Disclaimer: I don't own any part or character from The Nanny
A/N: Those of us who are fans of the Niles and CC relationship know they are connected in a bizarre and unique way…here's one more bizarre and unique way that they could be connected…
You're in My Blood
London, England - 6/13/1967
St. Bartholomew's Hospital – Emergency Department
"We'll do everything we can, Mr. Babcock, but she's lost a lot of blood. You say she fell out of a tree?" The doctor asked Stuart Babcock.
Stuart nodded. "She was playing in the park with some children and climbed a tree. I guess her shoes were slippery and she fell. She hit her head on a rock. I don't know where her Nanny was, but the kids managed to find her and we got her here as quickly as we could."
"Well, we'll do what we can, but our supply of AB negative blood is low even in the best times and we just had an overturned bus a few days ago." The doctor touched his arm lightly. "We're calling everyone on our donor list. The doctor leave Stuart alone with his thoughts.
Stuart sighed. "God, I'm not much of a praying man as I'm sure you know, but I'm going to talk if you're still willing to listen. CC is my baby girl, and I suppose I shouldn't say it out loud, but she's always been my favorite. Please, send her an angel, save my baby girl, please."
The doctor rushed out to find Stuart sitting with his face in his hands. "We've tracked down a donor. But it may not be enough."
"I don't understand? Why wouldn't it be enough?" Stuart asked.
The doctor sat down next to Stuart. "He's not technically a donor. He was here last week and needed stitches. I worked on him. He's only twelve. You're daughter needs nearly 4 pints of blood, that's almost half the blood in his body. Because he's big and healthy, he'll recouperate the blood loss quickly, but we can't afford to take anymore than that from him."
"I understand. Thank you, doctor. Can I see my baby?" Stuart asked.
The doctor nodded. "I'll take you to see her. We're waiting for the boy and his parents to arrive. She's unconscious, but she may still be able to hear you."
Stuart looked down at his very pale little girl. "Kitten, its Daddy. They're going to do everything they can for you, Honey. You be strong. You're a Babcock, we bend but never break." Stuart kissed her head.
The door to the room opened a short time later and the doctor followed as an orderly rolled in another bed where a husky boy with reddish blonde hair was lying. They set his bed right up next to CC's bed. "She's very beautiful, Mother." The boy said to his solemn looking mother and father.
"Yes, son. You're doing a wonderful thing," The boy's mother said.
The boy turned to look at the doctor as he attached the transfusion tube to his arm. "Will it hurt, doctor, when I die?"
Stuart Babcock looked up in shock and thought. "This boy thinks he's going to die to save my baby and he's willing to do it."
The boy's mother sobbed. "Marie," her husband comforted. "He's going to be fine. Doctor, I'm afraid we didn't get to explain it to him."
The doctor looked down at the boy. "You're not going to die. We're not going to take all of your blood, just enough to help her get better. You're going to be very tired and weak for a day or so, but you'll be back on the football field by the end of the week. I'll even take those stitches out of your knee while you're here."
The boy looked up at his doctor. "Oh, well that's fine then. Will I have a scar on my knee?"
"I'm afraid so, but it'll fade over time." The doctor answered.
The boy turned his head to look at the CC again and whispered, "I'd have given my life for you. Something as beautiful as you should never die before you've really lived."
Stuart stood up and motioned to the doctor. "I understand that I can't ask their names, confidentiality and all. But I want you to make arrangements so that I can see that boy has the best education available to him." The doctor nodded that he understood.
"Folks, I'll escort you to the waiting area now. It's going to be sometime before we're finished here." The doctor walked Stuart and the boy's parents out to a waiting area and took Stuart aside to get contact information so he could fulfill his promise.
Manhattan, NY – 9/13/1997
Central Park Red Cross Blood drive
"Niles…" Fran whined. "Why are ya makin' me do this?"
Niles shook his head at his friend. "Fran, someday you may be the person who needs blood and you'll be glad that there are people who donate at these regular blood drives."
"Ok, sure, but it's not like the Red Cross is gonna keep my blood around until I need it." Fran pouted.
"Fran, I have a very rare blood type, AB negative. So I give blood as often as I'm able, I have for years." Niles detailed.
Fran winced as she watched the nurse put the needle into Niles' arm. "Oy, Niles, doesn't that hurt?"
"This is nothing compared to an afternoon with Miss Babcock, Fran." They laugh. "Actually do you remember that scar I have on my knee?"
"Oh yeah, the one ya got playin' soccer when you were young?" Fran recalled.
"Football, Fran. It's only soccer in this country. Yes, that's the one. That was worse than this. Eighteen stitches. But a week later, now, that was some blood donation." Niles chuckled to himself.
Fran frowned. "You were donatin' blood when ya were a kid, too?"
"Well, not exactly. I told you I have a very rare blood type. Well there was a little girl who needed a transfusion and I was the only AB negative donor available." Niles laid back and the nurse left him and Fran to deal with another donor.
Fran made a face. "They had to ask a kid for a pint of blood? What kind of hospital was this?"
"She needed more than just a pint. I think they ended up taking four pints. I was in the hospital for two days recovering myself." Niles reached into his pocket for a hard candy.
Fran patted Niles on the arm. "I'm gonna go get ya a donut, you look a little pale." Fran headed to the nurse at the refreshment table. "Excuse me nurse, can I get a donut for my friend over there?" The nurse nodded. "By the way, how many pints of blood does a person have?"
The nurse laughed. "Well it depends. An average adult has between 10 and 12 pints, a child somewhat less. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, my friend was tellin' me a story about having to give a little girl four pints of blood when he was younger. She'd been in an accident or somethin'." Fran started eating 'Niles' donut.
The nurse handed Fran another donut. "Well, if she was a little girl, then it probably saved her life. That's a lot of blood."
"Here ya go, Sweetie." Fran handed Niles the donut. "The nurse tells me you probably saved that little girls life. Did ya eva meet her?"
"No, the doctor said something about confidentiality laws." Niles told her. "Are you sure you don't want to donate, Fran?"
"Oy, no, maybe the next time, Niles. We'd better get back. CC's father will be arriving, soon." Fran looked at Niles as the nurse carefully handed him is donor card and put a pin in his lapel. "What's with the pin?"
The nurse smiled at Niles. "That was his 150th pint of blood. Thank you, Sir."
"Geez, Niles. How often do you do this?" Fran asked as Niles finished his donut and drank his little cup of orange juice.
"I go to the donation center every other month on the 13th." Niles popped another hard candy as they started their short walk home.
Fran frowned. "Why the 13th, are you just lookin' for another reason to hate that day?"
Niles laughed. "No. You remember I told you about the transfusion I gave the little girl?" Fran nodded. "June 13th, 1967. I never met her. I only saw her in that room when they were doing the procedure. I thought she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. So it's like an anniversary of sorts for me."
Fran took Niles' arm. "Have I told you that you're the sweetest man I've eva met?"
"On occasion." Niles smiled as Fran kissed his cheek and then wiped off the lipstick she'd left behind.
The doorbell rang and Niles opened the door revealing Stuart Babcock just and Fran and CC entered together from the kitchen. "Niles…" Mr. Babcock stopped him. "What's that on your lapel?"
Niles realizing he was still wearing the pin for when he'd donated blood earlier. "Oh, I'm sorry, Sir. I donated blood today in Central Park." Niles pulled the pin from his jacket and put it in the pocket.
"Don't apologize for donating blood, Niles. It saves lives. I speak from experience." Mr. Babcock offered.
Later that afternoon Fran and Stuart were chatting in the den while CC finished up some work before their dinner date. "Stuart, are you alright? You seem a little out of sorts."
"It's nothing, Frannie. Just something Niles said that reminded me of a difficult time in my life." Mr. Babcock sighed.
Fran frowned a little. "Niles? What could Niles have said to upset you, Stuart?"
"I saw his blood donation pin. I made me think back to when I almost lost someone very, very important to me." Mr. Babcock looked away for a moment.
Fran nodded. "Yeah…you know that Niles. He's donated 150 pints of blood. He goes every other month on the 13th to honor some little girl or somethin'."
"What do you mean, Frannie?" Mr. Babcock asked.
Fran shrugged her shoulders. "Niles has a very rare blood type, AB negative and he gave a little girl a transfusion when he was just a kid. Took him two days in the hospital to recover, but the little girl lived, he saved her life." Fran looked at Mr. Babcock and saw he was almost in tears. "Stuart? Are you ok?"
"Fran…I need to ask Niles about…his…recipe for that chocolate peanut butter cheese cake that CC loves so much. Would you excuse me?" Mr. Babcock asked her.
Fran looked at him like he was crazy. "Sure, Stuart, I need to call Ma anyway, I'll see you before you and Miss Babcock leave for dinner."
Niles looked up to see Stuart Babcock enter his kitchen. "Mr. Babcock, Sir? Is there something I can get you?" Niles really did like CC's father.
"I wanted to talk to you alone, Niles. And I didn't want CC walking into the den." Mr. Babcock answered.
"I just saw her in the office, Sir." Niles wrinkled his brow slightly confused. "What is it you wanted to speak to me about?"
"Frannie was telling me a story about you and I wanted you to fill in the blanks. I hope that's alright?" Mr. Babcock asked as he sat down at the table and motioned for Niles to sit as well.
Niles frowned a little. "I'll do what I can, Sir, but Miss Fine doesn't always pay close attention, so…"
Stuart Babcock laughed a little. "I've noticed that, Niles. She said that you gave a blood transfusion to a little girl when you were still a child. Can you tell me about that?"
"Well, Sir, it was quite a long time ago, 30 years. I was just twelve years old. I trust you can keep that to yourself." Mr. Babcock chuckled and nodded. "I had been in the emergency dept. for stitches and they had my blood type on file, so when this little girl came in and they needed a lot of AB negative, they just started calling anyone they could find. I believe they said she'd cut her head when she fell from a tree, but that parts a bit hazy. It took me two days to recover from the four pints of blood they took. But they did tell me that the little girl survived." Niles smiled when he thought about her. "She was quite lovely. It would've been a shame for the world to lose such a beautiful little thing."
"I agree, Niles." Mr. Babcock wanted just to be sure of a few more facts before he spilt the beans. "I understand that you attended Eton with Maxwell and then went onto Oxford…If you don't mind my asking, how did your parents afford such an education on a domestic's salary?"
Niles laughed. "That's actually the most polite way anyone has ever asked that question, Mr. Babcock. I had an anonymous patron, who had some affiliation with St. Bartholomew's Hospital. My parents were told when I was released after the transfusion to choose a private school and since Max was attending Eton, they sent me there. Then after graduation I chose to go to Oxford." Niles stood and moved around the counter. "Coffee, Mr. Babcock?"
"No, thank you, Niles." Mr. Babcock shook his head. "I do have one other question though." Niles raised his eyebrows waiting. "Has the scar on your left knee faded at all?"
That evening at dinner Stuart Babcock asked his daughter a very important question. "Kitten, I have to know the truth, promise me."
"Daddy, what on Earth are you talking about?" CC sipped her wine.
Stuart Babcock was pretty much a get-to-the-point-of-it kind of man. "I want to know how you feel about Niles."
CC's face told the whole story. She was appalled and horrified at the mere suggestion that she felt anything about the toilet scrubber. "He's Maxwell's butler, I don't feel anything about him. What do you mean, Daddy?"
"Look, Kitten. I know how upset you were when Niles had his heart attack. It was only the second time I'd ever seen you cry." Stuart Babcock placed his hand on CC's. "Kitten, I have a few things to tell you, but I have to know how you feel about the man. The truth."
CC sighed heavily. "Daddy, I don't know how to answer that question. Other than you, Noel and Maxwell, Niles represents the longest relationship I've had with a man. He's hostile, and irksome, and difficult, and witty, and gentle, and handsome, and intelligent and I think I've loved him from the first moment I stepped into that house nearly 15 years ago."
"That's my girl." Stuart Babcock smiled at CC. "I had a feeling that's how you really felt. I'm glad, Kitten. I think he feels the same. No, I'm sure of it."
CC scoffed. "Don't be silly, Daddy. Niles and I spend all day taunting and insulting each other."
"And yet you just admitted that you love him." Stuart Babcock grinned at his daughter. "I grant you it's very much like when Bobby Connolly used to pull your hair and spit spitballs at you, but it doesn't detract from the fact that I'll bet Niles often seeks you out for those confrontations just so he can see you."
CC sighed heavily. "Ok, Daddy. Let's say for the sake of argument that you're right. Niles feels the same way about me that I do about him. What am I supposed to do now?"
"Kitten, you know that scar on the back of your head?" CC's hand instinctively goes to the scar.
CC nods. "Yes, Daddy, I'm well aware of the scar. I've had the worse time with hair styles."
"How much do you remember about how you got that scar?" Stuart asked her.
CC thinks back. "I remember that was when Nanny Maureen was fired and Nanny Bobo became a part of my life. Daddy, I only remember what I've been told. I fell out of a tree and cut my head on a rock. I was in the hospital, got a transfusion and survived what probably should have killed me."
Stuart frowned. "I can't believe that I've never told you any more than that."
"Every time I asked, you said something about confidentiality laws and we should just let it go." CC finished her wine. "I don't understand what this has to do with me and Niles."
Stuart smiled softly at CC. "Kitten, it has everything to do with you and Niles." Stuart recounted the entire story of that day in the hospital. How that incredible young boy, only twelve years old, thought he was going to die in order for that little girl to live. And more importantly that he was more than willing to do so. "After the doctor explained to him that you didn't need all of his blood, he looked at you and said, 'I'd have given my life for you. Something as beautiful as you shouldn't die before you've ever really lived.' I didn't know myself until earlier today that the boy was Niles."
CC was in tears. She knew Niles was a loving and generous man, but to be so noble and self-sacrificing at such a young age touched her deeply. Now she knew why she loved him so desperately he was everything she aspired to be. "Daddy, is that all of it. You're not leaving anything out, are you?"
"Just that he's a 'toilet scrubber' by choice you know." Stuart finished his wine before he continued. "Niles came from a family of well respected and highly sought after domestics. After the incident at St. Bart's I made arrangements with the doctor to have the hospital serve as a go between of sorts so I could pay for Niles to have the very best education possible." Stuart let that to sink in for a minute then continued. "His family was in service to the Sheffield's so they chose to send him to Eton with Maxwell. Then when Niles graduated, top of his class I might add, he went on to Oxford and studied law, also finishing at the top of his class. He only went into service because Max begged him to join him on his journey to America."
"Did Niles know any of this?" CC asked softly.
The resonance of his voice startled her a bit. "Not until today."
CC's tears started sliding slowly down her cheeks as her father stood and put his hand on Niles' shoulder. "Be good to her, son."
"I give you my word, Sir." Niles promised and took the chair where Stuart had been. "Please don't cry, CC. I can't bare it."
"Niles, was my father right? Do you really…" CC couldn't finish.
Niles smirked. "Love you? More than life itself. I would give my life for you today as freely as I would have then." Niles wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "You're even more beautiful than you were all those years ago."
"I love you, Niles. I think I always have. You're a part of me. You're…in my blood." CC finally smiled at him.
Niles winked at her. "My heart leapt in my chest the first day you walked into that house." He smirked a bit. "It probably recognized my blood coursing through your veins."
"So, what do we do now, Hazel?" CC chided.
"I would suggest we have a whirlwind romance, get married and make lots of generous, intelligent and very witty, AB negative babies." Niles leaned in and kissed her gently. "Come on, Babcock, I want to see if I can make your…well, my blood boil."
They would never spend another day apart. Their hearts were joined by love and their souls by devotion, all the rest of it, well…it was in their blood.