Baby Come Back
Chapters Ten through Twelve
Song is "We All Sleep Alone" by Cher
Chapter Ten
Beverly and Wesley were ready to leave the Enterprise. Beverly took one last look at the quarters she had shared with Jean-Luc for almost a year.
"I'm going to miss the Enterprise too." Wesley told her as he too looked around.
"Yes, and I'm going to miss Jean-Luc."
"He'll be begging you to come back." Wesley tried to encourage his mother. "Just wait. You'll see."
"I don't know." Beverly sighed sadly as she started to pick up her bags.
"Let me get some of that for you." Wesley offered.
"Thank you, Wesley."
"Where are we heading?"
"Shuttle Bay Two." Beverly informed Wesley as they began to leave their quarters.
Will met them outside the door. "Would you like some help?"
"Oh, Will!" Beverly exclaimed. "Yes, please."
"We're going to miss you two." Will told them as he picked up Beverly's bags. "Are you sure you want to leave?"
"Yes, I've been interested in this position for a long time." Beverly told Will as they walked down the cooridor. She was almost stoic in her emotions as she spoke.
"Well, if you are sure this is what you want to do."
"I am." She told him flatly. "I want to thank you for arranging a shuttle for us."
"It was the least I could do." Will told her. "Besides, Captain Picard told me to take care of you two while he was gone."
"That was nice of him." Beverly commented. She was not sure if she appreciated hearing what Will just told her, but she decided to be cordial.
The three of them walked the rest of the way in silence. Will was not sure if he could take the dead silence, but he did not know what else to say to Beverly.
It was not until they arrived at Shuttle Bay Two that Will finally spoke. "Wesley, take care of your mother."
"I will, Sir."
"And no fancy stunts if your mother lets you drive." Will teased him.
Wesley smiled. "I won't. I promise I'll behave and not scare her."
"He's a good kid, Beverly." Will told her.
"Thank you, Commander." She felt like she was about to cry again.
There was a pregnant pause as they stared at each other for a few seconds. Will could tell Beverly was hurting. It was written all over her face.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Will finally said.
"Yes." Beverly replied softly.
"Anything you want me to tell Captain Picard?"
Just then the doors to the Shuttle Bay opened. The three of them turned to see who had entered the room.
It was Jean-Luc. Beverly's stomach bounced. She did not know what she was going to say to him. She was kind of hoping that he had returned from the mission early to tell her not to go. To tell her he had changed his mind about the separation.
"Beverly..." Picard greeted her.
"Jean-Luc."
"I'll leave you three alone." Will stated as he started to leave.
"I guess I'll load the shuttle." Wesley informed them solemly hoping to disappear unnoticed.
Will had left and Wesley begun putting their bags onto the shuttle. There was a brief moment of silence between Picard and Beverly as they studied each other.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye." Picard finally said.
Her heart sank when he heard him speak the words. "Yes, I guess it is."
"I'll call you and try to make it back to Earth to visit you when I can."
Her anger was begining to rise again. "I don't know if I'll be home. I maybe busy with my new duties."
"Beverly, I do love you."
"Do you?" She asked coldly.
Now it was Picard's turn to feel angry. There was a sudden chill that could be felt in the air as Picard's facial expression changed from pain to irritation. The atmosphere between them was so cold that one could almost cut a knife through it.
"Regardless of what you might think, I do love you." He said emphatically. "I just can't live with disrespect and I will not take it from anyone! Not even from Wesley!"
"He's a child, Jean-Luc!"
"Be that as it may, I want him off my ship!"
"He hasn't done anything! At least not recently."
"I never get to see when he is not an insolent brat! He is always hateful to me!"
"He's a child who is having a hard time accepting a step-father!" Beverly insisted.
"And he can't do as he is told!" Picard retorted. "He doesn't want me around and he makes it quite clear when he runs his mouth!"
"Maybe you need to learn how pick and choose your battles with him!" Beverly shot back.
"He needs to learn to have some respect for people!" Picard's voice rosed as his temper became more heated. "This would not be happening if he did not behave towards me as he does!"
"Oh really!" Beverly yelled back at him. "Did you ever think that this would not be happening if you did not choose for it to happen?"
"Beverly, I have had enough of his behaviour! I will not stand for it and I will not live with it!"
"Oh, grow up, Jean-Luc!" Beverly shouted back at him and then turned to board the shuttle.
"Beverly!" Picard shouted as the door to the shuttle closed. "Merde!"
Wesley and Beverly waited for the Shuttle Bay doors to open.
Picard walked over to the counsole and pushed the button to open the doors that allowed the shuttle to leave to open. When the doors fully opened the shuttle flew out of the Shuttle Bay and out into space.
They were gone. Picard felt his heart and soul sink to his stomach. A single tear rolled down his face as the Shuttle Bay doors closed and an overwhelming feeling of regret came over him. Regret that things had turn out this way. Regret at the way they had departed from each other. Regret for everything that had come about that had lead to this moment.
"Take care, Beverly." Jean-Luc whispered.
The coordinates were laid in for Earth and the shuttle was flying through space. Beverly was fuming and hurting all at the same time as she sat at the controls. "How could he do this?" She asked herself. "If he truly loved me, he would not be putting me through all of this."
Beverly could feel the tears flowing again. She could not hold them back. She could not stop them either.
"Mom, let me take over." Wesley offered as he took noticed of his mother's tears. "Why don't you go lie down. I can handle it from here."
Beverly did not say a word. She just nodded and gave the shuttle controls to Wesley. Then she headed back to a secluded area of the shuttle to be alone with her thoughts.
"Why does he have to be this way?" She thought to herself as she laid down on the bed and cried. "He knew Wesley was my son when he married me. He accepted it then. Why can't he accept it now. I'm a mother who loves her son as well as loving him. If he truly loved me he would not be treating me this way. If he truly loved me he would try to accept Wesley."
In anger she threw the pillow on the bed across the sleeping area. "He doesn't love me! I don't know why he married me! He's nothing but a bastard! A cold-hearted bastard! I'm glad I'm leaving!"
The tears came harder than ever before. "I can't stand him! He has hurt me so badly! Why did I ever fall in love with him in the first place! He doesn't really care about me! If he did, he wouldn't be acting this way!"
She laid back down on the bed and sobbed. "Now, I'm pregnant with his child and I don't dare tell him! What am I going to do! He'd never accept the baby or treat it right! He'd probably turn the baby away too, if he knew about it! Just as he has the two of us! He's just a damn bastard! That's all he is and I had to marry him! I should have listened to my gut instinct when he said he wasn't very fond of children and never married him! It was just one big mistake to marry the damn bastard! And I'm tired of all of this! Why does he have to be such an ass? Why did I even marry him in the first place? Why?"
"Why?" Was the last thing she thought as she cried herself to sleep.
Chapter Eleven
It had been almost a week since Beverly had left Jean-Luc. He had tried several times to contact her, but to no avail. There was always an excuse as to why she could not answer his calls. Either she was with a patient, leading a training session, out for the evening, or indisposed.
There was always something, but at least he knew she made it safely to Earth. If she had not they would not be making excuses for her. Jean-Luc knew that much, but still he wanted to talk to Beverly herself.
He wanted to know what she was thinking. How she was feeling. If she was healthy or not. He wanted to know every detail of her life. He just wanted to talk to her. His heart ached for her.
Still, he did not want to give into his longing for her. He felt justified in having Wesley off his ship even if it meant possibly loosing her.
He decided he would try again to talk to her in person. "Computer, open a link to Starfleet Medical requesting Beverly Crusher."
He knew it was evening where she was on Earth. Therefore there was a good chance she would be home.
"Link established." Came the computer's reply.
This time it was Wesley who answered his call. "Hello Captain Picard."
"Wesley, may I speak with your mother?"
"Um, she's not here."
"Well, find her and put her on!" Picard demanded.
"I can't."
"Why not? Is she avoiding me? And if so, why?"
Wesley did not want to lie to his step-father and former captain, but he promised his mother he would try and block Picard's calls. "Um, honestly?" He asked coyly.
"That would be good for a change." Picard sighed in frustration. "I have been getting the run around from everyone. The last person I want the run around from is you."
"To be honest, Sir. Yes." Wesley cringe at the thought of having to tell Picard the truth.
"Why?"
"She just doesn't want to talk to you."
"And she told me to grow up." Picard thought to himself. Then he addressed Wesley again. "Put her on."
"I can't, Sir."
"Damn it, Wesley! Put her on now!" Picard demanded.
"She doesn't want to talk to you." Wesley responded firmly.
"Put her on now or I'm going to bring the Enterprise in for early for upgrades and see her in person!" Picard threatened.
Wesley was not sure what to do, but he relunctantly complied with Picard's request. "OK, I'll get her."
Jean-Luc waited for Beverly to come the computer to talk to him. "Why does she have to be so difficult?" He muttered to himself.
Wesley went to the study to retrieve his mother. She was reading a book on metaphysics when he arrived to deliver Captain Picard's message.
"Mom?"
"Yes, Wesley?"
"Um, I know you don't want to talk to Captain Picard, but he said if you didn't come to the comm now, he was going to come to Earth and see you in person."
"Damn!" She exclaimed. "You couldn't try and tell him that I couldn't come to the comm?"
"I tried." Wesley said sheepishly. "But he was not going to listen."
"Honestly!" Beverly exclaimed in frustration.
"I think you should talk to him."
"Wesley, when you are older you will understand."
"But how can it solve anything if you don't talk to him?"
Beverly looked at her son and smiled in admiration. "He is wise for his age." She thought. Still she was hurting too much to talk to Jean-Luc right now.
"Wesley, I understand what you are saying, but I just don't feel up to talking to him just yet."
"You want me to tell him you're sick, now?"
"No." She frowned. Then reluctantly she added, "I'll talk to him."
Then she went to talk to Jean-Luc. She really did not want to talk to him. Yet there were still a million things left unsaid.
"I'm here, Jean-Luc. What would you like to discuss with me?"
"It's about bloody time you talked to me!" Picard growled.
"If you're going to talk to me like that, I'm disconnecting this link right now!" Beverly threatened.
Picard took a deep breath. "Alright. I wanted to talk to you. Tell you that I miss you and I love you."
Beverly did not believe it. She felt she could not trust him after what happened between them. Yet at the same time, she still loved him. She loved him so much that it hurt.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" Picard asked.
"You hurt me very badly." Her anger was the only thing that kept her from crying right now.
"I know and I am sorry." Picard apologized.
"Jean-Luc, I don't know what to believe right now."
There was a moment of silence between them.
Picard switched gears and decided that maybe they should not talk about what was on their minds right now.
"How are you?" He asked her.
Beverly pondered once again whether she should tell Jean-Luc about their baby. Their unborn child. Then she decided against it for all the same reasons she had thought before.
"I'm fine. You?"
"I'm doing quite well, thank you."
There was another pause in their conversation. The silence was awkward and becoming very uncomfortable to Picard.
"You look well." Picard finally told her. "In fact, you look as beautiful as the day I met you."
"Flattery isn't going to get you anywhere." Beverly replied harshly. Her anger was begining to rise again.
"It wasn't intended as flattery. I really mean it."
Beverly frowned. She really wanted to be doing anything else but sitting here and talking to Jean-Luc right now. In fact, she rather even be reading the boring book on metaphysics right now than going through the awkwardness and frustrating ordeal of talking to Jean-Luc.
Since it was obvious Beverly was not going to reply, Jean-Luc asked a different question. "How is the weather there?"
"It's nice. Warm and sunny as a matter of fact."
"Yes, I guess you would enjoy that kind of weather."
"I do. It's very nice."
"I really would like to talk to you without arguing about almost everything." Jean-Luc sighed sadly. "Can we talk about how we left things when you left the Enterprise?"
"What is there to say?" Beverly asked tightly.
"I'm sorry about how we left things. The argument we had right before you left."
"Yes, it is a shame that we can't talk anymore without getting into a fight."
"If you like, I would like to see you next month. We could have dinner and just talk." Picard suggested.
Beverly panicked. There would be chance that he would noticed their pregnancy if he saw her then. She was not sure she was ready for that.
"Um, I have a lot going on next month. Lectures, trainings, and of course there are always patients to see. Hell! I have a whole Medical Center to run."
"I really would like to see you." Picard persisted.
"I'll see if I can clear my schedule and get back to you."
"Beverly, why are you avoiding me?"
"I'm not avoiding you!" She replied defensively.
"It sure seems like that."
"I just have a lot of duties to perform as head of Starfleet Medical."
Picard frowned thinking that Beverly was giving him another excuse. Granted, being head of Starfleet Medical carried a lot of responsibility with it, but he did not see why she could not clear her schedule for an afternoon to see him.
Beverly took noticed of his frown. "Jean-Luc, after all you have put me through, did you really believe I would be jumping with joy to see you?"
Picard again frowned. "I guess not, but I would like to try and work things out."
"Really? You couldn't prove it by me when Wesley and I left!"
"Maybe calling was a bad idea."
"What? It's not as fun arguing about Wesley on the comm?" Beverly taunted.
"No, that is not it and I don't want to argue with you about him. I guess somethings are better discussed in person." Picard replied.
Panic set into Beverly as her stomach bounced. "I'll check my schedule and get back with you." She insisted.
"Fair enough. Picard out."
"Oh! I can't stand that man, anymore!" Beverly growled angrily as she slammed the button to turn off the comm.
"Why does that woman have to be so difficult!" Picard grumbled as he paced back and forth in Deanna's office. "She won't talk to me about anything anymore! She's not even talking to me!"
Deanna watched Picard pace back and forth as he ranted about how Beverly was acting. "I'm assuming you have talked to her?"
"Not really." Picard answered. "She has avoided my messages for a week now. I only managed to talk to her today by demanding Wesley get her. Then all we did was argue and talk about the weather on Earth."
"You didn't talk about anything else?"
Picard stopped pacing and faced Deanna directly. "What else is there to talk about when all we do is argue about Wesley and us separating?"
Deanna sighed. "You know, there are a lot of issues you and Beverly need to discuss. There maybe some that may not have been mentioned yet."
"I can't get her to talk to me!" Picard exclaimed.
"Give her some time and keep trying to talk to her."
"Maybe I should see if Starfleet would allow us to come in early for those upgrades on the Enterprise."
"And if they say, 'No.'?" Deanna pressed.
"I... I don't know." Picard thought for a moment. He looked as though he were on the verge of tears. "All I want to do is talk to my wife. I want her to come back to the Enterprise."
"I know." Deanna replied gently.
Picard fell into a soft cushioned chair and wept. "Oh, Deanna! I think I just made the biggest mistake of my life. Why did I ask her to leave?"
"You didn't ask her to leave the ship." Deanna reminded him.
"No, but I did ask for a separation." He sobbed softly. "So, in a sense I pushed her away."
Deanna leaned towards him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Keep trying to talk to her. There is a lot more happening than either one of you can see right now. I think both of you have left some things unsaid and you both need to tell each other those things."
"How can I take her back when I can't even cope with children?"
"Oh, I don't know. What about Rene'?" Deanna reminded him. "You deal with him just fine."
"Rene'. " Picard smiled. "I do miss him. We get along great. Of course, we don't live together..."
"Even so, you adore him and when you visit your family, you get along better with him than you do your own brother." Deanna pointed out to Picard.
"Yes we do." Picard smiled. "I can't think of a child I would want to spend time with more than Rene'. Then again, he is my blood relative."
"True. But you see, you can do just fine around children, especially those who are related to you."
"No, Rene' is a special child. His head is in the stars much like mine was."
"So, is Wesley's, but unlike Rene' he lives among the stars or he did."
"That's true, but sometimes that child is too smart for his own good." Picard's anger was starting to flare again.
"I will admit Wesley is a very intelligent child." Deanna agreed. "As a suggestion, I think your goal should be to figure out how to relate to Wesley on his level."
"That child can out do me in Physics." Picard said sarcastically. "I don't see how I can compete with a child who could probably put people who were in Mensa to shame. When there was such a thing as Mensa, that is."
"Possibly, but maybe you should try to find some common ground." Deanna suggested.
"How can I? Beverly is gone."
"That's where you need to talk to her." Deanna told Picard. "I really feel you two have a lot to get out and discuss. It is possible that the two of you are keeping some things to yourselves for fear of what the other may say or what they may do."
Picard was puzzled. He realized that Deanna had more than once urged him to talk to Beverly. He was curious about what Deanna was trying to tell him. "Are you saying Beverly is perhaps not telling me something that I should know?"
"You really need to talk to each other." Deanna replied evasively. "I can't help you if the two of you are not talking about things you should talk about."
"Yes, you are quite right." Picard said thoughtfully. "I'll try to talk to her again tomorrow."
Picard sat and thought about what Deanna had said to him. "Is it possible that she is not telling me something?" He thought to himself. "If she is, why? What is she afraid of?"
Chapter Twelve
It was almost a month later and Jean-Luc was getting a little tired of being put off by his wife. In his opinion, it had gone on long enough.
Finally, although he had not really expected it, Beverly agreed to have dinner with him. However, he could tell that she was not too thrilled about the idea of having dinner together. The truth be told, he too was having mixed emotions concerning their meeting. Even so, regardless of the reception she might give him, he knew he had to see her.
The Enterprise had docked for upgrades at the space station that revolved around Earth. Meanwhile, the crew had been granted shoreleave. The majority took full advanage of the opportunity.
This was also one time Jean-Luc was not about to pass up shoreleave. He was not sure how Beverly would receive him, which made him very anxious. None the less, he was glad she agreed to see him.
He arrived at her quarters at Starfleet Medical with a dozen roses. Nervously he rang the doorbell and waited for her to answer the door.
When Beverly heard the doorbell to her door ring, she had been looking in the mirror at her appearance. She had been trying to figure out if she was begining to show enough that Jean-Luc might notice.
She noticed, but she tried to convince herself that even forth-time mothers don't show that much at four months. However, it was not working. She still felt like Jean-Luc might notice something.
"Oh, might as well not keep him waiting any longer." She mumbled to herself as she went to answer the door.
When she answered the door there was Jean-Luc with the dozen roses. She had forgotten how stunning he looked, especially when he was all dressed up to go out for the evening. She admired him for a few moments before she said anything to him.
"Jean-Luc, you shouldn't have." She finally said as she took the roses from him.
"I know roses are your favourite."
"Come in, while I put these in a vase before we leave."
Jean-Luc entered Beverly's quarters. "Where's Wesley?"
"Oh, he is out on a date."
"He met someone?"
"She is from his Molecular Physics class."
"Another brain child." Jean-Luc thought to himself. Then he addressed Beverly as she returned with the roses in a vase. "Sounds like he'll enjoy going out with her."
"Maybe." Beverly replied distractedly as she sat the vase down on an end table. "They do have a lot in common."
Jean-Luc could not help but notice there was something different about his wife. Was it her dress that made her look different? Was it making her look a little bigger? He knew he did not dare ask her if she had put on weight. That would cause an argument between them for sure. He tried to think of something else to say to her.
"I... a..." He stammered nervously. "Would it be... I mean given our situation..."
"Jean-Luc, what is it you want to ask me?"
"I was wondering if I could um..."
"If you could what?"
"Give you a hug?" He asked shyly.
Beverly tensed for a moment. She was not sure if she wanted a hug from Jean-Luc or not. She finally said the only thing she could think to say: "Why not?"
Jean-Luc gave her a hug, but Beverly lightly put her arms around him. Even so, Picard was just happy to touch her and smell her perfume again. Even if it was for just that one moment.
"Oh, Beverly." He said as he held her in his arms. "It's been so long since I've held you."
She pushed him away. "Yes, well, don't get to excited about it. We're still separated."
Jean-Luc felt like his heart had been ripped out of him ever since she had left. Now, he felt like she had just stomped on it.
He cleared his throat and tried to think of something else to say. "Why don't we go to dinner?"
"Sounds good to me. Where are we going?"
"There's a nice Italian restaurant not too far from here or we could go to a lovely little French restaurant."
"How about Italian?"
"Sounds fine to me."
They arrived at the restaurant and were seated in a cosy little corner over looking the city.
"Nice view, isn't it?" Jean-Luc asked.
"Yes, it is."
"May I take your orders, please?" The waiter asked when he arrived at their table.
"Go ahead, Bev."
"It all looks so good." Beverly said.
"May I remind you that all our dinner entrees come with salad and breadsticks." The waiter informed them.
"Sounds wonderful. I'll have the Portaprima Bello."
"Good choice and you, Sir?"
"I have the pollo fetticini alfredo."
"What would you two like to drink?"
"Do you have any Chateau Picard?" Jean-Luc asked.
"Yes we do."
"I'll have ice tea." Beverly hurriedly said.
Picard was puzzled. It was not like her to turn down a fine wine when offered one. "You sure?" He asked. "It's not a problem to get us a bottle of wine, if that is your concern."
"No. No." Beverly panicked. "I would like ice tea tonight or you know what, a lemonade would be better. Make it a lemonade."
"I'll have an ale." Jean-Luc finally decided.
"Very well. I'll be back with your breadsticks in a few minutes."
"Thank you." They replied.
"Well, Beverly. How are things at Starfleet Medical?"
"Jean-Luc, we have been dancing on eggshells since you got here." Beverly snapped at him. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Um, maybe it would be best if we ate first." Jean-Luc was not anxious to get into another argument with his wife. He wanted to eat dinner with her in peace or at least keep a truce.
"No, you wanted to have dinner with me so that we could talk about us." Beverly prodded him. "About our situation."
"Let's not ruin our dinner by fighting."
"We will be fighting if you don't get to the point." Beverly was getting more than a little irritated with her husband.
"Alright. There's so much we need to talk about. Where do we start?"
"Your breadsticks." The waiter announced as he sat the food on their table. "Your salad should be along soon."
"Thank you." They replied, again in tandem.
"As you were saying?" Beverly pressed him to continue.
"I really don't know where to start."
"Oh? You? Jean-Luc Picard? The man with a knack for diplomacy at a loss for words?"
"Beverly, let's not start."
The waiter laid a large bowl of salad on their table and departed again.
"Then just say whatever is on your mind." Beverly insisted as she served herself some salad, then offered and served Jean-Luc some. After that she began to nibble on her salad and her bread.
"Is there something you're not telling me?"
Beverly nearly choked on her bread. "What?"
"Are you not telling me something?"
"What do you mean?" Beverly suddenly felt like she was on the hot seat.
"I was talking to Deanna the other day."
"What did she say?" Beverly was wondering if Deanna had said anything to Jean-Luc about the baby.
"Actually, nothing." Jean-Luc informed her as he reached for another breadstick. "But she was very insistent that we needed to talk to each other."
Their meal finally arrived. "Portaprima Bello." The waiter sat Beverly's meal in front of her. Then he turned towards Jean-Luc and sat his plate in front of him. "Pollo Fetticini Alfredo. Enjoy your meal." Then waiter departed again.
"I'm begining to think French would have been better right about now." Jean-Luc remarked sarcastically.
"I think this is lovely. I'm enjoying the food."
"Yes. I see," Jean-Luc commented.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He shook his head. "Nothing really. I guess I was just wanting some comfort food so to speak."
"Yes, French is your thing isn't it?"
"Something wrong with French?"
"No, nothing is wrong with it. I guess, I'm just a little tired. That's all."
"And moody," Jean-Luc thought to himself. Then he continued his conversation with Beverly. "Anyway, as I was saying... Deanna suggested that there may have been some things left unsaid when you left."
"I'll kill her!" Beverly thought to herself. Then she asked Jean-Luc. "Like what?"
"She wouldn't say." Jean-Luc replied. "Just insisted that we needed to talk."
"Really?" Now Beverly doubted that he was telling her everything.
"Yes." Jean-Luc had been watching her as he broached the subject. He saw that at first she was uncomfortable and then became relieved when he told her Deanna did not say anything. "Alright, what is it you're not telling me?"
"I don't know what you are talking about." She did not look him in the eyes. Instead she continued eating her food as though she were trying to avoid the conversation.
Jean-Luc put his fork down, sat back in his chair, and crossed his arms. "Beverly?"
Beverly slammed her fork down on the table. "Oh alright. I'm pregnant."
Jean-Luc was stunned. He did not know if he had her heard right. "What did you say?"
"I'm pregnant?"
Now he felt faint, but he kept his composure. "How far along?"
"Around four months."
"That means you were pregnant when you left."
"That's how it works, generally." Beverly said sarcastically. "Actually, I was pregnant when you asked for the separation."
"And you could not bring yourself to tell me before you left?"
"Why should I? You don't want children! You don't even like children!"
"Be that as it may, you should have told me!"
"And what then? You would probably still want the separation, because that is just one more child to deal with." Beverly threw her napkin down on the table and left.
"Beverly!" He called after her.
"Is there anything I can get you, Sir?" The waiter seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Jean-Luc looked back and forth between the waiter and the doors of the restaurant. "Um, yes a couple of to go boxes."
"Yes, Sir."
Jean-Luc paid the bill and left with their leftover meals. Then he went after Beverly.
He could not find her outside the restaurant or anywhere near by for that matter. So he went back to the medical center to see if she was in her quarters. He once again rang the bell to her quarters.
She opened the door. "We have nothing to talk about."
"I think we do."
She did not say another word. Instead, she stepped out of his path and gestured for him to enter.
As he walked past her he said. "Oh, here's the rest of your meal if you want it."
She took her box and sat it aside on the nearest table. She did not offer him a seat. She just stood there waiting for him to speak.
"We do have a lot to talk about now."
"What for?" She said defensively.
"I know we did not plan this, but we have to think about working things out with a baby coming."
"Oh, so now you want me back just like that?"
"I never said I didn't want you."
"No, but you may as well have said it when you said you didn't want Wesley around."
"It's his behaviour I don't want around."
"He's a typical teenager trying to test the waters."
"He is an arrogant smart ass!"
"And you're not an ass?"
"OK, I'll admit, I have a tendency to make an ass out of myself around children, but that doesn't excuse Wesley's behaviour."
"And it excuses yours?"
"Beverly, we have a child on the way. We don't need to be fighting over Wesley."
"I don't see how that is going to solve anything."
"Why don't we send Wesley to a boarding school or something?" Jean-Luc suggested. "Then he'd be among others that could work with him and he might find his niche."
"I am not sending Wesley away!"
"It could help the situation."
"Oo! I don't believe you! You'll take me back if I give up my son?"
"I didn't say that."
"Oh, so you're not taking me back? Is it the baby? Our baby?"
"No, it's Wesley! He needs more than what a star ship can give him!" Jean-Luc insisted.
"Oh, so when our child gets older what then?" She retorted angrily. "Are you going to ask for a separation then too? Or are you going to send him or her away too?"
"If that's what our child needs."
"Get out!" Beverly snarled.
"We need to talk about this." Jean-Luc insisted desperately.
"I said, get out!" Beverly was now very irate as she repeated the words and pointed to the door.
"Alright, I'll go, but we still need to talk about all of this." Jean-Luc left, but not without slamming the door to her quarters.
"I just knew he was going to be like this when he found out about the baby!" Beverly grumbled. "He just can't stand children even if they are his own."