Elise snuck out of bed before Danny woke to place his birthday card on top of his dresser. She was secretly glad he had a couple of adult beverages the night before. Otherwise it would have been impossible to get out of bed without waking him. No matter how hard she tried, Danny woke up almost every time she tried to stealthily roll out of bed. Normally Elise didn't mind. If anything, she felt bad for inadvertently waking him. But she was too nervous this morning, hoping to buy a little more time, at least for a cup of coffee first. He would probably be "in the mood" when he woke up too, being his birthday and all, but again, her nerves were getting the better of her, more than they had in months. She promised herself she would make it up to him later if he was disappointed about her already being gone from bed.271Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡta2FebjGId
After seeing that Danny was still sound asleep when she retrieved the card from her purse in the living room and set it on his dresser where he would notice it, she crept silently back to the kitchen to start the coffee maker, expertly avoiding all of the squeaky wooden boards along the way.
Elise knew the stimulant wasn't going to be great for her nerves, but still she relished the steamy coffee after adding her usual amount of hazelnut creamer. She hoped it would help to focus her thoughts some, at least.
Surprised by Danny still not making an appearance, she decided to hop in the shower. It had been nearly 3 months since the accident and she was getting around mostly normal, but certain things still gave Elise problems. One being the barstool she had just gotten down from.
"Damn it," she mumbled as she hobbled down the hallway toward their bedroom. It would eventually work itself out, the kink, but Elise looked forward to the hot water of the shower beating the shit out of it as well. She began taking her clothes off, only her underwear remained, when Danny's voice made her head shoot up towards the bed.
"You're up early," he smiled, sleep giving him that sexy morning voice of his she loved so much. Still, she jumped.
"Jesus Christ, Danny! You about gave me a heart attack!" Elise half-hissed at him.
"Damn. And jumpy too. You ok this morning?" he raised an eyebrow at her as he swung his legs over his side of the bed, facing her. She had managed to pull her panties back up, in the middle of sliding them off when Danny had startled her, and quickly wrapped herself in her robe from the back of the bathroom door.
"I'm fine," she looked up at him as he came over and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning in for a kiss.
"Why so shy all of a sudden?" he spoke low into her ear. "I was hoping you would still be in bed when I got up," one of his hands slid inside the top of her robe near her shoulder, sliding further down.
"Danny, I," Elise sucked in a breath as his fingers traced one of her nipples. "I can't right now." It was hard to tell him "no" when she herself wanted to make love to him.
"Please?" he tried reaching his hand down further, but she grabbed his wrist through the robe as he reached her stomach.
"Alright, alright," Danny backed away from her with his hands in the air in surrender. Then his face screwed up.
"Have you been doing crunches or something, baby? Your stomach feels harder than normal."
His words made her anxiety skyrocket.
"That's what I need to talk to you about. We can...do that...later," Elise promised.
"Ok, now you're starting to freak me out. What's this all about, Elise? Why are you acting so weird?"
She didn't know what else to do but take a deep breath.
"Just open the card," she pointed to his dresser.
"You're not, like, dying or something, are you?" he asked without moving.
"What? No! God, Danny. Even if I were, why would I tell you on your birthday, of all days?!" Elise was becoming exasperated. He was not making this any easier. She was already so unsure how he would react to the actual surprise she had for him that she felt like she was nearing a panic attack.
"I don't know. My brain's not awake yet," was Danny's only defense as he finally went to grab the card.
"That's just part of it," Elise offered. "It's the biggest part, but there's something else too waiting for you in the kitchen," she started biting her nails, something she hadn't done in she couldn't remember how long.
"If it's the pot of coffee I smell in there, I'm going to smack you," Danny had his back turned to her as he opened the card. Elise couldn't help but laugh.
"No, the coffee is not the other surprise." He was such a smartass sometimes. Then again, so was she.
Danny finally pulled the card out of the envelope after what felt like an eternity. Not thinking about the fact that something might fall out, after all, she had warned him it was the biggest surprise, it could have been a gift card or concert tickets or any number of things, the thin picture fell to the floor as he lifted the front flap. He stooped to pick it up before finishing reading the inside of the card, second nature, but slowed as he neared. It had miraculously landed face up.271Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUepZG84TdT
"What is this?" Danny's fingertips lingered mere inches away from it, as if he were scared to touch it. He looked up at Elise, who was still biting her nails, though trying to do it more discreetly now. She simply nodded her head at it, indicating him to pick it up. He finally did so slowly, bringing the picture close to his face as he stood. Elise gave him a minute to study it.
"Is this what I think it is?" Danny finally looked to her again, confusion still clouding his features.
"That depends on what you think it is." She felt bad for being a smartass, but she didn't know what else to say.
"I think it's an ultrasound picture that says 'Hi, Dad!' on it," he said looking at it again, mouth hanging slightly open, before looking back at her, repeating this routine over and over, still disbelieving.
"Quit being adorable. Did you see the name and the date at the top?" she couldn't help smiling.
"Mortenson, Elise M. 8/10/2020," he read aloud quietly. "That was only 3 days ago," he looked to her again.
She nodded.
"I'm sorry. I was sneaky. I didn't really go to the orthopedist. I went to the obgyn. It wasn't the new medicine making me sick. It was..." Elise trailed off, gesturing wildly at the picture, but having a hard time saying it herself. "That!" she finally blurted. "The baby," she said softer, letting her hand fall to her side again.
"Danny, I'm pregnant. We're going to have a baby," she practically whispered. She felt like an emotional wreck, still unable to tell how Danny was taking the news. She felt the familiar sting of tears sneaking up on her.
"I know. I see that," he held up the picture to her as if she hadn't seen it herself. "I just...I don't...I don't know what to say. Oh, sweetheart," he held his arms open to her as he approached her, finally taking notice of the tears quickly springing from her eyes.
"Come here." His strong embrace felt good after feeling that vulnerable. Only wearing a robe and underwear certainly wasn't helping matters in that department.
"No, no, no," Danny stroked her hair as hard sobs racked her body. Elise buried her face in his neck as she always did when she was upset.
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean to act like that. I'm just shocked, that's all. That was a helluva birthday surprise," they both chuckled softly. She pulled away from him enough to let him rest his forehead against hers.
"I'm not mad, baby. I'm excited. You just took me by surprise so much I didn't know what to say. That's all. I promise," he kissed her forehead.
"Yah?" Elise spoke quietly, looking up into his eyes.
"Yes! Of course!" he grew animated, holding her at arm's length. "Why on Earth would I be mad?"
"I don't know," she shook her head, beginning to feel silly for worrying so much. "I guess just because it's so soon. I mean, we've only been married a few months and the accident on top of that..." she trailed off. "It's been a weird, crazy year," she stated.
"It has," he agreed. "But this is a good surprise," he smiled genuinely. +
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