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

This wife of this Marine tried to keep a secret from him for months.

A career in the military means being away from home from time to time. And when they are, many soldiers are separated from their families. This sometimes leads to painful, yet beautiful stories.

Take, for example, the US Marine Chris Daugherty, who came home to a very special surprise after his military service… 

Goodbye

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 clear that his trip would be extended. An unexpected twist, but it was nothing compared to the shock that awaited him on his return…

Curious to find out about the rest of the story about the return of this Marine? Continue reading on.

Off to Korea

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

Loneliness

Still, it wasn’t long before Natasha started to feel lonely. Although she was just starting to get used to her husband’s long journeys, she felt strange this time around. She even found herself behaving differently this time. It all began with small changes, but soon these became more and more difficult to hide…

A difficult toddler

Natasha’s children also began to notice these changes. Her eldest child, a 10-year-old boy, could easily keep it a secret, but whether her younger daughter could too? That was the question.

Non-stop conversations

Although Natasha didn’t have much time for herself with all the work she had to do at home, she still 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 that she was trying to hide something?

Almost got caught

There were times it was especially difficult for Natasha to keep her secret. She wanted to tell Chris so badly. A few weeks after he left, they had a video call during which she almost gave it away. At the last minute she decided to keep it a secret.

He wasn’t the only one she hid it from

Besides Chris, Natasha’s immediate family too couldn’t know about her secret. This proved to be more difficult by the day, because she had many clever relatives who could easily find out that the woman was keeping a secret.

Increasingly dangerous

Not only Natasha’s situation was getting more and more dangerous. Chris, who was in Korea at the time, also got into trouble. The North Korean government was experimenting with nuclear weapons, and Chris was close to the test site.

Hard times

Natasha lived in uncertainty about her husband’s fate. Still, she had to make ends meet With two jobs and three children to care for, she barely had time for herself.

Half a year later

Five months had passed, but Chris had not returned. In fact, his mission would be extended by a month. He called his wife from the army base to break the news. The mission, which became increasingly dangerous, would continue for at least another month…

Going mad with uncertainty

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

Coming home

Still, she held on, and her perseverance paid off. In June, six months after Chris’s departure, he set course back to his home in America.

Welcome back!

It was June 23 when Chris’s family gathered in San Diego on a hot summer’s day. There, on the pier, they saw the man they had been missing all along.

Incredible

As fast as they could, Chris’ children ran towards their father. Behind them stood Natasha, holding a large sign: Welcome back, Daddy. After Chris had given his children a big hug, he walked over to his wife, who dropped the sign. “Are you kidding me? Seriously?” Chris said when he saw what appeared from behind the sign…

The moment of truth

Hidden behind the sign was a text written on Natasha’s shirt: “I am the present Dad left behind before he left,” it said. And under the shirt? Natasha’s big old baby belly.

Flabbergasted

Chris could not believe his eyes. “I looked at her and poked her stomach,” he said afterwards. “I thought she was kidding me,” he laughed.

Proud daddy

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

Help from family

Natasha hadn’t been able to hide her pregnancy from the rest of her family. However, instead of spilling her secret, they came to her aid. One of them taped Chris’s return, which quickly became a hit on YouTube and Facebook.

Strategically hidden

Hiding the pregnancy had been a lot of work, since Natasha had been in frequent contact with Chris throughout her pregnancy. During conversations, she often put one of her children on her lap to hide her belly. Sometimes, she also took a picture with a beer (which she didn’t actually drink of course) so that Chris wouldn’t think she was pregnant.

Don’t spoil the secret!

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