"I love you."

And I believe
That angels breathe
And that love will live on and never leave

Danny spent the rest of the day just driving around Las Vegas, thinking about the events of the past few days. The Montecito being sold to another owner, his dad's death, and Danny's dealing with grief. Danny seemed to finally grasp the events of the past few days but he reminded himself that he needed time to fully get over the pain of losing his dad but he would. That night, he decided to have his friends over the dinner. Afterwards, they went through some photo albums, Danny sharing his favorite moments of his parents. The girls "oohed" and "ahhed" at Leigh Anne's beautiful white wedding gown and the guys laughed and teased Danny as they saw him in his diapers. After all the guests left and the garbage was cleaned up, Danny took a shower and went to bed. After seemingly to have slept for a few hours, Danny woke up suddenly. After lying in bed for a few minutes, trying to go back to sleep, Danny decided to try an old trick that his mom used; warm milk. So, Danny paddled barefoot to the kitchen and got warm milk. However, he had a taste of the milk and spit it out.

"I guess you don't like it," said a voice.

Danny felt shock come to his soul, paralyzing him. He almost dropped his glass and turned to find out the person behind the voice. He felt his heart skip a beat as he saw the person before him.

"Dad?" he whispered.

Larry smiled and walked toward his son, wearing a white suit with a glow around him. It was the first time Danny ever thought of his father as beautiful.

"Yes, Danny, it's me," he said, with a smile.

Danny felt tears come to his eyes as he saw his father. "Dad, I can't believe you're here," he said.

"Believe it, son," he said, calmly. "I'm here."

Feeling a tear come down his cheek, he breathed, "I can't believe it. I know I have said it a billion times but I can't believe you're here. Why are you here?"

"Well, I came to tell you that you were wrong," he said.

Danny looked at him and said, "Wrong about what?"

"Wrong about being a bad son," he said.

Danny felt his stomach drop. He said, "I was?"

Larry smiled and said, "Yes, Danny, you were a wonderful son. You are a wonderful son."

Danny felt his heart touched. "Really?" he asked.

Larry smiled warmly and said, "Yes, son. You have given me more than I ever given you."

"Like what?" he asked, eagerly.

"Like a purpose, a reason to keep living," Larry explained. He walked closer to Danny and said, "Danny, when I lost your mother, I thought it was the end of the world, I thought my life was over. I thought there is no reason to continue living…then, I saw you, this sweet, innocent little boy, who needed me, who needed his daddy. And so, as difficult as it was, I pushed forward. And I became the father. And I became the mother. And the guardian and protector and the confidante and the friend you needed. Granted I wasn't the best at all those things. Sometimes I thought I was the worst at everything."

Tears forming in his eyes, Danny insisted, "No, you weren't. You were great."

"I know," he said, smiling. He seemed very certain.

"How?"

Larry smiled and said, "You mother told me."

Danny looked surprised. His heart skipping a beat. He said, "You saw Mom?" He asked in amazement.

Larry smiled proudly. "I have."

Danny was curious. "How is she? What does she look like?"

"She's fine," Larry replied, smiling brightly for the first time in years. "She's wonderful. She's every bit as beautiful as she was when she was alive."

Danny smiled but tears went down. He was happy that his dad was finally with his mother but deep inside his heart, Danny longed to see his mother again…even if for only a minute.

As if Larry could read his son's mind, he said, "You want to see her."

Through his tears, Danny said, "More than anything in the world, Dad. I just want to see my mother again. I want to thank her for everything she gave me when she was alive and after she died, the love, the lullabies, the stories, and the letter. I would give everything I have just to see her, even for a minute."

Danny looked down and let the tears fall. Suddenly, he heard another voice. It was so beautiful, so gentle. It was a voice he knew well.

I've had my share,
Of life's ups and downs,
but fates been kind,
the downs have been few,
I guess you could say,
I've been lucky,
Or I guess you could say,
That it's all because of you.

If anyone, should ever write, my life story,
for whatever reason there might be,
you'd be there,
between each line of pain and glory,
cos your the best thing that ever happened to me,
Oh your the best thing that ever happened to me.

There have been times,
when times were hard,
but always somehow I made it, I made it through,
But for every moment that I've been hurtin',
there's been a moment, that I've spent...
Oh just loving you,

If anyone should ever write my life story,
for whatever, for whatever reason there might be,
you'd be there, between each line of pain and glory,
Cos your the best thing that ever happened to me,
Oh your the best thing that ever happened to me,
don't you know, your the best thing...
Oh that ever happened,
to me.


As if by sheer magic, appeared his mother. Danny felt his heart literally skip a beat as his eyes came upon his mom. She looked wonderful, just the same as she did on when she was alive. In fact, she looked the same. Her long brown hair was loose, with delicate ringlets falling on her shoulders. Her brown eyes were sparkling and she was wearing a shimmering white dress.

Feeling tears come to his eyes, Danny said, "Mom, I, I, can't believe it's you. I can't believe that after all this time, you're here with me."

Danny just stood there and took in the sight of his mother, looking so sweet and beautiful, like an angel, his angel.

"Daniel," she said, proudly. "Oh, my sweet little boy. I've missed you so much."

"So have I," he said, a tear coming down. "Man, there are so many things I want to tell you. SO much I have to say."

"I know you do, sweetie," she said, warmly. "But I've seen everything you've done. Everything. High school graduation, your job at the Montecito, when you went to war. I've seen everything."

Danny smiled as he said, "I'm not surprised. I've always felt you with me." His voice wobbled when he said that.

Leigh Anne smiled warmly at her son. "You read the letter."

Danny nodded and said, "Yes, I did. It was beautiful, Mom." His eyes formed with tears and he startled to continue. "But I wasn't surprised. Everything you did in your life was beautiful. Reading the letter and reading all the things that you went through, sickness, raising a little boy and fighting cancer, you handled it with such grace and strength. I guess that's why I have overcome things in my life, because I had your strength and your grace…. buried deep down in my heart."

Leigh Anne walked closer to her son and tenderly, stroked his face, marveling at the handsome young man he had grown into.

"And you became a good young man," she said. "And you turned into a strong young man who has lived a good life; the kind of life that I wanted you to have, the kind of life I wrote you."

Danny took a good look at his mother. It amazed him that, after all this time, after all these years, the love that Danny felt from his mother was so real, just like it was when she was alive. That's when it hit Danny; made it all the more clear to him, the realization that after a person is gone from this world that his or her love is still real and strong and can go on forever. Danny also realized why he was the man he was, because of his mother. And it began to hit him even stronger; the gratitude he had inside him, he was grateful that his dad had married such a wonderful lady, grateful that his mom was the sweet person she was, grateful that she maintained that sweetness, despite all the pain and suffering she felt….most of all, Danny was grateful that his dad had kept a little bit of that sweetness in him, because he still loved Leigh Anne so very much.

Taking that gratitude, Danny looked at his mom with all the love he had in his heart and said, "Mom, thank you. Thank you for being such a wonderful, beautiful mother. Thank you for having me." Tears were now coming down Danny's face and he struggled to keep going. "Thank you for loving me, even though you had every right to stop loving. And thank you for still having that love for me and giving me that love even after you died." Tears coming down harder then ever, he looked at her and said, "Thank you, Mommy." "Mommy", he hadn't said those words in years, not since he had a nightmare about his mom after she died. "Mommy."

Leigh Anne walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. Danny felt the warmth of his mother's embrace. It felt just the same as it did when he was a little boy. Danny held his mother tighter with the same desperation he had as a child. It seems that a son always needs his mom. Danny just felt the love from his mom and hugged her. After a few minutes, Danny and his mom let go.

Leigh Anne smiled and said, "You're welcome, Danny. " She then kissed his forehead and walked away. But before she left, she looked at him and said, "I love you, Daniel. And I always will."

Danny melted and breathed in a quiet voice, "I love you too, Mommy."

Danny watched through tear-filled eyes as his mom was taken in a wisp of wind. He extended his hand to the wind….and saw his dad come to him.

Larry looked at him and said, "Danny, I hope you know why I never got over your mother. I could never find another woman that had that love and gentleness. That hunger for life and love and children. That love that saw the good in everything and everyone. A peace that she had even though everything around her was crumbling. And the strength to send that peace and love. She had it all."

Wiping his tears, Danny said, "I know that now more than ever, Dad. And I know that she gave you some of that because you kept on loving me. You loved me so much and gave me such love and hope. Hope that I can be a good man without a mother present. Hope that I can handle whatever pain I face. Hope that I can love a woman as amazing and beautiful as Mom. And that's because of you."

Larry smiled warmly and said, "And who I am, is because of you, son. I love you, Danny."

Feeling his heart melt, Danny smiled and said, tears coming down, "I love you, Dad."

Larry walked forward and wrapped his arms around his son. Danny felt the embrace of his father, all the love and hurt they had felt for years had come to this moment, the moment of them finally putting away their past. Larry released Danny from his hug after a while.

"Promise me one thing, Danny," he said.

Danny wiped his tears and said, "Yeah, Dad, anything."

"No matter what happens in your life, always keep your mother and me in the back of your mind," he said.

"I'll do better than that, I'll keep you both in here- "he pointed to his heart.

Larry smiled and said, "That is better, Daniel Michael."

Danny was shocked and said, "'Daniel', you haven't called me that in such a long time."

"You'll always be Daniel," Larry said. He turned and walked away.

Danny stood there, tears rolling down his cheeks. He then walked away and went to bed. He felt grateful for this presence, grateful for his parents, grateful that they were always there for him, in life and in death.

THE END