"I'll grab Worf and meet you outside of the Picard's quarters." Geordi whispered to Will before glancing back inside the quarters at Deanna. "How's she doing?"
Will's soft eyes betrayed him for a few seconds before he grinned.
"She's alright." He inhaled slowly. "I should check on Lizzie."
"Captain.." LaForge put his hand on Will's arm. "B would have called you if there was anything you needed to know. Let him calculate all the variables for a while." Will nodded. "Sides she adores him."
"She's going to be heartbroken when you two leave for the Titian."
"We'll be back before she notices." Geordi teased moving back down the hallway. "And just wait till she realizes she'll have him to play with everyday."
"We don't know that Geordi." Will shook his head. "That's not necessarily what they'll do."
"Unless they want a Sr. Staff mutiny… they will." If there was one thing that Will liked most about Geordi's ocular implants it was he ability to see his friend wink. He waited a few seconds for him to be out of sight before touching the panel beside him.
"Computer, analyze life signs of Elizabeth Riker." He whispered softly.
"Elizabeth Riker's life signs are with in normal parameters." Will nodded to himself with a swallow before making his way back into the quarters. He could feel Deanna's dizziness before he saw her sway. He moved quickly grasping her extended hand with his newly aquired feather light touch.
"I'm okay." She sighed.
"Better not do that in front of Beverly." He said softly. "She'll commit you."
"Can you feel the guilt radiating off of her too or is it just me?"
"Only when she saw Lizzie." Will sighed, watching Deanna's face slip.
"The rest of the time you're knocking out any sense of her, or anyone else."
"Are you saying you could think of nothing but me Captian?" She teased.
"Most of the time, Love." He closed his loose fingers around her hand. "You ready?" She nodded at him and he lead her to the door.
Beverly Picard had intended her stop in sickbay to be short. She was going to pick up some things for after. After they told him. After their life was forever altered. After he'd agreed to treatment.
She wanted to have said treatment on hand.
On her way out the door however, she'd seen B-4 holding Lizzie Riker in the hall. Immediately her mind had pushed every potential harm that could have come to her friends' fragile little girl. She'd already dropped the case she was carrying and started towards them when the android dropped her back to her feet and Beverly watched her half hover half run back towards the other end.
Beverly was calculating how much stress the jog would put on her compromised lungs, when she saw her son at the other end, his arms outstretched as Lizzie dove into them. She tried to swallow around the lump in her throat. She remembered when She and Deanna had been pregnant, how many times she'd pictured them running through the halls of this ship.
They could have, Beverly mused. If you had just been on the ball.
Lizzie made a squeal as Jack turned to chase her back towards her babysitter. Beverly gasped slightly, preparing to chastize all of them for taking risks with her.
"I have calculated that Lizzie can do this activity four more times, Doctor." The Android informed her without taking his eyes off of the girl. "And in event that her life supports should falter I have decided to stand right outside of sickbay." Beverly pressed her lips closed, the sting of tears pressing into her sore eyes. "I do believe that Consoler and Captain Riker insist on normal child experiences." His arms jetted out, swinging Lizzie up before she wiggled back down. "From what I understand, chase is an acceptable game on both Earth and Betazed."
Beverly nodded absently before turning back towards the lift.
"Mom!" Jack ran up beside her grabbing at her sleeve. She turned her head to face him. "You forgot this." His hands reached out to her, gripping the handle of the case. She looked deep into her son's eyes, Jean-Luc's eyes, before plastering on a quick smile.
"Thank you." She pressed her lips to his head before moving past her son's questioning gaze and into the turbolift letting the doors shut between them. She pressed her lips together again forcing any attempt by her body to cry while she made her way down the corridor to her quarters.
Alyssa smiled at her as the doors swished open, standing from her spot on the couch.
"Mommy!" Beverly scooped Sienna off of the ground and squeezed her tightly.
"Hello my darling!" She whispered, burying her face in her daughter's light strawberry locks.
"We thought we should wait for you before we started our sleepover. " Alyssa told her a little louder than she needed too, causing Beverly to glance at her reason. Jean-Luc folded his book closed as she swept Sienna back to the ground.
"You're late." He smiled, his eyebrow arching up towards her.
"I'm sorry. I had a meeting."
"Anything the Captain should know about?" He teased, laying his lips against her cheek.
"The Captain is on medically mandatory shore leave." She reminded, turning towards Alyssa mouthing thank you.
"Well Sienna, Halli." The two girls stopped, two pairs of eyes fell on her. "Should we be off to party?"
"Bye Papa!" The five year old tossed herself towards her father. "Bye Mommy."
"Goodnight mon petit choux." Jean-Luc sighed, letting his daughter go.
"Quit calling her a cabbage." Beverly grinned. "She'll get a complex."
"I'll have you know I was often called a Cabbage and I turned out just fine." His eyes sparkled for a second, and hers filled with tears. "Beverly? What is it?"
"Jean-Luc.." She whispered painfully, as his familiar grasp settled on her slim shoulders. "I have something to tell you."
The door chime beat her too it.
"I wasn't sure if I should do it this way." She begged, her voice was starting to get flighty and frantic. " But it was what you wanted so I.."
The door chimed again.
"Beverly?" He examined her again, as a slow look of understanding settled on his face. This was it.
"I love you." She pleaded. "No matter what I-."
He gripped her a little harder, turning towards the door with a resolute voice. A Captain's voice, and if he was right about what was on the other side of that door, it was the voice he wanted to use.
"Come."
His wife started to cry when the rest of his original crew started though the door. He huffed out an almost relieved smile. Will Riker pulled himself to his full height. His blue eyes sharp and controlled.
"Sir." Will's eyes misted over a little, but his voice stayed calm. He waited, hoping he wouldn't have to say the words. He didn't want to have to tell the man, who was more a father to him then the one who gave him life, that is was time to leave the party.
"Dear God Will, what the hell took you all so long?"