Hephaestion had followed them, but Cleitus had shut the door to their rooms on him. Now it was all Hephaestion could do to stand in front of the door and listen to Alexander's whimpers and screams of pain. After awhile however, Cleitus reappeared and glared silently at Hephaestion for a moment before turning away and staring into the distance.
The heavy silence made Hephaestion begin to squirm where he stood, watching Cleitus, "Is the babe-?" he began to ask
"Is the babe all you care about?" Cleitus snapped, turning on his heel to face the younger man, "Do you realize just how close Alexander came to being very sick, even more dangerously so than he is now as he lays in that room beyond that closed door? And all because you turned your anger onto him. Don't deny it. I was right there; I saw how you grabbed him and screamed at him. You may believe that it was the heat today that caused Alexander to be ill, but in truth it was you," by now, Cleitus was standing directly in front of Hephaestion, his lip curled into a snarl as he spoke in a whisper.
The door opened and Ptolemy's head appeared in the crack he had just made. Beyond it, both Cleitus and Hephaestion could hear Alexander's loud sobs.
"Cleitus, Alexander wants you," with that, the door was firmly shut again.
Cleitus turned to Hephaestion once more, "You are no longer welcome here, Soldier. I do not want to see you in this corridor until Alexander requests your presence here."
He then opened the bedchamber door and diappeared within the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
"Uncle Cleitus..." as Cleitus came into the room, Alexander, who was lying on the bed propped up by several pillows, reached for him as sweat caused by cramps brought on by the extreme heat he had just endured coated his face and naked chest.
"I am here, Nephew," Cleitus came to the bedside and took Alexander's hand, kissing the knuckles softly. He then took the peppermint oil that Ptolemy had given to him and began to rub Alexander's legs, arms, and belly to help his body recover from the extreme heat it had just experienced. Suddenly, Alexander stiffened and Cleitus looked up and saw Alexander bent forward with Ptolemy's supporting hand on his back. Within a minute or so, the cramp was gone and Alexander took in a lungful of air, laying back, his head turned toward Ptolemy.
A half smile came onto his lips and he gave a huff of a laugh, "Please tell me that labor will not be this painful."
Cleitus smiled at his nephew's hope, but he knew he had to be truthful, "More, and longer. Your own mother's labor lasted two days with you."
Alexander lifted his head from his pillow, growling, "Do not speak of my mother. Ever. AH ha, OW!" he curled into a ball from pain as he stomach cramped yet again. He suddenly felt the urge to retch and clawed at the edge of the bed. Ptolemy saw his trouble and crouched low by the bed with a bowl in hand.
When it was over, Alexander found that he could not move from the edge of the bed. When he alerted them of this, both Ptolemy and Cleitus worked to help him sit back against the pillows. Once settled, he gave a low groan of pain, his back arching.
"What is it, Alexander?" Ptolemy, as the gentler of the two Companions, asked while stroking the king's hand.
"M-my back..."
"I will get a hot compress for you. Calm, it is only your muscles spasming because of the heat they endured. Here, drink. It will help, I promise. Cleitus, can you- thank you," as soon as Cleitus was helping Alexander to drink, Ptolemy made to leave the room.
As soon as he did however, he was assaulted by Hephaestion, who had heard Alexander's cries and feared the worst.
"How is he?"
"Alexander-"
"No, not Alexander!" he was frustrated, "The babe!"
The next thing he knew, he was on the ground, nose broken from a blow right between the eyes.
"I can not believe you! Alexander is your lover and your king! Your first duty is to him, always! Get out of here, right now! I believe Cleitus told you not to return here until asked. I suppose I don't have to remind you that disobeying a senior officer is a heinous offense. Go!" with that, Hephaestion scrambled to his feet and hurried away, cupping his nose as it bled.
When he was gone, Ptolemy walked down the corridor, grumbling and swearing under his breath as he nursed his bruised knuckles. He retrieved a hot compress from the kitchens and returned to Alexander's bedchamber, still sucking his hurt knuckles.
Cleitus saw him and chuckled, "What in Hades happened to you?"
"Hephaestion was standing outside. I broke his nose for asking about the babe-"
"You did what?" Alexander startled, sitting up quickly.
"Calm yourself, Alexander. This stress is doing you no good," Cleitus warned.
"No! What did you do?" Alexander sat up even straighter as Ptolemy tried to settle the hot compress on his back.
"Hephaestion is not fulfilling his duty as a man in your army, Alexander. He is putting the babe's needs before your own, and by doing so, he is putting you at risk. Now calm down, and lay back. This compress will only stay hot for so long."
Alexander finally sighed and laid back, knees bent and feet planted firmly on the bed, "Oh Zeus, yes... Are you all right?" once settled, he looked up at Ptolemy.
"Fine, my king. It is only a bruise," he showed him.
To Ptolemy's surprise, Alexander cupped his hand within his own and kissed the injury for a long moment, letting go and patting the empty space beside him, "Come lay with me."
"But my lord, your spasms-"
"-are very little now, thanks to the two of you. Come, come lie with me, Ptolemy. It would be a great comfort to me."
Ptolemy glanced at Cleitus for a moment, unsure of what to do, before saying, "A-as you wish, my lord."
With that, Ptolemy moved around the bed and Cleitus, climbing onto the bed beside Alexander as the latter watched him with an encouraging smile, settled onto his left side.
"We are quite well here, Cleitus. You may go," Alexander announced, stunning both men.
Ptolemy spoke up, "But... my lord..."
Alexander put the fingers of his right hand to his friend's lips, silencing him, "I have made my decision. Besides, there is no way in Hades we will all be able to fit on this bed. I will send for you if I need you, Uncle."
Resigning himself to his king's decision, Cleitus bowed slightly and made to go out of the room, but not before stopping by the bedside and pressing a gentle kiss to his honorary nephew's temple in a wish of a good night.
When he was gone, Alexander wriggled within the bedcovers.
"Alexander? Is anything causing you pain?" Ptolemy lifted his head off the pillow he was using. Hephaestion's pillow.
"No, do not fret, my dear friend. I am only making myself and the babe more comfortable."
Ptolemy reached out in anticipation, "May I, uh..."
Alexander grinned at his friend and companion's hesitation, "You want to feel him, yes? Come, come, although I do not know how much you will be able to feel," with that, he pulled back the bedcover and placed Ptolemy's hand just below his navel, where the tiniest of swells had begun to form.
Ptolemy gasped in awe at the feel of the raised muscle, cupping it gently in his hands. Alexander gasped out loud and Ptolemy let go of him quicker than a striking snake, his eyes wide with the fear that he had hurt his king.
"No, no, it is fine. You did not hurt me. Sometimes I feel as if there are little bees or butterflies inside my belly. I don't know why they are there, but they catch me by surprise."
"Do they... hurt?" Ptolemy swallowed thickly, careful.
"If they hurt, you will be the first to know. I promise you I am quite all right, Ptolemy," Alexander put a hand to his confidant's face.
Overcome with the proximity of his king as well as the promise of a new prince, Ptolemy suddenly found his lips on Alexander's. For a moment, he relaxed, his eyes slipping closed as his whole body was engulfed in the smell and taste of Alexander. But the moment was broken as shock set in. He had just kissed Alexander. His king. He had just kissed his king and commanding officer on the mouth.
He stared at Alexander with wide eyes, waiting for a reaction other than eyes that mirriored his own and a tense silence. Then Alexander smiled, little wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes.
"That was very enjoyable, Ptolemy. Thank you."
Ptolemy bowed his head as much as he could while lying down and put his preposition to Alexander in a loud voice, as he had been taught in all his years of service in the Macedonian Army, "My King, if it comes to pass that Hephaestion does not take up his post as Father to the prince, I would be happy and most honored to take his place!"
It was silent a moment after he had finished his speech, and then Alexander began to laugh. He laughed so hard in fact that the force of it rolled him onto his back and started his cramps up again, although they were small compared to before. Ptolemy kept his head bowed, his face red with shame and embarrassment.
Finally, Alexander quieted, huffing in effort to catch a breath, "Ptolemy, you sweet man. 'Take up his post?' A babe is not a military operation-"
"If Hephaestion continues in the way he has, I will take his place, Alexander," Ptolemy swore, his voice and countenance set on the matter.
"That is very noble of you, but Hephaestion will come around. As soon as he sees his son, he will come around."
"If he asks after the babe before you one more time, I will not hesitate to hit him again, Alexander. I swear I won't."
"Neither will I," Alexander admitted, "Now, no more talk of Hephaestion. The babe is tired and I feel I would be able to sleep a thousand years if you let me. Let us sleep."
And so they did, but just before he fell into the oblivion that was Hypnos' domain, Ptolemy slipped his hand into Alexander's and held on tight, a promise that he would do whatever was needed for his friend and king, no matter the cost.