"Darling are you sure about this?" Frasier asked as they pulled up to the rehabilitation center.
"Yes," Nora answered as she looked out the window.
"You sure you don't want to wait until the kids are home?"
"They don't want anything to do with me anymore and I don't blame them."
"Darling..."
"Please don't," Nora begged. "Frasier, can you do me a favor?"
"Anything"
"Meg's baby shower is this weekend. Can you make sure she gets the gift we got her?"
"Sure," Frasier looked at his wife, "wait aren't you helping plan it?"
"No, what made you think that?"
"You're one of Frederick's mothers I just assumed," Frasier noticed his wife's mood change. "Darling, talk to me."
"When Frederick and Meg announced the pregnancy at your party, they told Lilith and Kelly that they would be the best grandmothers. Frederick had been talking to me all night and after the announcement, I never saw him again. I mean literally, I haven't seen or heard from him. I was a fool to ever think of myself as a mother to him."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to ruin your birthday and so much other shit has happened that I just decided it wasn't as important."
"Maybe you can talk about it here. I hope you do because I can tell how much it bothers you."
The hardest thing Frasier ever had to do was leave his wife at that rehabilitation center. He had no idea when she would be home or what was going to happen to her. Nora signed a form stating she didn't want any visitors during her stay. She could change her mind later and Frasier was hoping she would.
Frasier cried the entire drive home.
"Dad where have you been and where's mom?" Savannah asked when Frasier walked into the living room.
"Sorry, I was hoping to get back before you," Frasier said.
"Why are you crying?" Henry asked.
"She's dead isn't she?" Lenora asked.
"No, she's not dead." Frasier sat down to explain to his kids that Nora had checked into a mental health facility and that she wouldn't be home until the doctors were positive that she wasn't a danger to herself.
"Can we call her?" Ella asked.
"Your mother signed a form requesting no form of contact during her stay."
"We can't visit her either?" Tony asked.
"When I dropped her off I asked if she wanted to wait to check in until you all got home. She said that she didn't because you all don't want anything to do with her anymore. I can understand your anger and frustration, but that is not how you speak to someone experiencing mental health issues. It's also no way to speak to your mother. She's not a drug addict or alcoholic. She's your mother who has had her life turned upside down and doesn't know how to cope. I love you all with every fiber of my being, but I am disappointed in you." Frasier walked out of the room and left his children to think about everything.
Frasier had Ray and Debra go home to take a break while Nora was away. He told them that they didn't have to return, but was pretty sure that they would.
"It feels like we haven't been home in years," Ray said as they entered their house.
"I know," Debra agreed, "it feels wrong."
"What does?"
Debra took Ray to sit on the couch with her, "being here," she said. "I feel like we should be in Boston."
"Yeah, it's nice to have my brothers and sister right there. You know, I've really missed having one of them close by."
"Maybe one day we can follow in Robert and Amy's footsteps."
"Well, we have to consider the gruesome twosome."
"I know," Debra said, "We really need to get your dad down there."
"I wish ma would just go. I feel like he won't go if she doesn't."
"Maybe if Marie knew how bad things were."
"Nora doesn't want them to know."
"Yeah, I guess we'll have to find another way."
Two weeks later Frasier went to answer the door after the bell rang.
"Frasier Crane?" the young man asked.
"Yes," Frasier said and accepted the envelope the man handed him.
"You've been served."
Frasier closed the door and went to the living room. "Dad, who was that?" Charlie asked. All of the children were in the living room. They had been talking to their father about their mother.
Frasier opened the envelope, "son of a bitch!" he yelled.
Henry took the envelope out of his stunned father's hand, "divorce papers?"
"Mom, filed for divorce?" Lenora yelled as the others went to look at the papers.
"She told me to divorce her a few months ago, but I thought I had put that to rest."
"Dad, she filed these before she went away," Tony said.
"She filed them the day she overdosed," Charlie told his father.
"Why do you think it took so long for them to get here?" Savannah asked.
"That's your first question?" Ella asked.
Frasier took the forms and stormed out of the room. He went to his car and the children piled in. They were worried when Frasier pulled up to the center. They followed him in, "Dr. Crane what can I do for you?" the receptionist kindly asked.
"I need to see my wife."
"I'm sorry, you know she isn't taking visitors."
"You don't understand I was just served something and I need to see her."
"Let's go and talk to my boss," the woman suggested and Frasier followed her.
"Tony, what are you doing?" Ella whispered when she saw her brother behind the desk.
"Looking for mom's room number, what else?" he answered, "got it, let's go."
"Wait," Charlie said, "if we're going to do this we need to put a visitor's badge on so we don't get stopped." The kids put the stickers on and followed Tony.
Nora was in her room reading when the door opened and her kids walked in.
"What are you all doing here?" she said in shock and wide-eyed. "How did you get back here?"
"I took a peek after the receptionist left her desk, we put stickers on, and snuck back," Tony answered quickly.
"Why?" Nora couldn't believe that Tony was talking to her or that he had gone to such lengths to see her.
"To ask you why you're divorcing dad," Charlie said.
"What are you talking about?" Nora was confused.
"He got the divorce papers in the mail today," Lenora brought up.
"Oh my God," Nora remembered, "I had forgotten about that. I meant to stop them and with everything going on I forgot."
"You don't want a divorce?" Henry asked.
"No, of course not. I mean I sometimes feel it would be easier for everyone, but I don't want a divorce. Where's your father now?"
"Yelling at the receptionist and her boss," Savannah said.
"Let's go," Nora said as she grabbed her cane. Tony walked over and gave his mother a hand. "Thank you," she smiled at him and followed her children.
"Mrs. Crane!" Nora and the kids turned around to find an orderly. "Where are you going?"
"My children wandered back here and I'm taking them back to my husband. Is that alright?"
The orderly thought for a moment, "sure, I'll let the front desk know."
"Thank you," they all turned and began walking towards the front.
The receptionist ran to the phone with Frasier following her. There was no way they were going to let him see Nora.
"Dr. Crane, it looks like you are going to get to see your wife after all," the receptionist said after she hung up.
"What do you mean?"
"She's on her way up here with your children."
"My children!" Frasier went to look out the window at his car.
"Sorry, Dad," Charlie said and Frasier whipped around.
"What were you all thinking?" Frasier stormed over and didn't notice Nora right away.
"We were trying to help," Ella said.
"We just went about it the wrong way," Henry added.
"Frasier," he turned to find his wife holding onto Tony. "I'm sorry about those papers. I forgot to stop them before I came here."
"You mean you don't want to..."
"No, I did that when I was in a really dark place. I'm so sorry."
Frasier walked over and hugged his wife. "I'm so glad because I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Well for starters, you would spend a lot less time in hospitals," she joked and made her husband chuckle. "Can you take me to the front desk please?" Nora was having a bit more trouble with her balance from her new anti-depressants. "I changed my mind about visitors," Nora said and put a smile on the faces of her children and husband.
Ray had decided to go across the street and talk to his mother. He was going to try to convince Marie to go without betraying Nora's trust. Debra went with him for moral support.
"Ma, you really need to visit Nora," Ray said.
"I can't," Marie replied.
"Why?"
"I can't see her like that."
"You saw her after her stroke."
"This is different. She's not going to get any better."
"Ma, I have to tell you something."
"Ray, no!" Debra yelled.
Ray turned to his wife, "I have to. She's not gonna listen. I tried to honor my sister's wishes, but she needs to see our parents and this is probably the only way to get them there." Ray turned back to his mother, "Ma, Nora is in a mental rehabilitation facility."
"What?"
"She tried to kill herself because she can't cope with her new life."
Debra looked at her mother-in-law with sympathy, "Tony tried too, but he went to see a psychiatrist. His problems aren't as severe as Nora's. Although he did leave a note. Nora got Frasier out of the house and took a handful of pills."
Marie walked out of the living room and into her bedroom before slamming the door. Ray turned to his wife, "I don't regret telling her. She had to know."