“No, you don’t. Drum, distract her, and I don’t mean by fainting.”
“I’m not going to faint.” Drum assured in a slurred rumble that gave no one present any confidence in his ability to stay upright.
“Nico.” Devon snapped out his name.
“I’m doing the best I can. Are you sure we can’t get a Maat Warrior or all six of them in here to help?”
“This is a birthing suite. Not a circus. Yami, it’s bad enough I have the guy who makes a mean mojito and the woman who owns the local chocolate shop present. Yes, yes, I know, magic is in play. But are you sure we can’t ditch the rabbit outside? That just strikes me as unsanitary.”
Gigi, wearing a matching blue smock of her own, standing over by the double entrance doors shook her head. “For the last time, he’s a magical disposal and poison construct. And Nico’s been cursed by a Love Demi-goddess, if we get further than ten feet apart, he becomes her puppet and will probably try and steal the baby.”
“You are not stealing my baby.” Nell snarled.
“I don’t plan to. But either both Gigi and I stay, or we both leave.” Nico gritted out the last three words from behind clenched teeth as Drum’s knees buckled. “Mierda.” With a monumental heave he managed to get the Warrior standing under his own massive weight. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold him.”
“I could push.”
“No.” Two of Devon’s curls shot out from under her loosely tied medical cap and waggled back and forth admonishingly at Nell.
“Do you even remember what fully dilated looks like? You’re only an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist.”
“Oh, Pollyanna’s gotten to the feral stage of the delivery experience. Who knew you had it in you? Tell you what, why don’t I grab Carl and get a second opinion?”
“I swear to the Goddess, River Floozy, if you don’t let me push I’m going to, ow, bloody ow, uh, ow. Can I please, please, have something for the pain?”
“You know you’re too far along. It won’t be much longer. How about some fresh ice chips?”
“I’m really, really not enjoying, hee-hee, hee-haw, hee-hee, this, at all. Drum? Drum? Oh, Lady Above, has he fainted but is somehow remaining upright?” Nell sounded like she was about to burst into tears.
“I’m… here.” Drum tried to pat his meld mate’s hand and missed completely.
Gigi had had enough, picking up Canary she left her post by the door, racing over to the bed, pushing aside second cousin Helen, one of the nurses, so she could stare down at Nell. “Hi. Do you trust me?”
“Trust you?”
“Not to give you anything that would hurt you or the baby?”
“Of course.”
“Then here, suck on this.” Gigi had Canary cough up a red lollipop. “I hope you like raspberry.”
“Wh—”
“Batch five of my berry iced lollipop range. Designed to cool you down on a hot summer’s day without all the messiness of an ice cream. Unfortunately, these made people a little too happy and relaxed.”
Nell snatched the lollipop out of Gigi’s hand, popping it into her mouth before she’d even finished explaining.
“And you.” Gigi stared up at Drum. “Open up.” Holding up a small piece of innocuous looking orange hard candy.
“I’mmm finnnnee…” Drum mumbled from between clamped lips, staring at Gigi’s offering like it was a piece of hot uranium.
“I developed these for personal use during exam time. Part menthol, a dose of high grade caffeine, and some orangeflavouring to help disguise the taste. It’s the equivalent of four energy drinks combined with the feeling of jumping out of an aeroplane without a parachute. Come on, open up, you need the adrenaline rush.”
Drum’s scowl deepened, taking on a stubborn implacable bullish cast.
“Drum.” Nell grabbed his arm and squeezed. “Take the candy.” Rolling her eyes to the ceiling as his lips remained stubbornly clamped tightly together. Nell’s silvery snake tattoo, a much smaller version of Drum’s black mambo slid down her arm, it’s eyes deep blue, just like Nell’s. It curled around her wrist, over the back of her hand, opened its mouth, and promptly sank its fangs into Drum.
“Hey.”
