Be brave… Beverly repeated the thought over an over in her mind. She could handle this; after all she had seen human remains before. Each step closer caused her heart to beat that much faster, and a queasy feeling to take hold of her stomach. Right now, she was not a doctor preparing to ascertain the reason behind a cause of death. She was the mother of a son who went to bed, after telling his father good night, to having to find a way to tell that same small boy, he was never coming home. How could she tell her son, if she herself didn't want to believe it?
"It's good of you to come with me," her voice, barely above a whisper. How she had managed to make it this far was beyond him.
"It's the least I could do." He told her as he slowed his steps to match hers stride for stride. If she needed him he would be there. Despite it all, he vowed to be there for her. It was his fault she even had a reason to be on Starbase 32 instead of on Earth, with their son.
As the rounded the corner that separated the infirmary from the morgue, Beverly caught a glimpse of the white sheet as it shrouded the body she intended to return to Earth. Her breath caught in her throat and she feared she might hyperventilate.
If it wasn't for the cold sterile environment, she could almost think he was sleeping with his head covered, as he always did. In fact, it was easier to convince herself he was, until she saw for herself that he wasn't.
Had his pace slowed or had hers quickened, he thought as they made it to the steps. Perhaps, it was subconscious on his part, to offer support if she were to falter descending the four steps into the cold storage area. He watched as she stopped at the head of the bed and gazed down at the covered form. "You shouldn't remember him like this," he told her and his fingers took hold of the sheet and slowly began to pull it up and away.
"It's important to me." She knew if she didn't see him, physically touch him, she would never believe it. "I have to see." Surely, if anyone would understand it would be the man who had brought her husband's body this far.
Her eyes focused on the dark locks of hair missing in patches where burn patterns were instead. How she had loved to run her fingers through those silky strands.
"You don't have to do this," he said before exposing his face to her. He couldn't imagine what ran through her mind right now.
"I have to face the fact that he's gone." As her husband's scarred face was revealed, she took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip to hold back the tears. She let out a brief involuntary scream, as the revelation her husband truly was gone, finally set in.
"Beverly, he didn't suffer long."
Suddenly, she barely heard the words Jean-Luc spoke. They almost sounded as if they were being spoken through a long tunnel, as the lights of the room dimmed and finally faded out.
As she fainted, Jean-Luc was there to catch her. Delicately, he held the fragile shell of the woman he loved, as she mourned the death of the man she loved.