex would be like with you – and you were right. But Kate, by the time you dragged me into your interrogation room, I was coming up on 40. If you had known me a few years earlier, you would have found me, or at least my memory for factoids, even more unbearable. There were times when Alexis would reward it with a good hard kick in the shins. But memory skills are not like fine wine, they don't improve with age – or at least not in my case. I forget things occasionally. Sometimes more than occasionally. I just try to make them things it's not useful to remember. And I miss the ease of instant memory the way you must miss being a quick enough study to make it into Stuyvesant, Stanford, and NYU. But the kick-ass Kate Beckett still has more than enough of what it takes to accomplish anything she sets her mind to. And if that's killing it on the LSAT, you'll kill it on the LSAT. Are you still aiming for April or June?"
"I'd rather go for April. The sooner I get my score, the sooner I can figure out what law school will take me."
"So, is the ambitious law-student-to-be hungry? Alexis is out with Ashley and some of their friends at Chuck E. Cheese. So anything goes for an adult dinner."
"Isn't Alexis a little old for Chuck E. Cheese?"
"Well, at this age she is well aware that Chuck E. is a hopeful young actor wearing a furry suit while he awaits his big break, but she's developed an addiction to skeeball. She doesn't even redeem the tickets she wins. She gives them to whatever munchkins are around, to trade for cheap but enticing prizes."
Kate taps a finger against her lower lip. "Let me guess, she's competing with Ashley to see who can rack up the highest score."
"Ashley and the whole rest of the giant rodent's clientele. My daughter never does anything halfway."
"Much like her father."
"But I was asking about dinner," Castle reminds his wife. "What would pique your appetite?"
"Babe, I'm really not hungry. To tell you the truth, I'd rather grab a nap."
"Are you coming down with something?" Castle reaches out to feel Kate's forehead. "I don't think you have a fever, but I can get my thermometer. I have a new one, shaped like a ray gun. When you pull the trigger to get a reading, it does the sound effects and everything."
Kate giggles. "Only you would want a thermometer like that. But I don't think I have a fever. I'm just tired. I had to talk to three possible parties to the suit before I hit the books. I just want to lie down for a bit. Can we do dinner a little later?"
Castle's eyes sweep up and down Kate's frame. "Sure, whatever you want."
As Kate retreats to their bedroom, Castle drops into his desk chair and flips open his laptop. He clicks on a logo with the stylized letters T-R-A-C-K forming a red drop. A list of dates appears on his screen, and he nods to himself. His memory is still right on target – at least about this. Kate has been so caught up in her work and her studies that she may not have noticed, but she's two weeks late. That and her unusual desire for a nap – and actually meaning sleep, might just be a reaction to a heavy schedule. With a daughter and two ex-wives, he's cognizant that a myriad of things can tweak a woman's timing. Still, he's not about to bug his wife about it. The one thing that would be more dangerous than a ticked-off Kate Beckett would be a pregnant ticked-off Kate Beckett. The truth will out – one way or another. In the meantime, he needs to throw some red meat into Black Pawn's demanding maw."
For the second time, Kate checks the results of her third pregnancy test. The result hasn't changed. She's pregnant. No doubt Castle will be over the moon. She's not nearly as sure how she feels about it. Her pregnancy won't keep her from any of the work she needs to do on the suit against Nesgadol. It shouldn't interfere with her studies either. And by the time she makes it into law school, the baby will have been born. She and Castle can split the care. Castle was right about the time window. So why the hell is she so nervous about having a baby? Women do it every day, and without all the resources she can call on.
Kate takes a deep breath. She can do this. She can definitely do this. And she needs to tell Castle, but he isn't at the loft. He left to drive Alexis to school so she can set up an exhibit of her latest project before classes start for the day. Kate took advantage of his absence to run her test in private. But he'll be back soon. She hears a key in the lock. Correction, he's back now.
"Beckett, you'll never guess who I ran into at Marlow Prep," Castle announces, filling his mug with coffee.
"Who?" Kate asks, grateful for a moment's delay.
"Corley Ramscroot."
"The saxophonist for Streamin Cool?"
"The same, although I barely recognized him. He was wearing a suit and tie, can you believe it? And he had his hair all tied back too. He was scoping out Marlowe as a possible high school for his daughter. She's graduating from middle school this year. He didn't run away screaming when I told him what I was paying in tuition, so I guess he was serious. I must have checked out at least 20 schools before enrolling Alexis. I can't fault a guy for wanting the best for his kid."
Kate pours herself a glass of juice but doesn't drink it. "Castle, about what you want for your kids."
"What? Wait! Did you say kids, plural, as in more than one?"
"Um, yeah."
"Kate, are you pregnant?"
"I just ran the test. Yeah."
Castle scoops her up in his arms. "That's great! Fantastic! Brilliant!"
"Uh-huh."
He sets her down again. "Kate, you're not exactly giving out hoots of joy. What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Babe. Nothing's wrong. I just need some time to get used to the idea, that's all."
"Sure. Of course, you do. And you should get checked out, both of you, by someone terrific. Wasn't Lanie dating an OB she said was the best in the city?"
Kate shakes her head. "I'm not sure she was referring to his medical skills, but I can ask her."
"Outstanding! We're going to make everything work, Kate. You'll see."