Tia

“Sister Teresa,” I say, wrapping my arms around the older woman’s frail shoulders. The home she shares with her family was always so warm and inviting, and a part of me wants to sit on her couch, in front of the fire, and pretend all the worries we face aren’t ours to bear.

One look at me though, and she knows something is wrong. I wouldn’t be back here if there wasn’t a good reason.

“My goodness, child. What on earth are you doing here?” Her eyes go wide when they land on the three burly men behind me and her hand goes to her chest. “Good gracious.”

“It’s okay, sister. They’re my husbands.”

“Husbands?” She fans herself and I know this was the last thing she expected. Me, at her door, with my mountain men.

“Well, three of my six.” I can’t help but chuckle at her reaction. “The other three are back in Alaska. But if you let us in, I can tell you everything.”

“Of course. Forgive my rudeness. Come in.” She takes a step back, running her hands over her apron. She’s probably close to eighty now, but her eyes are still clear. I just hope her mind is as well. At least, enough to help give us some answers.

As we walk into the home, we pass a few men, some of her brothers that I have met before, and their sons. I don’t catch sight of any other females and I remember how alone women are now.

I nod hello to greet them, but dip my face, not wanting to draw any more attention to myself. I swear Huxley is zeroing in on each the guys as if memorizing their faces in case one of them decides to rat us out. At this moment, I am grateful that he is able to read situations so well.

Sister Teresa puts a kettle on the stove after she ushers us into the homey kitchen. She closes a sliding door dividing the kitchen from the rest of the house and I am grateful for her discretion. Part of me wonders if she had done this before, helped other women escape like she helped me.

But as I sit down at the round table and watch her scurry around, clearly flustered at my unexpected arrival, I don’t think she has. At the very least, I doubt any of the women ever came back.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea coming here. My presence alone puts her and the people she lives with at risk.

If my father heard I was here, there’s no accounting for what he would do to them.

But I have to think about my babies. Once she hears my predicament, she will help. I know she will.

Fallon stands stoically by the doorway, a scowl on his face, while Em and Huxley sit down at the table with me. Em sets a hand on my knee, and my fingers find his. Grounded in his presence, I explain my situation to Sister Teresa.

Outside the weather is grey and cloudy, just like most springs in Seattle are, but right now the sky feels ominous and I want to curl in on myself when I look out the window.

She offers me tea and I lift it to my nose, inhaling the sweet jasmine aroma. Deep worry lines etch across her face as she sits down beside me, and I reach for her bony hand across the table. She spent her entire life serving others, maybe it is selfish to ask her to help me again.

But then she asks what has brought us here, and I know she needs the story. After all, she was the one who helped me find a cargo boat to sneak away on. My shoulders fall. It feels like a lifetime ago. So much has happened since I left with only hope to guide me.

The hope of freedom.

Now all I want is life. For me, for my husbands, and for my unborn children.

Exhaling, I begin by explaining The Wife Lottery so my three husbands make more sense to her. Then I tell her how I arrived in Alaska, barely holding on by a thread, telling her how it was Fallon who found me and watched over me at the hospital. At that, I look over at Fal, his arms are crossed and his ego bruised, but the memories seem to soften him. Our eyes meet and I see him swallow hard.

He came here to find me because he made a solemn vow to protect me. His intentions are pure, but so are mine.

I tell Sister Teresa my story over two cups of tea and finally get to the real reason I’m here.

“I’m pregnant.”

“Oh.” Her eyes go wide. “That’s wonderful.”

My thoughts darken. Wonderful isn’t exactly the word I would use. But maybe she sees things differently than others, believing God’s work is at hand.

I force a smile. “With six babies.”

She crosses herself. “Dear Lord in heaven.”

“That’s why I’ve come. I need your help.”

“You know I’d do anything for you, sweet child. But I’m not sure what I can do.”

I squeeze her hand. “I hate to ask this of you. After you have already done so much, but I have nowhere else to turn.”

“Ask what you need,” she says, her voice soothing and gentle. “And let’s see if I can help.”

My gut turns at the idea of requesting a woman of God to compromise her ethics, but Emerson and Huxley nod, urging me to go on. “Sister Teresa, do you still remember the code for my father’s office safe?”

“Of course. In the years I worked for him, he never changed it. It was your mother’s birthday.”

Emotion twists in my chest.

“Despite all the things that man did, I will always believe that he loved your mother. It wasn’t until after she was gone that he became... well, the man he is today.”

“A monster,” Huxley says harshly.

Sister Teresa doesn’t deny the words, but they are still so hard for me to hear. My father used to be my hero. But now that I know more and can see everything clearly, I understand who he really was. A mad scientist. A villain after one thing, glory for himself.

“We have to go to his lab,” I explain. “He’s out of town right now, and it’s our one shot.”

“What is it you need in his safe so badly?” Sister Teresa asks.

“My files. I need to understand what he did to me so I can figure out how to save all my children.”

“And yourself,” Fallon says protectively.

“Right. And myself.” Sitting back in the chair, I rest a hand on my still slight belly. “It’s an anomaly to carry sextuplets. I need to know what kind of testing he did on me if I have any hope of surviving.”

Sister Teresa nods. “If anyone is going to survive this pregnancy, it’s going to be you, Tia.”

“You think?” I ask, holding onto any thread of hope I can find.

She stands and pulls me into a hug. “You’re different. You always have been. My brave girl.” Pulling back, her gaze locks on mine. “I hope the code to the safe helps.” She gives a pointed look between my husbands. “Whatever it takes, don’t leave the mainland without answers. Not just for Tia, but for all the women desperate for a cure.”