Part 15

Note: Well, here we are. Time to wrap it up. My attention span for this waning. lol. Anything else you'd like for me to write? Hope you enjoyed.

Jean-Luc Picard had thought he had been fully prepared for the birth of his second child. He had had precisely forty-one weeks since his newborn had been conceived to mentally and physically prep for its birth, from arranging a nursery in their cabin, to reading texts on infant care and development, to canvassing opinions from other parents on board the ship. His wife had regaled him with countless stories of their son's infancy. Picard had essentially had no real experience when it came to babies or children, but he had felt confident that when their newborn finally arrived, he would be well-poised to manage as a father. After all, he had reasoned, he commands the Federation's flag ship. His leadership skills are top of the fleet. How difficult could fatherhood truly be in comparison?

"I think she was just too comfortable in there. She didn't want to leave you," Jean-Luc remarks, curled up on the biobed with Beverly, one around around her shoulders as Beverly cradles a tiny pink bundle to her chest.

Giggling through the tears of sheer joy streaming down her cheeks, Beverly stares down at her newborn cradled in her arms, swaddled in a pink receiving blanket. "I'm glad she finally decided to join us."

Kissing Beverly's crown, Jean-Luc stares in astonishment at the small infant nestled in his wife's arm as she lies tucked between the blue sheets in a blue gown, having just delivered the baby without any complications. "She was worth the wait."

Exhaling audibly, Beverly attempts to stifle her tears. "Oh, Jean-Luc, I just love her."

Pressing his lips to her cheek, Jean-Luc squeezes Beverly's shoulder. "She's perfect. She's beautiful, just like her mother."

Sighing, Beverly briefly diverts her eyes from the baby to look at her husband. "I'm so glad you could see this."

Cupping the side of her face, Jean-Luc kisses her tenderly. "I'm grateful we could share it. I've never been happier. I mean, our wedding day is a close second, but seeing the birth of our daughter…"

Frowning, Beverly nods stiffly. "I'm just sorry you weren't there when Wesley was born."

Shaking his head, Jean-Luc puts a finger over her lips. "Don't talk about that. That's long in the past, and the last thing I want today is for you to feel guilty. This is our future. Let's focus on Sophie."

Nodding her agreement, Beverly brightens. "Alright, Papa. Meet your baby girl." Beverly shifts the slumbering infant into Jean-Luc's arms, watching him enthusiastically.

Moving to adjust the baby in his arms, Jean-Luc's heart pounds against his chest as he cradles the seemingly weightless baby to his chest. Although his newborn daughter weighs only six pounds and nine ounces, he feels as if he has the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders. Suddenly, he realizes this defenceless, vulnerable life depends on them for everything. She's so fragile and small, and he recognizes that it is his job to protect her.

"Jean-Luc?" Beverly whispers in concern, leaning her shoulder against his. "What's wrong?"

Putting on a small smile, Jean-Luc exhales deeply. "Nothing. I think it's just dawning on me…I have a baby…a daughter."

Smiling warmly, Beverly feathers kisses to his cheek. "It's okay, Jean-Luc. She's just a baby. You're a wonderful father."

"It's…easy with Wes," admits Jean-Luc, rotating his neck to look at Beverly. "He's practically an adult. This is a little…unnerving. I'm out of my element."

"You can't send her back," teases Beverly with a smirk.

Smiling in self-deprecation, Jean-Luc returns his attention to the innocent infant in his arms.

Kissing his temple, Beverly massages his shoulder. "I promise everything will be fine, love. We're lucky. We have a healthy baby girl."

Peeling the blanket back to get a closer look at his daughter's face, Jean-Luc smiles warmly. "Hello, Sophie. Welcome aboard the Enterprise. I'll be your father and Commanding Officer. Sit back and enjoy the adventure. I promise you'll always come home safe."

Gazing down at her newborn secured snug in her husband's arms, Beverly beams, wrapping one arm around his back.

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Bouncing on his toes, Jean-Luc rubs his newborn daughter's back to elicit a burp as he holds her against his shoulder, pacing around the living area of his cabin. "Why don't you go back to bed for a couple hours?" Turning to his wife on the sofa, Jean-Luc, watches as she slips her terry-cloth robe over her nightgown.

Standing off of the sofa, Beverly shakes her head. "That's okay. Sophie's fed. I'll get our breakfast."

"Beverly," Jean-Luc begins, following Beverly over to the kitchen in their newly expanded quarters. "I'm not on duty today. Take advantage. Get some sleep while you can. I've got the baby. Go lie down, please."

"It's okay," Beverly assures him. "I'm fine. I want to spend some time with Wes today while he's not in class or on the Bridge. I've hardly spent any time with him since Sophie was born."

Frowning, Jean-Luc continues to burp the baby as Beverly replicates coffee for both of them.

Wes enters the living area from his room, clad in pyjamas and socks on his feet. "Morning," he grumbles groggily.

"Morning, sweetie," greets Beverly cheerfully, handing Jean-Luc a mug of coffee.

"Did Sophie keep you up?" inquires Jean-Luc, accepting the proffered drink.

Walking over to the replicator, Wes shakes his head. "No. She's fine. She's actually really quiet. I hardly hear her."

Beverly wraps her arms around her son, enveloping him in a loose hug. "What would you like for breakfast, honey?"

Shrugging, Wes lifts his shoulder. "I don't know. Eggs, maybe."

"Sounds good," answers Beverly, dropping a kiss to his temple. "We'll have a nice breakfast, it's Sunday. And, maybe later you and your father can go rock climbing in the holodeck."

Glancing hopefully to Jean-Luc, Wesley perks up. "Can we?"

Nodding to his son, Jean-Luc smiles lightly. "Sure, Wes." Jean-Luc really wants to stick around the cabin today and give Beverly an opportunity to rest. In the eight days since the birth of their daughter, he had been exceptionally busy, consumed with a mission. Beverly had not been able to catch much sleep over the past week, and he had hoped that his long over-due reprieve from duty would afford her a much-deserved break from caring for their brand new baby. However, he recognizes that she wants to make an effort to involve their son, to make the adjustment of his new sibling as smooth as possible for the seventeen year-old. Jean-Luc is grateful that their friends have been caring and generous, stepping in to help Beverly when he is unavailable.

"Tomorrow we'll be at the star base. We can all get off the ship for a few hours and have a change of scenery," Beverly tells her son optimistically.

"It's okay to take Sophie off of the ship?" Wes inquires curiously.

"Oh, yes," Beverly bobs her head. "I'm looking forward to showing her something new. I can't stay cooped up in here with her all the time."

Turning to his father rocking his baby sister in his arms, Wes half-smiles. "Hey, let's do the rock climbing some other time. Maybe we can take Sophie for a picnic in the arboretum?"

Raising a brow, Jean-Luc fixes the teenager with an incredulous look. "You'd rather go for a picnic than play in the holodeck?"

Shrugging, Wes smiles simply. "Yeah. I'll be off to the Academy soon. We won't have many Sundays left to spend together. Let's just do something together."

Grinning, Beverly squeezes Wesley soundly, grateful that her son wants to make an effort to be with his new baby sister. "That sounds perfect, sweetie."

Smiling with pride, Jean-Luc nods. He realizes it won't always be easy. He had went from being a single, unattached man to a family of four in record time. He couldn't be more elated, however, to building a future with them. It had taken them a while to get to this place, but finally they are a family.