The loft - finally home.
Kate plopped down on the couch the minute she walked in, dropping her bag onto the floor - the one she insisted on carrying in herself now she had gained more mobility in her shoulder. The doctor had graduated her to only needing the sling when she pushed her muscles too far and needed the forced rest. She had silently swore she wouldn't need it again. Last night, neither her nor Rick had gotten much sleep, having been successful in reconnecting; nothing like the feat that had been so disastrous the night before. Only after she had taken a few fortifying deep breaths in the familiarity of home did she chance to look around. The new kitchen redecoration looked good, as it should, considering how much they had paid both the contractor and the decorator. The pillar against where Caleb had died was now a steely gray, a stunning accent to the red carpet and walls of the living room. Kate quite liked the new dark tiles for the kitchen as well. Stain resistant, she had recalled Rick's specifics, trying to get her input on colors in the middle of her worst moments weeks ago. Now the only reminders of their ordeal were the nightmares and the scars. The permanent things; the things she knew would linger. Their bodies, the scrapbooks detailing their stories, Kate's more decorated than Rick's. She knew how to handle them, her baggage much larger and heavier than Rick's. She worried about how he would handle everything moving forward.
The next week or so they stayed busy, shuttling to various therapy and Dr. appointments and oscillating between lounging on the couch to running errands, with both spending a few hours here and there remembering they had jobs to do - Kate reactivating emails and making phone calls to Interim Captain Gates to come up with a plan, and Rick attempting to write. Luckily Black Pawn had gotten the message and left them gloriously alone, but they wouldn't forever. Small milestones came and went: both of them got their first round of stitches out - Kate's abdominal wound would need some more healing time-, Rick graduating from physical therapy, and Kate finally able to wear a bra comfortably.
With a copy of the twelve week ultrasound picture taped to the corner of the closet mirror, Kate had spent nearly an hour fretting about what to wear. She normally didn't fret about these types of things anymore, her wardrobe full of modest and professional attire for all occasions. What she didn't have a lot of was clothing that was loose enough to not snag on her stitches. She had prided herself in her thin and muscular form, even during the worst of her various recoveries; her more modest buttoned up attire from the short stint with the AG's office even clung to her curves. In her internal to-do list, she added clothes shopping, knowing she might as well get a head start on cute and professional maternity clothes. Although Lily was barely a blip, Kate had still examined her form sideways in the mirror, shifting around and allowing her imagination to superimpose how she might look in the coming months. The hormone-fueled nagging devil on her shoulder told her she wouldn't be beautiful through all of this, followed closely by the question of how many more times her body could be ripped open, for the sake of saving her life.
Rick caught her wiping the uncharacteristic tears from her face as he stepped into the bedroom armed with coffee. In his usual way of small gestures and well placed kisses, he had assured her she would be even more beautiful by the end of and because of all of it. He already found her amazing, and her slightly bloated and rosy cheeks only fuelled his awe.
"I work with the best detectives in the city." Kate rolled her eyes, brushing his tender arm out of the way and scooping the chosen blouse off the bed. "They will figure it out real quick." She had been designated a high-risk pregnancy, with the early bleeding and other wounds, so the OBGYN had recommended waiting until the twelve week ultrasound to make her condition publicly known. They had received the all clear just yesterday; however, Kate wasn't quite ready to spill. Telling family had been rushed, she wanted to ease her friends into it. She wanted to wait even longer to tell her colleagues. She still had a reputation to build as captain, a captain who managed to get shot in her own home and then be absent for six weeks. Although she knew no one under her command would dock her for what occurred, she couldn't risk it.
Today wasn't going to be a long day at the precinct, just a quick check in meeting with Gates to finalize the "return to work" plan.
"Homicide detectives," Rick retorted with emphasis on the homicide, trying not to check her out too obviously. She would never not be beautiful to him. Well except when she was in a hospital bed, or bleeding out on the ground, those were the more scary moments. Sometimes he woke up in the middle of the night and swore the shadows across her sleeping body were pools of blood. He would squeeze her tight until she made a noise- any sign of life-, then cuddle her close until he fell back asleep. He had a suspicion she knew about his nightmares. Right now though, she was upright, moving, and very much alive; therefore, he found her stunning.
She shot him with her trademark characteristic glare, but he managed to dodge it, "You are not a dead body." He pulled her into a loving and slightly too tight embrace, meant to distract from how awkward the words sounded once they had left his mouth. She had been close to being one a few too many times for his comfort. If he held her tight enough, maybe she wouldn't get that close again. Maybe he could stop his mind from going there as well.
She hadn't seemed to notice, or she just took it in stride, "They'll find out." She returned, squirming out of the embrace, taking one last glance at the mirror.
"How?" He sounded a bit exasperated now that she wasn't in his arms, following her like a puppy as she deftly strode out of the bedroom. He continued his rant, "Espo… no he wouldn't notice. And even if he does, he's too much of a gentleman to say anything. Ryan, well, he's got prior experience, he might notice. But honestly, I'm not sure the poor guy is sleeping all that well right now anyways – " He stopped suddenly. An early afternoon sunbeam poured through the skylight and she had walked right through it, the angelic aura distracting him. His face lit up as he processed the dual glows. Just like at the Hampton's, she rivaled the sun without even trying. God he loved this woman!
Sliding up to the kitchen counter, she reached to fill her reusable coffee mug. The habit would be hard for her to break, the mug Rick's idea to limit her without cutting her off completely. At home they could control the coffee consumption by sharing the pot and not making another one. He also planned on sneaking in some decaf every now and then. But once she was back at the precinct that would be a different story. The mug was large enough to make Kate feel she wasn't limited, but a good reminder not to refill it, the happy medium to please both her OBGYN and her own addiction.
"They will notice." She didn't even glance up as she placed the now empty coffee pot in the sink. It had been a busy morning; the first ultrasound of the day followed by physical therapy. After a nap, she had scheduled time at the range - six weeks away meant having to be recertified and reevaluated for fitness for duty. She had kept it curt and to-business, they would delay and deny the paperwork if they got even a hint of her pregnancy.
Rick wouldn't give up, "You can just explain away the bloating and nausea. Mention your spleen. No one there actually knows what it does, so they might just think your surgeries and complications are causing it. They've seen you hurt before…"
"You're saying I'm bloated?" She shot the mock death glare across the kitchen, turning a bit towards him to make sure he got it. Her breath caught a second, a rogue stitch catching on her blouse and pulling at the puckered skin. So much for the idea that this outfit would work. She didn't quite mean the venom she was trying to send to Rick, but she loved to see him squirm a bit, smiling to herself as she turned back to screw the top onto the mug. While she was a bit puffy, she had rationalized her way out of thinking others could see it. It just incited the little devil on her shoulder to continue its nagging.
Rick had to save himself, dashing across the distance to whisper in her ear, "No honey. Not what I meant. You're really beautiful. Like all the time…." He ended with a kiss to her ear lobe, hoping it would smooth out his awkward words. He had been writing a lot lately, using all of his finesse, class, and non-awkward phrases on the development of the story, the arcs of the characters. At the end of the day, he was also a man in the presence of a really beautiful woman; sometimes his brain simply failed him.
She shook him off with a half smile. He was right though. While the crews she worked with were intelligent in their own right, they were specialists. They wouldn't know the first thing about keeping a living human body healthy, let alone be able to spot an early pregnancy in someone who was trying to hide it. She could and would hide her condition as long as possible.
Still fighting some lingering stiffness, the plan was for Captain Beckett to return to the precinct for afternoons, slowly increasing her time until she was up to full days. She could keep mornings open for appointments and such, a simple shift of her time to overlap the day and night crews. She also liked the idea of treading lightly. Missing her spleen reset her immune system - the pregnancy did as well-, and the precinct was an absolute festering cesspool of potential illnesses. As much as she wanted to jump back into work, she needed to be cautious.
She had tried to sneak in for this first day, but news travels fast in their small world. The minute she stepped into the building, using her access badge to try for the back door, all eyes turned, the echo of applause and 'welcome backs' following her into the elevator. The ride up took less than a minute, but by the time the doors opened on the detective's floor, a standing ovation and welcome crew had already been organized. Captain Beckett swore the entire floor stopped, just for her. Always shy about recognition, she adopted her best modest pose: head bowed with a pinched half smile. It took her a long while to make it through the gauntlet, deftly turning attempted hugs into warm hand shakes instead. The less people could actually touch her, the more time she had to hide her "condition", and reduce the odds of snagging stitches.
A few steps away from her former office, she finally got the chance to take in her surroundings. Neither Esposito nor Ryan were at their desks, she hadn't seen them in the gauntlet either, but Gates was standing at the threshold of the windowed office, greeting her with a warm smile.
"Welcome back, Captain." Gates greeted with a two handed handshake and a bit of a toothy smile; that austere, buttoned up, and quiet way she displayed compassion and joy.
Beckett nodded, grateful for the depth of meanings hidden behind her former captain's face. Both women headed into the office as Gates sent a stern "back to work" to the bullpen behind her back.
Beckett felt a bit adrift, unsure where to stand. She had been away too long, they both knew it. Gates had left all of Kate's personal things in place, a time capsule of that fateful day. Both women organized their work differently, and Gates had just superimposed her system on what Beckett had already set up, causing the desk to be cluttered. The efficient and conscientious captain in Beckett wanted to head straight to the chair behind the desk, organize everything, and begin to review the day's cases. Show the world and herself that she was ready. But the injured and healing Kate that hid inside understood that this was Interim Captain Gate's office right now, and she still had great respect for the woman.
Upon hearing the familiar badge number accompanying the officer-down call, Gates had rushed from 1PP to the precinct, organizing the response, and controlling the chaos. Once everyone had calmed down enough to determine that both Castle and Beckett would be okay, Gates had stayed, not hesitating a single minute to fill the gaping hole left by Captain Beckett's sudden absence. The crews in this precinct were slow to trust others, considering how she had been treated after taking over for Montgomery; in Beckett's absence, there had been little fight. Everyone knew how delicate the situation was, and they appreciated being led by a familiar, yet still formidable, face. While it did feel nostalgic to be back at the helm of this ship, Gates was absolutely glad Beckett would be returning.
With everything in mind, Gates mirrored Beckett's awkwardness, not sure what to do with the tough, resolute, but still wounded woman in her office. While Esposito, Ryan, and Dr. Parish had all visited Beckett at various times during the recovery, Gates had purposely kept her distance. She didn't want anyone to see the emotionality she held for Beckett's plight, the mixture of pride, worry, and compassion. She had sent flowers and care packages though, to make sure she didn't appear heartless. Now the extraordinary woman was standing in her office, trying to exude strength and readiness with an undertone of pain and exhaustion. Aware of both her restrictions and her resolve, Gates wasn't about to box-in the best detective on the force; she would let Beckett take charge of the plan.
Not sure where to start, Beckett turned on her heels toward Gates, attempting to break the awkwardness, "Where's Esposito and Ryan? I noticed they weren't in the bullpen."
"On a case actually. Turns out murder doesn't stop for anything in this city," both women chuckled at the dry humor. "Sounds like an easy one, they should be back soon." Glad for the break, Gates found her way behind the desk as she talked, grabbing her planner and directing Beckett to sit on the couch along one side of the windows. "Please sit, let's finalize this plan."
The first two weeks back had been uneventful, yet still exhausting, her ease-in smoother than she had expected. With a heavy sigh, Kate topped off the only wine glass on the kitchen counter. Lanie eyed her suspiciously over their Chinese takeout containers. Well, Lanie's takeout; Kate had simply ordered spring rolls and white rice. Even that felt too rich for her stomach right now. She was proud of her stomach and intestines for working all the way up to whole proteins and complex meals, but some days Lily was still in charge. Today was one of those days, and Kate hadn't been able to stomach more than a handful of M&M's, yogurt, small snacks, and coffee all day.
With Kate back at work during the day, Rick was getting antsy at home - even with his writing. Alexis and Martha had returned to their lives and respective spaces. Today, Rick had spent the afternoon in planning meetings with Black Pawn, doing damage control from the mess paparazzi had left behind the last few weeks, and scheduling out press events, deadlines, and appearances without revealing the real reason he would be completely unavailable six months from now. Coming up with a fun lie had kept him busy; when she had last talked to him, he was going to try to convince Gina they were going on a world tour vacation, purposefully disconnecting from all technology. As a little treat, Kate had snuck a phone call to his buddy Patterson to set up dinner and poker night. Rick needed to catch up with the "real world" and she needed the night alone. Well, not alone. As soon as Patterson had confirmed, she had immediately invited Lanie over to fill the evening.
It was becoming less and less likely that her family at the precinct hadn't seen through her excuses, so she was being proactive tonight.
"I like the new floors." Lanie commented, swirling around in a slow circle to admire the new kitchen. She had been here for visits after the contractor and decorator had finished, but she needed a conversation starter. For some reason, Kate looked nervous and awkward.
"Yeah. I do too." Kate added, handing Lanie chopsticks. Small talk was good, better than just jumping right in.
"Just one glass?" Lanie's question was tinged with the friendly eyebrow raise she did when she knew Kate was hiding something behind the toughness.
Kate nodded solemnly, "I'm not cleared for alcohol yet," she lied, sliding the glass to Lanie. Was it really a lie though? Her reason for sobriety wasn't just her wounds and delicate digestive system, but Lanie would discover that in time, tonight. To solidify the ruse, she waved her hand vaguely at the pile of medications on the end of the counter - antibiotics, probiotics, pain management, prenatal vitamins. Most of them had prominent alcohol warnings stickers, so she thought that was good enough of an excuse to her curious and observant friend.
People at the precinct had started to notice little things, like Esposito's comment the other day - "Really?, apple slices'' - or Karpowski's - "No afternoon coffee?"- but then again, the repeated excuses of her healing wounds seemed to be working. But it wasn't working on Lanie, the only person Beckett knew who actually understood the purpose of the spleen. Lanie had indeed been silently noting the changes: puffiness, exhaustion, weird snaking. Lanie had also noticed Kate placing a hand absently on her lower abdomen during a particularly quiet moment the other night. She had her suspicions, hence the loaded question she had just directed at her best friend.
"Girl, how you been doing? And I don't mean with work." Lanie was astute, observing Kate picking at her rice, "You haven't been down to see me at all since you returned." That much was true, Kate's fickle pregnant nose couldn't handle the overlapping and overwhelming smells that emanated from the morgue. Instead Lanie had had to come see her, and be content with that one night the couples had gone out to dinner to celebrate a short and easy case.
"You gonna tell me why you are nervous and not letting loose?" The light ribbing was good, reminding Kate that no matter how much had changed, Lanie's sass would stay the same.
Might as well just jump right into it.
"Yeah… I got a good reason," Kate gently teased the twelve week ultrasound photos out of her pocket and placed it in front of Lanie's fried rice. "I'm pregnant."
She expected Lanie to choke, cough, be startled, anything but what she actually did. Lanie burst out laughing, her high pitched squeal propelling her off the bar stool and into a tight embrace that snagged a few stitches. "I knew it!"
"You knew?" Kate tried to push Lanie off, startled and disappointed that her ruse didn't seem to be working.
"I'm a trained medical professional, Kate. You thought I wouldn't notice?" Lanie finally pulled away, still grasping Kate's forearms. She tried to feign being wounded by Kate's lack of confidence, but the excitement overruled every other emotion.
Kate nodded incredulously, "Yeah. I really did. What gave it away?"
"Little things. I tried to explain them away, but…." Lanie barely stopped her little happy dance in answer to Kate's seriousness, "I wasn't gonna call you out on it, but your cheeks are a bit puffy dear." Kate brought her hands up to cover them, knowing they were turning rosy against her will. The bloating all over was her least favorite thing right now. "And your eating is all over the place. You're barely eating your rice now, but I watched you devour that apple in your office earlier. An apple? Really? So not you!" She gestured at Kate's lame attempt at dinner.
"That's from the bullet wounds…" Kate's excuse ended in a soft whine. She had forgotten about the apple earlier.
"Uh-huh," Lanie took a sip of wine with that characteristic teasing head tilt. "Nothing about what happened to you should still be causing that much nausea, dear. And the flowy blouses? I've been noticing your clothing choices girl."
Kate had started fretting about that very problem, having been too busy to go shopping; Lily's 14 week form was beginning to be unpredictable, flat and barely noticeable when she dressed in the mornings, but threatening to burst out the secret by the afternoons. All of Kate's dress slacks were tight and uncomfortable by the time she took them off at the end of the day.
Kate blushed at Lanie's call out, rubbing her thumb lightly over Lily's black and white head in the ultrasound photo.
"Oh Kate, you are so adorable sometimes!" Lanie returned to her stool, her smile as bright as she could manage. Her hand shot forward and slipped the photo from under Kate's grip. Lanie bent down to coo over it, her face softening, "We are going to have so much fun!"
"We?"
"Well of course. Aunt Lanie's got your back. Whatever this little ball of cuteness wants." Kate loved this version of Lanie. The soft, excitable, cooing woman who also knew where to stab to kill quickly. The perfect aunt for Lily.
Both women returned to their dinners as best they could, Lanie asking for all the fun details and offering to take her shopping.
As they settled into the evening, transitioning to the couch, Lanie with the remaining bottle of wine,- the occasion warranted blowing past her two drink limit, Kate certainly wasn't going to drink it- and Kate with some hot tea, she finally broached the tougher questions.
"Lanie, I got two requests for you."
"Shoot."
"One," Kate hesitated, questioning why this would even make her nervous, "Keep this under wraps."
"What? I'm not sure I could do that." Lanie's lips were loose, especially under the influence of any alcohol whatsoever. Kate wanted the honor of telling her work family, not having them find out in weird and roundabout ways. The on-again-off-again nature of Lanie and Esposito's relationship threatened to take the news out of Kate's control.
"Please? I would like to tell Ryan and Esposito myself. Most likely tomorrow unless something comes up right away in the morning." Kate knew her friend, if she didn't act quickly, the boys would find out from an accidental slip between now and then.
"Fine. Fine." Lanie sealed the deal with a large gulp of wine. "What's the second request?"
"Would you be there with me? When the labor starts." Kate was most apprehensive about this request. They had plenty of time to think through the birth plan, and her emotions swung wildly through the different options, but one thing was for certain. She needed her best friend.
"You did such a great job with Jenny and Sarah Grace…." Lanie had jumped right in then, albeit incredibly unplanned and out of her element, setting aside her own emotions for the sake of Jenny's. That day had been absolutely nuts, and looking back the one thing that had kept Kate anchored had been Lanie.
"Of course Rick's gonna be there, but I want you too." The hormonal devil on her shoulder was trying to convince her that he would just freak out and maybe make things worse. "Is that okay with you?"
Lanie just sat in silence, absolutely floored by the honor.
"Lanie? You good?" The stoic response worried Kate and she felt Lily flutter against her pelvis as she leaned forward, concerned.
"Just…wow… yeah of course!" Lanie's silence finally broke, her face opening in the most joyful smile Kate had ever seen. Another layer added to the reasons Lanie would make a wonderful auntie, and why they were best friends.
Now that Lanie knew, Kate figured it was only a matter of time before she had to tell the boys. Plied with enough wine last night, Lanie had sworn not to tell anyone, and had left near midnight. Kate had shot off a few texts to Rick as she showered, set out her clothes for the next day and settled on the couch. Rick kept bugging her about falling asleep in awkward positions on the couch, but she kind of liked it. He was so sweet to her when he woke her up. He would slide up next to her on whatever couch real estate remained, massage her feet and ankles, and move up to her calves while murmuring her name gently until she woke up. Being a cop, she would be awake as soon as he touched her, but she would keep her eyes closed until her sore muscles melted, succumbing to the allure of the massage.
Those little moments had become their routine, but tonight was different. She had been deep asleep when he finally stumbled home, startling awake as he crashed into a bar stool, giggling in his 2 am drunkenness. Deftly working the role reversal, she managed to get him to bed with a glass of water and a few aspirin before settling in next to him for the few remaining hours of sleep before her alarm.
With no morning appointments, Captain Beckett showed up to the precinct at a sharp 7:30 am, her coffee in hand. She wanted to beat the guys and set up their meeting before a body dropped or they got busy chasing down leads.
Esposito wandered in first around 8:30, a bit slow, donut in hand. Beckett wanted to get to him first, figuring that if Lanie hadn't talked to him about it yet, it wouldn't be long before her big mouth let it slip. Beckett was comfortable in her chair, wishing it could roll easily to the door of her office. She was still sore from physical therapy a few days ago when they had picked up the pace, starting with slow jogging and light lifting, things that used to be super easy but now were minor accomplishments.
From the door of her office, he sent a soft demand, "Hey Espo!", when he responded with silent eye contact she continued, "When Ryan gets in, I want to meet with both of you."
He finished off his bite of donut, adopting a slightly guilty look. Now that she had moved up the ladder, a simple conversation with them felt like she was calling them into the principal's office.
"Just a check in, nothing else." She added to calm his nerves.
Ryan was usually late, still getting used to life with a newborn and a toddler. Sarah Grace was reportedly a handful, not used to no longer being the center of attention, it being taken away by little Nick, a few months old now. When there wasn't an active body that called him in, Ryan was in charge of organizing Sarah Grace in the mornings to take the load off Jenny. He finally wandered in, harrowed eyes, no jacket, and spit up on his shoulder around 9:15. Beckett couldn't hear the conversation, but his tired eyes quickly expanded as Espo filled him in about her meeting request. She enjoyed the brief show both of them performed, coaching their expressions, and hiding their exhaustion as they ambled to her office door. As they approached, she pretended to be engrossed in an open folder on her desk.
Espo knocked on the door jamb, "You asked for a meeting, Captain?"
"Yes I did. Gentlemen, go ahead, sit down."
They still looked awkward as they settled into the uncomfortable chairs facing the desk.
"Espo, did you talk to Lanie at all last night?" She figured she would start off with a more personal question, let them know this was not a work related meeting.
"Uhmmm, no." This had thrown him off. "She got home too late. You two apparently had a grand old time."
"Good. That will make this more fun then." She added with a small smile. She was really throwing them off now, with Ryan's exhausted face giving way to squeezed eyebrows of confusion.
"I'll just start. I know you picked up a lot of my slack when I was gone. And for that I thank you and still owe you." The boys nodded solemnly. Even though they were used to dead bodies and bloody scenes, they both still had nightmares of their Captain bleeding out on her own kitchen floor. No amount of free drinks at The Old Haunt and poker nights could erase those images anytime soon. In addition, there was just a little bit of misplaced resentment that they had to stay to continue working through the endless string of murders without a break, while Castle and Beckett went off to recover at their beach house. It would be a while before they all went back to their old relationship dynamic.
Beckett continued, "I hate to throw more at you. But in the next few months, I won't be doing as much out-in-the-field work as you might expect."
Both guys deepened their confused looks. Of course she couldn't go out in the field, she was still recovering and they both knew that. Previously, even after three months away due to her heart surgery, it had still taken about six months back at the precinct before she was 100% on top of her game. Neither Ryan or Esposito expected anything less.
"O…kay." Espo was brave enough to venture an answer.
Why was she nervous? The two men in front of her were her brothers, and not just in the law enforcement brotherhood kind of way. They had an interesting dynamic, a beautiful mix of quiet protection and earned respect. Both men knew she could kick their asses if she wanted, but they also needed a steady authority presence to keep them on track sometimes. Not having any siblings, Kate quickly wondered how brothers normally reacted when their sister turned out to be pregnant? She surmised that the only way to find out was to just keep talking.
"Espo, what do you think about being an uncle?" She figured a more indirect route would work better to introduce the news, instead of just jumping feet first this early in the morning.
Esposito gave Ryan a friendly elbow jab, "It's awesome really! The little rugrats are so freakin' cute!"
"Especially when you don't change diapers or have middle of the night scream fests." Ryan mumbled.
For a second her anxiety spiked, picturing that one disastrous night her and Castle had had with Cosmo, the lost baby from a case years ago. What had she gotten herself into? She wasn't ready for that kind of future yet. Too late now.
"Well. You'll be an uncle again, Javi. Both of you actually." She paused for dramatic effect, hoping they picked up what she actually meant.
"What?" Ryan returned, blankly staring through her, the new parent brain fog slowing down his reasoning. Beckett swore she could see the wheels turning, trying to process who in their friend group other than him might be creating a family.
Esposito couldn't handle Ryan's slowness, shooting him an 'are you stupid' look. "She's the one making us uncles." A well placed friendly elbow seemed to do the trick, "Her and Castle. Little Castle babies."
"Ohhhhh," Ryan blushed, the cogs finally clicking into place. Both men looked back at Beckett expectantly, "Geez finally!" Ryan let out, a little excitement shaking his shoulders.
Captain Beckett just nodded with a soft smile of confirmation as she held up the ultrasound photos. Javi gave his characteristic pull back from anything involving babies and holding them, with Ryan letting out a quiet aww. Now everyone that needed to know knew.
Without any further information to give, she switched from friend to captain, and dismissed them out to do their actual jobs. As they left the office, she noticed them do their traditional "feed the birds" gesture. Shaking her head, she suspected someone just made some money on the longstanding 'little Castle babies' precinct pool. She wouldn't get into it right now. But she clocked a mental note to pay attention to the due date and sex pools that would inevitably pop up. She would spike the pots, already knowing it would be a girl.