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Beverly Howard was curled up on her side in her bed when she heard the door to her quarters slide open. There were only a handful of people who had access to her quarters like that, and she smiled when she heard the rich tones of the Captain and her best friend calling to her.
“I’m in bed,” she called back.
Jean-Luc appeared in front of her with concern written all over her face. “I was told you were sick? Are you alright? Or is this just an excuse to get me in your bed?” He sat down on the edge of the bed with a grin and reached for her hand. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just cramps.” She shifted and winced.
“You don’t look fine. Bev, what’s wrong?” Beverly sighed. “You didn’t have a sister, did you?” Jean-Luc shook his head. “Nope. Just a brother. Why?”
“What about sex ed?”
“My father took me to the neighbour’s farm when it was sheep rutting season. Louis and I had a stack of dirty magazines he stole from his brother.” Beverly rolled her eyes. “So you know nothing? How did you get to be a Captain?”
“It’s not exactly as if sex education is a requirement for obtaining a Captaincy.”
“Hmm,” she winced again. “I’ll explain everything, but will you hold me?”
“Uh, sure.” Jean-Luc kicked off his shoes and removed his jacket. “Trousers too.”
“Beverly!”
“The belt will dig in to me.”
“Oh, right. It’s built in.” He removed his trousers and placed them on a chair with his jacket and got into the bed behind her in his shorts and undershirt. He pulled her against him nuzzling her neck. “Better?”
“Mm, don’t do that.” She settled against him with a wiggle.
“Then don’t do that.” She blushed. “Sorry.”
“Can’t be helped. So what does sex ed have to do with you being ill?” She sighed. “Do you know anything about how sex works?” Behind her, he grinned. “You’re grinning aren’t you?” She rolled over and smacked him in the chest.
“You know how a baby is made, right?”
“Sure. Sperm fertilizes an egg and then it turns into a zygote and eventually a foetus and a baby, right?”
“Good enough. But where does the egg come from?” He shrugged. “Aren’t they just inside the woman?” Beverly rolled her eyes. “Well, yes, but...”
“I was right.” He smugly smiled.
“Ok, but where?” Jean-Luc shrugged and gestured to her crotch. “In there somewhere?”
Beverly detangled herself and reached for a PADD on her nightstand and the colour changing stylus she used to highlight notes. She hastily drew a crude diagram of ovaries, fallopian tubes, and a uterus. She sat up and gestured for Jean-Luc to look at her PADD. “Ok, so these little things are ovaries. The eggs are in there,” she paused. “What do you know about a menstrual cycle?”
“Er?” Beverly shook her head. “Wow, they really need a sex ed class at the Academy. Ok, so about half the human population are egg-carriers and half are sperm. There are some people who carry both or neither, but I can explain that to you later if you’d like.” Jean-Luc nodded. “Ok. And you’re an egg-carrier?”
“Right. We have a cycle for it called menstruation. It’s about a month long for most, but for some it’s shorter or even longer, depending on hormones and a lot of other things I probably don’t need to get into right now.”
“So...it’s..unpredictable.”
“Kind of. Now,” Beverly made a little dashed line from the ovary into the tube, “This is how an egg finds a sperm.”
“From sex.” Beverly rolled her eyes. “Yes, from sex. So if the egg meets the sperm, it fertilizes the egg, etc. etc.” Beverly changed colour on her stylus and made another dashed line from the ovary, through the tube, and out the opening in the bottom of the uterus. “This is what happens when an egg doesn’t meet a sperm.”
“You pee it out?” Beverly rolled her eyes. “I have a lot of educating to do later. Or maybe I’ll just give you a book. Anyway, we don’t pee it out. We shed the egg and lining of the uterus.”
“Why is it lined?”
“It was making the uterus nice and comfy for the fertilised egg.”
“And this hurts?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry. What can I do?” She smiled at his concern. “Just hold me. You’re warm.”
“Heat helps?” She nodded. They laid back down and Jean-Luc wrapped his arm around her and slipped his hand into the front of her pyjamas. “Er...Jean-Luc, this really isn’t the right time for any of that...”
“Shh, let me help you.” He rested his hand flat against her abdomen and lightly pressed. “Warm enough?”
“Mm, yeah. Just don’t put your hand inside my panties. It’s gross. Shame, really. The release from sex would probably really help with the cramps.”
“Noted.” Beverly wiggled against him and he groaned. “Beverly....”
“Hmm. You know, I can do something about that.”
“Bev....no. Not unless I can satisfy you.”
“It’s too messy. Bloody. And gross.” Jean-Luc reflected on her words briefly.
“You have a shower.” She moved his hand from her abdomen and turned over to face him once more. “You would do that? It’ll be really icky.” He grinned.
“Icky, coming from a medical student. Is that a technical term?” She brushed her lips against his. “Give me five minutes in the shower to clean up a bit first.”
###
Beverly shooed Jean-Luc out of the bathroom after their steamy shower. “I have to do....gross girly things.”
“Beverly, I was just inside you, nothing could possibly be gross....”
“I have to insert my cup.” Jean-Luc’s eyes bulged out. “Right. Leaving.” Beverly laughed and pushed him out of the bathroom.
When Beverly emerged in a fresh pair of pyjamas, she was pleased to discover Jean-Luc hadn’t left her quarters. There was a cup of tea on her nightstand waiting for her, and he was under the covers, shirtless, sipping his own tea, using her PADD to catch up on his messages.
“Ship alright?”
“Everything’s ticking along. I can spend the night, if you’d like.” She grinned. “I always like.” She got into bed and reached for her tea. “Thanks.”
“I remembered Jasmine was your favourite.” He put her PADD down and extended an arm for her to cuddle against. “Feeling better now?”
“Mmm, much.” He kissed her temple. “Good. And if you need any more help...” he wiggled his eyebrows.
“I’ll let you know.”
“Maybe when you’re feeling better we could make love in a bed?” She threaded her fingers into his. “Are you asking me to date you?”
“Maybe. Yes. Absolutely.” She laughed. “Shouldn’t you have asked me that before we had sex in my shower?”
“Probably.”
“Will it...I mean, is it allowed? I’m just a med student...” He brought her fingers to his lips. “I don’t think it matters. I like you a lot, Bev. Possibly even love.”
“Possibly?”
“I’d like to get the chance to find out.” Beverly moved into his lap and deeply kissed him. “I’d like to find out too.”