Author's Note: This was inspired by a real-life experience. Fortunately, it was nothing like this, but of course I immediately knew it had to be a story! :D
"Oh, David!" Daphne sighed. She'd just put the baby in his crib for the night, when he chose that moment to get sick. Quickly, she got him cleaned off and changed into a fresh pair of pajamas. He stayed asleep after that, thankfully.
Daphne went downstairs, where Niles sat in the living room, reading a book. "Maybe I shouldn't go out tonight," she said.
"But it's Roz's birthday. She's been looking forward to this concert forever. She even got a sitter for Alice."
"I know," Daphne admitted "But I just put David down in his crib, and he got sick. I hate to leave the poor thing like that."
Niles got up, putting his arms around her. "David will be in good hands, I assure you. I may be a germophobe, but I can take care of my own son."
"Are you sure you don't mind?" Daphne asked, still skeptical.
"Yes. You probably need a night out as badly as Roz does." He kissed her forehead.
Daphne couldn't be more grateful for Niles. She really was very lucky to have him. But before she could say so, the doorbell rang. "That'll be Roz," she said as she went to answer it.
"Ready to rock?" Roz asked when Daphne opened the door.
"I haven't done anything like this in years. I'm not sure I even know how to rock," Daphne said with a laugh.
"That's why you've got me," Roz said.
"Don't corrupt my wife too much, Roz."
"Hey, even a new mom needs a night out once in a while!"
"Well, don't go throwing any underwear on the sage," Niles said to his wife.
Daphne was about to respond when Roz grabbed her arm. "Let's just go before he gives us a curfew."
Half an hour later, Roz and Daphne stood at the end of a very long line, waiting to get in to the show. It was a one-night-only performance by Billy Joel. As soon as Daphne found out about it, she knew it was the perfect thing to do for her friend's birthday.
"We're never going to get in," Daphne said, sighing.
"At least the line's moving," Roz replied. "Believe me, this is nothing. Once, in college, I waited on line for two days just to get tickets. By the time I got up to the window, the show was sold out."
"I guess I'm not used to this," Daphne said. "I wasn't even sure if I should come tonight. David got sick right before I left."
"Well, you're here now, so just put all of that out of your mind," Roz said. "I love Alice, but I don't want to think about her tonight."
Just then, the line moved forward, as a large group of people went in to the theater. Now they were nearly to the front. "We're almost inside," Roz said, suddenly feeling excited.
Daphne couldn't help feeling a bit of excitement herself, seeing the expression on her friend's face. She knew Roz was right. She spent so much time taking care of Niles and David. She was entitled to one evening out.
The line moved again, and now there were only a few people ahead of them. Daphne turned to say something to Roz, but to her surprise, a man was walking straight toward them. As he came closer, Daphne realized that it was Niles. "Darling, what are you doing here? Is David OK?"
"Yes," Niles said as he approached them. "Dad and Ronee are with him now. I didn't want to bring him out this late."
"But why did you come?" Daphne asked in confusion.
"Well, I thought you might have a little trouble getting into the concert," Niles replied, unable to hide a grin.
"What made you think that?"
"The fact that I noticed these on the coffee table," Niles replied, holding up the envelope that contained the two tickets.
"I left these at home?" Daphne asked in astonishment as she took the envelope. She could've sworn she'd put them in her purse this afternoon.
"Yup," Niles said. "I'd better get home. Dad wasn't too happy about having to babysit."
"You came all the way down here to bring us these? I didn't even know they were gone!" Daphne was still trying to make sense of what was happening.
Niles shrugged. "I knew you needed them. It's no big deal. You'd have done the same thing."
"I love you so much," Daphne said, leaning over to kiss Niles for a long moment.
"Come on, we're next," Roz said, pulling on Daphne's arm. "Thanks for bringing us the tickets, Niles."
"Don't mention it. You two have fun tonight. Don't come home drunk or pregnant," he joked. "Roz, you can do what you want. You usually do anyway."
Roz rolled her eyes. "Let's just get inside before the show starts."
Reluctantly, Daphne tore herself away from Niles. As they walked to the window to show their tickets, it occurred to her that they would've had a problem if Niles hadn't shown up. He could've easily waited until she noticed something was wrong and called home, but he didn't. It reminded her once again just how much her husband cared about her. And he'd cared so much for so many years before she'd even noticed. She knew the concert would be a much-needed break from her usual responsibilities. But, even so, she could hardly wait to get home, and give Niles the thanks he deserved.
The End
