A/N: Many thanks to LoisAndClarkSuperfan for her help with a few details in this story. It's funny how one viewing of "Flour Child" after not having seen it in so long could produce so many story ideas at once!
Daphne hated hospitals, she absolutely hated them. Ever since she was a little girl, hospitals were places associated with pain, both physical and emotional. She'd experienced the injuries and illnesses of her brothers, her parents and even her own in hospitals just like this one. But the worst visits were those where she said goodbye to those that she loved, like her Uncle John or Grammy Moon.
The sudden illness of her Uncle John took them all by surprise, but he was the one who took the news the hardest. He was the healthiest person Daphne had ever met and very athletic, so it seemed cruel and unfair that he was dealt such a terrible fate. A man who loved life but not going to church, he suddenly began going regularly; a move that frightened them all. He'd always been so kind to Daphne and her family and she knew that it was just a matter of time before the inevitable happened. Sure enough, less than a year later, and shortly after she and her family sat at his bedside telling Uncle John how much they loved him, he passed away peacefully.
But the sadness she felt when her Uncle John passed away came nowhere close to the pain of losing her Grammy Moon. Daphne loved her grandmother with her whole heart and she was the most wonderful person in the world. She was always there with a gentle hug or a loving touch and she never failed to offer a kind word or a few words of wisdom that Daphne could carry with her always. And it was her last visit with Grammy Moon that broke Daphne's heart.
She sat at her grandmother's bedside, sobbing despite the advice of her family to come home with them. They knew that she would be gone soon and they had prepared themselves for the moment. But Daphne was in denial. And Daphne was still holding her grandmother's hand hours later when the kind hearted woman passed away, leaving Daphne with a feeling of emptiness like she'd never known.
Now as Daphne stepped into the hospital elevator, she brushed away the tears that stained her cheeks. She shouldn't be crying about such things. This particular visit to the hospital wasn't to say goodbye, but to say hello.
Her girlfriend Sheryl had just given birth to her first child, a daughter. And when the call came early that morning, Daphne couldn't wait to pay mother and daughter a visit. She wanted so much to share in the joy because Sheryl had always been there for her. If it hadn't been for Sheryl and her much-needed support, Daphne would never have known about the agency that led to her job taking care of Mr. Crane, helping to rehabilitate him after he was shot in the hip. And she wouldn't have met Frasier or his brother Niles.
At the thought of Niles and his kindness and friendship, she smiled, grateful to be happy once more.