Perhaps it was fate, or in this case, doom that led her to Café Nervosa on that warm spring morning. She'd no sooner walked out of the café when she saw it happen. He crossed the street effortlessly but then to her horror, had tripped and fallen, right there on sidewalk. He flew foreword, landing on the hard pavement with a thud.
Daphne gasped, forgetting all about her bag of beans, she rushed out of the door to the sidewalk where a small crowd had gathered. And to her disgust, not one of them offered to help poor Dr. Crane, choosing instead to stare at him while he lay there, helpless. She went to him at once and knelt beside him, offering her hand as she gently helped him to his feet. "Dr. Crane…"
He groaned and then stared at her, disoriented, surprising her with a weak smile. Or perhaps that smile was from her imagination. What she did not imagine, however, was the obnoxious applause from the crowd. She wanted to scream at the insensitive by passers; "How dare you just stand there and gape at us, not even bothering to offer help? Can't you see this man is hurt? What kind of people are you, anyway?"
She felt Niles touch her arm and by the looks she received from the people (who were now walking away, murmuring to themselves and continuing to stare with hushed whispers) she realized that she had spoken her angry thoughts out loud. But she didn't care.
"It-It's all right, Daphne. I-I'm fine." Niles stammered. But he wasn't fine. He wasn't fine at all. Daphne turned to him, brushing the dust and dirt from his clothes. And the torn fabric of his pants at the knee made her want to cry.
"Oh, your suit! I'm so sorry, Dr. Crane. Let's get you inside."
Keeping her arm firmly around him, she led him slowly into the cafe, once again doing her best to ignore the stares they received. "Doesn't anyone mind their own business anymore?" She grumbled. "Can you sit down?" She asked Dr. Crane.
His eyes met hers and his pained expression tore at her heart. "I-I think so." He groaned, wincing as he lowered himself into a wooden chair. And the fact that he didn't even attempt to wipe off the seat with his handkerchief spoke volumes. He must have been in agonizing pain.
She reached out to touch his face; a small but soothing gesture. But her hand froze just inches from his skin and tears formed in her eyes. "Oh Dr. Crane, your cheek is purple!"
Involuntarily his hand moved upward toward his cheek, but her fingers grasped his before he could make contact. "Don't touch it." She said softly. Just wait right here and I'll be right back."
Reluctantly she left him alone while she rushed over to the counter, where Taylor was tending to another customer. She was such a sweet girl and she worked so hard.
"Hello, Miss Moon." Taylor said politely.
Daphne blushed at the formality. "Please, call me Daphne."
"All right, Daphne. What can I get you? Some cinnamon tea?"
A smile formed on Daphne's lips. "You remembered. I'm flattered but no, actually. I need some ice. And a first-aid kit if you have one."
Taylor's smile disappeared. "First aid kit? Is everything all right?"
"It will be. You see, Dr. Crane had a terrible fall out front-."
Taylor held up her hand. "Say no more, Daphne. We have a first aid kit in the back. And I'll get that ice for you right away."
Daphne smiled at the sweet young woman. "Thank you."
When Taylor was gone, Daphne turned to Niles' side where he still sat wearily in the wooden chair. "Don't worry, Dr. Crane. We'll get you all fixed up."
"Here you are, Daphne." Taylor said, handing Daphne a small white box. And then her eyes moved to Niles." Oh, Dr. Crane are you all right?"
"Dr. Crane will be fine in just a little while." Daphne replied. "Thank you, Taylor."
"Dr. Crane, can I get you anything else?"
"Niles looked up at Taylor wearily. wearily. "No, I..."
"We'll be fine." Daphne said, trying her best to sound reassuring. Niles groaned, barely meeting her gaze, and her heart went out to him once more. The poor man. He must be hurting so. She smiled at Taylor's thoughtfulness. "I think we'll be fine. Thank you so much."
Daphne handed the ice pack onto Niles and touched his shoulder. "Hold this on your cheek and relax, all right? When Niles didn't move, she placed the ice pack gently on his cheek and slowly moved his hand so that he was holding onto it. To her heartache, he flinched at the contact of the cold ice on his skin. And Daphne couldn't resist brushing his hair from his forehead. She hadn't expected it to feel so soft on her fingertips. The thought made her feel a bit uncomfortable. She didn't feel that way about
Dr. Crane. They were friends; that was all. It was enough.
"I know it hurts." She said soothingly. "But the ice will make it feel better, I promise."
"Here you are, Daphne."
Daphne turned to find Taylor smiling brightly, holding two drinks. "Oh, I didn't order-."
"I know, but I wanted you to have them. They're on the house." Taylor explained. "Cinnamon tea for you and a non-fat half caf latte-."
"With the faintest hint of cinnamon." Daphne finished, causing them both to laugh. "Thank you Taylor. So much."
Taylor smiled. "It was my pleasure. Let me know if you need anything else."
"You've done more than enough." Daphne replied. "But thank you."
When they were alone, Daphne turned to Niles once more. "Are you feeling better, Dr. Crane?"
He smiled weakly. "A-A little. Thank you, Daphne."
She picked up the steaming paper cup emblazoned with the green and red Café Nervosa logo. "Here, sip this while it's still hot. But be careful. I don't want you to burn your mouth."
He did as she asked, sipping the drink carefully.
"Now, let's see about this leg, shall we?"
He put the drink down and looked at her in disbelief. "What?"
She could feel him flinch when she knelt down and began rolling up his pant leg, revealing a small but disturbing injury. "Oh, Dr. Crane, your poor knee! This must hurt so badly."
"I-it's…"
"Give me a moment and I'll have you all fixed up. Now this might sting a little."
As she expected he jumped at the contact of the alcohol swab, even though she blotted it carefully on the wound, cleaning it thoroughly. And then, as she might have done with a child, she blew on it, trying to take away some of the sting. But within minutes, the wound was clean and tended to with first aid cream and a bandage. And then she rolled down his pant leg and began working on his other minor wounds. "There, good as new." She exclaimed when she was finished. "But I'm sorry about your suit, Dr. Crane."
"It's all right. I-." He froze, staring at her, wearing a look that she just couldn't describe. Nor could she understand. Why was he looking at her that way? But there was no mistaking the way it made her feel.
"Are you all right now?"
He smiled at her and then slowly rose to his feet, taking her hand, allowing her to do the same. "I'm more than all right, Daphne. I'm wonderful. You're wonderful. I can't thank you enough for taking care of me like this. You're an absolute angel."
She gasped at the undeserved sentiment, but even more undeserved and unexpected was the way that he engulfed her into his arms and kissed her cheek. She clung to him, inhaling his clean, fresh sent, her cheek tingling from the touch of his kiss. And it felt completely natural to lean against him, wishing that she could stay there forever.
THE END