3.

She looked dead.

The harsh lights of the cargo bay had never been too flattering, and it was obvious that she hadn't been eating or sleeping properly for a very long time. She was ragged, thin, dirty, her skin was sallow, her hair dry and twisted into a very unbecoming bun. Still, to Jean-Luc she was the most stunning woman in the Universe, just like she had always been.

But the flash of radiant, intense happiness he felt when he saw her come out of the shuttlecraft – she's alright, she's here – was brutally cut short when she began to walk towards him. It was something in the way she walked, almost staggered. That was more than mere tiredness, this – shuffling along, her eyes on the ground, not showing any interest in him or her surroundings. Jean-Luc had seen Beverly angry, doubtful, sad, desperate, happy, in love – but never uninterested. She always took active part in everything, she was always one hundred and fifty percent there. She was never loud or showy, but you just couldn't overlook her, and that was (well, that was one of the things) that made her so irresistible.

She came to a stop half a meter in front of him. She was still looking at the floor.

"Beverly." He lifted his hand, as if to touch her, but let it fall back again. After a few seconds, she lifted her head.

"I am sorry." Was she even hearing him, understanding his words? Her expression didn't change.

"It's alright." Her voice was rasping, as if she had been shouting too much. Or crying too much.

"There was a –"

She shook her head, with a trace of her usual energy.

"Please don't. I – I don't want to know. I – I…"

Her voice trailed off. Jean-Luc put both hands on her shoulders and leaned towards her, trying to make her look at him.

"It's over, Beverly. You can rest now. I'll take you to your quarters."

A sparkle of her former mischief flickered in her eyes as she asked: "Do I still have quarters?"

"As long as this is my ship."

For the first time, she looked him in the eye. A shiver ran through Jean-Luc's arms, and he didn't even think of trying to repress it. She was still there. Her eyes were stormy, but they were hers.

"That's… very…" She never finished the sentence. Jean-Luc picked her up in his arms as she collapsed, and carried her to sickbay.

---

"She'll be fine, Captain." Head Nurse Ogawa gave him a reassuring look. "She's just exhausted. Twelve hours of sleep, lots of water and protein, and she'll be as good as new."

"She's not infected then?"

"No. Most humans are resistent to this virus. That's why the Telvans specifically requested a human Starfleet Medical Team."

"But Dr. Selar is not human. Neither are several other people on the Enterprise's medical team."

"Dr. Selar had been working with the data we received from Dr. Crusher before we lost communications. Added to Dr. Crusher's advances on the field, it was a matter of hours until the two of them had developed an effective cross-species serum. The situation is well under control now."

As Dr. Selar told you when she contacted you not five minutes ago, just before Dr. Crusher's shuttle arrived… Alyssa decided not to add that last part. Instead, she nodded her head in the direction of the biobed on which Beverly was lying. "And she can get her well deserved rest." She turned toward the Captain again, who hadn't taken his eyes off Dr. Crusher during his whole exchange with her. "Can I ask you a personal favor, sir?"

That got his attention at last. "What is it, Lieutenant?"

"You have to have a very serious talk with her. I will too, but I know she'll listen to you."

"A talk about what?"

"About her health. She can't keep neglecting it like this. She has to eat, sleep, exercise, she has to take shore leave at regular intervals, vitamin supplements in stress-situations, have regular check-ups…"

"Well, Lieutenant, I am sure you appreciate the extreme conditions Dr. Crusher was enduring on Telvan III. She is very dedicated to her work. There are many situations is which personal wellbeing is not a priority for a Starfleet officer."

"I understand that, sir. But since the day I arrived on the Enterprise, Dr. Crusher repeated at least once a day 'the first responsibility of a doctor is to stay healthy herself, or else you won't be able to help anyone'. She always stuck to that, gave us example. It's not like her to let herself go like this." She hesitated. "And it's not just these past two months. I detected signs of neglect that go back much more that that."

"What do you mean?"

"An untreated stomach condition. Prolonged sleep deprivation. Serious nutritional deficiencies. Strained muscles all over her body. High levels of pain killers. Do I go on?"

The captain's eyes had wandered over to the biobed again. "Does she have to stay here?"

"Sir?"

"Is it necessary for her to stay in sickbay?"

"Well, I'd like to run some tests once she wakes up…"

"But her condition is stable, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir. Like I said, right now she's just exhausted. All she really needs is rest."

"I'd like to take her to her quarters then."

"Oh… well, I see no problem with that. I can check on her in regular intervals."

"That won't be necessary."

"But sir,…"

"I will take care of her."

There was an edge to his voice that Alyssa seldom heard. The only possible response to anything the captain said using that voice was 'yes, sir'.

"Yes sir. Do you want me to arrange for a site to site transport."

"No. We'll do it the old-fashioned way." He walked up the biobed and gently gathered Beverly into his arms. Alyssa put a couple of hyposprays into his right hand. "Give her this if she wakes up with a headache. It's also likely she'll have trouble going back to sleep, give her this. Call me if there's any trouble." Her voice was almost as stern as the captain's had been. He smiled.

"Aye aye, nurse."

She blushed. "I'm sorry… sir?"

The doors were already sliding shut behind him.