‘Autumn looked out her window and saw a black sedan pull into the driveway. She peered closer and saw two men in black suits and sunglasses step out and walk towards the house. She was frozen to her seat with fear and couldn’t move. Her mother answered the door, and they pushed past her into the house and strode upstairs. One rapped on her door and said-‘
 
                “Autumn, honey.”
                Autumn sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, looking around.
                Her father stood in the doorway.
                “What?” she asked sleepily.
                “Your mom’s going into labor and we need to get to the hospital.  Melody and her mom and brother are coming over to be with you.  You need to be good for her mother, alright?”
                Her father, not waiting for a reply, shut the door and hurried down the stairs.   
                Autumn looked at the clock, climbed out of bed and changed into day clothes. She hurried downstairs just as Melody and her mother and brother got to the house. She let them in, and they all settled themselves in the living room with a snack.
                “I’m so happy for you, Autumn!” Melody exclaimed.  “I know how long you have been waiting for this day.”
                Autumn nodded, just about speechless with joy.
                “Yes,” Melody’s mother added. “Congratulations.”
                She acknowledged their words with a slight nod and a smile.
                Melody’s mother gathered the three of them in a little circle.  “Let’s pray for Mrs. Harrison, that her delivery would go well and that she and the babies would be safe.”
                They offered up their pleas for the safety of mother and children and then settled themselves on the floor.
                “What should we do now?” Melody asked. “I think I’m too wired to sleep.”
                Her mother nodded at Micah, Melody’s little brother, who was nodding off again.  “I don’t think he’s too wired.  He looks bushed.”
                “He can sleep on the couch,” Autumn offered.
                She helped Melody settle Micah on the couch with a pillow and blanket.
                “We could-watch something,” Autumn suggested.  “Do you have preferences?”
                “We’ll watch what you watch,” Melody said, and her mother nodded in agreement.
                Autumn chose her new favorite movie, Storm Warning, and they settled down to watch it.
               
                “Autumn? Autumn?”
                For the second time that night, Autumn was awoken, and she looked at the clock on the TV.
                It read 3:37.
                “Is everything alright?”
                “Your dad just called and said that the doctors will be doing a C-section, since a natural birth is not an option,” Melody’s mother said quietly, not wanting to disturb her sleeping children.
                “Alright, thank you for telling me.” Autumn yawned widely. “Do I need to stay awake for some reason?”             
                “No, you can go back to sleep.  That’s what I’ll be doing.”
                It didn’t take long for Autumn to drift back into dreamland…
 
                Despite her interrupted sleep cycle, Autumn was awake just before seven the next morning. She busied herself preparing a breakfast of cereal and sticky buns.
                One by one, Melody and her mother and brother woke up and quietly started their day. 
                When everyone was awake, Autumn turned on the morning news.
                She was cleaning up from breakfast when Melody called from the living room, “Autumn! Come look!”
                Autumn put down the tray of sticky buns that she was holding and went into the living room and there on the TV were-her parents.
                “They’re on TV!” she gasped.  “Why is that? How did it happen?”
                “Well, it’s not often that the world gets to welcome triplets” Melody’s mother said as she came up behind Autumn. “The hospital told the TV station nearby, and they came. You’re famous, Autumn, and so are your parents and siblings.”
                “Some very fascinating news has come to our ears this morning,” said Kathy Peterson, the announcer for the news station.  “At Lexington Memorial Hospital, at 4:17 this morning, a set of triplets was born to Jared and Stacey Harrison. Here is what the proud parents have to say.”
                The TV switched to a view of Autumn’s parents in a hospital room, with three babies, two of whom had medical apparatus attached to them.
                “We are very proud of our babies,” said Jared Harrison. “We have always wanted more children, and we are so pleased to welcome three more little ones into the world.”
                The TV turned back to the announcer.
                “Three years after marriage,” the announcer began, “they found out that they wouldn’t be able to have children. But their faith in God kept them strong through sorrow, and two years later, a healthy little girl, Autumn, was born to them.”
                Autumn saw her parents and siblings again.
                “We are so very happy for our little girl who is now a big sister,” Stacey Harrison said.  “She was very excited and looked forward to having siblings.” She turned to her husband.
                He said, “We also remember now the twins we conceived just before the triplets were, yet did not survive, Joshua Matthias and Lily Grace, but even our sadness has turned to joy at the birth of our precious little girls and boy, Hazel Aurora, Hannah Marie, and Christian Dominic Harrison.”
                “Beautiful names,” Melody breathed as she hugged Autumn.  “That’s so exciting!”
                “That reminds me…” Melody’s mother said.  “Remember that doctor’s appointment your father and I went to last week? Well, we went to find out the gender of our baby, and guess what we found out?”
                “We’re having a girl?” Melody asked hopefully.
                “Well, we never told you anything from any appointment other than that everything was going well. We knew we were having twins, and we went and found out that we were having another boy and girl,” Melody’s mom explained.
                All four of them celebrated that day. Melody and Autumn prepared an extra special meal and Melody’s father brought ice cream cake to the Harrison home to celebrate the triplets’ birth.
 
                That evening, Mr. Harrison came home.
                “Do you want to go visit your mother and the babies?” he asked after thanking their neighbors for helping them out so much.
                “Oh, yes!” Autumn nodded vigorously. “I’ve wanted to visit ever since seeing you on television.”
                He threw his head back and laughed. “You saw that, didn’t you? I hoped you would. Well, come along, let’s go see them.”
               
                As it turned out, Hazel, Hannah, and Christian were even cuter than they had seemed to be on TV. The doctors were surprised at how healthy Christian was even though he was born premature, so although they kept an eye on him, nothing happened that caused them any concern. Autumn was glad, and even though she only got to hold her little brother, she was happy to be able to see her new sisters, who were a dream come true for her.
                As she cuddled Christian close, many thoughts were running through Autumn’s head.
                The Bible is right. God does work all things for the good of those who have been called according to his purpose. He wanted me to learn more about this heart defect and also to learn that his grace is sufficient for all my needs.
                And, she added in her mind as she shifted to a more comfortable position in the rocking chair in which she was situated, he wanted me to learn that all I need to do when I’m in trouble is trust and obey, because there I will find true joy, peace, and happiness.
 
               
                “Autumn, look at Christian!” Mr. Harrison exclaimed.
                Sixteen year old Autumn put her book down and glanced over the edge of the couch. “Well, look at you!” she said to her brother with pleasant surprise.
                Christian pushed himself to a sitting position and then a wobbly, unsteady standing one, then propelling himself forward several steps before falling. He grinned and yelled, enthusiastically waved his hands as his parents and oldest sister applauded his accomplishment.   
                “So, how are the ‘H’s’ doing?” Mr. Harrison asked his wife.  “Are they still asleep?”
                “Yes, Hazel and Hannah are still asleep, and they’re doing fine,” she answered, emphasizing the girls’ names. “Good gracious, Jared, just call them by their real names!”
                “What’s wrong with nicknames?” he asked defensively.
                “Nothing, but you never ever call them by their real names anymore.”
                Mr. Harrison got up and sighed as he left the room. “They’re only nicknames.”
                Mrs. Harrison rolled her eyes as she got up and saved an open box of CD’s from Christian’s destruction. “Yes, but we gave them names for a reason.”
                Autumn grinned as she picked up her book and stood. “I’m going to my room, Mom. Do you need anything before I go?”
                “No, I think I’m alright,” she answered. “Thank you for asking though, sweetheart.”
                Autumn took the stairs two at a time and was on her bed in a brief amount of time. She took up her Bible and opened to a familiar and favorite verse.               
                ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’
                Autumn smiled as she closed the Bible and held it to her chest. The verse that had helped her through the difficulty of having siblings with birth defects ran itself through her head time and time again, and she involuntarily smiled.
                I love, love, love that verse! she thought happily. I don’t know how I could live without it, or without the whole Bible!
                Her father peeked in the open door. “Donnell and Melody are here to go over stories.” He winked, and as Autumn remembered meeting Donnell for the first time, she rolled her eyes and smiled as she put down her Bible.
                “Tell them I’ll be down, Dad,” she said.
                When he had gone, she grabbed her Toshiba, walked out the door, and walked slowly down the stairs, holding her computer carefully.
                Donnell looked up and saw her before she got very far, and he started humming ‘Here Comes the Bride’ loudly.
                Autumn rolled her eyes again as her face reddened. “Donnell, stop that, or Melody and I going to call you by the nickname your family gave you when you were three!”
                Melody was standing nearby, and she laughed. “Ooh, you’d better stop, Donnie,” she teased. 
                Donnell grinned sheepishly. “Aw, come on, you know I’m just kidding,” he protested.
                They settled down at the kitchen table and set up their laptops.
                Autumn sighed as she glanced over at Donnell. “I still can’t believe you got a Mac,” she said.
                “My dad is a die-hard Mac fan-and so am I, just like all my brothers, and most of my sisters,” Donnell added before quickly changing the subject. “How are the girls?”
                “They’re doing fine and the doctors think that surgery is possible within the next two or three years,” Autumn replied as she turned to Melody. “And how are Maddy and Brody doing?”
                “They’re two of the most annoying and destructive toddlers on the face of Planet Earth,” Melody replied. “It’s amazing what they can do if you leave them alone for just a minute.”
                “Girls, girls, what are we here for?” Donnell reminded them.
                “Talking about us and our families,” Autumn replied, giving him an innocent smile.
                “Okay, so how are you doing?” Donnell asked.
                “About the death of the two quintuplets?” Autumn asked.
                He nodded.
                “Well, I’ve been doing much better, and although I’m still sad that they’re gone, I know that God had a reason for letting them die. He just wants me to trust and obey him,” Autumn explained as she opened up some files on her computer. She glanced up and smiled at him, and he nodded and smiled back.
                “That’s good. I’ve been praying for you ever since you told me about their death, and it’s heartening to see progress being made,” he replied.
                “Guys…” Melody began.
                “I know, I know,” Donnell interrupted. “We’re here for writing club. Who should start?”
                Melody and Autumn looked at each other, smiled, and said simultaneously, “You.”
                Donnell rolled his eyes and blew out his breath. “Fine. I guess I’m outvoted. Here goes…”
                Autumn was half-listening to him read his story as she turned to the file of his that she had opened.
                I’m so glad I have such kind and loving parents and sympathizing friends, she thought. But when it comes to comfort, they’re only second best.
                She smiled. God comes first.
                “Autumn? Yoo-hoo!” Donnell waved a hand in front of her face.
                Autumn came back to earth. “Sorry. I just had some thoughts running through my head,” she said, smiling.
                “Thanks,” Melody said, “neither of us could tell.”
                “Okay, back to where I left off,” Donnell said, turning back to his story.
                Autumn drifted back into her land of thoughts. I was so wrong thinking that God is unfair. He really does want what is only best for us. He just wants us to trust in him.              
                She smiled again.
                Even when it’s a tough path to get us to where he wants us to be.
                “Autumn!!!”