Chapter four – Behind the Clouds
Captain Jean-Luc Picard walked through the doors of intensive care and felt the familiar tingle of the shield that kept unwanted parasites out of this part of the hospital. Walking over to the glass, his eyes fell on the motionless form of his counsellor. Tubes, wires kept her alive and monitors beeped along with her faint heartbeat. His eyes ran down her body to the small baby that was safe inside her. Safe for now anyway.
He turned as he noticed someone else breaking through the shield. To his surprise he saw Will pushing Beverly in a wheelchair with Helena sitting on her lap. He smiled as Helena reached out and touched Will's hand. Helena had become very dependent on Will, and he on her as they both went through their grief. He hoped that one day Will and hopefully Deanna would adopt the little girl and care for her.
He smiled at Beverly who in turn smiled back. Will had been spending a lot of time with her since the counsellor had suggested it. They both had to get over what Thomas Riker had done to them and the counsellor had thought that the best way for them to go it was together.
As they reached the glass that separated the counsellor from them, Beverly reached out and touched her hand to the cool glass. Tears began rolling down her cheeks and she made no move to wipe them away.
"It's not your fault Beverly you helped save her" said Will kneeling down in front over her and resting his hand on her leg.
"Have you made your decision?" asked Beverly
Will's head dropped and Jean-Luc knew these last couple of days had been hell for him; he had to choose between life and death.
"Dr Campbell suggested that we take him out, it seems like the best option" said Will as he rested his hand on hers.
Beverly nodded as Helena hugged her neck tightly "Will he die?" she asked
"We don't know Lena" said Beverly as she ran her hand through the girls blond curls
Will nodded to one of the nurses that stood by and the nurse left the room. "They're all ready to go ahead with this" said Will "he'll be placed in the intensive care unit"
Helena reached for Will and as he picked her up she began to cry on his shoulder. Will hugged her tighter and took her over to the couch in the far corner before laying her down and holding her as she cried.
Jean-Luc walked over to Beverly and gently kissed her cheek, backing away in surprise as she recoiled away from his touch and tensed up.
"Beverly" asked Jean-Luc as he ran his hand over her cheek.
"Don't" came her soft voice and Jean-Luc immediately pulled his hand away.
He nodded and retreated to a far corner of the room, his eyes still watching her.
Beverly felt tears spring up in her eyes as she watched him. She couldn't help pushing him way but he was taking in the wrong way. She needed time to heal, yes she let Will touch her but she had to keep him and Thomas separate from each other, to remind her self that they weren't the same person.
But having Jean-Luc touch her, sent fears up her spine. She couldn't do it. She knew he would never hurt intentionally but the fear of getting hurt again was too great.
She turned back to the window as they placed Deanna's body on an antigravity cart.
"Come through Deanna" she whispered.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Beverly smiled as one of the nurses came to get her from her room. Though the smile was fake, the nurse bought it and helped her into the wheelchair.
"Counsellor Troi's son can have visitors now and Commander Riker said you'd love to see him" said the nurse
"That would be great thank you" said Beverly as they rolled down the halls and into the intensive care unit.
She spotted Will by a smaller window and smiled as the nurse wheeled her over and stopped. The nurse left them and her eyes fell on the tiny body of the Riker's son.
He was so small; he could probably fit in her hand. His little chest rose up and down forced to breath by the mask covering his face.
"His lungs haven't fully developed yet" came Will's quiet voice "nor has his heart or digestive system, he's going to have to be in there for months, even then they don't know if he's going to survive" tears began streaming down his face "she wanted this child so much and a single act took him away"
The little baby moved slightly in, his little fingers wrapping around the blue blanket he was wrapped in. On the outside of the incubator the clear glass was covered in decorations.
A single Betazoid charm dangled off the side. Its golden hoops intertwining with each other and the single blue gem in the middle glinted in the artificial light.
Reaching up and touching the gem, Beverly immediately pulled her hand away. "It's cold"
"Lwaxanna put it up there; for luck" said Will gently touching the charm "it'll turn red when he's ready"
Beverly gently felt the cold metal against her fingers once again before resting her hand against the glass.
"He'll come through Will, for you and Deanna's sake"
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
The blackness around her was frightening, for a minute she felt that she was back in the cell, cold damp and waiting for darkness to consumer her. Waiting for the door to open, the rusty bolt to slide against the metal and light to blind her, and then pain and sweat and blood.
Her eyelids were heavy and her mind seemed full of fog and cloud. Stray memories and thoughts swirled around and then suddenly a familiar tingling in the back of her mind, it started out as a small ball of warmth before spreading all over her mind, surrounding her in the warmth of an embrace.
But something was missing from her mind; the little voice that had been there for weeks was gone.
Imzadi
The word sounded familiar and the warmth spread throughout her body.
Suddenly a door slammed in her mind bringing back the dark memories of the cell that she'd been in. Beverly. Thomas. Beverly. Thomas. Pregnant. Will. IMZADI.
Deanna's eyes shot open as the monitors began beeping around her. Something was different though. Something was missing.
"Deanna" came a familiar voice from her left
She turned her head and let out a scream.
Will jumped up from his seat next to her and reached for her hand. Deanna pulled it out of his grasp, in the process reopening closed wounds. Blood began seeping through the white bandage that adorned her wrist as she continued to try and get away from him.
"Deanna, calm down" said Will "It's Will, I'm not Thomas"
Deanna calmed for a moment, enough to look into his eyes.
As she stopped struggling for a second, the pain in her stomach stopped. Looking down she ran her hand over her strangely flat stomach.
That little voice in her head that was missing all made sense now.
"Where's my baby you bastard" came her cool reply.
