Niles knocked on his brother's door, shocked when it was opened almost immediately by Daphne. "Hello, Dr. Crane. You have perfect timing. Your father's hip's been bothering him, so I told him I'd use a bit of this liniment on it." She held up the container. "He's complaining about how much this stuff hurts, but I told him you had no problem with it. If he can't take it, then he's just a big baby!" Daphne turned to where Martin lay on the table she normally used for his exercises. His sweatpants were down to his ankles.
"Aw, Jeez, Daph, I don't want Niles seeing me like this!"
"Well, you've seen him with less clothing on, so I don't see how it could upset you," Daphne shot back.
"I told you, I don't need any of that horrible stuff! My hip gets stiff every now and then, but it's fine if I just rest it for a while."
Daphne sighed. "Honestly, I don't see why you're making such a fuss over this. Dr. Crane didn't have any problem with it. Did you, Dr. Crane?"
"Um...well...," Niles stammered as he reached for a tissue to combat the inevitable nosebleed.
"Daphne, he's lying!" Martin exclaimed. "His nose always bleeds when he lies. Besides, I was right here when you used that stuff on him the other day. He was in a hell of a lot of pain, but he just wanted to be brave in front of you!"
"Is that true?" Daphne asked, turning to Niles.
"Well, I suppose I did feel a twinge or two," Niles admitted. He sniffled, knowing even this was far from the truth. "But it was nothing, really," he added, not wanting her to worry.
Daphne looked back at her elderly patient. She wasn't sure if Dr. Crane was telling the truth this time.
Niles knew there was no sense in lying any more. "All right, if you want the truth, Dad's right. That stuff does burn. A lot. When you were out of the room, I had to rush to the refrigerator to put frozen vegetables down my back just to get some relief!"
"Well, if you were in such bloody pain, why didn't you tell me? I would've stopped!"
"Because...I didn't want you to think I was a wimp," Niles said in a small voice. He suddenly seemed to be fascinated with his shoes; he could not look at her.
"A wimp? Dr. Crane, why would I ever think that? I was hurting you! I'm so sorry!" She threw her arms around him.
All of the pain he'd felt the other day was worth it as Daphne wrapped her arms around him. "It's all right. Once the burning stopped, it did help my back."
"Are you sure?" Daphne asked. She let him go, studying him now to see if he was all right.
"Yes," Niles said, nodding. "I suppose it was childish of me. When Frasier and I were growing up, I was always the weaker one. For once, I just wanted to prove I could handle the pain."
"Oh, Niles," Martin said in exasperation. "I know how much that stuff hurts. Not being able to stand that pain doesn't make you a wimp. I've got a bullet in me, and I don't like it any more than you did."
"Your father's right, Dr. Crane. You should've told me. But I think it's sweet you wanted to be brave." She leaned over, kissing his cheek.
Niles' cheek burned, but unlike the liniment, this was a very pleasant sensation. He found it difficult to breathe when she drew away.
"Are you all right?" Daphne asked, alarmed by his expression.
"Yes, I'm fine," Niles said. "I guess I was trying to impress you by being brave. I don't have very many friends, and I'd hate to lose you," he confessed.
"Dr. Crane, are you daft?" Daphne asked, laughing out loud. "You could never lose me. You're a very important part of this family, and you're so sweet to me. You don't have to try to impress me. I like you just the way you are." She took hold of his hand, squeezing it.
"Well, thank you, Daphne." Niles couldn't have kept the smile off his face if he'd wanted to. "I like you, too." He knew this was an understatement, to say the very least, but he decided he didn't want to ruin this moment of friendship by pushing for something more. What they had now was wonderful, even if it wasn't all he wanted.
Daphne's heart warmed to see Dr. Crane smiling. He did it so rarely these days, what with his painful divorce. But gradually, she remembered Mr. Crane, who was still lying on the table. "I suppose there's no sense in torturing you," she said to the old man. "If your hip's feeling better now, how about we do your exercises a bit later, so the three of us can have a bite to eat instead?"
It didn't take Martin long to decide. "OK!"
"Dr. Crane, you don't mind staying, do you? I mean, you don't have somewhere else to be, right?"
"No, Daphne. I always enjoy your company." As he entered the apartment, he was grateful to even have Daphne as a friend. Maris always seemed to find fault with anything he did, but Daphne liked him just as he was. Yes, friendship was certainly a beautiful thing.
The End