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obstacles they were facing and knew exactly what needed to be done to remedy the situation. Quincy saw the flicker of admiration in her eyes, and from that day forward, they enjoyed a more ami c able relationship.
     
     

 
     
     
    Chapter 6
    “ P ush, Kris. Come on, Honey. Push.” Karyn Conners tried to sound confident as she coached her sister. In fact, she was terrified. Watching Kris give birth under these conditions was awful; she wanted to help her, but other than her love and concern for her big sister, she had very little to offer. She silently thanked God that Mich ael was there. He was a doctor—al though he was not trained in obstetrics.
    Kris was conc entrating hard on the delivery, trying to shut out everything that both Michael and Karyn were saying. From the moment she had realized that she was pregnant, she had begun praying that s he and her baby would be safe during the labor and delivery, and when her pains had begun that morning , she had withdrawn emotionally from everything going on around her. She was very thankful that Michael and Karyn were with her, but she knew that, in the end, it would be just Jesus and her; He was the only one who could safely deliver her child into the troubled world in which they were living.
    Kris was sitting on the pallet that served as her and Michael’s bed, and the perspiration was running down her face and dripping into her eyes. It wasn’t time to push yet; she knew that, and she tried to control her breathing—slow deep breaths; stay calm; stay focused; slow deep breaths.
    As Kris waited, her mind went back to the day Michael had asked her to marry him. She had been in love with him for more than a year —since they had both liv ed in the federal e mployee ’s housing of the FMPD, but it was only after they had left that Michael had told her about his feelings for her. She wanted desperately to marry him, but the whole world was upside down, and she could not justify taking such a big step when their lives were in turmoil.
    “I love you,” she had told him, “but I don’t know how we can begin a life together under these circumstances. Either of us could be arrested at any time . It’s funny, I always wanted a husband and children, but I got involved with Ben and wasted seventeen years of my life living in sin with him. I wish I had met you when I was twenty-two.”
    “But you didn’t, and besides that, when you were twenty-two , I was already married to Maddie,” Michael had responded. “We met now because this was God’s timing. He knew that Maddie would die young and that you and Ben would never marry. He knew that at this moment you and I would be exactly where we are, and He ’ s given us a chance for happiness —a chance to love again. If we don’t do this, we may not get another chance.” 
    “I know you’re right ,” Kris had said. “I know you loved Madelyn, but I’m not sure I ever loved Ben. I had romanticized our relationship and convinced myself that I was in love, but I never loved Ben the way I love you. I realize that after having wasted my child-bearing years , children are no longer an option, and that’s probably a good thing. I wouldn’t want to bring a child into this world with all the evil that’s going on.”
    Michael had t a k en hold of Kris’ shoulders and turned her to face him. Looking directly into her eyes, he said, “ I don’t know whether God has children for us, but if He does, you must be willing to accept them. Children are a gift from God, and that’s true in good times and bad. If you become pregnant, it’ll be because God has chosen to bless us with the most precious gift that He can give a married couple. Remember this, Kris: If Christians refuse to have children, our faith will die with us. It is both our duty and our privilege to prepare the next generation. ”
    It was now nine months and three weeks to the day since she and Michael had been married under a canopy with Father Nathan