Alexander woke slowly, disoriented and dizzy. His stomach hurt and his limbs felt heavy. Very carefully, he struggled to sit up after setting a pillow up against the headboard of the bed. However, his movement alerted Hephaestion, who had slept beside him but had awoken an hour before. He had tried to stay quiet as he had wanted to let his beloved sleep. Coming away from the window where he had been admiring the day, Hephaestion saw Alexander's struggle all the more clearly.
"Alexander? What pains you, Love? Is it your pains?" upon saying that, Hephaestion felt Alexander's belly, but everything was calm underneath the smooth skin and muscle, "Are you having another fit, Xander? Please, talk to me if you can, it hurts me to see you so uncomfortable," Hephaestion had now turned and sat on the edge of the bed, a hand raised to stroke Alexander's cheek and hair.
"Hurts..." Alexander was finally able to strain out.
"What hurts, Xander? Talk to me."
"My arms a-and legs... feel heavy... and my stomach h-hurts..."
At that, Hephaestion gingerly felt Alexander's arms and legs, inspecting them. He found that Alexander's arms and legs were slightly swollen, especially around the joints. Hephaestion cocked his head to the side in confusion, thinking about what to do.
"All right. Just lay back down and rest a little bit. I will be right back. Just relax."
True to his word, as he always had been, Hephaestion returned in mere minutes with hot compresses, a pitcher of water, and Ptolemy and Cleitus in tow. After setting the supplies aside, Hephaestion knelt by the bed so as to be able to sooth the fears he knew Alexander must have been having.
"Love, Cleitus says what you are experiencing is called "water retention." All the fluids- blood, water, and the like- needed to support the babe are causing your body to swell just a little. The best way to remedy it, he says, is to drink plenty of water. Of course, this will not cure it, but only reduce it a bit. As for your stomachache, we will just see if it goes away on it's own, all right? It's all right, you're safe, I am here. Ptolemy, the compresses please. One there," he placed a cloth in the crook of Alexander's right elbow, and then continued this treatment for all of the major joints.
Alexander sighed in relief as the heat from the compresses started its work on his aches and pains. But then his eyes widened as if in panic. As Hephaestion watched, Alexander's mismatched eyes darted between his own belly and Hephaestion's face.
"What is it, agapēménos? Does something hurt? Are you uncomfortable? Please tell me what is upsetting you so."
"Feels like... little bees buzzing in my belly. Phai, did I swallow a bee?" Alexander looked to his counterpart, worry and confusion clear on his face.
Cleitus, who had been standing at the foot of the bed silently up until now, gave a great belly laugh. Once he had recovered and wiped the tears from his eyes, he offered an explanation.
"No my nephew, you did not swallow a bee. That is Little Hektor letting you know he is inside you. You are feeling his first movements. Your mother had the same tribulations when she was first with you," he continued to chuckle.
Hephaestion grinned, excited. Their little boy was growing! It was all Hephaestion could do not to overwhelm Alexander with his happiness as he desperately wanted to reach out and feel his lover's belly.
"Phai, help me, I wish to sit up again."
"All right, all right. Relax, we have all the time in the world," with that, Hephaestion began to take the now wam compresses off of Alexander's joints. That done, he took Alexander's weight and eased him up the bed, so that he sat against four pillows which Ptolemy had set up against the headboard, "That better, Love? What is it that you wish to do?"
"I-" while his mouth hung open as he had gone to speak, Alexander let go a silent gasp and squeak of surprise.
"The prince is moving again, Nephew?" Cleitus made his way to Alexander's side and took Hephaestion's place at the bedside, "You will get used to the feeling as time goes on. This feeling is also going to ready you for the babe's kicks once he becomes big enough inside your belly. People also say that babes can hear inside the womb and can react to the sounds they hear."
"I am just glad that it is not a fit or a contraction," Hephaestion sighed in relief as he took Alexander's slightly puffy fingers in his own and raised them to his lips, kissing them. Ptolemy nodded silently in agreement.
Now that it had been established that Alexander and the babe were not in any danger at the present time, Ptolemy and Cleitus decided to take their leave. But before Cleitus could, Alexander reached for him from his place on the bed. Cleitus approached the bed and accepted the offered embrace from his nephew and king.
"If anything happens, I am not far. Little Achilles," Cleitus whispered in Alexander's ear comfortingly before kissing his temple and pulling away from him, having used the queen's nickname for her son as she often had when Alexander was much younger.
"Thank you, Uncle," Alexander smiled up at the older man before Cleitus finally followed Ptolemy out of the room and Hephaestion shut the door securely behind him.
He went to Alexander's side, seeing his love's drooping eyelids and slow movements. Petting Alexander's hair, he kept his voice soft as he said, "You're tired, Xander. Sleep. The world will be just as you left it tomorrow," very gently, Hephaestion moved Alexander over on the bed so that they could lay side-by-side, "I love you. Sleep, Sweetheart."
And so, Alexander did as he was told. But not before he heard the faintest whispers of Hephaestion talking to their child and felt his lover's fingers and lips brush over the smooth skin of his belly.
AN: Finally, a calm chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it!