A Marine Rushes Home to Surprise His Wife, but Gets the Shock of His Life When He Sees Her

This Marine’s wife 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 but beautiful stories. Take, for example, U.S. Marine Chris Daugherty, who got a very special surprise when he returned home after his service… Curious to find out what happened next in this Marine’s homecoming story?

Goodbye

When Daugherty left home in January 2017, he initially expected to be away for about five months. A few months later, however, it became clear that his trip would be extended. An unexpected twist, but nothing compared to the shock waiting for him when he returned… 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 stretches, so when he left for Korea in early 2017, the family knew what to expect.

Loneliness

Yet it didn’t take long for Natasha to start feeling lonely. Just as she was getting used to her husband’s long trips, something felt different this time. She even caught herself acting differently. It started with small changes, but they quickly became 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 do the same? That was the question.

Nonstop Conversations

Even though Natasha didn’t have much time for herself with all the work she had to do at home, she stayed in regular contact with her husband. They video-called almost every day, but it wasn’t easy for Natasha. What if Chris found out she was trying to hide something? There were moments when it was especially hard for Natasha to keep her secret. She wanted so badly to tell Chris. A few weeks after he left, they had a video call where she almost revealed it. At the last moment, she decided to keep the secret.

He Wasn’t the Only One Kept in the Dark

Besides Chris, Natasha’s close family couldn’t know her secret either. This proved harder day by day, as she had many clever relatives who could easily figure out she was keeping something. Natasha’s situation wasn’t the only one getting more dangerous. Chris, who was in Korea at the time, also ran into trouble. The North Korean government was testing nuclear weapons, and Chris was near the test site.

Hard Times

Natasha lived in uncertainty about her husband’s fate. Yet she had to make ends meet. With two jobs and three children to support, she barely had time for herself. Five months passed, but Chris still hadn’t returned. In fact, his mission was going to be extended by a month. He called his wife from the military base to give her the news. The mission, which was becoming more dangerous, would continue for at least another month…

Six Months Later

Five months passed, but Chris still hadn’t returned. In fact, his mission was going to be extended by a month. He called his wife from the military base to give her the news. The mission, which was becoming more dangerous, would continue for at least another month…

Uncertainty Drives You Crazy

It was a trying time for Natasha. Every day she wondered whether to reveal the secret. What if her husband died? Could she ever forgive herself? Yet she held on, and her perseverance paid off. In June, six months after he left, Chris set course for his home country, America.

Welcome Back!

On June 23, Chris’s family gathered in San Diego on a hot summer day. There, on the pier, they saw the man they had missed so much. As fast as they could, Chris’s children ran to their father. Behind them stood Natasha, holding a big sign: Welcome back, Daddy. After hugging his kids, Chris walked toward his wife, who dropped the sign. “Are you kidding me? Seriously?” Chris said when he saw what appeared behind the sign…

The Moment of Truth

Hidden behind the sign was a message written on Natasha’s shirt: “I’m the gift Daddy left behind before he left,” it read. And under the shirt? Natasha’s big baby bump. Chris couldn’t believe his eyes. “I looked at her and touched her belly,” he said afterward. “I thought she was messing with me,” he added with a laugh.

A Proud Dad

It was a very special day for Chris. By coincidence, the day he came home was Father’s Day. It almost seemed too good to be true. What he didn’t know was that things were only going to get better. Natasha hadn’t managed to hide her pregnancy from the rest of her family. But instead of spilling the secret, they helped her out. One of them recorded Chris’s homecoming, which quickly went viral on YouTube and Facebook.

Strategically Hidden

Hiding the pregnancy took a lot of work, since Natasha was in frequent contact with Chris throughout it. During their conversations, she would often put one of her kids on her lap to hide her belly. Sometimes she also took a photo with a beer (which she wasn’t actually drinking, of course) so Chris wouldn’t suspect she was pregnant.

Don’t Spoil the Secret!

The hardest part was convincing her kids that nothing special was going on. “When my oldest daughter started to notice, I just said I was getting fat,” Natasha joked afterward. It wasn’t always easy to hide the pregnancy. More than once, Natasha felt like calling or emailing her husband to spill the secret, but she managed to stop herself several times.

Hidden Out of Love

The choice to keep quiet came from the heart. Natasha knew that if she told Chris, he would constantly worry about what he was missing and wouldn’t be able to focus on his mission. When he came back, she was thrilled to finally reveal the secret, but that wasn’t the only surprise waiting for Chris…

Another Surprise

Natasha still doesn’t know if it will be a girl or a boy. She goes to the hospital with Chris for an ultrasound. It quickly turns out the baby is healthy, but is it a boy or a girl? To announce the news to the rest of the family, they decided to invite everyone to a party. The couple hung up balloons filled with confetti. When they popped the balloons, pink paper pieces flew everywhere. It was clear: they were expecting another girl.

Time to Adjust

Between Chris’s return and the baby’s birth, the couple had a lot to do. Buying diapers, setting up a nursery, and so on. But they also enjoyed the time they got to spend together. Yet bad news was in the air. Chris could be called away on a mission at any moment, which might mean missing his daughter’s birth. They anxiously waited for a message from the military.

Relief?

When the phone finally rings, Natasha holds her breath. They were about to tell Chris when his next mission would be. It turned out to be a huge relief: early 2018. That means he’ll be able to be there for his daughter’s birth, expected around August 2017, without any problem.

Later Than Expected

But things didn’t go exactly as planned. Baby number four took her time and skipped August entirely. It wasn’t until September 2, 2017, that Anara Rose was born. In the end, both Chris and Natasha were glad she had kept her secret. Natasha went through an emotional roller coaster, but now she’s happier than ever.

Very Special

Later, Natasha and Chris got to share their story on CBS television. “It was a fantastic experience,” Chris said at the time. “Of course, it would have been nice if she had told me over the phone, but the way she did it was very special.”