Author's Note:Usual disclaimer applies. Thanks to Leigh Ann (leighann415) for reading a draft of this. It's all I've got so far, so please be patient! Also, I'm dedicating this to Andrea (iloveromance) and Annika (BaronessBlixen) for being so supportive & encouraging w/ this idea! :)
Niles heard someone knocking very insistently on his front door. He went to answer it, wondering who on earth it could be. He hoped it wasn't Maris, or one of her high-society friends. He was in no mood to deal with them now. He opened the door. "Daphne!" he said in surprise. Seeing her always brought a smile to his face.
"Something's wrong with me heart!" she exclaimed.
"Are you having chest pains? Should I call 911?" Niles asked, immediately taking her hand and pulling her into the apartment.
"No, nothing like that. Sorry to frighten you. But I just came from me annual physical. I was supposed to go to the doctor months ago, but I've been so busy lately, taking care of your father."
"What happened?" Niles asked, gesturing for her to sit next to him on the fainting couch.
"Apparently, the doctor saw something in my bloodwork that he didn't like. Wants to send me for some kind of test. He was using an awful lot of big medical words I didn't bloody understand, but I understood enough to know it's serious. He wants me to go and have more tests done."
Relieved to know that Daphne was in no immediate danger, Niles smiled. "Well, if it had been anything really serious, I'm sure you would've been admitted to the hospital. Did you make another appointment?"
Daphne shook her head. "The receptionist wanted me to, but I just wanted to get out of there as fast as I could! Oh, Dr. Crane, what if he finds something wrong with me?"
"There is nothing wrong with you," Niles immediately said.
"Thank you," Daphne replied, slightly embarrassed by the compliment.
Niles could see that Daphne was still upset. "Would it make you feel better if you didn't have to go by yourself next time?"
"That's very sweet of you to offer, but I couldn't ask you to do a thing like that. You have your own life."
Niles reached over and held Daphne's hand. "I want to do it. I can see that you're a bit nervous, and, well, I care about you."
"Thank you. You always know just what to say to make me feel better!" Before Niles knew what was happening, Daphne pulled him into a tight hug.
Niles breathed in the scent of her shampoo, sighing. "I'm always here for you, Daphne."
