If he'd been there now to see Dante hanging in the corridor like a green-gilled ghost, Chase would have busted his balls from now to next week. He'd have shamed Dante for being a straight-up wuss, would have drop-kicked him back into the infirmary if that's what it took. Shit. Dante truly missed the smart-ass warrior who'd been his tightest friend in the Order for the past year and some change.
Ex-warrior and former friend, he mentally amended, still pissed as hell over the whole fucked-up situation. It didn't soften his opinion any that Chase had phoned in last night to let them know he'd gone against Lucan's direct orders and hunted down Murdock on his own. And for what? Aside from a vague mention of Dragos's possible interest in a local politician, the most solid piece of intel Chase had managed to squeeze out of the bastard was the day-late/dollar-short fact that Dragos was looking to get a bead on the compound's location. News the Order was all too well aware of already.
From what Tegan had relayed to everyone about his brief conversation with Chase, it didn't sound like they should be counting on hearing from him again anytime soon - if ever. Tegan was of the opinion that Chase was on a serious downward slide. He'd mentioned the word
"Rogue," something neither Dante nor any of the other warriors were eager to accept but found themselves hard-pressed to contradict.
Dante paced another hard track in the hallway, raking his hand through his dark hair and grinding out a muttered curse. It was past time he started getting used to the idea that Harvard was no longer a part of the Order. He was no longer a part of their lives. Dante felt like kicking himself over the conversation he'd had with Tess recently about naming Chase as godfather to their son. He'd had to work pretty hard to persuade her that Chase could be relied upon for something that important, and now the son of a bitch had gone and made him look like a jackass for even suggesting him.
In the end, Tess's instincts in that area had proven a lot better. Gideon had been stunned by their request, and both he and Savannah had accepted the responsibility with grace and conviction. If anything should happen to Dante and Tess, they couldn't hope for better guardians for their son.
With this reassurance fresh in his mind, Dante glanced up to find Elise poking her blond head out the infirmary room door. "It's time," she said, soft light shining in her pale purple eyes.
"The baby's almost here now, Dante."
He scrambled inside, his heart leaping into his throat. He moved in close beside his Breedmate, taking her hand to his lips and pressing an adoring kiss into her damp palm. "Tess,"
he whispered, his tongue thick, joy and worry crawling up the back of his throat. "How're you doing, angel?"
She started to answer, but then her face scrunched tight and her grasp on his hand became a vise. Savannah told her calmly to bear down, that they were almost there. Tess pulled herself up off the infirmary bed. A shredding howl tore out of her mouth, and Dante felt his legs go a bit wobbly beneath him. He held it together, though. Bad enough he'd spent the last hour propping up the corridor walls, he wasn't about to let Tess go another second without him at her side. The pain dragged out for an excruciatingly long couple of minutes before Savannah instructed Tess to lie back again and relax. She was panting as she looked up at Dante, sweat beading her forehead. He mopped it away with the cloth Gabrielle handed him, then pressed a tender kiss to his beautiful mate's brow.
"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" he murmured, holding her aqua gaze.
"You're amazing, Tess. You're gorgeous, so incredibly brave. You're going to be a great mother to our - "
Her lips peeled back from her teeth as a fresh bellow exploded from her throat and drowned him out. Dante felt the rush of hot pain as it roared through Tess's delicate body. It was beyond intense, a shredding anguish that made him want to swear off ever so much as thinking about another baby if it meant putting Tess through this kind of ordeal.
"Okay, folks," Savannah said, her voice as soothing as a balm. "Here we go now. One more push, Tess.