Chapter 178

Two weeks went by in a flash for Gabriel and Emma Leigh. The moment she couldn't hide the bump under her clothes anymore was when she stopped going into the salon. She informed the direct manager under her she was to reschedule all her appointments making the excuse there was a family emergency and she would be out for at least two weeks while Gabriel scrambled to get the house baby proofed, assemble all the baby furniture, paint the room: everything the baby would need before he or she was born. They couldn't find out the gender, so everything was a neutral color for the time being.

"¿Quieres una hija or un hijo?" (Do you want a daughter or son?) Ariel asked Gabriel as the two of them were painting the baby's room pure white.

"No me importa," (I don't care) Gabriel said, "Mientras el bebé esté sano, eso es todo lo que importa." (As long as the baby is healthy, that's all that matters.)

"¿Que es el nombre del bebé?" (What's the baby's name?) Ariel asked and then continued jokingly, "Sabes que no puedes tener a Adalita, ¿verdad?" (You know you can't have Adalita, right?)

"Si tenemos una niña, su nombre será Adalita y no hay nada que puedas hacer al respect," (If we have a girl, her name will be Adalita and there's nothing you can do about it) Gabriel said with a chuckle as he was hammering a nail into one of the support posts of the crib.

"¿Si es un chico?" (And if it's a boy?) Ariel asked.

"Si es un chico: Nathan Embry," Gabriel said. "Lo llamaríamos Nate." (We would call him Nate).

"Okay," Ariel said, "es un buen nombre. Mantendré los dedos cruzados tienen un niño."

Gabriel chuckled and gently kicked his brother's shin. When the crib was finally assembled, they got it against the wall and moved on to moving the dresser upstairs from the garage followed by the changing table. Keeping in mind the baby would be growing fast, Jacob had built all the furniture in a way that would make it possible to grow up with her. At least for the first three years. The changing table could be converted into a toy chest, the crib could convert into a small bed and the dresser was large enough to stay with the baby his or her whole life if they wanted it. By the time Emma Leigh started to feel the first pains of labor, the baby's room was set up and ready.

The last few days of her pregnancy, Rosalie and Emmett were at the house every day to check on Emma Leigh and make sure they were prepared. Gabriel was there too taking the latter half of the week off so he could be with Emma Leigh while they waited for her to go into labor. Finally, on June the 19th, her water broke in the morning and Carlisle was called to come to the house right away. He arrived ten minutes later and had Emmett and Rosalie stay downstairs with Nathan and Ada María while he went upstairs to the bedroom with Gabriel and Emma Leigh. Then they waited. Several hours went by with Emma Leigh barely dilating and Carlisle encouraging her to stand and walk around only to stop in her tracks because of a contraction. Rosalie came upstairs after hearing Emma Leigh crying and guided her through the contraction as best she could. It was so heartbreaking to hear Emma Leigh crying saying, "Mommy, it hurts," over and over, but Rosalie reminded Emma Leigh and herself that it would all be okay and worth it in the end.

When the contractions were too close together, Gabriel got onto the bed and Emma Leigh got in front of his so he could keep her upright and as comfortable as possible. Rosalie stayed by Emma Leigh's side holding her hand trying to sooth her daughter as best she could while the pain seemed to radiate over Emma Leigh's entire body. She was finally dilated enough by late afternoon and was able to start pushing. She finally experienced some relief when she felt the baby come out and heard the sound of a baby's cry. They all looked at the baby as Carlisle lifted her up to present her.

"It's a girl," Carlisle announced and presented the little girl to them. They all smiled as Carlisle handed the little girl to Emma Leigh and Gabriel cut the cord once he was handed the scissors. She was tan skinned with a full head of black hair and chubby little cheeks and she had Emma Leigh's almond shaped eyes and tiny nose.

"She's so beautiful," Rosalie praised affectionately and followed Carlisle as he took the baby away to be cleaned up, given her shots and filling out her documentation.

"It's a girl, Gabriel," Emma Leigh whispered to him as she laid her head against his shoulder.

"Adalita Rosalie," Gabriel said with a proud smile.

"She's so beautiful," Emma Leigh said with tears in her eyes both from joy and pain.

"She gets it from her mother," Gabriel said and kissed Emma Leigh's cheek.

Rosalie took Adalita downstairs so everyone could meet her and she was passed around from family member to family member. Gabriel came downstairs about an hour later so Emma Leigh could rest and Rosalie went upstairs to look after her. Ariel arrived at the house with Nadeshka shortly thereafter to meet his niece and once he had her in his arms, she was the cutest little thing in the world, but one thing soured the experience of holding his niece.

"Her name's Adalita?" Ariel asked with a smile.

"I had a daughter first. That means I get the name," Gabriel said and then, unable to resist being a little juvenile, sang, "Ha, ha."

"Brat," Ariel laughed and bounced his niece in his arms playfully.

Shortly thereafter, Jaedynn started to feel sick but she knew right away the cause and so did Ashti. When Ashti started bringing her gold milk with tea in the morning, it was as good as certain, but Jaedynn still called Kyle to be sure. Just as she predicted, she was pregnant. Roshad had returned to Iran a few weeks prior so she couldn't tell him in person like she wanted to. They wouldn't be leaving for Iran until July and she couldn't wait that long to tell him. The moment she had confirmation, unconcerned with the hour in Iran, Jaedynn called and was able to get Bastet on the phone who woke Roshad so she could tell him the news. As she'd predicted, he was elated. They agreed to discuss baby names when she and the children got to Iran in July and once Roshad knew, Jaedynn called her parents and siblings.

"Christ almighty, Jaedynn; again?!" Ivory asked when Jaedynn told her.

"You make it sound like a bad thing," Jaedynn teased.

"All I'm saying is at the rate you two are going you'll have more kids than Embry and Caevia. Do you really want to get to that point, Jaedynn? That point where you have no idea what to name the baby so you step outside and literally name him after the color of the sky? Is that what you want?"

"Ashti?" Jaedynn said, "What's the word in Farsi for the color blue?"

"آبی," (âbi) Ashti answered.

"I think I could live with Abby," Jaedynn said jokingly.

"May as well name the poor kid Naranja while you're at it," Ivory said.

"She means نارنجی," (nârenji) Ashti answered. "That is the correct way to say 'orange'."

"In Spanish, it's Naranja," Jaedynn said to Ashti with a giggle.

"You will not name my grandchild that, Azizam," Ashti said.

"Absolutely not, Ashti," Jaedynn smiled.

In the meantime, Ahiga was preparing for his fight against Kent O'Connell. They would be leaving for Chicago August 3rd, they'd weigh in August 4th and the fight would occur August 5th at 7:00 in the evening. Ahiga was at the gym every other night as usual and his Saturdays were consumed with training while Sunday he'd use the day to relax. When it was the end of July, Ahiga was at the gym every night so he'd be ready and Nesia started coming to the gym with Ahiga bring Saraya with her. When he was desperate for a break, he'd tell Boss and Freddie he was taking on an opponent, he'd go to Nesia and start play punching at Saraya with his gloves on and she'd start slapping her tiny hands against his gloves.

The night before they were set to leave, Nesia brought Saraya to Natalie's and Suerro's house ensuring they had plenty of breast milk and formula to supplement and the rest of the night was used to pack for the trip to Chicago. They were up early the next morning so they could all meet at the gym and go to the airport together. They all sat in coach with Ahiga and Nesia sitting together, Freddie and Boss were sitting across the aisle and one row up from them and Haseya was one row ahead of them. Haseya sat away from the window closer to the aisle so they could talk to Boss and Ahiga throughout the four hour flight and when they landed in O'Hare, they found baggage claims, went out to the pickup area to get a taxi and were brought to a hotel in Oak Park where they'd be staying.

"Are you sure this isn't too far from the arena?" Ahiga asked Boss when they were getting checked in.

"It's a 30 minute train ride away – it'll be alright," Boss said. "Use tonight to get some rest, tomorrow we'll go to the gym and train a little, make sure you make weight and Saturday you can replenish before the fight."

"Works for me," Ahiga said. "Nesia, did you want to go somewhere to get something before we turn in?"

"I'm alright. I just want a shower and a bed," Nesia said.

"Hell, I'll join you," Ahiga chuckled.

"I, for one, am going into the city," Boss said. "I haven't been to Chicago since Freddie fought Mackeson back in '71."

"Go right ahead," Ahiga said. "Where's your date coming from? Is she a Chicago native?"

"My what?" Boss asked, confused.

"Your date," Ahiga said. "The dumb Greenie you were talking to the night you told me about the fight?"

"Oh!" Boss said and shook his head a little, "Yeah her. Uh…..Barbara! Yeah, forgot her name for a second."

"Are you serious?" Ahiga started laughing. "You're meeting her and you forgot her name?"

"It was Nam, kid – I forgot a lot of that hell hole and I prefer to keep it that way. Go on upstairs. I'm going into the city. Don't wait up for me," Boss said.

"Alright," Ahiga said and looked at Freddie. "Are you staying in?"

"Yeah, I'm exhausted and I'm afraid I don't have a lady friend to entertain," Freddie teased.

"Fuck off – go upstairs," Boss said as Freddie laughed.

"Mom, did you want to get anything before we settle down for the night?"

"No, I'm alright. I'll get room service," Haseya smiled. "I'll see you in the morning, Ahiga."

"Alright. Love you, mom," Ahiga said.

"Love you too," Haseya said as Ahiga finally walked away with Nesia and Freddie followed after. Haseya stayed behind and waited for everyone to be gone. "A dumb Greenie, huh?"

"It was the first thing that came to my head," Boss said.

"What is a Greenie exactly?"

"It's a nickname for the Green Berets," Boss said. "So – The Berghoff. I promised you a table there. Fun fact about them: they were the first bar to get their liquor license in Chicago when Prohibition ended."

"Prohibition?"

"It's when the US had a severe lack in judgment and made alcohol illegal," Boss answered. "Thankfully, we came back to our senses by the time I was old enough to drink."

"Fortunate," Haseya smiled. "Let's get going while we can still get a table."

Boss led Haseya to the train station going into the city and they took the train into downtown and walked from the train station to Adams Street and State Street where the Berghoff was. When they got a table and the waiter came over, the first thing Boss ordered was a lager while Haseya stuck with water. No matter what beer she tried but she just didn't like it. He also ordered them some Bavarian Pretzels to start.

"So are you German?" Haseya said.

"No," Boss chuckled, "My dad's English and my mom's Swedish. Mostly Swedish. Her mom was half Danish I think. Still - about as white as it gets either way. I just happen to love German food."

"What do you recommend?" Haseya asked as she was staring at the menu of dishes.

"You can't go wrong with a Rueben or Sauerbraten," Boss said.

"Sauerbraten," Haseya said thoughtfully trying to remember what that was. She read the synopsis of the dish then said, "Okay, I remember what that is now. I think Natalie made that once."

"Did you like it?"

Haseya shrugged, "It was alright. If I'm completely honest, I'm happy just having soup. You know the soup I make with squash and beans?"

"The one you made that I needed to add a gallon of salt to you mean?" Boss teased and Haseya smiled.

"You made it taste like ocean water, I swear," she said and kept reading through the menu. She looked at the Rueben he'd suggested and saw she could get turkey instead of the corned beef. "I think I'll get a turkey Rueben."

"You'll like it," Boss said and glanced over the menu trying to decide what he wanted. By the time the waiter came by with Boss's beer, he knew what he wanted and they put in their orders. Before walking away, the waiter confirmed their pretzels would be out in a few minutes.

"Gene?" Haseya said once the waiter walked away, "Maybe we should just tell Ahiga."

"I thought you didn't want to tell him," Boss said.

"That was back when this was just fun," Haseya said and gestured her finger between the two of them.

"We're still having fun," Boss said.

"Yes, we are," Haseya smiled, "but it's gotten more serious than that. At least…I feel like it's gotten more serious."

"Do you?" Boss asked and Haseya nodded.

"If you don't feel that way, I'll drop it but I thought I should be honest," Haseya said.

"And here I thought you didn't want a relationship," Boss said with a small, nervous laugh as he slowly turned his glass around in a circle with his fingers. "Honestly, I just assumed you didn't want anything serious because you'd had your fill with Ahiga's dad."

"That wasn't a serious relationship," Haseya said and took a drink of her water. "I'd prefer to not talk about him if I'm honest."

"Okay," Boss said, dropping it immediately. He'd become used to it. All he really knew about Ahiga's dad was that he was abusive. If he ever asked Haseya questions about the man out of pure curiosity, she wouldn't answer. She'd just say she didn't want to talk about it and that was that.

"Maybe I'm getting sentimental is all. It's a nice change to enjoy a man's company," Haseya said and smiled sweetly at Boss and he reciprocated with a light smile and chuckle of his own.

"Glad to be of service." Boss took a sip of his beer then said, "Let's hold off on telling Ahiga. When the time is right, we'll tell him."

"Okay," Haseya said with a gentle smile.

Haseya and Boss enjoyed their dinner and talked managing to leave the restaurant by eight. They took the train back to Oak Park and Haseya went upstairs with Boss and didn't go back to her own room until about midnight. The next day, Boss, Freddie and Ahiga went to the gym while Nesia and Haseya went to Navy Pier going onto the Ferris Wheel, playing some games together and just enjoyed the view of the lake. They went to the gym afterwards before returning to Oak Park to see Ahiga. By then, Ahiga had weighed in and made weight, so he was set to fight the next day as had his opponent. Since Ahiga, Freddie and Boss were staying at the gym, Nesia and Haseya went back to the hotel together and went to their rooms for the night.

Nesia called home wanting to check on Saraya. Thankfully, she was doing alright. She just missed mommy and daddy. After that, Nesia laid in bed for a while watching something on TV and ended up falling asleep on top of the covers with the TV still on. When Ahiga got back to the hotel, The Donny and Marie show just came on and the pair were singing their version of Working My Way Back to You. There was no beating The Spinners, but this version still had him humming along until he turned off the TV. He walked over to Nesia and leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek and she woke up with a light moan.

"Ahiga?" Nesia said, her voice thick with sleep.

"Yeah," Ahiga said, "sorry to get back so late."

"It's okay," Nesia said and took a hold of his hand as she turned over onto her side. "Come to bed."

"I'll come to bed once I've had a shower," Ahiga said.

"No," Nesia moaned groggily and took a hold of his forearm, "you smell nice."

"I stink," Ahiga said.

"No, you smell like a man," Nesia said.

"Exactly," Ahiga said with a chuckle before giving her a kiss. When he pulled away, he said, "Could I ask for a massage? I'm really sore."

"Sure," Nesia said and followed Ahiga into the bathroom to draw a hot bath and sat behind him on the lip of the tub with her legs dipped in the water so she could rub his back, shoulders and chest.

"Fucking hell," Ahiga groaned as Nesia was squeezing the tense muscles in his shoulders, "You know how to help me relax."

"I do what I can," Nesia said with a light giggle. "So I called mom. She said Saraya's doing alright. She just misses us is all."

"Yeah, I miss her too," Ahiga said. "It's too quiet without her around."

"You never thought you'd be happy to hear loud noises did you?"

"Certainly not squealing," Ahiga smiled. "It's cute when she does it, though."

"As long as she's squealing because she's happy or excited."

"Naturally," Ahiga said and laid his head back into Nesia's lap. "It is nice to have some time alone, though."

"It is, isn't it?" Nesia said and brought her hands into his hair so she was massaging his scalp. Ahiga groaned as Nesia's fingers trailed up the back of his neck into his hair over and over in a slow, soothing motion. "Feel good?"

"Yeah," Ahiga moaned, "feels amazing."

"Are you feeling better?"

"Much better," Ahiga said and grabbed her right hand so he could press a kiss to her wrist. "How've you been feeling?"

"You mean since having Saraya?"

"Yeah," Ahiga said seductively and pressed more kisses to her wrist.

"I feel good as new," Nesia answered and leaned down so she could start pressing kisses to his neck. "Maybe I could give you a pick-me-up before bed so you're ready for the fight tomorrow."

Ahiga moved his head and took a hold of Nesia's head with his other hand so he could guide Nesia to kiss him. He turned his body in the tub and tried to pull Nesia into the tub with him but she resisted and started giggling as their lips parted.

"Let me get undressed before you drag me into the tub with you," Nesia said and stood up from the lip of the tub getting out on the mat so she could remove her clothes.

Nesia removed all her clothes and as soon as she was naked, Ahiga turned to get on his knees in the tub and grabbed a hold of her by the waist. Nesia squealed with delight as she fell in his arms and once they were both in the tub, Ahiga positioned Nesia to straddle his lap and started kissing her. Ahiga turned again so he could press Nesia against the wall and get on his knees so he was holding her above the water. He brought his right hand between them to check her readiness and when he was sure she was wet, Ahiga slipped inside her and started to move with abandon pressing her against the tile with each thrust.

"Ahiga," Nesia moaned after several minutes of Ahiga's relentless, blissful onslaught.

"Come with me, Nesia," Ahiga groaned and moved impossibly faster to build them towards release.

Nesia's nails started to dig into his back with her face buried in his shoulder as she came closer and closer to her release. She moaned into his shoulder and when she finally achieved orgasm, she cried out his name against his shoulder and he continued to thrust to make it last. When he felt his own release creeping up on him, Ahiga grabbed a hold of Nesia's leg putting his hand under her knee and pushing her leg back as he continued to move. Then at the last possible second, Ahiga bit her shoulder to stifle his grunt of pleasure as he pulled out of her and released all over her belly. Once he was spent, Ahiga laid against Nesia and started kissing her passionately. Several minutes of kissing passed before Ahiga pulled away and laid Nesia in the water so they could wash up.

"That was just the pick-me-up I needed," Ahiga said as he kissed her neck.

"Glad to be of service," Nesia said with a gentle moan.

They cleaned themselves off before getting out of the tub so they could go to bed for the night. Ahiga was up and out of bed early the next morning so he could meet Freddie and Boss downstairs. Boss had Ahiga drink plenty of water, eat eggs and roast that was being served in the communal breakfast bar that morning before leaving for the arena where the fight would be. Nesia and Haseya met later in the afternoon so they could take the train into the city going straight to the arena. The arena was already packed when they arrived but they were led to their seats at the front where family was given priority. The lights in the arena stayed on until it was finally time to start the fight. Then the lights went off except for some spotlights that trailed swiftly over the stadium as the announcer came on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, a very good evening to you and welcome to the Chicago Stadium in the beautiful Windy City, Chicago for the featured fight of the evening – this fight brought to you by Budweiser – For All You Do, This Bud's for You! - And Reilly Auto-parts: Better Quality, Better Prices Everyday! And now, fans, the moment you've all been waiting for: the fight for the title of Middleweight Champion! Live from Chicago Stadium, it's show time!" The crowd cheered and the announcer allowed a moment before continuing with the introductions. "Introducing to you first, our own Windy City native in the red corner wearing red, white and blue Chicago Flag trunks; his record stands at 35 wins, 2 loses and 25 major wins by K.O: please welcome to the ring Kent O'Connell!" The crowd let out a renewed cheer of excitement. O'Connell appeared on the large screen in the center of the arena and he was jumping up and down with his muscular arms up basking in the praise of the crowd. When the crowd finally started to die down, the announcer continued. "And his opponent tonight, ladies and gentlemen, in the blue corner wearing black trunks; he comes to us from the wettest state in the union Washington State; his record stands at 27 Wins, 4 major wins by way of K.O and is currently undefeated! Please welcome Ahiga Washington!"

The bell rang as the crowd cheered again but Nesia noticed it was with less enthusiasm. Boss had warned this might occur given Ahiga was up against a hometown man but Ahiga wasn't intimidated. The camera fell on Ahiga and he appeared on the large screen in the middle of the ring. Both combatants came to the ring in the center of the large stage and the stadium was packed both on the floor and in the seats all throughout the stadium. Ahiga and O'Connell came into the ring on their own sides while the referee got in with them. He directed Ahiga and O'Connell to come to the center so he could review the rules of the match with the announcer holding the microphone to the referee as he explained the rules of the match to Ahiga and O'Connell with all three men appearing on the large jumbo screen.

"Alright, gentleman: it'll be twelve minute fifty second rounds and you'll get a thirty second break in between. Nothing below the belt; I want a good, clean fight. Winner will receive the belt as well as a $7000 grand prize. If I enter the ring, you stop fighting. Got it?" Ahiga and O'Connell both nodded their heads. "Good luck to you both. Now go to your corners. Round begins at the bell."

The referee left the ring while Ahiga and O'Connell went to their corners waiting for the fight to begin. Boss got on the ropes by Ahiga to give him some last minute encouragement before the fight began. When the bell rang, Ahiga and O'Connell came to the center of the ring dancing around each other on their toes looking for an opening. The first round was a game of Chicken, plain and simple. Ahiga was getting a feel for O'Connell's level of aggression and it seemed O'Connell was doing the same. Ahiga threw the first punch which O'Connell dodged and threw his own punch getting Ahiga in the ribs, but Ahiga didn't let it phase him and got a hit across O'Connell's jaw sending him back a step. After that first hit, O'Connell proceeded with greater caution. They both threw a few more punches in the round before the bell rang and they had to go to their sides of the ring to rest. Boss got in the ring spinning a towel around to act as a fan while Ahiga drank some water.

"You were cautious this round but don't keep it up for too long. The moment you have an opening, take it."

"Okay," Ahiga nodded his head and handed the bottle of water back to Freddie. Boss got out of the ring just in time for the bell to ring again starting the second round.

Starting with the second round, Ahiga went all out. O'Connell defended himself and met Ahiga with the same aggression. For that second round, Ahiga's onslaught backfired as O'Connell met Ahiga punch for punch, so for the third round, Ahiga danced around O'Connell to tire him out and get some sneaky punches in. He did the same thing for the fourth round but the fifth round Ahiga cut the evasiveness and instead went all out throwing a punch every time he could get an opening but O'Connell got some really good punches on Ahiga. By round seven, Boss had to pep Ahiga up encouraging him to continue the level of aggression while also doing a better job of evading O'Connell's counterstrikes.

Ahiga started out round eight trying to do what Boss said but he was anxious. He knew O'Connell was putting up a damn good fight and unless Ahiga pulled out all the stops, he could very well lose this fight. So during round nine, Ahiga started evading O'Connell again to tire him out but this time he actively bated O'Connell causing the man to throw punch after punch that kept missing. O'Connell was becoming more and more frustrated as Ahiga kept this up. It was a gamble, but Ahiga took as many rounds as he could getting O'Connell to a point of exhaustion and aggravation that, come round eleven, Ahiga was able to deliver one final flurry of punches that caught O'Connell completely by surprise. Just as O'Connell finally had the ware with all to hit Ahiga in the chest, Ahiga managed to deliver an uppercut forcing O'Connell off his feet for a moment making him fall back against the ropes and then falling to the ground.

The referee went to the spot and started counting giving O'Connell a chance to get up but his jaw throbbed and he just couldn't get up. So when his time ran out, the referee went to Ahiga lifting his arm into the air declaring him the winner and the announcer's voice filled the room as he reiterated the last few seconds of the round finishing with naming Ahiga the winner of the fight by K.O. Nesia was sure she was cheering the loudest in that stadium and she clapped her hands with excitement as Ahiga came up on the large screen with a big, victorious smile on his face. Someone came on stage and handed the belt over to Ahiga which he then held up above his head presenting it to the crowd. Boss and Freddie got into the ring with Ahiga to congratulate him while the announcer came onto the stage to start interviewing Ahiga while Nesia and Haseya fought their way towards the stage.

Ahiga spotted her the moment Nesia was near the stage and he asked Freddie to help Nesia and Haseya onto the stage and Nesia rushed over to Ahiga once she was up so she could hug Ahiga. He wrapped an arm around her waist while continuing to talk to the announcer. Pictures were taken of Ahiga and Nesia together while Ahiga was holding the belt and there were a few taken with Boss, Freddie and Haseya in the pictures as well. The instant they could, with his prize in tow and a the name of the Newspaper the win would be announced from on Monday, Boss took everyone to a Lou Malnati's Pizzeria for a guilty pleasure of deep dish Chicago style Pizza Boss had raved about and some beer. Ahiga left the stadium eager to celebrate with Nesia privately once they got back to the hotel, but after polishing off half a deep dish sausage pizza and two beers on his own he was so full he just wanted to plop into bed and go to sleep once they got back to the hotel. Nesia and Ahiga went up to their room together and Ahiga went straight to the bed plopping down ready to fall asleep.

"I can barely stand but it was worth it," Ahiga said once his head was on the pillow.

"I can see why Boss was gushing over it," Nesia said as she got into bed beside him and wrapped an arm around him. Ahiga wrapped his arm around her so he was holding her close. "We need to make sure we get a picture together with Saraya in your belt."

"We will," Ahiga agreed and kissed her head. "Let's go to bed. We'll celebrate properly in the morning."

Nesia giggled and nodded then turned off the lights so they could go to sleep. In the morning, Ahiga made good on his promise and the two of them made love and didn't leave their room until midday. Monday, Boss got the Newspaper and found the section talking about Ahiga's Knockout victory and reserved it to be added to the collection of articles hanging on the walls of the gym back home. Ahiga got his own copy so it could be put on the shelf with all the other belts and trophies he'd won thus far. As soon as they returned home and picked Saraya up from Natalie's house, Nesia called Salem asking if he and Yvonne would like to come over with Mae both so they could spend time together but also so Salem could bring his Polaroid camera to get a picture of Ahiga, Nesia and Saraya together in the belt he'd won.

"Just so you know," Salem said when he and Yvonne arrived with Mae, "I'm buying you a Polaroid camera for Christmas."

"It'll be greatly appreciated," Nesia said. "Thanks for coming over."

"No problem," Salem said and gave Nesia a hug. Ahiga had on a pair of trunks he'd wear during a fight as well as his belt while Nesia was dressed normally and Saraya was in a white full body onesie. Once he'd taken the picture and handed it over to Ahiga, Salem said, "So guess what."

"What?" Nesia asked.

"Yvonne's pregnant," Salem smiled. "Mae's being promoted to big sister."

"Really?" Nesia said and looked at Mae with a big smile, "Did you hear that, Mae? You're getting a promotion! You're going to be a big sister! Are you excited?"

"No," Mae said as she shook her head but she had a cute baby's smile and Yvonne giggled and started kissing Mae's cheek.

"Whether she's excited or not depends on the time of day," Salem smiled and rubbed his finger over Mae's tiny arm. When he did, Mae reached for him and Yvonne handed her over to Salem so she could snuggle up with her daddy.

"How far along are you?" Ahiga asked.

"Six weeks," Yvonne said. "Kyle thinks the baby will be born beginning of March."

"Congratulations you two," Nesia said and gave Yvonne a hug.

"When are you two promoting Saraya to Big Sister?" Salem asked.

"Later," Ahiga said firmly. "Much, much later."

"Not that much later," Nesia giggled and gave Ahiga a kiss.

Early towards the end of July, Jaedynn and Ashti got everything packed for themselves and the children and were on a plane to Tehran. Maleek was fussy for several hours of the beginning of the trip. Jaedynn, Ashti and the children took up several seats of first class but there were still people there Jaedynn knew were getting annoyed with Maleek's fussing. Of course, Ashti could be relied on to give a piece of her mind to anyone that dared to voice an ounce of complaint. Maleek finally started to calm down when Jaedynn was able to feed him and by then, his ears were no longer bothering him and a full tummy made the rest of the trip much easier. Ashti ensured Jaedynn was covered for privacy and modesty so Jaedynn could focus on Maleek while also keeping her ears open to listen to the other children and make sure they weren't getting too rambunctious.

Thankfully, the kids slept through a solid chunk of the flight, especially the twins, but there were one or two instances when Ashti had to reprimand the children for trying to play in the aisles. The latest occurrence was right before dinner was being served and Ashti had just managed to order the children to sit down and behave and began scolding Navid when he started kicking the back of someone's seat. She swatted Navid with her shoe telling him in Farsi his behavior was unacceptable and would not let up until Navid said he was sorry to the man sitting in front of him. By then, Jaedynn had a headache and she wasn't even hungry, but Ashti insisted she needed to eat. "If you don't eat, my grandchild doesn't eat," Ashti reasoned and patted Jaedynn's stomach affectionately. When the stewardess came by, she looked leaned down to ask the children what they would like.

"I want Gaz!" Navid said when the Stewardess asked and suddenly the children started listing off foods they wanted that weren't being served.

"They'll all have the chicken dinner, miss," Jaedynn spoke up and the moment the children began to complain, Ashti spoke up.

"Your maman has determined you will have chicken and you will be grateful. Is that understood," Ashti said firmly and for emphasis her hand was on her foot ready to use her shoe at a moment's notice which had the children compliant in an instant.

The Stewardess wrote the order down and then asked Jaedynn, "Would you like the chicken as well, Ma'am?"

"Yeah, that'll be fine," Jaedynn said.

"Nothing for me, thank you," Ashti said. Once she was done writing, she looked at Jaedynn with an encouraging smile.

"You're a brave soul to bring eight kids on a plane," she said. All Jaedynn could really do was smile with a hint of humor.

"We're visiting baba!" Iman said.

"You are?" the woman asked with a bright smile. "Does your baba live in Iran?"

"He owns a business in Iran and needs to go there often," Jaedynn said. "We'll join him in Iran about once a year during the summer since that's when he's in Iran the longest."

"Well, that's exciting," the woman smiled. "Your dinner will be out in about twenty minutes alright?"

"Thank you," Jaedynn said and the Stewardess moved on to the next patrons to take their orders.

Blissfully, once he'd calmed down, Maleek slept through most of the flight snuggled up in a blanket in Jaedynn's arms and Ashti would quickly cover Jaedynn and Maleek up if he woke for another meal. Jaedynn managed to get some sleep here and there throughout the flight but by the time they finally landed in Tehran, Jaedynn was exhausted. When they came out, Morvarid was standing beside a man in front of a limo and seeing Morvarid was like a breath of fresh air. When she spotted them, she waved at them and Kamron ran to greet her. Morvarid got to his level with a bright smile ready to hug him and thank him for the warm welcome.

"I'm so happy to see you I could kiss you," Jaedynn said once she'd made it to the limo with Ashti and the children.

"I'll settle for a hug," Morvarid joked and gave Jaedynn and Maleek a hug. Once they'd released each other, Morvarid looked at Maleek and smiled. "And who is this handsome new addition?"

"This is Maleek Nathan Javadi," Jaedynn said and presented him.

"When was he born?"

"September 18th," Jaedynn said.

"Oh, he's so big already!" Morvarid praised and started playing with Maleek's tiny feet.

"She is giving me another grandchild in February," Ashti said, her voice resonating with pride as she got the kids in the limo.

"You are?" Morvarid asked with a smile. "Congratulations, Mrs. Javadi."

"Thank you," Jaedynn smiled. "Roshad got me before he ran away to Tehran."

Morvarid giggled, "I'm sure it was intentional."

"I'm sure," Jaedynn joked along with her and once the driver had all the luggage in the trunk of the limo, Jaedynn and Morvarid got in the back so they could finally go to the palace.

The kids were so relieved to be off the plane they could barely contain themselves and wouldn't sit even when the limo was driving down the road. Morvarid had the children look out the window on an effort to get them to sit still and challenged Kamron to read all the road signs and advertisements outside. When they finally arrived at the palace, the kids burst out of the limo like bats out of hell and Roshad was already at the entrance ready to welcome them. They all ran to Roshad and he kneeled down to give them all hugs. Jaedynn, Ashti and Morvarid finally got out while the driver was removing the luggage from the back and servants came out to assist. Ashti asked Roshad in Farsi where Bastet and Rashida were and he told her they were in Chalus and they'd see them later. Once Jaedynn finally got up the steps to Roshad, he stood up straight and took her and Maleek in his arms.

"I missed you all," Roshad said.

"We missed you too," Jaedynn smiled and the two kissed briefly. Roshad released her so he could touch her belly.

"How have you been feeling?" Roshad asked.

"Better," Jaedynn said. "I brought plenty of tea just in case but I haven't felt really sick in a while."

"When did Kyle estimate the baby would be born?" Roshad asked. "February right?"

"Yes, February," Jaedynn nodded and put her free hand over her stomach while Maleek was resting on her hip. Roshad brought a hand over hers and pressed another quick kiss to her lips.

"Come upstairs," Roshad said gently, "I can tell you're eager to get some sleep."

"Believe me I am," Jaedynn said and looked at Morvarid. "Morvarid, could you take Maleek?"

"Yes, of course," she said and accepted Maleek in her arms going right to speaking to him in a high pitched, motherese tone.

Roshad led Jaedynn upstairs and her suitcases were already in the bedroom. She went straight to the large bed in the center of the room and went straight to sleep. Roshad kissed her and left the room so she could relax in peace while he took the children outside to the garden so they could play. He went to their bedroom to check on her right before dinner, but she was still sound asleep so he left her alone and returned downstairs to help feed all the children. He didn't return again until all the children were tucked in for the night. He brought Maleek into the master bedroom with him and went to the nursery off to the side to tuck Maleek in. He was fussy the whole way but once he was in the crib he went to sleep finally content. When Maleek was settled for the night, Roshad went to get undressed and joined Jaedynn in bed taking her against his chest. She smelled Roshad's cologne and it wok her but she woke feeling refreshed and like new. She turned in his arms so she was facing him and they shared a tender kiss.

"How long was I asleep?" Jaedynn asked.

"All afternoon," Roshad said. "The children have had their dinner, they've been bathed and everyone's in bed for the night."

"Wow," Jaedynn groaned and rubbed her face.

"Are you hungry? I can get you something," Roshad said.

"No, I'm alright. I'd rather stay in bed," she said and got her arms back around Roshad. "Maleek's eaten?"

"Yes, he's had dinner. He was a little crabby not to get milk but he still ate his dinner."

"Okay, good," Jaedynn said. "He'll be happy to get some milk in the morning. If we can, I'd like to try weaning him before the baby gets here."

"I'm sure we can have him mostly weaned by then," Roshad said and gently pressed Jaedynn's shoulder so she would lay on her back and he started moving down the bed so he could rest his ear against her lower belly. He could barely feel it but Jaedynn had formed a teeny tiny bump and once he found it, Roshad rubbed his hand gently back and forth over it. "Before we discuss baby names," Roshad said and looked up at Jaedynn. The moonlight shinned into the room trough the open balcony illuminating her face like a goddess. "I have a surprise for you."

"You do?"

"Yes," Roshad said and planted a kiss to her belly. "I still haven't taken you to Tabriz. I thought it would be nice for us to all visit Tabriz as a family. I can take you to the palace I built into the mountain. I confess I haven't been there since my son passed away."

"Do you suppose it's changed much since you've last seen it?"

"Most certainly," Roshad said, "but it hasn't changed much. At most, my grandchildren and great grandchildren likely modernized a few things before it was eventually converted to a museum."

"When was it converted?"

"1901 as I recall," Roshad said and took a moment to think before continuing. "My great, great, great, great granddaughter couldn't inherit the palace after her brother passed away and she couldn't maintain it either. She was about 75 at the time. So she saw to it the palace was turned into a museum and she moved into the city to live with her son."

"Do you know what her name was?"

"Her name was Aliyah Molavi," Roshad said. "She passed away December of 1903."

"Do her grandchildren still live in Tabriz?"

"I assume so," Roshad said. "I'm ashamed to admit I have not kept up with them. I only knew of her because I found out the palace in Tabriz was turned to a museum so I did a little investigating."

"Keeping up with so many descendents would definitely be exhausting," Jaedynn said and started running her fingers through his hair. "When are we leaving?"

"We'll leave on the sixth," Roshad said. "I don't want to put Maleek through another plane ride, so we'll drive. It'll take all day to drive there from Tehran but I rented an RV to make the trip a little easier."

"You rented an RV?" Jaedynn asked with a small laugh.

"You'll thank me when we're on the road and we don't have to stop in a remote town in the middle of nowhere every two hours," Roshad said and kissed her stomach. "Bastet and Rashida are meeting us there. I've contacted the curator and made a very, very generous donation so we'll have the palace to ourselves for a day."

"You don't say?" Jaedynn smiled. "Are any of your personal things still there?"

"No," Roshad said, "everything that was mine was brought here after Fatimeh's father had this palace completed. I'd already determined Amir would inherit the palace in Tabriz so when Fatimeh and I moved here, I handed everything over to Amir and the palace has been in his line of the family ever since."

"So everything would have belonged to Amir and all his children and grandchildren?"

"Yes, exactly," Roshad said. "Speaking of my children," Roshad continued and rubbed his hand over Jaedynn's belly again making her giggle, "I was thinking for a boy, Nasir and for a girl, Nasrin. What do you think?"

"I love them," Jaedynn smiled. "What would their middle names be?"

"Nasir Bastet or Nasrin Rashida?"

"Perfect," Jaedynn said. Roshad smiled back at her and crawled up the bed so he could kiss her.

The next morning, Roshad started the morning sitting down with Jaedynn and the children while they ate breakfast before leaving for the office and Jaedynn brought the kids to see him later that afternoon. Morvarid and Ashti came with to help make sure the children behaved but they were distracted by a man in marketing that had a big basket of candy on his desk. While it was a basket intended for the whole office to enjoy and take from as they pleased, Kamron was tall enough to grab the basket from off his desk and handed out nearly all the candy in the basket before they were found out and forced to give most of the candy back. Ashti told the children they could keep one piece of candy and that was it and the children complied albeit with pouting faces. The man was really nice, though, and made sure the kids got one more piece of candy each while it seemed Ashti wasn't paying attention.

"Where did you get all that candy?" Jaedynn asked Kamron when and the others finally came back to Roshad's office with Ashti and Morvarid.

"Mr. Dabiri had a big basket of candy on his desk and he let us have some!" Kamron answered with excitement.

"I should correct, Jaedynn," Ashti said, "Kamron took the basket, handed out most of the candy and would have eaten the whole thing had I not ordered them to put it back. I said they could have one. Mr. Dabiri was too soft hearted and let them have one more piece."

"Is that so?" Jaedynn asked with a light smile and kneeled down so she could give Kamron a kiss. "You should know better, Kamron. He probably had that out so everyone could have some candy, so you shouldn't take more than your share."

"I'm sorry, mommy," Kamron said with a pout and Jaedynn gave him another kiss.

"Just don't do it again, okay, Kamron?"

They stayed at the office with Roshad the remainder of the work day and all went home together but as they were driving home, there was an enormous group of people were outside a Mosque but it appeared as though these people were protesting. Kamron looked out the window at the protestors holding up signs with a man's face on it.

"Baba, what's going on?" Kamron asked Roshad.

"Nothing, Kamron," Roshad said, "sit down, Kamron." Jaedynn encouraged Kamron to sit down but she looked out the window as well. Several hours later, she tucked Maleek into his crib the master bedroom nursery and Roshad was getting a bath drawn for the two of them. She met Roshad in the bathroom and got into the water with him.

"Roshad?" Jaedynn asked as Roshad started to massage her feet.

"Yes?"

"What was that protest about earlier?" Jaedynn asked. Roshad looked at her a moment and took a deep breath before he responded.

"A few days ago, there was a protest in Mashhad," Roshad said. "A Cleric was killed in a road accident and the city went into protect. A number of protesters were killed during the upheaval and I suspect the people you saw were mourning for them." Roshad was quiet a second as he continued to rub Jaedynn's feet but she could tell he was ill at ease. "I didn't want to tell Kamron what's happening. He's too young to understand any of this."

"To understand what?" Jaedynn asked.

"Tensions are building," Roshad said. "The Shah is on thin ice and I think he knows it. He's trying to quell the protests but it's not working. The clergy is backing the people." He was quiet again. "It's why I want to take all of you to Tabriz. I want to get you out of Tehran and I plan to keep you all out of Tehran for the duration of your time here. If anything explosive happens, it'll be here."

"I see," Jaedynn answered and looked down. "You think everything will be alright in Tabriz?"

"Honestly?" Roshad asked as he looked into Jaedynn's eyes. "I don't know. The last I heard anything worrying occur in Tabriz, it was a student protestor who was killed and it caused a riot. That was in February, though. There have been protests and demonstrations occurring all over Iran since March and it hasn't calmed down."

"So…..is this going to be another forceful removal of the Shah like the Bolsheviks did to the Romanovs?"

"Maybe," Roshad said hesitantly. He rubbed his face and his head fell back. "I estimate the Shah will be overthrown by the end of the year."

"You think so?"

"Yeah," Roshad said and leaned forward so he could take a hold of Jaedynn's hand and pull her forward so she would fall into his arms. He kissed the top of her head then said, "This will be the last time you and the children come see me in Iran for a while. I don't know when things will finally calm down and I don't want the children being exposed to all this. We'll take everything with to Tabriz, we'll spend a few days there together then you can all return to Washington from Tabriz."

"When will you be back home?"

"End of August," Roshad promised. "I won't come back to Iran until next year once I return home; I promise."

"Okay," Jaedynn said and hugged Roshad to comfort him. "Everything will be okay. Who knows? Maybe this is the start of something great. Maybe Iran will become a democracy or a republic. Maybe the Shah will be overthrown in favor of the people being in charge."

Roshad highly doubted it but he said instead, "One can only hope."

They all stayed in Tehran a few more days as Roshad went to work like he normally did while Jaedynn and the children stayed at the palace. If anything was going on, Roshad said nothing about it and instead kept their lives as normal as possible. Then they packed all their things back up and got into the RV Roshad had rented so they could make the long, long drive to the Azerbaijan Province where Tabriz laid. Although Jaedynn had laughed at the idea of using an RV, it was indeed a much more comfortable drive than it would have been otherwise. The kids were able to move around and play, Jaedynn could relax with Maleek, Ashti could make everyone food, give Jaedynn her tea and there were accommodations available that made it possible to drive without stopping. They left Tehran in the morning and made it to Tabriz by the evening that same day. Once they arrived, Roshad brought them to a hotel where they stayed the night and the next morning, Ashti insisted they go to Saheb-ol-Amr Mosque first thing.

"Was this a Mosque you and Ashti used to attend when you were younger?" Jaedynn asked when they arrived and started looking around.

"No, this Mosque didn't complete construction until 1683," Roshad said. "However, the Bazaar has been around since long before I was born. We'll go there after maman has had her fill and prayed."

"I look forward to it," Jaedynn said. "Do you suppose the bird shop you worked for is still there?"

Roshad chuckled, "No, I doubt it."

They stayed at the Mosque for an hour before finally leaving and going to the Bazaar. Roshad told Jaedynn about how it changed over the centuries, what it was like when he was a boy compared to today and he even pointed out the area of the Bazaar where his former employer sold his birds. Now, though, it was a shop that sold silk purses, veils and dresses and Jaedynn couldn't resist buying a few dresses for herself, for Iman and for Sherry. The following day, Roshad brought everyone to a park with a soccer ball in hand so they could all play together. Jaedynn, Ashti and Morvarid sat on a blanket in the grass while Roshad kicked the soccer ball around with the kids. Even Maleek was playing with them although he wasn't running so much as he was trying to crawl to keep up with everyone. While they played, Roshad picked Maleek up and carried him for most of the game.

That night, Bastet and Rashida made it to Tabriz and they all went to dinner together. Afterwards, Morvarid and Ashti took the children back to the hotel so they could go to bed while Roshad, Jaedynn, Bastet and Rashida went to a Hookah bar and got a table with a view of the mountains. None of them smoked. Instead, Jaedynn and Roshad drank tea while Bastet regaled Jaedynn with stories of Roshad's childhood and, of course, told her all about the palace built into the mountains. They couldn't see it from the bar but they would be seeing it the following day. The next morning, they were all up early and met in the lobby of the hotel. While everyone was getting in the RV, though, Bastet pulled Roshad aside for a moment.

"What's going on?" Roshad asked Bastet once they were alone.

"Taheri's been arrested," Bastet said referring to the Isfahan Cleric Ayatollah Jalaluddin Taheri. A riot, in Roshad's opinion, was a certainty in Isfahan, but he was far more concerned about Tabriz at the moment.

"Any news about a protest?" Roshad asked.

"I've heard word anyone that wishes to do so is meeting at the Mosque," Bastet said. "If we avoid that part of town, we should be alright, but I think it would be in everyone's best interest for Ashti to take Jaedynn and the children back to Washington tonight."

Roshad nodded his head in defeat, "You're right. We'll tour the palace and take them straight to the airport after that."

Bastet nodded, "I'll get everyone's luggage and check out for you."

"Thank you, Bastet," Roshad said. "I'll wait for you in the RV."

Roshad went to the RV remaining calm and keeping things normal. Another twenty minutes later, Bastet was in the RV with everyone and whispered to Roshad in Arabic, "Everyone's things are in the back." They left the hotel and made the drive to the palace taking the long route so as to avoid the Mosque. Luckily, they were able to make it to the palace without incident and the parking area in front was virtually empty. Bastet and Rashida stayed under an umbrella while they were outside while Ashti was fully covered thanks to her state of dress and hijab. Morvarid looked around surprised by the empty lot.

"Are they not permitting visitors today?" Morvarid asked.

"None but us," Roshad said to Morvarid with a smile.

The palace, as Roshad always said, was encased in the mountain. He'd told her when he'd made the palace, he's simply changed the rock of the mountainside and the northernmost walls of the palace were simply made from the rock of the mountain but smoothed out. It was as though a section of the mountain was hollowed out and there was a palace tucked into it. Much like the palace in Tehran, there was a garden at the entrance with an enormous fountain. The centerpiece captivated Jaedynn. It was a long row of men who, when she looked very closely at the chiseled marble faces, Jaedynn could tell shared some of Roshad's features and she recognized them from their portraits from the Tehran palace.

"So who's who?" Jaedynn asked Roshad in a whisper. He smiled and started from the front working his way back.

"That's Amir," Roshad said, "That's Ishmael," he continued and pointed at a man that, compared to the other statues, was clearly in a military uniform with a sword in hand while all the other statues were men in regal clothes but were otherwise unarmed. "That's Aladdin, Rasheed, Mohammad and my youngest with Aida: Ibrahim."

"Who are they?" Morvarid asked when she overheard Roshad naming off the men.

"They're the sons of the man who had this palace built," Roshad answered. "It completed construction July of 1555. These statues were added to the fountain right before he'd bestowed the palace upon his eldest son, Amir. It was a gift for his son as well as a token of his legacy."

"I'm so happy they survived through the years," Ashti said quietly and brought the children further down the fountain so she could introduce the children to all their elder brothers without Morvarid hearing her refer to the men as such.

When they finally stepped inside the palace, there was a man in a suit waiting for them. There were also three statues of a lion, a tiger and a cheetah carved from marble all in resting positions as if guarding the entrance of the palace. Speaking in Farsi, the man went straight to Roshad introducing himself as the curator of the museum, Azeem Jobrani and then he thanked Roshad for his extremely charitable donation to the museum. Roshad thanked Mr. Jobrani for allowing him and his family exclusive access to the palace for the day and requested he be allowed to tour with his family unaccompanied. Mr. Jobrani seemed apprehensive to agree but Roshad promised to make yet another donation which made him much more receptive. He finally allowed them leave to tour the palace on their own and once he walked away, Roshad took everyone through the palace starting with a long hallway to the right that curved as they went.

Each room was partially blocked by velvet ropes so people wouldn't enter the rooms but could look inside. Some of the rooms had fake Persian cats sitting on pieces of furniture and there was a plaque the told of the first mistress of the palace, Aida Javadi, and how she'd adored her Persian cats. The plaques all had Farsi, Arabic, French and English translations and Roshad's name was listed in a few of them.

"So did your name not surprise the curator?" Jaedynn asked as they were going down the hallway.

"He did mention I have the same name as the man responsible for this palace being built," Roshad chuckled a little. "I told him I'm a descendent of the man and was simply named after him."

"Playing yourself off as your own grandchild," Jaedynn teased with a smile.

"A man does what he can," Roshad smiled back.

As they went down the hallway, there was a line of portraits and Roshad told Jaedynn the names of the first three people pointing out his eldest son, then his eldest grandson and his eldest great grandson. The remainder of the pictures had names listed but Roshad did not know them as well. There was a mirror room, a banquet hall as well as a tiny dining room intended just for family that was right beside a kitchen that had, indeed, been modernized and was not the original structure Roshad had built so long ago, but such was to be expected. Then they went upstairs to the rooms that had the views of the city. Roshad told Jaedynn what rooms were occupied by who until they made it to the master bedroom. It was completely closed off with a velvet rope but they could still look inside.

"When it was just me," Roshad whispered to Jaedynn, "my large cats would sleep in the room with me."

"You're joking," Jaedynn said.

"No, I'm serious. They all liked to sleep on the balcony. When Aida and I married, I had to keep them outside in the front gardens and when she began collecting her Persian cats, they slept in the room with us instead. We'd always have several cats on the bed at once."

"Sounds cozy," Jaedynn said.

"If I'm being completely honest, it was extremely aggravating," Roshad said. "Every time she became pregnant, one of the Persians would always nap on her belly and purr for hours."

"That sounds really cozy," Jaedynn smiled. She looked out of the balcony and she could see the city in the distance. "You've always loved having a view I see."

Roshad smiled, "I can't help myself." Roshad then said something to Bastet and he led the group away from the room but Roshad and Jaedynn stayed behind. He stepped over the velvet rope and while Jaedynn hesitated briefly, she eventually accepted Roshad's hand and stepped over to rope to join him in the room.

"What happens if we're caught in here?"

"I'll compensate Mr. Jobrani for the trouble," Roshad said and led her through the room to the balcony. "When my sons were young," Roshad began with a distant smile, "they would play near the fountain with the nanny and maman keeping watch. Aida used to love sitting right here drinking tea and doing needle work or reading while she watched the boys play. Except for Ibrahim. He was usually right here," Roshad pointed at a spot at the end of the balcony, "and he'd paint or play with clay. He was always a very creative boy."

"Did any of your other sons have a talent for art?"

"No," Roshad said, "Just Ibrahim. When he was very young, he would come to our room late at night so he could stare at the stars from our balcony. He would point out star formations when he noticed them and he was obsessed with Greek and Roman mythology. Then in the morning, he'd draw the star formations just from memory."

"Were any of your sons with Fatimeh born here?"

"Kaseem was, yes," Roshad said. "The palace in Tehran was still under construction when Fatimeh became pregnant with our first son. It wasn't completed until Kaseem was about a year old. Possibly two."

"Did you like it here or in Tehran more?"

"Tehran," Roshad answered honestly. "I'm proud of this palace, but it was built when I was a boy trying to escape the chains of poverty. When I moved to Tehran, I'd integrated myself into a legitimate business and it felt like I'd made it."

"That makes sense," Jaedynn said. Roshad wrapped his arms around her waist and Jaedynn brought her arms around Roshad's neck. He leaned down to give her a kiss and then rested his forehead against hers.

"When we leave, I'm taking you all to the airport," Roshad finally said. Jaedynn looked at him strangely.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"A Cleric's been arrested and his supporters are demanding his release," Roshad said, keeping it vague. "Bastet heard news there was going to be a protest in Tabriz and they're meeting at the Mosque. We were able to avoid them this morning assuming they've started gathering, but they aren't going to stay there."

"What about our things?"

"Bastet already removed them from the room and checked us out. Everything's in the back of the RV already," Roshad said. Jaedynn looked at Roshad nervously and looked out onto the city. It was further away and she couldn't see anything happening. Everything from here seemed like it was fine, but that didn't mean it was. Reluctantly, Jaedynn finally nodded her head.

"Okay," Jaedynn finally said and trailed a hand over his cheek as she looked into his eyes. "You'll still come home by end of August?"

"Not a moment later," Roshad promised and gave her another kiss. "Everything will be alright, I promise. When I return home, Bastet will keep me up to date on what's going on and when it's safe for all of us to come back, we will."

"Okay," Jaedynn answered with a gentle nod.

Roshad and Jaedynn finally left the bedroom stepping over the rope and made their way down the hallway to eventually catch up with the rest of the group. Once they had, Jaedynn took back Maleek from Morvarid and went off to one side to feed him when he started to cry with hunger. Roshad kept Jaedynn out of everyone's view with his body while she fed Maleek and once he was fed, he got tired and fell asleep on Jaedynn's shoulder. It was about the time she'd usually put him down for a nap anyway. They all met Mr. Jobrani at the entrance once they'd finished touring the palace and he gave all of the children a piece of gaz and a bag of Jordan almonds which they were extremely excited about.

"Mr. Javadi," Morvarid said when they were all in the RV, "I couldn't help noticing you have the same name as the person that had this palace built."

"Yes, I noticed too," Roshad said. "It's a funny coincidence. The curator had a small laugh over it too when I'd made the donation." Bastet got behind the wheel of the RV and started driving while Roshad walked to the sitting area so he could sit beside Jaedynn. "Listen, children, I need to tell all of you something." Kamron and Iman were listening immediately while Ashti had to make the other children pay attention since they were otherwise distracted with a toy. When all the kids were looking at him, he continued. "I'm afraid I need to send everyone back home so I'm dropping you all off at the airport."

"We're leaving without you?" Iman asked in a loud squeal.

"Did we do something bad?" Kamron asked.

"No, no, no, none of you did anything wrong. It's a very long and complicated story and I don't want to worry any of you, but more importantly, I don't want any of you seeing it."

"Seeing what, baba?" Navid asked in his tiny voice.

After thinking a moment how best to explain, he finally said, "There are some people who are very unhappy with the Shah right now. When a large group of people are unhappy, they will take to the streets to voice their feelings and opinions. Sometimes it is peaceful, but sometimes it can become violent and very scary. I thought everything would be alright here in Tabriz, but I was mistaken so I would rather send you all home and keep you safe."

"Why can't you come home with us?" Leo asked.

"I have to stay behind for work," Roshad said, but in no time, the children protested.

"Please, baba, come home with us," Navid pleaded and all the children pleaded with him with pitiful, pleading eyes. He didn't have the heart to deny them.

"Bastet," Roshad said, "I will be returning to Washington with everyone."

"Fine with me," Bastet said over the cheers from the kids as they all fought to hug Roshad.

Bastet got onto the highway near the palace ready to go straight to the airport, but the area was blocked off, so he needed to take a different route. At first he'd not been concerned with it. There was construction so it wasn't odd, but then he noticed there was a traffic jam further up, so he maneuvered his way to an exit so they could bypass it. He made a point to avoid the Saheb-ol-Amr Mosque where he'd heard the protestors were gathering, but he needed to cut through the city. Everything was alright until they reached the area near the Bazaar. There was a crowd which, at first, was not alarming until Bastet noticed a number of the people holding signs.

"Roshad," Bastet said and Roshad came to the front. Rashida got out of the passenger's seat so he could sit and she went to the back trying to block the kids from seeing anything. "I think they're trying to get to Sa'at Tower," Bastet said to Roshad in Arabic.

"I thought they were meeting at the Mosque east of here. This is completely out of the way of the Municipal building," Roshad said. In the background, Jaedynn asked Morvarid to take Maleek and stood up so she could approach the front.

"These people may have met up at a different location and are on their way to meet the other protesters," Bastet said.

"Roshad, is everything okay?" Jaedynn asked quietly as she looked out the window at the protestors.

"Everything will be alright," Roshad said. "We just need to find a way around them. Bastet, if we-" Before Roshad could finish his thought, they all heard gunfire coming from within the crowd and the loud protesting turned to screaming and the protestors becoming even louder.

Ashti and Rashida worked quickly to have all the children put in seatbelts so they would be safe and Ashti held onto Maleek while Morvarid got into a seatbelt as well. Jaedynn was still standing behind Roshad when Bastet put the RV in reverse and started moving back and anyone behind them needed to dodge to the side. The gunfire continued and there was mass panic both from the protestors and bystanders who were trying to get away. Jaedynn held onto the back of the seat so she wouldn't move as Bastet tried to get the RV around the crowds as quickly as he could without hitting anyone.

Then Bastet made a sharp turn and as he did, someone else was driving in the other direction. They didn't stop in time and hit the side of the RV. Bastet was not able to stop the vehicle from tilting over. Rashida and Ashti acted as shields and Morvarid did the best she could to put her fear aside and do the same while the children screamed. Jaedynn lost her grip on the seat and Roshad was thrown from his chair. Before Roshad could reach out to grab Jaedynn, she'd flown to the other side of the RV towards the top where a shelving unit rested. Jaedynn's head landed against the roof of the RV while her lower body slammed into the bars of the shelves and it felt like she was punched in the gut. By the time the RV was still, that pain started to spread and change. First, it felt like period cramps but it quickly escalated to a pain comparable to a contraction. When Jaedynn felt that, she started to panic and when she heard Rashida, Bastet and Ashti hiss with the smell of blood, she started to cry.

"Jaedynn!" Roshad yelled the instant he saw Jaedynn bleeding from her head.

Desperate to get the children out, Ashti rushed to a window and forced that open and Rashida got out. Ashti focused on the children getting everyone out of their seatbelts as they were all crying for her and she handed them to Rashida one or two at a time and finished by getting Morvarid out. She was in shock and screamed out for Jaedynn when she finally noticed she was bleeding. Jaedynn could feel blood gushing from her head and her head throbbed. Roshad checked her head and saw there was a cut but there was no break to the bone. Once he knew she'd not sustained a worse head injury than it appeared, he went to her stomach and lifted her shirt. For a moment he prayed perhaps it was just her ribs or maybe just one side he knew would heal so long as they got a doctor, but the bruise that was trying to heal was right at her lower stomach and the blood stain that was forming on her jeans between her legs was a crushing sign.

"Bastet, find a doctor," Roshad pleaded.

"We need to get her out of here first," Bastet said.

"Get her a doctor!" Roshad yelled back.

This time Bastet didn't argue with Roshad and instead, as gently as he possibly could and while holding his breath so as not to breathe in the smell of blood, he lifted Jaedynn into his arms and called out for Rashida. She reached down to take Jaedynn and got her off the side of the RV onto the ground while Roshad and Bastet got out. Bastet looked around trying to get someone to come help. The people they'd collided with seemed to have already fled to get away from the gunfire that was still ringing out as protestors were fighting back. Ashti got the children and Morvarid away as did Rashida trying to make sure they didn't see Jaedynn. They were already terrified and Morvarid was doing her best to reassure them their mother would be okay.

"Jaedynn," Roshad said pleadingly and held her hand, but she couldn't talk. Everything hurt too much. She didn't know the extent of her injuries but she didn't care. All she cared about was the blow to her abdomen willing for everything to be okay. She'd take any pain as long as the baby was okay. "Jaedynn, please, can you hear me?" Roshad begged and got her to look at him. She was crying and Roshad was doing everything in his power to stay strong.

Bastet searched the crowd of people trying to get away hoping he'd find a doctor but there was none or if there was, he wasn't coming forward. He quickly decided they needed to, instead, get Jaedynn to a hospital so Bastet came back and told Roshad to let him take Jaedynn in his arms and he'd rush her there. Roshad insisted he'd follow and asked Ashti and Rashida to get the kids somewhere safe and to only come to the hospital when the children were out of harm's way. Bastet and Roshad, giving no concern for those around them, ran as fast as they could to the other side of the Quri Chay River rushing to the nearest hospital. Running as fast as they could, they managed to get to the hospital within ten minutes, but if felt like an eternity. They'd managed to make it there before any of the aftermath of the shooting came their way and once they entered, Roshad was yelling for someone to help and the nurses went into action when they saw Jaedynn.

"My wife is pregnant," Roshad said when Bastet placed Jaedynn on the gurney that was brought out.

"How far along?" the nurse asked as they were rushing Jaedynn to Intensive Care.

"About three months," Roshad rushed to answer. "We were in a car accident. She was thrown against the roof of the car. Please, get a doctor-"

"We're bringing her to a doctor now, sir," the nurse responded and when they made it where they needed to be, she told Roshad, "Please stay out there sir."

And just like that, Jaedynn was brought into the room and he couldn't come in after her. Bastet tried to take Roshad away but it was several seconds before he'd finally budge and they went to a waiting area nearby. It wasn't long before the hospital was overrun with injured people both protestors and bystanders but Roshad didn't see any of them. His mind stayed with Jaedynn and he was fidgeting the whole time they waited. There were holy men at the hospital but Roshad wanted nothing to do with them. He wanted to speak with the doctor treating Jaedynn and he'd not speak to anyone else. An hour after they arrived, Rashida came to the hospital. They'd brought Morvarid and the children back to the hotel where they'd be safe but Ashti refused to leave them so Rashida came alone.

"Has there been any word about Jaedynn?" Rashida asked Bastet when the two of them stepped away for a moment.

"Not yet," Bastet said solemnly. "Do the kids know anything?"

"They know you took Jaedynn to the hospital. Morvarid's doing what she can to reassure them, but they're scared."

"Of course," Bastet answered and looked over his shoulder at Roshad who was still hunched over, fidgeting and looking ready to jump out of his skin. "Can you get everyone to the airport?"

"I can try," Rashida said.

"Please," Bastet said, "get Ashti and the kids to the airport. Get them on the first plane home. Jaedynn and Roshad will follow as soon as possible. We need to get the kids out of Iran before things escalate further."

"Okay," Rashida said. "I'll stay with them until they're on the plane."

"Thank you," Bastet said and gave Rashida a kiss before she left the hospital and rushed back to the hotel where Ashti and Morvarid were with the kids. They were in a conference room the staff had kindly let them use and while they'd managed to calm them down, the children were still terrified and huddled up to Ashti for protection while Morvarid held Maleek who'd been crying since the accident and had not stopped. He was, mercifully, not injured save for a few scraps but he was inconsolable.

"What news of Jaedynn?" Ashti asked when she smelled Rashida enter the room.

"I don't know," she said. "She was still in intensive care when I arrived."

"Where's maman?" Mikie asked as he started crying and Rashida rushed to him.

"Maman is being taken care of, Habibi – don't you worry. Maman will be alright," Rashida said soothingly and took the little boy in her arms to calm him down. "Ashti, I need to get you and all the kids on a plane out of Iran."

"What about Roshad and Jaedynn?"

"They will follow as soon as they can," Rashida said.

Hesitantly, Ashti agreed and they all round up the kids and got them to a hotel van but they all protested the whole way. They were scared, they didn't know what was happening either to Jaedynn or in general and Sherry started crying which had all the other kids crying and there was little Ashti, Morvarid or Rashida could do to sooth them. They managed to get to the airport but the only flight that was leaving within the hour was to Yerevan, Armenia. It would have to do. Rashida wrote a check to pay for all their tickets and got everyone on the plane as quickly as possible. She and Morvarid stayed in the terminal until they saw the plane take off.

Back at the hospital, hours passed with no news. When Rashida made it back after dropping Morvarid off at the hotel, there had still been no news. They all waited well into the night for a doctor to finally come to them and when a doctor finally appeared, his face was grim.

"Who among you brought in a young pregnant woman? Pale, black hair – brought in by two men about 2:00 this afternoon," the doctor called out.

"That's my wife," Roshad said and practically leaped from his seat going to the doctor. "Where is she? How is she? What about the baby?"

"Come with me, sir," the doctor said and guided Roshad to come with him while Bastet and Rashida stayed behind.

"Is my wife okay?" Roshad asked.

"Yes, your wife is alright," the doctor said. "We got her out of intensive care. She suffered a concussion so she'll need rest for a few days. Fortunately she didn't break any bones she'll be tender for a few days. Bed rest will do her good."

"And the baby?" Roshad pressed. The doctor took a deep breath and stopped Roshad so they could look at one another.

"I'm sorry, sir, but your wife lost the baby," the doctor finally said and in an instant Roshad felt sick to the pit of his stomach. "We did everything we could but your wife was bleeding profusely and it was clear her body was already expelling the baby. He was dead on arrival so we focused our efforts on your wife."

"He?" Roshad mumbled and the doctor nodded sympathetically.

"It was a boy," the doctor said. "My deepest sympathies to you sir." Roshad was quiet as the reality of what happened weighed on his shoulders.

"Has anyone told Jaedynn?" Roshad asked.

Assuming he meant his wife, the doctor said, "Does your wife speak Farsi?" Roshad shook his head. "Then I'm afraid no one has told her. Although I am quite certain she already knows."

"Where is she? Let me see her," Roshad pleaded and the doctor guided Roshad to continue down the hallway with him. They finally made it to the room Jaedynn was staying in. She was lying on her side with her back to them and he could smell the tears. The doctor had been right, Roshad thought: she already knew. How could she not? There were two nurses tending to her but Roshad didn't want them there. He needed to hold her. "Can you allow my wife and I some privacy?"

"Yes, of course," the doctor said and told the nurses to leave with him.

Jaedynn recognized Roshad's voice and scent, but that was it. She'd not understood anything anyone said since the moment she was brought in. They'd secured her to an IV and had gone right between her legs to assess what was happening. The nurses kept saying things to her but she didn't understand them, but she'd paid close attention to their expressions and those expressions had been of unwavering seriousness and, later, sympathy. She'd felt it all happening. She'd felt the horrible contractions, she'd felt the gush of blood and water as they were examining her, she'd felt the baby leave her body and she'd seen them take the baby away. The baby had been small enough to fit in the nurse's hand and as soon as they'd taken her baby, the doctor shifted his focus to her and treating her head injury but she kept seeing the nurse take her baby away.

"Jaedynn," Roshad said in a gentle voice as he approached her bed once they were finally alone.

She couldn't look at him. She simply couldn't bare it. She didn't want to have to tell him she'd lost their child. She couldn't bare telling him she'd felt every moment of their child's passing and had been powerless to stop it from happening and saw the nurses take their baby away. Roshad came around the bed and kneeled as soon as he was beside her and he took her hand in his. He didn't know what to say. He'd never felt this way before. He'd seen his children pass away before, but it had been after long, productive, happy lives and they'd been warm in their beds with their own extended family by their side. That wasn't the case this time. Their child…..their son….he'd died before he'd ever had a chance; before they could hold him, before they could see him grow, learn to walk, to speak….everything had been taken from him. It was what could have been that made this so painful. For Jaedynn, Roshad suspected it was significantly worse. When their eyes met and he saw the tears, he could tell. She already knew what happened.

"Jaedynn," Roshad said her name again in a gentle tone. She wanted to say so many things: I'm sorry, where's the baby?, where are the children?, and so many other questions but nothing formed. All she could do was whimper his name.

"Roshad," Jaedynn finally said and he came closer to her wrapping his arm around her.

When she was tucked into his shoulder, she unleashed. She cried harder than she'd cried in a long time. When kneeling beside the bed felt too distant, Roshad did his bed to get onto the gurney with her minding the IV and held her closer. For a moment, he wondered if he should tell her it was a boy. Would it make everything hurt more? Would she even want to know? He wasn't even sure. Knowing had been like adding salt to the wound. The same crushing feeling of loss would have been the same whether the child were a boy or a girl, but knowing either way meant they knew their child's name. Nasir. He kept thinking the name over and over again as if it might undo everything that happened; as if it would have the power of a pagan chant and bring their son back but it was useless. All the two of them could do was grieve. So for nearly an hour, that's what they did. They held one another and mourned their loss. Even when Jaedynn finally stopped crying, they didn't speak to one another at first for quite some time, but Jaedynn was the one to eventually break the silence.

"Where is everyone?" she asked in a weak, labored voice.

"Rashida took maman and the children to the airport. They're on a plane back home," Roshad answered. "The doctor said you suffered a concussion and need to rest."

"I want to go home," Jaedynn whimpered. Roshad tightened his hold on her and kissed her head.

"You'll be home soon, Jaedynn," Roshad promised her.

A moment later, a nurse came into the room so Roshad got off the gurney but never let go of Jaedynn's hand. The nurse checked her bandages and Roshad translated for Jaedynn if the nurse said anything so she wasn't in the dark anymore. While the nurse was giving some aftercare instructions, Jaedynn looked at the nurse hoping she knew the answer to Jaedynn's question. She'd spent the past few hours trying to decide if she wanted to know. One moment, she wanted to, another moment she didn't, but as the nurse was tending to her, she decided she'd regret it if she didn't at least ask.

"Was it a boy or girl?" Jaedynn asked the nurse. She didn't understand and looked at Roshad, but he didn't bother translating.

"The doctor said it was a boy," Roshad said and Jaedynn looked at him.

"A boy?" Roshad nodded. "Nasir?" Roshad nodded again. She looked away staring nowhere in particular as a fresh sting of loss overcame her. Regardless of the pain, though, she was glad she knew. "How would you spell that in Farsi?" Jaedynn asked. Roshad looked at the nurse and asked for a piece of paper and pen. Then he wrote something on the paper and presented it to Jaedynn: نصیر

Jaedynn always had such a hard time with Farsi. Trying to read it seemed insurmountable to her, but this she would commit to memory. They didn't have an image of their son to remember him by. No pictures, no memories; nothing except the time she carried him and the name she and Roshad said they'd give him. His name was all they had and she wanted him to be remembered.

"I want this on the wall with the pictures of the kids," Jaedynn finally said. Then she held the little piece of paper close to her chest as though it were really him. Roshad placed his hand over hers and she laced her fingers through his. It was a silent moment they shared and when the nurse finally left them alone, Roshad got back on the gurney so he could hold her again.
Jaedynn was finally discharged in the morning but it was longest night of her life. She didn't want to be there anymore and she couldn't get out of the hospital fast enough. It was the same for Roshad. It was the longest night of his life, but for him, the sorrow and pain he felt twisted into rage like he'd never felt before. Once they left the hospital, Roshad took Jaedynn straight to the airport however when Roshad bought the tickets, he handed one to Jaedynn and the other to Rashida.

"Rashida's coming with us?" Jaedynn asked.

"Rashida's going back to Washington with you," Roshad said. "I need to stay here."

"For how long?" Jaedynn asked. The two of them stared at one another a moment before Roshad finally answered her honestly.

"I don't know," he said. "I need to sort out some things."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Jaedynn pressed frantically.

"I mean I have unfinished business and it'll take some time. I don't know how much," Roshad answered in a tone that was shorter than Jaedynn had ever heard him use with her. It made Jaedynn take a step back and she backed down.

"He'll be home as soon as possible, Jaedynn," Bastet reassured. Finally, Roshad realized the tone he'd used with her and he regretted it. He walked to Jaedynn and took her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and felt tears burning her eyes.

"I'll come home, Jaedynn," Roshad promised. "Just wait for me."

"I will," Jaedynn said and hugged him tighter.

They all went to the terminal where their plane was loading and Bastet and Roshad stayed there with Jaedynn and Rashida until they boarded the plane. Roshad and Bastet stared out the window as the plane took off and Roshad watched her leave with a heavy heart. He didn't know when they'd see each other again and he didn't know when he'd see his children again. It weighed heavily on his heart, but he steeled himself and stayed strong.

"What unfinished business do you have, Roshad?" Bastet asked. Roshad looked down at the floor. The truth was he didn't really know. He knew what he wanted to do; he just didn't know how he was going to go about it and the truth was he knew there would only be so much he'd accomplish, but he needed to do something.

"This revolution took my son," Roshad said bitterly.

"So it's vengeance you want," Bastet said matter-of-factly and all Roshad could do was nod. "Roshad, this isn't something you can stop. The people are speaking and the Shah is against a beast he can't fight. It's only a matter of time before he's gone and there's no telling who will take his place. I worry you're taking on a fight you can't win."

"I don't need to 'win'. Nothing will be payment enough for what we lost," Roshad said, "but if I can inflict even a fraction of the pain they've caused Jaedynn and I, it will be enough."

"Are you sure?" Bastet asked.

After several seconds of hesitation, he said, "I won't know unless I try."