Niles was beyond excited for dinner. He couldn't wait to tell Frasier and Martin the news. He imagined the scenario as he hurriedly went from pot to pot.
"Are you sure you don't want help?" Daphne asked, coming into the kitchen. She grabbed some plates from the cupboard.
"I'm fine. You're carrying our child; the least I can do is make dinner."
Daphne laughed. "Make sure you make me some iced tea."
"Oh, right. I knew I forgot something." Niles turned the heat down on one of the pots, and got started on Daphne's iced tea.
A child, he could hardly believe it. What would it be? A boy, a girl? Either way, Niles would love his baby unconditionally. What would he name their child? He always liked the name David for a boy. And if it was a girl, well, Martin would probably want them to name her Hester, after Niles's mother. But, Niles quite liked Katherine. Oh, name choosing never felt so lovely. Of course, he'd have to consult Daphne about it.
Once the table was set, and the food was out, Frasier and Martin arrived at the door. Niles couldn't stop the smile on his face, and he was sure he had already given it away.
He kept the news secret until after dinner was cleared away. It was torture. There were so many times he wanted to just scream it out, but he exchanged glances with Daphne who subtly shook her head.
"Okay. Now, I need to say something," Niles said, his hand wrapped around his wine glass. "Daphne and I have been together for a while, and…" He tried to think of a quotation he could use, but his heart was pounding so hard, he could barely think. "Well… it's quite remarkable, really. Daphne and I… are having a baby."
Martin grinned. "Are you serious?"
"Yes," Daphne giggled. "Took the test today."
"Daphne, Niles, that's wonderful!" Frasier cheered, taking them both into his arms. "After months of trying… I'm so happy for you."
"Gonna spoil that kid rotten," Martin pointed out.
"Yes, Dad, we know. Daphne and I are thrilled. We're going to be parents." He kissed her deeply. "I can't wait."
The rest of the evening was talking about babies, names, nursery ideas, and Niles never imagined how happy and complete his life would become.
The next week was full of joy and excitement of having a baby. Daphne hadn't started showing yet, but Niles was ready for that day. He couldn't wait for the world to see that he and his wife were having a baby. He wanted everyone to share in his happiness.
So, imagine his surprise when he came home one afternoon to find Daphne on the couch, looking as if she had been crying. It must have been hormones, he supposed, though, being the devoted husband he was, he couldn't have shrugged it off as such.
"You alright?" he asked, sitting next to her.
"Today has not been a good day."
"What happened?" He wanted her to say the vacuum cleaner didn't work, she was stuck in traffic, Martin was being difficult with his exercises, Eddie was being annoying.
There were a ton of things he wanted her to say, but one of them was not, "I got my period."
"What?"
"Just this morning, after you left. I didn't want to call you because of work, you know. I didn't tell anyone. So, I'm not pregnant."
"But… the test."
"It must have been a false positive. I'm so sorry."
"No… it's my fault," he said softly. "If my sperm had been better, this wouldn't have happened…"
"No, Niles, stop it. It was one false positive. We'll have a baby, I'm sure of it." She sounded so confident, yet so scared, but he had began to feel better. Though he was still disappointed. How could he not be?
It was hard telling Frasier and Martin. Martin had been so excited about having another a grandchild. He told them, "I'm sorry, you two. These things happen. It'll be better." And Frasier offered his apologies and tried to assure them it would be okay.
Niles wasn't sure what to do, but Daphne tried to assure time after time that everything would be okay. Even with her words of comfort- comfort that meant more than anything- he was still nervous.
He met Roz one day at Cafe Nervosa, and to his chagrin, her daughter Alice was with her. He envied how much joy and love Roz had found in Alice, and only hoped he and Daphne could experience that as well.
"Hi, Uncle Niles," Alice grinned when she saw him. He smiled back and gave her a big hug, but it was clear from Roz's expression that she knew the smile did not reach his eyes.
"Alice, honey, why don't you go with Jack?" Roz asked. A burly man at the door waved at Roz and Alice.
"Okay." Alice skipped over to the man who picked her up and kissed her cheek.
"New boyfriend," Roz commented. "Great guy. Alice adores him. You don't have to say anything, Niles. Daphne told me."
"She's torn up about it…" He sighed. "What if we just can't have children? If that's true, it's all my fault because…"
"Will you shut up?" Roz snapped. It was a nice change to have someone snap at him for once, rather than try to be reassuring and nice at the same time. "Listen, just try again once Daphne's period is over. If still nothing happens, go to a doctor."
"A doctor?" He couldn't even bear to think about it. What if they went, and he told them they couldn't have kids because of him? "I don't know, Roz…"
"Well, you can't just keep trying and hoping it will happen. You need to know when you need help."
What choice did he have? Niles knew Roz was right. They had to know for sure; they couldn't keep trying, holding out on the hope that Daphne would magically become pregnant.
"You're right," he finally said. "We'll try again, and if nothing happens…" He shrugged and left his sentence hanging.
As Roz grabbed her purse and got up to leave, Niles felt her hand press down against his shoulder comfortingly. "It'll be alright, you idiot."
Never had Roz's banter been so comforting.