After the end of a long and most difficult day, Martin found himself vegging out in front of
the television. He knew Ronee was watching, but he tried to avoid her stares by focusing on the sports show that was on. He hated being watched, and he hated being pitied even more. That was what the rest of his life would be like. Daphne going overboard with baby pictures to remind him that he was a grandfather, Frasier staying indefinitely in order to deal with his own feelings of guilt and fear in this, Niles overcompensating by treating Martin as if he were a child. But the worst part of it was how Ronee, his own wife, would cease to look at him. No longer would they be equals, but she would become the caregiver, and he just a simple minded patient. No, this would not do at all.
"Where's Frasier?" he cleared his voice before speaking.
"Oh, he's at Cafe Nervosa with Niles. You know, the boring crap that usually puts either you or I to sleep," Ronee laughed.
Martin didn't return her smile or laughter. Instead, he picked himself up, grabbed his cane, and wobbled to the bedroom.
Ronee had never felt so helpless before. She had never in a million years considered this happening to her husband, to all of them. She knew that she and Martin weren't exactly the cuddly cozy type, the way Niles and Daphne were, but damn it, she was still a married woman! Nothing could change that fact.
"Ronee?" Martin called out as he reentered the living room. Their home wasn't as spacious as Frasier's had been, but it was comfortable, and it was theirs.
To her surprise Martin had come out donning a suit and tie, and most importantly, a smile.
He walked over to the old record player that both Ronee and Martin loved so much, and he carefully selected a song. It was Just the Way You Look Tonight, a song that seemed to suit the situation so perfectly.
"Care to join this old man for a dance...of sorts?" He held out his hand and then Ronee gladly accepted it.
It wasn't the kind of moves that Martin would have loved to demonstrate, but as they rocked together back and forth he knew exactly what he was doing. He was creating a memory., one that he ,may or may not remember in the future, but certainly Ronee would, and that was all that mattered to him at the moment.
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It was such a sweet scene that Frasier immediately felt guilty for interrupting it. But he had no choice, the cafe was closed, and as it had been a long day, it was time for bed.
He stood in the doorway for a second, with both his father and Ronee oblivious to his presence. Quietly he slipped away, headed towards the nearest hotel. In the car, for the first time in a long, long time, he bowed his head and started to cry. Not because he was worried about his father, or at least not at that moment, but he began to wonder if he would ever find the kind of love that his father inspired in all of them. True, Charlotte was still waiting for his next phone call, but this was all happening too much, too soon. It would be quite awhile before life would start to make sense again, if it ever would.
