He was late. He was never late. She needed to talk to him and the anxiety made her a touch more high strung than normal, but she went past worried and rounded the corner to frantic when he didn't respond to the 5th message.
Hey Danny, I'm out of surgery. Are you ready to go get dinner? Text me back.
Danny, where are you? Betsy said you left early. You were supposed to wait for me. Text me back.
Danny, I'm so hungry. Please pick up. Did you let your battery die? I told you that you need to charge it more often after I installed those apps. Call me.
I will never forgive you for this. I am starving to death and I look completely pathetic. A couple of 14 year old girls are giving me sideeye because I'm just sitting here waiting for someone who isn't coming.
Hey, this isn't funny. If you don't call me back and let me know you're not dead I'm filing an Amber alert.
I'm in a cab on my way to your place. You'd better be dead, because otherwise I'm going to kill you when I get there.
Oh God, she thought. He knows.
She was late. She was never late. Tamra agreed to meet her at the office early, and as she watched the little vacuum tube fill she swore Tamra to complete secrecy. She absolutely could not have this get out before she even spoke to the father: of everyone she worked with, Tamra seemed least likely to stick her nose in where it wasn't wanted.
"Dr L, it looks like you are gonna be a baby mama."
"Give me that," she snatched the file out of Tamra's hand and her eyes blurred as she checked the levels again, knowing full well that Tamra wouldn't joke about this. She was a good nurse.
"Dr C doesn't know?"
Mindy shook her head.
"Do you want him to know?" Tamra said quietly.
"Of course. I just... it's too soon. I don't think he's ready for this. I don't think I'm ready for this. How am I going to tell him?"
"Dr C's not some kid, Dr L. He's not gonna run on you."
Mindy's eyes shone. "You're right, Tamra. He probably wouldn't run even if he was a kid. Please don't tell anyone about this. Please don't tell him I freaked out."
"I won't, Dr L. This is your news and to be honest I don't care enough to get involved."
"How dare you? This will be the cutest kid who ever lived. I knew I should have asked Morgan. You know what, I take that back, he gets a little TOO involved."
"Chill out, Dr L, this isn't good for the baby. Anyway, the practice opens in about 20 minutes so you'd better head for your office."
"Sorry Tamra, that was unfair. I do appreciate this, and I appreciate your discretion. Thank you."
"No problem Dr L."
"Where the hell have you been DANIEL?" she screeched across the building lobby. He was jogging down the stairs as she rushed through the front doors to his building.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I just got your messages. I had to run some errands and my battery died. What exactly did you do to my phone?" he wheezed as he reached the ground floor. Then he saw her face. "Min?"
The first tears began to fall she second laid eyes on him, and there was no hiding the sob that tore from her throat when he said her name.
"Oh God," he whispered as he pulled her into his arms. "Mindy what's wrong?" his voice breaking as she put her face into his neck.
"I needed you. I have something to tell you and you didn't even answer me," she sobbed into his collar. "Where were you?"
"Okay, first I am right here, I just told you where I am and second what's wrong? This is a disproportionate response. Tell me what's wrong, Min," he said softly, his brows furrowed with worry.
"Can we just go upstairs?" she sniffled, trying to wipe her eyes without smearing her mascara. This was not what she'd had in mind at all.
He nodded and moved his hand to the small of her back, leading her gently up the stairs to his condo. He guided her to the sofa and she sat down while he filled a glass with water and brought it to her, waiting for her to break the silence. When he turned she was right behind him, her eyes bright with tears again.
"I have a little surprise for you."
"Oh?" he reached for her waist to pull her close.
She smiled and put her hands on top of his, slipping them around to her abdomen. "Well it starts as a little surprise, but it gets a little bigger every day."
He let out a shuddering breath and his face split into that full smile, so much rarer and more precious than his crooked grin. Reserved for joy, reserved for her now. He took her small hands in his large, frankly damp hands. Hands she loved so much. And he pulled her gently toward his guest room.
"Airplanes?"
"Airplanes." he said, with that peaceful smile he got when something finally fell into place.
As she spun slowly, she saw the room transform into a nursery, pale duck egg blue walls on which there hung only this morning photographs of the city, now dotted with clouds and ringed with silver and black airplanes, above a city skyline crafted from black paper. "It's not finished," he said.
"How did you know?"
"Don't blame Tamra for this. She would never have told me, but I mentioned I wanted to take you out for sushi tonight and she said you had asked Betsy to book that new Bangladeshi restaurant tonight. You and I both know you'd have been sick for 3 days if you tried to eat there. She couldn't even look me directly in the face and I just knew."
She looked at him for a long time, his eyes shining with tears in the half light.
"I just wanted to surprise you."
"Well you ruined my surprise, thank you very much. Not to mention my manicurist knows the designer who did Blue Ivy's nursery and I had my heart set on..." her words cut off abruptly as he pulled her into a kiss, his signature move to shut her up. Their cheeks damp and breathing hard, both trying to come to grips with what lay ahead.
"Airplanes," she said.
"It seemed... appropriate." He looked at her with questioning eyes, "You like it?"
"What are you talking about? I love it."