Taken Back by Patrick Councilor
The elevator doors opened. Daphne backed Niles out of the elevator and swung him around to push his wheelchair toward this apartment.
"Home at last," he said.
Frasier and Martin were right behind them. "It's great to have you back son."
Daphne subconsciously started to reach for her keys. Frasier must has sensed it and asked, "Niles, where are your keys? I'll get the door."
When they opened the door, there were balloons and a banner that read "Welcome Home." Ronee, Roz and Charlotte called out "Welcome Home!" when they arrived.
"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise," Niles said.
Frasier re-introduced Charlotte to him.
Niles shook her hand. "And how long have you two been seeing each other?"
"For a little over a year now." Charlotte answered.
Niles tucked that bit of information as a reference point into the darkness of his lost memory. Any little bit of information to fill in the abyss of the last five years was like puzzle pieces of gold to him. Niles kept looking the place over as if he didn't recognize it.
"Niles, are you okay?" Frasier asked.
"Yes, fine. Thank you for asking." Niles was very comfortable in The Montana. What he was doing was looking for any signs of Mel… something that might lead him to an idea why she wasn't at the party or in his life, so it seemed. "So Charlotte, what do you do for a living?"
"I'm the owner of Charlotte's Web; a matchmaking service."
"Oh I see. A professional matchmaker? And still, you inadvertently caught my brother in your web?"
Frasier chuckled. "Now Niles," Frasier said light-heartedly. His voice then turned quite sternly. "Get ahold of yourself you little buffoon."
"And who is this little fellow?" Niles said.
Daphne saw that he was referring to David who was being held by Roz. She went over and took her son to bring him to Niles. "This is David."
Niles smiled as he looked into the beautiful brown eyes of his very own son.
David stared back into the eyes of his father in the greatest attention a little boy could muster. "Da-da."
Niles smile turned to laughter. "Oh, little David seems to think I'm his father."
"It's time for his lunch and nap," Daphne barely was able to get out as she held back her emotions. She took up David and headed upstairs. Roz followed quickly behind her.
"Oh, Daphne… I'm sorry." Niles had done it again. She must still be upset with her separation with Donny. It must be so difficult for one to see their child mistaken someone else for their father. He surely didn't mean any harm or discomfort.
"I'm sure things are fine Niles." Frasier said. "I'll go check on her."
"Hey Niles," Martin said. "Did you notice how we put a narrow ramp on the left side of your staircase? We put it in so Daphne could easily take your wheelchair upstairs or downstairs. It was her idea."
He looked over. "It's very nice. It does seem a little narrow."
"No Niles. It's a ramp for the wheelchair when it's folded up. She will help you up or down and then bring the wheelchair to you."
"Oh, I see. How cleaver."
"Niles, would you like something to eat or drink?" Ronee offered.
"Thank you, no. The breakfast that the hospital is passing as food is sitting in my stomach like a lead weight."
"Now, Daphne is going to stay here with you to help you out," Martin explained. "Ronee and me will be staying a for a bit longer. We'll camp out down stairs here like we're on a movie date."
"Ronee and I."
"Excuse me?"
"You meant to say, 'Ronee and I'." he corrected.
"Well… maybe it won't be just like date night around here," Martin said with a hint of exhaustion.
Frasier returned. "Daphne is fine. Roz is with her. Niles, we just wanted to have a little party for you to show you how much we care. We know you need your rest. I have many sessions today with your patients. I'll have to be leaving shortly. So I'll help you upstairs and get you comfortable. Daphne will be across the hall from you…"
"Already explained that to him Frase," Martin said.
"No, everyone doesn't need to rush out on my account. I'll stay down here for a while. Daphne can help me upstairs later. Let me ask you…" he lowered his voice, "…just how long have Donny and Daphne been separated?"
Frasier stopped short, unsure what to say at the moment.
"Hey Niles," Martin chimed in. "Why don't you tell me what you really think about that ramp we put in?"
Frasier and Roz left for work shortly after that. Charlotte stayed for a while to make certain that she wasn't needed. Ronee and Daphne helped Niles upstairs and tucked him into bed.
Daphne soon brought him a glass of water and placed it on his night stand. She sat on "their" bed and brushed his hair back on his forehead. She so wanted to lean over and kiss him so badly. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him and how everything was going to be alright. "Now if you need anything, I'll be right across the hall."
"Thank you Daphne. You are too kind. And I'm sorry if I said anything that offended you in any way."
"You never mind that. You just get your rest and get better." She placed a pillow on his left side. That was to prevent him from rolling over on that injured left arm.
"It's almost as if I've traveled five years into the future and everyone is looking at me like I've been living under a rock."
"Nonsense. No one is looking at you like that." She so wanted to press her lips to his, but kissed his forehead instead.
There was a pulling… almost like some mind vortex that was pulling a memory back to him… "I don't know what I did to deserve you."
"I'm sorry Daphne, did you say something?"
"I said, 'Pleasant dreams'."
"Oh, thank you Daphne. Oh, I guess these pain pills are kicking in…"
He woke up in the middle of the night. He heard something. Was it someone crying? He slipped into his wheelchair and made his way out into the hallway. It was coming from Daphne's room. Daphne was crying and it was breaking his heart. He reached out to knock on her door, but something stopped him. He didn't want to embarrass her. She must have been missing Donny. Still he knocked. "Daphne, are you alright?"
"Yes…" She tried to stifle her sobs. "And what are you doing out of bed?"
"I'm in my wheelchair. I can get myself back into bed. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."
"Yes, just please…" She didn't finish.
"Niles, is everything okay?" It was his father calling up from downstairs.
"Yes Dad, everything is fine." He turned back to Daphne. "I'm here for you if you need me," he told Daphne's door. He placed his hand flat on her door as if to comfort her.
"I don't need anything," Martin's voice returned.
"Alright Dad." Niles wheeled himself back into his room. Before he put himself back in bed, he went over to look into the closets and the dresser drawers. Then he put himself back into bed. Mel's things were gone. She had moved out. Niles was crest-fallen. He took up the phone. He may not have a resident number for her, but he did know how to leave a message for her after hours. He dialed her work number. He got the answering machine. "Mel, this is Niles. I'm back home now. Please call me when you can."