David's doctors were initially reluctant to let Niles and Daphne take him home. They would have preferred to observe him overnight, just to be safe. But when Niles explained that both he and Daphne had backgrounds in healthcare, they agreed that David could leave.
Once he was home, David went into his room to play. This left Niles and Daphne alone to finally relax after all the worries about their son's wellbeing. They went upstairs to the master bedroom, both knowing that sleep was not on the agenda. "Well, we won't forget this Little League practice, will we?" Daphne asked with a laugh.
"I should've known it would end like this," Niles replied. "The Crane boys and sports just don't mix well! But I'm glad David at least wanted to try it. And who knows, maybe he will learn to enjoy baseball. He could even end up pitching for the Seahawks one day!"
Daphne kissed her husband. "I think you mean the Mariners," she said with a laugh. After a moment, she added, "Your father really surprised me today."
"How so?" Niles asked.
"What he said to David, about how he's learned that it doesn't matter if a person's good at sports or not. I'd forgotten how much he's changed over all these years."
Niles grinned. "Well, if Dad's outlook has changed, it's all thanks to you. You were the one who got him to go on with his life after he was shot."
Daphne shrugged. "I didn't really do that much. If anybody's turned his life around, it's Ronee."
"OK, Ronee may have something to do with it," Niles admitted. "But it was all those years you spent taking care of him. You changed his life. Actually, you changed all our lives." He lifted Daphne's chin up so he could look into her beautiful brown eyes. He let out a blissful sigh when the scent of her perfume reached his nose.
Daphne kissed Niles once more, overwhelmed by the love she felt for him. She thought about all the years they'd known each other, the times that he was there for her, even when she wasn't aware of his true feelings. She often wondered how she could deserve the wonderful life she and Niles were living. But she pushed those thoughts from her mind. Right now, all that mattered was that Niles was here, right by her side, where she knew that he always would be. She smiled as she took her husband's hand and led him to their bed. Words alone would not be enough to tell Niles how much she loved him. But, tonight, she planned to show him.
The End