Daphne tried to smile, but at that moment her mind wasn't on the gift that she was about to open, nor was it on David's well-being. She looked nervously at Ronee and Martin. "I-I'll be right back. I-I'm so sorry."
As she rose from the fainting couch, she could see Ronee lean closer to Martin and whisper something into his ear. No doubt that Ronee was trying to console her husband. The mere fact that it was even necessary, that Niles had completely gone mad for no apparent reason at all made Daphne's blood boil and her anger toward Niles surfaced quickly.
He'd embarrassed and hurt her in front of his father and stepmother; something she never dreamed was possible. And even though David wasn't in able to join them, Niles was doing a bloody good job of ruining his son's birthday party.
Well, Daphne wasn't about to let him finish the job. David's birthday was a happy occasion. The child they worried that they'd never have reached a milestone. She could hardly believe that exactly three hundred and sixty five days ago, she'd given birth to her sweet baby boy in the veterinarian's office. On Ronee and Martins' wedding day!
She gasped when she realized that this day was not only David's first birthday but it was also Ronee and Martin's first wedding anniversary. She'd been so caught up in preparing for David's party that she'd completely overlooked her in-laws anniversary. And after the way Niles had blown a fuse at his father, Daphne was even angrier at him for ruining his parent's anniversary.
Heart racing, she walked to the kitchen and pushed open the swinging door. She saw Niles immediately. He was standing in front of the kitchen window, sipping on a glass of sherry. Her first instinct was to yell at him. After all, he deserved it for just walking out without explanation. But she found that she simply didn't have the heart to express her anger. Instead she approached him slowly. And then, her hand pressed against his back, she said his name; softly, so as not to startle him.
"Niles?"
He turned to look at her but he did not smile. Worried, she waited a moment, hoping that he would say something; anything. But when he remained silent she knew that she was the one who had to start a conversation. This sudden change of mood could not be ignored. Something was very wrong.
"Sweetheart, why don't you come into the living room with us so that we can open David's gift? Your father seems very excited about it."
He stood perfectly still and for a moment she feared that he would reject her invitation. But she braced herself for that possibility. To start an argument now would only make things worse. "Niles, please? Can you come into the living room with me, please?" She felt as though she was talking to a child, but it seemed to work. She slipped her hand into his, grateful when he didn't hesitate and she was even more grateful when Niles allowed her to lead him back into the living room.
"Look who I found!" She announced brightly as they returned to Ronee and Martin. But she could still see the hurt on their faces.
Niles said nothing, but thankfully kept hold of her hand while they sat on the fainting couch. Daphne picked the gift that was wrapped in the paper with the footballs and baseballs and smiled. "I can hardly wait to see what this is!"
"He's very proud of it." Ronee said. "Picked it out himself."
Daphne felt a rush of love for her father-in-law. "This is so sweet of you, Martin." Her enthusiasm increased as she carefully untied the large blue and green bow and then began to tear the paper off of the box. It fluttered to the floor and she felt the excitement rush through her as she lifted the lid and folded back the blue and green tissue paper, gasping at the sight.
"Oh Martin! This is the most adorable thing I've ever seen in my life!"
She laughed, removing the tiny blue Seahawks jersey from the box. In bold white were the numbers zero and one and on the back the white letters spelled out Crane.
"Look Niles, isn't this sweet? David has his very own Seahawks jersey! And the number on the front… is this one of the player's numbers?"
Martin threw his head back and laughed out loud. "Nah, that's oh-four. Stands for the year 2004; David's birth year! Isn't that great? I had it made especially for my grandson!"
"He was so excited about coming over today to give you his gift that he tossed and turned all night!" Ronee laughed. "Looks like it was worth it!"
Daphne rose from the fainting couch and went to Martin, hugging him tightly and then kissed his cheek. "It certainly was! This is absolutely wonderful, Martin!Thank you so much! I love it!"
"Aw, come on. It's just a birthday present, Daph!" Martin said. But the flush of his cheeks was evident that he enjoyed the hug, even if he would never readily admit it.
She smiled. Martin never was one for sentiment, but she couldn't help herself. She loved him so much. "You know that's not true, Martin. This is the most wonderful gift."
"Well, nothing's too good for my grandson!"
"You've got that right!" Ronee agreed.
"Oh Ronee, come here and give me a hug too!" Daphne said, holding out her arms. The women hugged and kissed each other's cheeks, wiping away a few tears.
"Daphne, now you've gone and made me cry." Ronee laughed.
Daphne hugged Ronee again. "I'm sorry, but this is just… so wonderful. I love it so much!"
"You're welcome." Martin replied. "But trust me, Daph. This is only his first Seahawks jersey! There'll be a lot more to come. And one of these days, he'll be out on that field at Century Link Stadium throwing touchdowns. Won't that be great? And Niles, you and I are going to have the best seats in the house! I don't care if it's thirty below or raining cats and dogs outside. You and I are gonna watch my grandson-."
"DAD, THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Startled to silence, all eyes turned to Niles.