A whisper-soft movement against her cheek made her sigh, but it was the gentle pressure against her lips that made her smile. She was kissing Niles in the most romantic way possible, wondering how she'd managed to be alone for so long when the man she loved was right before her the entire time… her best friend. She loved him so much and kissing him like this was a dream from which she never wanted to wake up. The kisses were soft and sweet, and when his lips moved from her mouth to her chin, trailing kisses along her jawline, her eyes fluttered open. And that's when she realized that it was no dream.

She gasped in surprise and sat upright, her heart beating rapidly. "Niles… what are you doing here?"

He smiled and stroked her hair. "I was worried about you. I wrote you a note earlier before I left and when I returned I found it in the same place I left it, untouched. I looked for you, but I couldn't find you anywhere. I thought that maybe you'd gone home."

"Y-you left? But why?"

"I went to the doctor."

Her eyes widened "The doctor? Why? Oh Niles what's wrong? Why didn't you tell me? I would have come with you!"

"I know, Sweetheart, but you looked so beautiful when I found you sleeping and I knew that you were tried, I couldn't bear to wake you."

It was then that she noticed the black and sand colored blanket that was draped across her body and she was more confused than ever before. "I don't understand."

"I couldn't stop thinking about the kindness you showed me last night and how worried were about my well-being. You were right Daphne. Head injuries can be dangerous and I realized that I couldn't put off getting myself checked out any longer. And so I made an emergency appointment and left you a note in case you woke so that you wouldn't worry."

But she was worried now, more so than he would ever know. "Are you…"

The doctor did a thorough check on me and a CT scan to make sure that everything was all right."

She swallowed hard, bracing herself for what he might say. Tears welled in her eyes and her heart pounded even more than before. "A-and?"

"I'm going to be just fine. It was just a minor concussion."

Tears of relief streamed down her cheeks and she framed his face in her hands, kissing him again and again. "Oh Niles… Thank God… I love you so much."

"I love you too, Daphne."

She held him close, crying into his shirt. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"I'll never leave you, Daphne. You saved my life."

Surprised by his comment, she drew back. "What? Niles, that's ridiculous! All I did was take care of you."

He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "Daphne, the doctor told me that because you checked on me so often, you saved my life. Otherwise I might have slipped into a coma."

She was crying even more now, kissing him as though he would vanish if he let go. And she couldn't lose him. Briefly he drew back and reached into his pocket, retrieving a small prescription bottle. "The doctor gave me these, for the pain."

Her fingers ran through his hair. "Are you in pain, my darling?"

"Not at the moment, but he did say to start taking them right away in order to keep the pain to a minimum. But there's one problem."

"What is it?"

"Well, the bottle says May Cause Drowsiness and if I take these as prescribed, I'll be sleeping quite a bit. I called Mrs. Woodson and told her to close the office for the week and reschedule my patients. She was worried of course, but I assured her that I would be fine. I just need some rest and time to heal. I'll pay her for her time off of course, and I know she's thrilled at the chance to be able to see her grandchildren. I could try to go in I suppose, but-."

She squeezed his hand. "You need your rest."

"I agree, but I can't help noticing how exhausted you look. Care to join me in slumber for a while?"

She could hardly believe what she was hearing. "What will your brother and father think?"

"I called Frasier and Dad and told them that you came over to take care of me. I also told them that we love each other and that there's nothing they can do about it. Frasier may not be happy with the idea of us being together but he will be as soon as he realizes how much we love each other."

Before she could respond, he kissed her tenderly, and took her hand as he led her up the staircase. When they reached his room, he took the pills as prescribed and changed into his pajamas after finding her something suitable to sleep in. they climbed into bed and she curled against him. Just like in her dreams, she lay next to him, cradling her head to his shoulder, listening to his heartbeat.

And they drifted off to sleep, she smiled, knowing that her dreams had finally come true.

THE END