Frasier breathed a sigh of relief as he set his luggage down. He'd never been so glad to be home. He barely heard Lilith as she yelled "Frederick, Mommy's home," and ran towards the nursery. She would be reuniting with their son for some time, then retiring to the study to work on the article she'd started on Nantucket.
This left Frasier with a rare bit of free time. For a moment, he considered heading out to his favorite bar, and visiting with Sam and the others. A beer would be great right now. But then he glanced at the phone. For some reason, he recalled something one of the young pilots had said during the seminar. The problem started when, after not speaking to me for six years, my brother moves in and shakes up my entire existence. As much as Frasier hated to admit it, he was no stranger to sibling rivalry himself. He thought of Niles. They hadn't spoken since Frasier had attended his younger brother's wedding. Did he really want to end up like Joe and Brian, barely able to speak to one another without fighting?
Before Frasier even knew what he was doing, he walked over and picked up the receiver. He dialed Niles' number in Seattle, praying that Maris wouldn't answer. The phone rang twice as Frasier held his breath. "Crane residence."
"Thank God you picked up," Frasier said.
"Oh, Frasier. Well, this is a nice surprise."
"I know we haven't spoken in some time, but I was just thinking about you."
"Well, that was certainly kind of you. What brought that on?"
"Lilith and I just returned from a vacation. We went to Nantucket."
"Oh, that must have been nice. Did Lilith get a tan?" Niles could barely hold back his laughter. His sister-in-law was ghostly pale.
"Niles, you're married to Maris. I don't think you should talk!" Frasier rolled his eyes. Lilith might be pale, but Maris was downright translucent.
"Don't yell at me, Frasier. You're the one who called me," Niles calmly replied.
Frasier sighed. He remembered why he picked up the phone. "While we were there, I did a little seminar on the island. I met a pair of brothers, and they began fighting. I don't care to relive it."
"Oh, so that must've been what brought me to mind," Niles said."Now it makes sense."
"Niles, don't take it like that. I just don't want us to end up like those two. They let a petty argument over a woman ruin their relationship. I know we don't see eye-to-eye, but we're better than that, aren't we?"
For a moment, Niles was quiet. He had to admit he missed his older brother. Married life hadn't turned out the way he'd thought. At times, Maris could be downright distant. With his mother gone, and his father barely speaking to him, Niles' life had become very lonely. "Yes, Frasier, we are," Niles finally said. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. How is Frederick?"
"Oh, he's just fine. Lilith is in with him now. Fatherhood is absoltely wonderful. Things with Lilith aren't always perfect, but at least one person in this house loves me."
"I wish I could say the same," Niles replied, thinking of Maris.
"Oh, Niles, are you and Maris having problems?"
"Well, I don't know," Niles said. "Maris hasn't said a word to me in two days."
Frasier felt a rush of compassion for his younger brother. "Oh, Niles! Perhaps you and Maris should think about counseling."
Niles laughed sarcastically. "I am a couples' therapist, remember? Although, not a very good one, apparently. I can't even fix my own relationship."
"You are a very good psychiatrist. Maris' problems aren't your fault. You have to believe that. What about Dad? What does he say?"
Once again, Niles uttered a humorless laugh. "I visit him once a week for dinner. It makes the time I spend with Maris seem lively."
For the first time, Frasier realized how dark and lonely his brother's life was. Even if it wasn't much, Frasier knew he had his friends at the bar, and his practice. That was enough to keep him going, not to mention the immense pride he had in his son. But Niles had none of those things. "Oh, Niles."
"Don't worry about me, Frasier. As bad as things are, I've come to accept it. I'm not going to do anything foolish."
"But still, you deserve better," Frasier said. "A wife who loves you, at least."
"Yes, well, we can't always get what we want, can we?" Niles asked with a sigh.
Hearing how depressed his brother sounded broke Frasier's heart. "I still have some more vacation time left. What if I left Lilith and Frederick here, and came out for a visit?"
"Oh, Frasier, you don't have to do that. I told you, I've accepted my life."
"I want to see you. We're all each other has, right?" Frasier knew that, with their mother gone, he and Niles didn't have much family left.
"I suppose you're right, Frasier. It would be good to see you again. And there's certainly room enough here for you. This house has ten bedrooms, and Maris and I are only using two of them." He laughed again, hating the fact that his wife wouldn't even share his room.
"All right, then. I'll talk it over with Lilith and get back to you." For the first time since he'd dialed Niles' number, he felt himself smiling.
"Very well," Niles said. He, too, felt a surge of excitement. Most of the time, he told himself he was happy with the way things were. He had a beautiful home, more money than most people could ever wish for, and a successful psychiatry practice. But, the truth was, his life was empty. He was secretly grateful for Frasier's call. It was a bright spot he hadn't realized he needed desperately.
"I'll call you as soon as I have the details worked out," Frasier said, hanging up the phone. He didn't know how he would explain to Lilith that he would be leaving again so soon. But he had a feeling his wife would enjoy the one-on-one time with their son. This idea might just work out. Maybe it was exactly what they all needed.
The End