Chapter Five

Lilith finally awoke to the annoying buzz of her alarm clock. She had eventually gotten herself back to sleep at sometime around three. Now it was close to seven, and she knew that Frederick was awake and most likely expecting breakfast. She glanced down at her apparel then walked over to her closet. She knew Frasier was coming, and she had to prepare for that. She had to prepare Frederick for that.

Was it worth keeping him out of school for the day, she wondered to herself. No, she decided after a moment. If he stayed home, then he would only get suspicious, and she definitely was not ready to admit to him that she was pregnant.

She glanced at her closet again before pulling out a black pair of pants and a simple white shirt. She quickly changed into them, deciding that she could always shower once Frederick was at school. If she stayed in her room much longer, the young boy would start asking questions.

Lilith quickly pulled her hair into a serviceable bun and walked downstairs to the kitchen. As expected, her son was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal.

"Um, Frederick, I have a surprise for you," Lilith announced as she sat down next to him.

Frederick placed the newspaper down nicely on the table before looking at his mother. "What is it?" he asked curiously. "Am I getting new dissection tools?" he asked again. His eyes filled with hope.

Lilith shook her head slightly. "I'm afraid not."

"A new computer?" Frederick asked with the same amount of excitement. He looked at Lilith and saw the anxiety in her face. "Oh, it's ok, Mother," he began. "I don't need a new computer. I can just take apart my old one and put it back together."

Lilith smiled slightly at him. "That's my boy," she said softly.

"So what is this surprise?" Frederick asked.

"Your father's coming here," Lilith informed him. "He'll most likely be here by the time you get home from school."

"Neat," Frederick exclaimed as he stood up from the table. He placed his empty bowl of cereal in the sink along with his spoon. "Is there a reason for his visit?"

Lilith nodded slightly as she tried to resist the urge to start crying again. She did not know why she was getting this emotional. It was not like her. The only time she had been like this was when Brian left her. Frederick seemed to adjust well to that. Perhaps he could handle the true reason for his father's visit…

No, she quickly scolded herself. I will not tell him until both Frasier and Niles know.

"Mother?" Frederick asked as he walked in front of Lilith.

"Um, he's here for a conference," Lilith lied as she looked down. She refused to look at Frederick as she lied to him. "Come on," she said as she picked her head up again. "You don't want to be late for your bus."

Frederick nodded before gently kissing Lilith's forehead. "Ok," he said softly. "I'll see you after school," he promised before grabbing his lunch and walking out the door.

"Bye, Frederick," Lilith called as her son closed the door behind him. She sighed heavily before deciding it was best to take a shower. If not for her sake, for Frasier's. There was no doubt that he would be hugging her and holding her close to him once she told him. That was the sort of thing she could count on him doing.

She sighed again as she began walking upstairs. Among all things, she knew she had to see a doctor soon. She had to ensure that everything was fine with this pregnancy. She walked into her bathroom and turned on the shower water.

Lilith quickly drove home from the obstetrician's office. Everything there had gone smoothly in her opinion. Her pregnancy was fine, and the due date was set for sometime around December fifteenth. Now she had to get home as fast as she could. She doubted that Frasier's plane had landed yet, if he had even found a flight yet. As soon as she got inside, she rushed towards her phone and checked for messages. There were none. She sighed heavily and walked over to the refrigerator. She scanned her selection of food before pulling out some vegetables and dip. She sat down and began eating slowly.

As soon as she had started eating her celery, the door opened slightly. Thinking it was Frederick, Lilith sat there and only turned her head. "Did you have a good time at school?" she asked without actually looking at the person walking inside.

"School was a long time ago," Frasier announced as he walked inside and over to Lilith.

Lilith gasped and stood up. "Frasier, I apologize. I did not realize you were at the door."

"I should have called," Frasier admitted as he hugged Lilith tightly. He did not want to let her go. He just wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her that everything would be fine. He rubbed his hands along her back, and then finally pulled away. The two of them sat down before he spoke. Frasier noted the platter of vegetables and dip on the table as well as the somewhat distraught look in Lilith's face. He could not wait any longer. He had to know what was troubling her. "Lilith, what is it?"