69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Martha went to turn on the television, but the regular morning programming was still on, and Alexis was much more interested in the baby.

"Can I tell everybody?" Alexis asked.

"Not yet, Pumpkin. We want a little time to enjoy it ourselves first…and to think through when it's okay for it to be public knowledge. Captain Gates shouldn't find out second hand."

"If she hasn't already guessed," Kate chimed in. "She's pretty sharp. I think after yesterday she'd give me a pass on not mentioning it to her yet, though."

"Can I at least tell Josef? He should know because of his job, right?"

"We should probably let Kate tell her dad first, don't you think?"

"And Lanie," Kate added. "I'd never be forgiven if she ended up too far down the list." When Alexis's face fell, Kate suggested, "Tell you what. Your dad will call her, I'll tell her you have some news for her, and you can tell her. We'll make it a family project." Then she added shyly, "I want to tell my dad myself."

"Call him now," Castle encouraged. "He's going to want to see the press coverage. Then you can tell him about the baby."

"What's wrong with me? I meant to call him from the car on the way home and ask him to meet us here. Stupid, stupid, stupid." She took out her phone and tapped his number; and when he answered, she said, "Dad, wherever you are, turn on a TV. Drop what you're doing and go do it now. There should be headlines about breaking news really soon. I promise everybody will understand."

"Okay." The word was as much a question as an answer.

"After that, I need to tell you something else."

"You can't tell me now?" he asked, sounding amused.

"If there's time. Are you finding a television?"

"I'm in the conference room. Turning it on now. Nothing yet. Oh, wait. Breaking news. Here it is."

"It's on, Kate," Castle said, but she was already turning toward the screen to watch, her father on the phone with her. Castle wrapped his arms around her from behind, holding her close as they watched.

The announcer's voice was saying, "Something seems to be happening at a news conference called by Senator William Bracken, who just announced that he's considering a run for the presidency. An FBI contingent just arrived at the hotel and seems to be heading in the direction of the senator's meeting room."

"Katie, what's…"

"Just keep watching, Dad. Keep watching." Tears were building in her eyes, and Castle turned her in his arms, cradling her as gently as she cradled the phone that allowed her to share the moment with her father.

Truth be told, Castle's eyes were looking a little damp as well.

"Oh, look," Martha exclaimed. "It's that darling Jordan who came to dinner with us. Oh, my. She looks so serious…kind of threatening."

"FBI, Mother. Remember? She's supposed to look intimidating at an arrest."

Shaw and Avery walked confidently up to Senator Bracken as he had nearly finished answering a question in a way that made him sound like the salt of the earth. Jordan Shaw flashed her badge and identified herself and her partner.

"Agents Jordan Shaw and Shawn Avery, FBI." In a strong, clear voice she announced, "Senator William Bracken, you are under arrest for murder," It appeared that Jordan Shaw understood showmanship, too. When the room went silent in shock, Avery moved the senator's arms behind him and Shaw took her time cuffing him. In full voice, she stated firmly, "You are under arrest for the murders of Johanna Beckett, Diana Cavanaugh, Jennifer Stewart, Scott Murray, John Ragland, Gary McAllister, Jason Kochler, NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, and a list of others too numerous to mention here, but which will be provided for your attorney…for the attempted murders of Evan Potter, NYPD detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito, and three attempts on the life of Lieutenant Katherine Beckett…as well as the malicious prosecution of Joseph Pulgatti…federal charges of kidnapping, drug trafficking…"

As the charges were detailed, Shaw and Avery walked the senator past the reporter and camera operators who followed them, trying to pick up every word. After the charges were listed, Avery read Bracken his Miranda rights; then the senator was seated in an FBI vehicle and driven away from the hotel.

By the time Bracken was in the SUV, not having said a word during the entire process, reporters were scrambling to assimilate all the information into statements or articles for their stations, newspapers, etc.

When the news segment started, Alexis had called Josef to join them, and he obviously understood the significance of the moment when he heard the name Beckett connected to the first murder mentioned.

"Katie?" Jim Beckett asked, his voice not quite steady. "Is this real? He won't find a way to get out of it?"

"Jordan says he won't, Dad, and I believe her. She's good. Thorough." Kate's voice wasn't entirely steady, either.

"The FBI wouldn't let you be there? They should have. You've worked so hard for this."

"They offered, but I decided against it."

"Why?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Because of the other thing I need to tell you." she answered. "You're going to have another grandchild. Will you come over now and help us celebrate everything?"

"Will I… What a silly question. I'm leaving as soon as I tell somebody to cancel my afternoon appointments. Rick, I know you're there. Is she okay?"

"She's as okay as can be expected. We have a lot to tell you about the last couple of days. We'll be looking for you."

Not unlike Alexis, Jim asked, "May I shout it through the office before I leave?" And he got the same answer Alexis did.

"What we just saw on TV should give me an out. I need to be with my daughter. Everybody will understand that. Leaving now."

Just before Jim ended the call, they heard someone excitedly call out, "Jim, did you hear the news report a minute ago?"

"Your dad sounded like he might be able to fly over here on his own power," Castle said, smiling and kissing the crown of Kate's head.

"Thank you for allowing me to intrude on your moment," Josef said, putting his hand gently on Kate's shoulder. "It wasn't meant for me, but I am truly honored to have been part of it…and happy for all of you. This will be a fortunate child to have such a family."

From within her husband's arms, Kate gave their friend a smile and said, "You needed to know you're protecting two."

A few minutes later, television stations were being changed to see what perspectives the coverage was presenting; and Kate whispered something to Castle and left the room to sit in the study where it was quiet.

Alexis peeked in a little after Kate left and asked, "Are you okay?"

The answer sounded a bit watery but confident. "I'm fine. It's just so much to take in. A little overwhelming."

"And you need your daddy?"

After a sniffly chuckle, she answered, "Yeah, I do." She patted the cushion beside her on the sofa and said, "Come here and sit with me."

"Are you sure?" Alexis asked. "It looked like you wanted some time to yourself." But she sat down anyhow.

Kate wrapped an arm around Alexis's shoulders and pulled her close. "I like your company, remember?" Alexis leaned her head on her stepmother's shoulder, and then the questions began.

"You really didn't know until last night?"

"I had no idea. We had actually talked about throwing away the pills sometime this fall, but…"

"Aren't you supposed to be throwing up every morning or something?"

"Apparently I'm one of the lucky few," Kate answered. There was a short pause in the conversation, then she looked at Alexis and said jokingly. "Oops. I may have jinxed it. I probably shouldn't have said that out loud, should I?"

Alexis giggled. "Probably not. Now you'll be throwing up sometime in the next two minutes."

"Stop that!" Kate answered, bumping her shoulder up and bouncing Alexis's head.

"Sorry," the girl answered without sounding sorry at all, and Kate wiggled her fingers over the spot on her stepdaughter's ribs that she knew was ticklish.

Alexis giggled again and then asked, "How big is it now?"

"About the size of a peanut."

"Did you hear its heartbeat?"

"No, but we could see little flutters that the doctor said was the heartbeat. We'll hear it soon. Do you want to go with us to that appointment?"

"You'll let me do that?"

"Well, I might not invite you for the whole exam, but…"

"Ew!"

"Of course I want you there to hear the heartbeat." Kate squeezed Alexis's shoulder reassuringly. "You're going to be an important part of this baby's life, too."

"And you're six weeks pregnant?"

"The OB said I might be close to seven."

"Do you have the ultrasound picture? Does it look like a baby yet?"

"Not much. The printout is in the bag you brought to the hospital for us. I wonder if your dad has one of you around here somewhere. I'd like to see."

"Are you scared?"

"Terrified. But I'm so happy." Kate looked down at the girl she now thought of as her own and smiled. "It's so worth being scared."

"What are you most scared of?"

"Other than thinking of how a seven pound or so tiny human being is planning to get out of my body and into the world?"

"Ew! Again." A dramatic little shudder accompanied the comment.

Kate laughed. "Hey, you asked. I answered. That, and I'm worried about whether I'll be a good enough mom. Your dad did such a good job with you. I'm afraid I'll throw a monkey wrench into the works and ruin this one."

At that point, the doorbell rang, and the two women looked up and saw Castle leaning against the door frame of the study. He looked completely besotted with the two of them as he shamelessly listened in. "I'll send your dad in here," he told his wife before going to answer the door.

"And I'll let you have some time alone with him," Alexis said, standing to leave the room. As she reached the door, she stopped and turned back. "And you should only be worried about getting the baby into the world. "You're going to be an awesome mom."

Kate stood to meet her father then. There were sounds of men greeting one another at the front door, then Jim Beckett entered the study alone. "Katie-bug," was all he said, and he held his arms open for her. Kate's tears started falling as soon as she wrapped her arms around his middle the way she did as a child. "Honey, I don't know where to begin," he told her.

"I miss her so much right now, Dad."

I know, Honey, me, too."

She said raggedly, "I want her to know I'm going to have a baby. I want to see her face light up like it did when I was accepted at Stuyvesant and Stanford…but I know she'd be so much more excited about this. I want her here to argue with me about buying too many baby clothes, and to answer questions, and to be pushy about being sure I take care of myself." She was crying on his shoulder by then, and Jim wasn't in much better shape.

He soothed and they talked about the baby and Bracken's arrest, as well as her safety and Castle's insistence on having Josef and his brother on shifts for security. And then they sat on the sofa and alternately talked and held each other until they felt ready to join the others.

In the kitchen, Martha put her arm around her son's waist. "I know you want to be the one holding her…"

"But sometimes a girl just needs her daddy," Alexis said seriously. Then, after a short pause, she delivered the next words with a resigned look. "It happens to the best of us." It was a small performance worthy of her grandmother.

"Well done, Darling," Martha said with a smile. "Perfect timing."

"I'll remember this next time you need your daddy," Castle grumbled.

"I can't wait to call Dr. Parish," Alexis answered, looking entirely unconcerned. "I'll be in my room. Call me when you're ready." Hugging her dad around his waist, she added, "Dad, I'm so excited about the baby."

He returned the hug, kissing the top of her head while he was at it, and answered, "Really? I couldn't tell."

She backed away, grinning at him happily, and went upstairs.

"Are you telling Jim about everything that happened to Katherine?" his mother asked.

"We decided to give him the basics and answer whatever questions he has after that. We won't lie to him, but we won't give him every detail, unless he pulls it out of us."

"You didn't give us all the details, either, did you?"

"Do you really want them?"

"Probably not. You know too many, don't you?"

Castle just nodded. "And I suspect I don't know all of it, either."

Josef rested a comforting hand briefly on his friend's shoulder. "That may best for you," he said.

A few minutes later, Kate and her father emerged from the study, both of them with red-rimmed eyes.

"Sorry," Jim said, looking embarrassed to be seen that way. "A lot going on…important things…and finally most of it good."

"Josef and I are both fathers with wives we love," Castle answered. "No judgment here. And I admit to my own eyes getting misty when Kate was talking to you on the phone."

"As mine did when I realized the importance of that arrest to your Kate,' Josef added.

"Thank you." Then Jim kissed his daughter's forehead and smiled mischievously at Castle, saying, "You can have her back now. I know it must have been hard to let me have her to myself this long, all these things being so fresh in your minds."

"Thank you, thank you," Castle answered comically, picking up his wife and lifting her from the floor to lighten the atmosphere.

"Richard, put the poor girl down," Martha ordered, but Kate and the two other men in the room were all laughing.

The commotion brought Alexis from her room to the top of the stairs, and she asked, "Are we ready to call Dr. Parish now?"

"The girl has a one-track mind sometimes," Castle told Kate before he put her back down where her feet reached the floor. "Have you noticed?" Kate laughed, and Castle took out his phone and dialed Lanie's number while Alexis wasted no time getting down the stairs.

"Castle?" Lanie answered, "I heard about yesterday. Is our girl okay? This isn't bad news, is it?"

"No bad news. Just the opposite, as a matter of fact. Do you want to…"

"Well, of course I want to talk to her. Hand her the phone, Writer-Man."

"Well I know where I stand in her eyes," he chuckled as he handed Kate the phone.

"You're going to give my husband an insecurity complex one of these days," Kate told Lanie when she took the phone.

"Oh, please. That man is anything but insecure. Are you really okay?"

"Castle dragged me to the hospital last night, and they made me stay until morning. I'm mostly fine – better than fine other ways."

"What does that mean? Do I need to come over there and see for myself?"

"Yes, you need to come over…maybe tonight after work? I'm going to let Alexis tell you why."

"Alexis? My other girl is okay, isn't she?"

"She's fine, Lanie. Here she is."

"Dr, Parish?"

"Alexis, your stepmother has been talking in circles. I hope you're gonna stop beating around the bush. Is she really okay?"

"She seems to be. What they're letting me tell you is that I'm finally going to be a big sister."

"A what did you say?"

"Kate is going to have a baby. There's going to be a tiny, brand new Castle."

The ensuing squeal brought laughter from everybody in the room, and prompted Alexis to quickly hold the phone well away from her ear.

"Perlmutter's replacement owes me an hour. I covered for him last week; so I'm gonna go tell him I'm collecting…just in case something comes in on something that's assigned to me. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Keep it quiet for now?" Kate asked when she reclaimed the phone. "Did you see the breaking news this morning?"

"No. Just coming off night shift. We were slammed last night. Just now slowing down."

"If you don't hear anything on the way, we'll catch you up when you get here. It's been an eventful couple of days."

"Be there soon."

"It's barely ten. This has been quite a morning," Martha commented. "I'll make some coffee."

"I'll do it, Mother," Castle answered. "In self-defense," he whispered to his wife under the guise of kissing her cheek.

Kate smiled as he went to start the machine and got herself some orange juice instead.

"Pour me one of those, too," her husband told her.

"Why? You can still have coffee."

"Solidarity," he answered with a smile, and whispered in her ear, "I got you into this. I can at least offer some support.

"I love you, Richard Castle," she responded. Then she gave him a little peck on the lips and poured him his orange juice.