Page 26 of Hades

For the past week,tension filled Harley’s body. No matter what she did, she felt wound tight and in dire need of a release.

Hades had her beyond fucked up, and she hadn’t spoken one word to him since he left her hanging. She could tell her silence irked him, which made her feel good. As irritable as he visibly was mirrored exactly how she felt on the inside.

As she rushed toward her patient’s room in her favorite birthing center, she thought about her ties to Hades. Every single day she thought about going home, but she refrained. Somehow, she knew just how far to push Hades, and she knew leaving would only bring the devil to her doorstep. Not to mention, she still felt uneasy about Drew. Even now, she had toleave the house without Lucifer or Hades because her patient felt as though she was going into labor, and she felt uneasy.

On the drive over, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had eyes on her. She’d done a good job of convincing herself it was because of the ring locked on her finger, but she knew she couldn’t comfortably go home when she felt so uneasy every time she was in public.

Pushing those thoughts to the side, she put her game face on and slipped into professional mode as she entered Savannah’s room.

“Hey, Savannah. How are you feeling?”

“It hurts,” Savannah groaned out.

Harley used the sanitizer dispenser on the wall and rubbed her hands together as she made her way toward Savannah. She was in her early twenties and had nobody in her corner. Harley spent extra time with her and took extra care of her because she felt bad the young woman was going through her first pregnancy alone.

The first thing Harley did was grip Savannah’s hand, the one without the IV. Harley looked her over before looking at the monitor that tracked her contractions.

“Okay, Savannah. I want you to breathe. We’re a little too early to be here, honey. Let’s see what’s going on, okay?”

Tears welled in Savannah’s almond-shaped brown eyes as she nodded. “Okay.”

Harley smiled kindly and gave her hand a squeeze before she got to work. “I’m just going to check these contractions,” she muttered, completely getting in the zone.

It didn’t take her long to decipher that Savannah was having Braxton Hicks contractions. The pattern the monitor had been recording told her everything she needed to know.

With a smile, she looked back at Savannah and said, “Let me look at baby boy real quick. Has he been active?”

“Has he?” Savannah said, followed by a groan as another contraction hit her.

“Just breathe through it,” Harley coached as she held Savannah’s hand and patiently waited for the contraction to pass. Once it had, she asked, “I take that as a yes?”

Savannah snorted. “I haven’t been able to sleep because he’s in there practicing for the Olympics.”

Harley giggled as she grabbed the transducer wand and the gel for Savannah’s stomach. “At least you know he’ll be able to buy you a house one day with all those athletic talents.”

Savannah let out a tired laugh as she brushed her tightly coiled black hair out of her face. “He’d better.”

Harley lifted Savannah’s gown and rubbed the gel over her stomach. She watched the screen and smiled. Baby boy was definitely active, and he was also healthy.

After a few moments, she turned the machine off and smiled. “The good news is you’re not going into labor.”

Savannah huffed. “Is there bad news?”

Harley shook her head. “Just that you’re going to have to let your son bake a little longer. You’re not set to give birth for another couple of months. How’s work been?”

Savannah looked straight ahead at the wall. “Stressful.”

Harley’s brows knitted together. “And school?”

“Stressful.”

With a sigh, Harley sat down in the chair next to Savannah’s bed and grabbed her hand once again. “How can I help, Savannah? We talked about your stress levels. Something’s gotta give, so how can I help?”

Tears fell from Savannah’s eyes, dropping onto her high cheekbones and then falling behind her ear. “I’m doing my best.”

Her quiet words nearly shattered Harley’s heart. This was one of the hard parts about her job. She often became hyper-fixated on helping her patients, inheriting their problems andstress as her own. Harley hadn’t felt right sitting back and watching people suffer since she was a child.

“You have to find a way to relax, honey. You are doing everything right. You’re going to school, you’re working, you have a good home for your son to grow up in. You have it together more than most people your age. I’m proud of you. I just need you to understand that none of that is any good if you aren’t taking care of yourself. Don’t get lost in the sauce, okay?”

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