As they walked into the lobby of the Elliot Bay Towers, Daphne couldn't resist taking Niles' hand. She'd spent so much time with him in only one evening that holding his hand felt like the most natural thing in the world. When they arrived on the 19th floor, she felt a twinge of sadness. It was silly feeling this way. It wasn't as though he was leaving forever. She'd see him tomorrow, but the thought of being without him-.
His fingertips touched her shoulder, bringing her to the present once more.
"Daphne?"
"Thank you for dinner, Dr Crane. It was wonderful." She managed to say.
"Well, it was the least I could do. After all-."
Her fingers went to his soft lips to silence him. "You don't owe me anything, Dr. Crane. You're my friend and I wanted to be there for you. It's not right that-."
She found herself in his arms and she held him close.
"Please don't blame anyone, Daphne; especially yourself. I admit that I was disappointed to learn that the Technical Awards were being handed out so far way from the Main Awards, but I accepted the fact that I was going to be there alone. And when I saw you standing there, I-well... it meant so much to me that you cared enough to come all the way down to the Napoleon Room."
She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Of course I care about you, Dr. Crane. You're my best friend."
His cheeks flushed with color and he gave her a shy smile. "Well... it's late and you need your rest, so... goodnight."
"Goodnight, Dr. Crane."
He stepped into the elevator and gave her one last smile, and she felt a stab of loneliness when the doors closed, leaving her alone.
With a sigh, she opened the front door and stepped inside but stopped when she noticed a folded piece of paper lying on the wooden foyer. Curious, she picked it up and unfolded it. Written in his neat handwriting was the speech he'd wanted so much to give;
I became a psychiatrist because of my mother and although the greatest reward has been my successes in helping troubled souls, I was honored to be asked to guest on Inside the Mind to discuss the psychological effects of long-term inclement weather. I believe that through the remarkable medium of radio that I was able to help even more misguided individuals, and for that I am truly grateful. I would like to thank Sid Armstrong, the Station Manager at KJSB, Nancy Campbell, the Producer of Inside The Mind, my colleagues in the field of psychology, and most of all, to my family, whose support means the world to me; my father, Martin Crane and my brother, Dr. Frasier Crane."
She reread the words over and over again, and nowhere was it written about his brother's home health care worker, being so angelic. That could only mean one thing...When he'd read the speech aloud on the day they were practicing in Frasier's living room, the sweet things that Niles had said about her had come from his heart.
And then it became as clear as a summer day...
Tears blurred the words on the page before splashing onto the paper. And at that moment, there was no denying that what she was feeling was real. She loved Niles; she was in love with him. And the rapid beating of her heart told her that she had loved him for a very long time. She just wished she had realized it sooner.
Suddenly she had a flash; a vision. It wasn't clear at all; but something told her that she couldn't waste another minute.
Without hesitation, she opened the door and headed for the elevator, pushing the button rapidly as she willed the doors to open. Bloody hell, why was this elevator so slow? Strange, considering that when Niles left, the doors seemed to take no time to open at all.
Unable to wait any longer, she headed for the stairwell and started down the stairs. She'd barely made it down one flight when she realized that her shoes would never do. So she tossed them aside and resumed her mission, careful to avoid slipping in her stocking feet. By the time she reached the main floor, she was exhausted but she couldn't think about that now. She simply wouldn't give up.
She had to find him. Her happiness depended on it.