Page 7 of Absolution

The doctor smiles gently. “Two sets of twins. Identical in each sac. It’s rare, but it happens. You’re having quadruplets.”

My stomach drops. I blink hard, like maybe I read it wrong. But it’s there. Four heartbeats. All ours. My grip on Jackie’s hand tightens. She doesn’t pull away.

Mouth going dry, I ask, just to hear it again, “Four?”

The doctor nods. “Yes. Quadruplets. Two sets of identical twins.”

Jackie finally exhales. A sharp breath, shaky.

“Jesus,” she mutters. Then again, quieter. “Jesus.”

The doctor studies us both, then sets the wand down. “Why don’t I give you a minute,” she says gently. “We’ll talk more in my office.”

Jackie gets dressed in silence. She moves slowly, carefully, like the weight of what just hit us is sinking into her bones. I help her with her coat. My hands are steady. My mind is anything but.

We walk down the hall and sit in two chairs across from the doctor’s desk. She shuts the door behind us, sits down, and folds her hands.

“I won’t sugarcoat it,” she says. “Quadruplet pregnancies are high-risk. For the babies. For the mother.”

Jackie nods, not saying a word.

“The chances of premature birth are extremely high. NICU stays are almost guaranteed. There are risks of cerebral palsy, developmental delays, physical complications. For the mother… blood pressure, gestational diabetes, haemorrhage, preterm labour. And that’s with the best care available.”

I can feel Jackie leaning into me slightly. I don’t move.

The doctor continues, calm, clinical. “One option we do present at this stage is called selective reduction. It’s a procedure that reduces the number of foetuses to three even two. It significantly increases the chance of a healthy pregnancy and safer delivery. It’s not an easy choice, but it’s one some parents consider when faced with this kind of multiple pregnancy.”

Jackie’s voice is barely above a whisper. “Would it… would that hurt the others?”

“There’s risk,” the doctor says, carefully. “But it’s often done around week ten. We’d monitor closely. It increases your odds of carrying to term, or close to it.”

Silence.

Jackie finally looks at me. But I don’t let her speak.

“No,” I say, voice flat. Final. “We’re not doing that.”

The doctor opens her mouth, but I cut her off. “We’re not talking about statistics. We’re talking about our children. Our four children. That’s not a decision. That’s a line I won’t cross.”

Jackie doesn't argue. But I see something shift in her face, a tension.

In the car, it’s quiet until I break it. “I can’t believe that woman wanted us to kill two of our babies.”

Jackie stares out the window, hands folded in her lap.

“She didn’t say kill,” she says quietly. “She said it might be safer. That it could save my life,theirlife.”

I glance over. “Wait. You’re actually considering this?”

She doesn’t answer right away.

I pull the car to a stop at a red light, jaw locked.

“Which ones, Jackie?” I ask, voice sharper than I mean. “Do we just pick two to keep and pretend the others weren’t real?”

“Kyle,” she whispers, pained.

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “We said we’d do this together. So don’t talk to me about safety like we’re in a war zone. You’ve been fine. No morning sickness. No problems. No pain. This pregnancy’s been easy so far, and it’s going to stay that way.”

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