Year in Time

Part 17

May 10, 2015 — Mother's Day
     It's weird, really, how much she enjoys holidays after years of avoiding them. This one in particular has always been hard. Mother's Day. Becoming a mother herself has alleviated some of that pain, but she still feels more depressed during this holiday than any other. It upsets her a little bit when he gets to hug Martha and thank her for everything she's done for him. She has to go to a grave to tell her mother the same thing and, instead of a hug, she kisses her fingertips and presses them to the headstone.
      This morning started like Castle starts every holiday: breakfast. It was an assortment of eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, french toast, fruit, biscuits, and so much more. She loved sitting with Castle, Alexis, Martha, and Avery as they ate. After years of eating every meal by herself, besides the occasional diner dinner with her father, it made her smile to be surrounded by love and family. She tried not to be too obvious with how hungry yet nauseous she felt this morning. This pregnancy was a hard one to hide. Her morning sickness was somehow worse than it was with Avery.
     She thought with Avery that she was absolutely going to die, but this time she feels sure of it. It could actually be worse, but she thinks the real issue is she's trying to hide it. She is able to hold down the nausea until she gets to the precinct where she usually spends the first 30 minutes of her shift hunched over a toilet in the women's bathroom. When she's home, she usually gets sick in the shower or when Castle is in the nursery with Avery. She never thought she'd be able to schedule times to throw up.
      That all ends tonight. Well, hiding it from Castle ends tonight. She's not sure when they'll announce to their friends and family, but her main focus right now is clueing her husband in on their next little adventure. "So, Richard, what do you have planned for today?" Martha asks knowing how elaborate her son can be with some things. "I was going to leave it up to her." Castle says nodding towards his wife. All eyes are on Kate. That makes her more anxious. More nauseous. "Oh, um, well I was thinking we could take Avery to go visit my mom." She rubs her hand over the back of her neck. Castle smiles, "That sounds perfect." He says. "We could make a day out of it, if you want." Alexis offers. "What do you have in mind, Lex?" Beckett asks her stepdaughter. "We could pack lunches and a playmat for Avery. It's supposed to be a beautiful day." Alexis elaborates. Kate smiles and nods, "That sounds nice." She says. "Well, let's get ready, shall we? Do you want to call your dad and invite him?" Castle asks. Beckett nods as she stands and places Avery on her hip.
     "Yeah, I'll call him after I get Avery ready." She says. "I'll do that. You go call yourself and get dressed." He kisses her cheek and takes their daughter from her arms. She smiles and disappears into their bedroom. She takes a deep breath. Her father and her haven't been to her mother's grave together since her funeral. She never asked, neither did he. "Hi Dad." "Katie, Happy Mother's Day, Bug." "Thanks, Dad." "What do you have planned for the day?" "Um, that's actually why I called you. We are going to take Avery to meet Mom. Would you like to join us?"
     There's a pause. "I'd love to. What time?" "Uh, an hour?" "Okay, Katie, I'll see you then. Love you." "Love you too, Dad." Once she ends the call she releases a deep breath. She can feel her husband's presence when he enters their room. His arms wrap around from behind. "Is your dad coming?" He asks. She nods, "Yeah he's gonna meet us there." "Good." He says and then leans down to kiss her neck. She giggles, "You're trying to start something that you can't finish." She turns in his arms. He leans down and presses his lips to hers, "Who says we can't finish?" He teases.
    She moves back with a chuckle, "Let's go, Writer Man." She turns back around and walks into the closet where she grabs some clothes to change into. 45 minutes later, the Castle's are out the door and on their way to the cemetery. He watches her hesitate as she grabs Avery from the car. "If it's too much, we'll go home, okay?" He whispers. She nods. Castle grabs the cooler from the trunk while Alexis carries the playmat for Avery. "You wanna go meet Nonna?" Kate kisses Avery's forehead before they proceed.
    Her dad's already there. She spotted him the minute they entered the cemetery. "If you need a minute with him, we can wait here." Castle offers. She passes the baby to Martha and goes to meet her dad. "Dad." She says grabbing his attention. He turns to her and smiles. "Hi Katie." He wraps his daughter in his arms. "How're you doing, Bug?" "I'm good, Dad. How long have you been here?" "About ten minutes. Are they gonna come over?" He nods towards Castle, Avery, Martha, and Alexis. "Yeah, I just needed a minute." She tells him.
     She finally looks down. The headstone has lost some color from when it was first placed down about six weeks after her mother's funeral. A tear escapes and rolls down her cheek. "You know your mother would be pitching a fit if she knew this is how we spent today." He says. Beckett chuckles, "Yeah, she would've told us 'there's no frowns on holidays'." Beckett quotes one of her mother's phrases often used throughout her childhood. "She'd also tell you to bring her granddaughter over here so she can finally meet her." Beckett looks at her dad and they share a soft laugh.
     She turns to Castle and nods. They make their way over. Jim greets Rick, Martha, and Alexis while Beckett takes Avery from her mother-in-law's arms. She squats down, "Avery, this is Nonna." She whispers. She watches her nine month old's eyes sweep over the grave and grass. "Mom, this is Avery, your granddaughter." Kate whispers and kisses Avery's temple as the tears stream down her cheeks. She stands back up and Castle places a comforting hand on her back. Alexis lays down the playmat and they all take seats as Avery crawls around on the mat.
    Later on, after lunch at the cemetery and a later dinner at Remy's, Avery is down for the night and she finally is alone with Castle. She stares at herself in the bathroom mirror. This is it. She walks out to the bedroom and finds him in bed sitting up against the headboard. "Hey, have a good day?" He asks. She smiles and nods, "Yes, I did. Thank you for making it so special." She says as she straddles his lap. "Thank you for being an amazing mother to both of our girls." He emphasizes the "both" cause in his eyes, she's Alexis' mom as well.
    She kisses him, "Well, now it's time for your surprise." She says. "My surprise? You do know Father's Day is next month, right?" He turns towards her as she slides off his lap and into the closet. "I figure you'd appreciate this one a little early." She smiles as she hands him a clothing box. He opens it and his jaw immediately drops at the sight of a pink shirt about Avery's size that reads Big Sis. "Are you serious?" He asks. She giggles before nodding, "Yeah. Start preparing yourself for two under two." She jokes.
     He places the box on the nightstand and pulls her back onto the bed before flipping her underneath him. He leans down and kisses her flat stomach that not too long ago held Avery and now holds their next baby. He then moves back up and kisses her lips, "I love you. So much." He says. She smiles, "I love you too."
Part 17! Comment please!