Before even looking to see where David was, Niles got out of his car and went straight to Daphne. His heart broke at her expression. He took her in his arms, holding her tightly. "It's going to be OK," he whispered. "Sh."
Daphne gradually calmed down. She was beyond grateful for Niles. Even at a moment like this, she couldn't help wondering how she had ever not known how he felt about her for all those years. "Oh, darling. David's so high up there. I know me brothers did stupid things all the time, but David's just a little boy."
Niles nodded. "Who got half his DNA from me. It is scary, but there's no need to panic. The firemen are coming as we speak. The last thing we want to do is to frighten David. We don't want him to lose his balance."
"You're right," Daphne agreed. But still, she couldn't fight the urge to climb up there herself and get him down. Even though she could see the trucks parking, she still felt they would take too long to reach him.
Niles saw what she was thinking. "No. You can't go up there. Then your life would be in danger, as well as his."
Just then, one of the firemen came over. "You the parents?" he asked.
Daphne nodded. "Please get me son down."
The fireman smiled. "Don't worry. This sometimes happens." He looked at Niles. "Didn't you ever climb trees when you were growing up?"
Niles gave a nervous laugh. "No. I never did that sort of thing."
"Well, we've got this under control," the man said. Moments later, a huge aerial ladder began to move on one of the trucks. A fireman stood in the small basket. Daphne was grateful her son would soon be back on the ground.
"Now, don't move, son," the fireman said as he neared David.
"I-I won't," David promised. He looked down at his mom. His arms were tired from holding onto the tree for dear life, but he didn't dare let go. A moment later, David felt a pair of hands grab his sides. He breathed a sigh of relief as the fireman placed him into the basket as well.
The fireman helped David carefully climb down the later, and soon he was back on the ground.
Daphne engulfed her son in a hug, overwhelmed with relief. For a moment, she simply held him. But now that she was satisfied that he was out of harm's way, her anger returned. "David Martin Crane, don't you ever do anything like this again! Do you hear me? I will take away your computer. Don't think that I won't!"
"Don't worry, Mom. I don't think I'll be going anywhere near trees again for a long time!"
"Well, good," Daphne said. "Now let's just get you home. I'd like to forget any of this ever happened!"
"Actually...I was kind of thinking about spending the night here, if that's OK." David bit his lip as he asked. He was lucky his mom hadn't grounded him for a month, but he had to at least try.
Daphne nearly said no, until she caught Niles looking at her. She knew he was actually considering allowing their son to stay. "You think I'm going to let him out of me sight after what just happened?" she asked.
Before Niles could answer, Martin walked over to them. "Look, I know I'm kinda responsible for this, but if David wants to stay, why not let him? Ronee and I'll take real good care of him."
Daphne could hardly believe the other adults were against her. She wanted to protest, but knew she couldn't convince all of them. Besides, if she began to worry about David, Niles would be there to comfort her. "Well, if you all insist..."
"Yay!" David punched the air. It was as if he'd never been in danger in the first place.
"I know it isn't a school night," Daphne told her son. "But I'm going to be here to pick you up first thing tomorrow. So you better not plan on staying up and watching sports!"
"Oh, I won't, Mom," David said, doing his best to look innocent.
Daphne knew her son better than believe him. But she could tell that Niles was anxious to have her alone, so she decided not to push it. "Well, all right then," Daphne said. She hugged David yet again. "I love you," she said after kissing his cheek. It was more than she would've given for a normal goodbye, but at the moment, she couldn't help herself.
"Love you, too, Mom."
"Behave yourself," Niles told his son. Then he slipped his hand into Daphne's, and gently led her to the car. "I don't blame you for being scared," Niles said, once the others had gone back inside. "I'm terrified of heights, so I'm glad I wasn't here. But I didn't want to make you more worried."
"I was beside meself when I saw him up so high," Daphne said.
"I know, my love, but he's perfectly safe now," Niles reminded her. "To tell you the truth, I'm glad you gave in and let David spend the night. Now we can have a night to ourselves for a change."
Daphne looked at Niles' smile and felt her heart flip. She realized he was right. Maybe this whole experience had turned out to be a good thing. As she and Niles drove their separate vehicles home, Daphne could hardly wait. Their son would probably have the time of his life at Martin's. What happened today wasn't really a big deal, in the grand scheme of things. But it had reminded her of how lucky she and Niles were. It was something she knew she would never forget.
The end
