Woman in White

Part 17

February 14, 2014 — Third Appointment & Valentine's Day
16 weeks 6 days pregnant
"Castle! Come here please!" He hears his wife call from their bathroom. He was making her oatmeal and coffee. Turning the burner on the stove down, he makes his way to his wife, "What's wrong?" He asks. She turns with her hands on her hips dressed in a pair of panties and matching bra that her boobs look uncomfortable in, "My bra is too small." She sighs. He ogles her chest and she smacks his arm, "Castle!" "Sorry, uh, I for one am not complaining." He tells her.
"Great, that's not the problem though. My problem is my comfort level, and right now I don't have one." She says, "Okay. How about after your appointment we get you some bigger bras?" He asks. She sighs, "Yeah, I better get some nursing ones too." She says, "You-you're breastfeeding?" He asks, "Yeah. That's okay, right? I know you and Alexis bonded over bottle-feeding-," He shakes his head to calm her down, "It's amazing, Kate. I'm actually happy you chose that path because it's more beneficial for our baby. You had just never mentioned it before." He simply states.
"Well, it's going to be a lot of work, but I really want to give it a chance. Maybe after a few months of exclusive breastfeeding we can switch to bottle-feeding so you can get some time with them too." She proposes, "Whatever works for you and our child. I will find other ways to bond with him or her." He promises and kisses her forehead. "Okay. Can we also look into pregnancy pillows? Because sleeping is starting to become uncomfortable for me." She says, "Yeah. We can look at the baby store or online when we get home."
She smiles and nods, "Thank you." "Always. Now, I'm going to go finish making your breakfast." He tells her and presses his lips to hers in a gentle kiss before going back out to the kitchen to prepare their breakfast. Making sure his wife is out of earshot, he pulls out his phone. "Hello, this is Madison Queller, head manager of Q3. How may I help you today?" "Hey Maddie, it's Rick Castle." "Oh! Hi Castle! How can I help you today?" "I was wondering if I could make a last minute reservation tonight for Kate and I." He asks.
"Of course! I read you guys got married. Congratulations! I'll put you guys down for 8:30 at a table with an incredible view of the skyline. Sound good?" "Perfect. Thank you." He thanks her before hanging up. He wanted to make the reservation earlier, but his wife was extra clingy during her pregnancy which had made planning Valentine's Day difficult. He's lucky he was able to get her a Valentine's Day gift without her finding out. He finishes her oatmeal with vanilla just like she's been craving before slicing a banana and placing the pieces in a heart.
He pours her a cup of decaf coffee and puts them at the bar just as she walks out dressed in leggings and a sweatshirt which he guesses has no bra underneath it. "Your breakfast, madame." He says in a French accent. She giggles as she sits down, "Merci, monsieur." She answers. "You're so sexy when you speak one of your fifty languages." He teases, "I know five, babe." She giggles. "My favorite is when you speak Russian." He tells her. "Я знаю. Бьюсь об заклад, это из-за катящихся букв "р"." She immediately spews out and he stares stunned.
"Keep that up and we might not make it to your appointment." He says, "Dobbiamo essere puntuali, piccola. È importante che controlliamo il nostro piccolo." "Katherine Castle." She giggles as she begins eating her oatmeal. "One more?" She asks and he raises his eyebrow, "Καλή Ημέρα του Αγίου Βαλεντίνου, αγάπη μου." "What does that mean?" He asks as he leans into the counter. She leans in as well and quickly flicks her eyes to his lips before returning to his ocean blue orbs, "It means 'Happy Valentine's Day, my love'." She whispers as she gives him Eskimo kisses before kissing his lips passionately.
He smiles, "Happy Valentine's Day. Speaking of which, I got us dinner reservations for 8:30 tonight. You up for that?" He asks and she nods, "Sure. Where?" "That's for me to know and for you to find out." He smiles. She rolls her eyes and continues eating her breakfast. They finish breakfast and do the dishes before making their way to their third doctor's appointment. The beginning of the appointment is normal. Beckett's weight is taken as well as her blood pressure and she leaves a urine sample once they make it to the exam room.
     It doesn't take long until Dr. Chasefield walks in. "Hello. How are you two doing?" She asks, "We're good." Beckett answers, "That's good. Kate, how're you feeling? Has the morning sickness passed?" "Yes. Now I'm just having trouble sleeping and I feel like my boobs are huge." She admits. The doctor chuckles, "Those two things are to be expected. Other than that, no cramping or spotting?" "No." "Perfect. So, now that you're in your second trimester, I'm going to be performing fundal height which is a measurement from your pelvis to the top of the uterus to gauge how big your baby is."
      "I'll also be listening to their heartbeat and checking for fetal movement. Today will also be your second trimester screening. For this screening you will leave two blood samples. The first will be used for the triple screening and quad screening: these are both to see how much of certain hormones are in your blood which can be predictors of birth defects. The second sample will be used for your sequential integrated screening. This screening is two-part, but the first part was completed during your first trimester screening. This checks for the same proteins and hormones as the quad screening."
     Beckett nods along as the doctor piles her information. "I know it seems like a lot, but it's nothing to worry about. We'll take the blood samples and I'll give you a call by either Monday or Tuesday with the results and we'll go from there." Dr. Chasefield says before instructing her patient to lay on her back and pull her shirt up. Dr. Chasefield begins by feeling around Beckett's stomach until she finds the top of her uterus, "Fundal height is perfect. Have you felt any kicks yet?" "No, just flutters, but no definitive kicks yet."
      "That's perfectly fine. Sometimes first pregnancies can take longer for the mother to feel the baby kick. I'll just listen to the heartbeat and then a nurse will be in to collect a blood sample." Gel is squirted onto Beckett's belly before a doppler swirls it around. It takes a minute and Kate squeezes Castle's hand until the rapid sound fills the room. A tear slips down both parents' cheeks. "147 beats per minute. That's perfect." Dr. Chasefield says as she wipes Beckett's bump. "Now, make sure you're eating and sleeping plenty. Exercise is still okay as long as it's not too rigorous."
     "I'd also like you to take a step back at work. Not complete desk duty, but I don't want you in any situation where you have to break out your caviler. Other than that, your next appointment will be your anatomy screening, so I would suggest you two begin discussing if you want to know the sex of the baby. It's also important that you schedule that on a day where you have a lot of free time because that tends to be a pretty lengthy appointment. Do you two have any questions for me?" She asks.
     They both shake their heads no, "Okay. Nurse Olivia will be here in a few minutes to collect your blood samples and then you can schedule your next appointment at the front desk. See you two in a few weeks." Dr. Chasefield says before leaving. The nurse comes to draw Kate's blood and then the two schedule her anatomy scan before leaving the doctor's office and making their way to a baby store to get Beckett a pregnancy pillow and maternity bra, "Do you think we should find out the gender?" Beckett asks, "Do you really think I could wait?"
     "Hm, maybe we should wait so I can torture you." She teases and nibbles his cheek. He chuckles, "I think finding out the gender would make things a little easier. We could put the nursery together quicker, people would know what clothes to get us, and we could figure out a name for them." Castle points out. Beckett cups her small bump, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Plus, it will be fun telling everyone if we're having a son or daughter." She says with a smile. He kisses her forehead before they continue shopping for their needed items.
     After purchasing his wife five nursing bras and a pregnancy pillow, they head home where they begin getting ready for dinner. Castle gauks when his wife walks out of their bedroom in the black number she wore on her undercover assignment with Scotland Yard all those years ago. Her hair now hangs loose down her back in perfect curls, but she redid the smokey eye she had that night. "What?" She asks, "You're beautiful." He says, "Thank you. Now, let's go. Mommy and Baby are starving." She exaggerates before pulling him out of the loft and to their surprise dinner reservation.
      "Becks!" She turns to see her blonde friend racing towards her once they enter Q3. "Hi Maddie." Beckett smiles and hugs her friend, "I see I was right that you wanted to make little Castle babies. You are pregnant right?" Maddie asks and Beckett giggles, "Yes, Maddie, I'm pregnant." She answers, "Congratulations. I always knew you had a thing for Castle. Follow me, I reserved a special table for you two." She says and shows them to their spot, "Oh wow. Maddie this is beautiful. Thank you." Beckett says as she stares at the view, "Anything for my old best friend."
     "Have a nice evening you two and congratulations on everything." They both thank her as she walks away. "This is so romantic." She smiles at her husband, "You know I love romancing you." He tells her, "You know this time next year we'll have a seven month old." Beckett says, "I know, that's so crazy. I can't wait. Oh! Speaking of which, happy Valentine's Day." He says as he slips a wrapped box over to her, "Castle, you didn't have to." She tells him, "I know, but I wanted to." He tells her. She smiles and opens the box.
     Inside she finds a small book with bunnies and other woodland creatures along with some vines on it. "The Story of You?" Beckett asks, "It's a baby book for us to track different things throughout your pregnancy and the baby's first year that they can read when they're older." He explains it to her. Her eyes fill with tears, "Castle, this is so sweet. Thank you." She smiles, "There should be something else in there." He says. She looks under the book and finds a gift certificate, "It's so you and Lanie can have a spa day. Mani-pedi's, facials, and massages including a special maternity massage for you." He says.
     She leans across the table for a kiss, "I love this, and I love you. Thank you." "Always." He whispers their word and the tear finally falls. They haven't even ordered yet and this man is already making her emotional.
Part 17! Let me know what you think! Is baby Castle a boy or girl? What will their name be?