I really had to get away from all the smut I was writing because my brain was rewiring itself to think about sex all the time. LOL! I gave it an M just to be on the safe side for nudity.
MOON SICK
The tall city of Seattle with all of its glorious sky scrapers was sitting in the middle of a raging cold thunder storm complete with the very wet rain. Daphne watched it out of her bedroom window as she was tucked in her blankets with one hell of a flu. She was racked with coughing fits, a runny nose, filled sinuses and horrible body aches. She did try to complete some work early in the morning but her dizzy spells and fever just about had her crawling on the floor.
Mr. Crane was the first one awake with Eddie as usual and Daphne was making breakfast until she was interrupted by a blasted lung tossing cough that almost rattled her ribcage. Mr. Crane heard the noise from the kitchen table and he pulled himself up with his cane to check on her. He was in front of the island watching Daphne hunched over from hacking up a good one behind the stove. When she was finally finished her puffy red face came into contact with his concerned one.
"Daphne, you look awful!" Mr. Crane exclaimed upon seeing her. "Why didn't you stay to bed?"
"I get so bored." Daphne groaned as he could hear the phlegm in her throat. "Besides you need your exercises."
"You're not comin' near me with THAT!" He said adamantly. "I'll finish this and you're going straight to bed, Young Lady."
"But-."
"No word outta ya!" Mr. Crane commanded. "We're doing something different. I'm taking care of you today. Now get yer scrawny little butt back to bed."
Daphne was poised, ready to argue but the sudden ache in her ribs and belly betrayed her strength as she whimpered slightly. Her face contorted with the pain as that hurt like hell too. Damned sinuses.
"You didn't take anything for that, did you?" Mr. Crane asked sympathizing with the girl as she shook her head in confirmation. "Come sit on the couch and I'll get you some cold and flu stuff."
For once she didn't argue and she allowed herself to be guided by her patient. She took the pills gratefully and she even allowed him to guide her back to bed to the point of tucking her in without a word.
'She must really be sick.' Martin thought to himself as he made sure that the garbage can and a full box of Kleenex were in her reach. 'She doesn't even care that I'm in her room.'
Out of a straight paternal gesture he leaned down and kissed her forehead just after she closed her eyes. Upon observing her pale features and the raspy breathing as she was dead asleep a foreboding sense of sadness flooded his heart. Daphne couldn't help but notice that his hand still rested upon her fevered cheek so she opened her eyes to see his solemn expression. She had never seen such a forlorn gaze coming from the likes of Martin Crane for as long as she knew him.
"What's wrong, Mr. Crane?" Daphne asked truly concerned.
"Nothin'." He smiled trying to push the emotions away.
"Don't lie to me, Old Man." She threatened.
"It's just that," He wasn't sure how to say what he was trying to say. "For the last year of my wife's life I was taking care of her like this. I never done this for anybody else after she passed away."
"I'm so sorry." She was sorry that she had to give him such painful reminders.
"Oh no, Daph." Martin began. "It's not your fault. It's just that you can be fine and dandy getting on with your life again, then in a heartbeat something happens to bring it all back again. It'll pass. Just keep talking to me, Daph."
She talked to him as he made sure that everything was settled and she had a glass of water on her nightstand as well as the window open a crack so she could breathe some fresh air. The rain pattering on the surfaces sounded peaceful and her voice reminded him that he was tending to a person that would get better, not worse.
"Eddie!, C'mere!" He called for the scruffy little terrier and startled Daphne a little. The dog bounded into her bedroom and made himself home by her side. "Thatta boy! Keep her company and come get me if she needs anything."
Daphne grinned at the dog who mostly only listened to her as he laid his head on her belly and thanked Martin as he left the room. Shortly she succumbed to sleep.
Frasier made his way out of his bedroom half asleep still in his robe and saw his father picking up his plate as well as wiping the table off. He thought he was still dreaming when he heard the dishes rattling in the kitchen. Now this he had to see and he walked to where Martin was actually cleaning up.
"Dad?" Frasier scrutinized Martin slightly confused. "Where's Daphne?"
"Sick as a dog." Martin answered elbow deep in dishes. "I put her to bed, Fras."
"She let you put her to bed?" Frasier asked in surprised and Martin nodded. "She must be really sick. Do you need someone else to help you with your exercises?"
"Nah." Martin waved him off with his hand. "I'll get plenty looking after her. You go to work. We got it."
"Who's we?" Frasier asked afraid to ask.
"Eddie!" Martin replied. "He's in there with her."
"You left her in the care of a dog?" Frasier asked incredulously but not surprised.
"Yeah, he even checks her for fever once in a while." Martin replied sarcastically to his all too literal son.
Not too long after their conversation the doorbell chimed and Frasier, being so used to Daphne answering it, actually forgot to leave the table and his paper to open it. It rang three times before it dawned upon him that it wasn't going to get answered. He jumped up from the table and ran across the room faintly wondering why people had to get up and open the door for others. Why couldn't he just yell, 'COME IN!'? Stupid apartment security.
Frasier opened the door and there was Niles, of course. It was always Niles. Why didn't he just get a key made for Niles? It was very nice but 95% of his visits were for the sole purpose of throwing fleeting glances at Daphne, taking a chance to sniff her hair when he thought no one was watching and to listen to her sweet Manchester accent speak to him and only him. He's become slightly less obvious and dumbstruck by her presence in the fifth year around her, Frasier noticed. He wasn't stupid or blind. He could see that the further Niles and Maris drifted apart the closer he floated to Daphne. Frasier hated the twig of a woman and she was the definition of hell over high water, but Niles loved her once upon a time. She wasn't for him at all but he tried to keep the marriage going. For all the times Maris used him like a dog somehow Daphne was toughening him up a little towards the twiggy witch. He was sure that Maris' carelessness brought the anger out in him too but Niles never asserted himself to Maris before Daphne, ever. He was severely whipped. As of a week ago, their divorce was final. Frasier tried to help him keep his temptations with Daphne in check to save their marriage. In the end it was just as well. Niles was better off without Maris. Frasier supposed he could stop blockading Niles' attempts to court Daphne but he was worried that he would scare the poor woman off. For all intents and purposes, Daphne didn't know that Niles was crazy about her for all these years and dumping that on her at once wouldn't be a pretty result. Niles had to wait until the emotional turmoil with Maris was over and then make his move, slowly.
"Good morning, Niles." Frasier greeted his brother as he walked back to his table with Niles in tow.
"Morning, Frasier." Niles returned. "Did you happen to glance through your radio reviews this morning?"
"Is it another glowing review about Seattle's hatred for my life's work?" Frasier asked scornfully.
"Quite the opposite." Niles beamed. "Only the most respected psychologists in all of Seattle, Dr. Elaine McKnight wants to meet with you."
"You're not serious?" Frasier gasped as he put his paper down on the table.
"Oh, I am." Niles smiled. "Here's the paper. Better get dressed and meet her at the café. She insisted that I pass this letter on to you which you will find neatly enclosed in my newspaper."
It was an outright lie about the meeting with the doctor but Niles was on a mission which required him to get rid of Frasier for a while. It was brilliant and it worked like a charm. Now what to do with his father was another concern. Niles glanced around and was curious when he saw Martin walking out of the hallway where Daphne's room was located with an empty glass in his hand.
"Oh hey, Son!" Martin replied as he scurried to the kitchen and Eddie raced past him to the door. "Oh, Eddie! I'm busy right now. Can't you learn to use the toilet like normal people?"
"You're busy?" Niles asked surprised.
"Yeah, Daph's real sick." Martin explained as he tried to sweep the floor on his cane. "Only two hours of pretending to be her and I'm ready to collapse."
"Well, no offence, Dad." Niles began. "But you are considerably older and your bad hip simply won't allow for that continuous motion."
"I was kinda hoping you would say I wasn't as pretty as her." Martin chuckled at his son's blush.
"Why don't you take Eddie for a long walk?" Niles suggested. "I'll hold down the fort for a while."
"That would be great, Niles." Martin sighed and leashed Eddie. "Keep an eye on Daphne."
"Will do."
The entire apartment was shrouded in a thick silence and there were chores to do. Niles removed his blazer and rolled his shirt sleeves up, grabbing the broom to finish the sweeping. He cleaned all the dishes and put them away. He made sure the dish sponge was drying in the rack just as Frasier liked it. He even went on to dust and vacuum the carpets. He saw a hamper half full of dirty clothes in the bathroom hamper that could have been washed but his first instinct would have been to search every room for dirty clothes to wash. Even though he didn't mind sneaking into Daphne's room to wash hers, he didn't think she'd approve no matter how good his intentions were.
It was close to noon and realized it would have been a good time to check on her seeing as he hadn't seen nor heard from her since he arrived. He walked down the hallway and noticed with surprise that her door was open a crack, probably so his father could keep an ear open for her. Niles tapped on the door lightly before stepping in and he even called her name. He received no answer even as her peeked in. He saw that her eyes were open and looking directly at him without emotion.
"Daphne?" He asked slightly confused as she didn't answer him. Nor did she blink. It was almost as though she was looking through him. When he moved in closer she still didn't blink. Niles panicked and rushed into the room and pulled the blankets down her chest placing his fingers on her pulse point.
"Niles?" Daphne moaned and he looked at her pale face in relief. "It's so hot in here."
"Quite the contrary, it's a tad cold." Niles commented on the open window as he pressed the back of his hand on her forehead and cheeks. "You have a horrid fever. Do you remember what Dad gave you for medicine?"
"Uhhhh…..Big..green pills?" Daphne asked with the concentration equivalent to that of a four year old. "Cold, sinus, flu stuff."
"Looks like they didn't break the fever." Niles stated. "Let's get you in tub and cool you down a little.
"I don't wanna move." Daphne muttered in protest. "But ok. Help me."
For the first time since Niles met her she was just about as helpless as a new fawn trying to stand on wobbly legs. This flu sure knocked the life out of her. If it weren't for the scorching fever she would mostly be alright. Between that and her body pains it was impossible for her to walk. Niles miraculously found the strength enough to pick her up and carry her to the washroom. He prayed that his knees wouldn't buckle.
"I love you, Niles." She mumbled out of the blue as she nuzzled his neck. There went his knees and they just about dropped the both of them to the floor. This made Daphne giggle. "Oopsie!"
Niles sat her down on the toilet seat cover but she absolutely refused to let go of his neck when he tried to free himself to fill the tub. "Noooo!" Daphne moaned in sheer disappointment as her cozy spot was being taken from her.
"I just need to fill the tub." Niles explained and she let go of him reluctantly. He opened the taps and let the water flow. It would take a while for it to be filled so he turned to Daphne just to make sure that she wouldn't fall on the floor. She was in her trance again looking off into a distance that he would never see. Once the tub was full he turned to make sure that it was decent for her to get into. When he turned around to face her again he didn't expect to see her carelessly stripping all of her clothes off not in the frame of mind to even be thinking about what kind of reaction it would have on him. In fact the first sight he came face to face with was her small but perfectly rounded bare rear end. He gasped sharply as his heart leapt up into his throat. So very sick she was but to be blunt he had a very weak spot for her behind. Gorgeous!
'Enough! You lecherous brute!' Niles chastised himself for his lustful thoughts. 'She's sick. Get your head out of the gutter. Good, God Man!'
Niles took her hands and guided her to the bathtub until she was safely seated. Instead of laying back she laid her head on the edge hanging her arm out over the side. He reached over the side for her bath loofah and dunked it under the water then ran it from the back of her neck right down to the small of her back. Daphne sighed as Niles continued that for a good while. He also made sure to come back and wipe her face and forehead down with the water. It was so nice and cooling against her hot skin. Even if she was slightly delusional from the fever she could enjoy her sick day very much if Niles was going to take care of her so well. She took his free arm and sat it on the edge of the tub using it as a pillow. Despite the awkward angle she looked quite cozy. He continued to wash her down with the water and she relaxed with a series of contented moans.
"Feels good, Dr. Crane." Daphne whispered in his arm about ready to fall asleep.
"NILES!" Martin shouted from the living room as he walked in from his and Eddie's walk.
"In here, Dad!" Niles called from Daphne's washroom. Before long Eddie was at Niles' side by the tub with Martin in tow. When he walked in he wasn't sure to be worried or angry that his son would go to such lengths to see her without clothing. Surely he wouldn't go this far?
"What are you doing, Niles?" He asked almost suspiciously.
"She's delirious with fever." He explained. "The pills you gave her this morning still didn't help break it. I came in to check on her and she was just burning up. She knows I'm here but sometimes she just looks right through me and talks in illusions. It's quite disturbing."
"How is she now?" Martin asked.
"She's very relaxed." Niles spoke again. "She seems to be cooling down a bit but if I can't get it to break by this evening I'm taking her to the emergency room. I wish you weren't here this morning. It's surely contagious and this would be harder on you than the rest of us. Did you get a flu shot yet?"
Martin could see that Niles was less than calm and his nerves were on edge as he could see the shake in his hand that was guiding the water down her back. Quite frankly it was a very crooked pattern and the water almost quivered down her back. Even in her groggy mind Daphne could feel him shaking a little.
"In a few hours it'll be gone, Dr. Crane." Daphne spoke quietly. "In the meantime, would you please just keep on rubbin' me back before I become sane again and jump out of this tub in complete embarrassment that you're seein' me naughty bits?"
"I'll leave now." Martin chuckled and turned to walk out. "C'mon Eddie."
Niles tended back to a very sick Daphne and continued to slide the loofah down her back. He could feel the flushed heat of her face on the bare skin of his arm as she rested her head there. He could feel that her fever was starting to go down a bit when he brushed the stray pieces of her hair out of her face and pressed his palm to her forehead. It figures. He finally gets close to Daphne the way he's wanted to all these years and it's not even in the capacity he hoped for. She was so sick that she could only see him through innocent eyes, when they weren't closed. At the moment it was her lips that caught his eyes. They always did but when he was looking at them only mere inches away he never realized just how tempting a set of pouting lips could be, excuse the silly cliché. Biology was extremely kind to Daphne for many could not possibly pull that off. Niles was gravely tempted to touch, kiss them. His fingers made the decision for him as the pad of his thumb brushed across her reddened bottom lip. She opened her eyes while he stared not realizing she was watching him at first. Caught in the moment Niles just about hit the ceiling when she released a monster of a sneeze.
"I'm sorry." Daphne laughed lightly at his reaction. "I think I'm starting to get cold, Dr. Crane."
"It sounds like you're coming around a bit." Niles observed as he held her hands to assist her with standing out of the tub. Not even thinking of turning away he accidentally came face to face with her perky but gorgeous breasts. He looked up at her face in a flash hoping he didn't get caught staring. "I'll get you a towel."
"In the cupboard there." Daphne instructed as he struggled to find them, unable to think with the vision of her chest in his head which would become fodder of his fantasies for years to come. She could tell he was finding this rather awkward but she couldn't bring herself to really care in her state. She just felt for him. As soon as he fetched a towel she reached for it but he stopped her, wrapping it around her body himself with his eyes trained on her face.
"Oooh." Daphne shivered and hugged her bare goosebumped arms around her towel. "Now, I'm really gettin' cold."
"Oh Dear." Niles fretted and not thinking about how bold his action was he wrapped her in his own arms rubbing her back to warm her up. "Wouldn't want that now, would we? Let's get you out and into some warm pyjamas."
Niles Crane was supposed to be a doctor in the mental field but at that moment he was more of a nurse. Daphne was normally a strong willed and independent woman but she really didn't mind him taking care of her like this. She found that she was enjoying the luxury of it and with every action he exuded care. A care that went beyond a nurse/patient relationship. She presumed that's why she was so comfortable with him. Before long she was tucked into a warm bed and he was about to leave.
"Oh, Don't go." Daphne protested and really hoped she wasn't scaring him off. "If you don't want to. I'm so sorry, . I haven't been sick like this since I was a child and Grammy Moon's always been the one to put up with me clinginess. Oh, she used to tuck in right beside me and read me favourite book til I fell dead asleep. Then she used to scratch me back lightly and it felt so good. I'd love it if you did it for me."
"You would?" Niles asked with a wide smile stretching across his face as the giddiness took over.
"Yes." Daphne admitted and looked up at him guiltily.
"Ok," Niles uttered without giving it a thought and immediately walked over to her bed. It was amusing how quickly he was under her blankets with her bundled in his arms and a romance novel stuck in his hands.
Daphne sat up in her bed watching the rain finally calm down and a rainbow appeared over the city skies as she allowed her mind to wander. It was only a few moments ago that Niles left his spot by her side to cook some much needed for both of their bellies, especially hers. She thought about his behaviour towards her today and became rather concerned. She was beginning to believe that he cared for her beyond being the help and his friend. What non-gay friend that just happened to be a male would give a woman a sponge bath, wrap them up caringly in a towel and warm them up? And to top it all off who so excitedly would accept the offer the woman gave at the one chance to hold her? Why he looked as though she was making his dreams come true. Just how long was he looking and waiting for this opportunity? She could very easily brush it all off and say she was delirious and that she was seeing things that weren't there. The only problem was that when she tried to do just that she wanted to believe that he truly did have feelings for her even more. A lovely predicament. Quite honestly, she wasn't well enough to give it much thought. It was not the right time either. She was sick and Niles was in the middle of a very rough divorce. They weren't fit for anything at the moment but Daphne wanted to enjoy what they were giving each other now. The chance to be and to hold each other in comfort.
Daphne let out a sigh and wiped her runny nose with the Kleenex in her hand and pulled the blankets up over her chest. She turned her head to see Niles walking back into her room with a tray that appeared to have a bowl of soup on it.
"Some soup for a nasty flu." Niles smiled as he settled the tray carefully on her lap.
"Thank you, Dr. Crane." Daphne returned the smile.
She ate her soup as he left to clean up in the kitchen and she pondered a little more. She decided that she would keep the knowledge of his affection for her hidden to herself just in case it was her wild imagination. It was a little piece of sweetness that she could revel in until the time was right. She just knew it wasn't upon them yet.
THE END