The Problem

By Deanna Kranz

Disclaimer: Characters, ships, and jargon belong to Paramount.

Not a great chapter, but it sets up what will happen in the near future. As always, feedback is always appreciated.

"Can I speak to both of you in private?" Jared asked both Beverly and Jean-Luc. He had spent this session speaking with each of the young adults in the house privately. He had then brought them together to work out some minor issues. Now he needed to report to the parents his concerns.

"The only private place is our bedroom," Beverly told him.

"That'll do."

The three adults made their way up the stairs and the four people that were left behind in the living room began talking. Once in the bedroom Jean-Luc offered Jared the over sized chair that was in their bedroom and he and Beverly sat on the bed.

"Wesley and Elise are both very nervous about the arrival of the baby. They are dealing with normal newlywed issues and soon to be parents issues. Part of their problem is that they are both children and adults here and that poses a conflict in roles. I think that once they've gotten used to the new baby and are on their own they will be able to handle it well."

Beverly let out a small sigh of relief. She had been strongly hoping that there was hope for those two.

"Gabrielle," began Jared again, "is doing well. She is still very worried about her sister since she doesn't feel like she would be able to handle being in the same situation. She is going through some adjustment since she is suddenly much closer to Bevy than she is to her sister. There are a few rough spots that I am confident she can smooth them out on her own, nothing to be concerned about."

"That's good to hear," Beverly said. "She's such a private person that I honestly don't know how she is doing. I sometimes feel like we sort of have a stranger in the house."

"Yes, Gabrielle is a very reserved person when it comes to those that are not her friends. She has a normal social life for someone her age. She told me that she just doesn't know what to do, that she feels that the only reason she is here is because her sister is. She just wants to sit back and not intervene with the family."

"But she is part of the family," Beverly said.

"Yes, well, Gabrielle isn't the only one feeling left out. That is not who I am worried about."

"Bevy feels left out?" asked Jean-Luc with confusion.

"I became concerned during the first session. She was much more quiet and withdrawn than is usual for her. Bevy speaks her mind and lets you know exactly what she is feeling, what she wants. However, she was not voicing anything. I've asked her teachers and they've noticed too and a friend of hers says that the only time she looks happy is during dance rehearsals. When I spoke to her today she didn't want to talk to me about it." He paused momentarily as if trying to form the appropriate words before continuing. "One of the faculty overheard a conversation she was having with some friends during lunch two days ago. It let me know that she is being greatly affected by this situation."

"What did she say?" asked Beverly.

"I'd rather not say. Just believe me that she is not as happy as she seems."

"Please, tell us," insisted Jean-Luc.

Jared looked at both of them uneasy, they were not going to like what she said. He didn't like what had she said. He took Beverly's hand in his, knowing this was going to hurt her deeply. "She said meeting her parents was the worst thing that has ever happened to her."

Beverly could not suppress the shocked gasp that escaped her lips. Jean-Luc's heart sank and he put his arm around Beverly. Her eyes began to tear, it was not what she wanted to hear. Once again, she had failed her youngest child.

"Do you know why she feels this way?" asked Jean-Luc as he tried to comfort Beverly.

"I don't. She wouldn't talk to me. I can speculate, but that is all it would be."

"Can you be wrong?" asked Beverly. "She seems happy when she's not arguing."

"I know it's hard to hear. And if she was behaving like herself then I might consider that it could have been something she said without thinking or that maybe she was heard out of context. But unlike Gabrielle, Bevy is not a reserved person. Whether what she said is true or not is not my biggest concern. There is something wrong and she's not talking about it, at least not to me."

"What can we do?" asked Jean-Luc.

"You need to stop focusing so much on Elise and Wesley and start focusing on her."

Beverly sighed. "She's so independent and those two just seem to need me. Especially lately that at least once a day I need to reassure Elise that she is not in labour yet. She isn't home much since she started classes. She always has some commitment, rehearsals, or studying."

"Those two are adults and going through the consequences of acting as such," he told her.

"Your guidance is greatly appreciated," Picard told Jerald, hoping to get some direction.

"You need to make the effort to make time for her and just her. Instead of cooking dinner ask Gabrielle to do it once a week and spend that time with her. When she comes home from class go to her room and ask her how her day went. Unless you are pretty certain that Elise needs you and doesn't just need reassurances, tell Elise to wait a minute. You need to let Bevy know that she is important to you. You need to remember that Wesley knows you are his mother and that you love him, Bevy still feels uncertain about this."

"I was hoping this would be much easier. I didn't think this would be so complicated or difficult," Beverly admitted.

"It's not over yet. You can still work this out before you leave."

"I will see if I can help her with her studies," added Picard. "She has been leaving a lot to go study and do research at the library. I might be able to help her and therefore keep her here longer."

"Yes, that would give you some bonding time," Jared told him.

A knock at the door made all three adults look towards the door. "Yes?" called Beverly. The door opened Gabrielle came in.

"Elise says the contractions are becoming painful," she said plainly.

"I'll be right down," Beverly told her. Gabrielle nodded and as she was closing the door behind her they heard Elise yell,

"Gabrielle! Please hurry!!"

"She's coming!" Gabrielle yelled back as she finished closing the door.

"Another false alarm?" Jared asked as Beverly got up to go get her tricorder.

"Probably not," she said calmly. "When I checked her this morning the baby had dropped, she was 20% effaced and dilated about 1cm. I didn't tell her anything because I didn't want the kids to be nervous in anticipation all day. It's her first so it will most likely be several hours before this baby actually appears. If the contractions are beginning to bother her then it's probably time to start getting ready to go to the hospital."

"You are absolutely too calm about this," Jared said as he watched her fix her hair at the mirror before facing both of them with a smile.

"I haven't known Beverly to panic about too many things, especially routine procedures," Jean-Luc told him.

"I'm calm because there is nothing to worry about. She is young, healthy, and so is her baby. Everything is going as typical as a human pregnancy and birth can be. The most difficult part about a birth is dealing with the mother's and family's anxiety towards the birth. Which I have never understood since it's a very natural body function."

Beverly went to the door, tricorder in hand, and the two men followed her out into the hallway. "I remember when Beverly gave birth to Wesley," Jean-Luc began. "Her husband, Jack, and I were a ball of nerves, very worried, and she just smiled and was completely clam the whole time. When it came time for Wesley to be born, she just looked as if she was concentrating really hard on something important."

"I was," she said with a smile. "Being a doctor has its advantages when it comes to these sorts of things," she said as they made their way down the stairs. Within minutes Beverly confirmed that it was indeed time to head to the hospital.