A small gasp escaped her and she moved cautiously into the bedroom. "Dr. Crane?"
The only light came from the soft glow of the moonlight that streamed into the room, and it was that moonlight that guided her to the edge of his bed where she stood over the form that lay in it. Her hand reached out and when the movement came again, she noticed the faint clean scent that she knew so well. Never had anything felt so comforting.
"Dr. Crane it's me, Daphne. Are you all right?"
He turned and groaned, finally showing his face. And when his eyes opened, he let out a yelp of surprise. "D-Daphne?"
She smiled at the sound of her name, the sound that was so welcome that it brought tears to her eyes. "Yes, Dr. Crane. It's me."
He recoiled instantly and reached for the bedside lamp, bringing light to the room. "W-what are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
"Well, I…. I…"
"I'm so sorry that I barged into your apartment the way I did, but-."
He ran his hand through his disheveled hair "How did you get in here?"
"Th-the door was open. I was only going to write you a note and slip it underneath and be on me way but when I saw that it was unlocked, I started to worry... again."
"Why would you be worried about me at all? Or even care about me?"
The question surprised her, for she expected him to grin like a little boy, the way he often did when she expressed any kind of concern for him. It was almost as thought he relished the thought of her caring for him and that made her sad. How could anyone go through life without someone to care about them? Mrs. Crane didn't care about him at all. Daphne could see that now and the thought made her so angry that she wanted to hold him in her arms and never let go. But she couldn't risk making him angrier than he already was.
"Why? Oh Dr. Crane, surely you know the answer to that! I've always cared about you! I wanted to make sure that you were all right."
He sighed as he rubbed his temples and sat up. "Fine, whatever."
"Are you all right?"
He sighed deeply but didn't answer and instead looked away.
"Dr. Crane?"
His silence guided her fingertips to his chin, turning his face toward her. "What's wrong? Are you ill?"
"Stop asking me if I'm all right, Daphne! I'm perfectly fine! I-."
Before he could finish, and against his protests, her hand rested on his forehead. "Well, you're a bit warm but you don't seem to have a fever and-."
The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. "I'll get that."
Instantly he sprung to life, nearly sprinting out of the bed. "Daphne, no! Don't! Please!"
But she simply smiled and touched his cheek. "Don't worry. I'll be right back."
"But Daphne-."
"Just rest, Dr. Crane…"
And she hurried to answer the phone, praying that it was someone who could help.