Castle and The Originals

Chapter 26

'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!' Kate recited it over and over in her head; maybe if she said it enough times this really wouldn't be happening.

The pain radiating throughout her midsection was overwhelming. Everything seemed to be moving in flashes, in bits and pieces; each second its own entity not linked to the next or to the one before it even. She could feel the concrete, cold against her knees. Could feel the hands; hands fisted against the tightening pain - hers, hands keeping the rest of her from meeting the concrete - Javier's, hands on her face, neck, head and stomach - Rick's, tiny hands pressing from the inside out - 'oh God.'

"Breathe Kate!"

Her teeth were clenched too tight for air to pass through them. She sucked in, tried to fill her lungs; nothing. Well not nothing, there was more panic, more pain.

"Kate!" Rick grabbed her; hard and forceful. "Breathe... now!"

He practically screamed the oxygen into her.

Kate gasped for air; coughed against the burning in her throat. Her chest heaved and wheezed. She could taste the bile rising from her wrenched stomach; she swallowed it down. Esposito lowered her to the ground and took up a protective stance once again. Rick cradled her quaking body in his arms.

"Contractions." Was all she could manage between hitching breaths.

"Shhh, we'll get them stopped."

"Too early..." Kate buried her face in his shirt; clawed at his bicep.

"Hear that babies, listen to your momma? A Castle never crashes the party early." His words were typical Rick, but there was no levity in his tone; only desperation.

The paramedics swooped in seconds later. Rick shifted beneath her to sit cross-legged on the pavement; he cradled her head in his lap. Kate watched him above her; she had never seen him look so scared. His eyes were wide and wild, his pulse pounded from the side of his neck. How could she have done this to him; to his babies?

One of the medics put an oxygen mask over Kate's nose and mouth while the other took her vitals. "Where's the pain ma'am?"

"Babies..." It was all she could get out between gritted teeth.

The young medic was calm. "Okay, do you think you're injured anywhere else; any gunshot wounds or lacerations?"

Rick interjected. "I couldn't find anything on her; the blood seems to all be mine."

Kate's heart sped up even more; it was banging against her ribcage. She tried to sit up but again all the hands made it impossible. She tried to shake the tears out of her eyes; they were filling up, blocking her vision.

"Blood?" She couldn't manage to ask the rest but Rick answered anyway.

"Just a scratch on my leg; ruined my favorite pants too." There it was again, oh she loved him for trying.

"How far along are you Detective?"

Kate started; who told him she was a Detective? When? Time was still fractured, still braking; like her husband's heart - like her soul.

"Twenty-four weeks."

"Okay, so I'm guessing we're looking at more than one?"

Rick nodded.

"Two, two little girls." His pride evident even in the midst of his obvious devastation.

"Okay, so we need to get these contractions stopped; a little too early for their big debut, huh?"

The medic listened to his partner as she rattled off some numbers. Kate assumed they were her vitals, but she couldn't concentrate enough to be sure. At least the shaking from the adrenaline rush had begun to subside; she managed to unclench her fists, loosen her jaw. They transferred her to a gurney. Rick never left her side, never let's go of her hand and never stopped talking to her. He asked her to keep calm and keep breathing. She wouldn't blame him if he asked her to keep being pregnant. Why didn't he? She hated herself right now, why didn't he? Except for Rick's persistent reassurances and Kate's repeated pleas for forgiveness the ride to the hospital was relatively quiet, considering the siren blaring overhead. The medic worked diligently; he asked questions here and there, started an IV and kept Kate warm with blankets.