As he pulled his Mercedes onto Interstate 5, the fog was so dense that Niles could barely see two feet in front of him. And the street lights from above and the headlights on his car were doing of little assistance.
So he drove as carefully as possible, grateful that the traffic was light. He certainly didn't need a traffic jam in this weather. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen fog this bad, even in the Emerald City.
Any sensible person would have immediately turned back. The radio meteorologists had warned against traveling in such heavy fog and bleak conditions, but Niles remained unwavering.
He'd waited too long and wasted too much of his life to back out now.
This was the most important thing he'd ever done and despite the outcome, be it utter happiness or the most painful heartbreak imaginable, he had to know the answer.
His heart was prepared for anything that Daphne gave him, but he couldn't live any longer without letting her know how much he loved her.
It was something that he should have done years ago (along with divorcing his uncaring, selfish wife), but only now did he have the courage to tell her what was in his heart.
He drove on with a new found sense of courage and he couldn't get to her fast enough.
The front tires of his Mercedes found the sheet of black ice before Niles did, sending the car into a skid.
Niles began to panic and suddenly everything he had learned in driving school about the rules of driving in inclement weather vanished from his mind.
Instinctively his foot hit the break and the second it happened, he knew he'd made a grave mistake. The tires hit an even bigger sheet of black ice, and the car slid sideways, spinning in circles across the freeway.
Instantly his life flashed before his eyes.
He saw his mother smiling down upon him, his father, his brother, his classmates. He saw Lillith, who was holding a very young Frederick in her arms. His teachers, patients, colleagues... and Daphne.
She looked like an angel, and when he shut his eyes, he could hear her sweet voice assuring him that everything would be all right... and that she loved him too.
The tranquil scene was interrupted by a powerful jolt that sent him flying foreword. He heard the crushing of metal and the shattering of glass among honking horns...
And when he thought the car couldn't spin any faster, there was an even bigger crash and he flew foreword once more; a surge of pain rushing through his head.
But then stillness came, followed by the faint sound of sirens that seemed to be getting closer and closer.
And then the unimaginable pain and screaming, the sound making him wonder if he was the one screaming or if it was someone else.
But he couldn't raise his head to look.
Another crash came then, with much more force this time and the unimaginable pain grew even worse.
He tasted blood. Was it his? Was someone with him? Were they hurt? He didn't dare look, for he'd always hated the sight of blood. And the mere thought of it was making him nauseous.
The sirens came closer and closer, their ear-piercing sounds pounding at his head. He could feel something warm trickling down his forehead and his head ached more than ever before.
But then something miraculous happened.
The pain disappeared and the onslaught of noises subsided, leaving in its wake a peaceful silence.
And then there was only darkness.