Niles watched helplessly as Daphne drifted out of his life. His eight year old son, Martin, lay his mother's still hand on the bed and buried his face in his father's side. Frasier took 7 month old Claudia from his brother and led Martin out of the room. The ever presant beeping of the monitor was slowing.
"Daphne, I know you can hear me. I want to tell you a few things before.....before you.....die." Niles was sobbing to Daphne. "I just want you to know I love you. I'll always love you. Martin will understand one day, but Claudia is too little. God, how could this happen! Of all the people to get in an accedent, I HAD to let you drive! If I'd have been driving, you would still be fine. Damn that man to hell! Damn the DRUNK to hell!!" he wailed as the beeping slowed even more. "Daphne, don't leave me. I need you. I need you like water, like breath, like the rain, You CAN'T Die." A long beep told him that he was now a single father. It seemed to tell him 'Oh yes I can, Niles Crane. I can do anything. You told me so.'
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3 days earlier
"Mum, can you drop me at Kevin's house?" Martin asked, eyes bright with anticipation. Niles rocked Claudia in the nursery. He smiled as he listened to Daphne and Martin get ready to go. As she helped dress her son, they played games, such as tickling, or putting clothes on wrong and fixing them. Daphne was such a great mother. Niles moved Claudia into her crib and just watched her sleep. His apartment at the Montana had been changed a lot in the recent years. Ten years ago, when Daphne ran away with Niles, deep down he never thought it would last, but a year later, after he was FINALLY divorced, the two were married. Another year and a half later, they had a son, Martin Niles Crane. When Marty was born, Daphne asked to remodle the apartment. Now all of Niles's antiques and things were in his study, where the children had an area where they could play, but none of his things would get broken. The livingroom was now a very friendly and inviting place.
Daphne poked her head into the nursery. Niles looked up at her and grinned. She was still as beautiful as the day he met her. Her hair was chestnut brown and fell loosely on her shoulders, and her eyes had a flame of mistchief.
"Niles, Darling, I'm taking Marty to Kevin's. I'll be back in a bit."
"I'll take him. You need to get a little sleep." Niles kissed his beloved wife passionatly.
"Its all right. I'll take him." Daphne grinned at him. "I love you so much Niles." That was the last time they would ever speak.
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"Kevin, is Marty here?" Niles asked the little boy. Niles was in a panic. Daphne had left over an hour ago. It only take 15 minutes to get to Kevin's house.
"Yeah Dr. Crane. MARTY!!! YOUR DAD'S HERE!!" the boy hollered. Marty lept down the stairs.
"Hi Dad, whats wrong?"
"Oh my god, Marty I was so worried about you." Niles hugged his son tightly. "Did your Mother say that she was going somewhere after she dropped you off?"
"She said she was going home." Niles took Marty by the hand. "Dad, I wanna play with Kevin."
"Not today, we have to go." Niles had heard on the radio that there was an accident involving a red Dodge truck. Daphne had a red Dodge truck, but the location of the accident was not where she would have been......unless there was traffic. Dread filled Niles's heart. The drove home fasster than Marty liked.
"Dad, whats wrong!? You're gonna get us killed!" Marty calmed his baby sister who was crying in the carseat next to him. When they got to the apartment, there was a policeman waiting for him.
"Don't tell me. Please, don't tell me." Niles shook his head in denial as his world crashed around him.
"Daphne Crane was involved in an accident. She has been taken to Seattle General. It doesn't look good sir. Please come with us."
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Doctors and nurses seemed to rush in around Niles, and he was shooed from the room. The were pumping her and adjusting tubes and pipes. The long beep turned into a beeping sound as her heart began to beat once again. Niles was taken to the waiting room.
"We need to operate again. There is a specialest who will be working on her. He was unavalible for the last week because of a series of operations he was preforming, but he's here now."
"Will she be all right?" Frasier asked.
"Right now, it doesn't look too good. We'll know more tomorrow. Would you like one of the Nurses to take the baby to the hospital daycare? I have two in there right now."
"Niles?" Niles just shook his head. He held Claudia closer as she slept. He paced from three in the afternoon until nearly midnight before Frasier took Claudia and Marty home. Only ten minutes after Frasier left, a doctor came to niles.
"Dr. Crane," he began. "We're moving Daphne to a private room in ICU. She's doing a helluva lot better. She's breathing on her own and we got most of the brain swelling down. We'll know how significant the brain damage is when she wakes up. Either way, it looks like she's going to make it." Niles cried with releif.
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Daphne opened her eyes slowly. Niles was sleeping in the chair next to her. Marty was in his lap.
"Niles?" she said weakly. His eyes shot open. She could have been ten thousand miles away and whispered his name and he would have heard.
"Daphne! Marty, son wake up. Go get Uncle Frasier." He lifted his son to the floor and the boy scampered off to the waiting room.
"Niles?"
"I'm here Daphne," he said laughing. He kissed her hand.
"Where are we? What happened?" Niles told her about the accedent. "How long have I been here?"
"Over a week." He stroked her hair. "I thought I'd lost you, Darling." He held he tightly. Daphne was just begining a long road of recovery, but he'd be with her every inch of the way, never leaving her side.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6 months later...
"Come on, sweety, you can do it." She let go of Niles's hand and took her first step without help. Across the room, Claudia let go of Marty's hand and took her first step. Daphne took another step. Claudia, too, continued to walk. Daphne and Claudia met in the middle of the room, smiling the entire way.
