He lifted the lid of a nearby cooler to reveal carefully labelled containers of gumbo, cornbread, chicken and dumplings, and other comfort foods. “My maman cooked enough to keep you fed for a couple days. Some of it is labeled for when–before and after the birth–Jillian is supposed to eat it. To keep her strength up.”

“May the Fates bless your maman,” she sighed.

Zed nodded to another cooler. “And then Siobhan sent a whole case of what she called ‘medicinal pies,’” he said, nodding to the smaller cooler. “And I’ll make regular deliveries.”

“Shit!” Jillian hissed in pain as another contraction hit. Her hair erupted into blue flames, crowning her like a nightmare queen. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!”

Zed rushed to Jillian’s side and took her hand. “Now, come on, bebelle, what was that whole thing about not introducing profanity to the womb? I’ve watched my mouth for months no-owwwwwww!”

He howled in pain and dropped to his knees as Jillian squeezed his hand, breathing through the contraction.

“Ohhh! Zed, I’m so sorry and I love you very much, but stop making word sounds near me!” Jillian cried. Zed only whimpered in response.

“Deep breaths,” Charlotte said, her voice firm as she placed her hands on Jillian’s belly. The baby kicked inside, strong and sure. Everything was right on schedule…just painful.

Zed slowly and carefully pried his hand out of Jillian’s, shaking the blood back into his fingers. He whimpered, “Ow.”

“OK, let’s move you onto your nest,” Charlotte said. “Bael!”

Bael sped out of the cave and cradled Jillian into his arms, her blue flames spread over his body. He didn’t even seem to notice, just carried her inside the cave, her blue light shining in the dark interior.

“Wow,” Charlotte breathed, watching them with wide eyes.

“Yeah, I threw a bucket of water on them the first time I saw that. And then I did it again, just for fun,” Zed told her.

“Your hand OK?” she asked.

He flexed his hand, grunting ruefully. “Don’t tell Jillian, but I think I should go to Will’s and make sure she didn’t break anything. And maybe cry for a little bit.”

“I’ve got my satellite phone. If I need you, I should be able to reach you,” she said.

“I’ll drop by every day, just to check in.” Zed’s eyes were almost misty as he eyed the cave door. But she couldn’t tell if it was sentiment or the throbbing of his potentially fractured fingers. “That woman means an awful lot to me. And Bael, I don’t know what would happen to him if…. Please take care of them.”

“I will,” Charlotte promised, hugging him.