Having received John's guidance, Castle set aside the issue with Adam and shifted his attention to his friend's recent affairs.
"John, how's everything going? Did Santino return the blood oath medallion without any ulterior motives? Is he really willing to just let it go?"
John, who hadn't had a good chat with Castle for a while, had mellowed considerably since being with Gianna. The once stoic and cold-hearted killer now seemed like a middle-aged man tired of being nagged by his wife. Delighted by the opportunity to catch up while Gianna was getting ready for bed, John started to talk more.
"Rick, you wouldn't believe it. Gianna confronted Santino directly, demanding he return the medallion or face immediate war. You know Santino—he's always been a coward, a pampered brat. He wouldn't dare defy his sister. Besides, once his schemes were exposed, he was more afraid of Gianna causing trouble for him. So, despite his reluctance, he had no choice..."
"Ah..." As the two friends chatted, Castle suddenly heard a loud, high-pitched scream from John's end, interrupting their conversation.
Startled, John instinctively turned towards the source of Gianna's scream, quickly drawing his Glock 17 from its holster. He saw Gianna, wearing only a bathrobe, running towards him with something in her hand, her face lit up with excitement.
"John, John... what's happening? What's going on over there?" Castle, having heard Gianna's scream, anxiously called out, trying to figure out what had caused the usually composed Gianna to shout so loudly.
John, watching the jubilant Gianna rush towards him, lowered his gun but kept talking to Castle. "Rick, it's nothing. Gianna seems to have some good news. Hold on, don't hang up. Let me ask her."
Before he could finish, Gianna, her face flushed with excitement, ran up to John, waving a pregnancy test. "John... John, look, look... two lines... ah... two lines..."
John, a man of action but not always the quickest on the uptake, was still confused by Gianna's excitement. Meanwhile, Castle, listening on the phone, had already figured it out. "John, my friend, you're going to be a father!"
"Boom..." The realization hit John like a ton of bricks, rendering him momentarily speechless.
Gianna, now noticing that John was still on the phone, took it from his stunned hand. Seeing Castle's name on the screen, she exclaimed, "Rick, is that you?"
"Hi, Gianna. Congratulations! You're going to be a mom!"
Castle felt genuine joy for John and Gianna. After all, he had played a pivotal role in altering John's fate. Instead of the relentless, tragic figure from the original story, John now had a loving partner and a child on the way. Castle couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the deadly assassin handling diapers and baby bottles.
"Rick, thank you so much. You have no idea how grateful I am that you brought John into my life. From today onwards, you will always be the most respected friend of the D'Antonio family."
Gianna, overwhelmed with emotion, made a heartfelt promise to Castle, despite not yet officially taking over as head of the family.
"Come on, Gianna, you and John are my friends. I was hoping John would be the godfather to my daughter, so maybe I can be the godfather to your child! How's John doing? Is he still in shock? Too bad I can't see his face right now; it must be priceless!"
"Ha ha ha... Rick, you're right. John is completely out of it. Look, we've been talking all this time, and he hasn't even reacted..."
Gianna, touched by Castle's words, turned to see John, who was still smiling stupidly. She felt incredibly lucky, knowing this happiness was thanks to Castle.
"Gianna, you need to take care of yourself now that you're pregnant. I think John will be too busy to talk to me now, so I'll hang up. You two enjoy your time. I'll come visit you in Rome after I finish my business here!"
Castle realized it wasn't the best time to keep talking to a pregnant woman. It was already late in Rome, and she needed rest. He hung up, leaving the couple to their joy.
A system notification pinged, catching Castle's attention.
"System panel," he thought, and a bright message appeared: "Plot of 'John Wick' has been completely altered. The fate of John Wick has been fundamentally changed by the host. As a reward, the system will present the host with a mysterious gift upon the birth of John Wick's child. Stay tuned..."
"What? A 'stay tuned' reward? Is the system getting cheeky now? I fundamentally change John's fate, and you give me a 'future' reward?"
"The host has indeed changed John Wick's fate, but the system acknowledges the true change when his child is born."
"Alright, fine. Better than nothing. Nine more months isn't that long..."
Castle grumbled a bit but knew he couldn't argue with the system. Annoying it might mean losing the reward altogether.
Setting aside his thoughts about the system's reward, Castle prepared to restart his car when his phone rang again.
It was Mozzie, signaling he had results from his meeting with Neal.
"Rick, where are you? I just finished meeting Neal. You were right; he had a compelling reason to break out of prison with only four months left on his sentence. Can you come over? You won't believe what Neal's done."
"Of course I know what Neal Caffrey did. He made a deal with Peter Burke, helping the FBI solve cases in exchange for freedom within a two-mile radius."
Castle thought, but he responded to Mozzie, "Mozzie, I have an urgent matter to handle, but I'll be free in two hours. How about we meet then?"
"Sure, take care of your business first. I'll contact you later."
Mozzie quickly agreed and hung up.
"Alright, time to head to that private hospital and deal with Adam. It should be past working hours now, so there shouldn't be many people around. Hopefully, Henry's friend has arranged the transfer."
Castle, not in a rush, finally started his car and headed towards the private hospital. About an hour later, he arrived at what seemed more like a scenic sanatorium than a hospital. The place lacked the towering buildings of a typical urban hospital, featuring instead single-story buildings and small cottages, which would facilitate his upcoming actions.
Following Henry's directions, Castle found Building 17, a single-story structure. A doctor in a white coat stood at the entrance, awaiting Castle's arrival.
___________________
Read Ahead
P@treon.com/Mutter