The phone cradled against her ear, she listened to the familiar ring; one, two, three. And then it stopped, as did her heart for a moment.
"Hello?"
Her heart was pounding and she suddenly felt very timid, as though she was calling a stranger instead of someone she knew almost better than anyone. "H-hello, Dr. Crane."
There was a soft gasp from the other end of the line. "Daphne? My God, is that really you?"
"Um, yes… I-."
"Thank God. Dad and I were so worried. We are worried, Daphne. Are you all right?"
"Yes, I-." her voice began to tremble and she brushed away tears. "I-I'm fine, Dr. Crane. Your brother is taking good care of me."
Niles' brother sighed deeply, a sign that he was clearly unhappy with the situation. "Niles. Of course. He told us that you were staying with him."
"I-I know. I-."
"Look, Daphne…"
"I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner, Dr. Crane. I didn't mean to worry you and I wasn't trying to keep my whereabouts a secret. I know I should have left you a note, but I was just so upset. It's no excuse. You and your father have done so much for me… Niles too and it wasn't fair of me to leave without telling anyone. I'm so sorry. And I'm sorry I haven't called you until now."
"I understand. But Daphne, what I really want to know is-."
"You want to know about Donny."
He seemed taken aback by her perception. "Well, yes actually."
She let out a breath, trying to get the image of the man she once loved out of her head. "He left his cell phone at your condo-."
"It's your home too, Daphne. I hope you know that."
"I do… And I can't thank you enough."
"What happened between you two? When he came over, he was angry. Clearly he'd been through a lot."
Daphne couldn't believe what she was hearing. "And I haven't? Bloody hell, are you really taking his side? I thought you were me friend, Dr. Crane!"
"I am your friend, Daphne and I'm not taking Donny's side. I just don't understand why-."
"Why what?"
"Well he said that the two of you had split up. I have to admit that Dad and I were surprised. You never said a word or even hinted. Did the two of you have a fight?"
"No, I was just-."
"You could have talked to me about this you know."
"No, I can't! I couldn't have!"
"Daphne, you can trust me."
"Not with this. I know you're angry about my staying here with your brother so if I told you- I just… I couldn't tell you the truth. Not about this. You wouldn't understand."
"Why not?"
"Because, it's…"
"It's what?"
Tears streamed down her cheeks faster than she could stop them. "Because it's your bloody fault!"
"I'M WOUNDED! Daphne, how can you blame this on me?"
"I-."
"Daphne, please talk to me."
"If you hadn't…. If you hadn't been taking those bloody pills for your back, and then asked for that bloody massage, you would have never blurted out that your brother was crazy about me!"
There was a long pause; much too long. And suddenly she regretted the phone call.
"But how-."
"If you hadn't asked for that mas-sage, I would have never known about his feelings for me. I would have never started thinking about him constantly and I never would have fallen in love with him so completely!"
"Daphne, are you saying-."
"Yes, Dr. Crane! I love your brother, all right?" She yelled. "I love Niles! I'm in love with him and I can't help the way I feel! He's been so sweet to me this whole week, putting up with my endless crying and the lies I told him, the secrets I've kept from him!"
"These secrets-."
"Don't worry. He knows now. I told him everything."
"Everything, meaning-."
"I'm sorry I lied, all right? I was just... I don't know what I was!" She was trying desperately to keep her voice calm, but thinking about home... his home, was a painful reminder of that terrible night she'd spent grieving over her breakup with Donny and Niles' impending marriage. Even though she knew the truth now, that Niles was free and that he loved her, the memory of feeling so alone refused to go away, at least for that moment.
"Why did you lie?"
"Because I thought he was married! Mel called and told me-."
"Oh dear God…"
"Don't blame yourself, please!"
"But Daphne, I-."
"I can't thank you enough. Niles and your father as well for everything; giving me a job, letting me live in your home when you clearly didn't want me there. And you went to so much trouble to ensure that Donny and I had a beautiful wedding. Then I went and ruined it all."
"You didn't ruin anything. And it was probably for the best. By the tone of your voice you sound really happy."
"I am happy. I love Niles, so much and I promise I'll take care of him."
"I know you will."
"I love you, Dr. Crane. And I love your father too."
"We love you too, Daphne. But please…. Call me 'Frasier' and call Dad 'Martin'. I insist. And I know that Dad feels the same way. We really do think of you as family."
And there it was… the validation that her relationship with Niles had been accepted. "Thank you, Dr. Crane. That means so much to-oh…" She laughed at the coincidence. "I mean, thank you… Frasier. And thank Martin as well."
"I will. When are you coming home?"
"This is our last night here. We'll be home tomorrow. I can't wait to see you. I've missed you so much. Isn't that silly?"
"Not at all. I've missed you too, and so has Dad. But he'll be happy to hear that you called."
"All right, well... I should probably get going. Niles is waiting-."
"Um, Daphne?"
"Yes?"
"Look, I probably shouldn't be telling you this but Niles told us how upset you were when he came over to get his keys, so please tell him thank you from Dad and I. And Daphne? I'm sorry we weren't there for you."
"It's all right. Niles took care of me." She smiled to herself. She did so love the sound of those words; "Niles took care of me."
"I'm glad. Goodnight, Daphne."
"Goodnight, Frasier."
She hung up the phone and looked around the dimly lit bedroom; the one that would soon be theirs. The one that would be filled with love.
