Castle and The Originals

Chapter 36

"Knock, knock."

Both Kate and Rick turned toward the door of her hospital room just as Lanie's knuckles rapped against the metallic frame. Alexis sat in the corner with her ear buds in.

"Hey Lanie." Kate's voice was deep and ragged; exhausted. "Come on in."

She waved for her friend to cross the threshold.

"Maybe now these two will actually listen to me and go get something to eat." Kate said.

Lanie traversed the room and tugged at Rick's shoulder urging him to his feet, she wrapped him in a quick hug. "Go! Let me and my girl have some time to dish."

She shoved him away from Kate's bedside, but Rick wasn't going easily. He took up residence on Kate's opposite side. It had been a rough couple of hours. Contractions in the car had been pretty hard for Kate to relax through, not to mention the whole checking-in process. Then, once they got settled into the labor and delivery room she had been poked and prodded in so many different ways it made his head spin.

"Are you sure?" He was bent over; whispering in her ear. "I don't really want to leave you."

"I'm good." She gives him a weary smile. "Just don't be gone for too long, okay."

Rick cupped the back of her and pressed a long kiss to her temple. He needed to breathe her in for just a second; give her some of his strength or maybe take in some hers, he wasn't such which. Only then was he ready; he snapped upright and clapped his hands together before pulling Alexis up from the chair behind him.

"Okay kiddo, let's go get some nourishment. We'll be back in about..." He looked at his watch, oh wait, it was Kate's dad's watch. She'd asked him to wear it after the nurse made her remove it at check-in. "Four contractions, five at the most."

Rick winked at his wife.

Kate leveled him with her patented Beckett glare. "Hey, no saying the C-word when I'm not actually having a C-word, remember?"

"Sorry." He looked truly apologetic.

"Castle!" Lanie was now in on the act. "Hit it!"

"Consider it hit." And he was gone.

Kate stared at the door even after Rick had disappeared through it.

"Mmm-mmm-mmm!" Lanie shook her head with each syllable.

"What?"

"Is he serious with that getup?"

Kate glanced back to the doorway as if the only way to conjure up his image was by viewing the last place her eyes had seen him. He had dressed pretty casually in anticipation of a long day. He wore her favorite pair of jeans; they hugged his body in all the right ways. There were flip-flops on his feet; the way that man turned her on just by pairing some simple flip-flops with those perfectly fitting jeans. He'd finished off the ensemble with a dark blue t-shirt. Oh, the t-shirt? Kate could feel herself sporting the goofiest grin as she recalled the memory of her husband's exiting form. It wasn't a cheek torturing kind of grin; she didn't possess near enough energy for that. No, it was a mouth half open, crooked to one side kind of ridiculous looking grin. The kind of grin that simply said, 'I love that fool.'

"Yeah, he thinks it's funny."

"Seriously, he thinks walking around the maternity ward wearing a shirt that says 'Sperm Donor' is funny?"

Kate laughed; a tired little laugh. "Reads."

"What?"

"A shirt can't say anything. It reads 'Sperm Donor.'"