Her eyes slowly opened and she looked around the darkened room, momentarily forgetting where she was. But it only took the soft sounds of David's tiny voice to remind her. She looked down again and smiled when she saw him lift his head to look at her. Even if she hadn't been his mum (And she was so thankful that she had given birth to such a sweet little angel), she would still think that David Martin Crane was the most beautiful baby in the world.
Carefully she picked him up and carried him to his crib, laying him down gently. But not before giving him a kiss on his soft head. "Happy birthday, Sweetheart. I love you so much. Sweet dreams."
And it was with relief that he moment she covered him with his blanket, he drifted off to sleep. She stood in the doorway, watching him, wondering what she'd possibly done to deserve such a beautiful, wonderful child. And that thought was followed by the thought or memory rather, of her insensitive husband.
What had gotten into him to cause him to act so selfishly and ruin a day that he knew was so special to her? The memory gave way to anger. It was true that nothing that Niles could possibly do would ever change how much she loved him or the way that she felt about him, but at that moment she was so angry that she didn't know what to do.
In one short evening, he'd ruined his son's first birthday party and his relationship with his father.
Martin might not ever want to see them again. It was an irrational thought but a very real possibility, and her chest began to ache. She loved Martin so much and the idea that Niles' father (whom she'd thought of as a second father long before she and Niles professed their love for one another) might have become so angry over what had occurred on the day of his grandson's birthday that he'd never want to speak to Niels or Daphne again nearly crushed her.
More tears fell and she cried quietly, hoping that her soft sobs wouldn't wake her sleeping son. But the emotional outburst soon passed and she regained her composure. She couldn't be standing here crying like this. She had something important to do. It was time for Niles to make amends whether he wanted to or not. She suspected the latter, but nonetheless, it had to be done. If not for her sake, then for his father's sake. And for David's.
Her anger returned as she stormed into the hallway, prepared to give Niles' a piece of her mind. Quietly she closed the nursery door, leaving it open just a crack. David needed his rest, but she wanted to make sure that if he awakened suddenly, she could hear him. She was still crying as she padded down the dimly lit hallway that led to the huge master bedroom. With a trembling hand she opened the door and peered inside, expecting to find her husband. It was late and he was most likely asleep. She should let the confrontation wait until morning, but she knew that she would never be able to rest until they got to the bottom of this. There simply had to be some reasonable explanation for Niles' very unreasonable behavior. Not only had he hurt and embarrassed her in front of his parents, but he'd hurt the people who loved him most.
"Niles!" She hissed, hoping to catch him awake. Most likely whatever was bothering him (the guilt of ruining the day for everyone, she selfishly hoped) Was keeping him awake anyway. Wasn't he the one with the fancy degrees? The one who was forever telling her that it only made things worse when they were bottled up inside? She called his name again and when she didn't receive a response, she walked into the room.
But when she reached the bed, she discovered that he was not there.