I sat down on the couch next to Dan. Since I had told him the big news, life was shockingly amazing. He was so excited to be a Dad. He constantly talked about what we were going to do.
"We should get one of those red wagons!" Dan suddenly exclaimed, "Like those things parents pull their kids around in the mall and stuff."
I lifted an eyebrow, "Dan, we don't even know the kids gender yet.
"They can be whatever gender they want to be!" he exclaimed.
I rolled my eyes, tangling his fingers with mine. He was going to be such a great Dad, I just know it. Although, I can imagine him embarrassing the kid a lot.
"What would we name it?" he asked.
I shrugged, "We can think of one boy name and one girl name, that way we're prepared either way."
Dan nodded. I got up and grabbed a pen and paper from the nearby table. I made two categories, one for girls and one for boys.
"What about Winnie?" Dan asked.
"Boy or girl?"
"Girl."
I marked that in the girl category. We thought for a few more minutes before I suggested, "How about Andy."
"Like your cat?"
"No, dummy," I smirked, "Like my brother."
Dan nodded. I jotted it down, moving onto the next name. Eventually, we had three names written down for each. Winnie, Harper, and Grace if it was a girl. And Andy, Noah, and George if it was a boy.
By the time we were thinking of a fourth name for each category, the doorbell rang. Dan stood up and went to answer. As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by a loud, "'Ello Danny Boy, I'm so sarcastically surprised to see you here!"
Eloise, of course. She was the only one who would greet us in such a way. She hugged Dan's middle before pushing past him and running to me. I noticed she was carrying a large bag.
She landed on the couch next to me and hugged my shoulders. Oddly, she seemed more hyperactive than usual. Especially when she stood up and began to bounce on her heels.
"How's it going with you two today?" she asked as Dan returned to sit next to me.
"We're fine," Dan replied, glancing at me, "Why are you here?"
She grinned, "I can't randomly visit my two friends?"
"Not when you're supposed to be with Pj," I replied.
Eloise frowned for a moment before perking back up again, "Nah, we've spent the last few days together. We both thought it was time for a break."
I took a closer look at her to see she had dark bags under her eyes. She obviously had tried to hide it with makeup, but it didn't work. She looked overly tired and hurting.
"Anyways, I came bearing gifts for the future Mom and Dad!"
She dropped her bag and began to dig in it. Dan and I exchanged nervous looks. She was overly-Eloise today. Almost like someone who was trying to act like Eloise, but was overdoing it.
Suddenly, she pulled out a white pamphlet. In red ink on the front, it read 'HOW TO BE A PARENT; with illustrations.' She handed it to Dan with a proud look on her face.
I glanced over his shoulder as he read it. The first picture was how stimulate the baby. It had a yes next to the picture of the baby lying in a crib under a mobile. The no was next to an illustration of the same baby and crib, but with a nineties television hanging over it.
"This is for Dan, obviously," Eloise chuckled, "I've seen how well he takes care of plants."
Dan threw up his arms, "How was I supposed to know you could over water a stupid plant?!"
Eloise laughed as I grinned slightly. She dug in her bag again. This time, she pulled out a small stuffed cat. It looked identical to Andy. She handed it to me.
"Thank you," I smiled, "Why are you doing this? I'm barely even a month along."
She sighed, "Because I thought it'd be nice. I want you two to know I love you before-" she caught herself.
"That doesn't matter. I love you two, and I want to help with the baby."
Dan and I smiled at her.
"Eloise," I grinned, "You helped me find out it was a baby. You're going to be the best aunt ever."
Her face brightened, "I'm going to be and aunt?"
Dan and I nodded. She shook her entire body over several times. I'm shocked she didn't squeal.
"This baby will be adorable!" she shouted, running in to hug both of us.
Dan and I hugged back. Even her hugs seemed off. She was much more jittery than usual. When she pulled away, I saw the full depth of her exhaustion.
"Eloise," I grabbed her wrist, "Are you alright?"
"Yup, peachy perfect. Why do you ask? Do I look not alright?" she gasped, "Do I look like I got hit by a train!"
She began to fret over what she might look like. Dan grabbed her shoulders and asked, "How much caffeine did you have this morning?"
"Three cups of coffee," she grinned, "And two five-hour energy's."
My mouth fell open as Dan groaned, "Why? Why would you do that to yourself?"
Her face became sullen and cast over for a nanosecond. Just as soon as it came, it went, and she was back to overly Eloise.
"I'm working through some things," she laughed, "But, that's not important."
Dan and I exchanged glances. Something was wrong. We had to get it out of her, that in itself would be hard. It would be even harder to help take down whatever hurts the unhurtable Eloise.