Castle and The Originals

Chapter 40

"That wasn't very nice of you, Lil'bit." Rick softly patted Madison even as he scolded her.

Madison wrestled against her father's hands at her backside. Her head, too heavy for her to hold up for more than a few seconds at a time, flopped against his shoulder for the umpteenth time. The petite bundle of skinny arms and legs, so much like her mother, continued to wriggle until finally letting out her first little burp.

"Good girl." Rick kissed his daughter's cheek. "I'll take that as an apology and I'll be sure to pass it along to your Mommy."

Having heard the tail end of her father's sentence as she came through the door, Alexis laughed. "Oh no baby sis, what did you do?"

She reached down to take the baby from their father.

"Let's just say we may have named this one after the wrong Beckett woman."

"Speaking of, where is Kate?"

"She's taking a shower. As soon as she comes out they're moving us to another room." Rick stood. "I'm gonna go..."

He pointed anxiously toward the restroom then looked back to the babies.

Which one to choose?

He'd never had this problem with Meredith. There was never a question; it was always Alexis. But not this time. Now, in addition to the babies, he had the woman he loved more than life itself to consider. When she'd stumbled to the bathroom a few moments prior, she'd asked him to protect her babies. Not watch, not stay with; protect. Oh the way she loved them already; her daughters.

He was torn; his wife or his children?

"Go, I'll watch them."

Oh yeah, he had Alexis. They had Alexis.

"Are you sure? I mean. It's just be a second."

"Dad, go!"

"Thanks pumpkin."

Rick gives all three of his girls a quick kiss. Made Madeline's softer than the rest since she was completely zonked out in the clear-plastic-sided bassinet that nurse Brooklyn had wheeled in for the twins to share; belly full, mouth wide open, arms flopped out at her sides, fingers folded against her palms - gorgeous. The puff of air she breathed over his lips smelled of his wife, and spurred him on.

He rapped his knuckles against the door just once before pushing it open; not asking permission, just letting her know he was there. She was dressed in another nightgown, this one mint colored. Her hair, though wet was already pulled up into a tight bun; all the fly away strands had been tamed. The humid air smelled of her, sweet, his Kate.

"Hey, you need any help?"

"Rick! The girls?" She turned from the mirror.

Worry laced her eyes as she looked over his shoulder to the door at his back. He was pretty sure she would have pushed past him, run to their daughter's aids, if she'd had the strength. Instead she leveled him with a steely glare as her right hand gripped the porcelain sink, her left pressed into her deflated abdomen.

"Alexis."

Rick was glad to see Kate's anger subside instantly, if not her worry. She dropped her head and turned back to the mirror. He slid up behind her wrapping his arms around her waist and pacing a tender kiss to the back of her neck.

His hands covered hers at her stomach. "Madison says she's sorry."

Rick