Bringing a newborn into the family may be an emotional experience for the entire family. However, before their joyful faces can be brought into the world, their mothers must go through nine months of pregnancy, during which time anything can happen.The four Hauser sisters were overjoyed when they discovered they were all pregnant at once. However, during a normal checkup for one sister, the doctor discovered a truth about the father of her child. Before long, the happy occasion had devolved into a disaster that threatened to split the sisters apart.
Meet the Hausers
Twenty-eight years ago, in central Mississippi, two loving parents welcomed quadruplets into their family. Sandra, Miranda, Olivia, and Julie Hauser were four girls who were naturally great friends. Their parents never anticipated to have four girls at once, yet they considered the birth of their daughters to be the most joyous event in their life.The girls spent their entire childhood together. They played together as children, studied together as adults, and even formed a reading club. But nothing could have prepared them for the next major milestone they were going to encounter.
Meet The Hausers
Dream Come True
Family has always been a significant element of the Hauser sisters’ lives. The Hauser parents had strong family values, which they imparted in their daughters. As they grew older, the sisters hoped to start their own families. They frequently discussed having their children as close together as possible so that they might grow up with relatives their own age. Their desire will soon become a reality, but not in the way they had expected.
Dream Come True
First Love
Despite their best efforts, none of the four girls had ever been in a relationship with someone they could imagine themselves getting married to. They were in their late twenties, and their mother’s humorous comments about their love life had morphed into nagging. Olivia Hauser was choosy about love, but she quickly recognized her mother was correct. She began to consider dating more seriously, but when she met a professional mountain climber, she had no idea she would fall for him so quickly.
First Love
The Mountain Man
Olivia was constantly working, but she had finally decided to take a month off to travel around Tibet. She urgently needed a vacation, and she was delighted to finally do some strenuous hiking through the lovely highlands. Here is where she met Andrew. His kindness and humor drew her in, even though she initially saw him platonically. He informed her about his father’s sickle-cell condition, which pushed him to stay as active as possible, and how he discovered mountain climbing. He raved to her about his previous climbing trips and the next peak on his list: the Himalayas. His narrative intrigued Olivia, and she was interested about her new companion.
The Mountain Man
A Crush
Olivia had stronger feelings for Andrew as they spent more time together. His big trip was coming up in a few weeks, so the two saw each other as much as they could. She admired his enthusiasm for climbing and life in general, and he never failed to make her laugh.When she found herself caring about his well-being whenever he went climbing, she began to suspect that her feelings for him were more than platonic. She couldn’t stop thinking about him and missed him when she wasn’t with him. Already, she couldn’t believe how much he had changed her life, and this was only the beginning.
A Crush
Reaching the Peak
Instead than waiting for him to return, Olivia opted to join Andrew on his excursions. As they climbed together, their relationship bloomed. They shared things they hadn’t told anyone else, and Olivia realized she hadn’t connected with anyone as much as she had with Andrew. Toward the end of her trip, she resolved to accompany him up the Himalayas, determined to be there when he finally accomplished his aim. The two hiked up the mountains together and were ecstatic to reach the summit. Andrew then had an important question to ask Olivia.
Reaching The Peak
Important Question
The sky was a vibrant blue, and the couple was surrounded by stunning white peaks and scattered clouds. Andrew proposed to Olivia in the frigid air of the Himalayan summit. Olivia experienced one of the most wonderful moments of her life. She couldn’t believe where they were, how beautiful Andrew was, or that he felt the same way about her. There was only one viable answer to this inquiry, and Olivia couldn’t get it out quickly enough. She was on top of the world, literally and figuratively—but not for long.
Important Question
Long Distance
The new couple only had a few days together before Olivia’s vacation ended, but they were blissful. They had never had such strong emotions before, and they were glad to share them with each other. Olivia will soon have to board a plane and leave the frigid peaks of Tibet for her home in sunny Mississippi. She was saddened to leave Andrew, especially since his active climbing schedule meant he only visited seldom. She told herself that their bond was strong enough to withstand vast distances, but things wouldn’t be as simple as she imagined.
Long Distance
Relationship Problems
Olivia was feeling really lonely after only a few months. She missed her partner and struggled to cope with their distance. Any time she brought it up, it resulted in bickering. Olivia was upset because Andrew was never home, and when he was, he was preoccupied with planning his next vacation. Andrew, on the other hand, wanted she could realize how important his career was to him. He only needed her to wait a little longer, but Olivia wasn’t sure she could.
Relationship Problems
Never Home
Olivia had initially admired Andrew’s dedication to mountain climbing, but she soon realized how it was incompatible with being in a relationship. It not only kept him away from her for weeks at a time, but it also did not bode well for their relationship’s future. Olivia couldn’t handle the thought of Andrew on a mountain where anything could go wrong—especially if they settled down and had children. Olivia’s thoughts were loudest, overwhelming the notion that Andrew had only three years left before retiring. Despite this, nothing could have prepared her for what was about to happen.
Never Home
Sad Ending
Olivia couldn’t handle it any longer. When she and Andrew next spoke, she knew exactly what she had to do. He could tell by the tone of her voice that she was done, and despite his pleas to reconsider, Olivia insisted on ending their relationship. Olivia was devastated, regardless of how important she felt it was. She was unable to get out of bed for several weeks after the split. Her three sisters approached her one by one, comforting her and nursing her back to normalcy now that Andrew had left her life. None of the Hauser sisters understood that Andrew was planning a means to stay in their life indefinitely.
Sad Ending
His Pain
Andrew was heartbroken by his split. He’d never felt this way about someone before, and he’d already planned to ask Olivia to marry him a few months later. She was attractive, caring, and intelligent, and he wished to spend the rest of his life with her. He only had a few years left in his profession, and after meeting Olivia, he couldn’t wait to retire and enjoy the perfect life with the ideal girl. She damaged his chance when she ended their relationship. His pain was tremendous, and it quickly evolved into rage.
His Pain
Hatching a Plan
With anguish and devastation in his heart, Andrew began to formulate a plan. He couldn’t let Olivia go, and he hoped she felt the same way he did. She had told him about her sisters, whom she adored more than anything. If he was going to make her feel his agony, he needed to think of something that involved them. The Hauser sisters had no idea what was on their way.
Hatching A Plan
The Healing Process
Olivia gradually rediscovered herself after the separation. Her tears had ceased falling every day, and she felt compelled to get back out on the trails and move her body, even if the prospect of mountain climbing still upset her. She was a far cry from the sad girl who had preferred peace of mind over the guy she loved. She was doing her best to go forward with her life. Then, one night, while walking home, she nearly ran into someone.
The Healing Process
Down From the Mountain
Olivia looked up, staring into some very familiar hazel eyes. Andrew stood in front of her after yet another excursion up another mountain, and she was overcome with emotion. He grinned down at her, and she took note of his appearance. He was still the rough, muscular person she remembered, but he had allowed his hair and beard grow slightly to give him the appearance of a truly free mountain man. Olivia immediately found herself falling again. With Andrew, it was as if she had no control over her emotions, and she heard herself inviting him to her home.
Down From The Mountain
Stay a While
Andrew of course agreed. He couldn’t say no to her either, and the two found themselves continuing where they left off. There were several months until his next trip. Meanwhile, Andrew happily stayed with Olivia, and the two enjoyed resuming their blissful routine. Then they discovered she was pregnant. The two considered their options before deciding to conceive a kid together. One month later, Andrew was going for his next climbing adventure, while Olivia was busy preparing for the mini-Andrew who would enter her life in eight months. However, she was not the only one prepping.
Stay A While
Christmas Miracle
Andrew was still out of the country when Christmas arrived, but Olivia thought it was the best moment to tell her family. Olivia tried to find an appropriate time to bring it up, but each time seemed awkward—until Miranda spoke up and informed the family that she had an announcement. She was pregnant! Before anyone could respond, Julie revealed that she, too, was expecting. Their parents stood up to congratulate the two girls, but Sandra had other news.
Christmas Miracle
Utter Disbelief
Sandra added, “This may sound planned, but I am as well.” This was getting too much for their parents to bear. In a moment of discomfort, Olivia’s father remarked, “Let me guess, you’re pregnant too.” When she revealed that she was, in fact, one month pregnant, the entire family became silent as they fought to process it. Though their pregnancies were going exactly as they’d hoped, the gravity of the situation began to sink in. The sisters held their breath, waiting to see how their parents would react.
Utter Disbelief
Mixed Reactions
Both their mother and father were delighted for their girls and the prospect of becoming grandparents, but their joy was tempered with stress and worry. Their father couldn’t help but be disappointed that none of the men who had gotten his daughters pregnant had the foresight to marry them first or the courage to meet the family. Meanwhile, their mother had gone into panic mode when she discovered she had considerably less time to prepare for one grandchild, let alone four, than she had hoped. Time seemed to move at a snail’s pace as their parents gradually accepted the news of their daughters’ pregnancy, but the Hauser parents had no idea they were worried about the wrong things.
Mixed Reactions
In it Together
As the parents realized how fantastic this coincidence was, the Hauser family went into a baby-welcoming frenzy. The sisters became even closer than they had before, and their parents were a huge help in getting all of their homes ready for the arrival of their baby. The sisters were the most helpful to one another, traveling in pairs to doctors’ appointments, grocery stores, and other baby-related chores. Sandra and Olivia went to the doctor’s office for a routine visit one day, but this time was different.
In It Together
Doctor’s Advice
The nurse checked on the two sisters’ pregnancy and informed them that everything was going as planned. She gave them information about which supplements they should take and which they should avoid before sending them on their way. However, while the two women were leaving, one doctor stopped them. “Miranda, do you recall what I said yesterday? Make sure you schedule your sickle cell test. “We will see you next month.” Olivia’s mind was racing as Sandra laughed at the fact that she had been mistaken for Miranda.
Doctor’s Advice
An Odd Coincidence
As the two sisters walked out of the doctor’s office, Olivia tried to process what the doctor had just told her. Andrew had informed her before leaving that their kid would be screened for sickle cell. Perhaps Miranda’s boyfriend being a sickle cell carrier was just an unfortunate accident. Still, something felt odd about this—Olivia couldn’t put her finger on it. Unfortunately, that would not be the only strange coincidence that week.
An Odd Coincidence
No Mountain High Enough
All of the sisters’ partners were working outside of the nation, so the girls had to make their own way. Andrew was closing up his profession and wouldn’t be able to return for a few months. He reassured Olivia by promising to be there in the weeks leading up to the birth. No mountain could separate him from the most significant occasion in their lives. Olivia was relieved to hear Andrew’s kind comments, until she learned what Julie’s boyfriend had told her about their baby’s birth.
No Mountain High Enough
Sounds Familiar
Julie’s boyfriend worked as an engineer in Berlin. He had a hectic work schedule and a rigorous employer who would only offer him time off during the few weeks preceding the scheduled delivery date. He wasn’t worried, though, and Julie had told her sisters that he had promised to move mountains to be there for the baby’s birth. Olivia couldn’t help but notice something familiar in his language. Something didn’t feel right. Sandra then showed them what her lover had sent her.
Sounds Familiar
Eerily Similar
Sandra’s partner, another male working outside the nation, was emailing her from deep within the Congo basin, where he was conducting research. He needed to finish his project but would be home for the birth, and he used a mountain comparison to reassure Sandra.The girls stared at each other, puzzled. Their stories seemed too similar. They turned to Miranda, thinking she’d break the pattern. There had to be an explanation for so many coincidences.
Eerily Similar
Ease Our Minds
The three sisters told Miranda the truth and urged her to calm their nerves. She informed them that, unlike the other three, her partner truly lived in the country, but he was not present since he needed to rush to Brazil for a few months to handle things for his work. They encouraged her to call him, and she gladly did so. But his response would do nothing to ease the Hauser sisters’ anxieties.
Ease Our Minds
The Himalayas
Miranda contacted him and asked about his plans for the day she would give birth, and he, too, pledged to be there. There was no mountain high enough to keep them away. He had even been thinking about names while he was overseas, and he felt one of the Himalayan peaks would be an excellent name for a young girl. The other girls’ heads whipped around to face Olivia, who let out an unexpected sob. She covered her mouth and frantically reached for her phone to call Andrew. There was no way this was all the same guy—was there?
The Himalayas
Radio Silence
Olivia waited eagerly as the dial tone rang and rang, but there was no answer. The other girls called their partners as well, but none answered. Fear formed in their stomachs as they struggled to understand what was going on. “I don’t like this,” Olivia said quietly. They continued to call their children’s father throughout the day and the next, but their lines remained dead for a week. Olivia understood that the stress was bad for the baby, but she couldn’t help but feel like it was all her responsibility.
Radio Silence
Seven Whole Days
Seven full days went with no word from any of them. Miranda’s boyfriend didn’t even call her back. The Hauser family was a shambles, with each member filled with hatred, disdain, and humiliation—particularly Olivia, who believed she had brought this on her family. She hadn’t been able to do anything but sit in her parents’ house, crying and trying to figure out what to do next. After seven days of this, she assumed her mind was playing tricks on her until she heard a familiar voice outside the front door. Then she heard it plainly. Andrew.
Seven Whole Days
Behind the Door
Her sisters heard it too, and the four girls dashed to the door. Each of the four children screamed out a different name, and as their mother opened the door, they held their breath. There were four identical brothers standing on the front porch, each yelling out the names of their women. Andrew never told Olivia that he had three identical brothers. Is one set of quadruplets falling for another? None of the girls could believe the strange coincidence, but Andrew had always intended to introduce his brothers to Olivia’s sisters. As everyone took in the scene in front of them, they let out sighs of relief and even shed a few tears.
Behind The Door
Looking to the Future
Olivia had no idea when she fell for Andrew that he would soon become her baby’s father. But when Olivia and her sisters were pregnant at the same time, and strange coincidences continued to occur, she expected the worst. When trust is all you have, it can be difficult to keep your mind from wandering. Fortunately, life frequently works itself out. We’re pleased the Hauser sisters found love with these men. We wish them all a smooth birth and a healthy future for themselves and their families.
Looking To The Future