Dannol snorted and smoke came out of his nose. “None taken. I’m a terrible braaken. Or at least so I’m told.”
That had Mercury stiffening, and Talon felt the same steel in his spine. Talon was the one who growled, “By who?”
Dannol laughed and held up his hands. “No need to get all defensive on my behalf, although I appreciate it. Pretty much by my entire keep, although they have been wiped out, and I am still alive.”
Before Talon could process the thought of losing his entire keep to some sort of brutal warlike action, a contraction bentMercury over at the waist, and Mercury wheezed, cupping his hand under his belly, which felt like it was trying to push out an alien.
“Sorry. Sorry, that one hurt.”
“I think it’s time we got you back up to the apartment, hailee.” He just didn’t want Mercury to have to be walking that far if contractions were getting that close together and that hard.
Mercury straightened up, giving Dannol a wry smile. “I think Talon’s right. I probably should go.”
“Please, go on. I will see you soon.” Dannol bent to kiss Mercury’s cheek, but Talon didn’t even feel the tiniest bit of jealousy over it. This was a dragon desperate to have a friend.
“Soon you can meet our baby. I’ll be excited to see your apartments too.” Mercury gasped and tensed, still trying to smile. “Time for me to go.”
“I pray it goes gentle for you.”
Talon scooped Mercury up and started moving up and out of the med bay.
Rowan came out of a hallway about the time they left, and he gave them a worried smile. “Mercury? What are you doing here?”
“I was visiting Donnal.”
“Oh, that’s lovely.” Rowan motioned with his head. “Well, come into my office, let me check your birth line, and then you can go upstairs.”
“Do you think we need to?” Mercury asked, and Rowan shrugged.
“We might as well. I’ll check you out, then you can go upstairs, take a bath, walk around for a bit, and they’ll call me when everything’s ready for me to come up. But since you’re here, I’m going to take advantage of?—”
Mercury cried out, breathing hard.
Rowan frowned a little bit. “That was a good one, wasn’t it?”
They waited the contraction out, and then headed to their little med bay where Rowan had his lovely office. It was a sweet space because Rowan had been here at the keep for the beginning of all of it.
Now, there was a whole little section of healers and doctors, but still there was only one Rowan. One was as many as the keep needed.
They got to Rowan’s office, settling Mercury on the uncomfortable bed. Then Rowan lifted his tunic, eyes going wide.
“Well, let’s just say we’re going to have a change of plans.”
“What’s wrong?” Talon growled and peeked down around underneath Mercury’s tunic where the birth line was open and a dragon baby head was breeching. “Like now! Is that the head?”
“Yes.”
“What’s going on?” Mercury sounded very concerned, and Talon could understand it.
“Oh, you’re having a baby,” Talon said.
“Yes, I know, Talon,” Mercury said, “but why is everybody staring at me that way?”
Rowan just shook his head and went to wash his hands. “Why don’t you hold his shoulders?”
“Mercury’s or the baby’s?”
“Oh, the head’s still not all the way out.”
