When Frasier returned to the hallway, Daphne felt her heart skip a beat. "H-how is he?"
"He's wonderful, Daphne. Thanks to you."
Frasier's words surprised her. "Me? But I didn't do any-."
"You saved his life."
The compliment was meant to make her happy but she found it strangely annoying. "That's what Niles said, but it's simply not true!" she yelled. "The doctors are the ones responsible, not me!"
"Of course it's true, Daphne. Don't you know how strong love is?"
"But I didn't do any-."
"Daphne, just go in and see him, okay?"
Martin looked worriedly at Frasier who reached for her hand. "He'll be okay, Daphne. I promise."
She smoothed the fabric of her new dress and peered into the tiny window of Niles' room, unexpectedly catching a glimpse of herself. And almost immediately she began searching through her purse.
"What are you doing?" Frasier asked.
"Looking for some makeup." Daphne replied without raising her head. "I look horrible." Her actions were halted by Frasier's hand on her back.
"Nonsense. You look beautiful."
"Oh, no. I-."
"You are beautiful." He said again, more firmly this time. "That dress is very becoming. You made the perfect choice."
"Sure did!" Martin agreed. "It looks even better than the one that Niles-."
An eerie silence followed as they remembered the unfortunate turn of events that had unfolded at Café Nervosa only days ago.
Nervously Martin cleared his throat. "Well, you'd better get in there. Niles was pretty worried about you."
"Dad-."
Daphne gasped in surprise. "He was? Why?"
Martin's eyes darted to Frasier and then back to Daphne. "Well, because he heard you crying out here and-."
Before Martin could finish, Daphne moved past him and entered Niles' room. The instant their eyes met, he smiled and held out his hand.
"Daphne my angel, I-." He stopped and stared at her for a moment, causing a flash of worry to fill her.
"What's wrong?"
He smiled, beckoning her to come closer. "Nothing's wrong. It's just… you're stunningly beautiful."
Tears filled her eyes, spilling onto her cheeks and she went to him in one fluid motion. "Niles..."
He held her close as she cried against him.
"It's all right, Sweetheart. It's all right." He whispered. "I didn't mean to upset you. I was only speaking from my heart."
The touch of his fingers in her hair made her sigh and she held him a little closer. "I'm sorry I scared you, Niles. Your father told me-."
He brushed the hair from her face and kissed her cheek. "I wasn't scared. But Dad told me that you were crying, and I was worried. I wanted to see you, so badly. To make sure that you were okay."
"I'm sorry, Niles." she whispered brokenly. "I'm here now. I'm here. I love you. I love you so much."
"I love you too, Daph-."
Her lips were on his, kissing him with everything she had. Her lips moved from his mouth to his cheek, his chin and his neck. When the kisses ended, he sighed deeply and laid his head against the pillow and closed his eyes.
But the simple gesture brought a rush of panic as her heart began to race.
"Niles, Sweetheart. Are you okay? Do you need the doctor?"
"I'm… fine." He said slowly, his words slurred. "I'm just… suddenly very tired."
She kissed his forehead. "Of course. You need your rest, so I'll just go and-."
His hand in hers prevented her from leaving his bedside and she turned to him in surprise. "What's wrong?"
"Stay." He whispered.
"But Niles-."
"Please. I need you."
"I need you too, Niles. But how-."
He moved ever so slightly, beckoning her to climb onto the bed beside him. "Come on. It's all right."
She wanted to, so badly. To feel his body next to hers, the way she'd dreamed about so many-
"Come on, please?" he whispered again.
A million thoughts went through her head then, most of them thoughts of the repercussions of one moment of bliss and she shook her head. "We could get into so much trouble. And… you know I can't. Your leg… your shoulder. I don't want to hurt you."
"Imposs-ible." He said quietly, bringing tears to her eyes. "I… love you, Daphne. I… need you."
"I need you too, Sweetheart. But we can't… not until..."
N
iles chuckled softly. "What are they going to do, throw me out? That's a punishment I will take, especially if it means that I can spend more time with you."
She blinked back tears and kissed him softly. "We'll be able to spend lots of time together soon. But just rest now, all right?"
He kissed her tenderly, bringing a sensation she felt everywhere. "I love you."
Her heart felt heavy when his eyelids closed. She walked out of the room, pausing to take one last look at the man she had come to love.
Frasier and Martin were waiting for her with sympathetic smiles, each man offering her a reassuring hug. They took a hold of her hands, as they headed for the elevator. But just as the doors opened, Daphne paused and looked back. "Hold on a second."
"Is something wrong, Daphne?"
"Just… go on to the lobby. I'll be right back."
Frasier smiled knowingly. "It's all right. Dad and I will wait right here for you."
"All right. I'll only be few minutes."
She turned and made her way to Niles' room, peering into the tiny window. Her heart was beating madly against her chest. She opened the door slowly and smiled when she saw him sleeping peacefully.
The moment she reached his bed, he opened his eyes and sat up worriedly. "Daphne, what are you doing here? Is something-."
She moved closer and gently cupped his fragile face into her hands, kissing him tenderly. She could hear his heart monitor increase as his free hand went to her back, softly massaging her tense muscles.
"Goodnight, my darling." She said as she slowly drew back. When his eyes closed once more she stepped into the hallway, missing him immediately. Her heart fluttering in her chest, she returned to the hallway and joined Martin and Frasier on their journey home. But Niles stayed with her all the way there, etched in her heart.