I've updated this chapter because I made a couple teeny tiny changes, to fit in with the timeline I've established. Got it all written down and proper like! :)

Just about to board the plane for Hong Kong, can't wait to see you and Junior.

I love you x

Rick

Kate smiled as she read the email from her husband, sent from his hotel room in London. Being married to a writer definitely had its downsides, and his often weeks long book tours were at the very top of the list.

Kate quickly typed off a reply and shut down her computer. Stretching her arms over her head, she felt a movement from under her cashmere jumper; Junior was restless. Smiling softly, Kate placed both hands on either side of her growing baby bump and closed her eyes.

"Hey baby, Momma's here. Daddy's going to be home real soon okay? I know you miss him. I miss him too." Kate spoke softly, sighing as she thinks about spending another night, alone, in their cold bed. Yawning, she opens her eyes and glances at the clock. 18:40 blinks at her in red luminous lights, startling her to reality and the fact it's well and truly dark outside and all but the night staff have departed the precinct. Gathering up her coat, Kate stands and fishes around in her paperwork tray for her car keys, grimacing slightly as a twinge of pain shoots through her lower back. Placing a hand on her lower back to try and calm the muscle spasms, blaming sitting down in a chair all day for her pain, Kate shrugs it off. Bidding goodnight to the security watchman, Kate catches the elevator down to the first floor and heads off to her car, desperately in need of some food.

The second spasm shoots up her lower back as she's driving downtown, minutes away from their apartment building. Gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turn white, Kate grits her teeth until the pain has subsided, cursing softly under her breath.

"You okay in there, baby? Momma needs a back massage and a bath…maybe some Chinese…" Kate muses to herself, her stomach growling in appreciation at the thought of food. Before too long, she's parking up on the street outside their building, dialing their favourite Chinese take-away for some Styrofoam wonder. Waving to Toby, the new and relatively inexperience door-man, Kate sets off towards the elevator that's been called for her and makes her way up to the warm and inviting loft.

"Will be half-hour, Mrs Castle."

Hanging up, Kate places a hand gently on the swell of her stomach. "Just enough time for a bath, huh baby."

Reclining in the expansive bathtub now filled with hot, perfumed, soapy water, Kate hums to herself and closes her eyes. She's always enjoyed baths, even more so with Rick, although he's always so damn distracting with his rippling muscles and the way his hands slide down her arms and the way his mouth is always on her neck. Kate grins, thinking about the last time they had a bath together; they'd broken the towel rail, tipped over an entire jar of bath salts and covered just about every surface in purple bubbles. Needless to say, there was more water out of the bath than in it.

A jolt up her lower back that radiates around to her abdomen startles her, making her sit up abruptly, gasping. The spasms last mere seconds, before her back is relaxing again and her stomach has stopped burning. "What the hell…?" Kate manages, still breathing heavily. Clambering out of the bath and wrapping a towel around her, Kate moves swiftly out into the bedroom where her jacket has been tossed over a chair. Feeling in the pockets for her phone, she pulls it out and dials Lanie's number.

"Hey girl, wha-"

"Lanie! Something's wrong with the baby! You have to come right now okay, you have to come over because I don't know what to do!" Kate cries down the phone, panic starting to set in now as another, smaller twinge of pain shoots through her.

"Kate. Calm down honey. What's going on?" Lanie's steady voice seeps through Kate's veins, and she tries to relax.

"I felt a couple of muscle spasms in my back early this morning, but I didn't think too much of them…but as I was leaving work tonight, I felt another one, a bigger one. Then a bigger one again while I was driving home. And in the bath just now, a pain shot straight up my lower back and my stomach started cramping. The last one really hurt Lane and I don't know what to do." Kate rambles, trying to dry herself off one-handed.

"Okay Kate, we're on our way. Javi's calling an ambulance to meet us at the loft and-"

Lanie is cut off again as Kate groans down the phone, another spasm ripping through her entire lower body. Tears are beginning to slide down her cheeks now as she realizes what this probably means. "Lanie, I can't be in labour. He's not ready. He's only 24 weeks." Kate whispers, clutching the bed for support as her body shakes in pain.

"Katie, we're nearly there okay? It's going to be okay sweetie, he's not coming out tonight."

"Please hurry."

"Javi, let me off here. I'll meet you upstairs." Lanie says to Javier on the other end of the phone; Kate can hear her gathering up her bag and stepping out of the car.

All of a sudden Kate feels a trickling sensation running down her legs; looking down, she sobs.

"Lanie…my waters have broken. There's blood."

"I'm running as fast as I can Kate, I'm on your floor!" Lanie puffs, just as she hears a thud from the other end of the line. "Kate? Kate!"

Kate opens her eyes groggily. How long has she been asleep? Too long-that nightmare was horrible. Kate moves her head slightly, taking in the expansive whiteness surrounding her. Gingerly, she turns her head to the other side and tries to shift her body, but gives up as pain rips through her.

Must've slept wrong.

Kate goes to bring her right hand up to her face to rub her eyes, but finds it's held in place by another hand. Blinking her eyes a few times, two dark green orbs floating above her slowly come in to focus. He's staring at her, his eyes red-rimmed but dry. Slowly a smile of relief breaks on his face, doing nothing to mask the pain on his face.

"Katie." He leans forward placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "Don't try and move too much. The doctor says you're going to be sore for a few days."

"Dad? What are you…doing here? What doctor?" Kate manages, finding even talking is exhausting. Kate glances around the white room again, trying to piece together what is going on.

"You're in the hospital sweetie."

"….why?" Kate wonders, confused. Then the memories start to flood her brain. The cramps. The blood. Tears begin to well up in her eyes, because the only reason she would be in the hospital was still inside her-wasn't it? "Rick." She whispers, plaintively.

Jim Beckett squeezes his daughters' hand and takes a breath as if to steady himself, bracing himself for what he has to say.

"Your placenta tore and you went into premature labour. You collapsed from the blood loss. Detective Esposito and Doctor Parish managed to control the bleeding, but as soon as the ambulance got you to the hospital, you went into surgery…they had to do an emergency caesarean Katiebug. You've been in an induced coma for two days." Jim finished quietly.

Kate grips her fathers' hand tightly, asking the question with her eyes. Pleading with him to tell her it's okay. "Dad."

Squeezing her hand reassuringly, Jim gives a small smile. "He's in intensive care, in an incubator. He's on a respirator and he'll have to stay in hospital until he's strong enough to breathe on his own, until he gets a bit bigger." Jim pauses, exhaling slowly, shaking his head. "He's just perfect though Katie, he's beautiful."

Kate feels the tears spilling down her cheeks and breathes a shaky sigh. "He's okay. My baby's okay."

Jim grins and opens his mouth to respond when another voice floats through the room, accompanying footsteps through the doorway.

"He really is perfect."

Kate gasps and turns her head toward her husband who is walking across the room towards her. "Rick."

"I'll leave you two alone. Rest sweetpea, I'll see if I can't talk the nurses into bringing you to see the wee guy. Besides, he still needs a name." Jim says softly, leaning forward again to press a kiss to his daughters' cheek. Standing, he walks over to Rick and embraces him firmly. Rick, who looks suspiciously glassy-eyed returns the embrace and murmurs a quiet 'thank you' to Jim.

The door swings shut behind Jim as he leaves and Kate feels her emotions bubbling to the surface. The tears fall thick and fast and she slowly stretches out a hand for Rick, who's by her side in seconds, embracing her as best as he can. He buries his nose in her hair and holds her to him tightly. She squeezes his hand and turns her face slightly, nuzzling his neck. They stay entwined for a few minutes before Rick pulls back and tenderly strokes a finger down the side of his wife's face. "I got here as soon as I could. Probably about 27 hours after you were admitted. Chartered a private jet. Seeing both of you in here…Kate I was so scared I was going to lose both of you."

Kate nudges Rick's nose with her own, breathing him in. "I'm okay Rick. He's okay. We're a family and we're okay." Kate pauses and grins softly. "He's definitely your son. That dramatic entrance has Castle written all over it."

Rick laughs softly, leaning forward slightly, kissing her sweetly. "That's my boy."

Kate lifts her head slightly as he pulls away, not ready for his mouth to leave hers yet. It's been nearly a month since she's seen him in person, let alone touched him. "Not yet."

Rick obliges, leaning forward again to kiss her tenderly, with no intent of deepening the kiss, instead content to savour the feel of her mouth on his. Kate sucks softly on his bottom lip, tracing her tongue over the ridges and curvatures of his mouth. Rick bites down gently on her upper lip, soothing it with his tongue before moving his mouth to place butterfly kisses from the corner of her mouth along her jaw up to her ear. "I love you."

"I love you more." Kate whispers back, curling her fingers around his and squeezing tightly.

"Ahem." A soft cough interrupts them, and Rick stands up abruptly, refusing to release her hand. A nurse is standing in the doorway, holding a clipboard. "How are you feeling Mrs Castle?"

"Sore," Kate admits, "but that's nothing compared to the ache I have to see my boy."

The nurse smiles, and nods in sympathy. "You're going to be sore and tender for a few days, even a couple of weeks. If you're feeling up to it now, I'll take you to see your son."

Rick turns and looks at Kate, who looks enthusiastic and apprehensive at once.

"I can't sit up." She mumbles, clearly torn between her desire to see her newborn son, and the constant pain she's in.

"We can wheel your bed down there, it's just down one floor." The nurse encourages, convincing Kate.

"Okay. Take me to see my son."