"Happy birthday, my love," Niles said, waking his wife with a kiss.
Daphne smiled. "Thank you. You always make me feel special, even if it's not me birthday."
"That's because you deserve to feel that way every day. I'd really love to stay right here and celebrate with you, but unfortunately, I have patients to see. I won't be late." He caressed her cheek before giving her one last kiss. Then he quickly put on his suit and walked downstairs.
For a long moment, Daphne simply lay there, feeling the loneliness. Niles was always giving Daphne gifts, or complimenting her every day. Still, it hurt to watch him walk out the door like this on her birthday. But with a sigh, she realized that she got far more love and affection from her husband on an ordinary day than many wives got on their birthdays. And besides, she couldn't stay in bed all day feeling sorry for herself. Not when she knew she had a son to take care of.
Gradually, she worked up the energy to go into the nursery. The sight of David's sweet face was enough to cheer her up. "I guess it's just you and me today," Daphne said as she lifted him from the crib. He truly was a little miracle. Sure, there were days when taking care of him was overwhelming, but she managed. A family was all she'd ever wanted since she was a little girl. She would never want to give up this life for anything.
Daphne made her way downstairs. Though she tried to maintain a positive attitude for David's sake, she still could not believe that this was all there would be for her birthday. But then she caught sight of the table in the dining area. A plate of gourmet pastries sat there. Daphne knew they must have been placed there by Niles. The thought warmed her heart. But then she saw the beautiful card which stood behind the plate.
My Love,
Roz should be coming by any minute now to pick up our precious son. Enjoy your day!
Love forever,
Niles
Inside the card was a voucher for a day at a spa. By the time Daphne saw it, she was near tears. The idea that he would plan something so thoughtful touched her a great deal. Suddenly she remembered that David still had his head buried in her shoulder, half-asleep. "Did you and Daddy plan this?" she asked. But the baby didn't answer. She ate one of the pastries and found that they were every bit as good as they'd looked.
A moment later, the doorbell rang. Daphne knew it must be Roz. Only then did it dawn on her that her best friend must've been in on the surprise, too. She opened the door.
"Happy birthday!" Roz pulled her friend into a tight hug. "Just so you know, this was all Niles' idea. All he wanted me to do is baby-sit. Luckily, I'm not too busy this morning, so I'll just bring him to the office with me. One of the advantages of being the boss now is that nobody can tell me no!"
"I still can't believe it. I really thought wasn't going to celebrate me birthday!"
"Come on, Daphne. He never forgot your birthday all those years when you weren't together. Why would you think he'd start now?" She took the baby from Daphne's arms. David went willingly. Daphne handed over a few of the items Roz might need, such as extra diapers and bottles. For the millionth time, Daphne was grateful she had a best friend who was also a mom. It made giving her child up that much easier, knowing he was in good hands. After kissing David goodbye and ordering him to be good for Roz, Daphne closed the door. Now she was truly alone.
Before getting herself ready for her spa day, Daphne decided to make a quick phone call.
"I'm sorry, Daphne. Dr. Crane's in a session right now. I'll have him call you after his patient leaves, though."
Mrs. Woodson had been working for Niles for so long now, she was practically a member of the family. She had even "adopted" David as an unofficial grandchild, often willing to baby-sit whenever Roz or Martin was unable. "No, that's all right. Just tell him I said thank you."
"I'll do that. I told Dr. Crane you would love that surprise."
"I do. I've got to go and get meself ready. Tell Niles I'll be anxious to see him when he comes home."
Even through the phone, Mrs. Woodson could tell Daphne was grinning mischievously. "I'll see that he gets the message. And happy birthday."
Daphne hung up the phone. She quickly went to get dressed. Since she knew this day was supposed to be about relaxing, she put on some comfortable jeans and a blouse. Then there was nothing to do, but get in the car and go to the spa.
Because taking care of both David and Martin took up a lot of her time and energy, Daphne didn't often get to relax and do something just for herself. She had never really complained about it, but Niles must've sensed it. There were times when Daphne wondered if her husband might be a bit psychic himself. He seemed to know her every need, before she even had a chance to ask.
When she arrived at the spa, she was given the royal treatment. Niles had made sure she got the best package available. He must have come here to make the arrangements in person, because several staff members mentioned how handsome he was, and they asked to see pictures of David. Of course Daphne was only too happy to oblige. She never tired of hearing compliments about her son.
The day of relaxation went more quickly than Daphne would've liked. But by the time it was over, she had to admit she missed her little boy. When she left, several staff members told her to kiss her adorable son, and of course, his father. "I certainly will," Daphne answered before turning to head home.
Daphne made a quick stop at KACL to retrieve David. Apparently he had been lovely company for Roz, and a few employees at the station were taken with him. "Thanks again, Roz," Daphne said as she hugged her friend.
Roz shrugged dismissively. "When Niles told me what he wanted to do for you, I couldn't say no."
"I'm glad you didn't. But now I have to take David home and let his daddy know just how much I love him."
Roz couldn't resist grinning. "Are you sure you don't want me to keep David a bit longer?"
"That's tempting, but I think I'd like to spend the rest of me birthday with me husband and me son."
"Suit yourself," Roz replied. "But of course call me tomorrow with all the details."
Daphne rolled her eyes in mock annoyance. She took her son and prepared to go home and see Niles.
When she arrived back at the Montana, Niles greeted her the moment she came through the door. "Did you have a good day, my love?"
"Yes. Thank you," Daphne said, kissing him. "The staff at the spa treated me like a queen."
"Good, because that's exactly what I told them to do. I'm sorry I had to leave this morning, but I wanted to surprise you. I know how hard you work, taking care of David and me. Not to mention Dad. So when I saw an ad for that spa, I knew what I had to do."
"I am so lucky to have a husband as thoughtful as you." Daphne sighed. Being in Niles' arms like this, it was hard to believe there was ever a time when she didn't know how he felt about her. But now wasn't the time to dwell on the past. "So, what are your plans for tonight?" She winked as she asked the question.
"Well, of course, I was planning to cook dinner for my two favorite people. Unless you'd rather eat out. I mean, it is your day. Then we could put David to bed early..." The rest of his sentence was lost, as Daphne kissed him deeply.
As it turned out, dinner was a rather quick affair. Daphne was overwhelmed with gratitude for Niles, and all he'd done to make her day special. She carefully put David in his crib before joining Niles in their room. This had been one of the best birthdays she'd ever had. Now she just had to figure out what she could do when Niles' day came around. It would be hard to top this, but Daphne would find a way. She was sure of it.
The End