I told her. She nodded, still staring at the screen.
“Please remain calm,” she said, “because what I’m about to tell you is extremely rare.”
My heart started pounding.
“You’re pregnant,” she said. “With quadruplets.”
The room tilted.
“Four babies,” she continued, pointing at the screen. “See? Four different heartbeats. That’s extremely unusual, especially without fertility treatment. But all four look healthy and strong.”
I stared at the grainy, black-and-white image on the screen.
Four little twinkling lights. Four heartbeats. Four lives.
Four reasons to never give up.
The doctor printed out the ultrasound and handed it to me with a warm smile.
“Congratulations, Mrs. Vance. You’re going to have your hands full.”
I left the clinic dazed.
I sat on a bench in front of the hospital, the ultrasound in my trembling hands, and finally allowed myself to cry.
Not from grief, but from a fierce, terrifying joy.
These children weren’t Sterling’s children.
