Niles' mouth fell open and for a moment Daphne wondered if he'd forgotten how to breathe. When he appeared light-headed, she gasped in horror.
"Dr Crane, are you all right?"
The touch of her hand on his arm was meant to comfort, but it only seemed to increase his dizziness. As he began to wheeze in and out, Daphne led him to the fainting couch and coaxed him onto the seat. "I'll get you some water."
In the kitchen, her hands shook so badly that she could barely hold the glass still while she filled it with water and ran back to where he was waiting for her.
"Here you are." She said, handing Niles the glass. She sat down beside him, watching as he drank it slowly. He looked so uneasy that she began rubbing the back of his neck to calm him.
"Are you feeling better?"
He nodded, taking small sips of the water. "Yes, thank you. I think I'll be all right now."
But despite his reassurance, he still seemed a bit apprehensive.
"Is something wrong?"
He said nothing but swallowed hard, letting her know that things were anything but okay. Something wasn't right and for a second she feared that it was her fault. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him. He was hurting enough. She took his hand, unable to hide her worried expression.
"Dr. Crane, what is it?"
His eyes met hers but she couldn't read his face.
"I-I just can't believe that you were thinking about me, Daphne."
The admission took her by surprise.
"Well I was so worried, and-."
A look of pure elation came over him.
"Y-you were?"
The relief she felt was so exhilarating that she laughed out loud.
"Of course I was! Come here you sweet man! Let me hug you!"
"W-what? Daphne-."
She hugged him so closely that she could feel his rapidly beating heart. He clung to her as though he didn't want to let go and she was amazed at how good it felt to be in his arms.
"I can't stand to think of you hurting and alone." She said quietly; her cheek resting against his neck.
"Thank you, Daphne. That means a lot to me."
Daphne blinked away tears and slowly drew back, staring into his eyes. Suddenly her mind went places that it shouldn't but she quickly willed the thoughts away.
"Oh, your breakfast! I almost forgot!"
She rose from the fainting couch and ran into the kitchen frantically searching through Niles' cabinets and refrigerator for ingredients with which to make a quick meal.
"Daphne?"
A box of pancake mix in her hand, she turned to find Niles standing in the doorway watching her.
"Don't worry Dr. Crane. I'll have your breakfast on the table in no time. Now just sit down and relax while I-."
He walked into the kitchen and stood beside her.
"Daphne, why did you come over? You said you were worried about me and I want you to know that I'm deeply flattered, but I can't help but think that there's another reason. N-not that I mind of course. You're always welcome here."
"Thank you, Dr. Crane. I was worried about you, but you see I found this last night in the living room."
Carefully she unfolded the newspaper ad and handed it to Niles, watching as his eyes took in the words on the page.
"Your father had circled it, probably planning to call for more information. I can't say that I blame him, really. I know how much he loves Eddie but he's certainly not a puppy anymore and it's only a matter of time before-."
Niles stared at the ad. "A pet cemetery?"
"Well, yes but-."
His gaze went to Daphne and she could see the fear in his eyes.
"Dear God, Eddie's not-."
Realizing that she'd frightened him, she reached for his hand giving it a comforting squeeze.
"Oh Dr. Crane I'm sorry. Eddie's just fine. I'm sure that your father just wants to be prepared."
"Well I'm happy to help him in any way that I can, but I don't understand why he didn't just come to me."
"A-actually your father doesn't know that I'm here."
"Then why-."
"Dr. Crane, I know how much you loved that little bird and I can't bear to see you hurting like this, so I thought-."
"A pet cemetery?" Niles yelled, startling her with his outburst. "You want me to put Baby in a pet cemetery? That's completely ridiculous!"
"Your father doesn't think so." She said quietly. "From the pictures it looks so beautiful and-."
Niles rose from the fainting couch and began to pace the room, his hands atop his head.
"Look, I appreciate your concern Daphne, but it's a preposterous idea! Eddie is a dog! They bury dogs in pet cemeteries all the time! But Baby is... was... just a bird! Whoever heard of burying a bird in a pet cemetery? It's not like she was..."
When his voice broke, she took his hand, causing him to still and rubbed her thumb across his smooth masculine skin. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Dr. Crane. I don't want to hurt you. I just thought-."
He turned to face her, wiping the tears from his eyes. "You're right, Daphne. I need to say goodbye. I just... well I don't want to disgrace myself. I can just hear Frasier and the others mocking me right now and I can't-."
She took him into her arms. "I'd never laugh at you, Dr. Crane. Don't you know by now how much I care about you?"
Her soothing words made him hold her even closer and once again she could feel the rhythm of his heartbeat.
After a long moment, they drew back from one another.
"Come on, Dr. Crane." Daphne finally said, taking his hand. "It's time to say goodbye."