A Happy Occasion
It was supposed to be a happy occasion. It wasn’t every day four sisters got pregnant at the same time. They were due to give birth only three months from each other, and they couldn’t be happier.
But everything started falling apart when one of them made a unique discovery regarding her child’s father. What she unearthed was enough to tear the four sisters apart.
A Quadruple Miracle
Marya, Sasha, Hailey, and Kelly Scarcella were all twenty-eight when they got pregnant. Born quadruplets, the four Mississippi sisters were beyond elated at the news.
They had always done everything together, whether binge-watched tv shows and movies, making their parents dinner, or starting a book club. They had long been close, not knowing that everything would come to a head one day.
Raising A Family
The premise of raising a family is something most of us gravitate toward. Whether it is having kids, pets, or even being a plant parent, having a life dependent on you as a guardian is fulfilling.
The Scarcella sisters had always dreamed of this reality. They always talked about how they would have kids at the same time so they could raise them together. They had no idea what fate had in store for them.
Hailey Scarcella
It all began when Hailey, the third sister, fell in love with a professional mountain climber. Neither she nor her sisters had ever experienced true love before.
Their mom had been nagging them about their love lives in the last few months. She was worried about their age, saying they were almost thirty and had no spouses to bring home. Hailey had only wanted to put the woman’s mind at ease when she pursued him.
A Needed Vacation
She met Chase while on vacation across Tibet, and although she hadn’t considered going out with him then, she’d found his company to be fun and refreshing.
He was one of those lean professional mountain climbers keen on planting a flag on one of the most remote peaks of the mighty Asian mountain range. When Hailey met him, he was about to embark on a journey into the Himalayas.
An Instant Bond
She found his story fascinating and, as such, gravitated toward him. He was funny and well-informed, always keeping her smiling when he was around and worried whenever he went to map out the mountain’s route.
This worry over his safety was Hailey’s first hint that she might like Chase more than needed. He was on her mind constantly, to the extent that she started asking after him whenever he was away. If only she knew what all this would lead to.
Changing Plans
Hailey’s friendship with Chase grew over the days she backpacked across Tibet. She even changed her schedules and routes, adapting his instead of the ones she’d planned on following.
By the end of her three-week stay in Asia, she’d accompanied him high into the Himalayas, where he saw his goal through. On top of one of the highest points in the world, he asked her to be his girlfriend.
The Perfect Place For A Perfect Question
Although Hailey was twenty-seven at the time, the request had her feeling like she was a teenager again. She giggled and blushed in the white snow.
Above them were blue skies stretching into the horizon, and below them, a sheet of fluffy clouds with a trail of gray mountain peaks jutting through. She would not refuse such a special request while in such a magical place.
The Aftermath
The following months were bliss for Hailey, who couldn’t get enough of Chase. Her vacation was over, so she’d returned to her home in sunny Natchez, Mississippi.
But since Chase was a professional mountain climber, he only visited a few times. Hailey had never been in a long relationship before.
Her love for Chase lied to her that they could make this relationship work. It would be soon that everything came crashing down.
The Problems Emerge
It started with the telltale loneliness that usually cripples all of us when our significant other is across the world from us. Hailey couldn’t take it and, as such, decided to talk to Chase about it.
But the conversation quickly devolved into chaotic bickering. Hailey claimed Chase was never home. Whenever he visited, his mind would be elsewhere entirely.
On the other hand, Chase maintained that he was at the peak of his career. He only wished she could wait for him a little longer.
The End
But time waits for no man, and Hailey had had enough. Although he begged her not to go through with it, she broke up with Chase. It was agonizing yet necessary.
Her three sisters each came to comfort her, taking a week from their various jobs to help her return to reality. None of them knew that Chase already had his eyes on each of them and was planning to turn their world upside down.
His Side
Unknown to Hailey, Chase had been thinking about taking her to the altar and building a life with her. He’d never met someone with as much soul as her.
He was initially infatuated with her, then fascinated by how her mind worked. By the end, he’d fallen irrevocably in love with her and couldn’t wait to retire from his career so he could give her everything she ever wanted. You can imagine his pain when she chose to end things with him.
Be Patient
Hailey had broken up with Chase because his career wouldn’t allow him to be home with her. She lamented about having to raise their kids alone, worrying about a mountain crevice swallowing him whole or a boulder crushing him into a pulp.
What she didn’t know and failed to hear when Chase explained was that he was in the last three years of his career. Why couldn’t she be patient?
Plotting
A devastated Chase started plotting. He wanted to make Hailey feel the pain he was feeling. He concocted a foolproof plan that would leave him with the last laugh.
Hailey had three sisters, each holding a very special place in her heart. If Chase wanted to get to her, to show her the pain he was going through, he would have to go to them.
Back To Reality
The months counted by slowly, and Hailey was thawing back to life. The need to stay in bed with tubs of ice cream no longer screeched in her ears, and she no longer felt the crippling need to scream whenever she heard or saw any material about mountain climbing or the Himalayas.
Her life was slowly returning to normal. But she spied a familiar face walking toward her one evening out of the blue.
He’s Back!
Hailey never thought she’d see Chase again. But that evening, God saw it fit to air-drop him from whatever mountainside he’d been climbing.
He was brawny and rugged, just as she liked, his wild bronze hair free and beard thick and enticing. Hailey ate back a curse, hating the effect he still had on her. When she locked eyes with him, she knew it was over.
Parting Gift
“Hi,” he greeted her, his charming smile and deep voice sweltering any semblance of self-control she had left. Before she knew it, she was a month pregnant with him back on his mountain adventures.
She cursed again, alone in their Natchez home. Her hands caressed her belly, and her lips curled as she imagined giving birth to a brunette-haired mini Chase with her stubbornness and wit. She had no idea she wasn’t the only one with these thoughts.
Marya Goes First
Hailey was home for Christmas when everyone broke the news of their pregnancies. Marya, the first sister, went first, announcing at the table that she was expecting.
Their parents’ eyes went wide, the entire table turning quiet. “I am too,” Sasha, the second, said. Their mom jumped from her seat and hugged her, reaching a hand to Marya. She kissed her hand, her eyes wet. Their dad was about to speak when Kelly cut him short.
No Pressure
“This might sound planned, but I am too.” Everyone paused again. “Very funny, everyone,” their dad said, although the emotion was evident in his eyes. He turned to Hailey, “Let me guess, you’re pregnant too.”
Leaning into his seat, he said, “Girls, having a kid isn’t something to joke about. Your mom and I want you to have great lives. Having children is one way to have a great life. But we don’t want that pressure to have you lying at dinner. You can still have a great life without kids.”
It’s True
“Actually,” said Hailey, her eyes scanning the table from one sister to the next. “I am too. A month in.” Her eyes grew wet, and her mom walked to her. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” Hailey nodded.
“So are they,” she said. She’d noticed how her sisters were clinging to each and every word coming out of their dad’s mouth. When he realized they weren’t joking, his face fell in disbelief.
Their Parents’ Reaction
Hailey’s dad demanded to meet the men who had done this to his daughters. He hated that none of them had the courtesy to come to him first, to marry his princesses before giving each of them a child.
Hailey’s mom, on the other hand, went into panic mode. Although she was overjoyed at the prospect of welcoming four new grandkids to her family, she was scared because it was on such short notice. But this would soon be the least of her problems.
A Tidal Wave
Baby fever fell over the Scarcella home like a tidal wave. The four sisters had always been close before, but their pregnancies breathed a new life into their bond.
It strengthened what they had built through their childhood and adulthood years and offered new ways to explore and experience life together. They’d wished to share this phase of their lives. Here they were.
Together
With the help of their mom, they navigated the labyrinth that is pregnancy together, going through the motions as the months passed.
The sisters swore that getting pregnant at the same time wasn’t a planned event, even though their dad maintained that it was. But one visit to the doctor would quickly set everything into perspective.
Mountains And Delivery Dates
In the months that Hailey and her sisters were pregnant, Chase was away finalizing his career. He’d assured Hailey he would be around when she gave birth to their son, saying no mountain would keep him away from such an event.
Hailey found his words to be sweet and encouraging. But that was until her sister Sasha shared what her boyfriend told her about their own baby’s delivery date.
More Mountains
Sasha’s boyfriend worked as an engineer in Germany. He’d told her he couldn’t come any sooner because his work schedule wouldn’t allow him. But he’d promised to be by Sasha’s side when she went into labor.
In his Deutsch-laced words, no mountain high enough would block him from being with her on that eventful day. Hailey listened carefully, thinking about how similar those words were to what Chase told her. She thought it was all coincidence until she heard Kelly’s statement over the same.
Even More Mountains
Kelly’s boyfriend, surprise-surprise, was also working outside the country. His mission had taken him deep into the Congo basin, where he led a research team trying to uncover the secrets of some lost civilization.
When she asked him whether or not he’d be around for their kid’s birth, his words used the same mountain analogy. The sisters couldn’t run fast enough to Marya. They needed to know what they were dealing with.
Going To Marya
The Scarcella sisters huddled around their eldest, hoping whatever was happening was pure coincidence. Marya’s boyfriend lived and worked in the country. But he’d traveled to Brazil a few months ago for business purposes.
Marya called him immediately, asking the same questions Sasha, Hailey, and Kelly asked their boyfriends. His answer would send the sisters into a panic.
We Heard You Like Mountains
Marya’s boyfriend used the same mountain analogy. In fact, he referenced the Himalayas, saying he wanted to name their child after one of its peaks.
Hailey’s heart broke, her eyes smarting as she realized what was happening. She scrambled for her phone, barely thinking straight. Did she and her sisters fall pregnant to the same man?
Deafening Silence
She called Chase, but the call didn’t go through. Each of her sisters tried their boyfriends but got no response. They stared at their phones with wide eyes before turning to each other. “I don’t like this,” Hailey whispered.
Like the rest of her sisters, she spent the day trying to reach the father of her child. But for a week, his line was dead. Hailey sat in guilt and self-loathing.
She was the reason all this had happened. She’d doomed herself, her sisters, and the innocent babies growing inside them. But out of nowhere, a knock shook the front door.
A Week Later
The Scarcella family had been stewing in fear and disgust for one-sixty-eight hours before the knock came. Their mom walked to the door, still wondering why someone would be so evil as to do this to her angels. Hailey was sulking in the living room when she heard a familiar voice outside. She lifted her head, her brows drawing close as she craned her neck. That was Chase.
She sped for the door with her sisters after her. Each of them had called out a different name when they heard Chase’s voice. But they all braked when they found four identical men standing tall before their mom. “Ah, yes,” Hailey’s dad intoned from the window. “A glitch in the matrix.”
Disclaimer: To protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.