It's August 31st, 1980. It's my 36th birthday and traditions are traditions; I want my birthday dance from Rebecca but Rebecca doesn't want to do the dance this year. The reason why Rebecca doesn't want to do her birthday dance for me is because she is currently 8 months pregnant and, like she has told me many, many, many times, she feels very unattractive and like she is just a big fat blob. But to me she is still the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Somehow, someway I convinced Rebecca to do her birthday dance for me because tradition is tradition. Rebecca does her cute little dance all the way to the bed and kisses me gently on the lips and says, "Happy Birthday Jack. I love you" then a few seconds pass and she says to me, "I think I have another present for you." I reply, "What is it?" and she says, "My water just broke." And I didn't believe her so I said back, "Are you serious?" and she said, "Yes, Jack! We need to go NOW!"

. . .

Rebecca and I are racing to the hospital because the Big Three are about to be born. We have been waiting for this day since we found out we were pregnant but also, I know Rebecca, and she is terrified because three kids. Three kids at once. Being a parent is already hard enough, but to be a parent to three babies at one time, now that … that is going to be a challenge. But, if anyone can do it, then it would be Becca and I. We finally arrived at the hospital and Rebecca is screaming and squeezing my hands as if it's just sand between her fingers. I run up to the front desk and tell the nurse that my wife is going into labor. She gets Rebecca, a wheelchair and we wheel her off to her room to get prepared to give birth. It takes us about 30 minutes to finally settle in and Becca is having contractions about every 15 minutes now. The doctor finally comes into to check up on Rebecca but when we look up, we see that it is not the same doctor we have been seeing these past eight months.

So, I ask, "Who are you?"

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Pearson, I'm doctor K and I am filling in for your OBGYN. I have been caught up to speed on everything but I do want you two to know that this pregnancy is very high risk and you could lose one of the babies. I hope you don't but I just want to prepare you."

I reply to him, "No, No. We are not losing these babies and everything is going to be fine." And deep down inside, I truly felt that everything was going to be fine.

The doctor just smiles at me and say, "you two are special. I will see you soon so when Mrs. Pearson is 10cm dilated and ready to push."

He turns around and leaves the room and I feel Rebecca squeeze my hand and start screaming and I know that she is having yet another contraction. 2 hours have passed and Rebecca is finally 10 cm dilates. More and more nurses start to come in so they can start to prepare for the delivery of the babies.

Dr. K finally comes into the room all geared up to deliver these babies. He smiles at Rebecca and says, "are we ready?" Rebecca looks him and just screams, "Yes!" My heart is racing with excitement because it's just a matter of minutes before I am finally a dad of three beautiful babies. A thought pops into my head as I am standing in that room. I start to think of Dr. K's comment on the high risk of losing one of the babies and this weird cloud of darkness fills my head as I being to wonder what it would be like to lose one of the triplets, but before I am able to get deep into those thoughts I am brought back to reality by Rebecca squeezing my hand from pain and Dr. K announcing, "The first one is a boy!"

I think to myself, "That's Kevin." I look over to Rebecca and tell her, "Do you hear that? We have a baby boy!" but when I finish the sentence and look into her eyes they're rolling to the back of her head and she seems to be losing breath, and she whispers to me, "Something doesn't fell right." Then Rebecca's heart level started to drop and at that time, everything broke into a chaos and started to surround her and pushed me out of the way. Fear just towered over me as I had no idea what was going on but, on another level, I knew was going on. I was kicked out the room and told to wait in the waiting room.

Hours is what it feels like have passed and I'm still waiting in the same spot, in the same position, thinking of every possible bad scenario in my head. Finally, Dr. K comes out and comes to greet me. I don't think I've jumped out of my seat moved so quickly in my life. I immediately ask in a frantic tone, "What's wrong? How's Rebecca? How are the kids? What is going on?" Dr. K smiles and tells me to calm down and he replies back in a calm tone and says, "Everyone is fine. Rebecca's heart rate just began to drop due to the lack of oxygen she was getting. But she is fine, we were able to get everything under control and all three kids are perfectly healthy. Now do you want to go see your three beautiful babies?" Tears begin to fill my eyes as I hear the doc say those words and I simply just smile and say "yes".

I walk up to the window of the newborn nursery and it doesn't even take me a second to spot Kevin, Kate, and Kyle. All three of them are so breath taking. I can't believe I am blessed enough to be their dad. As I am watching and admiring the Big Three, I notice this newborn African American baby and he is just as adorable as my three. As a nurse walks by I ask her, "Who's baby is that?"

She replies, "Oh we don't know. A firefighter just came and dropped him off here. He said the baby was left at the fire station and he didn't know what to do with him so he brought him here."

"Oh okay, thank you." I say taken aback from her nonchalant tone.

I stare at my Big three and then at the newborn African American laying right there and I think to myself, hmm what about The Big Four?

. . .

The doctor finally allows me to go and see Rebecca and as I walk in my heart fills with all the butterflies. I walk up to her and give her big kiss, just smile, and say to her, "You are amazing". She just laughs and says, "I love you. Aren't the kids beautiful?"

I say back, "They are. They are amazing, but you know I have this idea."

"Oh no, you and your ideas. Those can either be very scary or very good. So, let's hear it."

"Okay, so I was sitting there looking at Kevin, Kate, and Kyle but then to the left of Kyle there is the beautiful baby boy and I asked the doctor whose baby he was and they said that he's an orphan and, I don't know Bec, but what if we adopted him?" She looks at me with big puzzled eyes and begins to laugh and says, "Oh goodness, you are funny. That is a good joke!" she continues to laugh and I just stare at her with a straight, serious face. I think she finally catches on and stops laughing and once again looks at me and says, "You're not serious, are you?"
"Yes I am."

"Jack, I literally just gave birth to triplets? What are you talking about? We are new parents. Most new parents only have one child to worry about but we, we have three and now you want to try to add a fourth one?"

"I know, I know. It does sound crazy but I don't know, I have a good feeling about this. If anyone can raise four amazing kids then that would be us. I don't need an answer right now. I know you just went through a lot and this is a lot to process, but just think about it."

She still just stares at me in shock and simply just nods her head.

…