Back and Forth (A Castle Fanfiction)

Paradise

The day after Kate woke up, the doctors gave her and the baby the all clear with prescriptions for each and demands of bed rest. They then wrapped the baby up, handed him off to his mother, and rolled her out of there while Rick and Alexis brought around the car. The Mercedes was not exactly the most family-friendly car, but it did have a car seat in the back for Henry, and Alexis' car seat fit almost perfectly on the other side. Kate was a bit sore as she eased in, but she was fine after she was sitting comfortably. As the car rolled out of the parking lot, Rick told Kate, "...And we are officially on our way home. Baby's first car ride, and first time out of the hospital."

"Are you going to narrate every one of Henry's firsts today," Kate questioned.

Rick grinned, recounting, "Well, I narrated his first yawn; his first fuss; his first time with dad, sister, mom and grandma; his first breath without a ventilator; his first Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; his first nap; his first morning, noon, and night; his first lullaby; his first feeding-"

"I get it," Kate laughed as she interrupted. "You're going to be narrating for pretty much the entirety of his first year."

"Let's get through the first month before we jump that far ahead," the writer smiled.

Looking up at the writer, her eyes widened as she stated, "Agreed." She then turned as best she could with the amount of pain she was in and asked Alexis, "Is the baby sleeping?"

Alexis looked over at her brother from her car seat as best as she could and told her mother, "Baby's tired a lot. Why does he sleep so much?"

"Baby's need a lot of sleep," Kate explained.

"But why?"

"Because they're little, and they need sleep to grow."

"Why?"

"Because sleeping gives you lots of energy."

"Why?"

"Because you get some rest and your body isn't moving any more and so you can make lots of energy for yourself to use later."

"How does that work?"

Rick then interrupted the science lesson. "Alexis, sweetheart, mommy's very tired, okay? Let's not ask her lots of questions."

The child then looked at her mother, and being a curious three year-old, she couldn't resist asking, "Why are you so tired, mommy?"

"Lex," Rick again intervened, "Do you remember when mommy Meredith got back from the hospital when she got sick and she slept a lot and we just had to leave her alone?" The child nodded largely in his rear view mirror. "Well this is kind of like that. Mommy just had a baby and that makes you very, very tired."

"Is that why she was asleep for so long in there?"

The two knowing adults looked at each other a moment before agreeing to reply, "Yes," in accidental harmony.

The young girl then laughed, commenting, "Jinx, daddy. You owe mommy a soda." To this, both adults laughed and simply looked at each other in enjoyment.

As they continued to drive, Rick slipped one hand through Kate's fingers and held on for the entire trip, adoring the look she gave him as he narrated, "Baby's first traffic jam."

Her exact words to him were, "You're an idiot."

To this, he replied, "And yet you choose to love me."

She smiled. "It's easy to love the ruggedly handsome rich guy when you accidental get knocked up with his perfect angel."

"I don't know when to be offended or flattered by that," the writer replied.

"Doesn't matter. Just kiss me." He smiled, and did as she told him.

He then announced to the car, "Baby's first car kiss."

"Ew," the three year-old contributed.

Kate then rolled her eyes and told the child, "It's not ew when you're old enough, Lex. Grown ups can do this stuff. Mommies and daddies especially."

"As long as you're older than us when you become a mommy," Rick replied. "Like, way older. Out of college, steady career, steady income, and you have to be at least forty years old."

Kate then looked at him strangely. "I get her being older than us, but-... Forty?"

"And she should consider being a nun first. I think she would enjoy it. She could solve a problem like Maria in a snap, and it wouldn't be so bad to live near hills that are alive with the sound of music, would it? Edelweiss flowers are gorgeous, and one of her favorite things as kittens with whiskers."

"Thank you Julie Andrews, but it's not like she'll be sixteen going on seventeen and in our situation."

"You never know, she meets a boy, thinks it's okay because we did it, they share a little Doe Ray Me and suddenly things go too Fa and by the time they get to La, they've skipped So, and suddenly there's a little Te and we get stuck saying Doe."

"I'm both mildly impressed with and deeply disturbed by everything you just said."

"It's a gift," the writer not-so-modestly boasted.

Kate then interjected, "Well, they have something neither of us had."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"A strong, caring father," Kate smiled.

Rick then replied, "They also have an adoring mother and they have each other."

"Yeah, that's true. I wonder what it would have been like for you if you had any half siblings."

"You mean if my mom had gotten pregnant again or if she had ever actually married a man for more than ten months?"

Kate laughed ever so slightly, replying, "Either way. I don't think you would be this guy if you were an older brother."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing, 'being this way'?"

"I love you just the way you are," Kate replied, lifting herself, ignoring the small portions of pain in her abdomen, and kissing his cheek ever so slightly.

He then commented, "Man, you should wake up from coma's more often. You're so much sappier. It's a nice short-term change of pace."

"Yeah, well, let's just say I'm not exactly thrilled about the way I got there."

Rick then sighed, understanding her pain. He looked over to her momentarily, still sitting still in the traffic jam, and leaned over to kiss her cheek in return. He then whispered, "I promise we will take care of all of this, alright?" Kate remained silent as her eyes reverted to his. For his sanity, her head bounced in understanding and agreement before she stole a kiss from his lips as he was right in front of her. After this, the conversation turned to normal, every day conversation and the two spoke as though nothing was wrong.

When they got home, after Rick narrated again, Kate took Henry out of his car seat, and the couple carried their kids around the house, giving Henry the grand tour. The video camera was out when they finally walked into their room and laid their son in the basinet they had set up for him in their room. Kate then almost instantly laid down and was asleep right there with him. Rick got some video of mommy and baby asleep on their first day home and then put the camera away and joined her while Alexis napped upstairs.

The house was so peaceful, so calm. Everything was serene and relaxed, every creature at rest. It seemed like absolute paradise, which both the writer and his lover needed very much. As Kate slept against her love's chest, the baby only a few feet away, Alexis rest peacefully on her own, everything was perfect. Everything was happy, and it was a moment the writer wouldn't have traded for the world. He was so in love with this feeling, so thrilled his fiancé and his son were alright that he could hardly stand it. It meant the world to him, and so did this moment. It was heaven on earth until finally, the fussing began and Rick realized that this was only the beginning of his paradise, and this was only the beginning of his interrupted rests. Still, even having to soothe his son was calming for him. He was just too happy to be brought down because his family was finally home.