Author's Note: I've been wanting to do a tribute story for John Mahoney ever since I learned of his passing. At first, I had no ideas, but something on a recent episode of This is Us, combined with my own experiences, led me to this. The story has snowballed quite a bit. I never expected it to get so long! Also, I feel that I should mention Melinda (samanddianefan10) for all of her support and encouragement! Please do R&&R!
Daphne softly knocked on David's bedroom door. He was no longer the little boy who used to crawl up in her lap and ask her to read a story. No, he was in high school now, almost a man. Daphne sometimes missed the days when he was young. But, Niles, of course, always comforted her when those feelings came. She knew she couldn't stop her son from growing up.
When his mother opened his door, David removed the headphones he'd been wearing and turned around. "Oh, hey, Mom."
"How's the math homework coming?" She walked over to him, giving him a teasing look. David was a good student, but homework was hardly the first thing on his to-do list. Many times, he'd done assignments at the last possible moment, just before Daphne made him go to bed.
"Oh, I'm done with that," he said, showing her the completed work. "Actually, I was working on something else."
Daphne waited, sensing that David was leading up to something.
"It's about Grandpa's funeral. Do you think he'd like it if I spoke? Like, if I said a few words about him?"
The question stunned Daphne. Her father-in-law had suddenly passed away a few days ago. She and Niles, along with Ronee, had made plans for a funeral, complete with all of the honors given to a former policeman. She and Niles had broken the news to David as gently as possible. He and Martin had been very close, at least when David was a little. As he'd grown up, friends, sports, and other things had taken the pIace of sleepovers and weekends with his grandfather. David had reacted to his passing rather stoically. He'd been sad, of course, but not nearly the way his parents had been.
Daphne realized that David was looking at her, waiting for an answer. "Yes, I think he'd like that. But, David, you don't have to do it. I think your uncle is planning to make a speech, and he swears he'll keep it under an hour." She chuckled, knowing how her brother-in-law could be long-winded.
"Yeah, I know there are other people who want to talk about what Grandpa meant to them. I mean, his cop buddies can talk about how he made Seattle safe, and how he got shot preventing that robbery. And that's all great and everything, but it's not what I remember about him. I remember how when I was little, I used to spend the night with him and Ronee whenever you guys went out. He'd let me stay up and watch the Seahawks play, or even just to watch an old movie. I didn't really understand what was going on most of the time, but I just liked being with him, you know?"
Daphne smiled. She'd always suspected Martin didn't exactly follow her rules on David's bedtime. But she'd never confronted him about it. After being 3,000 miles away from his only grandson, it seemed only fair to let him spoil David a bit. "That would be lovely, David. If you're sure you want to do this, your father and I won't stop you."
"Thanks, Mom," David said, getting up to hug her. The embrace took Daphne by surprise; she nearly lost her balance. "I've already started jotting down some notes in case you said yes. But I'm going to work on it as much as I can between now and the service. I want this to be really great, because I know Grandpa deserves that."
Throughout his life, Daphne had been proud every time David reached a milestone: walking, talking, starting school, and so on. But right now, she couldn't imagine every being more proud of her son than this. She knew Niles would be even more touched when she told him.
