Nina Dobrev

Daniel was just really taken aback from her words and did it seem so obvious that he was just a bit jealous of Ian and Nina, that she needed to explain everything in depth. “No, I don’t have a problem with that. I told you can go ahead and do whatever you want if it makes you happy because that’s all I want for you.” He told her in a much calmer manner than hers as he tightened his grip around the surface of the balcony as he looked ahead to the LA scenery. “So you two broke up because he wanted to get married and start a family with you when you were twenty-four? A year after you two broke up, I got you pregnant and now we have a family… that’s a bit hypocritical. We weren’t married so I’m guessing I got you pregnant accidentally. So for instance if Ian was the one who got you pregnant, he’ll be in my spot right now, and I never existed in your life.” His wording of it was a bit harsh but he didn’t mean to hurt her because he was just trying to connect the dots in his head about the early stages of their relationship. In all honesty though, Michaela was not planned but she was made through the passionate love between him and Nina which made their relationship stronger, and he was not sure how it would’ve been like if Nina didn’t get pregnant like if they will still be together or not. However, the Daniel who had his memories would think that they were meant to be together and no matter how much that their love story was twisted, they will always be together at the end. He finally let go of the thought when she mentioned that Ian was already married and there was no reason to question anymore and he also felt really bad about what he said. He thought that she has forgotten about the whole going to the hospital thing because of the issue with Ian, but now there was another issue arising and he hated stressing her out. Turning around so he was facing her, Daniel could see the emotions in her eyes and when she said if it was about seeing them in the cafe that he didn’t tell her, he began to shake his head slowly. “No… It’s not that.” Biting his bottom lip as he began to examine how her eyes began to water up, he felt hurt that he was hurting her. As he was just getting his head around the fact that Nina Dobrev is his girlfriend and that he has two kids, he was not thinking of what her reaction would be and he wasn’t putting himself in her shoes and how difficult this situation is already for her, and maybe he lacked in that empathy. Daniel just kept quiet because he was afraid that he might say something wrong, and it broke his heart to see the tears. What really struck him was how even though she was angered by him, she still manages to show her care and love for him and right there he felt like the luckiest guy alive to have such a loving and understanding girlfriend. He began to use his crutches to approach her with him facing her right side of the body, and then leaned the crutches on the bed, “I got the most amazing girlfriend in the world… I’m perfectly fine…” He responded to her question and then wrapped his arms around her side with her shoulder touching his chest as he then placed a soft kiss on the side of her head, “I’m sorry I just didn’t want to stress you out and make you think about hospitals again… I just want what we have to go back to how it was because I know how much that would make you happy.” He whispered considering how close his lips is to her ear, and then he waited until their eyes met while continuing to hold her, and raised one of his hand to place it gently or her cheek and wipe the damp spots on her cheeks, “No, we’re not cancelling anything. Small steps to recovery right? This is a good start. I’ll just probably sit most of the time, but we’re doing that barbecue and Michaela and Mom are pretty excited for it. ” Daniel told her before chuckling and kissing the side of her head again before unwrapping his arms from her. “It’s hot, I’m going to change into shorts. I’ll just keep the long sleeves because my arms pretty bruised and it ain’t attractive.” Going to their closet, he slipped his trousers off and then wore a pear of khaki shorts with his white long sleeves before going back into their bedroom. He held his hand out to her for her to take, “Let’s go downstairs? See what Michaela and Mom have been up to?” He then paused and then eyed her from head to toe, catching his bottom lip in between his teeth, “And by the way, did I mention how look you good in that dress; I think we should close the door…” Daniel continued teasingly, wiggling his eyebrows and this all felt natural like her did not forget anything because this teasing was always Daniel like before the incident.

Daniel was in such a deep sleep most likely because of the effect of the medication injected in him that he didn’t hear any movement in the room or baby Oliver’s crying or Nina dressing up. Even when she began to stroke his arm, he barely felt it and her saying of his name was the one which soon woke him up from his deep sleep, “Awh, what a sight to see when I’ve just woken up.” He whispered because his body was weak and he reached his arm forward to rest it on her thigh and then smiled with his pale lips and face as his eyes was still narrowed, but seeing her made him happy. “Mhmmm…” Daniel mumbles shutting his eyes again after placing her hand on his chest and holding it just there as he fell asleep once more unknowingly before waking after a minute again, “Sorry, your boyfriend’s a bit tired…” He told her with a little chuckle before meeting his eyes with hers and studying it for a moment, “I missed you…” Daniel continued and they shared a moment before Michaela came in and greeted her mommy before sitting on her lap and looking at her daddy, “Daddy, are you okay? You look poorly again. Grandma said you went to the hospital while I was sleeping, and they placed a needle–” Catching his bottom lip in between his teeth after he sat up, he forgot that Michaela would be able to tell Nina that without intending to do anything. There was a reason why he didn’t want to tell Nina about going to the hospital, but what happened has happened and Michaela unintentionally announced it to her mommy. “No honey, it was nothing serious. Go ahead and help grandma make some tea cakes okay?” Daniel said before Mimi nodded because she loved baking and then rushed to the kitchen to Karla, and then he quirked his eyebrows to Nina. “I guess I have some explaining to do… I was feeling really tired at around lunch time but I ignored it because I thought it was just a side effect and then the left side of my body began to sting and feel sore so mom decided to take me to the hospital just to make sure everything is okay. They gave me some meds that’s why I look high,” He jokingly said before pausing to take a breath before continuing, “I was planning not to tell you because it’s not important… I wore a long sleeves in this hot weather for you not to see the bruises, but I guess God wants me to be honest to you.” He explained to her before throwing his legs lightly to the edge of the bed to sit next to her, leaning in and placing a tender kiss on her cheek. Grabbing a hold of his crutches, he then went to the balcony to look at what Michaela and his mom has been doing in decorating their garden for the barbecue and it looked pretty good and cosy for later on as he leaned his hands on the surface of the balcony as he looked on, “How was your friend? Ian right? We kind of saw you two when we took Michaela to the park close to the coffee shop you went to. Why didn’t you tell me that you two dated for three years when you were talking to me about your Vampire Diaries cast members?” Daniel couldn’t fight not asking it because he did feel a little jealousy and he just really wanted to know, “To be honest though, he’s pretty good looking for a guy. And then you end up with me. Imagine how much easier it would be if you were with him… you wouldn’t have to worry about a boyfriend who doesn’t remember you.” He was half serious and half joking about it because there was some truth in his words, and Daniel wanted her to know that it was okay for her to now keep her options open that when she gets tired or if it’s too much, it was okay for her to find someone else because he didn’t want her to be unhappy.

“I’m just a bit drained from walking… I feel like an old man. And yes, ma’am. I got it.” With a small flash of a smile, he squeezed her hands in his own and was about to stand up to bid Michaela and Oliver a goodbye and then go to his mother, but then something unexpected happen once more. Fluttering his eyes shut when Nina leaned in, he caught her bottom lip in his which lasted a few seconds and even a small smooch, but it wasn’t exactly the most passionate like before because to be honest he’s also forgotten how to kiss properly. However, it felt good to feel her lips against his, and it felt familiar but he just couldn’t pin point his confused feelings and memory with everything that is happening. Raising his eyebrows when he pulled away, he stood up with Nina’s help and then took his crutch to be able to walk easier. Daniel kissed Michaela and Oliver goodbye and then hugged Nina before watching them drive away to drop their daughter off to school just outside their front door. When the car was out of their sight, he went back inside with his mom who was now very teary eyed; Daniel was her first baby and will always be and it hurt her to see him in such a bad shape. The next few hours was filled with talking and catching with everything from his childhood to now, and then his siblings and to be honest a whole life was much too overwhelming to take and so for now it was all just brief story’s. Daniel’s mom could also see that his son was quite tired and in a little bit of pain and so he escorted him back to his bedroom, and took care of him much when he was young and was that sickly boy. His mom was more than happy to take care of him because he hasn’t done that to her son for so long because Daniel was always so stubborn sometimes and didn’t want to be babied, and Nina has taken the job to take care of him since she’s his other half, so now it was like the old times again, and Karla was quite happy with reminiscing it. He took a nap for a few hours before he decided to shower with his mom helping him. Finding out that Michaela would be coming out the school, he decided to just pick her up with his mom and went straight to pick her up after getting dressed and patched up, with their trusted family driver, Gary. The school wasn’t too far but there was a lot of people and he was advised with the whole publicity and his condition that he shouldn’t be going out too much, but he didn’t really care because all he really wants was to pick her up himself from the school, just as a normal father would for his child. No matter how much his mother insisted, Daniel ended up getting out to get Michaela and it didn’t turn out too chaotic because they parked at the back. He actually got to meet her teacher who was very nice and young and beautiful and she was really sympathetic, but the teacher has, to be honest, been really charmed with Daniel even before when he had his memory and picked Michaela up most of the time because Nina would have been pregnant or taking care of baby Oliver. A small talk was exchanged with him and Mimi’s teacher before he said goodbye as well as Michaela to her teachers and classmates, and then she took his free hand and they went back to the car. As Michaela kissed her grandma as a greeting and hugging Gary, she sat at the back with Karla and then announced that she wanted ice cream, therefore they took her to a pretty quiet park in Los Angeles where an ice cream stand was at. Since there wasn’t much people, Daniel and his mom and also Gary took a seat at a bench as Michaela began to follow a butterfly around with her colorful ice cream in hand, “Careful, honey. You might slip.” He warned her softly before chatting with Gary and talking about how long he’s been working with them and his own family life, which Daniel found was very interesting and humbling. However, what he didn’t know was that the place where Nina was going to meet this ‘friend’ of her’s was just outside the park. They were going to go and buy some equipment and decorations for their little barbecue in the evening, but then Michaela called out some name, “Uncle Smileyhalder! Oh and there’s mommy!” Mimi was now waving but Ian and Nina didn’t exactly see it as they seemed to be enjoying each other’s company from what it looked like through the glass of the coffee shop. Daniel took his glasses off to get a closer view with furrowed eyebrows and then recognized who the guys was; it was the guy on the internet with Nina having a smooch in Coachella and who she has worked with in TVD. “Daddy, can we please go to mommy and baby Olly? And I haven’t seen Uncle Ian for so long… Please, please, please.” It wasn’t his call so his mom spoke up instead, “Remember that your mom needs her ‘me’ time with her friends because she’s been working so hard, so it’s better if we don’t distract them. I’m sure your mommy would invite uncle Ian to the barbecue later so you’ll see him, okay baby.” As Karla was explaining that, he was just staring blankly at the scene of Nina and Ian in the coffee shop and the image of them kissing like the image he saw was just running through his mind constantly, and there was that little hurting feeling that was just coming from no where; he didn’t have the right to feel that way since he doesn’t exactly remember much. Plus, if a paparazzi or any person would see Nina, Ian and Daniel all together, it would be another story to be told on top of the already existing huge one. Therefore, Michaela was understanding and they got in the car and began to drive on the way to buy equipment and decorations, but he just can’t remove his thoughts of why in all friends that Nina had to meet up, it had to be Ian. “Who’s Ian? Smileyhalder?” He quietly asked and then Michaela blurted out something his mom was avoiding since she thinks it would be better if Nina said it to Daniel, “Uncle Smileyhalder is super cool! Daddy, did you know him and mommy used to be super in love with each other? It was such a cool story because–” Karla then interrupted so Michaela wouldn’t continue since he was beginning to look confused. “Mimi, it’s that time to read your book, it’s nearly finished and so we can add another sticker to your chart.” And so his daughter’s attention went to finishing reading her book, but Daniel has not moved out with the shock of the information had has received, “In love? So, they’re together?” Karla looked at Gary from the rear view with an exchange of an uneasy look, “Yes, I mean no. Well son, they’re not together because you’ve been with Nina for four years now, but yes they were together. But I think Nina should be the one talking to you about that, and plus that’s the past they’re just really good friends even after their break up.” Finally that explained the pictures on the internet but it was still bugging him. “Okay…” He managed to say slowly and he seemed out of it after that and soon they arrived at the market, Daniel then began to feel cramps on the left side of his upper body and some dizziness and some signs that said he should go get it checked out since he was showing the symptoms earlier on; he was trying to hide it, but then his mom noticed some paleness. Michaela has now fallen asleep under his arm and so his Mom and Gary decided to just buy themselves with Daniel and Mimi in the car so it’s quicker and they could go to the hospital quickly. He then decided to send Nina a text which took a while since he couldn’t figure out the whole phone thing yet just to ask her how she was, ‘Hey… I was just checking up on you. I’ve picked Michaela up. And yeah, how are you? Just take care always.” Soon enough, Gary and his mom came back and began taking him to the hospital, and he didn’t want to tell Nina that they were going to the hospital since she would begin to worry and they didn’t want to stress her. Michaela was deeply sleeping at the back of the car and Gary was caring for her so Daniel and Karla could go inside the hospital. He was checked and all of it was due to fatigue and doing too much and he was given an injection and few other things before he could go home. After that, he was reminded to not stress his body out too much and then they finally went home. His mom insisted for him to just stay in bed and let them do the work for the barbecue instead of risking his health, and he thought it would be better because if he was doing stuff, he would be holding them back. Karla helped him to change into some sweat pants and long sleeves to the hide the bruises as the side effect of the medicine and the injection marks as well, so Nina wouldn’t see. “Uh mom, when Nina arrives don’t tell her anything.” But it was right for Karla to tell Nina because Nina is Daniel’s girlfriend, but to assure Daniel she just nodded and then closed the bedroom door so he could rest. It was also obvious in his paleness and the heat of his body that he wasn’t one hundred per cent. Before sleeping, he took his phone and then sent her one of those doggy face snapchat just as Michaela taught him how to, to hopefully make Nina smile through direct message after saving it on his phone because Nina didn’t exactly have snapchat, and wrote the caption, ‘I don’t bite you know…unless it’s called for. Nah, I’m teasing. I’ll see you soon.’ It was short and sweet and he was just missing her, and soon he fell asleep in hopes that when he wakes up late in the evening, Nina would be there for their barbecue, and there was a high chance that Ian would be there too.

Laughing a little when she pointed him out for looking at her breasts, Daniel then met her eyes instead in respect for Nina as he listened to what she has planned for the day. It all seemed like a packed day for all of them and he really wasn’t planning on going out that day because he would like to talk to his mother about everything and spend time with his kids, while Nina could have some time to herself. “Yeah, just don’t get tired too much okay and yeah go get some fun for yourself. I have no idea who this friend is, but yeah enjoy your time with her… or him.” To be honest, he did have an idea but he didn’t want to bring it up exactly because it would probably bring up some long explanation about her and Ian and he just wanted for her to not think about everything too much. “Are you taking Oliver with you to meet this friend? Cause you mentioned going on a walk with him…” He asked, brushing his fingers lightly on baby Oliver’s soft hair as their son began to fall asleep slowly, it was kind of funny how baby’s could just sleep so often but it was better than them wailing and crying. “And probably not, maybe I’ll stay with mom to get ready for that barbecue you were talking about and we could invite friends? It might help with remembering things. And I’ll just try to memorize the whole house. However, maybe I can pick up Michaela with mom and explore a little while you meet with your friend.” Daniel explained before watching Nina get up to put Oliver back in his crib, and he spent a few seconds staring at the sunset before he used the balcony to help him get up, but as he was doing that Michaela came back in all dressed up for school and helped her daddy to stand up fully. “You look very pretty with that white dress… you look like your mother.” He admiringly said, holding on Michaela’s little hand as he limped his way inside after grabbing some of the pillows to put back inside. “Thanks, dad. I always look up to mommy because I always want to look like her.” With a smile, Daniel threw the pillows in a corner before he was escorted to sit at the edge of the bed. Sighing in relief as he finally got to sit down more comfortably, Michaela climbed up to sit beside him, leaning her head on his arm and he glanced down to notice her slightly sad expression, "Honey, do you wanna tell something to daddy?” He softly asked and Michaela shook her head, but Daniel knew there was something wrong and he widened his eyes to make her say it and then Michaela shrugged and then began playing with the hem of her dress. “Do you and mommy love baby Ollie more than me? Cause mommy always spends time with him, and he gets to sleep on your chest now, and I can’t anymore.” She mumbled and it was obvious how she was quite broken, and Daniel would never want his kids feeling neglected or less loved, and he was sure that’s the same with Nina. “Michaela, look at daddy…” Taking her cheek in his hand, he made his daughter look at him, “Me and mommy love you as much as we love Oliver and it doesn’t mean that when we spend some time with him, that we don’t love you anymore. It’s just that Oliver is still a very vulnerable little baby and we all need to care for him, and you’re a big girl now… your birthday’s coming up right? You’ll always be mommy’s side-kick and mini me and you will always be daddy’s little princess and I will be dreading the day that you’re going to be someone’s else’s princess.” Daniel softly explained to Michaela genuinely and Michaela began to get teary eyed by his words as she nodded, and then wrapped her arms around her dad’s neck, “I love you…” He whispered, also wrapping his arms around Mimi before finally noticing Nina and Daniel disregarded the pain and stood up with a crying Michaela in his arms to get to Nina. “Mommy’s going to give you a big hug and many kisses now, okay.” Kissing the side of Michaela’s head, she then went over to her mom’s arms and the effect of carrying and moving around so much was beginning to take toll on his recovering body. Rubbing Michaela’s back, he then began limping to the his box of medicine’s to get some painkillers and drank it before sitting down on the sofa beside. Watching the moment between the two important girls in his life, Daniel wished her could remember already so it wouldn’t be harder for them. Mouthing a question if he did a good job to Nina about explaining to Michaela, he then felt the effect of being dizzy because of the medicine’s he was taking and his eyes began to droop down.

Closing his mouth right after Nina placed a spoonful of her homemade vanilla pudding, Daniel allowed it to linger in his his mouth for a few seconds to savor the taste in his mouth before swallowing it; it had the perfect creamy and sweet taste that doesn’t make it boring to eat and there were a bunch of fruits that could also go with it, and it just tasted heavenly to him, but he felt like teasing Nina. When she asked about how it tasted like, he immediately gave her a hesitant and then a disgusted look and her reaction was just priceless, before he let out a chuckle, “I’m kidding, it tastes awesome! You got more of these?” He told her before Michaela said ‘I told you so’ which he fully agreed to, and then began to dig in her own glass of the the vanilla pudding. Reaching out, he began to gently tickle Oliver’s stomach which made him all giddy and happy, and Daniel reflected the same happiness to see his son so joyful. “No problem, you deserve it and more things.” He responded to her thank you before he stopped playing with Oliver as his mom came in, and a smile quickly formed across his face to see his mother, “Hey, mom, good morning. Yes mom, I’m fine.” But to be honest, the first morning that he spent out of the hospital without the machines helping him with the pain and everything so controlled, his limbs and his body was aching but the doctor said it was normal because he was beginning to get used to living a normal life again, and plus it was a beautiful morning still. Looking back at his plate, he slowly folded a pancake which had strawberries and blackberries on it and then syrup and placed it in his mouth, chewing his mouthful slowly, and it was obvious he was eating a minimal amount still and then it was pointed out my his mother, “Mom, it’s okay, I can handle myself. I mean my future wife’s cooked it so gotta impress her.” Daniel teasingly said, glancing at Nina while his mom quirked her eyebrows and continued keeping Oliver happy as the Michaela jumped up, “What? Wife? Mommy and Daddy, are you two going to get married?” Reaching his hand out to hold Michaela and gently sit her down on his lap as she rested on a pillow on his upper body because it was still full of wounds and bruises, he then kissed the back of her head, “No, not yet. Baby Oliver needs to grow up first and daddy needs to remember too.” Daniel said it in a happier tone because even though it was still quite serious, he didn’t want his daughter to think too serious about it. Soon enough, the rising of the sun began and everything fell silent as he watched on as the darker atmosphere soon was replaced by a soft orange as the sun began to rise and it was just so peaceful. And Michaela took her little princess Polaroid camera to take a picture of the beautiful scenery and then of their family. Catching his bottom lip in between his teeth, he then turned his head to look at Nina and how the sun reflected on her skin was so beautiful and her eyes and every feature was gorgeous. And then Oliver began to cry quietly in his grandmother’s arms most likely because he was hungry and he also wanted his breakfast, “Awh, is my handsome grandson hungry? Okay, here’s mommy.” As his mom handed Oliver back to Nina, Daniel nodded his head once and began to drink the orange juice. “You can feed him here it’s okay.” Since Nina would be doing this often, he thought he should be open to it and he’s the father of Oliver and he’s with Nina so it wouldn’t be such a problem. Michaela was finished and very full because she basically ate all of the vanilla pudding and three pancakes and after her grandmother has eaten, they began to gt ready because Michaela had school today for a few hours. Michaela kissed her parents and Oliver before she took his mom’s hand and began making their way inside to shower. There was a few seconds of silence and then Daniel slowly began to stretch his arm out and hoped Nina would take the sign for her to lean forward so he can wrap his arm around her shoulders and rest against his so she would be more comfortable and warm to feed baby Oliver. It all felt natural and then as he had her in his arm, he began to stroke their son’s head with his free hand and then kissed it, “So, what are your plans today? Meeting up with friends? I think you deserve to have fun with friends and not think about all this even for a day.” He whispered since he didn’t want to disturb Oliver from feeding, and then he felt playful again because he could see her breast slightly, “By the way, you have really nice,” Daniel then gestured towards the breast area and then smirked mischievously. “It’s true though, but I’m sorry.” Frankly, he cannot remove his eyes from it and so decided to look ahead at the scenery and trying to fight back his laughter.

Feeling a small movement under his chin which tickled him from the little hairs on top of Oliver’s head, Daniel fluttered his eyes open and looked down at his son who was using his little arm strength to press down on Daniel’s chest to push himself up look up at his daddy. “Good morning, buddy…” He whispered before Oliver began to reach up to his face which made him chuckle a little and then reached out to try and touch his sister’s face, “Shhh, no… Don’t wake our princess up.” He used his free hand to stop Oliver’s little arm as Michaela slept soundly on Daniel’s shoulder and he leaned to the side to press a kiss on Mimi’s head, and it wasn’t long until Michaela also wake up from the uncontrollable movements of baby Oliver, “Awh, sorry honey, your brother’s being annoying. Good morning beautiful. I think daddy needs a kiss.” Michaela pressed a kiss on Daniel’s cheek and then she also kissed her little brother which made Oliver laugh very cutely. “Okay, Michaela do daddy a favor… Help me get up.” As he was still in pain and Oliver was on his chest, he needed help to get up, therefore Michaela pulled with both of her hands Daniel’s hand as he held onto Oliver to stop him from falling over. He let out a little wince but he was sitting up finally, and then Michaela told her that Nina was going them some breakfast which she was very excited about. And so Daniel decided that they should do something sweet for Nina to surprise her before she came up; taking a few flowers from their balcony that Daniel planted before, they spread out some of the petals which ranged in different colors from the doorway to the balcony. As he carried Oliver with one arm, he gave his son a petal to throw but instead tried to eat it, “No, you’re still on mommy’s milk remember…” He insisted, grabbing the petal out Oliver’s hand before it entered his little mouth. Michaela was always a very creative child and so she kind of took charge since Daniel cannot really move around a lot; they soon transformed the balcony into a pillow and blanket fort dedicated to Nina so they could also enjoy the beautiful sunrise to come outside. Funny enough, Michaela helped Daniel arrange some the flowers from the balcony to make a bouquet out of it to give to Nina, then they were ready. The curtains were closed and they hid in the closet as they heard footsteps coming, and when they felt Nina’s presence, they opened the light from a controller to allow her to see the petals on the floor as they then played one of Daniel’s song from the speaker. After that, they all got out closet, “Good morning, gorgeous. Here let me take this… don’t worry I got it.” He still has good strengths on his arms and he could limp so it was all good, therefore he took the tray in exchange of Oliver because their son has been wanting to see and feel his mommy’s warmth, before Michaela took Nina’s hand free hand to lead her to the comfortable fort they have made in the balcony so they could enjoy the sunrise and the food Nina prepared. As he followed behind, he looked down at the range of delicious dishes and the smell but he didn’t know if he wanted to eat a lot still. After they all got comfortable, he set down the tray and slowly lowered himself down with Nina’s help, sitting beside her. “It was Michaela’s idea…” He whispered with a warm smile and then Mimi began clapping excitedly, “Daddy, daddy, remember what we prepared…” He nearly forgot about the flowers and so he reached out to a corner and took out the bouquet of flowers which coincidentally looked similar to the bouquet of flowers that Daniel gave Nina on valentine’s day, “Oh yeah, here you go. Thought it’ll be nice.” He handed it over and it was quiet funny to see Oliver reaching out for it too. After that, they all began digging into the food but Daniel was still hesitant but didn’t want to disappoint Nina because he wouldn’t eat a lot of what she has made, and so he took some bacon and eggs and some of the fruits and placed it on his plate. As he ate little by little, Michaela spoke up once more, “Daddy you should taste mommy’s pudding. It’s amazing!” Raising his eyebrows, he flashed Nina a smile and then nodded; biting down on his bottom lip, he opened his mouth and gestured for Nina to place a spoonful of pudding in his mouth as his way to be sweet with her, while Michaela got up to get her grandma to join them before the California sunrise.

Nothing can ever explain how much he wanted to just smash his head against the wall in hopes it would shake it to make him remember everything again for Nina. She did not deserve such pain and stress from the love of her life who should be the one balancing everything and making sure she was at her happiest even when she’s tired working or caring for their kids; he cannot believe how strong Nina is. However, even though she was assuring him that her lover for him will be as strong as ever and that nothing will change, there are a lot of possibilities which could occur in the future but because Nina seemed to be holding the future in her hands that everything will be normal again, it persuaded him that it would most likely be normal as long as she was around. Her loving words actually made him begin to understand even more how the old Daniel came to love this wonderful woman in front of him, and his courage to keep fighting increased so much because he wants to be that guy for her again and to love her endlessly as he always did before. “I understand, Nina. And how lucky am I to end up being with you when I was the old Daniel. I must’ve been so infatuated by you.” He admitted and the kiss after, even though he was hesitant, it somehow felt natural and something that they were always used to doing and he did not mind having that kiss with her; it was brief but it was a good kiss, a loving kiss. Daniel waited for Nina to shut her eyes before he did the same with his as his hand gently rested on her thigh, getting into this moment with her and hoping it would make him remember something more. When she announced that they should sleep, Daniel placed his cup on his nightstand but he was still not that sleepy. “I’m excited about our little princess tomorrow. Maybe I could spend some time with them, and you can have some self time… You’ve been doing and juggling so many things for me, Michaela and Oliver. You should go have fun, meet up with friends. Mom’s going to be with us so it’s all good.” He told her as he placed a pillow on his lap and then took a photo album from the drawer in the nightstand, “You go ahead and rest, I’ll stay up a bit. Goodnight and sweet dreams, Nina.” Flashing her a smile, he then began to flick through the photo album of him and Nina’s trip to a snow covered mountain and they stayed in like a cabin… During their first year anniversary when Michaela wasn’t even born yet and it was just them. The pictures including skiing, lots of plying around, also loads of kissing and hugging, and some beautiful scenery’s and adventures they shared. As he reached more to the end of the photo album, he read their messages to each other on their anniversary and it was just beautiful to read their own love story. Averting his eyes to Nina who he was sure was sleeping, he leaned in a kissed her hair before he decided to sleep as well and shut the lamp before he slipped in the blanket. Daniel needed to sleep on his back because did his broken ribs but his head needs to be facing the sides because of the healing wound on his head, therefore he placed a special beanie for protection. Fifteen minutes passed and he was still not sleeping and he was just watching Nina and he didn’t know why he couldn’t. Soon enough, he noticed her hand and he just so wanted to hold it, and slowly he began to reach for first her fingers and then her hand, and with that Daniel was content with sleeping. Usually every night they were together, they would cuddle while they slept but it was different now and hand holding was more than enough there.

Daniel immediately removed his hands from her hamstring area in which he was currently massaging, getting seriously off guard by her abrupt reaction all of a sudden. At first he thought he might’ve hurt her because it hasn’t been long since she has given birth and also her chest might be hurting because of her breastfeeding, but then she explained herself that they shouldn’t be doing such ‘couply’ touching kind of way when he wasn’t still fully recovered. And he totally agreed with that and yes with this touching, he was beginning to feel things so thinking of what it would be to be in her place -that a guy she has fallen in love and been with for so many years and knew each other inside and out, now forgotten everything and he was doing this. It wasn’t the right thing to do in that situation, and Daniel accepted that -this whole situation hurt everyone emotionally. Nodding his head quietly, he followed her movements with his eyes and watched her take the phone before going to the bathroom. He may have lost his memory but he wasn’t at all foolish to know that she didn’t go inside the bathroom to just wash her hands… she was going to privately text or call someone. He thought it would be that Ian guy again because he overheard some things indicating certain stuffs when she was talking over the phone after she showered, and to be honest yes he felt a little jealous… only a little. Because of his amnesia it wasn’t a jealousy because of love yet, it was jealousy of not having her even as friends because at the back of his mind if he does not get better, she might have to let go of him as he wasn’t the Daniel she fell in love anymore and there are so many other guys out there that she deserves more than him -and he was aware how much Nina deserves the best of everything. At times that he would look into her eyes, he could see the sadness and exhaustion of their situation, and if Ian or some other guy would let her eyes light up into happiness then Daniel was more than fine with that. Placing a pillow behind him on their headboard, he leaned back carefully and then noticed the pictures of him and Nina on the nightstand: one with them smiling happily as they danced romantically under the moonlight, one with them kissing at a top of a mountain, and one was a family picture when Nina was pregnant with Oliver and Michaela and him there. Hearing her voice, he flashed her quite a sad smile as he held the coffee in between his hands. Hearing her words, his body soon drooped down in a slouch and the bottom of his lip jutting out as his eyes were seemingly wet as he stared into the distance. “Got it, not too much touching… No romantic things nor stuff like that before I get my memory back.” The doctor said it would be a few months, but he was still aware of worse, but he was holding on to his family to persevere through it. “Yeah? I’m glad to hear that. Guess I always had pretty awesome hands.” He joked as he allowed silence to pass as he placed a biscuit in his mouth and then chewed on it before sipping from his coffee. Turning his head to the side and then tilting it a little, he looked at her for a while before he caught her eyes and them smiled warmly before taking one of her hand with his and then placing her palm against his chest just above where his heart is beating, so she could feel it, “You know I’m sure my heart loves you and remembers every single feeling and moments we have shared… My brain is just really damn awfully slow to receive it.” It seems that his heart really does love her because of how fast it was beating right now with her presence, and he could not help but smile and become teary eyed a little. “And I just want to tell you that if gets too much for you and you can’t take it anymore… it’s okay to let go. I don’t want you to miss all the things that someone else could give you. All I want for you is to be happy.” With that, he pressed her palm to his chest a bit more as he leaned in to kiss her forehead. It might be heart-breaking but he could predict how the future was going to be and how bumpy the road is and he wanted her to be aware that when she reaches a peek, Daniel would totally understand if she cannot handle it because she already has sacrificed so much for him.

When Nina began talking about making love and all those things to carry on their teasing as a joke, Daniel couldn’t help feeling things though and how it would feel to connect with her in that way. Of course he was sure that Nina knows how it feels and remember how they have made love before since they’ve been together for so long and already have two beautiful children. However, he was also aware that sharing those times with her would take a lot more time because he barely knows Nina still and he wanted to be in love with her and remember everything before anything that strong happens to them again. Nina wasn’t making it easy for him to resist because she’s very beautiful inside and out. Right after securing the bandage on his torso, Daniel took the boxers and pulled it up quite carefully before he nodded to her going to the shower, “Yeah, go ahead… I’m not going anywhere.” He joked as he then placed his palms behind him to lean back on the bed without hurting himself too much. As Nina was in the shower, her phone begun to ring and he took a peek to see the name Ian Somerhalder on the caller ID which of course he had no who was, therefore Daniel did not answer it because whoever it was would probably have a lot of questions about his condition or something because that was everyone these days as they were all so intrigued with what happened, and Nina’s phone call is her business anyway. “Sounds like a model or a celebrity.” He whispered to himself towards the name as the ringing stopped before he sat back down for a few minutes and then soon landed his eyes on his phone. Unlocking it to the picture of their whole family, he went online and typed the name Ian Somerhalder and he was intrigued when the suggestions under said Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev. Raising his eyebrows, he pressed on it and saw a lot of articles about them together and their relationship, but then Nina came in and he put his phone down. “Imagine you and me in the shower… That would take a picture pretty long time. By the way your phone was ringing,” Daniel teased and then her phone began to ring again and he assumed it would be the Ian guy. As she began talkingn through the phone, he then took his phone again and began to go through the pictures of his search of Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder and there were some photos of them kissing in Coachella, and a lot more being all loving. There was no denying that Ian was a very attractive guy and Nina has mentioned him from vampire diaries and stuff, but he was not aware that they -he assumed- were together. As he stared at the photo of them kissing, there was a little pain of jealousy as he frowned a little. However, Nina’s voice towards him caught him out his thoughts and he flashed her a quick smile as he turned his phone off and placed it on the bed, “It’s okay, that’s very thoughtful of him…” Daniel was hesitant to ask her about Ian because she probably hasn’t told her about him for a reason yet, but there was the underlying jealousy he seemingly could not run off after seeing their sweet images on the internet. “Yep, the massage… Come on then.” Tapping on the space on the bed with a smirk, he then used the remote which controlled some of the applicants including the light, he then figured how to dim the light to make everything more relaxing before managing to grab an oil. “There we go, perfect. Now lie on your stomach and we can get started.” Narrowing his eyes, he thought that the massage wouldn’t be worth it if she had her clothes on. “Uh Nina, you wanna take your top off? You can take it off while lying down so I wouldn’t be able to see anything.” He awkwardly said, biting on his bottom lip. As she did what she was comfortable with, Daniel poured some oil in his hands as well as on Nina’s back and first began to stroke it with his hands pressed against her back, moving it down and in circles. The feeling of touching her skin and her feminine curves was turning him on a little but he was able to control himself. Clenching his jaws tightly, he then thought of asking her about Ian again but couldn’t find the courage in doing so, and he just wanted her to relax in silence with the massage too -maybe he’ll ask her before they went to sleep. Right after rubbing circled around her shoulders and gently on the back of her neck, Daniel ran his fingers slow and sensually down to her hip area and began to knead into her muscles, and his hands were so close to her bottom and it was seriously making him feel more intense. “Is this okay?” He whispered before moving his hands to her legs hesitantly at first but then resorted to massaging it with oil as well; he could not help but admire how perfect her legs are and her whole body, and he has always wondered how she ended up liking him… especially when there was a thought in his mind that there was an Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev still ended with him. These kinds of massages before would often lead to them making love after because of the sensual touches, but he had no idea what would happen next now.

As Nina began talking to Michaela about everything and that they would all be able to sleep as a family some time but not today, he could not help but appreciate how amazing Nina was in being a mother and how she did such a goodbye job in enabling Michaela to be a loving and an understanding child. “Daddy will talk to you before you go to sleep okay. But I just need to change my clothes fully, okay.” Daniel more or less whispered because Oliver was still pressed against the left side of his chest and sound asleep with his daddy’s prescence. Flashing a smile towards Michaela as she stood up to go to her bedroom after giving her little brother a goodnight kiss on his arm, Daniel then placed his attention on Nina. “Sounds good to me.” He then tried to figure out how he was going to transfer their son from his good to Nina’s without waking him up. After a minute of trying, he managed to give Oliver to Nina and their baby seemed to have felt the change and moved around a little before settling into his mommy’s hold. Kissing baby Oliver on top of his head gently and whispering a ‘Goodnight, buddy’ and then allowing Nina to take their son to his bedroom, Daniel then turned to grab a robe to wrap himself so he could go to Michaela. Using his crutches for support, he soon made his way to whom which he guessed was their daughter’s room, “May I come in, my princess?” He playfully asked and Michaela jumped up and basically ran to him and hugging his waist, and he tried his best not to let out a wince of pain because he didn’t want her to worry. “Alright, daddy just needs to sit down and then you can talk to me about what you have been doing since daddy was in the hospital, how’s school like and all your friends -no boys allowed, okay.” Daniel continued making Michaela smile and shake her head, “No daddy, you and mommy always said that school and happiness is first before boys. You said I’m not allowed until I’m thirty remember? Because I’m your only princess. Well schools been amazing and all my friends are really nice…” And then Michaela continued on telling stories about how much she was enjoying everything for the next thirty minutes, and he was just listening in awe and such interest to know his daughter once more. However, he soon noticed that she was getting tired and sleepy because her eyes were beginning to close, “Hey honey, how about we continue talking tomorrow? I think it’s past your bed time already. Goodnight baby and always remember that daddy hearts you so much.” Tucking Michaela in her bed after she also said goodnight and I love you, Daniel kissed her on her forehead before standing up and closing the light as he took his crutches and went to the hallway in which his mom was there. Greeting her, she still seemed to be quite sad with what happened to her son but she was just glad he was getting better now and is back home; they shared a hug and said goodnight before he slowly but surely went downstairs and found their kitchen. After a few minutes, he managed to find where the coffee is and made three cups for his mom and then Nina and him, and also grabbing some biscuits to go on the side. He took two rounds to first give the coffee and some of the biscuits to his mom, and then went back down to get his and Nina’s because he was still in pain and in crutches -he was pretty good at his balance and managed to hold the tray with one hand all the way up to their bedroom, “Hey, that was tiring. Is Oliver okay? By the way, Michaela’s a really bright girl… I bet she got that from you. And I made you coffee and got some biscuits which I’m pretty sure is Michaela’s biscuits because of the princess shapes.” He said with a little chuckle to Nina as he began to breathe heavily from going up and down the stairs and he was also sweating a little which was not good for him while he leaned the crutches near the side of their bed before he then sat at the edge, right after setting the tray on the bedside table. Examining her movements for a while and sipping from his coffee once in a while, he caught his bottom lip in between his teeth before he slipped his robe off, “It would make me a happy guy if I knew that it was in your thoughts even the slightest bit that you didn’t want our kids to sleep here because you want me all to yourself tonight.” Daniel teasingly said even though it was probably just because Nina cared about his health right now and his comfort, but since they’re together, maybe she was actually thinking of spending time with him for the first time when they’re out of the hospital scene. As he waited for an answer, he began to patch up the wounds on the front of his body which were beginning to bleed a little. “And since you’ve done so much for all of us today, do you want me to give you massage? You once mentioned in the hospital that I gave you massages especially when you were pregnant.” He offered because of how Nina was doing to take care of their kids as well as him and he just wanted to thank you for that. “Or we can make love. I’m kidding.” He then joked, laughing at how silly her sounded as he secured the bandages and began to roll a huge one around his torso to protect his ribs.

Smiling at Nina as she went to their baby boy, Daniel then resorted to looking at the monitor once more to see what was happening and if baby Oliver was just fine and nothing serious was happening; even though he has no memories of his kids, there was always that paternal feeling and that they were his and they came from the love between him and Nina. As he saw how Michaela was comforting her little brother and how Oliver also reciprocated the comfort that his sister was giving him, made his heart skip a beat and it made him incredibly lucky that he has such beautiful children, all thanks to Nina; it made him want to be better more… to go back to how they used to be because he saw how it was difficult for everyone to handle but they just kept a happy facade to make everything seem to be okay to not put such stress on him. Biting his bottom lip as his eyes began to water up from seeing this beautiful scene, Daniel then watched on as Nina came into view and interacted with both their kids and a soft sigh of happiness came to him and it was just really amazing to watch. As Nina came in with baby Oliver in her arms, he felt quite excited to his little boy who looked more like him than Nina. “Oh, it’s my mini me. And awh, daddy’s right here…” Delicately pressing his palm lightly on the top of Oliver’s head to coo it gently, the little baby began to smile and let out a cute little chuckle as he moved his limbs around in happiness, “Hey there, buddy. And yes, I would love to Michaela to spend time with me.” As he moved his hand down to play with Oliver’s little fingers with his larger ones, Daniel then looked up to meet Nina’s eyes and staring at them for the first time since he woke up, with that love that he always gave her before and was only lost when he forgot everything -it was sign that their relationship was on the way to going back to how it used to be which was full of love. All of a sudden, baby Oliver began to frail his arms around as if holding out for Daniel for his daddy to hold him again and Daniel was getting nervous because Oliver was still very small and he has no idea how to hold him, but their baby was basically using all his energy to go to Daniel, “Well someone’s being a ball of energy…” Holding his arms up nervously to take their baby in his arms, Oliver soon moved to Daniel and he was getting really anxious about this and basically holding Oliver in the most awkward position like he has never held a baby before. Soon enough, when Nina got to helping him with their son, baby Oliver’s head was on his shoulder gently and Daniel’s one hand was under their baby’s bottom and the other on the back to hold him carefully as Oliver rested against Daniel. “Am I doing this correctly?” He asked wanting everything to be fine and he didn’t want to hurt their son whatsoever. Flashing a Nina a warm smile, he began to tap gently Oliver’s back and it felt like their boy was slowly falling back to sleep on his chest and he still needed to get his bandages done, “Uhm, it’s okay… we can just put the bandages later… just let him sleep.” He would rather be in pain than wake their little angel up right now. Glancing over at Nina, he furrowed his eyebrows and the whole situation was making him feel things and he slowly leaned towards Nina, making sure he wasn’t moving too much to wake Oliver up, and shut his eyes but before their lips met, Michaela’s little voice came into picture, asking if Oliver was okay, “Oh, sorry, you can kiss… I’ve seen it a lot of time before. It’s ewww.” Michaela apologized in a whisper and Daniel was a little embarrassed as he cradled sleeping Oliver in his arms, but he didn’t want Mim’s to think that he didn’t want to kiss Nina anymore after that and make her think that he also forgot to love her mom. Therefore, he instead gave Nina a tender and loving kiss on her cheek, quirking his eyebrows towards her after with a smirk, “It’s a step right?” Michaela then began approaching Daniel because she noticed the wounds but him and Nina and everyone agreed to not tell her the truth as to why he was injured so much -the only one she knew was about his broken leg but not the other wounds; his mom soon shielded her from the truth that would hurt her feelings to see her dad like that and took her out the room. “I’m sorry,” He whispered because they needed to lie to their daughter about it but it was the best to not stress her out about it.

From the first time he has laid his eyes on Nina when he woke up and had amnesia, Daniel was more or less quite attracted to her obvious beauty and when he began to get to know her personality, that attraction has gone deeper and now he was getting a peek of her sexy side and he knew soon enough, he would really find out the reason that he fell in love with Nina and falling in love with her is not hard because of her golden heart and her gorgeous appearance. “I needed an underwear, I thought it would be in there… you can’t blame me. Just exploring. Is there anymore of sexy things that I am going to find around here…” He teasingly and mischievously asked with a wink and he reaction are just priceless and he was just finding this whole thing very amusing and Nina was just so cute with everything. “I’m sorry, it was by accident. And aren’t you used to this by now… I am thinking that I always used to tease you, right?” Daniel was trying his best to act like he would think he would be when he didn’t have amnesia, and he had the perception that they were quite the playful couple and showed love with making fun of each other sometimes. While circling the bra around his finger, he smirked as she took it, biting down on his bottom lip as she had it now and he could just imagine how it would look like on her. Turning his head to look away for her to change in respect to her,  he then saw the monitor for baby Oliver which was like a cctv camera in the little boy’s room to make sure he was okay all the time. There was an automatic smile on his face to look at how angelic their baby looked and he couldn’t help but compare his looks with his. “So Michaela looks like you and Oliver looks like me?” He asked, still not turning around because he wasn’t sure if she was dressed already, therefore he continued to look at the monitor. Waiting for a few seconds more, he turned around to face her when he was sure she was dressed and then lowered the monitor down and then stood up. However, as he stood up, the towel around his hip fell and as fast as his aching body could, he dropped down to get the towel and hold it against his private area, “I mean, you’ve probably seen it a hundred times already… There you go, I get embarrassed now.” He shrugged giving her an awkward but amused laugh as he made his way to the closet and located his brief as well as a shirt and some boxers before going back out, “Nina, can you please help me with the bandages? Sorry, I’m being such a burden.” Daniel sincerely apologized as he sat back down at the edge of the bed and then as everything was getting ready for the bandages, he looked back at the monitor and saw that baby Oliver was crying and he didn’t know if he should go because he has no idea how to carry a baby, “Uh, I think you should go to Oliver instead… he’s crying. I can handle this, and plus I have no idea how to carry him properly and I’m afraid of hurting him.” He admitted, and he was aware at some point -soon- he needed to learn how to and Nina could teach him how.

To watch her all frantic and embarrassed to get a nursing pad, it was really quite adorable in his eyes as a wide smile was just plastered on his face as he watched her every movement. Daniel would never say it because it would be awkward but when she was inserting her nursing pad, there was a slight reflection on their huge mirror in the bathroom which he respectfully looked away after a glance because it was all still new to him and still getting to used to everything. Leaning forward so Nina could get a better access to his back to clean it properly and more gently, he listened on to her response as to what they were doing in Coachella. When she began mentioning names whom he had no idea who is but felt familiar, he furrowed his eyebrows slightly and then turned his head a little to glance at Nina, “Yeah, I would love to meet them… again. Are they celebrities too?” Itching some of the surrounding area of the wounds on his chest, Daniel quirked his eyebrows when she took a pause and he didn’t quite know why but she continued and said ‘spent some time together’… He may have lost his memory but he was still intelligent and smart to know what the underlying fact is with her words, making him look away to the water as his lips curled into smirk. They have two kids and he knew they loved each other and so it wasn’t a surprise to know that they have sex once in a while because that’s part of a loving relationship, but the weird thing is that he does not remember doing any with her, nor does he remember how to do it anymore. Sensing she didn’t want to talk about what happened after he went with Derek because it was still quite a sensitive one, Daniel took the towel from her and holding her hand as he did briefly to reassure her before he continued to dry himself up gently. Using the sides of the bathtub to help him stand back up, he began to wipe his chest area carefully and then bending down to the point that didn’t hurt his ribs to wipe his legs and then used her help to get out the bathtub. Pressing the button to drain the water, he then wrapped the towel around his hip before limping his way into their bedroom to take a seat at the edge of the bed. Reaching out to get some bandages so Nina didn’t need to help him too much now, he then began to put some cream on the wounds, wincing a little from the stinging pain. As he wanted an underwear, there was a drawer at a corner and he slowly approached it, opening it to find a pile of lingerie and a mischievous smirk appeared on his face as he turned to look At Nina while holding a very sexy pair of bra, “Nice! I bet these made me a very happy man!” Daniel jokingly said with a little chuckle before continuing, “Was I good?” He asked out of curiosity, talking about them making love because he didn’t have any memories of it, “Maybe you can show me… tonight?” He teasingly said but with their situation, more time would be needed for both of them to be comfortable in making love again especially because he still needed know why he fell in love with her, and his body was still aching all over. When he saw her reaction, he couldn’t help but chuckle, “I’m kidding. But maybe you can wear this instead… your bra’s still wet.” He pointed out, walking back to sit at the edge of the bed, holding the bra towards Nina with a playful smirk.