Disclaimer: Paramount owns all the toys, but like any self-respecting little sister, when big brother isn't looking, I play with them.

Summary: After a frightening illness, Jean-Luc takes Beverly away for shore leave and finds there's more healing to be done.

Healing
By E. Wallace
1998

Part 1

Jean-Luc yawned as he set the plate of croissants on the table. If he was this tired, he didn't want to imagine how tired his breakfast companion would be when she arrived.

The crew of the Enterprise had been going non-stop for weeks, hurrying from one crisis to the next. They had just left Deraj II where they had worked around the clock for over a week aiding the inhabitants after the planet had suffered a series of catastrophic seismic quakes. Geordi and his Engineering teams had struggled for three days to stabilize the fault lines.

Only Sickbay had worked harder. Beverly staff had been almost overwhelmed with casualties. All available crewmembers with medical training had been tapped for assistance. The doctor herself had spent countless hours on the surface, overseeing the temporary medical sites, reestablishing sanitation facilities.

He was proud of his crew. They always rose to any occasion, and usually well beyond the call of duty. They more than deserved the shore leave they would be getting when the Enterprise arrived at Etha Minor. He was even looking forward to it himself. Not that his senior staff would believe that. The very idea that he was considering a vacation - voluntarily - was nearly inconceivable. Upon hearing the news, his CMO was quite likely to pull out her tricorder to find out what was wrong with him. He smiled at the image, but then, any image of the redheaded doctor usually made him smile.

Glancing at the chronometer, he wondered if Beverly had overslept or if she'd skipped breakfast and gone straight to Sickbay. It was more likely the first since she usually let him know when she wasn't able to join him. A quick check of the computer confirmed that she was still in her quarters.

Picard tapped his communicator. "Picard to Crusher." He frowned slightly when there was no answer. "Picard to Crusher," he tried again and still received no answer. "Dr. Crusher, respond, please."

Now he was worried. Even exhausted, she rarely failed to answer a second page and most certainly not a third. He strode quickly out the door and down the corridor. He gave her door chime a perfunctory ring before entering his override code. Picard entered the darkened cabin cautiously. "Computer, lights." He did a rapid scan of the living area as he moved toward the bedroom.

The bed had definitely been slept in. It was still unmade, with most of the covers shoved off the far side. Jean-Luc made his way around the bed as he headed for the bathroom. He stopped short when he saw Beverly lying on the floor, tangled in the covers. He rushed to kneel by her side, carefully brushing her hair off her face. She was burning with fever. Her auburn hair was damp and her pajamas were clammy with perspiration.

Her eyes fluttered open when he said her name. The normally brilliant blue orbs were glassy and unfocused. She moaned as he eased her to a sitting position. "Jean-Luc, no... go 'way... get sick, too." Her head dropped onto his shoulder.

Picard ignored her feeble protests, lifting her gently onto the bed. Barely giving his communicator time to activate, he called out, "Picard to Sickbay! Medical emergency in Dr. Crusher's quarters!"

"Acknowledged," came the unruffled reply of Dr. Selar. Picard thought it was probably a good thing the Vulcan doctor was on duty. Her calm demeanor would ease the situation tremendously. Besides, he was panicking enough for the entire ship. He cradled Beverly's limp form, not caring whether the disease was contagious or not.

Dr. Selar arrived, medkit in hand. She raised a quizzical eyebrow at seeing the captain holding the semi-conscious doctor but said nothing. Picard laid Beverly back on the bed and stepped away.

The examination was quick but thorough. His attention was so entirely focused on Beverly, he heard little of Selar's instructions to Sickbay. Finally, the words 'isolation unit' registered.

oxo

From the confines of his own isolation unit, Picard watched the doctors and nurses working on Beverly. He knew the medical staff regarded her as their 'captain', and he had never seen an officer so respected and admired. And loved. The 46 member crew was practically handpicked. She had chosen some of them, like Alyssa Ogawa, straight out of the Academy.

Picard finally remembered he had his own responsibilities. Still tracking the activity across the room, he tapped his communicator. "Picard to Riker."

"Riker here."

"Number One, push the staff meeting back and join me in Sickbay, please. And notify Counselor -" he broke off as the Sickbay doors opened, and Deanna Troi entered. "Never mind, Will, she just walked in."

"On my way, sir."

The Betazoid woman's dark eyes were clouded with concern as she stopped outside the captain's unit. "What happened to Beverly?" She saw Picard's raised eyebrow. "The feeling was so strong, I knew it was her before I came in. It's always that way when it's Beverly." A flurry of activity across the room drew their attention for several moments. Finally, Deanna turned back to Picard. She blinked as she belatedly became aware of the captain's situation. Before she could say anything, Riker arrived. His reaction was quicker but no less startled than Deanna's.

Picard quickly briefed them on the missed breakfast, the unanswered page and his discovery of the ill doctor.

"What does Beverly have that Dr. Selar thinks may have been transmitted to you?" Riker asked.

"Codorian Plague." He raised a hand to cut off their flood of anxious questions. "It is only spread by direct physical contact, and Dr. Selar says that I will have a very mild case. I'll be in here three or four days at the most. She's certain Beverly reached the contagious stage sometime late last night so there's no chance that she spread it among the Derajians or the crew. Her quarters, however, should be decontaminated as a precaution."

"How did Beverly get it in the first place?"

"She was infected as a child. Apparently with severe cases, the disease can remain dormant in the system and flare up repeatedly over the life of the carrier. In lighter cases receiving quick treatment, such as mine, it runs its course and is gone."

"How bad is Beverly this time? She's not in any danger is she?" Deanna asked quietly.

"That is still to be determined. This is a particularly bad time for her. She was already exhausted, and her physical reserves are depleted. There is a chance that she won't be able to fight off the infection this time." Picard's monotone told them much more than his words. They both knew he would be devastated if the doctor didn't survive.

oxo

The remaining senior staff gathered in the observation lounge. Riker quickly brought the others up to date on the situation in Sickbay.

"Codorian Plague was first identified on Arveda III," Data informed the others. "In the wake of the devastation, a viral strain mutated. Over 100 colonists died before the treatment was discovered. Many of the survivors carry the dormant virus as Dr. Crusher does."

Riker sighed in exasperation. "We don't need the life story of the virus, Data. How did Beverly get it?"

Data cocked his head curiously. "Commander, were you not aware that Dr. Crusher was raised on Arveda III?" He could tell by the stunned faces around the table that none of the others had known either. "It is in her service record," he added helpfully.

tbc