Lena tried to stand, but her legs buckled. She knew she had to do something, or she and her unborn baby would freeze to death. Summoning the last of her strength, she began to crawl toward the edge of the road, praying that another car might pass by. The wind howled around her, and the snow fell thicker, burying the tracks of her despair. The last thing she saw before the world went dark were the distant, approaching headlights of a car.

Mark sped down the highway, trying to force the image of Lena’s tear-streaked face from his mind. He had done the right thing, he told himself. His mother was more important. She was his rock, his constant. Lena was just… an entanglement that had now become a liability. He pictured his mother’s happy, smiling face when he arrived, the special gift he had for her. He couldn’t let her down. But a worm of guilt gnawed at him. Maybe he should have just taken her to the hospital first. No, he decided, shaking the thought away. Mom was waiting. He pressed harder on the gas, trying to outrun the nagging voice of his conscience. He had made his choice.