Tia

My husbands clap and cheer as our unborn baby’s heartbeat sounds throughout the room. Despite the gravity of the situation, the danger of me carrying a child, smiles surround me, because my pregnancy means one thing -- freedom.

Fallon leans over and kisses my cheek. Emerson grabs my hand and squeezes it reassuringly. Salinger and Huxley beam down at me, and my sweet Giles looks like he might just cry.

But then I catch Banks’ expression, his brows are drawn together, a frown tugging at his lips as he studies the patchy screen of the ultrasound machine. My chest constricts with the same apprehension I see in his dark eyes.

“What’s wrong?” I ask softly.

He gives a small shake of his head, not looking at me, but his normally olive complexion has gone pale, and beads of sweat begin to dot his brow.

Fear grips me because I know my husband, and I can tell by his expression that something is seriously troubling him.

“Banks,” I say, this time louder, forcing him to look at me. “What do you see?”

His nostrils flare and emotion pulls at his handsome features. He glances around the room, meeting each of the men’s gazes before looking back at me. There is so much in his dark eyes, but the overriding emotion is pure dread.

The room is silent now, and I know I’m not the only one who feels Banks’ tension, it’s wrapped around us like a suffocating blanket.

“Is something wrong with the baby?” My words come out shakily.

Banks takes a deep breath, before finally saying, “There’s more than one.”

“One what?” Salinger asks, dark blond hair flopping over his forehead.

“Baby,” I whisper, understanding the fear I see in Banks eyes. “I’m having twins?”

Oh, God.

It’s a death sentence, especially if either of the babies is a girl.

“Twins?” Fallon barks out, dragging a hand through his short cropped hair, blue eyes filling with the same anxiety that’s starting to strangle me.

“No.” Banks coughs, clearly shaking as he puts the machine to the side and stands, starting to pace. “Not twins.”

“Banks you’re scaring me. If it’s not twins then...” I didn’t think it was possible to be more afraid than I already am, but...“There’s more than two?” The words choke out of me.

He roughs his palms over his face before finally saying, “I can’t be sure until I do a few more tests, but it looks like...” It’s like the weight of the world presses down on his shoulders and the hope he’d had only moments before is gone.

“Just spit it out,” Fallon demands, standing straight, jaw clenching, his large hand reaching for mine and holding it in a vice-like grip.

“How many?” I ask, holding Emerson’s other hand.

Surrounded by my husbands I feel like I can take on anything the world throws at me. But I’m not prepared for Banks’ next word.

“Six.” It’s barely audible, more of a desperate whisper like he can’t believe it himself.

“Six?” Multiple voices flood the room, but I can’t see, can’t hear any of them.

Everything goes fuzzy. And I’m glad I’m sitting because I’d probably lose my footing if I wasn’t.

Six babies.

Even in the past when pregnancy wasn’t a high risk, carrying sextuplets was dangerous. But now... now it’s an impossibility. One that will only end one way... with death.

Mine and my unborn babies’.

The men argue around me, their words filled with panic.

“This is your fault...”

“If you hadn’t given her the fertility treatment...”

“It’s a death sentence...”

“She’ll never survive...”

“The babies won’t live...”

“We have to do something...”

Tears blur my vision, but I blink them away. I drop Fallon’s hand and stand, my legs tingling.

Emerson doesn’t let go of my hand, even when I try to pull away. Instead, he pulls me back against his chest and wraps a massive arm around me protectively. It takes all my self-control not to just melt into him, take his strength, and let the others figure out my fate. But I need to be an advocate for the children I’m carrying because I know the first and probably wisest decision at this point would be to terminate the pregnancy.

But it was my choice to get pregnant. And even if it means sacrificing my own life, I will make sure each little heartbeat has the best chance of survival.

“Enough,” I say, and when they keep arguing, I raise my voice, “I said, ‘enough.’”

Everyone stops and looks at me.

“We can’t start placing blame.” I take a deep steadying breath, searching for the courage to face the truth of my predicament. “We all knew the risks--”

Fallon gives a hard shake of his head. “If I’d known there was a chance of you conceiving multiple, I never would have--”

“It’s rare,” I interrupt, knowing the fertility drugs Banks administered most likely played a part, but not wanting to give the men any reason to blame him. I close my eyes briefly, then say, “But it changes nothing.”

“It changes everything,” Huxley mutters. “You’ll die, Tia.”

“Maybe.” A shiver races through me, because it’s more than a maybe, it’s almost a certainty. I glance at Banks who now leans against the far wall, looking like he might be sick.

I can see the guilt in his eyes.

He blames himself.

I can’t let him lose faith now.

“But I have the best doctor in the world living right under my roof.”

“Tia.” Banks rubs the back of my neck. “This is more...” He swallows hard. “This is...”

“You said yourself that I’m an anomaly. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe I can survive this.” I place my hand on my stomach. “Maybe...”

Emerson’s arms tighten around me when my words catch on a sob.

“The chances of you surviving, or of any of the fetuses living, are...” Banks looks away, not meeting my gaze.

“Your research, the drugs you’ve been studying...” I pull away from Emerson and place a hand on Banks’ arm. “I trust you.”

“It’s not about trust, Tia. It’s about statistics.” His eyes tell a story written in fear, but I can’t let myself get pulled into his doubts.

“Then change the stats.” I smile up at him, giving what little strength I have left, and praying that it’ll be enough. “I won’t abort these babies.”

“You might not have a choice.” With a rare show of affection, Banks steps towards me and drags his knuckles across my cheek. “Depending on how many female fetuses you’re carrying, your body will most likely dispel them.”

I want to cry at his words, pull into myself, but that won’t help. I need to be strong. Have hope. Even if he doesn’t.

“If that happens, then I’ll accept it. But I won’t give up as long as their hearts beat inside of me.” My eyes blur with tears at the idea of losing what I’ve only just been given.

How have the women who came before me dealt with this?

My shoulders shake as I consider the truth, surviving with all of my babies would be a miracle, and I don’t think there are any miracles left in this barren world.

Giles, who’s been relatively quiet about the whole pregnancy comes up beside me, and says to Banks, “You’ve been working your ass off night and day, and I know you had a breakthrough recently. I believe in you to keep Tia safe.”

I give Giles a small, grateful smile because I know his words are meant to give Banks the motivation and strength he’ll need in the coming months. He’s a good man. And he always seems to know exactly what everyone needs.

There’s a small murmur around the room, each man coming to terms with the dire situation.

“We’ve survived so many adversities already.” Giles arms slings around my waist and his other hand rests on Banks’ shoulder. “We can survive this. Together.”

Banks inhales a long, deep breath. “This is what you want?” he asks me. “To try and carry them to term? Even knowing that you probably won’t survive? Because if this is about Lawson coming for you, we can find another way to stave him off.”

I close my eyes briefly, not allowing the fear that swirls around us to consume me, then nod. “Yes.”

There’s no grumbling, no mutters, just dead silence. Because of all the challenges we’ve faced as a family, this is the gravest.