Chapter 13

Picard and Troi rushed into main sick bay and were greeted by a nurse who led them to Selar. The freighter crew member was in terrible condition, and one did not have to be a doctor to see he would not survive much longer.

"Have you determined the cause of his injuries, Doctor?" Asked Picard.

Selar continued to take what appeared to be life saving measures with the man, while be wheezed and moaned, obviously in considerable pain. "He has been tortured," said Selar gravely. "He has severe internal bleeding as well as multiple broken and fractured limbs. There is also evidence of knife wounds. The injuries around his heart may cause his death, as he has lost significant amounts of blood already."

"A sadist did this," Picard muttered angrily. "And to prevent this from happening to others we need to know what he knows."

"I am afraid you will not be successful in obtaining a reasonable explanation from him, Captain," Selar said. "His mind and body are broken," she said in a very Vulcan sort of way. "Even a mind-meld at this point would be...unwise."

Picard nodded to Troi. "Counselor, please do your best. We haven't much time," he urged her, and she moved forward closer to the patient. The man's eyes regained some of their focus as he looked up at Troi. Suddenly he began to scream. "Get her away from me! Don't let her touch me...Please!" He struggled to cover his ears with his injured limbs, while he continued to scream. "No, no, no..." He thrashed around in the table.

"Doctor he's going into cardiac arrest again," said a nurse.

"Please stand back," Selar said to them. "This patient is dying."

Picard caught Troi's arm as she backed away. "Counselor we may still need you-"

"Captain this man is deathly afraid of me," she said, looking up into his eyes. "Whoever or whatever attacked that defenseless ship showed no mercy to his crew. And for some reason he associates me with those murderers. It would be best if I keep my distance, to save him additional distress."

Picard leaned in, desperate for some information, any information, the dying man was able to convey. The man grabbed a fistful of the front of the captain's uniform, pulling him in closer. "She'll kill you next, fool...no escape," the man choked.

Picard's head turned at the sound of a high-pitched whine emitted from a monitor. "It is too late," said Doctor Selar. "The patient is dead. Time of death 1130."

The man's hand slowly released from his tunic, and Picard took in a shuddering breath, looked down at his bloodied uniform, and remembered Jack's death. But it hadn't been Jack, had it? It wasn't my friend who died that night...why can't I accept this?

Back in the present, Picard leaned into the exam table digging his knuckles into the fabric. "Dammit," he murmured. Momentarily he pushed himself upright and glanced at Dr. Selar. "Thank you for your efforts, doctor," he said solemnly. He looked down at the bloody handprint on his uniform again, and noted that the physician was just as disheveled as he was. But he also knew that unlike him, her inner world was well under control. "You did what you could."

Selar merely nodded, and then tilted her head, as Troi moved to join them again. She was pale and breathing quickly. Clearly the fact that the man had expressed an extreme fear of her just before he died, had shaken the Counselor's usual calm disposition under pressure.

Dr. Selar spoke presently. "Captain, the patient's wounds were inflicted in such a way that indicates the perpetrator did not wish him to …expire too quickly."

"He was tortured, Captain," Deanna confirmed still ashen. By a woman who looks just like me.

"Yes," Dr. Selar said.

Picard shifted his gaze back to Selar and nodded. "As soon as you've finished your examination of the body, doctor..."

"I will report to you directly in one hour, Captain," she agreed.

Beverly walked into Jack's embrace and felt immediately that all of her fears had been natural, but she could let them go now. Jack was here, and he was alive. Everything else could be worked out.

"I love you," she said, and he squeezed her tightly in response.

"I missed you Bev," he said. He breathed in. Wow, she smells good. "Everything about you. Your love was the only thing that kept me going all those years."

He looked over Beverly's shoulder at Wesley who still looked absolutely shocked. Poor kid...but he's interrupting my flow, here.

He beckoned the boy over silently, and put a hand on his shoulder when Wesley stopped close by. He winked at the teenager, nodding towards the door. Wesley smiled and exited their quarters without another peep. Best implant ever.

For her part, Beverly didn't seem to notice that Wesley had gone. She nestled her head next to his and rubbed her palm over his shoulder. "I still can't believe this is happening," she murmured.

Jack took in a deep breath. "Me neither. It's a miracle," he said, kissing her on the cheek. She turned her head his way, and of course he took the opportunity to kiss her again. She hugged him tighter but then shyly turned her head away from him again.

"What do we do now?" she asked quietly.

Hmm. He shrugged, "Well, why don't you show me the rest of your place?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him with a flash of uncertainty, before acquiescing. "Okay," she said, letting go of him. Jack walked by her towards her bedroom, and coming to her senses, somewhat, she said, "Wait!" remembering the baby was in there miraculously asleep for once. She wasn't ready, hadn't had a chance to think of a way to tell him about Jeanette.

Jack turned halfway around, and took her hand again. "It's okay, honey, just show me around. No pressure," he said, tugging her hand.

Beverly blinked, feeling a little more confident, until they walked into her room, and Jack let go of her hand. "Huh?" he said, peering into the crib. "Whose..."

"This is Jeanette," she said. "My baby," she said, feeling tears come to her eyes.

Jack looked from her to the baby again. The red hair gene runs strong in this family.

Jack scratched the top of his head. "Beverly, I don't want to ask too many questions, but..."

She put her hand on the railing of the crib, protectively. "I know this is difficult, Jack, but I need to tell you the truth right away. It's not something I want to hide from you or anyone."

He watched her silently, wondering why at this moment, when she was close, the implant wasn't affecting her in the way it had out in the living room. "Jean-Luc is Jeanette's father," she said, meeting his eyes.

Jack stepped back. "What?"

"He's her father," she said again, lifting her chin slightly.

"But...I don't get it. I know it's been thirteen years, but...you're still my wife."

She took his hand. "Yes, which is why I need to be honest with you, Jack."

"Are you two, you know..." he frowned and glanced over at her bed. "Well the baby looks pretty new."

Beverly dropped her hand from his. "I estimate that Jeanette is about two months old," she said.

"You estimate? What...I'm confused."

"She was brought to us by an alien called the Traveler. We don't know why it happened. But we're both happy that she's here."

Jack laughed, relieved. "So you're not with him then?"

Beverly blinked, and he saw something in her eyes. He took her hand in his again. "No," she answered. "But he needs to be part of her life, Jack. I hope you can understand this."

He kissed her on her forehead and pulled her closer. "No problem, if I can adjust to thirteen years in a parallel universe, I can adjust to this. As long as I have you."

Picard strode onto the bridge with Troi in tow. He needed answers, and as far as he was concerned, there was only one person on board capable of providing them.

"Where's Jack?" he demanded. "We're in the middle of a mission, and he's our guide."

Riker and Data who had been quietly conferring near science station one, turned to look at him.

"Sir," said Riker. "I just assumed he was still with Doctor Crusher, and didn't want to disturb them-"

"I don't care to hear the details, Commander," Picard snapped. "Just go and get him, and make sure he puts on his damn communicator."

"Aye sir," Riker said, quickly departing the bridge. Data returned to his post at ops.

"Captain, we've resumed our previous course toward the coordinates provided by Lieutenant Commander Crusher, and assuming no further diversions, at our present speed of warp six, we will arrive in ten hours and eleven minutes."

"Good." Picard walked to his chair and tapped the arm panel on his chair, activating the intercom. "Command Officers report to the bridge in 20 minutes," he said into the intercom.

Troi sat down in her chair, and eyed Phillipa Louvois curiously, who was in turn eyeing Captain Picard from Riker's usual seat.

Picard sat down, but not with his usual controlled grace. Instead, he fell back heavily into the captain's chair, as though shoved.

He turned his head to Louvois. "I thought you were supposed to be keeping track of Jack, Captain. You don't see the need for him to wear a communicator?"

She looked at him squarely. "I do," she said simply. "But like Commander Riker, I thought it might be rude to interrupt him while he was reconnecting with his wife."

Picard cleared his throat and smoothed his hand over the console. "So...you've developed some sensitivity over the years, it seems," he observed.

Captain Louvois smiled.

"And it seems you're just as warm and fuzzy as ever, Captain."

He glanced at Troi, speaking volumes without a word. He was surprised by her ashen appearance. The events in sick bay had been traumatizing for her, even more so than for him, given the dying man's declarations.

"Counselor," he said softly. "Please go and take a break before the meeting."

Troi nodded gratefully. "Thank you sir," she said and got up to leave.

Louvois watched Troi walk away, before turning back to Picard.

"Is this a typical day for you people?" she asked, nodding at his blood stained uniform.

His head snapped in her direction. "Is that a serious question, Captain?"

She shrugged. "Sorry, just trying to make conversation," she said, sounding moderately apologetic.

"As much as I appreciate verbally sparring with you, Phillipa, I have some business to attend to. We'll convene the staff meeting in fifteen minutes," he said getting to his feet.

"Jack...what happened to you that night? Jean-Luc had always told us it was an accident, and that you died bravely...but, you're here now." Beverly wiped a tear from her eye, and watched him closely across the table. Wesley sat nearby.

Jack smiled, and took her hand in his. "Bev...the most important thing is that I'm back now. But if you really want to know," he met her eyes, and she nodded.

"Jean-Luc ordered us down to the base to investigate. Me and T'Pel...you remember her, don't you?"

Beverly nodded distractedly.

"Don't know why he gave the order for the away team in the first place, but...well it's water under the bridge now, isn't it?" Beverly and Wesley watched him with rapt attention. Captain Picard had never explained the details of what had happened that night, presumably to spare them further distress.

"Once we got down there, we set off some kind of booby trap, I guess. The base started generating these violent storms..."

"Ion storms?" Wesley asked.

"Yes, ion storms," Jack said. "The base was generating them somehow, and while we were down there, the Stargazer was in danger. Due to the storms there was a serious energy drain on the ship and it was trapped. Down on the station, I was trying to shut off a power coupling that had caught fire. I knew if I could do that and deactivate the other couplings, the storms would stop, the Stargazer would be freed, and T'Pel and I could beam back up."

He paused, and Beverly squeezed his hand. "I called the ship for back-up...you know, because the fire was spreading. But I couldn't get an answer. When I finally got in communication with Jean-Luc he argued with me, and demanded we beam back up to the ship immediately. He said we would take our chances, once we were safely back on the ship."

Beverly shook her head in confusion. "But...he always said he was with you, when you..."

Jack rubbed her hand with both of his. "He was...he got there just in time to save the day. You know, old Jean-Luc." Jack frowned. "But, well it really didn't work out that way. When he beamed down, Jean-Luc amplified the transport beam. Admiral Naguchi thinks that's how it all happened."

"What?"

"Well...I'm not sure of the science of it all," said Jack. "Wes, you probably know better than I do. But somehow whatever he did with the transport beam made it possible for me to change places with the other Jack, the one from the Terran Empire."

"But there was an explosion?"

Jack nodded, and then rubbed his eyes. Shit I'm forgetting something, he thought to himself. He felt Beverly's hand on his arm, mistakenly believing that he needed her support.

"It's alright, Jack...you don't have to tell us everything now."

"No...I want to," he said in a stronger voice. "When Jean-Luc arrived on the base, his transporter signal was very weak-at least that's what he said. I can remember him shouting up to me to wait there, and that he was going to boost the signal again and get us out of there. I saw him setting up some amplification tripod with T'Pel. The fire was getting too hot, so I started to climb down from the platform. Jean-Luc told me to stay where I was, or he would lose the transporter signal. The next thing I knew there was an explosion. Whatever he did must have sparked the explosion. I thought I was dead, but then I ended up in some dark hallway on a giant ship."

Beverly let go of his hand, and looked down at the table. "You must have been so frightened," she said.

Jack smiled and took Beverly and his son's hands again, looking at both of them. "All that matters now, is that we're back together. We can be a family again."