84. Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Everyone was drained after all the emotion of the night before, and they all slept late. It was Saturday, there were no classes for Alexis, Kate was on maternity leave and her husband was taking time off with her. Castle made happy face pancakes for breakfast, and Kate indulged herself and joined them when they all finished off the pancakes with more coffee. Alexis spent the long weekend at home and went back to campus on Monday in time for her first class.

"You'll call me when Kate goes to the hospital, right? Not after she has the baby, but when she goes in? I know she isn't due yet, but he could be early."

"We promise you'll know," Castle assured her.

"Thanks for listening and being there when I needed you." After hugs were exchanged and Alexis left, the loft was unusually quiet, and Castle chuckled. "You ready for about another twenty years of that turning up now and then? He asked Kate "Varying age related reasons, same drama."

"Too late to back out now, don't you think?"

"I don't want to back out. I want to have a baby boy with you…with all the accompanying noise and drama. But, I promise you the sweet little touches and smiles, and the snuggles, and all the things you see through his eyes like they're new again, and watching him grow and take his first step… It's worth all the drama. And this time, I get to enjoy it all with his mom."

"Yes, you do," Kate told him gently. After a little kiss, she added, "But right now his mom wants to take a nap. Want to join me?" Castle looked like he was about to say something suggestive, and she quickly added, "Not that kind of nap."

"Okay. As long as we can cuddle."

"And as long as I get to sleep."

"I can let you do that," he said, softly kissing her brow. "Might even rub your back to make it easier."

"Mmmmm… Come on, Writer-Man. Let's cuddle…and sleep."

xxxxx

The first two weeks of her maternity leave, Kate indulged in the luxury of naps when her body simply gave in to the random feelings of exhaustion that accompanied being as pregnant as she was. She and Castle or other members of the family would take walks, go to a movie, go out for meals, indulge in a little shopping trip, visit a museum or a gallery, and allow themselves to be distracted by other things on the way home if she felt up to it. Castle enjoyed the opportunity to be spontaneous…not being on call and wondering when the phone would ring and burst their bubble; and from the look of it, Kate was enjoying it as well.

A few days into the first week, Jim called and asked Kate to meet him at their favorite diner for lunch.

"Castle and me, or just me?"

"Just you this time?"

"Is everything okay, Dad?" she asked.

"Everything is just fine, Katie Bug. I just want to talk to you about something."

Kate met him for lunch at the little diner, which wasn't far from his office. They made small talk until their orders were taken; then, while they waited for their meal, her father broached his intended topic of conversation.

"Katie, I'm going to just lay this out for you. I want your honest opinion."

"Okay." His daughter sounded concerned.

"I know Meagan has been your friend for a while now. We've been out for dinner a few times…a couple of movies… What I'm trying to ask…before it becomes anything more…is how you'd feel if it became more than that?"

"More than that? Dad, you've never even mentioned dating to me in all these years. And you've certainly never introduced me to anybody you might have dated."

"Seems to be a Beckett thing, doesn't it? If you know it isn't somebody you can see as a good, long term relationship, it's not worth bothering."

"Touché," she answered. "So it could be a long term relationship? You must…"

"I'll always love your mother. When I think of being in love, she's the first person who enters my mind, but Meagan lost the love of her life, too."

"She told me. They were both Marines…line of duty."

"So she understands how I feel because she'll always think of Mark that way. I don't have to walk on eggshells about Johanna, and she doesn't have to hide her feelings for Mark from me. Honey, neither of us is exactly wallowing in a pit of despair, but we've both been lonely for a long time; and I think there might be enough between us that we could have something together. It would never be the same thing we had before, but I think there's a good chance we could make each other happier."

"I won't say it doesn't feel a little weird, but I want both of you to be happy. Meagan already feels like family, so if you're looking for my blessing, you have it." Kate's lips quirked up in a teasing look. "She's a little younger than you are."

"With the same teasing Beckett smile, Jim quietly shot back, "Not quite as much difference in age as you and Rick."

"Touché again," Kate said with a little laugh. "No mercy for your very pregnant daughter, I see."

"My daughter is pretty tough under most any circumstance."

"Thanks for talking to me first, Dad; but I'm not seven years old anymore. You need to be in charge of what makes your life better. It would have been a real disappointment if you and Rick didn't like each other, but do you think it would have stopped me from marrying him? I love him the way you loved Mom. We still argue and annoy each other sometimes, but we love each other through all of it; and in another week or so, we'll have Peanut here to love, too. I'm really happy with my life now, and I think that would make Mom happy. And I think she'd understand about Meagan."

Jim sighed with a look of relief. "And I think that may have been what I hoped you'd say. I guess I needed to hear that."

Kate reached across the table and put her hand over one of his.

"And speaking of Peanut," her dad asked, "are the two of you going to tell us what you've decided to name him before he's born?"

"No. We're going to wait and see if he looks like the name fits him."

"Rick's idea?" Jim asked with a smile.

"Both of us, actually. A name is a big thing." Jim just grinned in acceptance, and his daughter grinned back.

"I'll settle for a healthy grandson, regardless of what you name him."

Their meal was delivered at that point, and their conversation wandered into other subjects. They left one another with a hug, and Kate went home and told Castle about her dad and Meagan.

"Well, I guess he figured out why he kissed her at Christmas without mistletoe."

"Yep. Looks like it."

Thank you notes became a running joke between Kate and Castle. She'd write one and show it to him and he'd ask where the rest were. She would say nonchalantly that they'd all be done before the baby was born.

A couple of days after talking to her father, Kate's most recent thank you note activity was interrupted by Meagan calling to ask if she could stop by the loft for a few minutes.

"So how do you really feel about your dad and me?" she asked when she arrived, getting right to the point.

"I want both of you to be happy," Kate assured her. "You already feel like family anyway,"

"We're not there yet, Kate. We're still testing the waters. But I do like Jim a lot, care about him a lot; and we're comfortable with each other, good friends. He doesn't get jealous if I mention Mark, and it's comforting to know I don't have to hide how much I loved him. Jim and I… I don't think either of us is really unhappy anymore, but it's nice to feel something hopeful again."

"Then don't let me stop you. I told Dad that if you're asking for my blessing, you have it." Then the teasing Beckett smile showed up again. "So if you decide it's time to get past testing the waters, are you ready to be a grandmother?" Kate asked, rubbing her well expanded middle.

Meagan dropped her forehead to her hands. "Just wait until you get back to sparring. I'm not showing you any mercy, either." Kate laughed as Meagan got up to leave. "I'm meeting Jim for lunch, and I don't want to be late. I just wanted to be sure you're okay with this."

"I have to admit it feels a little odd; but if you make each other happy, I'm not going to get in your way. I trust you with my dad, Meagan."

Again the visit ended with a hug and smiles.

After the door closed and they were alone again, Kate asked her husband, "So now that we have plenty of time to sit and listen to them, who else do you think is going to show up on our doorstep with stories of their love life?"

"I just hope it isn't my mother," he answered with a little shudder.

His wife laughed. "Maybe we should just not think about it right now."

"So are you ready for Meagan to be your stepmother?"

"Oh, god," Kate answered. "And I just teased her about being a grandmother." Castle smiled in response before she added, "Life is changing again."

"But getting better," he answered. "It wouldn't be so bad if adopted family became real family, would it?"

It's going to be weird for a while, knowing they could be…" She waved her hand a little bit, the way Alexis had when she talked to them about JD.

"Yeah, it will," Castle chuckled. "But I really like it when we…" He waved his hand around and then wiggled his eyebrows. "I don't know why I'm laughing, though. "That hand waving thing still feels a little traumatic."

Kate smiled and kissed him sympathetically, soothing him with little strokes on the back of his neck and up into his hair.

xxxxx

They continued to take walks, etc., but Castle was increasingly insistent that he be with his wife. He was becoming the stereotypical nervous husband of a woman on the verge of delivering a baby.

The last couple of days before the baby was born, Kate was double checking her bag for the hospital and going through the nursery deciding what should be in their bedroom where they would have the bassinette for a few weeks. The changing table was put in a corner of their room, and she organized all the supplies they would need there, getting everything ready for when she would be back home with the baby.

Castle stood leaning against the door frame of their room smiling. "He'll be here pretty soon."

"How can you be so sure?" she grumped. "It's already been forever. I think he's going to be late."

"I don't think so. You're nesting. It started yesterday."

She stopped in her tracks and looked around, thinking about what she had been doing the last couple of days. "I guess I am, and I hope that means what it's supposed to. I'm so tired of being pregnant."

Castle came into the room and put his arms around her. It won't be long before I can stand in front of you and pull you up close against me again. I'm looking forward to that."

"Me, too." She leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment, then asked, "Want to help with the nesting? I still need a couple of things from the nursery."

"Yeah," he answered lovingly. "What else do you need?" She told him, and he started to go upstairs but stopped at the door and said quietly, "Thank you for letting me share everything with you, even the times when I got a little carried away."

"You didn't do this with Meredith?"

"She always let me wait on her hand and foot, but I did most of the rest. She really wasn't that interested in being a parent. You and I have been partners in this since we knew…and…"

"We'll always be partners, Rick. Even when one of us gets a little carried away."

xxxxx

In his usual pattern of researching everything about what was important at the moment, Castle had started as soon as things settled down after the situation with Tyson; and he drew Kate into his enthusiastic efforts. He found the New York hospitals and birthing centers where less traditional hospital birth methods were allowed…things done for the comfort of the mother and baby rather than the convenience of the doctors. He was there for all of Kate's appointments with Dr. Holland, and they found that the doctor had no problem with alternative methods for labor and delivery. They brought a new set of questions to each new appointment. He made appointments with a midwife and a doula, both of whom came highly recommended, asked a lot of questions, got a lot of good advice; and he and Kate made choices about a birth plan. The hospital they chose required that they take a class that showed them all the equipment and amenities of the birthing rooms and told them what to expect, and he took copious notes in all those places and studied them thoroughly, impressing Kate's doctor with some of the questions he asked.

Then, early on February 28, right on schedule, Kate's water broke, and when she told him, Rick immediately became the stereotypical frantic, expectant father. He was ready to leave for the hospital right then.

Not too calmly, Kate ordered, "Castle, focus!" Once she was sure she had his attention, she much more gently told him, "I'm having a baby, and we both know it doesn't happen in half an hour or less. My bag is beside the front door, and everything we'll need for the hospital is in it; so we can walk out of here the minute we need to. I'm nervous about this, and our baby and I need you to help me stay grounded. Partners, remember?"

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Sorry."

"We're fine, Rick. I haven't even had a contraction yet…except those pesky Braxton-Hicks things last week.

"Those worried me enough, but we know this is the real thing. Okay…the list on my desk... First thing on it was to call the doctor. I'll do that now. He kissed her and went to his study, doing his best to stay focused, and called the doctor to notify her. After answering a few questions and getting brief instructions, he felt calmer by the time he returned to the living room, "You're right. You haven't even had a contraction yet..."

"And when I do…" Suddenly there was an intake of breath and Kate was having a recognizable contraction. "Set the stopwatch on your phone and time it to the next one."

They sat on the sofa and waited, and the next contraction was ten minutes later.

"Should they be that close together this early?" he asked.

"I didn't think so, but everybody is different. I didn't have morning sickness, either. So now we see how long it is until the next one."

Nine minutes, and thirty-six seconds" Castle reported. If the next one is nine minutes or less, we're leaving. Who knows how bad the traffic might be. I'll be there with you for every minute, but I'm not planning to deliver this baby myself if I can help it."

The next contraction was nine minutes later, and Castle pulled Kate to her feet as soon as she was breathing easier, got their coats from the closet, picked up her bag, and ushered her out the front door. He called the hospital from the car to let them know they were on their way.

During what wasn't, but seemed to them to be days of labor, they walked around and moved Kate from the bed to the birthing chair and other positions that would relieve some of the stress her body was experiencing. Along with the nurses, who were in and out of the room frequently, Castle was suggesting and coaching, remembering an impressive amount of information from his notes and questions. By the time she reached the stage of harder, longer contractions and much shorter time between them, he asked, "Is this the part where you tell me we're never going to have sex again?"

"Don't push your luck, Writer-Man. I'm getting there." She snapped as she leaned back against him where he knelt behind her on the bed.

He wiped her face and her brow with a cool cloth, kissed her head, and rubbed her shoulders and her stomach. As it became more difficult for her, he said gently, "Sweetheart, I'm sorry you have to go through all this to get our little boy into the world."

In the short time between contractions, she answered, "Yeah. Me, too." She took a breath and said, "Castle, I'm so tired."

As the contractions got stronger and closer together, she turned on her side, pulling her knees up at times, and he rubbed her back, trying to help. Suddenly, she shuddered briefly, and Castle called a nurse, who came in, examined her, and went to call the doctor. Dr. Holland had recently delivered another baby and was on her way to check in on Kate anyway, so when the nurse returned, the doctor was close behind. Dr. Holland examined her and smiled. "I think it's almost time to get that baby into the world."

"God, I hope so," Kate said through gritted teeth as the next contraction started.

"I know you're going to want to push soon, but don't until I tell you." Kate was helped to the birthing chair, Castle standing beside her holding her hand.

When she was finally told to push, she did. Another couple of pushes, and Castle exclaimed, "Kate, I can see his little head."

Between pushes, she growled, "Doesn't feel so little from here." After another push, the baby's head was visible. This time he wisely said nothing, just lifted Kate's hand to his lips for a kiss.

"Rick…" He could hear the exhaustion in her voice and put his arm around her shoulders when Dr. Holland told her she should push again.

"The shoulders are next, then the rest should be easier," the doctor told her.

"You've got this," Castle whispered to Kate. "You're almost there."

Another couple of pushes and, at seven forty-two in the evening, a slippery baby boy with a lot of dark hair joined his parents in the world outside the womb. Just as they were about to worry that he hadn't made a sound, he gave a hearty wail as he was placed on Kate's mostly bared chest where she could touch him and whisper to him while Castle was allowed to cut the umbilical cord. Then the nurses took the baby for the required ministrations and swaddled him, and Doctor Holland took care of Kate's needs.

When Kate was back in the bed, Rick kissed her brow and rested his forehead against hers. "You worked so hard to give us a healthy son," he whispered. Looking up to where the baby was being cared for, he asked, "He is healthy, isn't he?"

"He seems to be, Mr. Castle. The pediatrician will talk to you after a more thorough exam. The two of you can hold him in another couple of minutes."

Castle again wiped his wife's face and her shoulders and upper chest before she was given a clean gown; then he pulled the covers around her and raised the head of the bed to a semi-upright position. A big smile accompanied his movements as he whipped out his cell phone, and took several pictures to preserve the moment when their baby was placed in her arms,

There was a little blue knit cap on the baby's head, and he was wrapped tightly in his blanket; and Kate was quite obviously in love again. Castle sat on the bed beside his wife and son, facing them, and cupped his son's head with his hand. "I love both of you so much," he said softly as he saw Kate opening the baby's blanket to count fingers and toes and kiss his tummy and his tiny cheek.

"He looks just like you," she said with a pleased smile; and as he leaned to kiss her, she whispered, "Just as handsome as his daddy." Castle smiled his just-for-Kate smile and she returned a tired but beaming smile of her own and asked, "Do you want to hold him before we wrap him back in his blanket?"

Castle didn't argue. He reached for his son and did his own kissing and counting, then he wrapped the baby closely in his blanket and just held him with a look of awe and complete love. Suddenly saying, "Alexis and our parents," he gave the baby back to Kate, pulled his cell phone from his pocket, and texted the best of the three pictures to Alexis, Martha, and Jim.

"When can we see him?" Alexis texted back.

"I'll let you know when I find out."

"So does he look like his name fits him?" Castle asked Kate.

"I think it's a perfect fit," his wife answered.

The pediatrician who took care of Alexis when she was younger stopped by to congratulate them and to examine their baby, letting them know that they had a strong, healthy son.

Warning them to be sure that she got some rest, Dr. Holland told them that Kate could have visitors when she felt ready.

Getting his family to follow him to the birthing room took Castle no time at all; and he promised to be back for Lanie, Meagan, Ryan and Esposito soon.

"Katie, are you okay?" her father asked," leaning down to the bed to hug his daughter.

"Want to hold him, Dad?" she asked. "You can give him an extra hug for Mom," she added, smiling even while tears were welling in her eyes. "You know she'd be stealing him right out from under your nose if she could."

Castle took his son from Kate and walked around the bed to put him in Jim's arms. After giving him a long moment to marvel at his grandson Castle told him, "His name is Richard James Castle. I always liked the idea of family names."

"Richard James?" Jim asked. His eyes had been threatening tears even before that. Then, he closed his eyes and in a whisper said, "Did you hear that, Johanna?"

"To avoid Little Rick or Little Jim, we'll call him Jamie."

"It was Castle's idea," Kate assured her father, "but I liked it, too."

"I'm honored, Rick," he answered, his line of vision never moving from the infant in his arms.

"Alexis?" Jim asked after savoring a little more time with his grandson.

"Yes! I've been waiting a long time to have a sibling," she answered with a big smile as Jim carefully transferred Jamie into her arms. She was talking to him by the time she had him firmly settled. "Hi, Jamie. I'm your big sister." He opened his eyes then, and Alexis smiled even more. "Dad, he has blue eyes like ours. He's looking right at me."

"Maybe he knows your voice?" Castle suggested.

She kept talking to him about loving him and playing with him and taking care of him; and Jamie blinked a couple of times and appeared to refocus on Martha as she looked over Alexis's shoulder.

"My turn," Martha insisted. "We need to be excited about seeing him and then let poor Katherine get some sleep. She and James have had a long, hard day." Alexis reluctantly let Martha take her little brother but stayed close to her grandmother so she could still watch him as Martha kissed his forehead and talked to him in soothing, loving tones; but now and then, Alexis couldn't resist reaching over to touch him again. Martha then insisted that everybody leave so the others could have a few minutes to visit, and she started shooing them out of the room. "I've been on Katherine's end of this, and I know she needs to rest."

Their four friends visited together and took turns talking to Kate and Castle, and enjoying Jamie, but Esposito only watched as the others held the infant.

"I know I helped take care of my brothers and sisters," he said, but I don't remember them ever being that little."

"Same here" Ryan answered. "I had to do that, too; but. I don't remember thinking I might break one of them then," he said as he gingerly held Jamie. Then he grinned at Esposito. "But we weren't as big then as we are now, so maybe they just seemed closer to our size."

After two rounds of visitors, the room was filling with flowers, balloons, cards, and small baby gifts. Kate was fading, and Jamie was getting fussy. Castle thanked their friends for coming and said he needed to let his wife and son have some quiet time. When they were gone, Kate asked him to get in the bed beside her and hold them; so he sat down and wrapped his arms around the two of them and just watched them. In no time, Kate was asleep leaning against him, and Jamie was calming. That was how the nurse found them about fifteen minutes later.

"I hate to wake her now," she told the doting father and husband, "but she's going to need sleep, and she's planning to breastfeed. If she tries to feed him now, she'll probably get more rest. Otherwise he's likely to wake her up soon."

He lifted their son from Kate's arms, and she immediately woke up, clutching for her baby. Castle explained, and she sat up and did as the nurse suggested,

His arm was still around her shoulders, and she leaned against him as the nurse explained a couple of things before Jamie's instincts took over, pretty successfully for the first try.

And Castle saw another of his dreams true. Kate Beckett…Kate Beckett Castle, he mentally corrected himself…had just given birth to their son, and she had every intention of being with them for the rest of her life. He wasn't sure he could even imagine being any happier.