A Marine rushes home to greet his wife, but is startled when he sees her.

 A Marine rushes home to greet his wife, but is startled when he sees her.

This Marine's wife has been trying to hide a secret from him for months.

A career in the military means being away from home once in a while. And when they are, many soldiers are separated from their families. This sometimes gives rise to painful but beautiful stories. Take, for example, U.S. Marine Chris Daugherty, who had a very special surprise when he returned home from his military service…

When Daugherty left home in January 2017, he initially expected to be away from home for about five months. A few months later, however, it would become apparent that his trip would be extended. An unexpected twist, but nothing compared to the shock that awaited him upon his return….

Daugherty, his wife Natasha and their three children were no strangers to Marine family life. The Marine had already been away from home for long periods of time, so when he left for Korea in early 2017, the family knew what to expect.

loneliness

Still, it didn't take long for Natasha to start feeling lonely. As she was just getting used to her husband's long journeys, she felt strange this time around. She even surprised herself to behave differently this time around. It all started with small changes, but they quickly became harder and harder to hide…

Natasha's children also began to notice these changes. Her eldest, a 10-year-old boy, could easily keep the secret, but could her youngest daughter too? That is the question.

Uninterrupted conversations

Even though Natasha didn't have much time for herself with all the work she had to do around the house, she kept in regular contact with her husband. They video called each other almost every day, but it wasn't easy for Natasha. What if Chris found out she was trying to hide something?

There were times when it was especially hard for Natasha to keep her secret. She wanted to tell Chris so badly. A few weeks after she left, they had a video call during which she nearly revealed it. At the last moment, she decided to keep it a secret.

He was not the only one to fall victim to this secret.

Besides Chris, Natasha's close family couldn't know her secret either. It turned out to be more difficult day by day, as she had a lot of smart relatives who could easily find out that the woman was keeping a secret.

Natasha's situation wasn't the only one growing increasingly dangerous. Chris, who was in Korea at the time, also got into trouble. The North Korean government is experimenting with nuclear weapons, and Chris is near the test site.

hard times

Natasha lived in uncertainty as to the fate of her husband. Still, she had to make ends meet. With two jobs and three dependent children, she barely had time for herself.

Five months have passed, but Chris has still not returned. In fact, his mission was going to be extended for a month. He calls his wife from the military base to tell her the news. The mission, which is becoming more and more dangerous, will continue for at least another month...

Six months later

Five months have passed, but Chris has still not returned. In fact, his mission was going to be extended for a month. He calls his wife from the military base to tell her the news.

The mission, which is becoming more and more dangerous, will continue for at least another month...

Uncertainty drives you crazy

It was a trying time for Natasha. Every day she wondered whether or not she should reveal the secret. What if her husband died? Could she ever forgive herself?

Still, she held on and her perseverance paid off. In June, six months after leaving, Chris set sail for his home country of America.

Welcome back !

It's June 23 when Chris' family reunites in San Diego on a hot summer day. There, on the pier, they saw the man they had always missed.

As fast as they could, Chris' children ran to their father. Behind them stood Natasha, holding a large sign: Welcome back, Daddy. After hugging his children, Chris walked over to his wife, who dropped the sign. " Are you kidding me ? Seriously ? said Chris when he saw what appeared behind the sign…

The moment of truth

Hidden behind the sign was a text written on Natasha's shirt: "I'm the gift dad left behind before he left," it read. And under the shirt? Natasha's big baby belly.

Chris couldn't believe his eyes. “I looked at her and touched her stomach,” he said afterwards. “I thought she was laughing at me,” he said with a laugh.

A proud dad

It was a very special day for Chris. Coincidentally, the day he came home was Father's Day. It seemed almost too good to be true. What he didn't know was that it was only going to get better.

Natasha had failed to hide her pregnancy from the rest of her family. However, instead of revealing his secret, they came to his aid. One recorded the return of Chris, which quickly became a hit on YouTube and Facebook.

strategically hidden

Hiding the pregnancy had taken a lot of work, as Natasha had been in frequent contact with Chris throughout her pregnancy. During conversations, she would often put one of her children on her lap to hide her belly.

Sometimes she would also take a picture with a beer (which she wasn't actually drinking, of course) so Chris wouldn't think she was pregnant.

OtherA Marine rushes home to greet his wife, but is startled when he sees her.

Don't spoil the secret!

The hardest part was convincing her children that nothing special was going on. "When my eldest daughter started noticing it, I just said I was getting fat," Natasha joked afterwards.

It has not always been easy to hide the pregnancy. More than once, Natasha felt like calling or emailing her husband to tell him the secret, but she still managed to stop herself several times.

Hidden by love

The choice not to reveal anything came from the bottom of my heart. Natasha knew that if she told Chris about it, he would constantly worry about the things he would miss and not be able to focus on his mission.

To command the revelation of the news to the rest of the family, they decided to invite everyone to a party. The couple had hung balloons filled with confetti. When they popped the balloons, pieces of pink paper flew everywhere. It was clear: they were expecting another girl.

Time to acclimate

Between Chris's return and the birth of the baby, the couple had a lot to do. Buy diapers, arrange a room for the baby, etc. But they also appreciated the time they were able to spend together.

Still, there was bad news in the air. Chris could be called away on a mission at any time, which could mean missing the birth of his daughter. They were anxiously awaiting a message from the army.

Relief ?

When the phone finally rings, Natasha holds her breath. We were finally going to tell Chris when his next mission would be. This turned out to be a huge relief: early 2018. This means he will be able to be there for the birth of his daughter, due around August 2017, no problem.

This means that he will be able to be there for the birth of his daughter, expected around August 2017, without any problem.

later than expected

However, things didn't quite go as planned. Baby number four was slow to arrive and skipped August. It was not until September 2, 2017 that Anara Rose was born.

In the end, both Chris and Natasha were happy that she kept her secret. Natasha has been through a rollercoaster of emotions, but now she is happier than ever.

Very special

Subsequently, Natasha and Chris had the chance to tell their story on television, during a CBS broadcast. "It was a fantastic experience," Chris said at the time.

"Of course it would have been nice if she told me on the phone, but the way she did it all was very special."