She stood in his office, staring at the doorway in shock. What had just happened? It was barely an hour ago, when Niles lay beside her in bed, doing a very good job of letting her know that he was definitely in the mood for romance. He'd always been a romantic but never quite like that, and never with such spontaneity.
She wanted to give into his desires, for she never tired of letting him know how much she loved him. But she was so exhausted. Taking care of a child was harder than she imagined, but she would never trade that experience for anything else in the world. If only she hadn't been so tired. She couldn't even imagine what he'd had in store for her and when she woke from her unexpected nap, she'd eagerly padded down the stairs in the hopes of making it up to him. But she wasn't prepared for how quickly his mood changed and it left her feeling a bit guilty.
But there was something else. Rarely if ever had he discussed a patient with her. She'd learned long ago, not to ask about such things for she'd almost lost him once, over her own stupidity. She'd blamed the incident on Roz, saying that Roz was the one who suggested that she find out who the woman was who claimed to have a crush on Niles. And in doing so she'd lost his trust. It took many years for that trust to be regained and she wasn't about to lose it again. So when he brought up a patient on his own, she was more than a little surprised. But she could see how upset he was and vowed to be an attentive wife. However, when she'd brought up the subject of Joe (in which she was simply trying to make a point), she wasn't prepared for his reaction. He'd gotten so angry! Surely he wasn't still jealous! Joe was in the distant past and if she ever saw that man again, it would be too soon. He'd broken her heart in two and it took a very long time to put together the shattered pieces.
Tears filled her eyes and her head was swimming with confusion. What was going on? And why had he suddenly gotten so angry and left the room? The terse way he'd spoken to her was like a slap in the face and his harsh words still resonated in her head.
It just didn't make sense.
Tiredness came over her again and she was eager to return to slumber. She'd had such little sleep these days and she relished every minute of rest. But first things first. She had to talk to Niles and find out where this sudden anger was coming from. Doing so now was probably pointless for he was certain to be asleep and she hated to disturb him. But she had to know what was going on.
They weren't a couple who kept secrets from one another. It simply wasn't in their nature. She'd learned long ago that psychiatrists never held anything back, preferring to keep everything out in the open. It certainly worked on the day before her wedding to Donny, for had Niles not confronted her about his feelings for her, she might have become Mrs. Ronald Donald Douglas.
And that would have been the biggest mistake of all.
Niles would never lie to her, and even if he did, his bleeding nose would give him away. But when he was speaking to her in such a hurtful tone, his nose was completely normal with no blood in sight. And that's what scared her most of all.
There was only one thing to do; no matter what time it was. She had to confront him, even if the truth hurt her deeply.