When the door opened she was taken by surprise yet again, this time by the sight of her friend. He was not dressed in his usual suit and tie. He was wearing a white linen
shirt and white pants, but he looked quite different than when he played squash with his brother. He looked… handsome. She drew in a breath and tried to slow her rapidly
beating heart. His shirt was unbuttoned giving her a glimpse of his chest and there was no denying that he was incredibly sexy. And his eyes… She tried to look away, but she
found that she could not. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his forehead was beaded with sweat.
Oh my….
Her eyes met his.
"Daphne…"
She smiled nervously, suddenly embarrassed by her appearance. She must look dreadful standing there in her while t-shirt and jeans, an overnight bag slung over her
shoulder. An inexplicable nervousness came over her. She ran her tongue over her dry lips, taking note of the way his expression changed.
"H-hello, Dr. Crane. I'm sorry to bother you like this but I had an awful row with Sherry and I can't face her-or your brother right now. Would it be all right if I spent the night
with you?"
He stared at her for so long that she began to worry. Suddenly his skin paled and his eyes rolled backwards. He became unsteady on his feet and she quickly reached out to
steady him. But it was of no use.
He swayed, only for a moment before collapsing to the hardwood floor.
"Dr. Crane!"
The overnight bag fell from her hand with a thud and she scrambled to the floor and knelt by Niles' side, stroking his damp forehead, repeating his name in a desperate
attempt to get his attention.
But he was out cold, leaving her frantic and momentarily unsure of what to do. Never before had she felt so helpless.
"Dr. Crane! Dr. Crane!" Reluctantly she left him alone and rushed to the kitchen, where she searched frantically for something-anything that would revive him. There had to
be something; otherwise she'd be forced to call 911. When she thrust open his Sub-Zero refrigerator, she sighed with relief at the sight of the bottle of minced garlic. That
should do the trick.
The bottle in hand, she hurried back to the living room where, to her heartache, Dr. Crane was still laying on the floor. She rushed to his side and fell to her knees, cradling
his head in her hand. When she finally managed to get the jar open, she gently moved it under his nose. The strong aroma walked around them and within seconds he began
to stir. His eyes opened, and he glanced at her in confusion.
"W-what happened?"
"Shh… Don't try to talk. You fainted. Can you stand up?"
It took some effort, but she kept her arm around him and managed to help him to his feet.
"You fainted, Dr. Crane. Are you all right?"
"I-."
"Come with me. Just walk nice and slowly, all right?" Together they walked the short distance to his fainting couch. She coaxed him to sit and grabbed a pillow for his head.
But when he winced, she gently stroked his hair. "Just lie still. I'll be right back. Can I get you anything?" The stupid question made her flinch. Of course he needed
something. The man was in pain and most likely not thinking coherently. But to her amazement, he answered her.
"A-Aspirin please. I think they're-."
"In the kitchen cabinet, I know." She'd seen them when she was looking for something to revive him, and wondered why she hadn't brought them in the first place. "I'll be
back in a flash."
"A-All right, but-."
She didn't wait to hear what he was going to say and she dashed off to the kitchen, searching through the cabinets. Where had she seen that aspirin before? She wished she
had paid more attention. When she finally found the white bottle with the blue label, a sigh of relief came over her. A quick glance in the freezer revealed an ice pack-
something that surely Dr. Crane didn't think he'd ever need, but purchased in case of emergency. And this, without a doubt, was definitely an emergency.
The aspirin, a bottle of water and the ice pack in her hands, she returned to the living room. But she paused for a moment and smiled when she saw that he was sitting
upright, holding the back of his head. Quietly she went to the fainting couch, careful not to startle him.
"Here you are."
He smiled when he saw her holding the bottle of water and the aspirin. "Thank you, Daphne."
"Here, don't get up." She said when he attempted to move. "In fact, why don't you lie back?"? She gently coaxed him back, and placed a pillow behind his head. Very gently
she took his hand and together they moved the ice pack to the back of his head. He closed his eyes momentarily and she knew that she should leave-or at least leave him
alone. But she couldn't. Not yet. Instead she sat beside him, looking at his handsome face, stroking his soft cheek with her hand.
The moment his eyes opened she smiled. "Here." She handed him two aspirin and the bottle of water. "Take these."
He did as instructed and smiled weakly at her. It was the sweetest smile she'd ever seen.