Daphne stared at the appointment card, feeling her nerves tense. It was just a dentist appointment, nothing life-threatening. But still, Daphne felt a sense of fear. She didn't need a shrink to explain why. It was because of what she'd been through as a child. Back in Manchester, her family hadn't been able to afford decent doctors. The family dentist was a friend of her father's, probably with nearly as bad an alcohol problem. The man didn't believe in giving patients Novocain. Even as a little girl, Daphne remembered her teeth being drilled, and how she felt every bit of it. The pain had been terrible, and she'd never gotten over it. Since she came to America, she'd never experienced anything similar, but the idea of having a filling done brought all those memories back.
"Hello, Daphne." Her boss' voice made Daphne jump.
"Oh, Dr. Crane! I'll get your breakfast started right away." She started to walk toward the kitchen.
Frasier smiled. "It's three o'clock in the afternoon. I'm on my way to the station. Maybe you need to lie down or something."
Daphne smiled at his concern. "Yes, perhaps I will. I've just got...a lot on me mind."
"Oh, well, if you need to talk I'm listening!" He grinned. "Well, I'm off. Make sure you get some rest, all right, Daphne?"
Still a bit shocked that her boss was telling her to relax, Daphne merely nodded. Frasier left, and Daphne once again thought about her childhood experiences at the dentist. Even now, it gave her chills as she recalled the sight of the drill coming closer and closer. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. She went to open it.
There stood the younger Dr. Crane. Daphne tried to smile at him, but she knew he would know something wasn't right.
Niles heard her "Hello, Dr. Crane," and knew immediately that it wasn't her usual greeting. "What's the matter?" He reached for her hand, grateful when she did not pull away.
Daphne sighed, glad that she had a chance to tell someone. "I've an appointment at the dentist tomorrow. I need to have a filling done, and I'm just a bit nervous."
"Well, I know no one likes going to the dentist, but I'm sure you'll be just fine." Niles offered her a smile, hoping she would be encouraged.
"I know I shouldn't be so worried, but when I was a little girl, in Manchester, me family couldn't exactly afford the greatest dentist. It was bloody awful. I've had me teeth drilled, without Novocain. I've never been so frightened in me life. And of course, me brothers were no help. They were such 'tough guys,' they didn't even understand why I was so scared!"
"Oh, Daphne," Niles replied. He pulled her into a hug immediately, rubbing her back. "That must have been awful. I know from experience that these childhood traumas can really stick with a person. My germ-phobia may very well stem from a babysitter that Frasier and I had, who told me about 'earwigs,' which would crawl into my ears at night."
"That's terrible!" Daphne exclaimed. "I know I need to have this cavity fixed, but I'd just as soon cancel the appointment and forget all about it. It's going to give me nightmares!"
Niles looked into her eyes, wanting so much to help her. "Well, maybe it would be easier if you had a friend with you. Sometimes, just knowing that you're not alone can help a great deal. Having Frasier in my room helped get me to sleep many nights."
"Oh, that's a good idea, but I don't think any of me girlfriends would want to do that."
"No, Daphne, I wasn't talking about them. I meant me. I can easily rearrange my appointments for tomorrow if you'd like."
Daphne blushed. "I couldn't ask you to do a thing like that! Your job's very important. Whereas mine...not so much." She smiled, slightly embarrassed.
"On the contrary, Daphne. What you do here is very important. You help look after Dad, and you do most of Frasier's housework. You work very hard, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."
The blush on Daphne's cheeks only deepened after his comment. "Well, thank you. That's awfully nice to hear. Are you sure you don't mind coming to the dentist with me?"
Niles nodded. "Of course I don't mind. Just tell me when your appointment is, and I'll tell Mrs. Woodson to juggle things around a bit. It won't be any trouble." He sniffled, praying it would stop the nosebleed he knew would follow a statement like that.
Daphne reluctantly accepted Niles' offer. She'd never expected him to want to do something like this. It was one thing to offer a compliment, even one that wasn't deserved. But it was something else entirely to go out of his way to support her for something as simple as a dentist appointment.
The next day, Niles arrived at his brother's promptly. Though he knew it was probably very stressful for her, he couldn't help feeling somewhat excited. Any chance to spend time with Daphne was welcome. The details simply didn't matter. Frasier raised an eyebrow when Niles appeared at the door, but he never had a chance to voice an objection. As he watched the two leave, he could only hope his brother wouldn't make a fool out of himself.