Author's Note:Thanks to Leigh Ann (leighann415) and Andrea (iloveromance) for their help and encouragement w/ this story! I literally started writing this yesterday, so I'm not sure how long it'll take to finish. Patience is appreciated, although I know it's not always easy to give! *grin*

Niles looked at his appointment calendar for today. He couldn't help noticing all the blank spaces. Lately more and more patients had been calling to cancel appointments, or to have their records sent elsewhere. At first, he'd laughed it off, saying he liked having time to run home and see Daphne and David during the day. Though he loved his work, his family meant much more. After being in love with Daphne for such a long time, being married to her was even better than he'd imagined. And David was everything Niles could hope for in a son. Sure, he was only a few months old, but Niles was convinced that David was bound to be just as intelligent as his father and Uncle Frasier.

Now, Niles looked around his office and sighed, defeated. The dwindling size of his practice had really begun to worry him. After all, he wasn't just working to support himself anymore. He had a wife and child. He knew it was his job to provide for them. He'd contemplated other ways to use his skills to earn a living. There was always writing. He'd written a few articles in some well-respected psychiatry journals. It wasn't much, he knew, but it was something. And, maybe one day, he could even write a book. Boy, wouldn't that be a twist? Niles thought. And I used to think Frasier was a sell-outi!

For the rest of that day, Niles tried his best to concentrate on the few patients he still had. But his worries about job were never far from his mind. Several times, his patients had to get his attention when he'd drifted off during a session. In the past, it had been thoughts of Daphne which made it difficult to pay attention. Her smile, or something she'd said when he last saw her, would cause him to daydream about what it would be like to kiss her and tell her how deeply he loved her. But now, she was his wife, and all his thoughts were not so pleasant. He knew that this new obstacle in his life would only increase his usual level of anxiety.

After what seemed like forever, Niles wrapped things up with his last patient. Before leaving, he told Mrs. Woodson she could have tomorrow morning off. There wasn't much work for her these days, other than answering phones. It seemed unncessary to make her come in for something Niles could easily handle himself. After saying goodnight to his longtime secretary, he got into his car and began the drive home. When he passed by Cafe Nervosa, he was nearly tempted to stop for a latte. But he knew Daphne would be expecting him, and he hadn't seen David since this morning. That one thought caused Niles to hurry to the Montana, eager to see his precious son.

A few minutes later, took out his key, ready to unlock the door to his sanctuary. But before he could even do that, Daphne opened the door. In her arms was David. The sight caused Niles to sigh immediately. "David!" He carefully took the baby from her arms. The feeling of holding his son in his arms made Niles' worries about his practice vanish. "How are you?" he cooed, almost expecting David to answer.

"He just had his nap," Daphne said. "He missed you today. And he's not the only one." She kissed her husband.

"I missed you both," Niles said. "It's so good to be home!"

"Well, I'll leave you two to get reacquainted while I make you something to eat," Daphne said.

"All right, my love," Niles said, carrying David over to the sofa.

"By the way, how was work today?" Daphne asked over her shoulder as she headed into the kitchen.

Niles swallowed hard, suddenly reminded of his earlier worries. "Oh, um...the usual." He breathed a sigh of relief when the kitchen door closed behind Daphne, just as his nose began to bleed.