Baby Come Back
Chapters One through Three
Song is Dove' L'Amore by Cher
Chapter One
Beverly sat in her quarters trying to eat her lunch. It was actually hers and Jean-Luc's, but he had not been in his quarters much lately for lunch or any other meal, preferring to be on numerous away missions.
"I was alone when I was not married, but not lonely." She thought to herself. "Now, I'm married and lonely."
She remembered when she first met Jean-Luc and her late husband, Jack Crusher. She knew then that she loved Jean-Luc, but at that time it was not meant to be. She then fell in love with Jack and married him instead. A short time later Wesley was born.
Then came the fatal mission. The one where she lost her first husband. Jean-Luc was Jack’s captain at the time. Someone had to do a dangerous mission. That someone ended up being Jack Crusher and unfortunately he had been killed on that mission. She never held any grudge against Jean-Luc for the fate of her late husband. Instead, as years past, she grew to love Jean-Luc again and very deeply.
She knew Jean-Luc was not good with children when she married him. Still, she thought he would learn, but that did not happen. She had hoped Jean-Luc would have adjusted over time to being a stepfather, but he did not.
Likewise, Wesley was not adjusting to being a stepson. Instead, they seemed to have begun to take their feelings for each other out on her. They were rarely home and when they were at home they argued with her, too.
As she stared at her lunch, she realized it was not just the loneliness getting to her. It was also the situation between her son and Jean-Luc.
Wesley chose to have lunch with his classmates that day. He too was trying to avoid being in their cabin. In fact, today was no exception. It was becoming a habit for him as of late.
As she sat and tried to eat her lunch she not only worried about Jean-Luc on the away mission and wanted him safe on the ship, but she was also remembering the last disagreement between all three of them.
It started on the Bridge, when Wesley tried to tell everyone that Data was actually Lore. Something about Data was out of the ordinary for him and Wesley noticed it. He tried hard to explain the unusual behaviour the was uncharacteristic of Data, but no one would listen to him, no matter what he said.
"Shut up, Wesley!" Picard commanded angrily.
"Shut up, Wesley?" She remembered asking Jean-Luc.
"And since I'm through here." Wesley began. He continued for a moment until he was yell at by his mother.
"Shut up, Wesley." She remembered saying very firmly.
Later, Wesley and Jean-Luc were arguing.
"You're not my father!" Wesley insisted. "You can't tell me what to do when I'm off duty!"
"No, I am your step-father." Jean-Luc stated. "I am also your captain, which gives me the right to take disciplinary actions against you when necessary and your behaviour on the Bridge was insubordination."
"I'm off duty now." Wesley replied. "You can't do a thing to me."
"Wesley, I agreed to make you acting Ensign on one condition and you are not living up to that condition." Picard stated. "Now, do you want to stay acting Ensign and go to Starfleet Academy or do you want to quit here and now."
"No, Sir." Wesley replied. "I would like to stay acting Ensign."
"Then I suggest you straighten up your act and act like an acting Ensign should."
Wesley was very angry with his stepfather and went to his room. He did not come out until the next morning when he went to school.
Jean-Luc on the other hand went to Beverly, still very upset. "I don't want him on my Bridge if he is going to continue to disobey orders!"
"Jean-Luc, he was right though." Beverly insisted. "Data was not Data. He was Lore."
"That maybe, but when I give an order, I expect respect and obedience." Jean-Luc stated.
"He's still a child."
"Then maybe he shouldn't be on my Bridge!" Picard walked out of their quarters and went back to the Bridge.
Now, a few days later and after both the men in her life complained to her about the other's behaviour and all, she sat by herself. She tried to eat, but she could not. She knew she should though. Especially for a very big reason. One that Jean-Luc may or may not like, but for now she chose to keep that secret to herself.
*Sickbay to Crusher-Picard."
"Crusher here."
*Medical emergencies incoming.*
"On my way."
A few minutes later, she was in Sickbay. Her stomach bounced when she saw who one of the emergencies was. It was her beloved captain and husband.
She gasped when she saw him. He was unconscious and had shrapnel though out his body. She gathered her emotions as she grabbed a scanner to scan him. As she scanned him, she found that he had a concussion, a broken arm and ribs. One of the ribs had punctured his lung.
Walked over to Nurse Ogawa in a daze. She finally addressed the nurse. "Nurse Ogawa, I need the captain prepped for surgery."
"Doctor?" Nurse Ogawa asked as she observed Beverly's behaviour. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Beverly stated.
"I can get Doctor Selar to take over for you if you like." Ogawa suggested.
"I'm fine." Beverly stated more firmly. "Now please get the captain prepped for surgery!"
Ogawa observed Beverly a she prepped Picard for surgery. She had her doubts about Crusher's emotional state for surgery. The other problem was this was not some patient she did not have some sort of emotional attachment to, but rather her husband.
After Ogawa finished prepping Picard for surgery, she went to get the Vulcan doctor. She hoped the doctor agreed with her about Doctor Crusher-Picard's emotional state to do surgery. She hated to leave Doctor Crusher-Picard, but she had to do something to make sure the surgery went well.
Chapter Two
Doctor Selar walked over to Beverly. Beverly was still prepping for surgery as Selar approached her. Selar stood calmly with her hands behind her back as she faced Beverly.
"Doctor, I really think it would be prudent if I took over Captain Picard's care." Selar stated as she addressed Beverly. "It is apparent that your emotions could possibly affect his outcome if you are allowed to do this surgery."
"Doctor Selar, I assure you that I am fine." Beverly replied gruffly. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of my husband."
"Husband." Selar stated flatly. "Another reason you should not be doing the surgery."
"I'm fine!" Beverly stated more sternly. Then, while turning to dry her hands, Beverly bumped into a portable surgical tray. The tray fell, dropping its supply of sterile instruments to the floor.
Selar raised an eyebrow as though to say "Really?"
Beverly had looked up in time to see Selar's expression. "Oh, alright. I guess you're right. Letting you do his surgery would be the more logical thing to do." Beverly emphasised the word logical as though she were borrowing the word from Selar's race.
The Vulcan nodded to Beverly and began to prepare herself for Picard's surgery.
Beverly tried gathered herself mentally and physically. The best she could do was pick the surgical tools up and place them into the sterilizer.
"Why do Vulcans always have to be so damn logical!" She exclaimed to no one in particular.
Even so, she received a response from Selar. "It is just our way. It would be illogical to be any other way. If we let our emotions flow freely, then we would be no better off than you Humans. Possibly worse."
"Gee, thanks." Beverly stated as Selar went to begin working on Picard. "I guess Vulcans believe they have a corner on logic."
Beverly finished placing all the surgical tools that she had knocked to the floor back into the sterilizer. Then she went to wait until Selar was finished doing surgery on her husband.
As Beverly sat and waited for the results of the surgery, she thought to herself. Her thoughts were more angry than anything else.
"If he leaves on one more away mission." She thought. "I swear I'll leave him. I'm not going to stick around here and watch him kill himself. Besides, if I have to have meals alone and go to events by myself, I might as well be single again. What's the use of eating alone and going places by yourself all the time if you're married? Isn't much of a marriage, especially sitting around worrying about your husband and when he is around you're arguing with him about your son and how much time he spends on away missions, risking his life."
Wesley joined her in the waiting area. He sat down beside her, but did not say a word as they waited for Selar to tell them the surgery was finished. As Beverly kept her silent vigil, Wesley sat and stared at the wall across from him.
Beverly continued to fume in her mind until Selar walked out of surgery and approached them with the results. Beverly turned to face Selar when she heard her walk through the door. Her expectant face told Selar that Beverly was anxious to hear about her husband.
Wesley also had an expectant look on his face as he turned towards Selar. He hoped his captain, who was also his step-dad, was going to be alright.
"He's still asleep." Selar informed her with very little emotion, if any, in her voice. "I removed ninty percent of the shrapnel from his body. Ten percent I could not remove without doing further damage to him. The rib is out of his lung and I repaired the damage to his lung. His broken bones are on the way to mending. I used the regenerator on them and will be using it again for the next forty-eight hours. He'll be asleep for at least another hour, but you may go in and see him if you like."
Beverly nodded and re-entered Sickbay with Wesley following behind her. She felt like her insides were trembling as she walked towards the area where Jean-Luc was resting. She was not sure why she felt shaky. Maybe because she feared what she was about to see, but she could not figure out why. She had done nearly the same procedures on other patients hundreds of times, so she knew what to expect.
Still, this was her husband. She could only hope he was going to be fine.
She and Wesley observed the resting Jean-Luc Picard. Except for a few areas that needed more therapy with the regenerated, Jean-Luc like his usual self as he slept.
Ogawa walked in with a chair and offered it to Beverly after several minutes passed. Beverly accepted the chair.
"I'll get you one too, Wesley, if you want it." Ogawa offered.
"No thank you." He replied. "I'm fine."
"Alright." Ogawa replied. "Call me if you need anything."
"We will." Wesley told her as she left the room. Then he turned towards his mother. "I'm going to get something to eat. Do you want anything?"
"No, I'm fine." Beverly told her son. "I'd rather stay here incase Jean-Luc wakes up."
"I could bring you something." Wesley told her.
She finally smiled as she patted Wesley's arm and looked up to him. "It would be the first time in a long time that I didn't have dinner alone, but thanks anyway. I'm not hungry."
Wesley shrugged. "Ok, suit yourself." Then he started to leave. As he walked towards the door of Picard's room, he suddenly stopped and turned back towards his mother. "Why don't I bring you a little something in case you change your mind?"
"No thanks." She told him again. Then she added as Wesley looked at her with doubt, "Really, I'm fine."
Wesley shook his head and walked out of the room. Beverly was again left alone with her thoughts.
She laid her hand on her stomach and thought about the future. She wondered if she would still be with Jean-Luc in a year or would she end up leaving him before it was over. Would she continue to feel alone with her child? Their child. Or would she just be alone, but not feel as lonely?
She did not know what the future held. All she knew was she was not happy being married to Jean-Luc anymore. She wanted to just give up and leave, but yet she wanted to give Jean-Luc the opportunity to help make their marriage better. She wanted to give Jean-Luc the chance to adjust to having children around him. She only hoped he would adjust soon, for if she stayed, there would be another change for him to get use to having around him.
Chapter Three
Beverly sat beside Jean-Luc's bed all night. Currently she had her head lying on his bed and was sleeping. She had not moved from his bedside since they had brought him into the room after his surgery.
Doctor Selar had tried to get Beverly to go home and rest the night before, but Beverly refused to leave Jean-Luc's side. Upon her refusal, Doctor Selar had tried to offer her a cot to rest on while she waited for Jean-Luc to awake from his surgery. Beverly refused that too, but Doctor Selar had one brought into the room anyway in case Beverly had changed her mind. She did not and fell asleep with her head on Jean-Luc's bed.
Suddenly, she felt Jean-Luc stir. She was slowly waking up herself. Jean-Luc let out a groan. He was still in pain from his injuries.
Beverly raised her head off his bed and watched him slowly awake. It seemed like the last few seconds of waiting for him to return to consciousness took forever. At least in Beverly's mind. There was so much she wanted to tell him. For starters, she wanted to tell him how worried she was about him, but it would have to wait a little while longer until he completely awoke from his sleep.
His eyes finally opened. He took a few minutes to focus and then finally spoke. His voice was weak, but Beverly still heard him as she watched him come back to life.
"Have you been here the whole time?" He asked weakly.
"Pretty much." She replied. "It was Doctor Selar who operated on you."
"She did?" He grunted as he tried to sit up, but it was very painful to him.
"Don't even try." Beverly informed as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"How bad?" He groaned.
"Well, you had a broken leg and broken ribs." She informed him. "Plus, shrapnal all through out your body. Doctor Selar got all the shrapnal out of you and your bones set, but she still needs to continue with the skin graphing and regeneration as well as make sure your bones are healing right. It may take several times with the regenerator with your broken bones. You leg was in pretty bad shape."
"When can I get out of here?" He asked.
"As soon as you are better." She stood and kissed his forehead. "You need plenty of rest."
"So do you."
"I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about."
"Mom?" They both looked towards the door. It was Wesley's voice. "How is he?"
"He's awake now."
"I didn't know you cared, Wesley." Picard stated.
"Jean-Luc, don't start now."
"I'm not starting anything. I'm just surprised to see him here."
"Regardless of what you might think, Sir." Wesley began. "I do care whether you are alright or not. After all, you are the captain."
"Nice gesture." Picard replied. Then he thought to himself, "I don't buy it. The boy is up to something."
Wesley frowned. He heard in Picard's voice and facial
expression that somehow Picard did not believe what he was saying.
"Would you like me to bring you some breakfast, Mom?"
"That's very kind of you, Wes." Beverly told her son. "But I think I will go back to our quarters and get cleaned up. I'll get something to eat before I return to check on Jean-Luc."
"If you're sure?" Wesley checked that his mother was sure that was what she wanted to do.
"Yes, I think so. He's awake now and I'm a little more confident that he will be fine."
"OK. I'm going to go on to school then." Wesley stated. "I'll come back and check on both of you after school."
"Thanks Wes." Beverly told her son.
Then Wesley left for school. Beverly stood and addressed Jean-Luc. "Regardless of what you may think of my son, he really is a good boy."
"But very disrespectful."
"He's a typical child. All kids have problems dealing with a step-father."
"Yes, but to the point of complete and total disrespect?" Jean-Luc asked.
"He does respect you."
"Only on the Bridge."
"More often than that." Beverly corrected. "Why do you think he came down here?"
"To check on you and nothing more."
"Not true! He does care about what happens to you."
"I doubt it."
Beverly shook her head. "You get some rest. Doctor Selar is going to do another treatment with the regenerator soon. I'll see you in a couple of hours."
"You don't have to. I'll be fine." Jean-Luc replied.
"I have to make sure you stay in that bed when Doctor Selar is not watching."
"I don't think I'm going to walk out of here anytime soon." Picard stated and gestured to his leg. "She kind of has it immobile."
"That's to make sure you don't redamage it before it has heal completely."
"Yeah, right." Picard said. He almost laughed but his ribs began to smart almost immediately. His breathing became short and laboured. He tried to catch his breath.
"One of your ribs punctured one of your lungs." Beverly informed him. "You may have some problems breathing for a while."
"And pain from my ribs." He mumbled breathlessly.
"I'll check on you later." She leaned over and kissed him. "And try not to give my medical staff a hard time."
"Who me?" He asked softly.
"Yes you! I'll see you in a couple of hours."
Beverly returned like she said she would. She enterred Sickbay and headed for Doctor Selar's office. "How is he?"
"Illogically difficult." Selar informed her. Beverly could see Selar was trying hard to keep her frustation with Picard in check. However, Beverly did not have to be a Betazoid to tell that the Vulcan was frustrated with their captain. As hard as the Vulcan tried, her frustration with Picard was still slipping through.
"What else is new?" Beverly said with a smile. "I don't know when he has not been a difficult patient."
"I gave him another treatment with the regenerator." The Vulcan stated flatly. "His breathing is more regulated and study. His ribs are starting to repair, as well as his leg and other injuries."
"That's good."
"I would be more than happy to release him to you tomorrow." Selar stated. Her frustration with their captain was almost showing itself again. "He'd have to stay in your quarters for at least a week and then slowly return back to work."
"I understand."
"True, but does he?"
Beverly shook her head, but did not reply. Her husband could test anyone's patience when he was laid up in Sickbay. Including a Vulcan's.
"May I see him?"
"You may." The Vulcan nodded.
Beverly went to see Jean-Luc. She enterred his room with a smile as she greeted him. "I hear you have been giving Doctor Selar a hard time."
"Have I?"
"Jean-Luc, for once can't you just relax and allow your competent crew to run this ship?"
"I'm the captain. My place is on the Bridge."
"Not when you have been injured. You should have thought of that before you went on that away mission." Beverly retorted.
"I did and Will even tried to stop me."
"Why didn't you listen to him?"
"Beverly, I was needed on that planet."
"Were you?" Beverly asked angrily. "You go on these missions without considering your own safety, much less the fact that I have to put you back together again. How do you think that makes me feel as I see you lying on a stretcher for me to sew up?"
"You didn't put me back together this time."
"Even so, I get really tired of it."
"And I'm tired of your son treating me the way he does!" Picard stated angrily.
"What has he done now?" She asked. "And what does that have to do with these away missions?"
"Everything. Although, he's done nothing since I've been in Sickbay, but mark my words!" He replied back to her in anger. "He will when I get out of here and I'll be on another away mission just to avoid him."
"I'm leaving!" Beverly stated even more angrily. "I'll come back when you are in a better mood."
"Fine. I'm not going anywhere."
Beverly left his room in a heated rush. She did not even stop to kiss him goodbye. She walked past the nurses without even talking to them, only to stop long enough to address Doctor Selar. "He's all your's! I'm going back to my quarters." Then she left Sickbay.
Hurriedly she rushed down the hall to her quarters. She stopped in front of the door and paused. "I don't think I want to go home just yet." She said sadly.
She continued down the corridor. She was not sure just yet where she was going to go, but anywhere would have been better than their quarters at the moment.