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She walked with her arm around him on the way home, whispering softly into his ear, humming, feeling him trembling under her hands. And she was trembling also, with anger, barely bridled rage that still threatened to explode.

Doctors always had their theories. She knew that. She was even guilty of it herself sometimes. But she would never submit a patient to any treatment before she was absolutely positive that the patient was ready for it. And there was very little that Jean-Luc was ready for.

Except maybe a nap, she thought, as he yawned and laid his head on her shoulder. She held him closer. When would he be ready? Next month? Next year? Ever? Theoretically, drug induced hypnosis would be the appropriate treatment. But not yet.

"When?" Beverly murmured, not realizing she'd spoken aloud.

Jean-Luc looked up at her, his eyes puzzled and confused, traces of tears on his cheeks.

She managed a smile. "When we get home, you can rest. Take a little nap, all right?"

He nodded tiredly, returning his head to her shoulder.

~vVv~

He was literally asleep before his head hit the pillow. Beverly hadn't even finished putting his pajamas on him when his eyes closed, and he sagged against her. She laid him gently back on the bed, buttoned his shirt, then drew the covers over him. She sat beside him for a while, just watching him, thinking of all the other times she'd treated him for one illness or another: the flu, a virus. Or an injury: strained muscles from over exerting himself on the racquet ball court, a broken arm the time his holodeck Arabian unceremoniously deposited him on the other side of a fence. If only now it were something so simple, for even at those times he'd seemed invincible. Nothing had prepared her for the Borg. Or for this.

She leaned over, and softly kissed him on the forehead. He smiled in his sleep.

~vVv~

Time alone was rare, and something to be treasured when she wasn't so tired. Too tired to read, or write letters. Even too tired to turn on the viewer. She slipped off her shoes, and lay back on the living room couch, closed her eyes... And then opened them when the doorbell suddenly rang.

Who in the world, she thought as she pulled herself to her feet. It couldn't be Wesley. He had classes all afternoon. And besides, he'd mentioned something about a date later on in the evening.

Pushing the hair out of her eyes, she walked into the entry hall, opened the door. Robert Picard stood on the front porch, and all she could do was blink at him in surprise. Finally, she found her voice. "Robert!"

"May I come in?"

"Yes. Yes, of course." She held the door open, and he stepped inside. "This is such a pleasant surprise. Please, have a seat, make yourself comfortable." She waved her hand toward the sofa in the living room, but Robert just stood there, not moving.

"I've come to see Jean-Luc."

"He's sleeping right now."

The man nodded and crossed over to the sofa. He sat down. Beverly took a seat in a chair across from him.

"I..." Robert cleared his throat, "I appreciate the communication tapes you've sent, keeping me and my family informed of Jean-Luc's condition. I know you said that he wouldn't know any of us, but... Well, he may not know me, but I'll know him." He was silent for a moment. "I hope it's all right that I came. I don't want to jeopardize any... treatment."

"No... I mean, yes, it's all right that you came. I don't think you'll jeopardize anything. But I still don't think he'll know who you are. And he'll probably be frightened of you at first."

"Well, that'll seem like old times then. My little brother was always a bit frightened of me." He smiled. "Although he's never admitted it." He hesitated. "What... what is the prognosis for him?"

Beverly sighed. "We're not sure. As I've told you in my tapes, he's suffering from a form of trauma induced amnesia. He's experienced something that he hasn't been able to deal with mentally, and this has caused him to regress deeply. We're hoping that in time he'll feel safe enough to let some of the memories he's buried surface. And until then, we're working with him. He goes to therapy every day. We're trying to get him to talk more. That'll help him put words to some of the feelings he's experiencing right now."

There was a sound from the entry hall, footsteps on the stairs. Seconds later, Jean-Luc appeared in the doorway, clad in his pajamas, his eyes puffy with sleep. He rubbed at them and yawned, looked fearfully at the man on the sofa.

Beverly got to her feet and went over to him. She touched his arm and smiled. "Hey there. Did you sleep well?"

The usual response to this question was a nod of his head and the single word "hungry." He was always half-starved after his nap. But he was quiet now, his eyes still fixed on Robert. Beverly searched their green depths for a hint of recognition, but wasn't sure if she could find any. She seemed to see only the fear and the familiar accusation. After all, she was responsible for this man, this stranger, sitting in their once secure living room.

She suppressed a sigh. "It's all right, Jean-Luc. Robert's a friend." She wasn't sure if he would understand the word "brother." And she could tell he didn't know the name. But that didn't surprise her. It had taken him days to recognize his own name. She looked back over her shoulder. "I'll just go help him change his clothes. We'll be right back."

"Could I..." Robert swallowed nervously, "could I come with you?"

"No, I don't..." she started to refuse, not wanting to frighten Jean-Luc more.

"Please?"

And looking at this man, staring into eyes that were so much like Jean-Luc's, she understood. He needed to be near him now, to reestablish the bond between them, to be the elder brother looking out for the younger one. If they were to know each other again, they had to start now.

Beverly took a deep breath. "All right."

Robert stood and walked over to them. Jean-Luc drew closer to her, and she strengthened her grasp on his arm.

"Hello, Jean-Luc." The man's voice was low, gruff, and yet there was a softness there, a gentleness, the tone one might use when talking to a child. "I'm Robert."

They stared at each other for a long moment, and then, to Beverly's surprise, Jean-Luc smiled.

~vVv~