Every night since they arrived at the cabin, Niles had excused himself after dinner and retreated to his office to make the obligatory phone call. Tonight, however, he stayed put.
He hoped that his brief absences hadn't caused Daphne an inconvenience for they certainly inconvenienced him. When the time came he always tried to be as gracious as possible when making his exit.
"Make yourself at home." He always said. "I just need to take care of something in my office. I won't be long. Do you need anything before I leave?"
She always smiled in return. "No, I'm fine. Thank you, Dr. Crane."
His phone calls to Mel were expected and sometimes demanded but it angered him, how much time had been lost talking to a woman whom he truly did not love when he could have been spending that time with Daphne.
She stood and walked outside, bringing him out of his thoughts. He followed her out the door. His subconscious told him that she probably wanted to be alone, but he found that he could not stand to be without her. He only hoped that she wouldn't mind his company.
He stepped onto the porch and looked into the sky. For the season, the sky was surprisingly clear. Stars glittered overhead around a pale silver moon creating an absolutely stunning scene.
Since yesterday, they had been at each other's sides every moment, with the exception of the time that it took them to shower and change clothes. It was more time, he realized than in all of the years he'd been coming over to Frasier's for his sometimes all-too-brief moments. And he also realized that being alone with Daphne was something he would always cherish. Who wouldn't cherish moments spent alone with an angel?
He wondered what it would be like when they returned home. And then he realized that he didn't want to think about that; returning home. Not yet. He couldn't imagine being without her, even for a moment.
A cold gust of wind swept across the porch and when Daphne shivered, he wasted no time in retreating into the cabin. He returned seconds later with his parka which he draped over her shoulders. She turned to him and gave him a sad smile.
"I'm sorry if I frightened you, Daphne. I thought you might be cold."
"Thank you Dr. Crane. I-."
He shoved his hands deep into his pocket, clutching the ring in his fingers. He wanted so much to tell her what was in his heart. But his conscious was telling him that it wasn't the right time. And he wasn't sure if there would ever be a right time.
When he looked up he saw that she was crying again. He let go of the ring and removed his handkerchief from his pocket. But to his dismay, she cried even harder.
"Are you all right?" he asked, feeling stupid for asking a question that had such an obvious answer. And he felt a stabbing in his heart when the question brought even more tears. Damn…
"I'm fine, why." It was a lie, of course, but at least it was an answer. And he didn't question it.
"I was worried about you. I-I am worried." He kept his voice quiet. "You've been out here a long time and I wanted to make sure that you're okay."
She was silent for a long moment and then looked at him. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. I just…what were you thinking about?"
Another pause…
"I was thinking about Donny."
His heart shattered silently. His hand clutched the ring that lay at the bottom of his pocket once more and he prayed that it would somehow bring him strength. "Of course, how stupid of me. It's only natural that you would-."
"You're not stupid, Dr. Crane. I am."
Her words both surprised and angered him. "No. Don't say that, Daphne! Don't even think it! Don't ever think of yourself that way!" His words were firm, direct. Words he used when trying to raise a patient's self-confidence.
She looked up in surprise. "But I'm the one who-."
"No." He said again. "Don't say it. You're the one whom Donny hurt. This is entirely his fault, Daphne, not yours! The fact that he hurt you shouldn't make you feel worthless because it's absolutely not true!" He was pacing the porch now, unable to look at her. But he kept going, determined to make her see that she was loved.
"You're not worthless, you're… well, you're special… to me and to a lot of other people. Frasier, Dad… me… We care about you, Daphne, so please, don't ever think-"
To his surprise she put her arms around him as though needing comfort that only he could provide. She rested her head against his chest and held on as tightly as possible. He was more than happy to oblige. If it were possible, he'd hold her forever and into eternity.
If only…