"I'm sorry Mrs. Crane. Your husband did not make it." The doctor looked at Daphne compassionately and she wanted to pass out, but she knew she had to hold it together, for the sake of her little one. The one Niles only knew briefly about. The one she that she told him about as they took him off to the operating room and she wasn't quite sure he understood as he was so delirious from all of the drugs. She had only just found out herself, and had planned on telling him the evening of the day they had taken Niles in for his heart problem. And now this news, which should have been the most joyous news of her life, was clouded by the worst thing that had ever happened to her. Only 34, she was too young to be a widow. It was all she could do to keep from breaking down. She had to keep it together- Niles would want it that way. She couldn't let him down- not now.
"Would you like for me to tell the family?" The doctor asked.
"No, I had better. I'll call you if I need anything," Daphne couldn't even feign a smile, even if she was the most cheerful person she had ever known if she said so herself. This was no time for manners. She knew Marty had been through this before with his wife and to lose a son- well this would kill him. He would never let it show, that was not his way but he would be devastated. And Frasier, well, this was more than his brother- this was his long time best friend, his only companion in so many ways. Losing Niles was the worst thing to happen to any of them.
Taking a deep breath, Daphne wished for a second she could have a little bit of liquid courage that could be found at her home. Maybe the first thing she would do would be to pour out all the alcohol. No need to be reminded of all the sherries her husband had shared with his brother, of all the glasses of wine she and Niles had partaken in together. She couldn't deal with that now. She had to get through this first event, and that was breaking the news to Roz and the Cranes, and if she could survive that she could survive anything.
Bracing herself, Daphne went over to the other side of the waiting room where Frasier, Marty, and Roz were waiting for her anxiously.
"Well how's my brother? Is he ready for a good game of squash? Don't tell him this but I might let him win the first time," Frasier laughed. "But just the first time."
Daphne stared at him.
"Okay okay. Best two out of three. But that's it. I won't have him lying around feeling sorry for himself. That's no way for him to heal. It's best for him to get back to normal activity as soon as possible. So when can we see him, Daph?" Frasier paused, suddenly noticing that she hadn't said anything. "Daph?"
Marty grew pale as he had had to have these kinds of conversations many times himself as a police officer. He knew what was coming. He had to remind himself to breath. Roz also knew what was coming. It seemed that for a psychiatrist, Frasier was the only one who couldn't see that he was in a classic stage of denial.
"Come on, you cowpokes. Let's go cheer him up. Buy him some balloons. Read him the Archie Comics you bought him. Do something other than stand here. What are we waiting for?" Frasier kept talking, knowing full well that once he stopped that the words he never thought he'd hear would be uttered, and then he would be lost forever.
