Soaking wet and shivering (although more from humiliation than from the cold), Niles made his way across the ship making a mental note to contact his lawyer as soon as possible. He should have known better than to take Frasier up on his offer for a free cruise to Alaska. It was turning out to be the most expensive voyage of Niles' life and aside from his disastrous dinner, he'd barely spent a dime.
When he reached the Seven Seas Buffett he cringed. He certainly didn't want his dad and Frasier to see him like this, but he knew he had no choice. Almost everyone else on the ship had already ridiculed him; why not add family to the mix? Bravely he stepped inside and peered in; amazed at the crowd that now occupied the space. Nearly every table was full, although Niles had no idea why. Who in their right mind would possibly tolerate such dreadful food?
His eyes quickly scanned the huge dining room but there was no sign of his father or brother. Perhaps Frasier had come to his senses and learned a valuable lesson about the value of eating well (even on a cruise ship!) and had taught his father the same lesson.
One could only hope.
He looked around once more, this time maneuvering his way in between the tables to make absolutely certain that he hadn't missed them. And when he still saw no sign of them, he found himself breathing a sigh of relief. They must have returned to the stateroom (or what was laughingly called a stateroom), which, truth be told, is where he should be.
It had been an extremely long day and he was exhausted, although he dreaded the thought of having to endure six more days like this one. But even more, he dreaded the thought of sleeping in that disgrace of a room. He shuddered, thinking of the confined sleeping space which would surely affect his claustrophobia in ten-fold.
He gasped, suddenly unable to breathe and he wheezed in and out moving unsteadily about the restaurant. Any moment he was certain to faint and from the looks of things, no one even noticed, nor would they be willing to help him. He shouldn't have been surprised, for it was only fitting that he would die in a way that was not at all the way he intended and much before his time.
He could just picture Maris and her revolting Olympian, standing over his dead body, laughing uncontrollably. Frasier and his dad would most likely feel some sort of remorse, each placing the blame on themselves. But it was the fact that he'd never instructed Frasier or his father to give Daphne a message should he meet his untimely demise. He wanted to tell them to tell her that he loved her with all of his heart and that he was so sorry that he never told her. He'd give anything to-
Suddenly he realized that the wheezing had stopped and he was breathing normally. It was truly a miracle. Or maybe it was a sign. Whatever it was, he knew that he had to act on it and the first thing to do was to go with the flow as the saying went. How appropriate, given the fact that they were on a cruise ship.
As much as he hated being on this ship, with Maris of all people, he could at least pretend that he was having a good time. Even if nothing could be further from the truth.