Chapter 13
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 to leave 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 and stress 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?”
“I guess I don’t know how to… Ah!” Harley glanced at the monitor and saw that she was going through another minor contraction. These were nothing compared to the real thing, but Harley stayed patient and coached her through it. When it was done, Savannah continued. “I don’t know how to slow down. I feel like there’s so much I have to do before he gets here. I feel guilty for taking time out for myself. I’m taking double the classes so I can graduate next month instead of next semester, and I’m working double the hours to build my savings for my child. I don’t feel right slowing down right now.”
“Does your job give you PTO?”
“Yeah. They’re really generous with it too. I’m blessed to have found this job before my son gets here. Once I graduate, I’ll be promoted and get a bigger salary. My boss is really great.”
Harley nodded as she listened, but she was already going to the computer in the room and waking it up. “Good. Then your boss won’t mind if you take a week off.”
Savannah’s eyes bulged. “Wait, what? No, I can’t do that?—”
“Savannah, you can and you will. I’m writing you a doctor’s note right now. You’re lucky I don’t put you on bedrest for the duration of your pregnancy. Take the time off work, do your school work, and rest. That’s all I want you to do. Do you understand?”
Savannah huffed out a long breath before she nodded sadly. “I understand.”
Harley smiled in triumph as she quickly typed up the letter and then sent it to the printer in the room. She left it in the printing tray and walked over to the bed. Savannah peered up at her with a pout on her face. “Are you sure he’s not coming? These contractions are something serious.”
Harley nodded. “He’s not coming, and he is one hundred percent healthy. We just need to get mama on the same page. Do you need anything else before I go? The nurses will square you away so you can have these fake contractions at home.”
Savannah snorted. “No, thank you for coming.”
Harley beamed at her. “I’ll always show up for you, sweetie. All you have to do is call. Go home and rest.”
She sang those last words as she walked out of the room, thankful that Savannah’s son wasn’t on his way into the world. That would have been really bad. It was too soon, and she didn’t want to see Savannah go through that stress.
Harley quickly made it to her locker and pulled her purse out, noticing her phone vibrating inside. She grabbed it and saw Hades’s name across the screen before she quickly answered it, knowing better than to ignore his call. She wasn’t speaking to him, but that didn’t mean she was crazy enough not to answer when he called.
Before she could greet him with a dry “Hello,” his thunderous voice snapped at her.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?”
She froze just as she was about to close her locker. “I thought you said I was free to move around?—”
“That don’t mean you can leave whenever the fuck you want. You steady testing me, Tink. I’ma have to show yo’ ass somethin’.”
Her pussy clenched, just as her jaw did. She didn’t understand why his threats caused her body to react in that way. “My patient had an emergency.”
She continued toward the elevator as she listened to him rant in her ear.
“You’re about to have an emergency when you come home. I don’t know what you don’t understand about?—”
Her phone cut out when she got on the elevator and headed down to the first floor. By the time the elevator doors opened again, Hades was still ranting in her ear. “—You gon’ learn, even if I have to lock you in my damn room. That don’t really sound that bad now that I think about it. You’re lucky I can see where your lil ass is at all times?—”
Harley stopped in her tracks just as she got to the double doors to exit the birthing center. The navy blue BMW looked familiar to her, causing her to tremble.
“Hades,” she murmured, slowly backing away from the door.
“Nah, I don’t want to hear shit. You better bring yo’ ass?—”
“Hades!” she said in a harsh whisper. “Drew is here.” She turned around and ducked down the hall, making her way toward the staff breakroom on that floor. It was mostly used by the front desk receptionists, but today, she was about to hide right up in there, praying Drew didn’t come into this place, causing a scene.
“Where he at?”
“He’s outside in his blue BMW. I think there were a few other people in the car with him, but I didn’t get a good look.”
“Did he see you?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. She hated that she sounded so afraid. Drew definitely intimidated her, but she really had no reason to think he would harm her. His weird obsession with her set her on edge, though, and she realized each time she saw him since she broke up with him, he became a little more erratic. That was where her unease came from.
“Stay your ass inside and away from the doors.”
“I’m in the breakroom,” she murmured. “On the first floor.”
She heard the sound of a motorcycle engine coming to life. “I’m on my way. Stay by your phone.”
The line went dead, and she had no other option but to do as Hades said. She hated that she had somehow become this damsel in distress, but she knew if anyone could save her, it would be Hades, with his mean ass.