Ever since the day he asked Karen Page to move in with him, Matt Murdock had forever been appreciative of the ability to fall asleep and wake up to the sound of her heartbeat. It calmed him, in a sense. The heartbeat was the first thing he noticed from a person, but there was something special about Karen's that drew him towards her.
His now wife of two years laid peacefully by his side in their bed, nuzzling deeper in the gray silk sheets. It was a typical Saturday morning, which thankfully meant that the couple could sleep in. There was no doubt that Matt needed these extra hours of sleep to catch up from his nightly extrusions as Daredevil from the previous days. Karen, however, would never pass up an opportunity to catch a few couple more hours of rest. She wasn't hitting the pavement of Hell's Kitchen, like her husband each night, instead she was usually up in the wee hours of the morning either researching for her private investigational work for Nelson and Murdock or editing her latest freelancing article for The Bulletin. Nonetheless, it was a known fact that the Murdocks both cherished their Saturday mornings.
Matt woke up first, as he usually did. In the slow process of rising into consciousness, he shifted his body weight to his left, towards his wife and gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead, taking caution not to wake her up. As soon as his lips parted her skin, he hastily shot upwards in alert.
Something was off.
He heard an additional heartbeat in their loft. It was faint, but small and rapid. Sensing potential danger, Matt immediately flipped a switch and went into full protective mode. Not wanting to worry Karen, he decided it was better to let her stay peacefully asleep, while he scanned the apartment.
He quietly shut the french doors to their bedroom behind him and ventured out to the living space, honing his senses into the small world of the apartment. Sure, there were the familiar sounds of the clock ticking above the microwave, the shrill humming of the electricity from the billboard outside, and the soft voices of the neighbors making breakfast directly below; however the additional heartbeat was still present and unaccounted for.
As he made a final sweep around the space, he felt defeated, since nothing was out of place from how they left it last night. The fleece throw blanket still rested bunched up on the leather couch from their movie date watching Pride and Prejudice (Karen's weekly pick). Even the dirty brownie pan still sat unattended in the sink, continuing to give off the sweet aroma from the few crumbs that were left over. Nothing immediately alerted him that something was off, at least, not until he heard the bedroom door open again, signaling the presence of his wife.
Matt turned his attention to the groggy Karen, who was sporting a lovely bed head look. He instantly calmed down at the all too familiar scent of her lavender shampoo and cool mint toothpaste from the night before. A soft smile made its way across his face.
"Good morning, my love," he welcomed, as she made her way into the middle of the room.
She proceeded to move in closer and gave her husband a quick peck on the cheek.
"It's a good morning indeed. I really needed my beauty sleep last night," she yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"You, Mrs. Murdock, have been and always will be beautiful," he assured, pulling her waist into his embrace.
Matt was about to ask about his wife's breakfast wishes, but he had a sudden inclination that stopped him in his tracks. As soon as Karen came in contact with him, he noticed that the unfamiliar heartbeat did as well.
In that exact moment, the world as he knew it had changed. Albeit, a scary and intimidating change; however, he was positive that it was going to be a good one no doubt.
Karen could tell that Matt was not fully there in the room with her, as he had that look on his face indicating that he was deep in thought. This happened often, due to the things only he could sense that no other ordinary person could, so she was used to it by now. But her inquiring mind needed to get to the bottom of Matt's puzzling mood.
"Matt, you got that lost puppy look on your face again." She cupped his face in her palms, directing his attention to her. "Don't get me wrong, it's cute and all, but could you let me know what you're thinking, babe?"
He snapped back into reality at her touch.
"Karen, have you been feeling okay lately?" He bluntly stated.
He led her closer to the couch and took seat.
Karen, still concerned by Matt's unexpected question, followed suit and sunk into the spot next to him.
"Yeah, I'm fine," She confirmed. "Why do you ask? Maybe I should be asking if you feel sick, Matt. You're looking kind of uneasy there."
He blew her question off and continued to conclude if his prediction was correct - if they were truly expecting.
Matt went straight to the source and decided to take her hand in his and direct them downwards to her stomach, which had been covered up by his old gray, worn out, Columbia college t-shirt that she used as pajamas.
A metaphorical light bulb went off in her head and she had picked up on exactly what he was suggesting. No, it couldn't be…
Her posture straightened up on the couch, as she prepared to shut Matt's theory down.
"What makes you think I'm pregnant?" She raised an eyebrow, tapping her foot on the hardwood floor.
Matt knew he had to approach this subject a certain way, to mitigate the risk of an argument between them. He sensed her breathing becoming more staggered with worry.
"Well you know," he was beating around the bush and he blushed a bit before his confession, "I picked up on an odd sounding heartbeat this morning that caught me off guard, and there's really no other explanation expect that -"
He was cut off by Karen's gasp.
She looked down at her stomach, coming to terms that what Matt was explaining was indeed true. Then the tears began.
Matt scooted closer and pulled her into the crook of his neck and began rubbing her back comfortingly "I know we haven't really talked about the subject of kids yet, but I am here for you, Karen, I always will be. I am just as surprised as you are" - he paused for a moment and tilted his head slightly upwards - "actually thinking of it, we haven't really been that safe lately." He chuckled.
She emerged from his embrace and let out a small laugh as well. Her tears dried up quickly as Matt's shirt had captured most of them. She placed her hand on top of his.
"Matt, those weren't necessarily tears of sadness or anger, they were happy tears." Her face beamed. "I agree that this wasn't really planned out the best either, but I find that quite fitting, considering our dynamic."
He squeezed her hand notifying her of his agreement and smiled.
"I guess deep down, I always wanted kids, and I am thrilled that you're on board with this too." She let go of his hand and tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ears.
He stood up confidently and started walking towards the kitchen. "Mrs. Murdock, I think this calls for a celebration. What shall the mother of my future child wish for breakfast?"
Mother. That word finally hit her. She was going to be someone's mother and Matt was going to be a dad. The picture of him rocking their baby to sleep and cradling the infant in his arms popped into her mind and she could tell that it felt so right. There were obstacles that both of them would face as new parents, yes, but who better to face them than their combined forces.
She snapped out of her daydream and got up from the couch and sauntered over to the kitchen island, standing across from Matt. "How about you start on some chocolate chip waffles while I go down to the bodega across the block and get some actual pregnancy tests. I don't doubt you're super senses, babe, but I want hard proof to, you know, share with our family and friends."
"I guess you're right. I think that would be the next logical step; plus it will confirm if my so-called 'super senses' are correct. Go ahead honey, I will have breakfast waiting upon your return." He assured her, as he bent down to collect their mixing bowls.
With a newfound hop in her step, she quickly went back into their room to get dressed, grabbed her jacket, shoes, and went on her merry way.
After their delicious and much deserved breakfast, the couple was found sitting together side-by-side on their bathroom floor.
"Two lines." She exhaled the deep breath she was holding while waiting for the results.
Matt shifted on the tile floor and fidgeted with the fabric of the blue shag rug they both sat on. "I'm not too knowledgeable about these kinds of tests, what exactly does two lines mean?" He confessed.
She turned to face him… "I'm pregnant!"
She set the test on the side and jumped onto Matt with pure joy.
They sat together in each other's arms for a while before Karen spoke again.
"What do you think it's going to be?"
There hasn't been a girl in the long line of Murdocks before him, so probability wise, it was a safe bet to say a boy; however, there was something inside of Matt that just knew he was going to have a daughter. Matt had really never imagined himself in a fatherly role until recently, but he had always trusted his gut, and it was telling him that they were going to have a girl the moment his heartbeat findings concluded that Karen was pregnant. Call it super senses or not.
Apparently, Matt didn't answer fast enough, as Karen shared her guess.
"I, myself, am going to go with a boy. Can't you just see a little Matt running around here?" She smirked and playfully nudged her husband.
"Well, as much as that would be insanely challenging yet thrilling to deal with a mini Daredevil on our hands, I am going all the way and say it's a little girl," he guaranteed smugly
As soon as he said that, Karen could tell that, yet again, Matt was probably right, but she would never admit that to him out loud. "Well, Murdock, we will just have to agree to disagree and wait to see," she claimed as she rose from the floor and offered her hand to help him up.
He accepted her hand in his and kissed her lips after he got to his feet.
"I guess we will."
