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“You’re pregnant, Mrs. Sousa.”
Peggy’s lips formed a full O as she let out a quiet gasp. A whirlwind of emotions passed through her, everything from joy and happiness to fear and anxiety. She gulped, gripping the edge of the cot as she composed herself.
“Are you sure, doctor?” She asked, still not quite believing what she just heard.
“Well, I will have to do a few more tests,” he replied, writing something down in her file “but all the symptoms point to pregnancy being the cause of your recent… issues.”
Peggy’s lips twitched into a shy smile. To think that if not for Ana, who was now waiting for her in the hallway, she would still think she caught a bad stomach bug and think nothing more about it.
“I’ll of course be in touch when the test results come in, shouldn’t take too long,” the doctor spoke again, causing Peggy to snap back to reality “but I’d say congratulations.”
“Thank you.” She politely replied, moving off the cot to stand, her legs wobbling slightly. As she moved to the door of the office she could already feel happiness spreading through her body, her heart beating faster. The second she was back in the hallway she spotted Ana quickly moving towards her.
“And?” Ana spoke, anxious and excited at the same time. “What did the doctor say?”
“He said he needed to some more tests,” Peggy replied, surprised slightly at how calm she sounded - a complete reversal of the storm of feelings she was going through, “but he’s pretty sure that’s not a stomach bug.”
Just as she finished speaking she felt herself getting pulled into a tight hug, her nose suddenly full of fiery red curls.
“Oh, Mrs. Sousa.” Ana said, barely able to contain her delight, “Congratulations! How do you feel?” She asked, pulling back from the hug.
“Well, excited. Happy. Surprised.” Peggy spoke, pausing between each word to catch a breath. “Although, nervous, as well.”
“Why?” Ana asked, tilting her head. “Isn’t this what you and Mr. Sousa wanted?”
“It’s just… I’ve never seen myself as a mother.” Peggy replied, her hands fidgeting. “What if I’m terrible at it?”
“Nonsense.” Ana replied, shaking her head. “You will be a great mother to a healthy baby, Mrs. Sousa. And Mr. Sousa will be a great father as well.”
Peggy didn’t reply to that, only sharing a coy smile with Ana.
“Speaking of Mr. Sousa,” she spoke again, breaking the silence, “you have to tell him. Where is he now?”
“Home.” Peggy replied, truthfully. “But he’s probably asleep, he spent the night at the office.”
“Well, then.” Ana said, turning towards the exit. “Let’s get you home.”
Peggy stayed silent during the drive with Jarvis, lost in her own thoughts. The more she thought about fact that she was to become a mother the more the anxiety gave way to joy and happiness. She splayed a hand on her belly, a smile firmly planted on her lips. Her thoughts drifted back to the wedding night, when she first said she wanted a family with Daniel. Now, nearly a year later, their wish was supposed to be granted. She sighed in content at that, before her thoughts suddenly turned to Daniel. She thought about how he would react - she remembered at one point asking herself whether she was able to actually have children, after the few months of their passionate lovemaking didn’t bear any fruit - but she quickly forgot about it, committing herself to try harder and encouraging Daniel to not give up. In the last few weeks, however, she felt as if Daniel was hiding something from her. She didn’t pry, thinking he would tell her without her pressuring him, but for the last few days he fell unusually quiet when he was at home, a stark contrast to how he behaved normally. Also, he started taking far more night shifts as usual recently…
“Mrs. Sousa?” Jarvis said, breaking Peggy out of her thoughts. “We’re here.”
“Oh,” she replied, opening the door. “Thank you so much, Mr. Jarvis.”
“My pleasure.” He spoke “and congratulations on the baby!”
She smiled back at him as he drove off. She then walked towards the door to the house, already searching for the key. She turned the key, the lock clicking softly as the door unlocked. She grabbed the jamb, taking a deep breath to calm herself down as she twisted it, the door opening. Just as she locked it back, she heard a commotion in the kitchen.
“Daniel?” She asked, her voice echoing through the house as she picked up her pace. As she rounded the corner dividing the kitchen from the living room, she barely kept a gasp to herself.
Daniel was sitting at the kitchen table, the crutch leaning against the counter. He looked positively exhausted - with disheveled hair, his shirt wrinkled, bags under his eyes far more pronounced than normal. His hands were busy twirling a glass, the bottle of whisky on the table uncorked.
“Daniel…” Peggy spoke, uncertain of what to make of the picture in front of her. At the sound of her voice Daniel raised his left hand, words dying in her throat as she understood the gesture. He then sniffled, quickly downing the glass before putting it back on the table.
“Peg…” he spoke, voice raspy and dejected. “I wanted to talk to you about something for a long time.”
She tried to to speak, but found herself unable to, her throat constricting.
“When I made my vows, I promised I would give you the world if I could. That I would always try to make you feel loved and at home. And then, when you told me you wanted a family with me… I’ve never felt so happy in my life. Because how on earth do I get to be so lucky to be with you and have a family, something I never knew I wanted so much before you.”
Peggy suddenly found herself moving, sitting down right next to Daniel, her eyes never leaving his. She felt her eyes water as she looked, the pain and anguish clearly visible as he cleared his throat.
“We’ve tried so hard, Peg, so hard.” He continued, barely being able to suppress a sob. “I never knew why it didn’t work, because we did everything right. And yet nothing. Then, last week I thought about my leg, how I always felt I lost more than that… and maybe that’s why.”
Peggy blinked at that, feeling tears trickling down her cheeks. She moved her hand, clasping it over Daniel’s as she gave him a squeeze.
“Daniel…” she rasped, her heart aching as he spoke further, ignoring her plea.
“Peggy…” he choked out, half-sobbing as he retracted his hand, fingers moving his wedding band off. He then placed it in front of her, his shoulders slumping. “I’m so sorry. If you don’t want to be with me anymore, I’ll understand, you deserve the best, and I clearly don’t make the cut. I’m so sorry.”
He almost collapsed by then, slumping forwards, a loud sob causing Peggy’s heart to break. She acted quickly, pulling him into a tight hug as he cried into her dress, his shoulders shaking as Peggy ran a hand through his curls, trying to calm him down, feeling her own tears falling. Soon enough, the sobs stopped, substituted by Daniel’s uneven breath. Peggy broke the hug then, still keeping her hands on his shoulders. She then shifted them, cupping his cheeks as she pulled him into a slow kiss, trying to show him how much she loved him. He went rigid at first, but soon relaxed, letting Peggy take control. She broke the kiss at that, pulling away slightly, his eyes still so full of pain.
“Daniel…” she spoke, trying to remain calm, but her voice wobbled regardless. ”You know that stomach bug that kept pestering me for the last week or so?”
He looked up at her, expression confused.
“What… oh, yeah.” he spoke, quietly, sadness still clouding his face.
“Well, I went to the doctor’s today… and it’s not a bug. Quite the opposite.” She spoke, not being able to keep a smile from her face. Daniel kept looking at her, his lips slowly opening as he processed what she just said.
“Peg?” he choked out, questioning.
“I’m pregnant, Daniel.” She spoke, still smiling as his face lit up.
“Really?” He asked, disbelief clear in his voice.
“Well, the doctor said he needed a few more tests, but he’s sure even without…” she didn’t finish as Daniel swept her into another kiss. She felt the desperation and love seeping through as their lips moved, like he was trying to apologize for everything wrong he just said.
“Peggy…” he spoke when the broke apart, his breath irregular, “oh God, that’s so…. I’m so sorry...”
She placed a finger on his lips, silencing him almost instantly.
“Shush, love.” she whispered as she pecked his forehead. “I understand. But just so you know, I would never leave you. I love you and even if we couldn’t have a family, I would still stay with you. Until the end.” She then picked up the wedding band from the table and slid it back on, clasping their fingers when she was done.
“Back where it belongs.” She spoke, a content smile on her lips. “Now, have you slept at all, husband?”
“No.” Daniel replied, smiling through tears himself.
“Then, to the bed you go. Chop, chop.” She spoke as she pulled him up, leading him to the bedroom. There, she helped him undress before doing the same, both of them soon ending up facing each other in bed, swept into a slow, reassuring kiss. Soon Daniel broke it, looking at Peggy with so much reverence and love her heart swelled.
“I still can’t believe this.” He spoke, snuggling closer to her. “A baby.”
“Me neither.” Peggy replied, cradling his head as he dropped it to her shoulder. “But I’m so happy.”
“I bet it’s a boy.” He mumbled sleepily to her skin.
“How can you possibly know that?” She asked, curious.
“I just know.” He replied, pressing a light kiss to her collarbone.
It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep, his soft breaths tickling Peggy’s skin. She sighed in content as she let her head fall to the pillow, her eyes closing almost immediately, all the pressure and pain floating away as she fell asleep, her husband safe in her arms.