Hours went by slowly as they worked together and Cassandra screamed all manner of obscenities at him, all men in general, and the gods in particular.
Wulf would hold her hand and bathe her brow while the doctor directed them both on what to do.
It was just after five p.m. when his son was finally born.
Wulf stared at the tiny infant in the doctor's hands as the baby squalled with a set of lungs that had to come from a healthy child.
"He's really here," Cassandra sobbed as she held on to Wulf's hand and stared at the baby she had birthed.
"He's here," Wulf laughed, kissing her damp temple. "And he's beautiful."
The doctor cleaned and examined him, then handed the baby to his mother.
Cassandra couldn't breathe as she held her child for the very first time. His tiny fists were clenched as his screams let them all know he was here. His face was wrinkled like an old man's, but even so he was gorgeous to her.
"Look at his hair," she said, brushing the thick mat of black hair down. "He looks like his father."
Wulf smiled as the baby wrapped his tiny hand around his father's index finger. "He has your lungs."
"Oh, please!" she said indignantly.
"Trust me," Wulf said, meeting her gaze. "Every Apollite here now knows that my parents were unmarried at my birth, and that if you survive the night, you plan on making me a eunuch."
She laughed at him and then kissed him while she held their son.
"By the way, if you were serious about any of that, Cassandra," the doctor said, her eyes alight. "I do have a scalpel I can loan you."
Cassandra laughed again. "Don't tempt me."
Wulf took the baby from her and held him carefully in his large hands. His son. The joy and fear inside him was debilitating. He'd never known anything like it.
The baby was so incredibly tiny. A miracle of life. How could something so tiny ever survive? He knew he would kill or seriously maim anyone who ever threatened his child.
"What are you going to name him?" Wulf asked Cassandra. In all these weeks, he had purposely stayed out of her decision. He wanted the baby's mother to name him.
It would be her lasting legacy to their son, who would never really know her.
"How about Erik Jefferson Tryggvason?"
Wulf blinked in disbelief. "Are you sure?"
She nodded as he lightly touched the baby's cheek.
"Hi, Little Erik," he breathed. His heart clenched as he called him his brother's name. "Welcome home."
"The baby probably wants to nurse now," Dr. Lakis said as she finished cleaning everything up. "You might want to hand him back to his mother for a bit."
Wulf did as she suggested.
"Will you need a lactation nurse?" Dr. Lakis asked Cassandra. "Apollite babies generally won't take bottles or formula, especially when they have a mixed heritage. There's not really a safe formula we can try since we don't know how much Apollite or human is in him."
"I think the nurse would be a good idea," Cassandra said. "I don't want to mess this up and stunt his growth or turn him into a mutant or anything."
The doctor had a strange look on her face that basically said, "I thought your child was a mutant."
Wisely, she held her tongue.
Wulf walked the doctor out. "Thank you," he said as they entered the living room where Chris and Kat sat waiting.