Firstborn [malexmale]

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

"Hades is here."

I looked up from where I was lounging on the sofa, watching a dance competition. In the doorway, Remi was standing with his arms folded over his chest, his lips set in a grim line, his posture one of total defense. I shut the television off and slowly got up. Remi came over and helped me up so I could find my balance. I grimaced as the baby kicked again, its foot ramming right into my bladder.

"You good?" Remi asked me sternly. I nodded, gripping his arm for a moment before loosening my hold.

"Yup. Just a really bubbly kid," I replied with a half-smile. Remi still looked concerned, but didn't say anything as he led me to the usual room Hades set his stuff up in. It was an open room downstairs that used to be a private dining room, but had been set up as an emergency center in case the baby came suddenly, or someone was injured on site.

As we approached the large wooden doors to the room, I could feel my heart pounding hard. This always happened, no matter how much I tried to prepare myself. I was just never ready to face Hades, never ready for the cold look on his face when I walked in and he just did his medical talk. He never asked me how I was doing, expressed any kind of concern. He completely shut me out as his son.

The doors opened up and we walked in. A couple of beds were lined up against a far wall, an examination table all ready for me with clean disposable paper. Steel shelves with frosted glass paneling, housing all sorts of antibiotics, ointments, creams, lubricants, anything else Hades could think of to bring in here. More shelving was home to countless surgical equipment, including several prepared temporary prosthetics.

At the computer, Hades was typing some information into my record. His hair was tied up out of his face, a few stray pieces framing his face and hanging across his forehead. He wore a pair of plain black scrubs and a box of matching latex gloves sat nearby.

"You sure you don't want me to stay?" Remi asked me under his breath. I shook my head.

"I can do this alone. But thanks. I'll be right out in a few minutes. If Kieran shows up, can you make sure he gets settled in and fed?" I asked. Remi nodded and paused one last time, casting a wary glare in Hades's direction before he left the room. I walked over to the examination table, using the steps there to pull myself up so I was sitting in the seat that it doubled as.

Hades finished up what he was typing and came over to start setting up the ultrasound. He didn't say a single word to me. He put the remote by my hand to control the table and I slowly lowered myself so I was laying down. I knew the procedure by heart. I lifted my shirt up and took a few deep breathes as Hades turned the machine on and ran a short test to make sure it was working properly before he took out the bottle of lube. I didn't need a warning for the cold substance as it fell across my tight stomach. He flipped the ultrasound wand off the holder and laid it on my stomach, smoothing the lubricant around on my stomach as he sought out the image.

I didn't look at it. I just stared up at the ceiling, swallowing compulsively.

Hades knew the sex of the baby. He had to. He couldn't be doing all of this and not know.

But he never told me, and I never asked. I didn't want to know, not yet. Not for sure.

The less people knew about the baby, the better. The shifter shouldn't know the sex of the baby. It meant the shifter wouldn't go after my baby. There had to be other creatures like me having male babies... and that one thought always sent guilt piercing through my chest.

"Heart beat is healthy," Hades said suddenly, making me blink and start to look at him, but then I quickly refocused on the ceiling, trying to hold my breath for no reason at all, "Judging from the image, the infant is almost ready. I'd say you're due in about two weeks at the most. If that. Everything seems to be in order. Still a little on the small side, but it's not an immediate threat to the health of the baby. I'm going to make some notations." I didn't say anything as I heard Hades typing with one hand and using the other to run the wand over my stomach.