Isyra is back

Author’s POV

Daniel arrived at the hospital ten minutes early, yet he still felt late.

He stood near the entrance for a moment longer than necessary, hands loosely hanging behind by his side, watching people pass in and out with the detached awareness of someone whose mind was elsewhere. The doctor’s call replayed in his head

She’s strong enough now. We can no longer delay it.

We need to check the baby.

That last word still landed strangely in his chest every time he thought it.

Susan had called him shortly after to tell him that Aria was coming in for her follow-up appointment. Daniel had almost offered to pick her up. The impulse had been immediate and instinctive, but then he’d stopped himself.

If Aria wanted him there from the start, she would have told him. She had his number. She knew he would come if he called her. He wasn’t going to insert himself into her space again if she dint want him.

He only came because the doctor asked him to.

He moved to stand near the check-in area, posture relaxed, expression neutral, though his body betrayed him in small ways—his jaw tightening, his weight shifting from one foot to the other. When he finally saw her, something inside him loosened despite his effort to remain composed.

Aria walked in slowly beside her mother, hair pulled back, face paler than he remembered but still she looked so beautiful. She also looked smaller somehow, thinner, though there was a steadiness in the way she moved that hadn’t been there weeks ago. Her gaze lifted, scanning the room, and then it landed on him.

She froze.

It lasted less than a second, but Daniel caught the surprise on her face. It seems her mother never told her that Daniel would be here. After all, Daniel informed her that the doctor called him and he was getting ready to leave his house.

Her brows knit together and she turned toward him fully. “What are you doing here?”

Daniel wanted to bristle at her tone but he couldn’t blame her for asking since she was not informed. He could have lied that he came to check up on Victor who was also involved in the accident but he didn’t want to.

“Your mother told me you had a check-up today,” he said simply.

Aria turned to her mother immediately, eyes flashing. “Seriously?” She looked back at Daniel. Her voice was laced with irritation. “I’m not a child. I can come to the hospital without everyone alerting you.”

Susan murmured something apologetic to Daniel, but he waved it off with a small shake of his head. Then Susan excused herself and left. Daniel knew she was trying to give them privacy to talk. He was grateful for that.

“I didn’t mean—” he started, then stopped. He inhaled once and said what mattered. “Do you want me to leave?”

That made her pause. The irritation faltered, replaced by surprise she didn’t manage to hide fast enough. Her eyes widened slightly before she masked it, rolling them instead, folding her arms loosely across her chest.

“You’re already here, aren’t you?” she said.

Daniel nodded once. The corner of his lips twitched with a small at her small pout.

“Yes, I’m already here.”

“Okay.”

What he really wanted to hear was that she wanted him to stay but all he got from her was permission not to go, and he accepted it for what it was.

He stepped closer to her. When he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, it felt like muscle memory more than decision.

“Hi, sweetheart.”

He lingered without meaning to, breathing her in. The sweet scent of her perfume wrapped around him and settled deep in his chest like something he’d been missing without knowing how much. When he pulled back, her eyes were closed.

There was a small unguarded smile on her lips. It was as if she didn’t even know she was smiling.

Daniel grinned before he could stop himself. He cleared his throat lightly, and her eyes fluttered open. Color bloomed across her cheeks the moment she realized.

“There it is,” he said quietly. “That blush. I’ve missed seeing it.”

“I’m not blushing,” she muttered, even as it deepened.

Before he could respond, a nurse stepped into the waiting area and called Aria’s name. She gestured them down the hall, leading them into a check-up room rather than the doctor’s office. The space was quiet, clinical but not cold. Still, Aria hated it. She hated the smell of hospital and if this check up hadn’t been necessary, she wouldn’t have come.

The nurse explained that the doctor would be in shortly, then paused, glancing between them. “I’ll give you two a moment.”

She stepped out and closed the door behind her. The silence that followed felt heavier than the room itself.

Aria shifted slightly, perching on the edge of the bed. Daniel remained standing for a second longer before taking a seat nearby, close enough but far enough not to crowd her. His expression was hard.

She noticed immediately.

“You look serious,” she said, trying for casual and missing by a mile.

Daniel exhaled slowly. He hadn’t planned this moment down to the second, but he’d known it was coming. There was no perfect way to do this. No gentle entry point that didn’t change everything.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he said.

Her shoulders tensed. “Is it good news or bad news?”

He hesitated and Aria noticed immediately.

Her expression sharpened. “It’s bad news, isn’t it?”

“No,” he said quickly. “No. It’s not bad news.“

That only made her frown deeper. “Then why are you talking like that? You’re scaring me.”

He leaned forward slightly, hands braced on his knees. “It is good news. I just… I don’t know how you’re going to take it.”

Her curiosity cut through her nerves. “If it’s good, then tell me. The way you’re dragging this out is making the whole thing somehow.”

Daniel nodded once, accepting the push. He reached for her hand slowly, giving her time to pull away if she wanted to.

She didn’t. Her fingers curled around his instinctively, warm and solid, grounding him more than he’d expected. He tightened his grip around her hand as if he was afraid that if he told her what he was going to say, she might disappear. He was going to hold her down.

He met her eyes. She was giving him an encouraging look.

“Sweetheart,” he said softly, “you’re pregnant.”