Disclaimer: I don't have time to think of something funny, so I'll just say I don't own Castle.
Hey there! How fast a week can pass. We've reached Chapter 19 and I say sorry in advance to all of you who don't like medical/baby stuff because this chapter will be full of it. Expecting twins and getting a not-so-nice suspected diagnosis for both of them forcing you to have countless extra examinations, causes you to learn a thing or two. But my kids are fine and now I can put my knowledge to use. So, you never know what your experiences are good for!
I hope you enjoy this chapter and have a lovely weekend!
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On the next Monday Kate was sitting at her desk and just waiting for the minutes to pass until she could get out of this building. The middle of August was coming near and like last year and the year before the climate control at the precinct had failed to manage the rising temperatures. And now it felt like it was getting hotter and stuffier with every passing hour. Kate opened the top button of her blouse. She couldn't concentrate on the file of a young woman's murder in front of her because she slowly started to feel dizzy. Leaning back, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and felt a drop of sweat run down her neck. One more hour and she could get out of here.
She blinked as she felt a hand gently resting on her shoulder. Looking up she found Castle's gaze, a concerned look in his eyes. "Kate, I really don't think you should be here." He mumbled. She shook her head, and the image of his face grew slightly foggy before her eyes. "No, it's fine." She whispered. Castle put a glass of water in front of her. "Then at least drink something." Hesitating briefly she started to take little sips of water as he sat down beside her on his chair and watched her. The cool liquid eased the queasy feeling in her head and stomach for a second but not for long.
Kate put the glass down and Castle could see her hand shaking. "Kate…" He started again. She closed her eyes to blend out her blurry vision again. "There are a lot of people leaving early today. No one will take a second look at you." He mumbled while looking around the room that was becoming more and more empty. "And we'll have to leave a little early anyways to be on time for your appointment." She didn't respond and kept her eyes closed. With a worried expression, he kept his eyes on her. He could understand why she was more aware of hiding her pregnancy than over the last few weeks. The little bump on her stomach was growing a little faster than they'd expected and though he found it beautiful, they both knew she would have some trouble hiding it soon. But that wasn't an excuse for risking her own or their baby's health.
"Come on Kate, even Captain Gates is leaving." He said as he nudged his head towards the dark-skinned woman closing the door to her office, while she was wiping a paper tissue over her sweaty forehead. With fluttering eyelids Kate opened her eyes, just to see Captain Gates vanishing around the corner. With a sigh of relief, she muttered "Okay.". Gathering her strength and focusing on her balance she got up and relied on her desk for support. She didn't tend to do this often, but in this moment she damned her high heels. Castle watched her closely as she took a few warry steps around her desk to get her bag.
"Do you think we should go to the doctor straight away?" He asked as he saw her swaying slightly. Kate took a deep breath and picked up her bag. "No." She whispered. "I just have to get out of here." To his relief, she made it to the elevator without collapsing and as they reached the ground floor and the doors slid open the air that met them was at least a few degrees colder. "Your car," Kate mumbled as they started to walk towards the parking lot. There was no way she was able to drive right now.
Taking a quick look around to see if anyone was watching them, she opened the door and let herself fall into the leather seat, closing her eyes again as she shut the door. Castle got into the driver's seat and looked over at her. Her head was leaned back, her skin was pale, and sweat was running down her temples. "Air control." She whispered and without wasting another second Castle started the car and pressed the button to start the air control. The moment the cold air hit her Kate let out a small groan like he had heard from her many times before, but in very different situations.
She just sat there and concentrated on breathing in and out while the temperature around her changed to a degree she could handle. All the while she felt Castle's eyes on her and after about two minutes, she slowly turned her head to open her eyes and look at him. To her surprise, she found him smiling, though there was still a hint of concern lingering in his eyes. As she looked at him she realized she could count the times she had seen him smiling over the last ten days on one hand. "What?" She mumbled and smiled back at him.
"Nothing." He answered. "Are you feeling ready to go?" She softly nodded and gently brushed her fingers over his hand, and he wrapped his fingers around hers. "Are you nervous?" He asked and she sighed. Yes, she was nervous and had been all day. It had been four weeks since her last appointment. She didn't have the feeling anything was wrong but still, you could never know. And thinking there could be anything wrong with the little gummy bear she had fallen in love with the last time she had seen it frightened her. "A little nervous. But also excited." She said truthfully. She was looking forward to seeing their baby again, curious about how it might have changed over the last few weeks.
He gently squeezed her hand. "Me too." He softly said. "But I'm convinced everything will be just fine." Kate smiled and nodded. "I hope so." And for the first time since the drama revolving around Alexis had started, she felt like it was just the two, well, the three of them for a moment. Without being accompanied by the bitter taste Alexis's leaving had caused. Castle flashed a look at his watch. "When we drive slowly, we'll only be a few minutes early." Kate leaned her head back into the seat and closed her eyes again. "Take your time, I don't feel any need to get out into the heat at all." On that Castle put in the gear and pulled the car out of the parking spot, heading towards her doctor's office.
He did as he'd promised and drove slowly, even taking a little detour to give her a couple more of those precious minutes in the cold air of the car. But eventually, he stopped the car at the side of the road where he also had last time and turned the engine off. Kate still sat there with her eyes closed and he wondered whether she might have fallen asleep. He took a minute just to look at her. Her face had a much healthier color than when they had gotten into the car, and he was relieved to see that.
"Why are you staring at me, Castle?" She whispered without opening her eyes and pulled him out of his thoughts about how much he adored her. "Why are you pretending to be asleep?" He replied teasingly. She opened her eyes and looked over at him. "I'm not pretending anything. I'm just thinking about what might be expecting us up there." He reached out his hand and softly touched her cheek. "And I'm not staring. I just thought about how much I love you." He brushed his thumb over her cheekbone. "And don't worry, there is nothing bad expecting us. I'm sure of that." But he had to admit to himself that his anxiety was growing with every minute they came closer to the appointment.
He tore his eyes away from her face and looked at his watch. "I think when can go in. We're just five minutes early." Kate nodded and he could see she was holding her breath as she opened the door on her side of the car and got out. And he was aware it wasn't because of the heat that was expecting her but because she felt the same anxiety as him.
The hot air filled with the smell of burned rubber and exhaust hit her like a ball thrown into her face. Oh, she was looking forward to the summer to pass. Her probation period would be over, the problems surrounding Alexis would hopefully have been resolved and these awful temperatures wouldn't be torturing her anymore. And they came closer to meeting the little person her focus was lying on right now. From the corner of her eye, she saw Castle quickly walking around the car and coming up to her side. He slid his hand into hers and gently pulled her with him.
As he held the door of the building open for her to walk through, she let out a relieved sigh when she noticed the building seemed to have a better-working air conditioner than the precinct. She walked inside and headed for the stairs instead of the elevator. She suddenly felt better keeping her legs moving than just having to stand still. Though she tried to fight it the anxiety was slowly starting to take over. As she reached the entrance to the doctor's office, Castle closely behind her, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest and sweat spreading on her back even though the air inside the office was almost a little chilly.
The young assistant behind the desk facing the entrance looked up and gave her a friendly smile. "Ah, hello Ms. Beckett, right on time." She got up from her chair and walked over to a shelf behind the desk. She pulled out a little plastic cup and then walked over to Kate, handing it to her. "You already know this. Please hand in a urine sample and then you can directly head into examination room number three." The blonde-haired woman looked over to Castle. "You can of course join her, Mr. Castle." She said and Kate could see the slight blush spreading over her cheeks.
"Seems like you've got some fans here," Kate mumbled to Castle as the assistant returned to the desk. Castle rolled her eyes at her and gestured for her to go into the bathroom. With a small smile, Kate went into the little room and did what was expected of her. She placed the little cup on the shelf that was labeled for that cause and then went to wash her hands. When she opened the door again an amusing sight hit her eyes. Castle stood at the counter of the entrance desk and was writing down a name the young assistant was spelling to him, her face now colored in a deep red.
"And one for my mother, if you wouldn't mind?" She shyly asked and pulled out another book from under the desk. "No problem," Castle muttered and Kate walked up to them, grinning. The assistant looked up and met Kate's gaze, the color of her face intensifying even more. Then her eyes wandered over Kate's shoulder and the next moment Kate heard steps walking up to her. Before she could turn around, she heard the voice of Doctor Voaden hiss "Julie, I told you not to bother him."
The small, dark-haired woman came to a stand beside them, giving Kate and Castle an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry." She said and looking sharply at her assistant she added "That's very unprofessional." Castle waved it off and handed the book he just signed back to the young woman who apparently was called Julie. "It's not a problem, comes with the job." The doctor seemed a little relieved and Julie disappeared back behind her desk. "Nevertheless…" Doctor Voaden started and gave Kate one of her beaming smiles she appreciated so much. "You're here for a different reason."
She pointed towards a door with a big green three on it and Kate walked off into the examination room, her heart rate picking up its pace again. Castle walked in behind her and Dr. Voaden closed the door behind herself. Kate noticed this room was smaller than the one where she had her last examination. There was no sight of the horrible chair, only an examination table next to the ultrasound device and a small desk with a computer on it and chairs for the doctor, the patient, and their possible partner.
Dr. Voaden gestured towards the examination table as she pulled one of the chairs next to it for Castle to sit on. "Is there anything you would like to talk about first or do you want us to get started right away? Most of my patients are too nervous to talk at all before they didn't get the chance to have a look at their baby." The smiling woman said. "Get started." Kate sighed, happy her doctor had enough experience to sense her feelings in this situation. Dr. Voaden gave her an understanding nod and turned on the ultrasound device. "Then please lay down, lift your shirt a little, and open up the button of your trousers."
Kate did as she was told, and Castle sat down beside her, instinctively reaching out for her hand. "Sorry, my hands are a little cold." Dr. Voaden said in her ever-friendly tone before she carefully palpated Kate's abdomen. Kate couldn't bring out a response, her throat seemed blocked by a big lump of fear. "Well, here everything feels perfect." The doctor stated with a smile and removed her hands from Kate's belly to reach for the ultrasound gel.
Castle squeezed her hand in a try to reassure her everything else would also be fine, but Kate was too tense to even notice. Her eyes were pinned to the screen of the ultrasound device even though the scan hadn't even started yet. The doctor applied some of the cool gel on Kate's abdomen and then pulled the ultrasound probe out of its holder and carefully placed it under Kate's belly button. And while Kate looked at the black and grey chaos on the screen as the doctor searched for a clear image, she feared her heart might stop at any moment. Her baby needed to be fine.
Dr. Voaden slowed down her movements and the outlines on the screen became clearer. And there it was again. The black bubble Kate remembered from the last time but what was inside was again completely different. The little gummy bear she had fallen in love with was gone. And in its place was… A baby. Kate's mouth fell open in surprise. There on the screen, she could clearly see it. She could see a head, a tummy, little legs, and as the doctor held her hand completely still Kate could spot a tiny arm moving. And as she looked even closer she could see what she thought had to be five tiny little fingers.
"Oh, look who's waving at Mummy and Daddy!" The doctor said and without looking at her Kate could hear the grin in her voice. Dr. Voaden kept her hand still but the image of the baby kept on moving. It took Kate a few seconds to realize it wasn't the image that was moving but the baby. It stretched out the little arm again and then straightened its legs, making it look like a little jump.
"Seems like you have a little gymnast here." The doctor said and Kate slowly became a little bit more aware of her surroundings again. The relief and happiness flooding through her body were strong enough for tears to rise in her eyes. "Could I take a video?" She heard Castle saying beside her but she wasn't able to look away from the screen. "Of course!" Dr. Voaden replied and Castle let go of Kate's hand to pull out his phone. And while he was recording Kate got to stare at the screen for another few minutes while the doctor explained the features of their baby to them.
"See, you can already make out all ten fingers and toes." She chuckled softly. "Well, implied the baby keeps still long enough for you to count them." Pointing to a little black dot inside to tummy of the baby she said "This is the stomach and this…" She shifted the wand on Kate's belly just the slightest bit and another black dot appeared "… this is the bladder. Your baby is already drinking and digesting. And since bladder and stomach are full, we can assume your baby's organs are working just the way they should." With another shift of the wand, the image focused on the baby's neck. "And here you can see the nuchal fold, which is absolutely in the norm so I'm quite sure your baby isn't affected by a genetic disorder. And of course, you can also see the heart beating nice and strong."
She held the wand still for another few moments so Kate and Castle could witness the heartbeat of their child and its ongoing movements once more. "From what I can see your baby seems perfectly healthy." The doctor smiled and Castle stopped the video. "Is it too early to tell whether it's a boy or girl?" Castle asked and Kate could hear his voice trembling a little. It seemed like the last ten minutes of looking at their baby were affecting him just as much as her.
Dr. Voaden chuckled softly as she turned off the ultrasound device and pulled the wand away from Kate's stomach. "I'm afraid so. That would be nothing more than me guessing and there would be a fifty percent chance that I'm wrong." Castle waved his hand at her apologetic tone. "Doesn't matter anyway." The doctor smiled at Kate as she handed her some paper towels to wipe away the remains of the ultrasound gel. Kate cleaned her skin with trembling hands and slowly sat up, catching Castle's glance.
She could see tears shimmering in his eyes and reached for his hand once more like holding on to it could keep her own tears from running down her cheeks, but there wasn't a chance to hold them back. Dr. Voaden had walked over to the desk with a computer on it in the corner of the room and briefly looked up at her. "I assume these are tears of joy?" She asked with a sympathetic tone and Kate laughed a soft "Yes" while quickly wiping away the tears with the back of her hand.
The doctor returned from her desk with a pile of new pictures in her hand. "I know you have the video, but I think having some of these to show around is always nice too." She handed the pictures to Castle, and he gratefully took them from her. "And I printed a few extra since your baby made such an effort to show us its whole span of possible poses." She said with a little chuckle. Looking at Kate she smiled and said, "As long as nothing is bothering or concerning you, we will see each other again in four weeks." Once more turning back to Castle she added, "And by then we might be able to tell the sex of the baby." And with another smile, she left the room for Kate to put her clothes back in place before they left too.
They walked by the desk at the entrance again and Kate let Julie hand her a little note with the date and time of her next appointment. She put it into the pocket of her jeans and gave the young woman an appreciating smile before she slid her hand into Castle's and they walked out of the office together, this time heading for the elevator. Facing each other as the doors slid shut Castle pulled Kate into his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. He placed his hand on her little belly and caressed it gently. "I think I might explode with happiness." He mumbled, leaning his forehead against hers.
Kate smiled whole-heartedly. "I know what you mean." She softly answered and placed her hand over his. And on top of this feeling of sheer relief, love, and happiness roaring in her veins it felt amazing to see him happy once more.
Emerging from the building they were met by the unbearable hot air of the city again. But this time Kate didn't care. There was nothing in this world that could keep her from feeling like she had just received a shot of pure dopamine. And she could read on his face and by his body language that it was the same for Castle. So, they returned home to the loft, caught up in their happy little bubble, grinning like idiots.
And when Kate was sat in the living room, looking through the pictures Dr. Voaden had given to them, Castle walked up to her and handed her a glass of cold ginger ale before sitting down beside her. She looked up at him and could see determination written on his face. Before she could ask him what it was about he started to talk. "You know, I decided something." He nodded his head as if to reassure himself. "Tomorrow I will call Alexis. Or text her if she won't pick up. And if she won't reply I will go to Anna Ferguson's place and kick in the door, if that is what it takes so I can talk to her." Kate raised her eyebrows a little on his sudden change of handling the situation with his daughter.
"This has been going on for long enough now. She is my child, just as much as our baby." He nodded towards the pictures in Kate's hand. "But she's not a little kid anymore and it's time she comes home so we can find a way to work this out. This is supposed to be one of the happiest times of our lives. And it can't be as long as we have all this drama going on. So, I'll put an end to it." Kate smiled at him and rested her hand on his knee. "That sounds like a plan." She said and she really hoped it would work out like Castle imagined. But he was right, going on like this wasn't an option. Not for Alexis, nor them as a couple and their whole family. "But maybe watch your tone and don't use the word 'drama'," she added with a smile.
She took a few sips from her ginger ale and sighed. "That's good." She downed the whole glass and got up from the couch. "You know what, I'm going to head for a cold shower now." She shot him a glance and he didn't miss it. He got up too and stepped close to her. Stroking her hair away to reveal her neck he pressed a kiss to her salty skin. "Do you mind if I join you?" He murmured into her ear and instead of answering, Kate took him by the hand and let him out of the living room towards the bedroom.
