Love You No Matter What

Wanna try?

Chapter 22
It's been six months since Kate lost the baby. Rick had not asked Kate about having a baby since then. He did not want to push her. Her scars had healed and her arm was fine. Physically she was flawless but her mental wounds still bleed.

Kate was sitting at her desk when Rick walked over to her. She was sipping her coffee while she signed overdue paperwork.

"Hey Castle. What's up?" Kate asked

"Wanna have a baby?" Rick asked with a devious smirk on my face.

Kate almost spit out her coffee. She slammed the cup on her desk. "What the hell, Castle. That's not a random public question you can ask in the middle of the day." She scolded and picked up her keys and jacket, as she ran to the elevator.

"Kate?" Rick called for her but she did not look back.

Rick stood at the closed doors of the elevator. He sulked back over to his chair and stared off into space. Espo and Ryan saw the whole thing and walked over to him.

"It's ok bro she'll come around eventually but seriously no warning?You cannot just slap her across the face like that." Espo assured him.

~Back to Kate~
Kate did not cry until she got into her car. She drove to the cemetery. She stood over a familiar grave holding her chain necklace in her hand. Two rings dangled from the chain; her mother's ring and her engagement ring.

A tear fell from her face and landed on the ring. It sparkled in the sun light. Kate smiled.
"Mom I don't know if I'm ready. It's been six months but what if it doesn't work out again?" she chocked up at the last question. "What if I'm not a good mother?"

More tears fell from her face while a familiar shadow casted over her.

"Hi Katie" he greeted.

Kate turned around to her father standing over her. She hugged him tight, breathed in his smell of coffee and aftershave.
"How'd you know I'd be here?" Kate asked.

"I knew this was something you would have hoped your mother could have helped you with." He responded.

They walked over to a nearby stone bench and sat down. "Listen Katie, I know this past year has been very difficult for you. I know that you blame yourself but you cannot let that stop you from being happy." He hugged his daughter and whipped her tears away but more fell. "I blamed myself for your mother's death. I told her I would pick her up from her office but she insisted she would come over herself. I told myself I should have been there with her but now I realize that you would have lost both of your parents that night. I'm grateful that it was only her that died. Your mother's stubbornness saved me from dying and you from losing your parents."

"Why are you telling me this?" Kate asked.

"Because you cannot look back on things and wonder what you could have done differently. It's over. You cannot go back and change things. You have to move on Katie. You cannot burry yourself in your work like you did when your mother died. You cannot doubt yourself either. You are going to be a great mother when the time is right. Before it just wasn't the right time I guess." Jim smiled at his daughter.

"Dad I don't know if I'm ready." Kate admitted.

"Sweetheart you were ready ever since you met Richard Castle. When you called me after you met him you were hysterical. You could not stop talking about him. You've loved him since day one. He wont leave you Katie. He loves you so much."

"Dad, I'm... I'm already pregnant." Kate said.

A smile appeared across Jim's face . "That's great news. What did Rick say?" He asked.

"I haven't told him yet because I didn't think we were ready. He came to my desk this morning and just asked me out of no where if I wanted to try. How could he have been so stupid? He knows how sensitive I've been." Kate vented.

"I'm sure he wanted to ask you for a long time and he just got tired of waiting. He would never hurt you at least not intentionally. You have to tell him Katie. He has a right to know." Jim said.

Kate nodded. Her dad took the chain out of her hands and gently put it back around her neck. "Thanks dad."

"Anytime sweetheart." Jim said and hugged Kate goodbye.

Kate walked out of the cemetery a different person she got into her car and drove back to the precinct. She stood in the lobby of the building and was hesitant to hit the elevator button. The doors dinged open and there was Rick.

"Kate, I was just coming to look for you. I didn't know where..." Rick rambled one but was cut off by Kate hugging him. They backed into the empty elevator.

"I'm sorry I didn't know what to say. It was so sudden and I just needed some time to think." Kate apologized.

"I completely understand and I'm sorry I just bombarded you with asking. I should have known better." Rick sincerely apologized.

"It's not your fault. Rick, I have to tell you something." Kate was hesitant she didn't know if he was going to be mad since she didn't tell him right away. "I'm... I'm pregnant." She hesitantly mumbled.