| Released May 31st 2008 Back to Basics by Missbevcrusher |
| Chapter 20
The following months went by quickly. And before the captain knew it, Beverly had started to show quite a bit. He remembered seeing her on subspace for the first time with her pregnancy now fully evident. Despite her saying that she felt huge, the captain thought she looked as beautiful as ever. Beverly gently held her hand against her abdomen and smiled. �The baby kicked for the first time today.� �That�s great.� Jean-Luc smiled, but couldn�t quite conceal how torn it made him feel. �I wish I could have been there.� �You were.� Gesturing toward her heart, she added, �In here.� �How are you feeling overall?� �Surprisingly well. This pregnancy seems easier than my first one. I remember I was always nauseous when I carried Wesley.� �Thank god for that.� �Yeah.� She laughed. �Thank god for that.� Picard was about to say something else when he heard the chime sound. �I wonder who that could be.� �Okay well, I�ll let you go. Just promise me we�ll talk soon.� �I promise. Goodbye.� �Goodbye.� The chime sounded again. �Come.� The doors opened and the chief medical officer walked in. �Dr. Smith, what can I do for you?� Seeming a bit uncomfortable, the doctor approached and handed him a padd. �Well, as you must know, my wife has been ill as of late and it�s getting more and more difficult serving out here when she needs me back home.� With sympathy, Picard read the padd. �Yes, I had heard about that. I�m sorry.� He got up and pulled at the base of his tunic. �So you�re requesting a transfer.� �Yes, sir. I, uh� very much appreciated having the opportunity to serve aboard the Enterprise, but my place should be at home now.� �That is perfectly understandable, Doctor. Time is a precious thing, especially when a loved one is ill.� �Thank you, sir. I will of course stay for as long as it takes to find a replacement, but considering this is a rather plumb assignment, I don�t think that�s going to take very long.� �It was an honor serving with you, Dr. Smith.� �Likewise, Captain.� * * * * That night, Picard couldn�t sleep. This was something he�d wished for countless times during the past year and a half. As much as Dr. Smith was competent as CMO, he wasn�t Beverly. For a second after Dr. Smith had told him the news, the captain thought about telling Beverly right away, but then he stopped himself. She was settled comfortably on Earth, awaiting the birth of their baby. He couldn�t ask her to leave the safety of her position for the dangerous job that was once hers on the Enterprise. If it hadn�t been for the complications, perhaps he wouldn�t have felt so strongly about it, but they�d almost lost this child at one point and once was enough. I can�t ask her to leave San Francisco because of my selfish need to have her here with me. * * * * It had been close to a week since Beverly had last spoken to Jean-Luc. Now wearing a Starfleet issued maternity uniform, the doctor sat in the large mess hall at Medical waiting for Dr. Winston to join her. At times, she felt the need to get out of her office, and since what they had on the agenda today wasn�t really sensitive material, Beverly thought it would be a nice change of scenery. As she waited, a group of doctors sat at a table directly behind her. Although she wasn�t the type of person to usually listen in on a conversation, what she heard from them caught her attention immediately. �Have you heard the position of CMO aboard the Enterprise is back up for grabs?� �I saw that on the job openings bulletin a few days ago. I�m sure there are a lot of people rushing to apply for that position.� Oblivious to the fact that the head of Medical sat behind them, one of the doctors added, �I wonder if Dr. Picard will apply, too. If she does, I�m sure she�ll get it, being the captain�s wife and all.� �I don�t know. She only has a few months to go before the baby comes. Maybe she�s going to stay planet-side, who knows.� What!? Beverly couldn�t believe what she was hearing. Her old position was now vacant and Jean-Luc hadn�t even bothered to tell her. Dr. Winston approached her table and smiled. �Hi, Beverly.� But Beverly was still shocked about what she�d just learned. Her mouth somewhat open, she sat there shaking her head. �Is everything alright?� Robert frowned as he sat down. �No.� Beverly got up. �Definitely not. If you�ll excuse me, I have a call to make.� �Wait. Is it me? Did I do something wrong?� From a few steps away, she addressed him one last time but did not turn to look at him. �No, but someone else sure did.� Puzzled, Robert looked around. The only other people in the immediate vicinity were a group of young doctors who right now looked just like deer caught in headlights. Although they hadn�t said anything bad about their boss, the gossipers felt the humiliation of having been caught talking about the doctor while she sat right beside them. In fact, Robert could plainly see oh shit behind one doctor�s eyes. * * * * On the Enterprise, Captain Picard sat in his ready room when the intercom sounded. �Bridge to captain.� �Go ahead.� �Sir, Dr. Picard is requesting to speak with you over subspace.� �Patch it through.� With slight unease, he wondered if she knew about Dr. Smith�s transfer. He hadn�t meant to keep her in the dark. He just hadn�t been able to figure out how to broach the subject without making her feel as though he was expecting her to come back in her present condition. He just hoped that if she knew, she wouldn�t be upset with him. When her face suddenly appeared on the screen, however, the answer was clearly not in his favor. �Bever�� �When in hell were you planning on telling me?� She was in her office, but instead of sitting at her desk, she was standing up. Nope, that wasn�t a very good sign. �Uh, well�� He tried to swallow but had a hard time doing so. �I was planning to. I just didn�t know how to approach it.� She crossed her arms on her chest. �A simple �Beverly your old post is vacant� would have sufficed.� �That�s true and I�m sorry. I didn�t realize how upset you�d be once you�d�� �Upset? No, no, no. I�m way beyond upset. I�m furious. After everything we discussed before leaving Bak�u, I thought we both regretted the fact that I was no longer serving on the Enterprise. I guess I thought wrong.� �It�s not that and you know it. Look with the baby coming, I just thought�� Enhanced by her raging hormones, the doctor was more than a little miffed at the situation and so she didn�t let him finish. �Do you realize that this is the second time you�ve tried to block my assignment?� �I am not trying to block your assignment.� Now he was starting to lose his temper. �Yeah, right.� With that, she severed the link and the screen went black. �Damn.� He took a calming breath. Alright, that didn�t go too well. A few seconds later, his computer screen blinked with the letters, �Incoming message from Starfleet Medical.� Here we go. He braced himself and read the title of the communiqu�. � From Dr. Beverly Picard, Starfleet Medical Subject: Official application for position of chief medical officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E � The captain reclined in his chair and rubbed his forehead. Beverly was not only hot tempered, but she was stubborn, too. Perhaps he had jumped to judgment without giving her enough credit. He�d thought that he was being considerate to her, and he�d been wrong. * * * * A little while later, still not sure what to say to Beverly, Picard realized that his shift was now over. He got up from his chair and walked out of his ready room. The crew that was to relieve the officers coming off their shift had already arrived. Leaving the bridge in their very capable hands, the captain boarded the turbolift accompanied by Worf, who was also coming off his shift. Since Worf could be surprisingly inquisitive, it was clear to him that Picard wasn�t in a good mood. �Long day.� he said deadpan, as a way to break the ice. �Yes, it was.� Picard�s blank gaze remained fixed on the door. He shook his head. �Beverly found out about the chief medical officer position. Problem is, she didn�t learn it from me.� �I see, sir.� Worf knew that Beverly�s personality sometimes could be just as temperamental as a Klingon�s. �Long day indeed.� * * * * Back in San Francisco, Beverly sat with her chair facing the window. She knew she had been a little harsh on Jean-Luc� okay, maybe more than a little, but finding out about this via idle gossip was something she had a hard time accepting. The chime sounded. Beverly waved in resignation. �Come in.� Dr. Winston peered inside. �Hey, you okay?� �Yeah.� She turned her chair toward her desk and leaned her chin on her open palm. �Have a seat.� �What�s up?� �While I was waiting for you in the mess hall, I inadvertently overheard a conversation among a group of doctors. Turns out, the chief medical officer position on the Enterprise is up for grabs again. And it has been for several days.� �So that�s the problem. You didn�t hear it from your husband.� She let her silence confirm his assumption. �I might be overstepping here, but I think I understand why he didn�t tell you. I mean, if I had a wife who was pregnant, I wouldn�t be too crazy about having her in harm�s way.� �But it�s not as if I haven�t been in such a position before.� �Yeah, but you weren�t carrying his child back then. And who knows, maybe he didn�t want to mention it because he was afraid you�d feel like you had to go.� Robert paused. �You should talk to him again.� �I hate it when you�re right.� �I do what I can.� Robert got up. �Good luck� �Thanks.� Once her colleague was gone, Beverly turned her attention back to her computer screen. She was just about to contact Jean-Luc again when she got the call instead. Speak of the devil� �Hello.� His voice was tentative. Now that she saw him, Beverly really felt bad for her outburst earlier. �Hey,� she whispered. Then in unison, both said, �I�m sorry.� Which was of course followed by laughter from both sides of the comm link. �No, really, Jean-Luc, I shouldn�t have blown up like that earlier. I know I shouldn�t use it as an excuse, but my pregnancy isn�t really helping when it comes to my temper.� �It�s alright. I should have told you. When Dr. Smith gave me the news, my first inclination had been to call you right away, but then I found I couldn�t go through with it. A part of me thought that perhaps you�d want to have the baby on Earth, away from all the mayhem this ship routinely goes through. And I admit that the fear of perhaps putting our baby in harm�s way was more than enough to stop me in my tracks. I guess� I should have been honest from the start and have discussed it with you.� �This is a decision we�re both going to have to make. After all, there�s a lot at stake here.� �There is� would you really want to have our baby way out here?� �I know that starship life isn�t ideal sometimes, but I�ve never regretted signing on to the D with a young Wesley in tow.� �So you wouldn�t be doing this just for me?� Beverly laughed. �No, I wouldn�t be doing this just for you. The Enterprise� it�s my home, Jean-Luc. And you�re my family. Just imagine being able to raise our child together. I can�t think of a better adventure, can you?� �As much as a part of me is terrified at the prospect of having us raise this baby on the ship, another can�t help but feel like it�s the right thing to do.� �So then, what do you say?� Instead of answering, Picard tapped a few commands on his console. When he was done, he looked up and winked. �Look at your messages and find out for yourself. I have to go. We�ll talk later� I love you.� �I love you, too.� With that, the screen reverted to its usual Starfleet insignia. Beverly then opened her inbox and read the title of her latest message. � From: Captain Jean-Luc Picard, U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E Subject: Transfer approved. � With tears starting to well up in her eyes, Beverly looked down at her belly. �Guess that means we�ll be moving to the Enterprise with your daddy.� * * * * �So you�re really leaving then.� Dr. Winston looked on as Beverly started packing away the belongings that had filled her office since she�d started working here. �Don�t look so glum, Robert. You�re getting a pretty cushy job out of the deal. Plus you won�t have to deal with me as your boss on a day to day basis anymore.� �You make it sound as though that was a bad thing. I assure you, it wasn�t. Working with you has been an honor.� �Thanks.� She smiled and crossed over to hug him briefly. �You know, now that I don�t work for you anymore, I have to confess that I�m sort of envious.� �Envious?� �Yes, the captain�s a very lucky man.� Beverly chuckled and put her hand on his cheek. �Something tells me you�re going to make a lucky girl very happy one of these days.� �I�ll take your word for it.� �You�d better.� �Have fun out there.� �I will. And you just keep this place running as smoothly as it did when I was away and you�ll be just fine.� �Thanks.� * * * * Captain Picard stood in transporter room two, his hands clasped behind his back. The transporter chief who was manning the transporter console looked up. �The Indiana is standing by, Sir.� �Energize.� A familiar blue shimmer appeared, and then left in its wake a sight he�d longed to see for a long time. Except for the fact that she was now very pregnant, Beverly looked much the same as when she�d first reported to the Enterprise-D so long ago. �Welcome aboard, Dr. Picard,� the captain said. She stepped down from the platform and tried to keep her demeanor as serious as possible. Not quite succeeding, she betrayed a smile and raised a perfect eyebrow. �Thank you, Captain. It�s an honor to be here.� Side by side, the two left the transporter room and started down the corridor. After several moments of silence, Beverly looked at the captain. �It sure feels good to be home.� At that, Jean-Luc couldn�t help but smile. �Bridge to Captain Picard.� �Picard here.� �Sir, Admiral Nacheyev is requesting to speak with you over subspace.� �I�m on my way. Picard out.� He shook his head. �That woman has the worst timing.� �I think she does it on purpose. But don�t get too upset at her. After all, if it hadn�t been for her suggestion that I treat you, I probably wouldn�t even be here right now.� �True.� Picard paused. �Are you tired at all? Would you rather rest before reporting for duty?� �I�m fine. Besides, I�m anxious to get to my sickbay once again.� �As you wish.� He chuckled. �By the way, your belongings have been beamed directly over to our quarters.� �Our quarters� That sure has a nice ring to it.� �I�ll see you at dinner then?� �You bet.� * * * * Picard felt like someone who�d finally gotten all he ever dreamed of. Even his talk with Nacheyev wasn�t enough to put a damper on his good mood. After all the heartache, all the worrying, Beverly was finally home. When he finally reached his quarters that night, he couldn�t help but feel the electrifying anticipation of having her there with him. The sight that greeted him when the doors finally parted didn�t disappoint. Beverly stood by the table, lighting the candles that sat atop of it. The knee length red dress she wore only serving to entice him even more. With the most loving smile, the doctor took a few steps toward him. �Long day?� He let the doors close behind him. �Considering how much I was looking forward to seeing you again, yes� quite long.� That was as much dialogue as there was going to be between them as the two closed the gap and kissed urgently. With ease the captain scooped his wife up in his arms and took her to their bedroom. Dinner would get cold that evening as the two tried to make up for these last months spent apart. * * * * Chapter 21 Despite his initial reservations, Picard quickly got used to the idea of having Beverly on board and he now couldn�t imagine not having her around. The transition from long-distance relationship to full-fledged married life had been a seemingly natural one. Everything fell into place and he often wondered how he�d managed to live alone all those years. �Yes, Ensign, that�ll do just fine.� The captain handed the padd back to the young bridge officer. As he sat in his command chair, Picard heard the turbolift doors open. When he turned, he couldn�t conceal a smile. Beverly routinely dropped by for a visit to the bridge. It was something she�d often did in the old days as well, but now it was obvious whom she was coming to see. Now nearing her due date, the doctor had the distinctive funny waddle of most heavily pregnant women. She often commented on how tired it was leaving her and that she couldn�t wait to see her own feet again. It was something that the captain found quite endearing. �Came to check up on me?� �Just wanted to make sure you were keeping us out of trouble.� She took a seat beside him and looked at the starscape that filled the viewscreen. �I wouldn�t exactly call mapping a star system trouble.� �Sounds really exciting,� she teased. Picard was about to say something else when he saw her frown. �What�s wrong?� �Nothing�s wrong. I just think I�m getting a contraction.� He paled. �You�re going into labor?� She shook her head. �I don�t know. It could be a false alarm.� She put both of her hands on her belly and breathed out slowly to help calm the already strong pain. �I�ll call sickbay.� �No, wait. I want to walk. If it is false labor, it should ease on the way.� �You have the bridge, Number One.� The captain helped his wife to get up. �Aye, sir.� * * * * It was real labor after all. A few minutes after she�d arrived in sickbay, Beverly�s water had broken. She now sat on a bed in a private room, with her back leaning against the captain who sat directly behind her. Whenever she would get a particularly strong contraction, Jean-Luc would rub her lower back to help ease her pain. �You�re doing just fine Beverly." he said softly. �I�d forgotten how painful this was.� Her eyes were closed and she tried to keep her breathing under tight control. �Are you sure you don�t want anything for the pain?� She smiled as best she could and shook her head. �No, I can do this myself.� As much as he didn�t like seeing her uncomfortable, the captain admired her tenacity. She�d been sitting there for over three hours now. Peering over at the bio-monitor next to her, she breathed out in frustration. �I�m only at two centimeters? Oh, come on.� Her contractions were still only about six to seven minutes apart. �I hate to say it Jean-Luc, but I think we might be here for a while.� � Now in a chair beside her, Picard gently stroked her hair as she lay on her side. �That�s it. Breathe through your contractions.� Luckily, they were now at four minute intervals. �There are just three more centimeters to go.� �Just three? Do you have any idea know how long that makes it all seem?� He smiled. �I�m sorry. I didn�t mean to make it worse. You�re doing great.� She looked unconvinced but still tried to match his optimism with a tired smile. � Dr. Martin looked over the readouts and nodded satisfactorily. �Well, it looks as though it�s time to have a baby. You�re fully dilated.� �Thank god,� was her only response as she shook slightly. A nurse entered the room and proceeded to help Beverly into the stirrups. Jean-Luc stood by her side and held her hand. �Alright, next time a contraction comes, I want you to push,� said Dr. Martin. �Okay,� she managed to say. �Here we go. Now push.� Although it had taken her quite a while to get to the point where she could push, the next phase went rather quickly. �That�s it, the head�s almost out. Push.� The whole process overwhelmed Jean-Luc. He was so nervous, yet so proud at the same time. �You�re doing a good job, Beverly. Keep it up.� �Just one more push.� With damp hair clinging to the sides of her face, Beverly fought the exhaustion and pressed on in a surprisingly calm way. Finally, quicker than Jean-Luc had expected, his child came into the world. For a few agonizing seconds, he didn�t hear anything. But finally, the baby started to breathe and out came the loudest cry. �It�s a girl!� �It�s a girl?� Exhausted, Beverly collapsed against the backrest. �It�s really a girl?� As the doctor quickly wiped the baby dry, and then proceeded to wrap her carefully in a blanket, Jean-Luc leaned in and kissed his wife. �I�m so proud of you.� Laughter and tears filled both parents as their baby girl was placed in her mother�s arms. �Here you are.� Beverly finally turned to her husband. �Do you want to hold her?� �Very much so.� Carefully, nervously, he took his baby girl and cradled her in his arms for the first time. Tenderly, Jean-Luc kissed his daughter�s forehead and then glanced at her mother. �Thank you.� �Do you have a name picked out?� asked Dr. Martin �Yes,� the captain looked back down at his little bundle. �Marie-Eve Picard.� In his arms, Marie-Eve tried to suckle on her fingers, which was her little way of saying, �I�m hungry.� * * * * Very early the next morning, the captain sat in the nursery holding his sleeping newborn. Softly, he said, �Tu es aussi jolie que ta maman.� Unbeknownst to him, Beverly stood in the doorway and overheard him. Recalling what she knew of French, the doctor realized he�d just told Marie-Eve that she was just as pretty as her mother. �I don�t know. I think she looks more like you.� Jean-Luc looked up at his wife. �Nah, look at her. Those are Howard traits if you ask me.� Slowly, Beverly crossed the room and leaned over her husband�s shoulder. �She�s amazing, isn�t she?� �She is.� �You know, I never thought it was possible to be this happy. What more could a man ask for?� �I know what you mean. I don�t remember the last time I felt this content with my life.� She put a loving hand on his shoulder. �I love you so much.� �I love you too. More than you could ever imagine.� Of course, they were in for quite a challenge, raising a child on the Enterprise. But having one another for love and support would be instrumental to them both. As they gazed lovingly at their little miracle, Jean-Luc and Beverly realized what it meant to have it all, for they did. The end Hope you enjoyed the story... As for me, I'm relieved it's finished. I've been working on this for about three and a half years now. It was time I focused on my other works of P/C. And just so you know, it will not take an additional three years for more to be added to the library. I've got lots more coming up shortly. library |