Cecilia ran down the hall as Briseis cried in pain. The searing pain tore through her entire abdomen and she felt as if her stomach would burst at any moment. Tears rolled down her cheek, as she feared for not only her life, but the life of her unborn baby as well. Her hand remained clutched to her stomach as she continued to wail in pain. She pleaded with the gods to spare the life of her baby as she collapsed to the floor, no longer able to hold herself up. A few moments later, Achilles came sprinting into the room and to Briseis's side. Gently, he lifted her head up off the floor and cradled it in his lap. Once Briseis looked up at him, she fell unconscious.

"Get a doctor, quickly!" he exclaimed and Cecilia raced down the hall once more. "Please, darling stay with me. You're strong and you're going to make it. Everything is going to be alright."

Achilles's heart raced as he sat helplessly with his wife's head in his lap. There was nothing he could do but wait for the doctor to come back. Inwardly, he cursed himself for ever leaving her side in her condition. He prayed to the gods that she would be all right and that their child would live. Within minutes, the doctor came rushing into the room with Cecilia right behind her. She bent down beside Briseis, checked for bleeding, and made sure she was still breathing.

"Achilles, move her to the bed. I need to examine her more thoroughly before I can say what is wrong with her," the doctor said.

Gently, he picked his wife up off the floor and carried her back into their room to their bed. Once she was on the bed, the doctor tired to shoo Achilles out of the room, but he refused to leave her side. The doctor agreed, but warned him to stay quiet during the examination. First, she felt Briseis's stomach to make sure that the baby was still active. Once she was satisfied, she moved on to check to make sure that she wasn't in labor. After making sure that she wasn't, the doctor proceeded to ask Achilles questions about his wife.

"Does she eat well enough?"

"All the time, even in the middle of the night she asks me to go and get her food because she is hungry," he replied.

"Good, that's a normal thing. After all, she is eating for two. Does she sleep well at night?"

"The past few nights she has not," he answered.

"Why not?"

"She has been having nightmares about her family in Troy. It wakes her from sleeping and she cannot get back to sleep," he said.

"I see, and does she do many activities throughout the course of the day?" the doctor inquired.

"At times, she tries to do too much. I tell her to slow down and she won't listen to me. Sometimes I have to force her to rest for doing too much," Achilles responded.

"In that case, the reason for this is she is trying to do too much. Not only has she worn herself out, she has worn the baby out as well. The pain in her abdomen she was feeling was her body's way of telling her to slow down. Being that she has such a small body, the further along she is, the more at risk she is for having this child early and possibly stillborn. For this reason, I am confining her to little movement whatsoever until her time nears or the child is delivered," the doctor ordered.

"It will be done," Achilles replied as he lovingly stroked Briseis's forehead.

Achilles let all these things process in his head after the doctor left. Because of his foolishness in letting his wife do too much, he had almost lost her and their child. He vowed never to let it happen again. Briseis meant the world to him and he could not bear the thought of losing her. This child also was the start of a new beginning for him and he did not want to lose it either. No matter how much Briseis would complain, he would not let her do too much of anything until it was close to the time for their baby to be born.

A few hours later, Briseis came to. For a moment her vision was blurry and the room spun in circles. Once her eyes focused, she saw Achilles sitting right next to her on their bed. She didn't remember getting to the bed, but figured that he had carried her there. Within seconds, Achilles realized she was awake and gently kissed her lips. Recognizing the look of confusion on her face, he proceeded to explain the events that occurred the past few hours.

"I almost thought I had lost you," he said.

"What happened?" she asked. "I remember immense pain and then everything went black."

"You passed out right as I got here. We called for a doctor and she examined you. She explained to me that because you are so small, the strain of carrying our child has exhausted you and the baby. You tried to do too much and the pain you felt was your body's way of telling you to slow down or you would hurt yourself more. The doctor also confined you to little to no movement at all until it is almost time for the baby to be born," Achilles explained.

"That is still four months away!" she exclaimed.

"I know, but she said that if you keep going the way you were going, it could risk not only your own health, but our child's as well. I don't want to lose either of you," he said sternly.

"Oh," she said, "if it puts the baby in danger, then I will stay put."

"The doctor also said your nightmares weren't good for the baby either," he said.

"I realize that, but I cannot help what I dream at night. You know as well as I do that I have no control over that," she cried.

"Sweetheart, I know that. I've heard that if you think of something positive before you fall asleep at night, your dreams will be pleasanter. Could you at least try it?" he asked softly.

"Fine, I will try. You know this is not going to be easy for me, confined to our bed for four months before our child is born. Most likely, you'll become annoyed with me," she said.

"No, I will not. I will stay by your side through the whole thing," he replied.

"Even through the birth?" she asked.

"Yes, even through the birth," he answered. "However, they might kick me out anyways. I've heard that fathers aren't allowed in there."

"I don't care, I want you in there with me when I have our child. I will tell them that myself if I have to," she snapped.

Achilles laughed at his wife's determination and said, "Well, with your determination I say they have no say in that matter whatsoever."

"No," she replied as her chest heaved in frustration, "they don't. Besides, they are not the ones having a child, I am. And it's not like you haven't seen me before!"

"Darling, think of the baby. Calm down. The birth isn't for another four months and we can have things settled by then," he said, trying to relax his wife.

Briseis sighed, "You're right, I need to think of the baby's health and my own. I shall remain calm." After a few seconds of silence, Briseis said, "Come sit behind me."

"Sit up for a moment so I can get behind you then," he said.

Briseis leaned up for a few moments while Achilles slipped behind her in the bed. Once he was settled, she laid back against his bare chest and relaxed. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist gingerly and rested them right on her rounded stomach. Within seconds, he felt a strong kick from the baby inside Briseis.

"This baby is going to be as strong as you are," she said, "I fear that they might kick my insides out soon."

"Well, one day he will be a fine warrior," Achilles said with a small chuckle.

"How do you know it will be a boy?" she asked

"I have a feeling," he replied smiling.

"Well, what if it is a girl?" she asked, smiling back at him.

"I will be beating boys off with a stick because of her beauty like her mother's," he answered, kissing Briseis on the lips.

Only a few short minutes later, Briseis fell asleep on Achilles's chest. Sensing that she was sleeping peacefully, Achilles did not move her, but simply kept his hands protectively over their child and his wife.

A/N: Another chapter down, unknown amount left to go. Sorry this took me a few days, I had writer's block and then inspiration hit me like a ton of bricks. I hope you like this. Leave me reviews:)