(Four Months Later)
"Please let me get up," Briseis pleaded with Achilles, "I promise not to wander far, I just want to walk for a little while."
"No," he replied, "You know what the doctor said. You are to stay in bed for your sake and the baby's as well."
"Achilles, if this baby comes now it will be fine. The doctor said I could deliver any day now. I want to walk around and stretch my muscles out. Please," she continued to beg and argue with her husband. She was every bit as stubborn as he was.
"How about I carry you down to the beach and let you put your feet in the water. You can walk a little bit once we're there," he offered.
"Fine," she replied, "I just want to get out of this bed and this house. Are you sure you can carry me now? I'm not as light as I was before I was confined to bed."
Achilles smiled at his wife and scooped her into his arms with ease. She smiled back and wrapped her arms around his neck. He walked out of the palace and down to the beach with her in his arms. Gently, he set her down once they were near the water. The waves lapped over her feet and were calming. Briseis slowly began to walk down the beach with Achilles at her side. Even though she was weakened from lack of movement, Briseis walked on her own. Achilles held her hand as they walked further down the shore.
Later, upon his insistence, they rested on the beach. Together, they watched the sun set over the water as the waves rolled in and out. Briseis was relaxed and tense free. Most of her nightmares had disappeared over the past few months and she slept more soundly at night, curled up on Achilles's arms. She knew that the baby would soon be born and they would be a family. Though she was eager to have her own family, she was anxious about the up coming birth. As the sun disappeared behind the waters of the sea, she thought more and more about it. She knew it would be painful, but worth it in the end when she would see her beautiful child in her arms.
"It's dark out here, I think we should be heading back to the palace," Achilles said as he pulled himself to his feet.
He reached out and started to pull his wife up when a look of pain crossed her face. As he glanced at the ground, he saw water hit the sand. Suddenly, Briseis cried out in pain.
"Achilles," she gasped, "the baby, it's coming!"
"Alright," he said quickly, "let's get you back home and call the doctor."
Swiftly, he picked his wife up and began to run back to the palace. Once he had reached their room, he sent a servant to fetch the doctor. Briseis breathed through the contractions and cried out when the pain became too much for her to bear. Achilles sat next to his wife and she squeezed his hand in agony. When she loosened her grip after the contraction had passed, his hand was beating and pulsing as the blood returned to it. It was that way for several more contractions. However, he didn't mind because he knew his wife was going through this for him to have a child.
When the doctor had not arrived after several minutes, Achilles became worried. In between contractions, he ran out into the hall to find someone to ask where the doctor was. The servant he had sent to fetch the doctor came up to him.
"My lord, the doctor is not coming," the servant explained.
"Why not?" Achilles demanded to know. "My wife is having a child and she is not coming!"
"She is sick, my lord. The doctor explained that she could not risk exposing neither your wife nor child to her sickness. So, she sent these instructions instead with me. First, get boiling water, towels, blankets, and a knife," the servant answered and continued to explain the birthing process to Achilles who was soaking in everything.
Once things had been explained to Achilles, he sent the servant for the things he would need to deliver his child. He walked back into his room and sat near his wife, who was having another contraction. Briseis winced in pain and grabbed Achilles's hand. With all of her might she squeezed it until the pain had passed. Her grip relaxed a few moments later.
"Where is the doctor?" she asked wearily.
"The doctor cannot come darling, she is sick and did not want to expose you or the baby to it," he explained.
"Who is going to deliver our child?" she asked, her voice heightening in fear.
"I am. The doctor sent instructions on how to birth our child and I will follow them. You are going to have to trust me," he said, attempting to calm her fears.
"I trust you," she gritted through her teeth as another contraction racked her body in pain and tears fell from her eyes. "This hurts so much. After this, you will never touch me again!"
Once the pain subsided for a few moments, Briseis looked back at her husband. "I did not mean what I said. It's just that it hurts so much. I'm so sorry for lashing out at you," she said remorsefully.
"Don't apologize. It is all right to be angry with me. I do not know what kind of pain you are going through, but if I could somehow share it with you, I would," he said as he pushed her hair back off of her forehead.
Many hours later, Briseis still had not delivered the baby. Her body was exhausted from the contractions and she could barely move. The contractions were only moments apart now and she felt the urge to push.
"Achilles, I have to push," she cried out.
"Hang on, let me grab a towel," he replied nervously.
"NO! Your child will not wait, it wants out NOW!" Briseis cried through clenched teeth.
"All right, push now," he said.
Briseis pushed down with all her strength and it felt like the whole world was coming down on her. She began to cry in agony. Achilles coached encouraging words at her as she pushed harder.
"Come on, you can do it. You're strong Briseis. The baby is almost here. I can see the head. One more push and we'll see our child."
Achilles really had no clue what he was doing, but he knew that he had to catch the baby when it came out. Briseis pushed one last time and felt the baby leave her body. Within a moment she heard a tiny cry escape the baby's mouth and was instantly relieved as she laid her head back onto the pillow. Achilles looked down on the tiny baby in his hands. With the utmost care, he cleaned the baby off and cut the cord with the knife that was brought. Once the baby was cleaned off, he wrapped it in a blanket and brought it over to Briseis for her to look at their child.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" she asked feebly as she took the baby in her arms. After all, she couldn't tell because the baby was wrapped in a yellow blanket.
"We have a son," Achilles replied, beaming down at his newborn son. Softly, he kissed his wife and said, "Thank you."
"For what?" she asked.
"For giving me the most beautiful son in the world," he answered and kissed her again.
"What are we going to name him?" Briseis asked, breaking their kiss and looking down at the baby in her arms. "I've always been fond of the name Alexandros."
"I like that name," he said.
"And his middle name can be Patroclus," she turned to the baby and cooed, "Do you like your name, Alexandros Patroclus?"
The baby gurgled and curled up in his mother's arms.
"Well," Achilles said and smiled at his son, "that settles it then. His name shall be Alexandros Patroclus."
"You know, he looks so much like you. Your features are very much like his," Briseis said.
Achilles smiled and continued to stare at his son in amazement. It was only a few hours ago that he was still inside Briseis, now he was there in front of him. Alexandros began to fuss a few moments later.
"He must be hungry," Briseis said, situating herself to feed their son.
Within seconds, Alexandros was latched on to his mother, sucking greedily. She watched in happiness as their son was eating. A feeling of total bliss washed over Briseis as the baby fed. For the first time since she discovered she was with child, she felt complete. Achilles sat beside her and rested his hand on the back of Alexandros's head as he continued to feed.
"He is going to be as strong as you are," Briseis said as she felt little feet kicking happily into her sides.
"I told you it would be a boy," Achilles replied playfully.
"Oh," she said as she gently smacked his arm, "you and your silly intuition. It would not have mattered if it was a boy or a girl to me. Still, you were right."
"Well, you went through so much pain to bring me this child. I love you so much and I love our son," Achilles said.
"I love you too," Briseis replied.
He bent over and kissed her lips. This was the beginning of something new for Achilles. It would be a challenge to raise any child for him, much less a son who would want to follow in his father's footsteps. Though it would be a challenge, Achilles looked forward to the next part of his life, being a father.