Daphne was right on time. She smiled to herself as she put the car into park. This was her favorite time of day. She knew that many moms looked forward to the day when their children would be able to drive themselves wherever they needed to go. But not Daphne. She loved these moments with her son, and she knew she only had a certain number left. It would be a matter of time before David no longer wanted his mom to pick him up from school.

Suddenly, the doors of the school opened, and a stampede of children came out. Kids ran in all directions, eager to get as far from this building as possible. But in all of the commotion, Daphne couldn't find David. For one brief, horrifying second, she wondered if he had gotten into trouble. Of course that would never happen. David was certainly no trouble-maker. On Meet-the-Teacher night, Niles and Daphne usually heard nothing but glowing things about their son.

Soon, most of the children had found their buses or had climbed into their parents' cars. Daphne waited a few more moments, and at last, David emerged from the building. To her surprise, he wasn't alone. He was holding hands with a little girl. They walked slowly, step by step. Daphne watched with pride as her son walked this girl to her bus and helped her on. It was obvious that she had some type of disability. Once his friend was safely on the bus, David raced over to Daphne's car and got in.

"Hey, Mom!"

Daphne smiled. "Hello. So...who's your new friend?" She gestured to where the bus was now pulling away from the curb.

"Her name's Andrea. Her family just moved here from Texas. She's in my class. The teacher asked if anyone wanted to help her. You know, show her around and stuff. So I raised my hand."

Daphne leaned over and kissed his cheek. "That was a nice thing to do. I'm very proud of you."

David shrugged. "It's no big deal. I mean, you help Grandpa all the time."

Daphne knew all too well how cruel children could be over the slightest difference in appearance. She was grateful that this girl had David looking out for her.

Niles was convinced that his son would one day become a doctor. Every good report card or science fair ribbon was concrete proof that the Crane genes lived on in David. Though Daphne had always been proud of her son's academic achievements, she tried her best to remind Niles that David's career path was his choice, not Niles'. She never really thought much about what the future might hold. As long as he found something he loved and wanted to pursue, she would be happy. Still, she could not ignore the thought now in the back of her mind: David would make an excellent physical therapist one day.

Hours later, Niles and Daphne were preparing for bed. Daphne could not get the incident out of her mind. David had always had friends and gotten along well with most of his classmates. But this was the first time he'd actually reached out to someone with special needs. She told Niles what she'd witnessed.

"David's following your example," Niles said, kissing her. "I'm not surprised, considering his mother is one of the kindest people I've ever met."

Daphne blushed. "I really can't take all the credit. After all, he certainly seems to know how to treat the opposite sex!"

"Yes, we Crane men have always had a knack for that. We don't always make the best choices, but eventually, we figure it out."

Daphne sighed. "It doesn't matter how long it takes, as long as there's a happy ending."

Niles kissed her several more times. The feeling of holding Daphne in his arms never got old. He appreciated it all the more after longing for her affections for so many years. "You know," Niles said, when he stopped to catch his breath. "Maybe David should invite this young lady over to play sometime. I would love to meet her."

"That would be a lovely idea. I'm so glad me son has such a wonderful father to look up to. I can't believe I ever wanted him to turn out like me brothers!"

"I'll always be grateful he didn't!" Niles laughed. His mood turned serious. "I have no doubt that David has seen your compassion for Dad and taken it to heart. We really do have a remarkable son."

Their conversation stopped suddenly, as their physical intimacy increased. Soon both Niles and Daphne happily drifted off to sleep. As Daphne finally closed her eyes, she thought for a moment of young Andrea. She silently prayed that the girl would someday find a man who'd look at her with the same adoring expression she saw in Niles' eyes tonight.

The End