"What did you say to me?" Daphne asked; the apprehension heavy in her chest. For surely Frasier hadn't really said-

"I believe you heard me loud and clear, Daphne." He replied curtly.

"We all heard you loud and clear!" Martin said. "And I can't believe you'd say something like that! Daphne has nothing to do with Niles' problems and you should have kept your big nose out of it as well! This is between him and Maris!"

"Well why shouldn't I be angry, Dad? Niles and I are through! I've had it with him and I don't want his name mentioned in this house!"

"You're damn well going to hear it because he's my son and it's my home too! That is, unless you intend on throwing your old man out on the streets as well! I'm mad as hell at Niles for what he did to Daphne but it doesn't mean we have to abandon him! He's going through hell right now with this divorce and I blame it all on Maris. I'd be surprised if he comes out of it in one piece and with the shirt on his back to tell you the truth, but I'm going to make damn sure that he knows that we love him! He deserves that at least, don't you think?"

Daphne smiled at Martin's testament to his youngest son and turned to face her soon-to-be ex-boss. "Dr. Crane I know you and your brother have your differences but you don't understand! He's hurting and he hasn't been seen or heard from in weeks! Doesn't that worry you at all?"

"Daphne, I've tried to contact him, God knows I've tried but he won't answer the phone. The few times we have made contact, he's aloof and downtrodden and-."

"He's depressed Dr. Crane, don't you see that? What kind of a psychiatrist are you, not being able to see what's right in front of your face?" Daphne snapped.

"How dare you tell me what kind of psychiatrist I am?" Frasier retorted.

"I'll make comments about your precious psychiatry all I want to! You're not a very good one if you think your brother is perfectly fine! I wasn't going to tell you this but

I went to see him a few weeks ago at his apartment and found him huddled in his bed under the blankets. I tried to coax him out but he lay there sleeping. Mrs. Woodson called to check on him and gave me some disturbing news!"

The elder Crane man turned to look at her. "What news, Daphne?"

She considered not saying anything more but how could she not? Niles was family and she had no right to keep this from him. If either man had any ounce of compassion left, they would do everything they could to help Niles. "Well… She said that… He hasn't been to work in days."

Frasier's eyes widened. "He hasn't? Well that doesn't sound like Niles at all!"

"Of course it doesn't sound like him!" Daphne yelled. "And if you cared at all for your brother, you'd see what a horrible state he's in! His apartment was a complete disaster. He won't get out of bed and…." Her voice broke but she no longer cared what Martin or Frasier thought of her. "And Mrs. Woodson said…. Oh, bloody hell these damn tears! I wish they would stop!"

This time when Martin spoke, his voice was calmer and softer. "Daphne, you're not horrible. What else did Mrs. Woodson say?"

She sighed and turned around, unable to stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks. Frasier moved toward her and put his hand on her forearm, prompting her to hug him.

"Daphne…"

"I'm sorry Dr. Crane, Mr. Crane!" I didn't mean the things I said! I'm a horrible person! I love you both and I love your brother and I'm just so worried about him!"

"Dad's right. You're not horrible at all. But we need to know. What did Mrs. Woodson say?" Frasier inquired.

Daphne swallowed hard. "Sh-she said that your brother has been losing patients."

Frasier immediately let out a long sigh and stepped back. "Dear God…"

"Now, it's not what you think. They haven't died. She said that your brother has been difficult to deal with and that his patients have been leaving. She said that sometimes he gets so angry that they threaten to call the police!"

"Damn him!" Frasier yelled, surprising Daphne with his sudden change of attitude.
"Frasier, what's with you? Didn't you hear what Daphne said?"
"I heard exactly what Daphne said!" Frasier snapped. "I don't care what kind of delusional state Niles is in! I'm going over there to straighten him out!"

Daphne gasped and grabbed his arm. "Dr. Crane, no! He's hurting! He can't help himself!"

"Well he should have thought about that before he practically ruined his life with that … shrew of a wife of his and before he started making our lives miserable in the process! I can still see the bruise where he hit you, Daphne. He needs to know what he's done!"

"Fras, stay out of this! Now I'm just as worried about Niles as you are but this is te wrong way to go about this. Until he wants our help, he's damn sure not going to accept it!" Martin warned.

"No, Dad I will not stay out of it!" Frasier said, grabbing his car keys.

"Fras, I mean it! Don't do anything stupid!" Martin said. But Frasier ignored his father and Daphne, choosing instead to leave the condo, slamming the door behind him. Her heart went numb with worry and she prayed that Frasier, in his attempts to reconcile with his brother, wouldn't end up making things worse.