"Well, Dr. Crane, you'll be relieved to know that I can't find a thing wrong with Juliana, nothing serious for that matter. I suspect it's just a virus, and it will go away with some medicine in less than a week," said the doctor, speaking with a small smile.
Niles and Daphne both felt a weight lifted from their shoulders.
"Still, we will need to keep her here for a few nights. Most of the children here feel more comfortable when they have a few possessions from home with them."
"I'll make a visit to home and get a few things for her soon," Niles said.
"Very well, sir. And Miss Daphne, don't worry about treating the girl. You just do the job appointed to you; I'll get one of the other nurses to do it."
"Thank you," said Daphne.
With that the doctor left and she and Niles went back to sit with Juliana.
"What did the doctor say?" she asked them.
Niles smiled at her. "You'll be fine, my dear. You just need to stay here for a few days and take some medicine, and then you can come home. In the meantime, I'll be here to visit you and I know Miss Moon will keep you company."
He looked over at Daphne and sighed. She definitely was breathtaking.
"Okay, Papa. Staying here for a few days won't be that bad, I suppose."
Niles kissed her cheek. "There's a good girl. I'm going to go home and get some of your things. I'll be back here quickly, I promise you."
"Fine," she said. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Dr. Crane," Daphne said with a smile. "It was a pleasure to meet you."
"And you, Miss Moon." He meant it from the bottom of his heart.
As Niles left the hospital room, Daphne wondered what she and Juliana would talk about until he returned. What do you usually talk about with the children? She thought.
"I was wondering, how do you like school?" she asked.
The little girl sighed. "Fairly well. I like reading."
"I do, too. What do you like to read?"
"Mystery novels!" Her face lit up with excitement and Daphne smiled at the sight of it.
"Really? How interesting. I've never been much into mystery."
"I love how everyone is so sophisticated, and everyone has a secret they want to keep quiet. Mama used to enjoy them, too, and before she died we used to read them together. We'd make a game of it and see who could solve the mystery first."
Her face suddenly looked sad at the thought of her mother, and Daphne wished she could do something about it but knew she could not.
"I think I've got an idea, Juliana," she said to her. "I'm going to be right back. Do you mind being alone in here for just a minute?"
She shook her head.
"Alright then." Daphne stood up and began to walk towards the hospital library. She asked the librarian where the mystery books were, and once it had been pointed out to her she began to look. Choosing three, she went back down the hall and back to Juliana's bedside.
"I've got some books for you."
"Thank you, Miss Daphne!" She said gratefully, taking them in her hands and flipping through the pages. "Oh, I've read this one! It's one of my favorites."
Daphne suddenly felt very good inside. "If you'd like to read it now, I can go find something else to do."
"Miss Daphne, I don't know if I could read with this headache I have. Do you think you could read it aloud to me?"
"I would love to." And she did, until they heard something behind them.
"Juliana!" It was the sound of a small girl's voice, and soon after she ran up to Juliana, followed by a boy and two men.
The older man with a wooden cane stopped and stood over Juliana. "Still in bed, lazy girl? It's almost lunchtime!"
"Hello, Grandfather," she said to him.
The other gentleman shook Daphne's hand. "I'm Dr. Frasier Crane, Juliana's uncle."
"I'm Daphne Moon."
The Grandfather did the same. "I'm Martin Crane, Frasier and Niles' father. How do you do, miss?"
"Very well, thank you sir."
The little boy looked straight up with Daphne, his hands clasped to his side. "How do you do, ma'am, I'm Michael Crane."
She laughed. "My, my, what a gentleman!"
"This is my sister Sophie."
Sophie just waved at Daphne in a shy manner.
"Hello, dear," she said to the girl.
Frasier smiled at the children, then turned back to Daphne. "Miss Moon, what is wrong with Juliana? Is it anything serious?"
She shook her head. "According to the doctor she just has a virus. It should go away with some medication in a few days. I'm afraid she'll have to stay here for awhile, though."
Sophie sighed. "Who will walk to school with me, Juliana?" she asked.
"I'm sure Papa will take you in the carriage," she replied.
"Speaking of Niles, where is he?" asked Martin.
"He went to get some things from home for Juliana. He should be back soon," Daphne told him.
They stayed for about a half an hour, and Daphne began to realize that Niles' children were all as polite and unique as Juliana, and deep inside her she began to grow a fondness for each one individually.
Frasier announced that he had to return to work, and Martin offered to watch the kids for the rest of the day. After they had left, Juliana smiled at Daphne. "You've met my entire family," she told her.
"What about the family on your mother's side?" Daphne asked.
"They live out of state. I don't really know them."
"Oh. They never came to visit?"
Juliana suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "No…no, they never did."
Daphne cleared her throat. She knew in situations like this that it was best not to pry. It was none of her business, after all.
"Would you like to read some more?" she said, changing the subject. "Lunch should be out soon."
"I would love to, Miss Daphne."
On the ride to the house from the hospital, Niles thought about what he could bring to his daughter that would make her feel more comfortable.
His poor Juliana.
He wished he could get her out of that hospital and back to school, back to her life as it normally was. He wished he could be there every second of the day with her. Thank God for Miss Moon.
Thank God for Miss Moon.
As her name popped up in his head his mind entered another realm.
She was just so…very beautiful. Not to mention how caring and considerate she seemed to be. Niles knew he wanted no one else to take care of Juliana. Already he longed to see Daphne again, and to get to know her better.
However, surely this was not love…no, not now. He had felt this way when he met Anna, yet it was different, different in a way he could not explain. Deep within him, he could not explain what he was feeling for Daphne…or perhaps he was not ready to accept it.
When he arrived home, he went directly upstairs and took Juliana's nightgown from her dresser, then he went to her bed and grabbed the soft afghan Anna had knitted for her and her stuffed bear. He went into the bathroom and took her hairbrush and a few hair ribbons.
On his way back to the hospital he stopped by the bakery and picked up a few strawberry tarts for Juliana, and while he was there he could not help but buy a few more to take to Daphne as well.