Perspiration formed on Sophie's forehead while she willed the flurries to stop. Prying her hand off the steering wheel, she adjusted the windshield wiper speed to keep up with the falling snow. The radio, which had been keeping her company and somewhat calm with cheery Christmas carols, had turned to static half an hour ago. She hadn't been able to work up the nerve to take her eyes off the road to find another station.

"You can do this," she repeated for the fourth time. All she had to do was follow the map Mary had drawn, get to the boys and then someone else could take over driving. The image of Emily's pale face as she lay on the living room sofa urged Sophie on, despite the ache in her fingers from gripping the wheel.

For what seemed like hours she'd driven down this ... well she couldn't call this a road...this track, the beams of the headlights cutting into the pitch-black night, revealing a path of hard packed dirt lined on each side by brush and tree trunks. She missed the city, with its paved streets, illuminated by lamps, one after the other, plowed by machines, keeping it clear and dry. The world seemed to close in on her here, like someone had placed a blanket over the Jeep.

Sophie eased on the brake, slowing the Jeep down the steep hill. The headlights illuminated a trio of men sitting in camp chairs, drowning in hats, scarves and winter jackets. At the sight of Max's puffed black coat and red-knit cap, her heart surged. Not from fear like the last time when a rabbit or something small like one had scampered across the road, causing her to nearly end up in a ditch, but from relief. She'd found them.

Finn's pale skin looked like he was a ghost as he jolted from his seat and ran toward her. She nearly ran into him with the front of the jeep, his hands colliding with the hood. Wild eyes like a trapped animal scanned her face, the empty interior of the car, then landed on her again. "What happened?"

His shout boomed, and his palm slapped against the window, causing Sophie to flinch. She concentrated on placing the vehicle in park, the insistent banging from Finn echoing the thrum of her pulse. Simon squeezed into view, followed by Max, deep lines etched into his forehead, exaggerated by the play of light against the dark night. She wanted nothing more than to fling the door open and be swallowed by his arms.

Cold air blasted her face, the door flew open and her wish came true. The clean scent of Max, mixed with an acrid smokey smell, filled the jeep cabin and arms of steel gently encased her. Her fingers sank into the shell of his jacket, the material stiff and cold from being outside, and screwed her eyes shut, concentrating on the cocoon Max was creating around her. She leaned into him, only to have the seatbelt dig into her chest like a gate barring her from him.

"Are you okay?" His voice sounded muffled, like he was underwater.

Stubble from his unshaven beard scratched against her cheek. "I'm fine." With each second he held her, the pounding in Sophie's heart eased until the organ almost beat naturally. "It's Emily."

Against her, Max's body stiffened. "Is she..."

Sophie's eyes flew open as she realized Max was assuming the worst. "No." She pried herself out of his grip, her palms bracketing his face, meeting his glossy eyes. "She's..." The word fine froze on her lips. Because Emily was not fine.

Then Max and his warmth were gone, replaced by an icy wind and Finn covered in snow. "What's wrong?" he demanded, clawing at the lapels of her coat.

The car rocked as Max pushed Finn, followed by Finn elbowing Max. Both men struggled for dominance of the doorway.

"Stop it!" Sophie screamed. "Emily's in the hospital."

Finn froze on the spot, one hand on Max's arm, the other gripping the frame of the car door. With the interior light on, Sophie could see the red lines against the white of his eyes. His mouth opened, closed, then opened again. "No."

Simon nudged forward. "What happened?"

"Tim had just delivered the dinner you ordered." Sophie unclasped her seatbelt and stepped out of the car. "She'd been off all day." Sophie glanced at Finn. Finn's gaze fell to the ground, his shoulders sagging as his hands hung limp at his sides. She took a step in his direction. "I suggested we find you, but she wouldn't let me." Finn's hanging head swung back and forth slowly. "We were walking into the kitchen when her water broke."

Sophie had expected a scene from a movie, a splash like a water balloon smashing against tile. Instead, Emily had cried out in surprise, grasped Mary's hand and they'd all looked to see a trickle of water puddling on the floor. All three of them had stood there, stunned, until Mary maneuvered Emily into a seat. "It's too early," Mary said, quoting a timeline from the app she studied manically each day, tracking her own pregnancy. Sophie hadn't known what to do, but Mary flew into action, calling a doctor friend of hers who told her to call 911.

Mary had become a drill sergeant, barking out orders. "Emily, lie here." "Sophie, get the bag from Emily's closet." "We need an ambulance here now." As they waited, Mary had pulled Sophie aside yet never taking her eyes off her sister. "One of us has to go get Finn." Her nails had dug into Sophie's skin.

"I can't—"

"Please." Mary had pleaded with Sophie. "I don't think I can stand leaving Emily."

The image of Mary begging, such a rare occurrence, had tears pricking at Sophie's eyes and she'd agreed. Mary had hugged her briefly, then ran to the kitchen for pen and paper to draw a map.

"I'll find Finn," she'd promised her friend before Mary practically shoved Sophie out the door.

Somehow she'd completed the mission., driven for over an hour, through the snow and now the man stood before her. "We tried calling you but—"

"There's no reception up here." Simon murmured. He patted down his jacket and pulled out his useless phone as if to confirm the concept.

Suddenly, Finn lunged at his brother, shoving at his chest. "You promised she'd be okay." Simon stood his ground, letting Finn rage at him, gripping his arm. The two men were practically nose to nose. "I should never have left."

"I didn't know." Simon's voice was in opposition to Finn's, like he was talking to a scared kitten.

Spit flew from Finn's mouth as he shouted. "This is your fault."

Max tugged on Finn's arm, but the man didn't budge. Sophie inched toward them. They didn't have time for this. Emily would be at the hospital by now and with the inclement weather, she didn't know how long the drive back might be. Max held up a hand to halt her, then placed it in the center of Finn's back. "It's not Simon's fault." Finn's head whipped in Max's direction. "It's no one's fault." Max released his grip on Finn's arm, but kept his hand on his back. "Mary's with her and she won't let anything bad happen."

Finn blinked, like a computer rebooting. The rage disintegrated from his voice, replaced by traces of sorrow, or maybe guilt. "I shouldn't have left."

"There's nothing you could have done if you were there." Max glanced at Simon. "Either of you."

Simon's back straightened. "We need to go."

Max nodded. "You put out the fire. Finn, get in the car."

Simon brushed past Sophie, jogging back to the campsite. She opened the back door and helped Max fold Finn into the back seat. Once they had Finn's seatbelt secured, Max closed the door and let Sophie back to the driver's seat. "You'll have to drive."

Panic licked at the back of her neck. "No." She offered him the keys. "You do it."

Max's cold hands bracketed her face. "I can't. We've all been drinking." His dilated pupils looked black with the lack of light. "You can do this."

She wanted to tell him no. She'd done her part. Got here, relayed the message. Someone else had to drive. She considered using the worsening weather as an excuse to stay. She pushed past the cube of ice blocking her airway. "It's not safe."

His thumb dragged across the cheekbone. "I won't let anything happen. We'll do this together."

Sophie leaned into his touch, drawing strength from him. Max kissed her forehead and helped her into the car. She watched as he ran around to the other side and jumped into the passenger's seat. They stared at each other, breathing in unison, and his hand settled on her thigh. With his touch, the panic dampened from a stab to a dull ache. "We got this."

"We got this," he echoed.

Chilly air wafted against her hair from the back door opening. Simon slid in. "Let's go."

Max smiled at her. With a nod, Sophie shifted the car into drive and the vehicle crept forward. She used the space by the campsite to make a three-point turn and started the ascent back up the hill. Max eased his grip on her thigh, but her hand flew to his, covering it.

"I'm not going anywhere," he assured her, giving her thigh a light squeeze.

She resumed her two-handed grip on the steering wheel, took a deep breath and continued into the driving snow.

Hey all, DL here. I'm on the fence about this chapter. Originally it was going to be mostly about a girls day with Emily, Mary and Sophie and them dealing with the unexpected emergency of Emily's water breaking. But I wrote the ending first - getting the men into the car and Sophie having to drive  - and I found the girls day part kinda boring.

Would you have preferred that conversation rather than the Simon/Finn confrontation?

Or is this whole chapter kind of boring?

As always, thanks for your feedback.