Max brushed his thumb over the rough cotton of Sophie's jeans, more to center himself than comfort her. When she'd arrived at the campsite, he'd thought he'd been dreaming or conjured her up in some alcohol-induced fantasy. Only when he saw her face, the fear evident in her stoney features, did he snap back to reality.

"I can't get hold of Mary." Frustration leaked through Simon's admission from the back seat. They'd crawled along the trail back to the main road, the deepening snow covering any trace of the tire tracks from Sophie's drive in. Only a few minutes ago had their phones come to life with a barrage of dings and buzzes, Finn and Simon attacking them. Simon chewed on his bottom lip. "My calls keep going to voicemail."

"She's with Emily." Sophie's eyes flicked to the rear-view mirror. "Mary refused to leave her."

"Probably ordering the doctors around." Max joked. No one laughed.

Finn's head poked out from the back seat. "Can't you go faster?"

His demand caused Sophie to jerk the wheel to the right, and the car began to slide on the snow-drenched road.

Max whirled around. "Don't shout at her." The loudness of his voice shocked Max. "She's saving your ass."

"Sorry Sophie." Both men in the back said in unison, like little boys reprimanded by their mother. Finn slumped back in his seat, crossing his arms.

The car had slowed to a crawl. Max gave her thigh a small squeeze. "Are you okay?"

Her fingers were white where they clung to the steering wheel, but her shoulders decreased an inch. "I think so."

"Take a deep breath." He sucked in air with her. "There's no rush."

"Actually—"

Max glared at Finn and his ex-commander, took the order, pressing his lips together.

"How much further?"

Sophie's question brought his attention back to her. He checked the map on his phone. "A few more miles to the highway."

The muscle under his touch tightened. Max kept his voice low. "You can do this. We'll take it nice and slow. I'm right here."

Sophie's chest rose and fell as the car moved forward.

Snowflakes crashed against the windshield, and the wipers scraped across the glass, removing the watery residue. "Back home, this is nothing. I remember one year, maybe I was six or seven, it snowed for days. We lost power and lived in our basement for what felt like a week. Mom and Dad made a game of it, called it camping inside." Max paused, and the car drifted to the right. "Dad opened the front door, and it was a wall of snow." Sophie righted the Jeep, and he kept on talking. "I had to climb out my bedroom window onto the roof to get out of the house."

The headlights snagged on a blotch of red up ahead. "At the stop sign, turn right."

The turn signal ticked away as four heads swiveled to the left, searching for oncoming traffic. All Max saw was a wall of white. "I think it's clear." Sophie eased the Jeep around the corner without incident and they both exhaled. "See, you got this."

"My sister and I built this massive snow fort, or I guess it was more like a tunnel system." Max continued weaving the story of his childhood until they found the exit to the interstate. In a stroke of luck, they merged onto the highway behind a snowplough. The vehicle inched along, but the cleared road seemed to give Sophie more confidence. Other cars formed a line behind them. "Take this exit."

"I can see the hospital." Finn undid his seatbelt like he was about to abandon the car and run across the field.

"Keep your ass in your seat, soldier." The confidence in Max's voice surprised him, and the small smile on Sophie's face caused a spike of warmth in his chest.

Simon tapped his brother on the bicep. "Your friend is bossy."

"Who knew?" Finn mumbled.

Snow crunched under the tires as Sophie eased the Jeep into a roundabout at the front of the hospital and stopped under a brightly lit concrete awning. Without hesitation, Finn shoved open the door and ran around the vehicle. He slid in the snow, falling on his ass. Max moved to help his friend when Simon's hand landed on his shoulder. "I got him. You park the car." His blue eyes flew to the driver. "Thanks Sophie. You're a true friend."

They watched as Simon hauled his brother off the ground and the two men leaned on each other and stumbled through the sliding doors.

"Over there." Max pointed to a line of empty parking spots. Sophie once again shifted into drive and eased the Jeep into the closest. She shut off the car and rested her head against the steering wheel, her eyes closed. Her shoulders shook, and Max reached across the gearshift and pulled her into his arms. "You are amazing."

"I'm never driving again." Her fingers dug into his arm.

"Nonsense. After this, you can handle anything." She melted against him and, as always, he was in awe of how good it felt to hold her. The engine ticked and outside the snow covered the windows, creating a white barrier between them and the world. A private cocoon for two.

A string tensed in his chest when Sophie untangled herself from him, but eased when her eyes locked on his. "We should get in there."

"Right." Reluctantly, he left the warmth of the Jeep. No matter how he felt about hospitals, Finn was in there and needed his support. Finn had been there for him when Bug was hooked up to those machines. He couldn't not be there now. This would be different, Max told himself. Emily had to be okay. The baby too.

Snowflakes melted on his eyelashes as he caught Sophie coming around the back of the vehicle, and he slid an arm around her waist to make sure she didn't fall as they made their way into the hospital. Warmed air whipped Sophie's hair as they entered, and he reluctantly let go of her. The too familiar antiseptic smell that assaulted his nostrils, turning his stomach to acid as Sophie enquired at the front desk where the maternity ward could be found. After only getting lost once, they spotted Simon sitting in a lounge area, head in his hands.

"Where's Mary?" Sophie asked.

"Here." Simon stood and bolted across the room to embrace his wife. She kissed him on the cheek and whispered something in his ear. The grip he had on her relaxed and he partially let go of her. "Finn is with Emily now."

"How is he?" Max blamed the remnants of the alcohol for his concern laced words.

"Drunk. High. Whatever you men were into." Simon's face fell. Mary took his hand and led him to a chair. Once seated, she positioned herself on his lap. Did this woman ever sit on furniture by herself? "But still a stick in the mud. He 'ordered' me to leave. Like I wasn't the one who got my sister here when he was off—"

"Baby." Simon rubbed her back. "Finn didn't know this would happen. I'm sure he's grateful you were there for Emily. We all are."

Sophie rushed toward her friend and sat beside her. "We are." Although no one was paying attention to him, Max nodded in agreement.

Mary's big blue eyes turned glassy. "She was in pain. They wouldn't tell me what's wrong."

Simon caged Mary in his arms, and she curled into him. "She's in expert hands." Max noted how Simon didn't lie to his wife and tell her all would be well. Because nothing good happened in a hospital.

Hey all, DL here. 

I am not a fan of hospitals. Like Max, I haven't had many great experiences in them. I don't even like to watch shows or movies about hospitals. Yes, I've never watched Gray's Anatomy. 😲 Am I the only one?

Someone once convinced me to watch a hospital comedy called Scrubs. I watched one episode in which the patient who came in died by the end and I was in tears. So, didn't watch any more.

Do you like hospital dramas?