During what I thought was a normal hospital visit, my husband’s nurse pulled me aside and whispered, “Listen, I don’t want to alarm you, but… LOOK UNDER YOUR HUSBAND’S BED when you get back to the room.” I wasn’t prepared for what I found, and it made me grab my phone to call 911.
I’m still reeling as I write this. Part of me wants to laugh at how ridiculous it all turned out, but the other part? The other part can’t stop replaying every stressful second of last Friday night.
An anxious woman | Source: Midjourney
Ethan, my husband, has been in the hospital for over a week. He had surgery for an old injury that had been bothering him for years: a hip complication that finally caught up with him. He’s better now, recovering, but it hasn’t been easy. Between working, taking care of the kids, and making sure he’s comfortable, my days have been… hectic, to say the least.
“Mom, when’s Dad coming home?” Tommy had asked that morning, moving his cereal around in his bowl.
“Soon, honey,” I replied, trying to hide the tiredness in my voice. “He needs to get stronger first.”
“But I miss him,” Sarah had said, her lower lip trembling. “It’s not the same without him here.”
“I know, baby. I miss him too. More than you know.” I pulled them both into a tight hug, breathing in their familiar scents and drawing strength from their warmth.
A man in a hospital ward | Source: Midjourney
I usually visit Ethan in the mornings or afternoons, while the kids are at school. But last Friday, my dad offered to spend the night with the kids.
“You look like you could use a rest,” he said, his eyes filled with concern. “When was the last time you got a full night’s sleep?”
I honestly didn’t remember. But his offer seemed like a lifesaver. It seemed like a wonderful idea to surprise Ethan with a nighttime visit. And maybe brighten his day a little.
When I walked into his hospital room, he looked up from his phone and froze.
“Hi,” I said, smiling as I placed my suitcase on the chair. “You weren’t expecting me, were you?”
A scared man | Source: Midjourney
He blinked a couple of times and gave a nervous laugh. “No. I mean, didn’t you come in early today?”
“Yes, I did. But I had some extra time, so here I am.” I shrugged and sat down next to him. “I miss you, you know?”
“Sam…” she whispered, trying to take my hand, but stopped mid-stride. “You shouldn’t… You must be exhausted. The kids…”
“The kids are with Dad,” I interrupted, studying his face. Something about his expression made my stomach turn. “They miss you so much, Ethan. Sarah cried again this morning.”
His face crumpled for a moment. “God, I hate this. Being stuck here, leaving you to handle everything…”
A woman at the door of a hospital waving her hand | Source: Midjourney
“Hey, that’s what marriage is all about, isn’t it? In sickness and in health?” I tried to joke, but my voice cracked a little.
Ethan smiled, but it was… I don’t know, a distracted look. Like his brain was working overtime on something else.
“Are you okay?” I asked, watching him closely. “You seem… different tonight.”
“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” she said, touching the corner of her blanket. “How are the kids?”
We chatted for a while, and I peeled an apple, his favorite snack. But the whole time I had the feeling something wasn’t right. Ethan’s answers were shorter than usual. And he kept glancing toward the door.
A door | Source: Pexels
“Remember when we first started dating?” I said, trying to fill the awkward silence. “You used to bring me apples every day because you’d heard somewhere that ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away.’”
He laughed, but it sounded forced.
“Ethan,” I took his hand again, and this time he let me. “Talk to me. What’s wrong? Are you in pain? Should I call the nurse?”
A nervous man looking at someone | Source: Midjourney
“No!” he said too quickly, then softened his tone. “No, I’m fine. Really. Just… tired.”
I tried not to think about it too much. I thought maybe I was just tired. Surgery takes its toll, doesn’t it?
But then, as I was about to throw the apple peels into the trash can outside the living room, I ran into Carla.
Carla is one of Ethan’s nurses. She’s caring, talkative, and the kind of person who puts you at ease instantly. We’d spoken a few times before, but this time she seemed anxious.
A nurse holding a clipboard | Source: Pexels
She crossed my path and looked nervously down the hall before lowering her voice. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Of course. What’s up?”
His hands trembled slightly as he fiddled with his ID. “I shouldn’t be doing this. We’re not supposed to pry into patients’ private lives, but…”
“Carla,” I gently grabbed her arm, my heart beginning to beat faster and faster. “You’re scaring me. Is something wrong with Ethan? Did the lab tests reveal anything?”
She shook her head quickly. “No, no, it’s nothing medical. It’s…” She bit her lip. She glanced toward Ethan’s room and lowered her voice even further. “Listen, I don’t want to alarm you, but… look under your husband’s bed when you get back to the room.”
I frowned, confused. “Under his bed? Why?”
A confused woman frowning | Source: Midjourney
“Trust me,” he said quickly, his expression almost pleading. “You’ll understand when you see it.”
“Carla, please,” my voice cracked a little. “If something’s wrong, tell me. I can handle it.”
“I can’t,” she whispered, looking over her shoulder. “But you have to know. Just… look.”
He turned around and walked away, leaving me standing there, a knot of terror growing in my stomach.
What was she talking about? Was something wrong with Ethan? Was there some kind of secret I should have known about?
“Wait!” I called, but she was already gone, her shoes squeaking against the linoleum floor.
A horrified woman calls someone | Source: Midjourney
I took a deep breath and walked back into the room, trying to act normal. My hands were shaking so much I had to put them in my pockets.
Ethan was lying in bed, checking his phone again.
“Is everything okay?” he asked me when I sat down.
“Yes. I just threw away some trash.”
But my mind was racing. Carla’s words echoed in my head: “Look under his bed.”
I needed an excuse. Something casual. I quickly picked up the apple I’d been peeling earlier and pretended to drop it.
A woman holding an apple | Source: Midjourney
“Oops,” I said, ducking down.
That’s when I saw him. My heart stopped.
There, under the bed, were some eyes… staring at me.
At first, I thought I was imagining it. But no. There was a woman crouching down, staring at me like a deer caught in the headlights.
“What the…?” I jumped to my feet. “Who the hell are you? What are you doing under my husband’s bed?”
Ethan’s heart monitor started beeping faster. “Wait, wait… Samantha, it’s not what you…”
“Don’t you dare ‘shut me up’! After everything we’ve been through? After ten years together?”
Grayscale shot of a woman hiding | Source: Midjourney
“Sam, please…”
I didn’t let him finish. “What’s she doing here, Ethan?” My hands were shaking as I picked up the phone. “I’m going to call the police. What is this? Some kind of joke?”
The woman emerged from under the bed, her face as red as a fire engine. She looked mortified.
“Please!” Ethan started to freak out. He grabbed my phone, wincing as the movement threw him off the track. “Samantha, stop. It’s not what you think.”
“Isn’t that what I think?” I stared at him, my chest heaving. Tears stung my eyes. “There’s a WOMAN under your bed, Ethan! What else can I think? That she dropped her contact lenses down there?”
“Miss Samantha, can I explain…” the woman began.
An angry woman screaming | Source: Midjourney
“How dare you?” I yelled, backing away from the two of them. “Since when has this been going on? Is this why you’ve been acting so strange, Ethan?”
The beeping of the heart monitor grew more insistent. Ethan shifted in bed, wincing as he carefully swung his legs over the side. His movements were slow and deliberate, his hands gripping the edge of the mattress for support. The IV tube pinged softly as he stood unsteadily, and his hospital gown rustled slightly with exertion.
I watched him struggle to maintain his balance, his knuckles white as he braced himself. “Please listen to me,” he said, his voice shaking. “I can explain.”
A Restless Man | Source: Midjourney
“Explain WHAT, Ethan? That you’re cheating on me in a hospital room? While I’m home, taking care of our kids and doing my best to keep everything in order?”
“No! God, no. It’s not that.” He looked at the woman, who seemed to want to sink to the ground. “Tell her,” he said.
The woman hesitated, then murmured, “I’m a wedding planner.”
I blinked. “A… what?”
He straightened, still avoiding my gaze. “Ethan hired me to help him plan a surprise wedding. For you.”
I looked at her as if she’d just spoken another language. “A… wedding? For me? What are you talking about?”
A wedding montage | Source: Pexels
Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It’s true. I’ve been working with her to plan a wedding. For us. A real one.”
“But… but why so much secrecy? Why hide her under the bed like she’s… a teenager in secret?”
“Because you weren’t supposed to be here!” Ethan’s voice cracked. “We’ve been planning this for months.”
A Sad Man | Source: Midjourney
The woman nodded awkwardly. “We were just finalizing the details: your favorite colors, the flowers, everything. I wanted everything to be perfect. We heard you talking to someone on the phone outside the room, and we didn’t want to give away the surprise… so she told me to hide under the bed. I’m so sorry about the misunderstanding.”
“The other day I found our old wedding photo,” Ethan continued, his eyes twinkling. “Remember? City Hall, you in that simple white dress and me in my dad’s old suit? You deserved so much more than that rushed ceremony.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The anger I’d felt moments before melted into something softer, something that made my chest ache.
A woman overwhelmed by emotions | Source: Midjourney
“You… were planning a wedding?” I whispered. “All this time?”
Ethan nodded, taking my hand. “I know it sounds crazy, but… I just wanted to surprise you. Make you happy. Give you the wedding day you’ve always dreamed of before…”
“Before what?” I pressed, squeezing his hand.
“Before anything can go wrong,” she whispered. “I love you, Sam. More than anything. I want to marry you again, this time properly, surrounded by our children, family, and friends.”
For a moment, I just stood there, staring at him. Then, slowly, I began to laugh, tears streaming down my face.
A woman smiling | Source: Midjourney
“You’re crazy!” I said, shaking my head. “Do you have any idea how close I was to calling 911? I thought… God, I thought the worst.”
Ethan gave me a shy smile. “Yeah… sorry. It wasn’t my finest moment, making Jessica hide under the bed.”
Wedding planner Jessica mumbled another apology before leaving the room, leaving the two of us alone.
As the door closed, Ethan took my hand. “So… what do you think? Are you still mad at me?”
A woman walking away | Source: Pexels
I squeezed his hand, my heart stirring. “Mad? No. But you owe me a real explanation… and maybe a drink when we get out of here!” I laughed and added softly, “And Ethan? I don’t mind if we have to have our first wheelchair dance when we’re ninety. As long as it’s with you.”
She hugged me, and I felt her tears moistening my shoulder. “I love you,” she whispered. “Even after ten years, I fall more in love with you every day.”
“I love you too,” I whispered. “But next time you plan a surprise… Maybe don’t hide the planner under the bed.”
Her laughter, this time warm and genuine, filled the hospital room, and everything felt right again.
A couple hugging | Source: Unsplash
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to real events is purely coincidental and not the author’s intention.
The author and publisher do not guarantee the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters, and are not responsible for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and the opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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