Page 5 of Hades

She glanced up at Cade, and with one hand, she held the baby. With the other, she quickly grabbed some clamps and placed them on the umbilical cord. “Dad, do you want to cut the cord?”

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She had felt him studying her, but she was used to dealing with frantic parents, so she put her calming voice on but made sure what she said felt urgent, so he moved quickly.

“Baby boy swallowed some fluids on his way out. I need you to cut the cord quickly, if you’d like. Otherwise, I will, and then I can better tend to him. It would be best if we call an ambulance and get to the hospital?—”

“No hospitals,” Hades barked, causing the baby in her arms to cry louder.

At the same time, Eris asked, “Ambulance? What’s wrong with my baby?”

“He’ll be fine, sweetie. I just need to put a tube in him to suck some of this fluid out?—”

“Oh my God.” Eris cried.

“Bro, if we need to go to the hospital, then that’s what we’re going to do for my son?—”

“No!” Hades roared, causing Harley to jump.

“Okay! Everyone shut the fuck up!” she snapped. She rarely cursed or raised her voice, but when she did, people mostly fell in line. “Cade, are you cutting the cord or not?” He nodded and moved toward her, taking the scissors. “Cut right between the clamps. Good.”

When that was over, she grabbed the medical bag and rushed the baby over to a bassinet that was set up to the side. She heard Eris crying and Cade trying to console her. Hades was quiet, and she felt his glare on the back of her head, but she tuned that all out. Swiftly, she suctioned the baby’s mouth and nose before putting an IV into him and hooking up the portable monitors in every birthing kit. After that, she put the tube down him and secured it with the medical mask before turning to everyone else.

“He’s okay. It looks like it is a mild case, but he does need to be monitored for the next few hours, probably overnight. It really would be best if this was done at a hospital.”

“No,” Hades said again, and Harley quickly learned that was his favorite word.

“Does he have to go to the hospital?” Eris asked meekly.

Harley shook her head, suddenly feeling very tired. “He doesn’t. It really is a mild case, and he seems strong otherwise. After I deliver your placenta, I can run the other tests on him, but he needs to be monitored?—”

“Then you’re staying,” Hades said, as if that was the end of the conversation.

Harley stared at him. “I can’t. I have…” Shit. She had forgotten all about Blair’s birthday. She realized by now she wouldn’t make it on time since they were most likely at the restaurant already, but still, that didn’t mean she wanted to stay at this man’s house. “I can’t,” she finally finished.

“Well, you are,” Hades barked.

She ignored him and looked at Cade. “Why don’t you go meet your son while I get Eris squared away?”

Hades marched over to the bassinet like she had been talking to him, and she rolled her eyes. That baby wasn’t even his, but he went over there and interacted with him like he was the damn daddy.

Cade didn’t seem fazed by it. In fact, he seemed used to Hades. He walked over to meet his son, leaving Harley and Eris alone. She took a moment to check in with the tired mama before she delivered her placenta. Placing a hand on hers, she smiled. “Hey, I promise he’s okay.”

Eris had long goddess braids that were tied into a big braid and resting over her shoulder. Her body quaked as she cried, and sweat covered her as she looked up at Harley. “Are you sure? Do you promise?”

“I’m positive. He will be fine. If the condition was any worse, I would have called the ambulance myself. Still, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to go to the hospital. He’s your son, Eris. You’re a mama now. You have to protect him.” Harley felt the need to say that, because it seemed like Hades had things a little twisted.

Eris glanced over at the two men cooing over the baby, and Harley had to do a double take as she saw Hades interact with the child. He looked like a whole new person, and that confused the hell out of her.

“Hades protects us all, and Dante… he’s going to get the most protecting. I promise. If you had pushed any harder on going to the hospital, Hades would have submitted, even though he doesn’t trust hospitals. Hell, neither do I.”

“As long as you’re sure,” Harley murmured, giving her hand a squeeze.

“I’m sure as long as you’ll stay. I’ll triple your pay. You seem like you know what you’re doing, and you got Hades to shut up for once. I’ve never seen that happen before. I trust you with my boy.”

“His name is Dante, right?”

She gave Harley a tired smile. “Dante Walker.”

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