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Wesley tugged on his ear again and Beverly sighed. The ear infection she had diagnosed her son with was still lingering over five weeks later and she honestly wasn’t sure what else she could try. She would take him to see her mentor, Doctor Quaice in the morning and see if the more experienced Doctor had any ideas. She gently pressed a hypospray of analgesic against the soft skin on Wesley’s neck to help dull the pain and kissed his forehead. “Shh, my love. Get some more sleep. Mommy’s here.”
“Where Daddy an Unka Jawn?” Beverly frowned. It had been a few months since the Stargazer had been docked at the base and she missed her husband...and her best friend, who happened to be Captain of the ship. “I’m sorry, Wes. Daddy isn’t here. But we can call him and Uncle Jean-Luc tomorrow, OK?”
“Mommy, ear hurts.” Beverly smoothed down Wesley’s hair. “I know baby, I know. I’m trying to make it better. Please, try to sleep.” Beverly watched her son close his eyes and hoped he would feel better in the morning. She pulled a chair closer to his bed and picked up her PADD to continue to research ear infections.
Wesley wasn’t better in the morning. Three more weeks went by and Wesley started complaining that normal, everyday noises were too loud. The gurgle of the toilet, the sound of the replicator whirling, even the soft sound Wesley made when he turned over in bed. Wesley no longer could attend the daycare on base and Beverly had to ask Doctor Quaice for some compassionate leave. During his waking hours, Wesley could only cry and hold his ears in pain. Beverly had to creep around her quarters without her shoes on and when her comm dinged with an incoming message, she silently cursed as Wesley began to howl again. The noise of his own cries even hurt his ears.
“Crusher here. This better be good.”
“Bev? Is everything alright?” Beverly stared at the image of her best friend, and the father of her son and tried to smile. “No, everything isn’t alright. Wesley is ill...and I can’t fix him.” In the background, Jean-Luc could hear Wesley’s soft cries.
“What can we do? Do you need Jack and I to come to the base? We’ve just finished mapping the new sector and if I push us to warp 8, I think we could make it to the base by morning.”
“Could you?” Tears filled Beverly’s eyes. “I’m at my wits end and could really use some help.” Concern filled Jean-Luc’s eyes as he looked at the mother of his child, the woman he loved. He might not be married to her and he might be masquerading as only an uncle figure to his son so his best friend wouldn’t find out about their indiscretion, but it didn’t change the way he felt about Beverly or Wesley. They were just as much as part of him as his own arms were. “Beverly, tell me what’s wrong with my son.”
Beverly offered a watery smile and not for the first time regretted the decisions they had made when she had discovered she was pregnant. She had slept with Jean-Luc while she was engaged to Jack, and the result was her becoming pregnant with Wesley. “It’s his ears. He seems to have had an ear infection for the past eight weeks and it’s getting worse. Now soft sounds are starting to make his ears hurt. That’s why I’m whispering and I’ve turned down the volume on the console.” On screen, Beverly saw Jean-Luc’s eyes widen.
“I had forgotten. I mean, I always knew I carried the genes, but it never actually occurred to me that I would have passed it on to Wesley.”
“Passed what on, Jean-Luc?” Jean-Luc sighed.
“Shalaft’s Syndrome.”
“I’m afraid I’m not familiar with Shalaft. What is it?”
“I don’t know how common it is, if it’s related to being French, or our Spanish roots or if it’s something unique to the Picard DNA alone, but every male child with Picard blood gets Shalaft’s Syndrome when they are around three. I’m so sorry, Beverly. I probably should have told you as soon as we knew you were having a boy, but it was so long ago I had forgotten.”
“It’s alright, Jean-Luc, but can you tell me about it?”
“I don’t know much since I was three myself. But I do know that any noise, even the tiniest of rustling caused my ears major pain and Maman finally had to take me to a Starfleet hospital in Paris where they did surgery. It should be in my medical records. You should be able to access them.” Beverly swallowed.
“Jean-Luc, I think we’re going to have to tell Jack the truth.”
“Why?”
“Well, you just said Shalaft’s is genetic, and Jack knows it’s not on his side of the family...and it can’t have come from me since it passes male to male.”
“I hadn’t thought of that, Bev. I’m sorry, this is all my fault.”
“It isn’t. I mean, I did kind of seduce you,” Beverly glanced over her shoulder to the open door to Wesley’s room. “But I wouldn’t go back and change a thing. I love Wes.”
“I love him, too. And you, Beverly.” Beverly softly smiled. She loved Jean-Luc too, but had only ever told him once, when she told him she was pregnant. She tried not to think about how much she loved her best friend when she was married to someone else. And she did love Jack. At least, she thought she did.
“I know. I...I have to tell Jack somehow.”
“I should be with you when you do.” Beverly shook her head. “No. I should tell him alone. But not until you get here. I don’t want to tell him over subspace. I’ll just call and tell him I need him to come because Wesley is ill.”
“I’ll change course as soon as Jack tells me.”
“Jean-Luc...we’ll get through this.” Jean-Luc couldn’t help but smile at Beverly. “We will. See you soon. Picard out.”
Twenty minutes later, Jack was pressing the chime outside Jean-Luc’s quarters and asking his friend to alter their course to Starbase 32. Jean-Luc issued the order immediately, and after Jack left his quarters he poured himself a drink. He needed to remind himself that he had to play the role of concerned uncle, not father, tomorrow.
Jean-Luc wondered what Jack would do once Beverly told him the truth. Would he divorce Beverly? If he did, how soon could Jean-Luc reasonably ask Beverly to marry him without it looking as if they had been having a long affair? What if Jack insisted on being transferred off the Stargazer? He was a good science officer and second officer and Jean-Luc would miss his council if he did leave. Jean-Luc wondered about telling Walker everything, but then decided he had better not say anything without talking to Beverly first. Drink finished, he headed to bed. They should be docking with Starbase 32 in the morning.
###
Jean-Luc greeted Beverly with a kiss on her cheek. “How’s Wes?”
“Asking for you and Jack.”
“Me?” Jack clapped Jean-Luc on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s go see that boy of mine.”
Beverly quietly led them into her quarters. “Remember, loud noises hurt his ears. He’s wearing earplugs and earmuffs to try to dull as much noise as possible.” Jean-Luc nodded, remembering the measures his mother had gone through with him and he slipped off his shoes. “Good idea, Johnny. Why didn’t I think of that?” Jack soon abandoned his shoes by the door and padded the rest of the way into Beverly’s quarters. Jean-Luc hung back and Beverly came to his side and slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. He spoke low into her ear, “Will he be ok?” Beverly nodded. Jack looked back towards Beverly and Jean-Luc and saw them whispering. Jean-Luc flashed Jack a smile as he went into Wesley’s bedroom, with Jean-Luc and Beverly following closely behind.
“Daddy! Unka Jawn!” Wesley exclaimed, then winced. “Wesley, I told you...whisper and it won’t hurt as much,” Beverly admonished the three-year-old. Wesley lowered his voice to an excited whisper. “Missed you!” Jean-Luc reached out and ruffled his hair. “Missed you too.” Jean-Luc turned towards Beverly and spoke low into her ear. “Can he go anywhere? Do you want me to take him somewhere so you and Jack can...talk?” Beverly shook her head. “It’s too noisy on the station, but if you can stay here with him, I can take Jack to my office.....”
“And you’re sure you don’t want me to be there with you?” Beverly slowly nodded. “I’m sure.”
“Jack? Will you come with me to sickbay so we can talk about Wesley’s treatment? Jean-Luc, will you stay here with Wes?”
“Of course, Bev. Don’t worry, Wes and I will be fine.”
###
Beverly ushered Jack into her office and indicated for him to take a seat. She came to sit behind her desk and looked across it at Jack. She wiped her palms nervously on her lap before loosely clasping her hands on top of her desk.
“Beverly, will Wesley be ok? He’s not going to be deaf or anything, will he?”
“He’ll be fine. He needs surgery, but he’ll be fine. But...ah...we need to talk...”
“Ok. So...what’s wrong with him?” Jack leaned forward on the chair and rested his hand on top of hers.
“Wesley has....Shalaft’s Syndrome.” Jack looked back at her, puzzled. “What’s that?” Beverly let out a long sigh and pulled her hand out from under Jack’s to run it through her hair. “It’s...genetic.”
“Well, I never heard of a Crusher having it. Must be from your Howard side.” Beverly shook her head. “No, it can only be passed on the male side.”
“But....Beverly, I just said that I don’t have this....Shalaft Syndrome.”
“I...I know.” Jack raised his eyebrows at his wife. “Beverly, what exactly are you trying to tell me?”
“Jack. You know that I love you very much, right?”
“Riiiiight,” Jack drawled out.
“I need you to understand that I...that we...never wanted to hurt you...when I found out I was pregnant just before our wedding he didn’t....he didn’t want to hurt you and I agreed with him that it wouldn’t have been fair on you for me to cancel the wedding three weeks before...and I didn’t want to be a single mom and I didn’t know if he wanted to get married....but he told me he would marry me if that was what I wanted and I just couldn’t bring myself to tell you so we just....let you think Wesley was yours....” Beverly continued to ramble and Jack had to raise his voice to be heard.
“Beverly. Who. Is. Wesley’s. Father.” Beverly looked down at her hands on her desk, not willing to meet Jack’s eyes.
“Jean-Luc.” Jack stared back at her with his mouth wide open.
“I...I see. I need to...Bev, I’m sorry. I need to...I need to think. Uhm...” Jack stood up and exited Beverly’s office and strode to the gangway connecting the Stargazer to Starbase 32. He wanted to go talk to Jean-Luc, but he was taking care of his...no, Jean-Luc was taking care of his own son. When did this happen? Well, obviously, it happened while he and Beverly were engaged, but...how? Jack shook his head as he made his way to his quarters. He had a lot of thinking to do.
###
Beverly quietly entered her quarters and saw Jean-Luc on the sofa, with Wesley sound asleep in his lap. “How did you?” Jean-Luc shrugged. “I just softly sang to him the song Maman sang to me. He seemed to like the French.” Beverly softly laughed. Perhaps her son just knew Jean-Luc was his father and being around him had a calming effect. “Do you think you could carry him to his room? We need to talk.” Jean-Luc looked up sharply and took in Beverly’s red-rimmed eyes. “I think so.” He gingerly stood up with Wesley in his arms and the boy stirred, then wrapped his small arms around Jean-Luc’s neck. Jean-Luc carried him into his room and gently detached Wesley’s arms. He kissed Wesley’s forehead before pulling the covers up over him and allowing the door to slide shut behind him.
He immediately pulled Beverly close and held her tight. “Are you alright? What happened with Jack?” Beverly sniffed and rested her head on Jean-Luc’s shoulder. “I...don’t know. I told him and he said he needed to think. I think he went back to his quarters on the ship.”
“How do you feel?” Jean-Luc brushed the tears off her cheek with his thumb. “Relieved, if I’m honest. I hated that we had decided not to tell Jack the truth, but I didn’t want to come out with it after Wesley was born...I felt trapped between a rock and a hard place. Wes needs his father in his life...he needs you. And if that means I divorce Jack and become a single mom, so be it.” Jean-Luc shook his head.
“No.”
“No?”
“No. You wouldn’t be a single parent. Beverly, I understand if you wouldn’t want to get married right away, but please let me parent Wesley with you.”
“Let’s get me divorced from Jack before we talk about getting married, ok? But yes, I want you in Wesley’s life.” Jean-Luc smiled and leaned down and lightly kissed Beverly on the lips, then pulled away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have...”
“Don’t apologize. Wesley is going to have surgery tomorrow. I assume you want to be there?” Jean-Luc nodded. “Good. I need you there, too. Now, let’s get some sleep.”
“Uhm....Bev? Where am I sleeping? Do you want me to go back to the ship?” Jean-Luc looked around Beverly’s quarters. He supposed he could sleep on her sofa if he needed to. “No. Come sleep in my bed.”
“Beverly.” Jean-Luc blushed. “No, not like that. We’ll just sleep. I promise.”
“And if Jack decides to come home?” She shook her head. “This isn’t his home. The door isn’t keyed to him.”
“Oh. I’m afraid I’ll have to sleep in my boxers. Sorry.”
“No you won’t,” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at Beverly. “I, ah, pinched a pair of your pyjamas from the ship.”
“Ah.” Beverly made her way into her bedroom and turned around to look at Jean-Luc. “Jean-Luc?”
“Yes?”
“Will you hold me?”
“Of course.”
###
In the morning, Beverly was surprised to find Jack waiting for them in Sickbay. Wesley was still asleep clinging to Jean-Luc’s neck and Jack couldn’t help but notice how much Jean-Luc seemed to love Wesley. Beverly dropped her voice to a whisper. “We’re trying to keep Wes asleep so he doesn’t get scared when he’s alone.”
“Won’t you be with him?” Beverly shook her head. “No. Doctor Quaice thought it would be better if I wasn’t in the theatre,” Beverly motioned for Jean-Luc to follow her into the back and had him lay Wesley on a bio bed. “My sweet baby boy. When you wake up, you’ll be fine again.” Beverly leaned down and kissed Wesley’s forehead and Jean-Luc gently squeezed Wesley’s hand before a nurse escorted them out of the room. They filed into Beverly’s office and she sat behind her desk, and Jean-Luc perched on the edge. They both looked like the concerned parents that they were, but Jack was having a hard time alternating between caring about Wesley, and being angry with Beverly.
He settled on anger. “I can’t believe you lied to me. Was our entire marriage a farce?!”
“Now, Jack...”
“Jean-Luc, no. I want to talk to my darling wife. Did you forget that last night, Johnny? I know you stayed in her quarters.”
“I slept, Jack. I was concerned for the welfare of my son.”
“He’s my...no, I suppose he isn’t. Johnny, you should be on his birth certificate, not me. You’re his father .I guess I’m his.....step-father?” Jean-Luc nodded . “Thank you, Jack. I’ll see what we need to do to have it amended. Do you still want him to have your last name?”
“No. He’s a Picard. He should use the Picard name.”
“Thank you, Jack. That’s very....considerate of you.”
Beverly played with her ring on her finger and twisted it off. She held it out to Jack. “I suppose you want this back now.”
“No.”
“Well, I don’t want to keep it. Jack, I think we should get divorced.”
“No.”
“What do you mean, no? You don’t want to get divorced?” Jack slammed his palm on her desk and leaned over. “We made vows.”
“Yes, we did. But under false pretences. It only seems fair that we should divorce...you can meet someone else....”
“And what? You can go and marry Johnny?” Jean-Luc’s eyes bulged. “I, ah, think I should go and wait out in the waiting room...let you two talk things over....”
“No, Johnny. You stay. This concerns you just as much as it does us.” Jean-Luc glanced over at Beverly and she nodded. Jean-Luc sat on the edge of Beverly’s desk again and tried to speak, but Jack held up his hand. “No. You’re going to answer my questions.” Jean-Luc nodded. “How did this happen?”
“It was...October. Beverly....she was mad at you and came to see me and I....I’m sorry, Jack. I took advantage of the situation. I’m not going to say I regret what happened, because then we wouldn’t have Wesley, but I’m sorry I didn’t tell you when it happened.”
“I see. Bev?”
“No, Jean-Luc said it all. I was mad at you. I went to his quarters, drank two bottles of wine, and then went to his ready room where I seduced him.”
“Johnny, why did you want Beverly to tell me the baby was mine?”
“You were getting married in three weeks when Beverly and I found out. I didn’t want you to be hurt so close to the wedding and I didn’t want you to have to cancel everything, so I suggested to Beverly that we.....didn’t say anything.”
“No, so instead you decide to wait until my son...my step-son...develops a genetic disease to tell me?!” Jean-Luc looked down. “I’m sorry, Jack. I forgot about the Shalaft’s Syndrome or I would have told Beverly about it when Wes was born.”
“Johnny, are you in love with my wife?” Jean-Luc looked up. “Do you want the truth?” Jack nodded. “Yes. I am in love with Beverly.”
“How long?”
“Since we first met her.” Jack frowned. “And I suppose you love Johnny?” Beverly slowly nodded . Anger flashed in Jack’s eyes. “Then why the hell did you marry me, Beverly?”
“Because I love you, too, alright! I love both of you. I’m sorry!” Beverly threw her hands up in the air and her wedding band went flying across the room.
“Well, I’m mad at you right now. If you expect us to continue to have a relationship, you’re sorely mistaken.”
“I told you, I want to get divorced.”
“And I told you no.”
“Ugh, this is so stupid. We can just get it annulled. After all, I lied.” Jack rolled his eyes. “We are not getting an annulment. We are not getting a divorce . You and Johnny will be Wesley’s parents and I will be his step-father. The three of us will go on holiday together so Johnny can spend time with Wesley, but I will not divorce you.” Jack levelled a steady gaze at his wife. “And you better not sleep with Jean-Luc and become pregnant again. Wesley will be your only child.”
Beverly began to weep. All she wanted was another baby, and she had started to think she might be able to have another child with Jean-Luc. Jean-Luc went around the desk and wrapped his arms around Beverly while Jack sneered at them. “Cry all you want, Bev, but I’m never touching you ever again. And Johnny, you better not make her pregnant again.” Jean-Luc glared at his best friend over the top of Beverly’s head.
“Jack. Be reasonable. If you have no intention of having a romantic relationship with Beverly, perhaps divorcing her would be the best option.”
“Would you marry her if we got divorced?”
“Well, she is the mother of my son. I would probably ask her.”
“Nope, a divorce isn’t happening.”
“So you would rather punish all three of us?”
“Who said anything about me? Just because I don’t plan on sleeping with my spouse, doesn’t mean...”
“You bastard.” Jean-Luc tightened his grip on Beverly to keep her from leaping over the table at him. Jack only smugly smiled. “Right. I’m getting out of here. Wouldn’t want to be around for Wesley’s reunion with his parents. Toodles.” Jack wiggled his fingers and spun on his heal before leaving Beverly’s office.
“I’d like to show him where he can wiggle his fingers.”
“Beverly!”
“What? You were thinking it, too.” Jean-Luc blanched. “Well...ah...yes, alright.” He squeezed her shoulders.
“Jean-Luc, if you want to date anyone...sleep with anyone...go ahead, don’t...be celibate just because I’m being forced to.” Jean-Luc shook his head and dropped a kiss on her head. “No. I’m committed to you with or without a wedding ring. I love you, and I wouldn’t sleep with anyone else. Ask Jack in a few months or next year, maybe he’ll change his mind.”
“Hm. I think I’ll get divorce papers on standby.”
###
Jack never gave in to a divorce. For two and a half years, Beverly was in a loveless marriage with Jack, while Jean-Luc continued to care for her and Wesley. When Jack died, it was almost like a blessing for Beverly. She finally felt as though she could reclaim her life and be with Jean-Luc. They had agreed to take it slow, and so a year-and-a-half after Jack’s death they were wed in a small ceremony and Beverly became pregnant soon after.