Dr. Crusher looked up from the table where she was eating dinner to see her son walk into the quarters. As usual, he seemed to be in a hurry.
Wesley shook his head as he approached the replicator, anticipating his mother's question. "Sorry, Mom, just grabbing something real quick. Gonna eat in the lab tonight."
Beverly reached out and touched her son on the shoulder; he flinched. He'd been avoiding her ever since she'd slapped him.
Dr. Crusher withdrew her hand and sighed. "You know, if I could take it back, I would," she said.
The air between them hung thick, the tension growing and then snapping when Wesley took a seat across from his mother. "I'm sorry, too," he said. "Maybe I've been taking it too hard. I know you never would have done something like that... if it hadn't been for Sarek's influence."
Beverly smiled a little. "Can you stay for just a few minutes and talk with me? I want to hear about what you're working on with Geordi in engineering."
At the prospect of talking about his work, Wesley perked up a bit. "Well," he said, "Maybe for just a few minutes."
It was a start.