The car wheeled out of the compound that night, Arsalan confidently behind the steering wheel, and Stephanie, heavily pregnant, seated beside him. Arsalan initially suggested Stephanie be at the back for safety reasons, but her contractions made her refuse any notion of being separated.
"Step on it, Arsalan!" she yelled each time the pain hit. "Slow down; are you trying to kill us?" Her frustration took on a different tune when he did as she initially said. Stephanie grasped his sweater tightly; she was scared and excited, and the intensity of the upcoming moment overwhelmed both of them.
"I'm sorry. This is all my fault," Arsalan apologized, caressing her hand gently when the road ahead was clear. "But I promise that everything will be fine. The doctor knows we're coming."
"Don't be s
