I'm Already There
"I'm so sorry Daphne, please forgive me, this seminar couldn't have come at any worse time."
"It's alright my love. I'll call you on your cell phone as soon as I leave Dr. Stewart's office."
"Promise?"
"Promise," she gave him a long, wet kiss.
"Final boarding call for Flight 403 to Chicago, at gate 23."
Dr. Niles Crane grabbed his suitcase and briefcase and rushed off to his gate, blowing goodbye kisses to Daphne as he went.
"Welcome to Chicago, how can I help you?" the clerk smiled and asked from the other side of the counter.
"Thank you. My name is Dr. Niles Crane and I have a rental car reserved."
The clerk typed in the information into a computer in front of her. "We reserved you a Mercedes, as you requested."
The printer printed off some documents.
"Okay, Dr. Crane, I just need for you to sign this form and the credit card slip."
Niles signed the documents. "Alright, you're all set. Here are the keys, the car is midnight blue and parked in lot D, spot number 14."
Niles took the keys. "Thank you very much, have a nice day."
"No, thank you Dr. Crane and enjoy your stay in Chicago."
"Oh, thank you Dr. Stewart! I can't wait to tell Niles the news!" She beamed and squealed as she hopped off the examining table.
"I'm sure he will share your enthusiasm."
Gathering her belongings, "you have no idea Dr. Stewart. I'll see you soon. Correct that," she said as she patted her tummy, "we'll ALL see you soon."
Once out of Dr. Stewart's office, Daphne pulled out her cell phone.
Anxiously tapping her foot impatiently, Daphne waited for the call to go through to Niles' cell phone.
"Damn! It's still turned off!" She looked at her watch, Niles should be off the plane by now, but he did have to pick up his rental car. She headed to her own car and got in. With Niles out of town, Frasier and Martin had invited Daphne over for dinner that evening. Before leaving to go to Frasier's she debated on whether or not she should share the wonderful news with Frasier and Martin.
After all, it just wasn't her good news it was theirs.
"Oh what the hell, I'm sure Niles would understand," she reasoned. Also, she would try Niles' cell phone once more before going up to Frasier's apartment.
Once she arrived in the Elliot Bay Towers guest parking lot, she pulled out her phone again and punched in Niles' number and prayed it would now be in service.
"Daphne?" Niles eagerly answered at the other end.
Daphne had it all planned out how she would tell Niles.
"That's right Daddy, its Mummy..." she smiled and started to cry a little.
There was silence at the other end.
Stopping at the red light that was now before him, Niles couldn't help but grin. He couldn't wait for this seminar to be over and be on the next plane to Seattle.
"Niles? Love? Are you still there?"
An elated Niles was fighting back his own tears of joy. "I-I can't believe it. I-I'm...we're..."
At that exact same moment, 3,000 some miles away, an eerie chill ran down the course of Daphne Crane's spine.
She involuntarily shuddered.
"Niles? Are you still there?"
Her questions were meant with a deadly silence.
Daphne hung up the phone and slowly made her way to the elevator and up to the nineteenth floor.
"And then his phone just went dead," Daphne explained to Frasier, Martin and Roz.
It was a full house at Frasier's. Frederick was in town visiting. They also had invited Roz and Alice over for dinner.
Frasier went over to join his sister-in-law on the couch. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. He might have gone under a tunnel, or the call just got dropped. My phone does that to me all the time. Especially the further I am out of range."
"And you know Niles, he'll call you back the very instant he gets a signal." Martin added.
"I suppose you're right," Daphne agreed, but didn't really sound convinced.
Sensing her fear, Roz went over to get her mind off the call and to focus on the awesome news she had shared right before.
Coming over and sitting next to the other side of Daphne and an upbeat tone, Roz said, "It's too bad Niles couldn't have been here with you when you found out."
"I know. He felt so badly," she rubbed her mid-section and continued, "but, he'll be here for the more important things."
"So, do you guys want to find out the sex of the baby or be surprised? I just had to know what Alice was."
"We never fully discussed it. I know I want to know, but Niles did say in passing once that if I were ever pregnant, he would want to be surprised. How about you Frasier? Did you and Lilith know?"
Frasier smiled and remembered the day Lilith told him she was pregnant with Frederick. Frasier chuckled. "Actually, that's quite a humorous story."
Martin laughed, knowing the story all too well, "Fredericka Crane."
A look of horror came over Frederick's face.
"This is not going to embarrass me, is it?" Frederick asked, recalling all the numerous times both his Dad and Mother had embarrassed him in the past.
"Of course not son. First off, let me say, yes Daphne. Lilith and I found out, because we both wanted to know."
"Not that it did much good," Martin chuckled.
"Dad, please."
"Sorry Fras..." Martin got up and headed into the kitchen for another beer.
Frasier went on telling his story.
Time went by ever so slowly, it seemed to Daphne. She half-heartedly listened to Frasier's story; while the other half of her heart was listening, praying, for her cell phone or Frasier's phone to ring.
"But the clincher was, he had told us Frederick was a girl and up until the very moment he came out of Lilith..."
"So I was almost a Fredericka?" Frederick asked.
"That's right son," Frasier smiled.
Martin, who had just come back in the room, chimed in, "whether you do or don't, that's between you and Niles. I'm just hoping its girl."
Daphne smiled and wiped away at a tear that she hadn't realized was falling down her cheek.
"Niles wants a girl too," she whispered.
As if on cue, the phone rang. The ring caused her to jump.
"It's probably Niles, why don't you answer it." Frasier suggested.
Making her way to the phone, the eerie chill from earlier came back. Again, she shuddered.
"Daphne? Are you alright?" Roz asked, detecting her shudder.
She smiled and covered "of course I am," and took a deep breath before answering.
"Well hello there Daddy, when you comin' home?" she asked in her bravest voice.
A tear slid down his cheek. He knew his time was short, but there were just so many things he needed to say to their child...and to her...one last time.
"Daphne?" his voice was barely a whisper and sounded very distant and slurred.
Detecting Niles' slur, her nervousness kicked into overdrive and she rambled, not allowing Niles to get a word in, afraid what his interruption might reveal.
"Love? Did your Yale chaps get you bombed? Sounds like it to me. Well, I hope they at least got you back to your hotel room in one piece... "
"P-put me on speaker..." Niles managed to interrupt.
"On speaker? How come?"
Niles only answered with a "please."
Daphne put the receiver to her chest. "Excuse me, everyone. Niles wants to be on speaker..."
Before the room fell silent, Niles could hear Alice and Frederick laughing in the background. Knowing he would never hear his own child's laughter, a lone tear slid down Niles' cheek
Again, she strongly felt something was amiss.
"You're on love, go on."
"Put the receiver to your stomach, I want to talk to directly to our child." He requested.
"Niles, what's wrong?" she gently pressed.
His only answer again was, "please."
Sensing his urgency, she did as he requested. "Go on love..."
Fighting back his own tears, he said the first thing that came to his mind.
Daphne's face grew with more concern, as did everyone else's as Niles spoke from his heart and to his unborn child.
He concluded with an "I love you forever."
Something was wrong, terribly wrong. Daphne insisted Niles tell her what was wrong.
"Niles? Tell me, what is going on with you?" she pleaded.
Collecting the little strength he had left, "put the receiver next to your ear."
Without thinking or questioning, she put the receiver next to her ear.
It was getting harder and harder for him to speak and to fight the encroaching darkness.
Mere seconds passed, but to Daphne and everyone else, it seemed like eternity.
Breaking the dreaded and deafening silence, "Niles, love? Are you still there?"
Everyone was shocked by what came next.
An unfamiliar woman's voice came on.
"I'm very sorry Mrs. Crane, he only has a little time left."
The nurse placed the phone back up to Niles' ear.
Fighting back more tears, he once again spoke from his heart and said the first thing that came to his mind.
Every breath, every word, was a hard fought battle now.
He never cheated in his whole life.
But this one time, he wanted to do nothing more.
He remembered his Dad telling war stories on how he 'cheated' death several times in Korea because he had something to live for. That someday, he would be a husband and father and, hopefully a grandfather.
But unlike Martin, there would be no cheating for Niles, and very soon, his battle would be over.
He summoned the last ounce of strength he had left in him and whispered, barely audible.
"I love you baby Crane, and, I love your mommy. I love you my love. I love you Daphne Moon Crane."
Tears flowed freely down Daphne's cheeks. "I love you too Niles Crane."
Shortly after, there was nothing but more silence. Several moments later the same female voice came back on the phone.
"I'm terribly sorry Mrs. Crane, he's gone."
"We haven't touched his room, so you'll find it exactly how he left it." The motel manager said as he unlocked the door.
She paused before entering.
"Daphne?" Frasier laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to do this. I can pack up his things and you can wait for me in the lobby."
She slowly let go of a deep breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"No," she said determined. "I promised myself and to Niles..." she looked down and patted her stomach, "and our unborn child, that I would do this. I can't let them down."
Frasier smiled, admiring her strength. He took her hand into his and said, "let's go."
Not surprisingly, the room was immaculate and a testament to who Niles Crane was--a clean and neat freak extraordinare.
To the unknown observer, it looked as if no one had stayed there, much less, had unpacked.
She went over to the closet and slid open the door. Hanging methodically, just like at home, were his suits, all hung alphabetically by color in one corner. The other end hung his slacks, also arranged alphabetically.
She noticed Frasier was busy collecting all of Niles' notes, papers and his presentation he was going to give.
She decided to do the slacks. She couldn't help but smile as she ran her hand down one of his immaculately pressed pair of slacks and carried it over to the suitcase that Frasier had laid open on one side of the bed.
She let out a small giggle as she got lost in the memory.
"What is it?" Frasier asked.
"I was just remembering Niles," she smiled.
"What were you remembering?" He invited her to share the memory of his little brother with him.
It was Valentine's Day a few years back and before they had gotten together, and Niles was living at the Shangri La. Frasier had graciously loaned Niles the use of his apartment for a date he had with the president of their wine club. After noticing the wrong bottle of wine had been sent and correcting it, what followed would be a calamity and comedy of errors for him.
What started out as an attempt to iron out a miniscule crease in his trouser pant leg, included a "spray painting" of his older brother's living room (and not to mention Niles himself and Eddie) with fire extinguisher foam, and concluded with the burning of Frasier's couch. Which incidentally, escaped the 'spray painting'.
She could only chuckle as she remembered coming home from dinner with Martin (Mr. Crane back then) to find a passed out, sprawled out, and pantless Niles at the front door (wide open).
Had it turned out, Niles had cut himself with the scissors. That and coupled with Niles' strong aversion to blood, it was an accident (literally) waiting to happen.
Frasier and Daphne shared the laugh, the memory. Soon after, the memory faded, and reality again faced them, and the motel room grew into an uneasy silence.
In an attempt to break up the uneasiness Frasier added a footnote to the memory.
"You know, that couch cost me close to $1200 to repair."
Daphne gave a small smile and continued packing Niles' suits.
She started thinking what she wanted to bury him in. Niles would wear a suit. He was always most sexy to her when he wore, and now somewhat fitting, black.
She had to bury him with his suspenders on. Not remembering what shirts he had packed, she went to the "B's" to see if he had brought his ultra blue shirt (which always brought out the blueness and sparkle in his eyes she thought) and tie.
As she searched, she again was lost in a memory of Niles. This time she reminisced about a time when she saw him in this outfit.
Niles had just been hired to be a critic for some magazine and had come over to borrow one of Frasier's books. He had found out that Frasier had whined and complained to Kenny and had insisted he be given a similar show.
She recalled vividly how upset Niles was that afternoon upon finding out.
Though she never would have shared this back then, or even now, she felt for Niles that day. From that day on, she had a better understanding of Niles, and how hard it really was for him to constantly be living in his older brother's shadow. That no amount of success or otherwise would ever be able to eclipse Frasier's popularity and the newfound closeness he shared with Martin.
"Daphne?" Frasier called out to her, jarring her loose from her memory and thoughts. "I hadn't realized how late it was, we have to go..." He stopped, for he was still in his own state of shock over his little brother's untimely death.
"We have to go make the arrangements for Niles to be flown back to Seattle with us. Again, if you want to stay here, I can go and make all the arrangements, and come by here when I'm done," he offered.
Again, putting her bravest face forward, "No. Let's go. I'll pack up the last of his things when we get back."
A couple of draining hours later, they returned to the motel room to gather up the last few of his things.
"It's been a rather long afternoon Daph. Why don't you lie down on the bed and take it easy for awhile? I'll order us some room service."
She couldn't argue. It was a most exhausting day, and sadly, there would be plenty more to come. With flying back to Seattle, planning his funeral, and then of course, saying her goodbye.
She went over to the king-sized bed and laid down.
There, laid neatly at the foot of the bed was his black dressing gown. She couldn't resist and pulled it on over her and wrapped herself in it. She instantly caught a faint whiff of his after-shave and could almost feel his love and warmth surround her.
It was almost as if he were in bed with her again. As she lay on the bed, she noticed a small picture set beside his prescription bottle (Niles had to take daily medication for his congenital heart murmur) on the night table. It was their 'wedding' picture, taken in Reno, shortly after they had gotten married.
Once more, she closed her eyes and remembered. A memory that was almost a secret and one that was very cherished and special and was shared between only herself and Niles. One in which only two people, and now sadly, one, could remember...
"I, Daphne Moon, do take thee, Niles Crane, as my husband. I promise you my fidelity and my support, my laughter and my tears, my constant friendship and my unending love as long as we both shall live."
"I, Niles Crane, do take thee, Daphne Moon, as my wife. I vow to you my fidelity and my support, my honor and my respect, my honesty and my protection. You are my comfort, my joy, and my one true love. I will cherish you all the days of my life and treasure the journey that has brought us to this most wonderful perfect place."
Then, finally, totally overwhelmed with grief, pain and the love she and Niles shared, she broke down.
"Niles...my love..." she wailed.
Frasier rushed over to her side and drew her into a big bear hug and held her close. He soothed her back and comforted her in hushed tones.
"It's okay Daphne. Just let it all out. You've been so strong for everyone. Me, Dad...yourself...your child...Niles..."
She sat before the closed doors for a long time. Just like she had done every day the past week. Before long, her mind drifted and she found herself remembering Niles.
"Daphne? I want to apologize for the other night. I was rude, and disrespectful, and I'm sorry I hurt you."
"Apology accepted."
"Thank you."
"You know, I was just about to make myself some dinner. Would you like to join me?
"I would love that! Actually, wait, Daphne? I'm going to pass on dinner."
"Oh, it's no trouble."
"Oh, I know that, it's just that...I don't really care for your cooking."
"You what?"
"Well, you're not the best cook in the world. In fact, you're not very good at cooking. Bad, BAD cook! You okay?"
"How could I be, after that horrible thing you just said to me?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, darling. I just want to show you I see you the way you really are."
"And who I am is a bad cook, is that what you're saying?"
"No, that's not fair. I, I thought this was what you wanted."
"Well it still hurts. I have got my feelings, you know. I thought you loved my cooking. Well, you certainly could have handled this better."
"Well, then...I don't know what you want. I can't read minds, you know! And by the way, neither can you!"
"Are you saying you don't think I'm psychic?"
"Not if you thought I loved your cooking!"
"Well, I'm sorry it's not that hoighty toighty crap you eat!"
"What does that mean? You, you think I'm pretentious?"
"You'd eat a worm if I gave it a French name!"
"Well fine! If that's the way you feel, maybe I'll just have dinner by myself!"
"Fine! It'll spare you the hell that's my cooking!"
"I am so sorry! I love you so much! I didn't mean any of those things."
"Yes you did. And I did too. You're a pretentious snob with your wine and your opera."
"Well...you never give opera a chance! You're too judgmental."
"And you're a clean freak."
"Well...I hate your unicorn collection."
"And I hate that your closet is bigger than mine!
"Well...you're too tall!"
"You're too short."
As the memory started to fade, she touched her lips with her fingers. The same lips that he kissed so passionately. It was the first time they had ever made love. She giggled, remembering the aftermath. Instead of basking in the afterglow, she recalled working feverishly with Niles to glue back together some of the African statues they inadvertently knocked over.
From that day on, she could never dust or look at those same statues the same way.
Okay, she mentally ordered herself. No more stalling. Not that remembering Niles was stalling.
She took a deep breath and placed sweaty and shaking palms around each of the two doorknobs. She had no idea what she was afraid of. Behind the doors were things that belong to Niles.
She hadn't opened the doors since she picked out his burial suit, and truth be told, she didn't even open the doors then, she had Frasier do it for her. And just last week, Frasier offered to go through Niles' clothes and pack those up for her. She declined his offer, saying it was something she had to do and she decided she would do that next weekend. This weekend she wanted to focus on his more personal items.
Taking another deep breath, she released both her breath and the door latches, and pulled the closet doors towards her.
Just like everything else in Niles Crane's life, his closet was no exception, it was beyond orderly and neat. She knelt down and started with the boxes on the floor.
She had decided that whenever their child was old enough, she would go through these things again with their child, and let them have anything they wanted of their Daddy's.
She first pulled out a shoebox, and though Niles had all his shoes in a separate part of his closet, she still expected to find a pair of shoes in the box. To her surprise, it contained a stack of letters, all signed by a 'Dora'. She rubbed her stomach and spoke to their child. "That was your Daddy's pen pal from Costa Rica." She put the lid back on the box and set it off to one side. She reached in and pulled out a slightly bigger box and opened it up, as she continued to talk with their child.
"My, what do we have here? It looks like its every report card, academic report, test result your Daddy ever received. Your Daddy was a very smart. He had an IQ 156, he was a genius."
All the reports etc. were organized (for Niles could never just "toss things in loose" even if it was a box of papers) by grade.
She quietly read through some of the comments that his teachers had made on his report cards. Many said the same thing "superior language skills", "very bright young boy, but afraid to speak up in class", "extremely shy, social skills below normal for age level", "spends lunch hour reading in library instead of eating." "Quick study...excellent sight reading skills and superior piano playing skills-should do this for a living."
Mixed in with the reports were several school age pictures. Even as a small boy, he was small boned, skinny and pale, and short for his age.
Near the bottom of the box was his first book report which of course got an "A". From the date on the paper, Niles had to have written it in second grade. It was titled "Jung at Heart" and was about Carl Jung. Daphne softly chuckled.
Carefully, she placed all the documents back into their respective years, and set it off to the side.
A much bigger box was next. She could barely push it, and in her condition, she dare not try and lift it. She did wonder aloud how Niles ever moved the box, considering she had twice the upper body strength than he did. She undid the box lid flaps and again, found the contents to be meticulously organized. This time it was by year.
"These are all your Daddy's journals." They started way back to when Niles was only five. It would take a long time to read through all these. There was a little over 35 years worth of journal reading to do. She removed all the journals from year five and placed them on the bed behind her. Right before closing the flaps back, a piece of paper stuck out. It seemed like it had no real home or journal to which it belonged so she pulled it out.
She gasped and put her hand over her mouth. It was a piece of sheet music. It was a song written by Niles and it was entitled, simply, 'Daphne's Song'. She held the music close to her heart and went downstairs to Niles' study and to his piano.
Slowly and painfully, she picked at the song, note by note. Before long she gave up. Her inept playing was ruining his song, she slammed down on the keys in frustration and promised herself that the next time she saw Frasier, she would have him play her, her song.
Niles stood over Daphne has she was trying to play a simple scale on the piano. As she slowly played each note, he encouraged her forward, "Yes... yes... yes..." she then goofed when she hit two keys together, "No." he informed her.
She stood up in frustration, "I don't like this exercise, it's too hard!" she pouted like a schoolgirl.
"No, no, no, no, you're doing fine, you just have to loosen up. Look, I'll show you. See?" He lovingly reassured her and played a fluid ripple of notes with one hand.
"It's just a little finger exercise."
Funny how Niles could always get her aroused. She fondled his ear. "I know another little finger exercise..." she flirted.
Niles tried to stay on task. "Daphne, you're not paying attention."
She slid next to him on the piano bench and suggested. "Yes, I am. Why don't we just cancel the lesson and spend the day together?"
"No, no. What kind of teacher would I be if I did that?"
Not to be deterred, she tried again. "Oh, that's right. You're the teacher..."
Suggestively, she struck a prim and penitent pose. "...And I'm the naughty student who wouldn't do her homework."
Niles looked at her for a long moment and then grabbed her passionately in his arms. He bent his own leg over the bench and half-raised his knee and plunked it down loudly on the keys.
The doorbell rang, announcing someone's arrival and interrupting the memory.
"Daphne? Are you home? It's me, Roz."
All she could do was smile. Just as she did when Roz interrupted the last time.
She looked skyward. "You and your strategically placed songbook." She said aloud.
She wiped away a tear she didn't realize that had fallen, and walked towards the front door and let Roz in.
"I was beginning to think you weren't home," Roz took off her coat. "We were having tea this afternoon, right?"
Daphne took her coat. "Of course we are."
On their way to the kitchen they took the long way and went back through the study.
Daphne went over to the piano and did the finger exercise perfectly.
Later that night she couldn't sleep and went to the kitchen and got some milk and cookies.
She wandered back into the study.
This time she went over and sat behind Niles' desk. She placed the plate of cookies and glass down. "This desk was very special to your Daddy..." she ran her hand over the top of the desk and explained to their unborn child. "It had belonged to Grammy Crane, or your Daddy's Mummy."
She removed the key from the skinny top drawer. He only locked one drawer- the bottom right one. The drawer contained files of session notes of several of Niles' former patients.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, worried.
"Well sort of..."It's about Heather Murphy."
"Daphne, I've told you. I cannot talk about my patients," he reminded her firmly, but lovingly.
She took a breath. It was now or never.
"You don't have to. I found out by myself," she finally spoke.
"Did you look in my briefcase? You read her file!" Niles' voice rose and he slammed his office door shut.
All she could manage was a nod. She nervously gulped, and tried to smooth things over. "I know, I know, it's bad."
But Niles would hear none of it. He was clearly getting upset.
"Those files are confidential. How could you?"
I've gone this far, she reasoned, I might as well go all the way.
"Look, before you get going, you should probably know..." she began her second confession within minutes.
Again, he would hear none of it, and accepted no excuses.
"No, there is no excuse. That is the worse thing you could have done!"
"You would think so."
"What else did you do?" he asked, almost afraid of what could come next.
She was afraid to confess, but even more afraid not to. She had to know what kind of threat this woman was to her and to her relationship with Niles. She nervously gulped and rattled off her confession quickly.
"I went down to her office to see what she looks like. Well, she never found out who I was or why I was there. I know it doesn't make it okay, but I was just so worried and I had to find out who she was and, I'm so sorry, I feel so ashamed. It was all Roz's idea!"
Niles looked as if had been punched in the stomach. All the color (or the little color he did have) ran from his face. He went over to the chair behind his desk and slumped down in it. He was speechless.
"Look, I know you're angry, but Niles, please, say something," she pleaded.
Gathering his words carefully before he spoke,
"Anger doesn't begin to describe it. You have violated this person's privacy. If she found out, I... they could suspend my license."
She never thought about that. "I am so sorry," was all she could say.
"And you don't trust me. How could you possibly think there could be somebody else?" he finally said.
"Because I was somebody else. You were married to two other women while you claimed to be in love with me. Now that we're together how can I be sure, really sure, that there won't ever be another 'somebody else'? "
There she did it. She told Niles' how she really felt. How insecure she has felt ever since they got together, but was always to afraid to tell him.
The accusation caught him off guard and he quickly defended himself.
"Because I would never..." He stopped, and then let her words really sink it. She was right. This time, he carefully chose his words. His words that would reassure her that he loved her, and only her.
"Because this time it's different. Our love is different. It's not based on somebody's expectations or... or anything I'm supposed to be. When I was with Maris, or with Mel, I found myself thinking about you. Going about my day or even when I was in a session, I found myself thinking about you. Well, now we're together. I find myself thinking about you. It's not going to stop."
She was convinced and drew him into a hug. She knew he was still upset with her, and rightly so, but, she knew he would forgive her, and more importantly, he did really love her, and only her.
It was a pleasant day in May has Daphne made her now weekly pilgrimage to Seattle's oceanfront Gasworks Park. The day was unusually sunny with only a lone cloud or two dotting the blue sky. A gusty breeze was blowing in from the water and it flowed freely through her hair.
She found 'their' bench and was relieved no one was sitting on it.
She sat down and closed her eyes. She always made a point to start with some memory of Niles. One that she would put in a journal (in fact, she was using the last journal Niles had started) later that evening and someday give to their child. That journal, along with all the others that Niles had written, she planned on giving to their child to read, so they could know what an incredible and loving man he was. And of course, by keeping the journal she couldn't forget him either.
Daphne made a small smile. Another story was coming to her, and yet another to share with their child about their Daddy.
She was remembering how Niles loved windy days, cause they allowed him an 'excuse' to leave work early. His 'excuse'? To go fly a kite.
She recalled one of their first dates-a gusty afternoon much like this one and at this very park. He had showed her how to a fly kite. Ever since Niles was a young lad, he had always loved to fly his kites. His boyhood charm and innocence was one of many things that she loved most about him.
Like after every memory, she didn't bother to wipe away at her tears and let them freely spill out and rubbed her stomach.
"Hi Niles. My Love. I love you and miss you dearly. I saw Dr. Stewart this morning. He said he could tell by my ultrasound what sex the baby was. I was tempted to ask him, but I remembered how you wanted to be surprised, so, I said I didn't want to know. The baby is healthy and strong..."
After talking to Niles she got up to leave. With the warm glow of the sun on her cheek, a little wisp of wind blew through her hair. She smiled as she recalled Niles' last and only words to his, their, unborn child.
To Be Continued...
