Daphne Moon Married Me Again by Patrick Councilor
[ Six months ago ]
At the dining table, Niles read the three page letter the Commodore wrote to him. It was filled with such emotion that Niles pretended to clear his throat from time to time to keep from tearing up. Daphne wasn't so lucky. She couldn't hold back the tears. After each page Niles read, he handed them to her to read. She had to retrieve a box of Kleenex to continue reading.
The end of the letter apologized to Niles and asked for forgiveness for the Commodore not standing up to Melody well enough to stop her law suit. It also explained that he would get Niles and Daphne Maris' money back to them if it was the last thing he did. His intent was to make send them the money in increments. That way, it wouldn't be so evident to Mel what he was doing. Each and every holiday, the Commodore would send them a cashier's check. Cashier's checks were so much less traceable, (for Mel's sake) and there would be go ties to the money leading back to the Langs. Simply put , it wasn't a check from the Lang's checking account that would stay in their account if Niles and Daphne decided not to cash it.
[ That was six months ago and anther one million dollars later. There was Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Each holiday, the Commodore kept his word. ]
[ Present day ]
[ You Take My Breath Away ]
Niles stopped by the nurse's station. "Excuse me." He handed the nurse a slip of paper that was folded over once. "Here is the name of my child that I would like on the birth certificate. I would like to request that the name remain a secret from the rest of my family and friends. My wife and I would like to announce the name of the baby when she is well enough to do so."
The lady took the paper from him. Her voice was filled with sympathy for him, "Of course, Dr. Crane."
He thanked her and headed down the hallway to Daphne's room where he found his father and Frasier sitting by her bedside. They stood to greet him when he walked in.
"Hey, there he is," Martin said in his cheery voice. He hugged his son. "She's just sleeping in late."
"Okay Dad," Niles grinned slightly at Martin's attempt to keep Daphne's condition light.
Frasier hugged him. "We were just going for coffee and eggs. Would you like us to bring you back some?"
"That would be most appreciated." He stopped Frasier before he reached the door. "Frasier, I so appreciated you being here. I know how much work you are missing. If you must get back, I completely understand."
Frasier smiled. "Don't concern yourself with that. You're my brother and she's my sister. I love you both." He gave his brother a single nod. "We'll be right back."
Niles took a seat next to his beloved. He held her hand with such gentleness. "Good morning, my love. David has colored and painted you so many pictures at home. I'll have to bring some with me next time. And I know our daughter wants to see more of you. I'll bring her in to see you later. There is one thing I would like to address with you." He stroked her hand. "I know that we have decided on names for the baby. And I know you indulged me with a boy's name even though you knew she would be our daughter… But I didn't… completely use the name that we chose for her. With you in this… state… I wanted to honor you. I needed to honor you." He leaned over and kissed her hand about the time the room's door opened and a nurse and Daphne's doctor stepped in.
The doctor had a clip board in one hand and extended his other to Niles. "Dr. Crane, good morning."
"Dr. Spalding. Good morning."
He glanced at his clip board. "I see that Daphne is still resting comfortably. Although this is certainly no indication of her improving of her overall condition, her breathing has improved. So we will be taking her off of her respirator and she'll wear a nose and mouth mask for a bit. We'll see how she does."
Niles grinned. "Well even that is something. Thank you doctor."
"We'll need you to step out of the room while we remove the respirator."
"Of course." Niles leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I'll be right back. I love you so."