Heartbeats (Part 2 - Into the Fire)
by Valma
Niles gingerly took the key out of the car ignition and slipped it into his suitcoat pocket. He knew it was late in the afternoon, early evening actually and a fleeting glance at his watch confirmed his suspicions - a little after six o'clock.
Daphne might be wondering a bit where he was by now, but she probably wouldn't be too concerned about her ever-practical and always predictable husband. He had finished the appointment with the cardiologist that Dr. Harris had referred him to about an hour ago, but for a multitude of reasons he found that he just couldn't rush right home and deliver the news to his anxious wife.
It was just that he needed time to think, time for himself, he repeated over and over again.
"I'm not avoiding anything," he muttered to no one in particular, since no one was in the car with him. "I've just got to have some "alone" time to get organized. There --- there's a lot to do. A lot to think about. And --- and Daphne would just want to know all the information all at once, and then I wouldn't have time ---"
He stopped. This wasn't going to be easy. The news wasn't cheery. Relying on professional courtesy, Niles cajoled the cardiologist into letting him have a copy of the EKG to take home. He wanted some concrete proof in his hand when he faced Daphne with the information about his condition. He knew she wouldn't accept the results easily.
There was a brief statement at the bottom of the report concerning the prognosis of the patient.
"Unless immediate corrective surgery is performed," it said, "the most likely outcome will be death."
Death.
The word was just five letters long, but it packed quite a wallop.
Death - the most likely outcome. Not a pleasant verdict to accept.
"But I don't have to accept it," Niles reminded himself. "I can get the surgery and have a fighting chance."
Niles set the manila envelope containing the results of battery of tests that he had gone through that afternoon, down on the smooth, tan leather of the front seat. He tipped his head back until it came in contact with the headrest and let out a sigh. His eyes closed and let his mind trip through some random memories.
Happy times. Like when they slipped the hastily purchased wedding bands at the Lucky Seven Casino on each other's fingers. And the sound of her voice, as she shouted above the taped wedding bells, the words he had only dreamed about for so many years - "You may kiss the bride." Or the moment of breathless anticipation just before they coupled in an explosion of passion so indiscreetly in the living room of Frasier's apartment that fateful afternoon. He remembered opening his eyes, just before he fell towards Daphne, lying there on the floor, wanting to imprint in his mind the feeling of total euphoria he had, as he viewed her in all her sexual glory. Her head tilted back, the arch in her spine as she lifted off the floor, her fingers pressing into his flesh, her moist, ruby lips parting as she cried out his name in eagerness. He loved the fact that she craved him as much as he did her. A shiver ran though his body. He could live in that moment forever --- and did, each time they made love. His mind went further. He could feel the tenderness as he held her in his arms and they kissed on the balcony of the Wayside Inn. That was the first honest kiss they had. No fantasy on either of their parts at last. She used the words "I do love you" and he thought his heart was going to jump out of his chest.
"How ironic," Niles nervously chuckled. An involuntary tear traced down his cheek. Niles wiped it away with the back of his hand.
"No tears," he declared out loud. "I won't make things worse for her. I have to show her that there's nothing to worry about. That this can be a positive event. We caught it in time and it is going to be fixed. If I appear fearful or weak that will just make her worry more and I won't be the cause of any pain for her."
With that Niles snapped his head up and opened his eyes. There, standing in the doorway of the underground garage at a distance of about 15 feet, was Daphne. She looked hesitant, like she was unsure as to whether retreat back into the stairwell, or go forward to greet him.
The brief thought about whether she could tell his emotional state from that range was pushed aside, as he gathered his courage and the envelope and made his way towards her.
"What are you doing here?" he tenderly inquired, planting a light kiss on her cheek. He wondered for a moment if she could tell by the flush in his face that he had been crying.
"I --- I was just curious as to what was taking you so long," Daphne sputtered. "Thought you might have run into some trouble, like you did when you locked the keys in the car a month ago." She purposely jangled the car keys in her hand as evidence.
It was a good cover. Niles latched onto it eagerly.
"You are always so considerate, darling," he chirped. "No, no I didn't do that. I'm late because the tests took longer than anticipated and I wanted to stick around to get the results."
He smiled a reassuring smile as he reached out and stroked her hair softly. Daphne closed her eyes and gulped. Niles could tell she was on the precipice of an emotional breakdown.
"Daphne," he started. She opened her eyes. They were blood-shot red.
"Daphne," he said again. "We have some things to discuss. But let's go upstairs. This isn't the place to talk. I'm going to be all right. We caught it in time. Please look on this as a positive thing."
His hands went around her waist and he drew her up close to him as they walked to the elevator. He could feel her sag a bit in his arms, like the air had been let out of her. He held her tighter and kissed the top of her head as they traveled up towards their apartment. As if the whole world was respecting their wishes, they didn't meet another soul thankfully. Niles didn't feel like he could talk again until he closed the front door of the apartment and they sat down on the couch. He tapped the envelope with a nervous finger and then turned towards his wife.
"I have to have surgery immediately," he bluntly reported.
"Better to get it out right away," he thought. "She has a right to know. And I can't really hide that anyway."
He heard her gasp a bit and bite her bottom lip. Daphne remained silent --- like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"They allowed me to come home to tell you and gather some things before I check in tonight. I'm scheduled for a coronary bypass in two days. Dr. Schafer is the surgeon who will be performing the operation. He's a good man."
The words rushed out of him like blood flowing from an open wound. He wanted to get it all out before she could react.
Niles plunged onward.
"I --- I have the results of the test here. They are just a bunch of numbers and graphs, but what it comes down to --- is ---is that I am very lucky. If I hadn't have gone to the doctor's when I did, things could have been much --- much worse."
Daphne looked at him, her eyes fixated on his. Suddenly she burst into tears and wailed.
"Oh, Niles!!!" she sobbed. "I can't believe this is happening!"
Niles gathered her in his arms and rocked her gently.
"Shh, shh, my love," he cooed. "I'm telling you, everything is going to be all right."
"I --- I kept hoping that you would come home and tell me it turned out to be indigestion, or even a peptic ulcer, or --- " her voice trailed off and a fresh batch of tears erupted.
"Daphne," Niles insisted. "Daphne, please don't cry. I'm going to have the surgery and everything will be O.K. --- O.K.?"
He lifted her head up and kissed her.
"You'll see," he reassured her. "In a little while you'll be wondering what all the fuss was about. Please dear, believe me. I love you too much to ever let go of you that easily."
Daphne buried her head in his chest.
"You better come back to me," she said determinedly. "You still have to clean that damn bird cage!"
"Well, you know me," Niles retorted. "I'd pull any trick not to touch that filthy thing."
Daphne laughed and raised her head. A fierce look of resolve was imprinted on her face.
"Come on," she grimaced, fighting back the tears. "Let's go get your things together and get you to the hospital."
To be continued (Part 3 to follow)
by Valma
Niles gingerly took the key out of the car ignition and slipped it into his suitcoat pocket. He knew it was late in the afternoon, early evening actually and a fleeting glance at his watch confirmed his suspicions - a little after six o'clock.
Daphne might be wondering a bit where he was by now, but she probably wouldn't be too concerned about her ever-practical and always predictable husband. He had finished the appointment with the cardiologist that Dr. Harris had referred him to about an hour ago, but for a multitude of reasons he found that he just couldn't rush right home and deliver the news to his anxious wife.
It was just that he needed time to think, time for himself, he repeated over and over again.
"I'm not avoiding anything," he muttered to no one in particular, since no one was in the car with him. "I've just got to have some "alone" time to get organized. There --- there's a lot to do. A lot to think about. And --- and Daphne would just want to know all the information all at once, and then I wouldn't have time ---"
He stopped. This wasn't going to be easy. The news wasn't cheery. Relying on professional courtesy, Niles cajoled the cardiologist into letting him have a copy of the EKG to take home. He wanted some concrete proof in his hand when he faced Daphne with the information about his condition. He knew she wouldn't accept the results easily.
There was a brief statement at the bottom of the report concerning the prognosis of the patient.
"Unless immediate corrective surgery is performed," it said, "the most likely outcome will be death."
Death.
The word was just five letters long, but it packed quite a wallop.
Death - the most likely outcome. Not a pleasant verdict to accept.
"But I don't have to accept it," Niles reminded himself. "I can get the surgery and have a fighting chance."
Niles set the manila envelope containing the results of battery of tests that he had gone through that afternoon, down on the smooth, tan leather of the front seat. He tipped his head back until it came in contact with the headrest and let out a sigh. His eyes closed and let his mind trip through some random memories.
Happy times. Like when they slipped the hastily purchased wedding bands at the Lucky Seven Casino on each other's fingers. And the sound of her voice, as she shouted above the taped wedding bells, the words he had only dreamed about for so many years - "You may kiss the bride." Or the moment of breathless anticipation just before they coupled in an explosion of passion so indiscreetly in the living room of Frasier's apartment that fateful afternoon. He remembered opening his eyes, just before he fell towards Daphne, lying there on the floor, wanting to imprint in his mind the feeling of total euphoria he had, as he viewed her in all her sexual glory. Her head tilted back, the arch in her spine as she lifted off the floor, her fingers pressing into his flesh, her moist, ruby lips parting as she cried out his name in eagerness. He loved the fact that she craved him as much as he did her. A shiver ran though his body. He could live in that moment forever --- and did, each time they made love. His mind went further. He could feel the tenderness as he held her in his arms and they kissed on the balcony of the Wayside Inn. That was the first honest kiss they had. No fantasy on either of their parts at last. She used the words "I do love you" and he thought his heart was going to jump out of his chest.
"How ironic," Niles nervously chuckled. An involuntary tear traced down his cheek. Niles wiped it away with the back of his hand.
"No tears," he declared out loud. "I won't make things worse for her. I have to show her that there's nothing to worry about. That this can be a positive event. We caught it in time and it is going to be fixed. If I appear fearful or weak that will just make her worry more and I won't be the cause of any pain for her."
With that Niles snapped his head up and opened his eyes. There, standing in the doorway of the underground garage at a distance of about 15 feet, was Daphne. She looked hesitant, like she was unsure as to whether retreat back into the stairwell, or go forward to greet him.
The brief thought about whether she could tell his emotional state from that range was pushed aside, as he gathered his courage and the envelope and made his way towards her.
"What are you doing here?" he tenderly inquired, planting a light kiss on her cheek. He wondered for a moment if she could tell by the flush in his face that he had been crying.
"I --- I was just curious as to what was taking you so long," Daphne sputtered. "Thought you might have run into some trouble, like you did when you locked the keys in the car a month ago." She purposely jangled the car keys in her hand as evidence.
It was a good cover. Niles latched onto it eagerly.
"You are always so considerate, darling," he chirped. "No, no I didn't do that. I'm late because the tests took longer than anticipated and I wanted to stick around to get the results."
He smiled a reassuring smile as he reached out and stroked her hair softly. Daphne closed her eyes and gulped. Niles could tell she was on the precipice of an emotional breakdown.
"Daphne," he started. She opened her eyes. They were blood-shot red.
"Daphne," he said again. "We have some things to discuss. But let's go upstairs. This isn't the place to talk. I'm going to be all right. We caught it in time. Please look on this as a positive thing."
His hands went around her waist and he drew her up close to him as they walked to the elevator. He could feel her sag a bit in his arms, like the air had been let out of her. He held her tighter and kissed the top of her head as they traveled up towards their apartment. As if the whole world was respecting their wishes, they didn't meet another soul thankfully. Niles didn't feel like he could talk again until he closed the front door of the apartment and they sat down on the couch. He tapped the envelope with a nervous finger and then turned towards his wife.
"I have to have surgery immediately," he bluntly reported.
"Better to get it out right away," he thought. "She has a right to know. And I can't really hide that anyway."
He heard her gasp a bit and bite her bottom lip. Daphne remained silent --- like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"They allowed me to come home to tell you and gather some things before I check in tonight. I'm scheduled for a coronary bypass in two days. Dr. Schafer is the surgeon who will be performing the operation. He's a good man."
The words rushed out of him like blood flowing from an open wound. He wanted to get it all out before she could react.
Niles plunged onward.
"I --- I have the results of the test here. They are just a bunch of numbers and graphs, but what it comes down to --- is ---is that I am very lucky. If I hadn't have gone to the doctor's when I did, things could have been much --- much worse."
Daphne looked at him, her eyes fixated on his. Suddenly she burst into tears and wailed.
"Oh, Niles!!!" she sobbed. "I can't believe this is happening!"
Niles gathered her in his arms and rocked her gently.
"Shh, shh, my love," he cooed. "I'm telling you, everything is going to be all right."
"I --- I kept hoping that you would come home and tell me it turned out to be indigestion, or even a peptic ulcer, or --- " her voice trailed off and a fresh batch of tears erupted.
"Daphne," Niles insisted. "Daphne, please don't cry. I'm going to have the surgery and everything will be O.K. --- O.K.?"
He lifted her head up and kissed her.
"You'll see," he reassured her. "In a little while you'll be wondering what all the fuss was about. Please dear, believe me. I love you too much to ever let go of you that easily."
Daphne buried her head in his chest.
"You better come back to me," she said determinedly. "You still have to clean that damn bird cage!"
"Well, you know me," Niles retorted. "I'd pull any trick not to touch that filthy thing."
Daphne laughed and raised her head. A fierce look of resolve was imprinted on her face.
"Come on," she grimaced, fighting back the tears. "Let's go get your things together and get you to the hospital."
To be continued (Part 3 to follow)