The Royal Contract

She was exhausted. Luckily, she had her mother and Katherine helping out whenever they could. They dropped by every day to come to her rescue.

She wondered how other mothers coped without any help. But she guessed all mothers would do their best under any circumstances. She was just thankful that their parents were here to give their support.

“I think I am getting the hang of this.” She whispered to her child. It was hard work, but she was learning to adjust to motherhood. “I just need you to be patient with me.” She could not help but smile when Ares smiled back at her.

In the meantime, while she was still catching up with motherhood, she decided to extend her leave from work. She knew it was too much burden to put on Alex’s shoulders, but she could not leave her child until she figured out how to manage both.

“How is our little rascal?” Alex suddenly entered the nursery, not bothering to knock or keep his voice down.

He had started calling their son by that silly nickname last night when Ares would not stop crying. They had tried many things, but without their mothers, they were clueless about what to do.

Eventually, she felt like their entire house were in chaos when he cried his heart out. She had tried to rummage her brain for an idea but believed she had exhausted everything.

She had already fed him and checked his diaper and temperature. She could only wonder if he was in pain or something. The problem with the situation was not knowing what to look for since her son could not complain with words.

.....

“Our little prince is sleeping like a baby.” She quickly stood from her rocking chair and pushed her husband out of the door before he woke him up and started pandemonium again.

“I just want to see and kiss him,” Alex complained, but he allowed her to push him until she could gently close the door.

“You can do that later when he wakes up. But for now, I want some peace.” Dani said as they walked toward the living room, where they could sit. Well, she wanted to put her feet up and rest them.

She had been dancing and rocking Ares to sleep for almost an hour. She needed a break, but she was not complaining. She enjoyed taking care of Ares. She believed taking care of her son was a fulfilling job.

Although she also missed working. But she could come back to work anytime, but she would never be able to rewind the growing years of her child. Besides, she would figure this out. Until then, she would stay by Ares’ side for now.

“I told you we can get a nanny to help you with his care.” Alex reminded her, but she refused again.

“I want to do this while I still can.” She reasoned again. “I am not saying I will not get help eventually, but I want to do this for now. Besides, I think I am adjusting well.”

Last night, someone knocked on their door. It could be their security, who was making their rounds on the building. They might have heard the raucous outside and wanted to check.

“I am sorry, but I thought there was a fire.” He jokingly said as she opened the door.

“No fire, Tom.” She smiled at the older man. “Just Ares, making a fire in our ears.” She explained as Alex rocked their son to sleep. But he just kept crying.

“Do you mind?” Tom asked, indicating whether he could enter their apartment.

Although, they kept treating Tom as part of the family. He still did not want to overstep his boundary as their head of security. He still did not assume anything and worked as hard as before.

She heard that he blamed himself for what had happened to them. He took full responsibility for what Joe had done and the men who were injured and died.

He was a good man. And mistakes happened not because of him but because of circumstances. They would never blame him for what had happened. Besides, if not for them, who knew? Maybe she and Alex could be dead by now.

“Come in.” She wondered what Tom would do as he walked straight to Alex.

“Do you mind if I help? I am not an expert. But I think I know a thing or two.” He informed them.

Then, she looked at their child, who was still whining. She could not help but think how tired he must be but still, he kept going.

“Sure. I welcome any help, Tom. Please.” Alex begged him.

Then, he checked the baby. “Did you feed him just now?” He asked after asking several questions, the usual standard question.

“Yes,” Dani answered, wondering if it had something to do with her milk. She decided to breastfeed him, opting for natural milk. She had avoided drinking alcohol or caffeinated drinks and ate nutritious food, hoping that she would pass on the nutrients to her child.

“Did you burp him?” It was a simple question that made her look so silly and stupid.

“Oh my! That was it.” She forgot to release the air in his stomach, which had made him cranky. “I forgot.” She admitted.

She just kept feeding him until he was full. But she was so tired that she forgot about it. Now, she understood where she had made a mistake.

Quickly, Alex placed him on his chest and cradled his head on his shoulder. Slowly, he patted his back until they heard his large, loud burp.

“Thanks so much, Tom.” She told him afterward. “Why don’t you have some coffee? Alex had made a pot since he thought he would stay awake all night.” She told him.

Soon, they settled on the kitchen counter with mugs in their hands. The two men shared the hot coffee while Alex prepared her hot milk and a fruit cake to go with it.

She was still hungry most of the time. Maybe it was the breastfeeding. She also noticed that she was still gaining weight. But she did not care for now. She just wanted her baby to be healthy.

She could always go back to running and exercising to regain her figure, but that was something she would deal with one at a time. For now, her priority was her son and his needs.

“By the way, I came here not for a social call. I already sent the samples to my friend at the crime lab. And he would analyze them as soon as possible.” She heard him say to Alex.

Of course, she had an idea of what they were talking about since she was the one who requested it from Alex. She still could not shake off the idea that the body they buried yesterday was not her brother.

Although she never had any proof to say otherwise, except for his gut feeling. She still could not ignore it if the authorities made a mistake. But nobody would suspect anything since only a few knew about her relationship with him.

“When would we know the results,” Alex still insisted on a timetable.

She knew that time was of the essence in this situation.

If they confirmed that her brother was dead, she could rest in peace and pray for his soul’s redemption. But if he was alive. She wanted to know what had happened to him and where he was.

“He promised me at least three days. He had to work on it without the others knowing about it.” Nobody needed to learn about her involvement in this. Meaning nobody had to know that someone was snooping around his death.

“Ok. Keep us in the loop if you have any word.” Alex said to Tom, who nodded and finished his coffee.

“I better get going and let you two sleep.” Tom pointed at their little rascal, who was already sucking his thumb with his eyes shut tight and even breathing.

“Thanks again, Tom.” She said, not only for the work he had done for them but for helping them with the baby.

“By the way, Tom. How do you know so much about babies?” She could not help but ask as she walked him out the door. She knew that he never had a family. Well, at least, that was what she heard.

“It is a long story. But I believe this is not the right time to tell you all about it.” Tom said as he waved his hand at her.

He was right as she suddenly yawned in front of him, feeling the fatigue taking over her body. “I guess you are right.” She mumbled as another one came immediately after the first one.

“Well, locked up before going to bed.” He reminded her as he closed the door behind him.

She could not help but smile at the man that had saved their lives countless times. They tried to offer him a monetary reward for his heroic deed. Although he accepted them wholeheartedly, he also gave them away to the people who had lost their lives in saving them.

Even Joe’s family, the man who had betrayed them, received a lump sum amount from him. He said that each one of them was his family. He could never turn his back on them.

That was a man she admired. To her, men like him were their unsung heroes.