(Chapter four)
Elena was the first one to wake up that morning. All night she had dreams about the life growing inside of her and she was restless but excitement and joy pumped through her veins. She got out of bed and slipped a robe on over her tank top and girl boxer shorts to walk downstairs and make a cup of coffee. As she walked downstairs, she saw the familiar blonde hair that she had grown accustomed too.
"Good morning." said Elena happily.
"Elena, you're up rather early." smiled Alex.
"Well today is another doctor's appointment and I just couldn't sleep! Every check up is getting closer to finding out what I'm having!" she said with nothing but excitement.
"Oh wow, that's really exciting! Good luck!" Alex said. "Oh, and Elena? About last night after the party..."
"No no, it's fine Alex! I'm actually really happy for you and Stefan. It's so good to see that you two are back together and trying to form a relationship again."
"Really? Thanks Elena. Well hey, I'm heading out for a run so I will see you later. Good luck at the doctor." said Alex as she opened the front door letting the sunlight explode through.
Elena nodded at her and waved goodbye until the front door shut again. She moseyed around the kitchen and then she could hear the faint sound foot steps coming towards her.
"You really have to stop all this morning time, I'm super happy stuff Elena. I can't handle this for eternity. You're supposed to be my princess of darkness, you are supposed to like the dark." said Damon as he dragged his feet across the floor and pulled his tired body into a chair at the kitchen table.
"I couldn't sleep. I'm just way to excited for today." she smiled.
"I figured because when I went to spoon my wife, she wasn't there. You left me." he said sarcastically as he placed his head onto the table.
"I'm sure you'll live." she said. "Well you need to get ready because my appointment is at ten."
"Early appointments too? What do you not understand about darkness?" he pouted.
"I'm going upstairs to get ready so I suggest you do the same." she said.
Elena could tell that she was hormonal because she never felt herself being annoyed with Damon and right now she was. She went upstairs to go put on some clothes for the day. She was happy that she could fit into her normal clothes for now but before she knew it, she'd be in maternity clothes, walking like a penguin. She picked out a cute top and a pair of khaki shorts for the day and then went to put on a light bit of makeup. She brushed through her silky hair, brushed her teeth, and then headed back downstairs to wait until it was time to leave.
Damon watched through the kitchen as Elena went to sit on the couch. She really was excited about this baby thing but he wasn't so sure about it. In reality, Damon was scared. He wasn't the type of guy that people would see fit to be a father and personally, he didn't think he approved of himself having a child. He never really knew what it was like to have a father because his father never really cared about him. His father spent majority of his time gloating over Stefan while he was left in the dark. He didn't know what it was like to share a bond and love between a person and their father and he was terrified that since he didn't know how, he wouldn't be able to give that bond to his own child. He wasn't ready for this...
"Are you ready?" he asked as his mind snapped back into reality and he walked over to Elena.
"Yes!" she cried as she ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Damon returned the hug and then pulled her back.
"Let's go then." he smiled, trying to remain calm.
….
The car ride to the doctor was miserable for both of them. Elena wanted them to get there faster and Damon wanted to go back home. When they finally reached the office, Elena jumped out of the car and ran inside. Damon braced himself and then walked in after her. He looked around the room at all of the expectant mothers. Elena was going to be huge and he didn't really like the idea of that. Her body was so tiny that it seemed like she would bust if she got that big. He watched as Elena filled out all of her paperwork and then returned it to the lady at the desk. They waited for awhile, hand in hand, until her name was called.
"Elena Salvatore?" asked the nurse. Elena smiled and then walked towards her.
"Hello, right this way please." she said with a smile as she lead them into a room. "Dr. King will be with you shortly."
Elena nodded her head and then turned to look at Damon. "Are you excited?" she asked.
"Oh..yeah." he said, nodding.
"Damon..? What's wrong?" concern was now visible on her face. Just as Damon was about to let his emotions pour out, which he rarely did, the door opened.
"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore. So Elena, any things going on with the baby? I know you must be excited because on your next visit we should be able to tell what you're having." said Dr. King.
"I know, I can't wait! And no, nothing new with the baby." said Elena as she glanced over with Damon. Something was on his mind and she wanted to know.
"Okay well I'm going to need you to pull up your shirt." said Dr. King as she reached for the ultrasound device and gel. "Now when I put this on your stomach, it will feel very cold. What we're listening for today is a heartbeat and hopefully we can get a good picture."
Damon grabbed Elena's hand as their eyes focused on the screen in front of them and then they heard it. The sound of a heartbeat. Damon turned towards Elena and saw tears flowing down her face and nothing but a smile was visible on her perfect lips that he loved to plant kisses on.
"The heartbeat still sounds very healthy! Now, if you will look at the screen you will see the image of your baby. Right there, that's the feet and arms and then that's the head." said Dr. King as she pointed at places on the screen.
Damon's eyes were fixed on the screen as he felt his mouth drop open a tiny bit. There, on that screen, was his child. It was a part of him. He fathered the small creature that was growing inside Elena's stomach and at that moment nothing but...joy filled his silent, non beating heart. He couldn't get over how unreal the image was no matter how many times he had seen it already. No matter how scared he was, this was his child and he was going to be a good father to it. If it was necessary, he hid his scared feelings for her. He was doing this for Elena because he knew how much this baby meant to her.
"Damon..." she whispered. "that's our baby."
Damon was speechless as the sound of the babies heartbeat continued to fill the room. He simply nodded at Elena and smiled.
After Elena was cleaned up and Dr. King made arrangements for her next appointment, Damon took Elena's hand and let her out to the car. As soon as she took her seat, she turned to look at Damon and exploded with questions.
"What's wrong Damon? Why were you making that facial expression when I asked if you were excited? Why did you sound so unhappy? Did I do or say something?" she asked.
"Someone is full of questions." he said. "You did nothing wrong Elena, can we just please talk about this once we get back to the boardinghouse?"
"Oh, that's just so like you. Never wanting to talk about your feelings." she huffed and crossed her arms, staring out the window.
"I never said I didn't want to talk about this Elena, I just said to wait until we got back." he replied.
"Whatever. Just take me home." said Elena in a dull voice
"Your wish is my command."
