So far: Jack and Sun are separated when stowed away on a tourist ship in the Panama Canal.

Chapter 6: God

Confidence. Sun had felt full of it when she had left Jack in that cluttered room. The tiny lights lining the walkway – which reminded her of the lights in a movie theater – gave off an eerie, unsettling glow, and the soft whirring of the boat's engine caused a lump to rise in her throat. The longer she followed Jai down that winding corridor and the farther away she was from Jack, the more she felt that confidence slipping away from her. She heard Chepe's uneven breaths behind her and swallowed hard, hoping she could drown out the noise. She tried to remember why she had made such a stupid decision as to go with them, to put her trust in them.

"Shh!" Jai whispered and held up his hand – a signal. Sun and Chepe halted instantly. She held her breath and listened carefully; for the first time, she could hear the soft lapping of water against the boat. The sound in the hallway was not as muffled as in the storage room. Then, she heard something else. There were footsteps, but they weren't coming from behind them.

"Above us," Sun whispered to Jai, who turned around to face them.

"Okay," he nodded towards Chepe, "you need to go back to the storage room. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid to get us all caught. I'll take her to the room."

Chepe nodded and wordlessly turned back towards the storage room. After he rounded the corner, Jai pressed up against the wall, allowing Sun the space to pass him in the narrow corridor. Despite the knot that grew tighter in her stomach with every step, Sun pressed on, walking past him. She looked back at him for instructions.

"Just up ahead, the door to the right," he said and pointed.

Looking ahead about twenty feet, she saw a stream of yellow light peeking out through the crack at the bottom of the first door. This was it. Had she been right about him? She wondered. She hoped. She closed her eyes, taking another step forward. A myriad of thoughts rushed through her mind, all sorts of scenarios, but she could not have expected the sound she heard next.

Three feet – that's how much space Jack had between their crates and the door. He paced that length back and forth, cursing under his breath. He remembered her face, her words. Trust me, Jack. He closed his eyes, halting his steady motion. How could he have let them take her? And so easily? It was only her reassurance that allowed it to happen. But the longer he waited, the more his mind filled with the thought of what might be happening to her – Jai's rough hands on her skin, a gun, a shout, her cries, something taken that didn't belong to them. Try as he might, he couldn't push the thoughts away. He sank to the floor, back against the wooden crate they had shared together. "Sun," he whispered and touched the white gauze she had wrapped his arm with. "I'm so sorry."

There was a sharp knock at the door and he jerked his head up, standing quickly. "Sun?"

It was unmistakable, muffled, but at that moment, it was as clear as anything she had ever heard – the sound of a lullaby. Jai urged her forward, pushing her gently on the shoulder. She looked to him for an explanation, only to find his eyes full of desperation. "I'm sorry I hurt you," he offered. "I was scared. I panicked." She nodded and continued on her way. When they reached the door, Jai pushed it open.

The room was mostly empty save for a few crates, with grey walls and a small lantern, not unlike the one she and Jack had used. A young girl in a tan-colored skirt and top sat in the corner, on the floor. In her arms, swaddled in a grey blanket, there was a tiny nursing baby.

"Hello," she said, "I'm Sun."

The girl stopped singing and looked up. "Hello, Sun. I'm Mirabel. This is Luz," she said quietly. "I saw Chepe bring you and your friend in this morning. I watched in the dark."

Sun knelt down, sitting beside her. Mirabel was young – fifteen, perhaps younger. She was skinny too, not someone Sun would have imagined had just given birth. The baby was tiny, dark hair matted down, pink skin, small fists pumping involuntarily as she suckled at her mother's breast – a newborn. "When was she born?" Sun knew it had to be recently.

"Yesterday, in the night," Mirabel answered.

Sun glared at Jai, who stood by the doorway, keeping his distance. "Why would you bring her here? This isn't any place for a newborn. She could get sick."

"I asked him to," said Mirabel. Sun turned to her then and noticed how pale the girl looked. She continued, "My father does not approve. Jai is Chocoe."

"Chocoe? I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"Chocoe is Indian," she explained further. "Jai was born in the city, went to school with my brothers and me. But my father, he's very racist. He would send my baby away or kill Jai or both." Mirabel gave a heartbroken half-smile. "He's not a very understanding man." Sun knew how Mirabel must feel. It wasn't love that had prompted her own father to accept Jin into her life, that much was certain. If she had known that then, she would have run away too.

"I ran away last week," Mirabel continued. "Chepe's been helping us. We were meant to go sooner, before the baby. But I started feeling sick. Couldn't travel. I'm scared for her. She won't cry or nothing. I never had a baby before. I don't know if she's right. She doesn't seem right…" Mirabel's voice drifted as she buttoned her blouse and looked at Luz, now sleeping. "Does she seem right to you?" The young mother thrust the swaddled infant urgently towards Sun, who took the baby girl into her arms gently.

"That's not why I brought her here, Mira. Luzita is fine. Tell her." Mirabel looked at Jai and rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine, Jai. Don't worry," she grumbled.

"You're not fine," he insisted. He knelt next to Sun. "She bled again today." He reached over and gestured towards Mirabel's dress. There was a dark wet stain there that Sun had not seen before. "I thought you might know what to do."

"Are you still bleeding?" Sun asked, concerned.

"No," Mirabel said forcefully, giving Jai an annoyed expression.

"Have you been to a hospital?" The sleeping child stirred in Sun's arms, letting out a soft sigh as she slept. She seemed healthy enough – just quiet, exhausted from her journey into existence. Sun looked at Jai, full of worry, and then into the tired eyes of the girl at her side. She knew that it wasn't the child she should be worrying about.

"Not yet." Mirabel shook her head. "There was a hospital in Gatun. I had a doctor waiting for me. By the time we knew she was coming, it was too late. I could not go to a hospital here – Papa would be looking for me there. He knew the time was soon." Mirabel's voice continued to grow faint as she talked; her exhaustion was beginning to overcome her.

"Jack," Sun said abruptly, as though the thought just occurred to her. She looked at Jai. "He's a doctor."

"Your girlfriend is safe," Chepe's voice came from behind the door. "She's with him now."

The words pierced Jack's brain like bullets. She was with him, Jai. Maybe she had trusted him, but Jack did not. "What is he doing with her?"

"That's none of your concern," said Chepe through the door. "You just shut your mouth and stay put."

Jack didn't respond. He felt his face flush with red-hot anger. He stood and walked closer to the door, pressing his ear to it for several long moments. He knew he couldn't get it open himself. He'd already tried; his fist throbbed at the memory, and he looked down at his bloody knuckles. Frustration had gotten the better of him. He stood back again so his voice would sound far away. "Why are you here?"

Then he heard the latch being unlocked. "I'm here to make sure you don't do anything stupid. I'm coming in," Chepe said.

Jack positioned himself just behind the door. Chepe pushed the door open and took one step into the room. He turned to the side just as the butt of Jack's gun came crashing into his jaw with the sickening smack of flesh, metal and blood. Chepe staggered forward, unable to keep his balance.

Jack hit him again. Chepe brought his hand to his face, feeling the warmth of blood spilling from his nostrils. Jack pushed the door closed and kicked him in the back of the leg, forcing him to his knees.

Chepe lunged wildly at Jack's legs, but Jack stepped back and narrowly avoided the boy's grasp. Chepe nearly fell, grabbing onto one of the crates to pull himself up. Jack aimed the gun at his temple.

"Take me to her," he said, voice firm and thick with fury.

"No," said Chepe, still on his knees. He reached for his gun, and even the cold barrel of Jack's nine-millimeter pressed to his temple didn't stop him. He held out the gun, a revolver, limply, and pulled back the hammer. Jack easily swatted the gun from his hands and then lowered his aim.

"Suit yourself," Jack said. He hit Chepe a third time. It would be the last. The boy fell to the floor with a sharp and painful cry.

"What do you mean, you won't?" Sun asked, upset at Jai's refusal to bring Jack to look after mother and child. "You brought me here to help. He's a doctor! He can help! He should have a look at her. He should have a look at them both."

"Please, just keep your voice down. I just don't trust him." Jai shook his head. "That's why we didn't bring him here."

"But you trust me?" Sun asked. "I don't care who you trust," she continued before he could respond. "You're going to bring Jack here. If you don't and something happens to this baby, if something happens to Mirabel, it is nobody's fault but your own, Jai. Think about that."

"I won't have him here." Jai said now, raising his voice slightly. "I'm taking you back. Mirabel, take Luzita from her."

Sun handed the baby to Mirabel and stood. "Why are you being so stubborn?"

"Let's go!" Jai said, grabbing her arm more forcefully than he had earlier.

"No!" Sun screamed and tried to pull her arm from his grasp. "Jai, don't do this!"

Jack remembered that they had turned left when he watched them exit the room. He slowly advanced down the winding corridor, making sure to check each room as he went past. Finally, he saw a light coming from beneath one of the doors and picked up his pace. He raised the gun as he approached the door, backing against the cold wall. He heard voices from inside.

"No!" It was Sun. "Jai, don't do this! Please! You're hurting me!" she shouted.

Jack kicked in the door, which swung easily open. Sun and Jai stood in the middle of the small, dimly lit room, and Jai once again had Sun's arm firmly in his grasp. They both jerked their heads towards him as the door opened.

"Let her go!" Jack shouted and fingered the trigger lightly.

"Jack, no!" Sun shouted and reached for the gun. Jai let go of her as she did.

Jack lowered his arms, not because of Sun's shouting, but because of the sound he heard next. Luz filled the air with a piercing cry. He stepped forward and could see a mother and child hidden behind one of the crates.

"¡Escucha!" Mirabel laughed. "¡Finalmente, Sun¡Mira!"

"She's lost a lot of blood," Jack said to Sun and Jai. Mirabel slept in the corner with Luz at her side, finally succumbing to her exhaustion. "That's typical, especially for an at-home birth. The baby is healthy. But Mirabel…" he shook his head. "They both need to be a checked into a hospital as soon as we arrive in Gatun. She may have an infection. She needs medical attention, antibiotics, maybe a transfusion, things I can't do for her here." Jai nodded in understanding.

Chepe sat on a nearby crate and grimaced as he held a cloth to his bloody, swollen nose. "And what about me? My nose? Is it broken?"

Jack sighed, "I'm afraid so."

"Son-of-a…" Chepe started.

Jack cut him off. "You gave me no choice, you know?"

Sun walked over to Mirabel as Jack continued talking with the boys. Mother and daughter were sleeping deeply now, breathing steady and synchronized. Sun sat cross-legged beside them. She couldn't help but envy the girl. Of course there were tough times ahead, but there would soon be an end to Mirabel's journey. Now that she was out of her father's clutches, she, Jai, and Luz could start their life together without fear. Sun still had miles to go, maybe forever.

Sun glanced up at Jack, his shirt splattered with dried blood – his own, Chepe's, Mirabel's. She had asked him to trust her, and he had doubted her. But now was not the time to think of that; she pushed away her angry thoughts. Beside her, Mirabel stirred. Sun looked down and saw that the girl was staring right at her, a slight grin on her face.

"Jai makes me angry like that too," she said quietly.

"What?" Sun asked.

"Your doctor friend," said Mirabel. "It's obvious he really cares for you, you know?"

"We've been through a lot," Sun said and shrugged, ignoring Mirabel's implications.

"Maybe," said Mirabel. "But he looks at you like Jai looks at me."

Sun shook her head and smiled weakly, "No."

Mirabel chuckled. "You'll see," she said. "You'll see."