He carried this thought with him as he drove home. With Mel gone for a week he had time to do other things. His patient load, while it had not increased, had become more demanding and his sessions had in turn, become longer than before. Not only did it make for very long and tiring days, but it also meant that there would be a lot more paperwork than he was used to. He didn't mind the extra work of course, but when Mel was around it was a constant battle of balancing love and work. But for a week at least, he could forgo love in favor of work.
However, the moment that he opened his front door, he felt differently. He couldn't stay there alone in his home when thoughts of uncertainty regarding Mel and his upcoming marriage swirled in his head. Was he really doing the right thing in asking her to marry him? It was, of course, too late to back out now and even if he could he wouldn't dream of ending their relationship. He loved Mel. However, he did not love her in the same way in which he loved Daphne, but that was precisely the point.
Mel was real and she loved him in return, while Daphne, although she'd told him that she loved him, did so only in friendship. And that was perfectly fine with him. He valued her friendship of course. In fact, he cherished it, considering it one of his greatest possessions. But he needed more than friendship. He needed companionship and validation from a woman that he knew he would love and be loved for the rest of his life.
He would never stop loving Daphne, that much was certain. But alas she'd given her heart to his divorce lawyer, Donny Douglas. The reminder still stung, but as he glanced at the ring on his left hand, the pain dissipated, if only in the smallest amount.
With a frustrated sigh, he tossed his keys onto the small table and retreated into his study. Minutes later he'd situated himself at his desk, prepared to work until he was completely exhausted. And then he'd wearily climb the stairs and sink into bed, waking up the next morning to do the whole routine again. But after almost twenty minutes of staring at the paperwork and shuffling through folder after folder, he found that he hadn't comprehended a single word. The question came at him again and again, refusing to leave until he'd answered it honestly;
Was he really doing the right thing in asking for Mel's hand in marriage?
Exasperated, he put down the paperwork. There was no possible way that he could concentrate when he had so much on his mind. He closed his eyes for a moment, wishing that he was somewhere else. Anywhere else. Somewhere that he could clear his mind, and put things into perspective.
His gaze moved across the pictures that sat on his desk, landing on one that he hadn't looked at in a long time. It was a picture of himself with his dad and Frasier, taken in the living room of the cabin where they'd spent so much time. He could tell that the photograph had been taken by his mother; a rarity, since it was usually his father behind the camera.
His mind traveled back to when the picture was taken and the fun they'd had on that particular trip. Although he'd thoroughly enjoyed his recent time alone with Mel at the cabin, he longed for something else. He needed to get away. And the cabin was the perfect place.