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Jean-Luc let out a small sigh, knowing what his old friend, Doctor Moritz Benayoun, was about to tell him. He had found the abnormality in his parietal lobe that Beverly had been monitoring for years.
“Yes, I was told a long time ago that it might cause a problem eventually.” Benayoun raised a rather bushy eyebrow.
“Who told you? There’s no record of this defect in your medical chart.”
“Beverly.” Another raised eyebrow.
“Jack’s widow?” Jean-Luc nodded.
“Mm. My wife now, actually.” Benayoun grinned at his friend and reached a hand out to shake it.
“Well, congratulations, Jean-Luc! You know, we always thought you and Beverly...” he shook his head. “Never mind. Is she here? Why not just have her perform the examination? I assume it’s listed in the parts of your chart I don’t have authorisation to view as a lowly country doctor.”
Jean-Luc let out a sigh he hoped his friend didn’t see and pressed his fingers aganst his chin. He levelled a steady gaze at his friend. “I need you to certify me to Starfleet as fit for interstellar service. Now will you do it?” He raised his eyebrows as if daring his friend to say no. Jean-Luc knew this was risky. Especially knowing now that he had this abnormality for quite some time.
“I don’t suppose you’d condescend to tell me why?” Benayoun eyed his old Captain. “Secret mission? One that you can’t even tell the wife about?” Jean-Luc grimaced and held out his hands to his friend, palms open.
“I don’t want to get Beverly involved. If I do she....well, she’ll either talk me out of it, or she’ll insist on going along. Her work is too important.” Benayoun nodded.
“I heard about her work with Doctors without Borders. She’s making quite the name for herself. Though, I didn’t know she was your wife. She still goes by Crusher.” Jean-Luc put his finger in the air to make a point.
“Only in medical journals, and only because she didn’t want all her previous academical papers to be disassociated with her.”
“Makes sense. I suppose she became Doctor Crusher since she was married to good ol Jack while she was in medical school. Didn’t they have a son? What’s it like being a step-father?” Jean-Luc grinned.
“I love being a father. Though, I wished I had been able to skip Rene’s teenage rebellious years. Wesley was easier since I was his Captain and not his step-father.” Benayoun cocked his head.
“Rene?”
“Our son. He’s eighteen and in his second year at Starfleet Academy.” Benayoun’s grin got bigger.
“Well, then. Double congratulations are in order.” Benayoun sipped the Whisky Jean-Luc had provided and studied his friend. There had to be a reason for keeping whatever he was up to a secret from not only his wife, but his son and step-son. Did he really want to approve Jean-Luc for interstellar service and then have Beverly yell at him? Jean-Luc’s steady gaze never left his.
“So, will you approve me?” Benayoun sighed.
“Yes. I’ll approve it.” Jean-Luc grinned.
“Thanks, old friend.”
###
An alert came through on Beverly’s computer that someone had accessed Jean-Luc’s medical file and she nearly jumped, worried that something had happened to her husband that required medical assistance beyond the small med kit she had left behind at the vineyard. She breathed a slight sigh of relief when she saw that it had only been Moritz, but her curiosity got the better of her. She glanced through the areas Moritz accessed and her eyes went wide when she saw what had been printed at the bottom.
Patient declared fit for interstellar service. Report forwarded to Starfleet.
She cursed.
Beverly glanced at the time. She was the Captain of her ship, but also served shifts in Sickbay. In fact, the entire crew of the Nightingale was made up of mostly former Starfleet officers who were both trained as bridge officers and doctors. Made it easy when they had to respond to a crisis to not need to worry about scheduling. She had time before she was expected to take over from Doctor Harbard. She wondered how far out they were from a relay and hoped she could manage a realtime conversation.
“Beaumotte Regional Medical Centre. How can I direct your call?”
“Doctor Moritz Benayoun, please.” Beverly tried to remain calm. The call was on a delay of a few seconds, but Beverly could handle it. She needed to get to the bottom of this.
“Who can I tell him is calling?”
“Doctor Beverly Picard.” She wondered if her last name would be a shock to old Moritz or if Jean-Luc had finally gotten around to telling his old friend about their wedding twenty years prior. She snorted. She loved her husband, dearly, but he also loved his privacy and she remembered he had even been warey of her changing her last name to his with Starfleet.
The smiling fresh face of the young receptionist disappeared, being replaced with a spinning logo of the facility. The Beaumotte Regional Medical Centre wasn’t a large place, but it was the only hospital in the rural area where the family vineyard was located. Beverly herself had considered a job working at the medical centre until Jean-Luc had convinced her to take up the offer from Doctors Without Borders. He had suggested she would be bored treating the mostly human population of the local area and assured her he would be fine at home with Laris and Zhaban. She had even gotten him a dog shortly before he left, who he had christened Number One. The logo on the screen soon faded to reveal the face of someone Beverly hadn’t seen since her first husband’s funeral.
“Beverly. It’s good to see you. I understand congratulations are in order for both your marriage and your son.” Beverly smiled.
“Thank you, Moritz, but I’ve actually called for business not pleasure.” Benayoun’s face visibly fell. “What in the world made you decide to declare Jean-Luc fit for service?” Benayoun rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
“Well...he asked me to.” Beverly pursed her lips.
“I see. And did you....well, I know you noticed the abnormality in his parietal lobe.” Benayoun hung his head.
“I did see it. I was surprised Jean-Luc said you had diagnosed the problem over twenty years ago because it wasn’t in his medical files. At least, not the part I could access.”
“There’s a reason I have Jean-Luc’s records sealed. If half of what he has been through in his life got out to even certain members of Starfleet, well....”
“But he retired.” Beverly glared.
“And you just gave him permission to go back out there! Did he at least mention why he wanted to be reinstated?” Benayoun shook his head.
“He seemed to indicate it was classified. Special Ops, perhaps? Something with Walker Keel?”
“Walker has been deceased for years. And Jean-Luc swore off Special Ops after he was nearly killed.”
“Oh. Well, then I have no idea.” Beverly raked her fingers through her now greying hair and stared at her screen.
“Great. That’s just great. Picard out.” Beverly jabbed at the end call button and sat back for a minute. She closed her eyes and counted to ten before pressing in the access codes for her home in La Barre.
“Hello?” The screen was black, but she recognized the voice. It was the usual practice for Laris to answer voice only as many people still had a stigma against Romulans.
“Laris, it’s Beverly.” The blackness flickered out to be replaced with Laris’ face. She smiled at her other boss.
“Hello, Beverly. How are you?”
“I’m fine. Is Jean-Luc busy?” Laris studied the marble counter in the kitchen, not wanting to look at the screen.
“He’s....not here.” Beverly’s eyebrows rose and she cursed again.
“Tell me everything. I know I haven’t been able to call home in about a month, but I didn’t expect my husband to run away from home while I was out of touch!” Laris smiled at the joke, but then launched into the tale about the young girl, Darj who was likely the child of Data, including her olwn personal opinion about everything. Beverly gasped. “So, he’s gone off to try and find the sister? Or Maddox?” Laris shrugged.
“I’m not entirely sure, Beverly. I only know his first stop was going to be Raffi. He’s trying to put a crew together to go with him. Beverly, Starfleet refused to reinstate him. I told him he was being stupid, but...” Beverly rolled her eyes.
“Naturally, he didn’t listen to you. So, my husband is about to go rogue. Brilliant. Well, Laris, I’m going to try to reach Raffi I suppose. And I guess his next stop will be to visit Will and Deanna and perhaps Geordi?”
“No. He said he didn’t want to get any of you involved.”
“Of course he did. Well, thanks for the information, Laris. Call me if you know anything else. Tell Zhaban I say hello. I should be home in about eight months.”
“I’ll have Jean-Luc call you as soon as he returns.” Beverly eyed her housekeeper and sighed. She might as well face the truth.
“If he returns.”