Dr. Crane was getting married.
Unsteadily, Daphne stood but then lost her balance and sat back down. The condo was swaying at an alarming rate. After a few moments she forced herself to stand, remaining as she was until her legs became steady again. She took a deep breath and made her way to her room. Dr. and Mr. Crane would be returning with Eddie any moment and Daphne needed a place where she could continue staring into space in private.
But in the darkness that her life had become there was one ray of light. Of hope.
There was virtually no chance of either Crane man intruding by entering her room. That had been settled years ago when she'd caught all three Crane men in her room; an embarrassment that had earned her a brand new car-a blue convertible.
But even that thought didn't make her smile now.
Making no effort to undress, Daphne climbed into bed. Almost immediately thoughts of Niles Crane filled her mind. At least here she could think about him in peace.
She reached over and picked up the gift that he had given her to replace the earrings that he'd bought for Mel. It was a snow globe which sat on a silver base. Inside the crystal globe stood a slender white unicorn with deep and gentle eyes; his mane and tail adorned with tiny blue jewels.
"For your collection." Niles had explained when she unfolded the blue tissue paper and lifted the gift from the box. "I know it's not a traditional gift but I saw it in a catalog and I couldn't resist. I ordered it for you immediately so that it would arrive as quickly as possible."
"It's beautiful." She whispered.
"It's personalized. Turn it over."
She did as he asked, revealing a silver plate along the base of the snow globe on which the words were "For Daphne with Love from Niles." were engraved in beautiful script.
Tears filled her eyes and she glanced up at him. "Dr. Crane…"
"I hope you like the song. You told me once that it was one of your favorites."
She blinked in surprise. She hadn't even noticed that it played music.
With trembling hands, she turned the small silver knob and then held the globe upright in her hands. Almost immediately the exquisite sounds of George and Ira Gershwin's "They Can't Take That Away From Me" floated out.
It was incredible, the thoughtfulness of this man, whom she'd been friends with for so long and who was in love with her. When she glanced at the snow globe she saw the specks of white and silver snow that floated gently to the bottom. It was the most beautiful sight imaginable.
Touched beyond measure, she completely forgot about the awkwardness of having to return the gift intended for Mel but given to her. The earrings were beautiful but to imagine Niles Crane picking out something like this, something he himself had to hate, simply because he knew she would love it…
"If you don't like it, I'd be happy to find you something else. I know how much you like unicorns and-."
She started to cry and threw her arms around him, kissing his cheek in gratitude. But she realized at once that this time it was different.
Previously when she'd hugged and kissed him she would pull back, only slightly aware of the lingering smile on his face. The smile she'd once mistaken for shyness. But this time it was he who drew back first, barely glancing at her. The smile he wore wasn't meant for her, but in anticipation of meeting Mel, which he then mentioned that he had to do at once, to make things right between them.
And as she was in the middle of trying to thank him again, the door closed behind him.
She'd placed the musical snow globe next to her bed and wound it every night before going to sleep. Even if she wasn't certain about her feelings for her friend, she was absolutely certain that she loved the gift.
It was more than part of her unicorn collection. It was a treasure, a gift that someone she cared for deeply had gone out of his way to purchase just for her. She ran her fingers over the engraving where the words With Love from Niles were etched not only on the silver plate but on her soul. She loved it so much that she even forgave the dreams brought on by the familiar song. The dreams that always included the younger Dr. Crane.
Dr. Niles Crane.
Niles…
Who was getting married. To someone else. Mel.
She ran her hand along the curve of the dome that protected the graceful unicorn, and then turned it over and over again to watch the flakes of snow fall gently to the bottom. As she watched she tried to decide how she felt about the news of the younger Dr. Crane's engagement. And while she was trying to decide, tears began to stream down her cheeks.
The crying soon became bone-rattling sobs that only served to increase her misery.
Dr. Crane was getting married. To someone else.
Despite her sobs, she could hear distant noise from the living room, which meant that Dr. and Mr. Crane had returned with Eddie. Both men must have assumed that she was spending the night at Donny's because neither of them called for her as they usually did when they arrived home.
She lay on her bed, saturating her pillow with tears. She stared at the unicorn long after the song had finished, long after the condo had become quiet. Sometimes she saw the unicorn, sometimes she saw the handsome face and blue eyes of the man who one night had noticed that she was cold and put his coat around her shoulders.
The night was long with tears ushering her in and out of sleep until she finally woke to daylight instead of darkness. Her eyes, although sore and tired, would not cry anymore.
She was simply all cried out.
