A Growing Family

Chapter 13

A Growing Family Chapter 13

Today was the day. Kate Beckett was starting her second attempt at her last week before maternity leave. She figured that she should help for one last full week before leaving. Only, this time Castle wasn't coming with her. He was staying home writing, trying desperately to finish his next book before the babies come.

Kate woke up that morning to the shrill sound of her alarm. She got up and did her usual morning routine, marveling in the mirror at how she had possibly grown a little bit over night. She looked like someone who was almost full term, despite her only being 16 weeks. At the end of the week they were finding out the genders of their babies. The couple couldn't be more excited. Once she was done with her morning routine, she grabbed a quick bite to eat, kissed her husband and stepdaughter goodbye, and went to work.

In the middle of her drive, she got a call about a murder, so she made a detour and drove to the crime scene, ready to start her week.

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The case turned out to be a classic "Jack shot Jill over Bill" case as Esposito liked to refer to them. They solved it by the end of the day. Castle had even come in to bring Kate lunch from Remy's, eager to get out of the apartment.

Once the killer was being booked, Kate decided to call it a night, leaving her paperwork for the next day. Esposito and Ryan decided to stay, as it was only 6 o'clock and they wanted to have at least the majority of theirs done by the next day so they could do their usual thing-- see how far the can throw paper airplanes. They didn't tell Beckett all of this, just the paperwork part.

Sitting at their desks about 30 minutes later, Esposito starts up a conversation. "So, what do you think the babies are going to be?" He questioned his partner. "What do you mean?" Ryan asked, half paying attention. "What do you think their genders are going to be?" Esposito clarified. This got his partner's attention. They had been arguing for weeks about it and every time their answers changed. "I think it will be two boys four girls," the Irish detective answered after a moment of thought. "I think it will be half and half-- three boys three girls," the Hispanic detective stated.

"No way. It's obviously going to be more of one gender than the other," Ryan said with a huff. "It will not. I am positive it's going to be half and half," the Esposito disagreed. "Care to bet on it? Say, 100 bucks?" Ryan said after having thought for a moment. "You're on, Honeymilk," Esposito said. With that, the two put away their papers and grabbed their things and walked to the elevator, content to finish their paperwork the next day.

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Friday of that week came way too slowly, but also way too quickly for the female detective. She couldn't wait to find out the genders of her children, but she also was dreading leaving what had been her home for all those years for a year. It has been a slow week, filled only with a quickly solved case at the beginning. The rest of the week had been spent on paperwork, finishing hers then helping the boys catch up on theirs.

Once Beckett had put all of the things from her desk that she would be needing for the next year in a box, she set the box in her chair beside her coat and went over to talk to Ryan and Esposito. They talked about anything but her leaving. They all got silent as they watched the clock strike 5:00. No one had wanted the day to end. They stood there a moment before Castle walked in and put his arm around his wife. That got Kate's attention.

"Come on guys. I'll be back in December," she said in an attempt to cheer the boys (and herself) up. "And it's not like we aren't gonna see each other. We'll see you both at the Christmas party, right?"

"Duh," Ryan said as Esposito said, "You know it chica."

"Well, we should probably get going. See you guys soon!" Castle said after the silence had passed. With that, all three detectives and the writer formed a group hug before going their separate ways.

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Castle and Beckett were so glad to have a doctor who was willing to keep the office open late so that they could find out the genders of their babies. Dr. Caldwell was also anxious to see them because of everything that had happened the previous week with Alexis, they had missed their weekly appointment.

They pulled up to the office at 5:30, surprising themselves at how fast they got there during the usual rush hour. They were led right into a room by Dr. Caldwell who was pushing the tray of tools. They did the usual routine of getting Kate's measurements. After that, Kate got on the table, and the other two in the room found their perspective seats.

"Are you ready to find out the genders of these babies?" Dr. Caldwell asked with a smile. "Yes," the couple answered in unison.

The had been calling each baby she until they found out the gender, because it felt better than calling them all it. Once Dr. Caldwell starting moving around the ultrasound wand, Baby A decided to become a gymnast and do a majestic somersault, flinging her legs right open. "Did you catch it?" the doctor asked smiling. The couple nodded. It was obvious to everyone-- she was a he.

Next came Baby B. She was a little more shy, just barely kicking her legs open before shutting them right back again. This gave the parents enough time to catch that she was in fact a she. Both parents grinned as the doctor moved on to Baby C. She acted like her older brother in showing off in a big way by showing everyone in the room that she was a she.

Baby D did everything but open her legs to show her parents what gender she was. With some pushing on her mom's stomach and some coaxing by the doctor, she finally opened her legs to show that she was a he.

Dr. Caldwell had told Rick and Kate that Baby D and Baby E were twins at one of their early appointments. That meant that even thought everyone already knew that Baby E was a boy, they still wanted him to tell them. He acted just like his twin brother, though, so after more coaxing he finally showed his parents that he was a boy.

Finally, came the smallest baby of all six. She was not small in pizazz however. She flipped all around before kicking her legs open for a split second and then flipping all around again. She was a she.

"We have half and half!" Castle yelled with a grin as his wife cried happy tears. The couple finished their ultrasound and then went home. They could not wait to tell their friends and family.

A/N: I'm so so so very sorry for my absence. I have been so busy with gymnastics and my play and AP classes with growing amounts of homework. This chapter probably sucks, I know, but you guys needed a chapter and I needed to get off my tail and write y'all one. Hopefully my updating schedule will get better because this weekend is my play, which will give me more time, but I make no promises. I hope you guys all liked the gender choices I made, and now I need help with names. Please please please comment name ideas to help me. Thank you so much for those of you who have stuck with me through this all. I love y'all.