Waitress pays for grieving parents’ meal after learning of baby’s death

FORT WORTH, Texas — A Texas couple who recently lost their baby daughter found a bit of solace in a meal, thanks to a server at one of their favorite restaurants.

Kayla Lane instantly recognized Shaun and Debbie Riddle when they walked into the West Side Café. Though the regulars hadn’t come in to eat for some time, Lane remembered the pair and their baby daughter, Glory.

“I remember people,” she told CBS Dallas Fort Worth. “I’m really good at remembering people.”

Lane asked the Riddles about their daughter, who wasn’t with them this time around. Almost immediately, she realized she’d walked into something heavy.

“They kind of looked at each other and were very silent,” Lane said.

The Riddles told Lane their 9-week-old daughter had passed away during a nap weeks before. The grieving parents still didn’t have any solid answers as to why, CBS DFW reported.

“Sadly we had to tell her baby Glory passed away and is with God now,” Debbie Riddle wrote on her Facebook page. “She felt so horrible for asking but she was so sweet.”

Lane told CBS DFW she immediately felt sick about reminding them of their loss, “even though it’s going through their minds all day, every day.”

So the waitress did the only thing she could think to do. When the Riddles got their bill, instead of a total, they found a note that read: “Your ticket has been paid for. We are terribly sorry for your loss. God Bless.”

Initially the Riddles fought the service, but Lane insisted the restaurant had taken care of it.

“She didn’t even want us to tip her because she said the company took care of her tip as well,” Debbie Riddle wrote.

In reality, Lane had paid for the meal out of her own pocket.

Riddle shared a photo of the note on her Facebook page in an effort to highlight the kindness of Lane and the West Side Café.

“We hear so much negativity on the news and so that is why I felt led to share this story in hopes that Kayla and this restaurant will get some good recognition,” she wrote.

Management confirmed to BuzzFeed News that while the restaurant often comps meals for military personnel, firefighters and police officers, Lane took matters into her own hands in this case.

With her secret out in the open, Lane posted about the experience on her own Facebook page, saying she didn’t want any attention, she just wanted to do something nice for a family who was experiencing unimaginable pain.

“What I didn’t expect is how much of a blessing their family would be to me,” she wrote. “I’m humbled by this experience and thank the Riddles so much for being the wonderful people that they are and now blessing me with their friendship.”