"Kate. Hey hun, can I see those stunning eyes I like so much?" Rick whispered into her ear, his voice heavy with love, knowing that simply breathing on that ticklish spot behind her ear would rouse her. His internal debate had been a tough one: let her sleep, knowing the post surgical recovery rest was super important, or rouse her so she could be awake and alert for the few doctors she still needed to see before she could be discharged. If she wasn't awake, they would have to wait until tomorrow, and he knew how badly she wanted to recover at home.

About an hour ago, she had unloaded to him the subconscious conversation she had had with her mother. His ever rational Kate, she had tried to logic her way out of it, trying to claim it was just an infection and anesthesia induced hallucination. She had worried about what others might think; her career required sound mental fortitude, hallucinations were dangerous, and had sworn Rick to absolute secrecy. Although he didn't believe in mysticism in every situation, he had fully believed her in this. He had spent the last week and a half trying to tell her to slow down and focus on recovery; some pieces of advice had to come at her from different angles; he was grateful it had come from Johanna, even if she was dead.

"Be the stick that floats," had been the last thing Kate had mumbled, falling asleep quite suddenly mid sentence. After a few minutes of slight panic, the nurses had assured him that this might be her new normal. Her body knew what she needed, and they had all tried to get her to stop fighting it; she had spent a lot of energy in the last few hours, fighting as she had come out of sedation, the long conversation with him, and growing a human took a significant amount of energy.

Luckily, the surgeon had been able to go through the original, partially healed incision tracing down the left side of Kate's torso. It would be a hell of a gnarly scar, but it would join the others as badges of reminders of all she had been able to live through. The incision needed to be kept straight and draining while she was here, and that was apparently only achieved if she was propped upright, nearly sitting. She looked so uncomfortable, her head lolling sharply to the side despite the pillow nest.

"Ka….te," his sing-song whisper was accompanied by a gentle shake of her non-injured shoulder. Her eyes shot open in response to the sharp spasms of pain that shot down her torso. "I'm sorry," Rick responded to her audible gasp.

Forcing a slow deep breath through it, her gaze transitioned through pain to confusion as she attempted to settle her sore body.

"You still have a few more doctors to see today. So that you can be cleared."

"Right," her voice held that groggy half asleep breathlessness.

"Hello. Katherine…Castle?" A doctor's voice wandered in from the door, with an air of questioning confidence. Both Kate and Rick turned toward the voice, a resident doctor stepping in, tablet in hand, followed closely by Dr. Davidson.

"Kate is fine. And yes." She tried to push herself more upright in the bed but only accomplished half an inch. Defeated, she made eye contact with their new visitor as both doctors made their way around the bed.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Thompson, resident cardiologist working closely with Dr. Davidson." The resident had clearly passed the bed-side manner training, making appropriate eye contact with Kate, Rick, and occasional approval from Dr. Davidson. "Today we are going to discuss some details about your recovery. Due to some conflicts of interests, I'll be working closely with you, as Dr. Davidson consults." Everyone responded with the appropriate nods and courtesies and he proceeded to pull up the tablet with her case information.

"Okay, so it says here that you were under monitoring while at home the last few weeks. The results were promising." Dr. Thompson didn't look up, so missed the slight glare Kate sent to Dr. Davidson - she had never wanted the monitoring, and it had been more of a hindrance than anything else.

"Our biggest concern is the impact of the increase in blood volume and resting heart rate on your scarred pericardium and lungs." Dr. Thompson hesitated, looked subserviently to Davidson for approval.

Rick's face held a touch of jealousy directed at her ex-boyfriend. Although it had been years, he never truly got over Dr Motorcycle Boy 's influence on their early relationship. Rick's tone was heavy with the bite of sarcasm, "It didn't seem to concern you that much when she started back at her job two years ago. She was doing full sprint training then…"

"This is different." Dr. Davidson's tone was working really hard to stay objective.

"How?"

"The pregnancy, for starters." Kate's free hand brushed instinctively to her pelvis, the other hand being gripped tightly by Rick, "And the splenic infection. During pregnancy both the blood volume and heart rate increase to compensate for the added load of the growing fetus. Back when she was shot, neither of these were in play." Dr. Davidson professionally registered the slight eye roll from Rick, and the exasperated sigh from Kate, but he kept on going, steamrolling over the resident that was supposed to be in charge of her case. "There is a slight risk of the splenic infection moving into the pericardium, as it already had migrated to the surrounding tissues."

"The monitor won't be able to tell us that though, will it?" Rick's voice held a stern bite, "It didn't indicate anything this past week until there was a clear problem."

The resident capitulated, but only slightly, "While that is correct…" His answer cut off by Dr. Davidson's glare, clearly in opposition.

"No." While not loud, Kate's voice was firm.

Dr. Josh Davidson was clearly annoyed, "No?"

"I'm not doing the monitor anymore."

"Kate…"

"Josh." both Dr. Thompson and Rick were spectators to the battle of wits. Thompson had never heard someone use Dr. Davidson's first name in such a setting; Rick was beaming at the strength of Kate's resolve, even through her exhaustion.

The tense moment was finally broken by Dr. Davidson resigned sigh, "A small part of me still cares." His eyes bore an intensity he had once tried to use to convince Kate to not run headlong to the scene of a crime. An intensity she ignored now, just as she had then.

As Kate's face dropped, Rick bristled at the hold this man still had on her emotional state, "And that should mean you care about what she wants." He could see Kate's energy waning, what little she had gained from the nap being used to battle the ex-boyfriend, current cardiologist. "She said no to the monitoring. If her heart could handle the last few weeks just fine, then she can handle the rest." The look Rick sent to Dr. Thompson attempted to speak volumes. "Right Dr. Thompson?"

"If she can keep her heart rate down to manageable levels then yes, we could consent to not doing the continuous monitoring. But there may be more appointments to manage stress and monitor ongoing levels, particularly later in the pregnancy." Although there was a clear chain of seniority, the resident had found his voice, much to Dr. Davidson's chagrin. "Do you consent, Dr. Davidson?"

As he pressed his lips together, staring down at the woman he once loved, the woman who had dumped him so unceremoniously in her greatest time of need, Dr. Josh Davidson realized he had lost for good. She wasn't his anymore; she never had been. "If she consents to the appointments, then no monitoring. But know.." he crossed his arms across his chest to avoid reaching out to her, "..at the first sign of distress, anytime in the pregnancy, the monitor comes back. Its that or confine her to bed rest here at the hospital."

Knowing it was an empty threat, Kate nodded anyways. She was too tired and sore to care right now. She just wanted to be home and to be left alone.

She nodded back off to sleep as the two doctors left, Rick choosing to take a short walk to dissipate his own feelings

"Well that felt productive." Rick patted Kate's arm, encouragingly, as she eyed the platter of hospital-quality chicken noodle soup that was supposed to be her dinner. The dietician had just left, delivering the dinner and a long list of dietary recommendations for Kate to follow once she was home. If she ever felt like actually eating. Coming from the woman who was somehow always hungry, but often forgot to actually eat, the constant nausea of pregnancy was incredibly annoying. And even the broth and oatmeal that Rick had tried to feed her this past week had caused agony, her infected tissues strangling her stomach. While the dietician had been sympathetic, she had also emphasized that Kate needed the nourishment. She wouldn't be released unless she could keep down two meals in a row. Johanna's advice also echoed in Kate's brain. There was no way it could be worse than the agony she had been in the past week. Now that the infection was working its way out, she had to hold hope. She had to try.

"What are you trying to do?" Rick was confused as she pushed the tray table out of the way and pushed her upper body forward a fraction of an inch.

"I want to move…" Kate's answer faded as she attempted to swing her legs around, gritting in pain as the gauze bandage crinkled along her side and the IV cords tangled.

"Kate, Don't do that. Not on your own. Let me help you."

She hated accepting help, having felt utterly helpless and defeated the last few weeks. With frustration, she capitulated, swinging her legs slowly around, and breathing through the pain as Rick adjusted the IV cords behind her. Offering his arm, he gently pulled as she raised herself to standing. Her breathing racked slowly as the pain spasmed. As Lily dictated, she couldn't be on any stronger pain meds, so had to either work through it or get used to it, neither option being ideal.

Pivoting, she was able to take a few tentative steps along the edge of the hospital bed with assistance. She waved off Rick's help for the remainder of the steps, making it completely around the bed. He still followed her closely, doting with every pause, or gritty inhale, or any slight he perceived.

"I need to be able to do it on my own." She stressed, flopping down on the opposite side of the bed with a sharp gasp.

"I know. I just don't want to lose you." Rick reached out to grab her hand, the concern clear across his features, "I hate to see you hurt."

She smiled up at him, shaking his hand in an answer of love. With her free hand she reached up to gently caress his chest, tracing the pattern of stitches that were ready to come out that ticked under the thin cotton of his shirt. They let the moment of love and understanding pass uninterrupted. They had both traveled many miles of road to get here, and they had each other for the many miles that still lay ahead.

In a mere twelve hours, Kate had managed to achieve both goals set in front of her. Although it had taken lots of internal strength, she had managed to keep both the chicken soup dinner and the oatmeal breakfast down. She would admit that neither had tasted particularly good, especially as she tasted every other bite in acrid rolls of reflux. If she had thought the actual act of eating was testing her patience, it didn't compare to the spasms her intestines shot through her as the damaged portions tried to move around their incisions to process. The GI doctor who had performed the second surgery could only offer assurances that that too should pass with time. She wished it would speed up the process. She wanted to enjoy eating again.

Her second goal was to be able to walk a good distance without help. Nurses had eyed her with a touch of suspicion as she completed multiple overnight laps, being unable to sleep. They wouldn't be able to say she was anything but determined and possibly a bit zealous.

She paced the small hospital room now, waiting for Rick to return with confirmation of her discharge. To avoid the paparazzi that was attempting to dog them, Rick was coordinating the car service to some back door. The nurses had been understanding and were planning quiet interference in the hallways on the way there. She knew the protocol was to be wheeled out, but she refused to wait in the wheelchair. She wasn't that weak, choosing to prove it by anxiously pacing instead. Other than the car service, and obviously Rick, they hadn't told anyone else that she would be released today. The last time she had returned home, there had been a welcome party, and although she wouldn't admit it, she still felt it had hindered her progress from the start. She wanted this second time to be quieter. For both of them.

Until completely cleared, her right arm stayed slinged to reduce any accidental extreme movements. The physical therapy had been delayed on it during the throes of her infection, but rest alone had proven just as beneficial. If she stayed as alert and strong as she currently felt, it wouldn't be long before it was off for good. Rick still wasn't completely cleared to drive either; while nearly fully healed, stiffness still hindered his ability to pull his shoulders forward and reach without pain, a movement required for driving. So they were as the mercy of the car service, an expense that would always felt extravagant to her humble nature. She could never quite get used to all of the little ways he spent money on her.

They had made it out of the hospital, through the parking lot, and out of the immediate complexities of the first few blocks before Kate really took the time to take in her surroundings. "Rick? This…this is the wrong way" she turned to him seated next to her in the backseat, as the car angled left on its way out of the city, instead of right toward their loft.

"Yes." His answer was sealed with a soft nod and a slightly conniving smile.

"Where?" She wasn't in the mood for any more surprises, or even little inconveniences.

"The Hamptons sweetheart." He couldn't keep a secret for long, evidenced by the smirk that absolutely blasted out of his face. "Alone. You requested privacy and solitude. I should have realized it before. Neither one of us was doing much healing at the loft. I thought a change of scenery would do us good." He didn't mention that it was also to keep the press off their tail. His response to the rat that had shattered their privacy, and the media circus surrounding his published pictures was all over. He hoped that sojourning to the Hamptons would continue to keep her shielded from the worst of it. Kate gratefully gave his hand a squeeze. Even in his own pain and worry, he always saved some part of his soul for her. "Plus, they should be installing the new flooring on Friday, better if no one is around for that mess."

She wanted to protest, biting her lip on a deep inhale, but he was right. It did sound nice. Now that the infection was under control, her body could focus more on some of the details, instead of simply staying alive, "What about…?"

"Don't worry. Martha and Alexis have thought through everything. They gathered clothes for us, for I don't even know how long. Knowing mother, she would have overpacked us for at least a month stay, if not more. I've even hired a chef to prepare food following your guidelines." Kate balked slightly; she had just received those guidelines yesterday. He apparently worked incredibly fast! Rick kept ranting, "Physical therapy is coming right to the house, concierge service. Plus," He slide his body as close to hers as he could, "No visitors until YOU say so."

Her heart hadn't felt this soft in a long time and she reciprocated the love through squeezes, gentle kisses, and looks that said more than words could convey. If her fingers weren't dancing over his palm, they were rubbing soft circles into the ultrasound strip in her jacket pocket. For the first time in weeks, she truly felt that everything would end up okay.

As the car pulled up to the beach house, Kate's concern fluttered. There were multiple cars in the small driveway, only one of which she recognized as the spare Martha often used for longer trips. As much as they had been a help at the loft, she had been under the idea that no visitors meant even them. The desire to flee to solitude ripped at her chest.

"Rick? Who all is here?" She asked, as he chivalrously opened her door, "I thought you said there would be no visitors." She tried to hide her concern, but he knew how to read her.

"I heard you. And well, that one is Martha and Alexis. I sent the chef your guidelines, so I think that he was going to be shopping and preparing some things already tonight…." he trailed off, trying to recall who all was coming to prepare the house for their arrival. He was also distracted by assisting Kate as he helped ease her out of the car, the tightness in her core evident through her gritted teeth, sharp inhales, and awkward positioning.

"I know, okay. I'll deal with them." He was reassuring, supporting her with one hand around her waist to preserve her strength. As much as she had paced and pushed herself at the hospital, the walk from the car to the hospital was still the farthest distance she had moved in weeks.

As they entered the house, both Martha and Alexis nearly jumped from their positions, clearly lounging near the door in anticipation.

"You're home!" Martha chirped loudly, incoming for a hug.

Kate automatically braced, gripping Rick's shirt tightly with the arm she had wrapped around his waist as counter support. It was taking everything she could muster not to bolt.

"Yes. And…. " He held out his free hand, what could be perceived as a strong arm, but he had a way of making it seem gentle to his mother. "I think we both could use some rest." He deftly steered his mother one way as he steered his and Kate's body the other way, angling toward their first floor bedroom.

"I'm sorry Martha." Kate was sympathetic, watching the joy being replaced by confusion on her mother-in-law's face. "I just don't have the strength right now."

"I understand. Please, go, rest. Do what you need to do. It's just so… you look so much healthier. So much better." She had reached out a hand to Kate's arm as a sore replacement for a hug. Kate acknowledged it simply with a nod and mouthed 'thank you' as Rick steered her toward the bedroom.

"Thank you," she mumbled, allowing him to lower her body onto the bed. As he went to retrieve her bag and medications from the car, she laid Lily's ultrasound photo strip delicately into the drawer of the nightstand. "I'm doing this for you Lily. I'm gonna try for you," Kate muttered under her breath, placing her hand over the yet to form bump at the top of her pelvis, as she slowly pivoted in the bed, swinging her legs gingerly up so as not to stress her incision any more than necessary. She exhaled hard as she adjusted herself to horizontal, albeit uncomfortably, laying back against the pillows.

It only felt like moments later when she suddenly felt an uncontrolled rising sensation, the top part of the bed pushing her forward. Her eyes shot open ready to fight.

"The doctor said it was better for you to be sitting or propped up a bit." Rick's compassion met her panic. He was handling the controls of the bed, one of those fancy ones that elevated the head and feet. A smile dissipated her panic as she remembered teasing him with the vibrating massage feature the last time they spent a week here alone.

Allowing her eyes to close again, falling into the reassurance of his voice and the amazingly plush comfort of their beach house bed, she barely had the strength to whisper, "I forgot the bed did this."

The last thing she remembered as she drifted off to sleep was his soft kiss on her forehead, "All for you dear," as he tucked softness around her for support.

For the next week, Kate gained strength through the small things. Martha and Alexis followed directions well, leaving her well alone unless she seemed like she wanted company. The first few days she spent in the smallness of their bedroom and its patio, but she slowly found herself venturing around the house and yard on her hourly walks. Everyday she found some way to hold onto the ultrasound pictures, the blurry and formless image her rock through the pain and discomfort. Sundresses or loose blouses with leggings were her daily wear, emphasis on loose and flowy so not to stick to the gauze, allow free movement, and pockets to store the photo strip. She had been pushing herself in physical therapy, in order to catch up on the progress that she felt she missed the last few weeks at the loft. The sling was close to being ditched for good, and on good days she was able to eat at least half of the meals the chef prepared for her. She countered the half meals with lots of little snacks all day, Edwin - the chef - labeling them in the fridge just for her.

"Just a little more pampering dear." She rubbed her thumb over the blurry blob of the ultrasound pictures, leaning against the kitchen counter on this fine morning, eyeing the orange slices that were supposed to be her breakfast. She had reached to pull the slices from the Tupperware in the fridge, without her sling of course. In her justification, she had regained a significant range of motion, and was in the mood to test the bounds a bit before today's scheduled therapy. But the reach up and into the fridge had been a bit too much, causing her to wince in pain. The involuntary spasm had then rippled across her torso, causing her to toss the Tupperware a bit haphazardly onto the counter. Her free hand had pulled out Lily's photo for mental fortification as she breathed through the pain.

"Who are you talking to?" Martha gently asked, padding into the kitchen searching for coffee.

Kate desperately tried to stow the picture strip in her pocket, realizing too late that she was only wearing yoga pants; they didn't have pockets. The strip started to slip out of her grip and float along the smoothness of the fabric. She was so distracted she didn't perceive what Martha had clearly noticed.

"Oh! Oh Katherine!" Martha murmured, emotion catching in her throat, reaching forward to prevent the strip from floating to the ground. She gently placed it back onto the counter in front of both of them, offering a hand to Kate's arm. Kate pressed her lips together tight. She was attempting to hide the pregnancy as long as possible, and hadn't intended for anyone to know just yet. She was already looked upon currently as a fragile broken thing, and Martha had been there through the worst of the last few weeks; another layer of pity wasn't needed right now.

"I hadn't intended to share with anyone yet…" Kate mumbled quietly, stuttering a bit. Martha didn't hear it, or ignored it.

"How far along?" No amount of actorial training could hide the awe in her voice.

Kate couldn't hide it forever, swallowing her pride long enough to justify just fessing up, "Nine weeks."

Martha finally looked up from the photo, meeting Kate's eyes with a questioning squeeze of her brow. She was calculating the past few months.

Kate wasn't proud of any of this. There was excitement of course, but also apprehension. The timing of this pregnancy wasn't ideal, but then again, nothing was ideal about any of their timing throughout their entire relationship.

Martha's voice brought her back to reality, "So… you knew before the shooting". Tinged with love but heavy with motherly concern, there was so much she wanted to convey.

Kate was most definitely not proud of the timeline of events. Defending herself, she spoke to the counter, "I had just figured it out when shit started to hit the fan. It was the catalyst for Rick pushing me to solve everything and be done with it. Get the nonsense out of our lives. So we could focus."

Martha nodded, looking back down at the blob on the strip, not even trying to hide her cooing. "Then you were both shot."

Kate suppressed a chuckle, raising her eyebrows in response, "Not ideal."

Martha met Kate's eyes, conveying love through the gentle touch of her arm. "No. Very few things about having kids are ever ideal. But all will be well now." Being a grandma to a little one was a feeling she had been trying to recapture since Alexis grew up into an incredible young woman.

"Please don't tell anyone." Kate tried to slide the photo strip closer to return it to hiding.

Martha pulled out of her awe in slight shock, "What?"

"Please don't tell anyone. Right now it's just me, Rick, and the doctors that know. And now you. I was trying to hide it for a bit longer." Kate pointed out, sucking on her lips, for some reason a bit nervous.

"You haven't told your father?"

Kate shook her head, taking the distraction to finally snatch the photo back into her grasp.

"I haven't found the right moment. Every time he was visiting at the hospital, we were always interrupted or distracted." There was only a slight lie there; she could stare down fierce murders all day, but couldn't muster the courage to tell her father she was pregnant. She still feared his judgment. As close as they were, it still felt somehow disappointing or like a betrayal.

"Why not tell him tonight, at dinner? He was planning on coming to dinner right?"

Kate had forgotten about the family dinner, scheduled for later tonight, celebrating their - more her - successful recovery so far. She was beginning to open up for visitors, and they had started to plan ways to ease her back to some semblance of a social life. Kate nodded her approval at the suggestion. Dinner would be a great time to tell her father, and Alexis too while they were at it. Controlled, thought out, safe. Martha, for as unashamed as she was about everything else in her life, did give the best advice when it came to matters of the heart.

"Good. That's settled." Martha chirped, shrugging her shoulders, eyeing the Tupperware on the counter. "Were you trying to eat that?"

"Yeah." Kate chuckled, reaching for the abandoned orange in its Tupperware, "Doctor's orders."

"Eat good kiddo. The little one deserves it." With that, the wise but eccentric matron departed, riding the high of grandmotherly love, and forgetting about the coffee she was originally aiming for.

Kate made a silent bet with herself on how long it would take Martha to slip up and tell someone. Kate figured she didn't have long before everyone knew.