48 Hours

Sitting here in the chair, I can hear his voice outside the room and know he will be in here as soon as he gets the latest update. Sure enough, here he is. He informs me before even fully in the room,

"Daphne, you need to get some sleep. Dad said he'll stay with him."

I don't say anything but continue with my task at hand. I stroke down Niles' feverish face with a cool washcloth. Carefully, I circumnavigate the breathing tubes that are inserted into his nostrils and that are delivering the life assisting oxygen.

"So, come on…" Frasier extends his hand out to me, "...let me drive you home."

"I want to be here when he wakes up," I insist.

"I know you do, but it won't do you, or the baby any good if you stop taking care of yourself. Not to mention the fact that Niles would never forgive any of us if something happened to you or your baby."

I knew he was right, damn it. But, I couldn't leave Niles. Not now…not like

this…not...not…

"Oh Frasier…" I wail out.

Frasier drops to his knees and draws me into a hug. "It's okay Daph. Just let it out," he tries to comfort me.

"How could I allow this to happen to him?" I question.

-------

48 hours earlier…

"You still haven't called, have you?" I scolded as our waiter at Café Nervosa brought him his 'bottled water, room temperature'. "You've been complaining about that bloody tooth for weeks, and I'm sick of hearing it."

"I was going to call this morning, but I had patients scheduled straight through until lunch, and…ow," he tried to explain, or more like it, make excuses, and rubbed his sore left jaw.

I had had enough, "Give me your cell phone," I demanded.

He removed it from his pocket and handed it over to me.

I punched in the number. "Hello, my name is Daphne Moon Crane, and I'm calling to make an appointment for me husband, Dr. (I really empathized that word) Niles Crane."

"Daphne, you don't need to…" he sputtered.

"Hush!" I reprimanded him again. "Yes, I'm still here. You can? Great. Thank you so much, he'll see you then."

I hung up the phone and handed it back to him. "Get out your appointment book."

He did as instructed.

"Tomorrow morning. 11am. Sharp." I curtly relayed the information.

"I'm surprised they got me in so quickly," he commented while writing it down.

"Me too. Especially since Saturday mornings are their busiest day."

"Oh good, it's early enough that it won't conflict with my and Frasier's boys day out." He smiled.

"But…" he started.

"What is it?" I asked firmly, refusing to let Niles find some reason to wiggle out of this appointment.

"I have appointments until 8:30 tonight. Could you run by the drugstore on your way home this afternoon and pick up my prescription for me?" He asked as he pulled out his cell phone to place the call to the pharmacy.

Niles has a congenital heart disorder, has had it since he was a young lad. I think he called his condition Moderate Aortic Stenosis. He had explained to me shortly after we had gotten married more about his condition. How even the simplest things that most of us take for granted, he had to take more seriously. How something as routine as going to the dentist could be deadly for him.

He explained that because of his condition, it meant that whenever he visited the dentist he had to take antibiotics. Cause if he failed to do so, he was at tremendous risk for a serious infection.

"Hey Daphne," my best friend Roz called out me name and pulled up a chair at our table.

"I came up this great game for your baby shower tomorrow afternoon…" she started to share.

"Oh, I think that is my cue to leave," he joked as he stood up and got ready to go back to work.

He then leaned over and patted my tummy. "Take good care of Mommy for me," he then kissed me on me cheek.

"This is what I was thinking…" Roz started again.

"Don't forget to pick up my prescription for me," he whispered and reminded.

He can be so selfish at times, I thought. Couldn't he see that Roz was talking to me? I waved him off with a 'don't worry, I'll get it,' while I listened to Roz's idea for my shower.

"A little higher on your end," I instructed Frasier who was hanging the decorations with Roz for the shower later in the day. "Perfect."

"Niles..." Martin breathlessly called out from the fainting couch as Niles made his way down the stairs. "Where have you been all morning? I thought you were going to help me blow up some of these balloons."

"I'm sorry Dad. I'll be there to give you a hand in a minute. Daphne, where's…" he quickly covered his mouth with his hand and started to sway. I knew it was only a matter of moments before he'd rush out of there. As if on cue, he announced, "I'm sorry, I'll be right back," with that, he rushed to the nearest bathroom.

"What the hell was that all about?" Martin asked and started to blow up another balloon.

"Morning sickness," I matter-of-factly stated and went back to arranging some decorations on the dining room table.

"What!?!" Martin asked, dumbfounded. As did he so, he let go of the balloon he had been inflating, setting it on a zigzagging course around the room until it ran out of air and fell to the floor deflated.

"Frasier says it's all psychosomatic," I bent over to pick up the balloon. "Ow," I yelped and rubbed me aching lower back upon rising.

"Daph? You okay?" Frasier asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just a little backache, that's all. I'll be fine."

"I remember the last month or so when I was carrying Alice. Those backaches can be a killer. You might try some aspirin, it really helped me," Roz suggested.

"Mommy?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"I thought you told me that a stork carried me."

We all looked at the cute exchange between mother and daughter and were all curious as to how Roz was going to answer her inquisitive little girl.

"If you will excuse us, Alice and I are going to get Aunt Daphne some aspirin, " Roz then took Alice by the hand and led her into the kitchen.

"But what in the hell did you mean about Niles? And in English," Martin asked Frasier.

"It simply means that it's all in Niles' head."

"Huh?"

"Ever since I became pregnant, all the attention has been on me and the baby. Niles is feeling a little left out."

"So, let me get this straight. Out of jealousy for his wife and his unborn child and in order to get some attention, his mind makes him experience the same symptoms that Daphne has?"

"Yes. Something like that Dad."

Niles returned to the room, still a little green around the gills. He apologized to all.

"I'm sorry everyone for my hasty retreat," he walked over to where I was and gave me my good morning kiss. "How's my favorite girl this morning?"

"Me back is a little sore again," I replied.

"Are you going help me with these balloons or not?" Martin pouted.

Niles looked at his watch, "I'm so sorry Dad, it's much later then I thought and I have to get going for my dentist appointment."

He started to put on his overcoat. "So, Frasier, I'll swing by your place when I'm done."

"Sounds good Niles. I'll see you then."

"Both of you enjoy your afternoon," he rubbed my stomach. He leaned in and gave me another kiss on me cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too. Have a good time with your brother and I'll see you this evening."

"Boy, I still can't believe your brother and all that psycho stuff," Martin shook his head in disbelief. "I'll tell you what, you never heard of guys doing that kind of stuff when Hester was pregnant with either of you two."

I sat down next to my father-in-law.

"If you ask me, I think that may have been the reason behind Niles refusing to go see the dentist for so long, that, and…bloody hell!"

"Daph? What is it? What's wrong?" Roz, who had just come back into the room with Alice, asked while handing me some aspirin and a glass of water.

I looked down ashamed. "Niles has put up with me and all me bloody mood swings, all my irrational demands…"

"Oh come now Daphne…I don't think anything you asked Niles to do could be considered irrational, he loves you."

"There were those couple of times at the opera..." Frasier began.

"Frasier," Roz glared over at him.

"I'm sorry, but I think calling Niles on his cell phone twice in the middle of Aida just because you had a craving for jellied eels with vinegar…well…"

"Frasier," Roz repeated, this time a little more firmly.

"He asked me to do one little thing for him and I bloody forgot…"

"I'm sorry Daph. Whatever it is, I'm sure Niles will understand and forgive you." Frasier remarked, only this time a little more sympathetically.

But what I did was unforgivable.

-------

Pulling out of the hug, Frasier hands me his handkerchief. "Here, take this."

"Thank you," I sniff and dab at me tears.

"Now listen to me. You may have forgotten to pick up Niles' prescription, but ultimately it was his decision not to postpone his appointment. He knew the odds, and he decided to risk it."

I wasn't convinced. "All I cared about was that bloody shower. Who was I to call Niles selfish?"

"Let's not forget Daphne, I was with Niles most of the day…"

-------

"Match point," Frasier teased his little brother.

Niles stopped to wipe the sweat that was now profusely pouring down his face. He was also starting to breathe very hard and had considerable trouble catching his breath.

"Are you going to serve the ball or what?" Frasier continued to mock.

Niles served the ball and Frasier returned it. The ball then took a weird bounce off the wall, sending Niles flying in mid air to try and save it, and the game. He dove and missed, landing full force on his back.

Frasier leaped for joy and ran over to his little brother lying on the floor in agony and defeat.

Looking down at his brother he triumphantly reminded, "you're buying." And then helped his brother to his feet.

"Ow," Niles moaned and rubbed his lower back.

"You alright?" Frasier asked as they made their way back to the locker room and to the showers.

"It's my lower back. I must have landed on it funny. But nothing a hot shower won't fix."

Frasier glanced at his watch impatiently. "Niles? Are you coming?" Frasier was already showered, shampooed, shaved and dressed and ready to go 15 minutes ago.

Niles continued to let the hot water roll down his aching and sore back. He was also trying to get his breathing back under control. Another side effect of his heart condition was breathlessness during exercise, but usually it would subside by now and be returning back to normal.

He heard Frasier and decided he couldn't hide in there forever. He turned off the water and stepped out, groaning as he did so.

"I'm so sorry Frasier," he apologized and went to his locker. "I had no idea it was so late."

As he was getting dressed, he moaned.

"Niles? What is it?"

"It's my back. I must have landed on it harder then I thought," he self diagnosed.

"Care for a second opinion Dr. Crane?"

Knowing full well Frasier would offer his opinion no matter what he said, Niles didn't even bother with a rebuttal.

"I think it's yet another pathetic attention grabber," Frasier accused than diagnosed.

"I'm sorry, but I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"You perfectly know damn well what I mean. You knew that Daphne had a backache this morning, and, how convenient so do you."

Niles was starting to feel faint and slightly nauseous. He tried to steady himself by gripping onto his open locker door.

Frasier couldn't help but notice and went over to him.

"Niles? Are you feeling okay? You look paler then usual."

"I'm fine," he lied. "Just let me pack up my things and we'll be off to Le Cigare Volant."

"And don't forget, you're buying."

-------

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt, but your husband's monitors are showing some signs of distress, so I want to check his vitals," his doctor informs us.

A few, tense minutes pass, and all I can do is nervously pace outside his room while we wait. As my mind starts to drift and I remember just a few hours ago.

-------

"Okay ladies," Roz called the shower goers to attention. "For our next game, I thought it would be fun if we…" Roz started explaining her new game when Niles and Frasier walked in through the front door.

All the heads turned in their direction.

"Go on ahead Roz, keep explaining your game," I march to the door, upset at Niles' resurfacing selfishness, and couldn't help but think this was yet another desperate ploy to get attention.

Upon reaching the door,

"Niles," I glanced at my watch and said under me breath, "move" as I signal for both him and Frasier to go into the other room, out of earshot of me guests.

"I'm so sorry my love, I didn't plan for this to happen," he apologized before we were even fully in the guest room.

"Save it," I spat back, and started in on my lecture, which was going to brief and to the point. "Niles Crane, I love you, but…"

Before I could finish, he darted out of the room and into the guest bathroom. I could hear him getting sick.

"Daph, listen to me," Frasier started offering Niles' defense. "Niles isn't feeling very well. After our squash game we went to dinner, and he complained he had a terrible migraine and wasn't feeling at all. He even got sick before we left the restaurant."

I still wasn't in the forgiving mood. "I thought you said this was all psychosomatic."

I replied, rather coldly.

Before Frasier could answer, Niles had returned and went over to the bed and sat down, not saying a word. He buried his face in his hands and laid down.

I couldn't help but notice how badly he was shivering. I went over and covered his nearly convulsing body with a blanket and sat by him on the edge of the bed.

"Niles?"

He was breathing extremely hard and still had his hands over his face.

I took his hands into my own. As I did, I couldn't help but notice how ice cold they were, and I could have sworn they were almost bluish/purple in color.

"Niles?" I repeated his name. I felt his forehead. I was alarmed by what I felt. "Oh Frasier..." I once again felt ashamed for everything I had been thinking the last several minutes, "he's burning up."

Frasier came over by me.

"Niles?" He called out his brother's name. "Look at me."

Niles was totally despondent. His eyes looked clouded over and he had a faraway look.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head and Niles, my love, fell unconscious.

Frasier slapped his brother's cheeks in attempt to wake him. "Niles, wake up. Niles!" He yelled.

He pressed his fingers into the side of Niles' neck to feel for a pulse. "He has one, but it's extremely weak and rapid," he reported.

Niles' chest continued to rise and fall very quickly. He was having a considerably hard time breathing.

Just then Roz knocked on the door and stuck her head in. "The natives are getting restless,

what do you want to me to do?"

She then noticed the concerned looks on our faces.

"Daphne, call 9-1-1."

-------

"Hey guys, sorry I couldn't get here sooner. Amiee, my babysitter, got a flat on her way to my place. So, how's he doing?"

"He was in full blown septic shock by the time the paramedics got him to the hospital."

"I've heard of that, but what exactly is that again?"

"It's a highly dangerous condition in which there is tissue damage and a dramatic drop in one's blood pressure. Toxins cause a leakage of fluid from the blood vessels, and coupled with a reduction of the ability of the vessels to constrict, it causes a sudden drop of blood pressure."

"Doesn't that cause some kind of damage?"

"Yes, tissue damage to the kidneys, heart and lungs."

"I just don't understand. This happened all so quickly. I mean, just a couple of hours ago there was nothing wrong with Niles, and now…" Roz glances over my way and whispers to Frasier, though I still can hear her, "now he's in the ICU and fighting for his life."

Dr. Newsome pokes his head into the hallway and invites us back in, "you can come back in now."

I walk back over to the chair and take Niles' limp hand into mine. His hand jerks in my grasp. I look down at his violently shivering body, racked with chills.

"How is he?"

"I'm terribly sorry Mrs. Crane it's what we feared might happen. The pylonephritis, which liked we discussed earlier, is a serious kidney infection, that infection, has spread into the internal lining of his heart. When he was rushed in here earlier tonight, he was in septic shock, a life threatening complication of pylonephritis. The next 24 to 48 hours are the most critical. 50 of septic shock patients develop acute bacterial endocarditis. His congenital heart condition, coupled with the fact that he wasn't already on antibiotics when he was brought in here, only increased his odds. On a more positive note, the fact that you got him in here so quickly will increase his chances."

"Which are?" Frasier asks.

"I would say, maybe up to 70-75."

"That's still a one in four chance that he might not make it. Are you sure your figures are correct?" Frasier further questions.

"I'm very sorry. I wish I could do more."

I can feel him looking at me as I stare at the bouncing lines of his heart monitor.

"Do you have any questions for me Mrs. Crane?"

I shake my head.

"His heart beat is becoming extremely unstable and erratic," Dr. Newsome explains as he pulls out and inserts his stethoscope into his ears. He leans over Niles and places, and then periodically slides the instrument over Niles' heart and chest and listens.

"There's fluid building in his lungs and its causing him great distress. I'm going to order that his nurse introduce some morphine into his IV. I'll be back in a half-hour to check in on him. If you detect any change, what so ever, have me paged immediately."

To be continued…