I'm sorry it took me a week to get this up! I do feel bad about that...I've just been so busy. be assured that Ch.11 is already in progress and will be up ASAP! Review and enjoy:)

The next few days passed slowly. Jean-Luc had needed to be on a ventilator until the damage to his lungs had healed, and that meant that Beverly had to be content with sitting silently next to his bedside.

It was hard, just waiting for his body to heal, and despite all the medical technology that she had at her disposal, there had never been a guarantee that he would live.

Beverly hadn't slept much in the days since Jean-Luc had been injured, a fact that her staff had noticed, but dared not comment on. They recognized that she needed to be there for both him and herself.

Unfortunately for Beverly, being alone with an unconscious man and a room full of medical equipment allowed for a lot of time to think.

Often she thought of Jean-Luc lying broken on her operating table, and the fear that she had felt when she witnessed such a scene. Then other times she replayed every decision she made during his surgery, questioning herself and wondering if she had made mistakes. And of course, she thought about their relationship over the last 15 years and wondered how everything had gone so wrong. With her whole heart, Beverly regretted never acting on her feelings. She knew she would never forgive herself if he didn't wake up…

Finally, on the third day after nearly losing his life, Jean-Luc finally took a turn for the better. It had been decided that they would finally start weaning him off the ventilator and off the sedatives. It was with absolute joy that Beverly finally had hopes that the man she loved would live.

Jean-Luc awoke around lunchtime the following day, with Beverly standing over him holding him, holding his hand and whispering soothing words to him.

"Shhh, my love. You're okay. Take it easy."

He opened his eyes, which settled on Beverly's face.

He immediately relaxed.

"Beevvveerlyy," he whispered.

Dr. Crusher smiled softly and squeezed his hand.

"Wheeerrre am I? Whaaat happened"? Even whispering words was obviously exhausting to the captain.

"You're in the critical care unit at Starfleet Medical, my love. Four days ago, you were in Engineering when a conduit exploded. You were seriously injured, so they brought you here. We had to operate, but you are going to be just fine."

Of course, Beverly left out the parts of the story which involved her being terrified she would lose him. There were some things that you just left within the confines of your heart, never to be repeated.

"Are you in any pain, Jean-Luc?"

"It's not bad, really, more like stiffness."

By his response, she knew that he was just trying to be brave.

"There's no needed to be a martyr, Jean-Luc. I will increase your pain meds and you'll feel a lot better. Remember, you just had major surgery. I need you to be completely honest about your pain levels. You don't need to suffer through the next few days."

"Bbbuuut…"he tried to argue.

"No buts, don't argue."

With that, she pressed a hypospray into his neck and watched as the tension evaporated from his body.

"Better?"

He nodded in response.

"Jean-Luc, when you're better, there are things we need to talk about, but for now, please just rest and focus on healing."

His eyes were closed now, and it was obvious to Beverly that the sedatives were still coursing through his body and the pains meds probably weren't helping his drowsiness either.

Beverly turned to leave, finally committing herself to some much needed rest, when he spoke aloud:

"Beverly…I…I…well…thank you, Beverly. Thank you for saving my life."

"It's my job, Jean-Luc, you know that. Now please get some rest. We can talk more later, doctor's orders."

He smiled ever so slightly at her last reply and then finally gave into the medications' will.

If only I could tell you right now just how much I love you, how much you mean to me. I wish you could know how terrified I've been that you would leave me alone. But you're going to be okay and we're going to be happy…together.

Before leaving his side, she grasped Jean-Luc's hand and squeezed it, never for a minute thinking that the worst was still yet to come.

Maybe, just maybe, we are meant to be…