The thought woke him up at 7am. It was a thought that he should have had nearly twenty hours before, when he heard the news from Frasier about Daphne and Donny breaking up.
Damn…
He'd been so focused on the fact that Donny had been cruel and thoughtless (not to mention a complete and utter fool) in letting such a beautiful, sweet, kind and angelic woman go that he never really thought about what it meant.
Daphne was free.
In a daze, he rose from his bed and headed for the kitchen, still wearing his pajamas and robe. He knew not to expect Daphne to come downstairs to breakfast so early in the morning, but there was no harm in being prepared. And while he worked diligently to prepare breakfast, he couldn't stop thinking about it.
Daphne was free.
When she still had not come down the stairs by nine, he left the breakfast on the table and scribbled a note on a stray piece of paper, telling her to help herself and that he would be down to join her in a little while. Wearily he went back upstairs and crawled back into bed.
He woke again at noon, feeling fully rested (and what a wonderful feeling it was); rarely had he had the luxury of sleeping so late in the date. But when he got dressed and went downstairs, the note and the breakfast were still untouched. A momentary feeling of unease came over him but he quickly realized that Daphne's emotional state had begun to take its toll on her. Breakups were difficult; he knew that from experience. The memory of his meeting with Mel came rushing back, bringing with it a wave of bad feelings. He could only hope that Daphne hadn't had a similar experience in her breakup with Donny. But Niles was determined never to ask her about her relationship with Donny again. To do so only brought the pain back to the surface and he vowed never to intentionally hurt her again as long as he lived.
He stepped out of his office at two o'clock, dismayed to find that there was still no sign of Daphne. He checked again at three o'clock, at three forty five, three-fifty and three-fifty-two, eventually realizing that he could no longer concentrate on his work.
At four o'clock, he knocked softly on her closed bedroom door.
"Daphne?"
When she didn't respond, he knocked a bit louder and then turned the doorknob, surprised to find that the door was unlocked. Slightly worried, he quietly opened the door and stepped inside. But he wasn't prepared for what he found.
The room (or rather, her bed) looked as though it had been hit by a tornado. The bed was in complete disarray; the sheets and blankets tangled into one giant mess. He took one step foreword and then immediately stepped back, gasping when the sheets and blankets began to move. The movement was cautious at first but then more forceful, thrashing about, alarming him even further.
A soft murmur escaped from beneath the sheets and he almost smiled. Cautiously he approached her again. Her bare foot appeared and then rubbed against the sheets in an almost sensuous manner, sending his mind to places that he'd never dared to venture. Shaken, he moved his hand through his hair.
Dear God…
He moved around the bed twice and caught a glimpse of her face, mostly hidden not only by the sheets but by her hair which was so unruly that it would take a team of professional hairstylists to untangle it. But he simply couldn't stop staring at her. She was absolutely, impossibly, breathtakingly beautiful.
He picked up a pillow and gently lifted her shoulder, allowing him to place the pillow gently under her cheek. But he jumped in surprise when he turned her face toward him and whimpered. Unable to help himself, he slowly reached out and attempted to brush the hair from her face with his fingers. He had no idea what he would say to her if she were to awaken and find him in her room, touching her as she slept. But he wasn't worried, because he knew that he'd never be able to leave. When she whispered again, he smoothed her hair once more.
"Shh… it's all right." He whispered.
Slowly her hair began to untangle beneath his fingers, revealing more of her beautiful face.
Daphne was free.
Again he chided himself for his burst of anger when Frasier had told him the news. He should have been euphoric at the reality that the man who was so undeserving of Daphne's love was no longer a part of her life.
She whimpered once again, but went right back to sleep. And then she turned around, giving him a full view of her face. But then she cried out….
"Donny…"
His heart nearly stopped and he quickly removed his hand from her cheek. He stared at her, inexplicably heartbroken when he heard the soft sounds of her sobbing.
He closed the door behind him and stood outside of her room for what felt like forever.
Daphne did not want him. She wanted Donny.