She woke only a few hours later out of a fitful sleep, her heart pounding as she glanced at the handsome man sleeping next to her.
Her husband, a man who specialized in curing deeply depressed patients, was deeply depressed himself. And she had no idea what to do about it.
She wanted so much to take him into her arms and tell him once more that everything would be all right. But he looked so peaceful that she hated to disturb him.
And as she watched the rise and fall of his chest as he slept, she longed to kiss his sweet lips. Even more so, she wanted to help him. But she had no idea how to do it.
Tears spilled onto her cotton nightgown. She was a terrible wife. Of course Niles would adamantly disagree and he might even be furious with her for suggesting such a thing. But he was always showering her with praise and affection; love that she clearly didn't deserve.
Because if she couldn't take away his pain, how could she possibly be considered a good wife?
David was merely an infant but she suspected that he was smart enough to know that something was wrong. And perhaps he somehow wished that she were a better mother to him.
The thought made even more tears fall and she climbed out of bed and ran out of the room, knowing that within seconds she would begin to sob uncontrollably. She couldn't let Niles wake and find her crying. He was upset enough as it was.
Intending to go downstairs, she slowed when she went past the nursery. As quietly as possible she went inside and smiled at her son. He was so beautiful and even now it was still so hard to believe that she and Niles had made such a perfect child. As though sensing his mother's presence, David looked up with his bright blue eyes and he smiled at her.
"There's my sweet boy." Daphne whispered, gently lifting him out of his crib. She kissed his soft forehead and cradled the baby to her chest.
"Mommy loves you so much my angel and I hope you love me too. I just wish I knew how to help your daddy. He's hurting so much and-."
Her voice broke and she found that she was unable to continue. Something was terribly wrong and it wasn't merely her husband's depression. She'd never been this emotional before and she knew that it wasn't related to post partum symptoms.
Since David had been born, she was happier than she'd ever been, but ever since Niles had come home in such a state of depression, it seemed that she was crying all the time. Tears of frustration that she feared would never stop.
And despite the love from her husband, Daphne had never felt so helpless and alone.
"I need help!" She cried, resting her tear-streaked cheek against David's. He smiled once more but even his tiny fist grabbing her hair, reminding her of the day he'd been born in the veterinarian's office didn't make her smile.
"Oh, David I wish you could talk. Because I would love so much for you to tell me what I should do."