Chapter 3: They Don't Exactly Prepare You For This at Starfleet Medical

As the Enterprise lulled into the gamma shift, the affected officers set up shop in Beverly's quarters after picking up some personal items they need for their 'host' bodies.

Geordi had been the last to arrive, having spent the better part of two hours seeing the ship and its crew through new eyes. Somehow he always thought that Data's vision would have been closer to his own, processing images that he saw into a simple series of shapes and colors and lines. But in fact, the opposite that was true. Through Data's eyes, he could make out all of the rich, subtle shades that fell in between his normal color spectrum and it was almost like seeing the world for the first time. Everything, from the electric blue of the warp engines to the pale, khaki carpeting in the hall filled him with what he could only assume was the closest that Data could ever feel to a sense of wonder. Even running into people he had seen every day for the past seven years gave him a chance to truly appreciate what made them unique, from the pale blue of Mr. Mot's plump, Bolian face to the stunning copper-red of Beverly's hair cascading against her porcelain skin. He wanted to enjoy the newness of it all, but found that the interpretive part of his positronic brain could only quantify the experience as "beautiful" and relegate the information to the appropriate sector of his informational mainframe while the part of him that was Geordi speculated on whether or not he would be able to retain the knowledge after he was back in his own body.

In the meantime, he continued studying the shuttle's logs at a makeshift workstation surrounded by computer consoles, tricorders and pads while his pale fingers danced across the controls. Whereas Beverly and Data were exhausted, he was feeling the complete opposite-he was invigorated. He was working with a clarity of thought and mental agility that surprised him as he switched back and forth between sub-routines, studying Data's emotion chip, the sensor readings and a few back-logged experiments of his own without a hint of fatigue or distraction.

"Is this what it's always like for him?" he mused to himself. "I mean, it's weird. I feel like me, and yet, I don't. I have my own memories and thoughts, but they don't feel the same. Maybe that's it…maybe the difference is that I don't FEEL anything."

He looked up from what he was doing for a moment and scanned the room to see Beverly heading to sickbay in his body and Data heading to the bedroom in Beverly's body, their eyes already heavy from the stress of the day's events. Upon further self-examination, he was neither tired, nor hungry, nor worried. As a matter of fact, he had no needs at all. Where once in a while he had found himself looking forward to the day when he would share his quarters with someone, now he was finding the company nothing more than background activity. It was almost…liberating…to be able to get through his life without the emotional baggage that normally cluttered up his mind. Still, as much as he wanted to experiment further with the sudden abilities he was discovering in the body of his new host, Geordi knew that if he had anything to say about it, this was going to be a temporary visit.

"Sure, for now my life may not be as intriguing as Data's, but it's mine…and I still have a lot of living I have to do."

In the low light of sickbay, Beverly was sitting upright on one of the biobeds while Doctor Selar ran a diagnostic on Geordi's visor just a few feet away. She was having trouble processing the input she was receiving and it was resulting in headaches that flared through her brain like lightening bolts followed by feelings of vertigo and queasiness. She chuckled out loud when she realized that the sensation was very similar to what she had experienced the day before.

"What is it?" asked Jean-Luc, who had rushed to sickbay the moment he heard she was there.

"It almost feels like morning sickness."

"At least you can laugh about it."

"Well, that's only because I realize that crying about it isn't going to get us anywhere." She smirked and went to run her fingers through her hair again, but then sighed heavily when she remembered it was no longer there.

"Don't worry. You won't have to put up with it much longer."

"I hope not. Although, I have to admit that there's something kind of practical about having a crew cut. I might have to try it when I get my body back."

"I'd rather you didn't. I prefer your hair exactly the way you left it."

They shared a half-hearted laugh then the room fell into silence again. Beverly couldn't see without the visor, but she knew Jean-Luc was still there. Geordi's senses were amazingly acute, so she could feel his presence…hear his breathing…smell his scent…and it made her ache to be close to him, to wrap her arms around him and make love straight on until morning, when they would share a laugh about this all being some crazy dream over coffee and croissants smeared in that Bajoran moba marmalade that she loved so much. She could barely openly express her feelings to him when she was in her own body, much less the chief engineer's, so the memories of the stolen happy moments they had shared over the past few months flashed in her mind until Doctor Selar interrupted her ruminations with news that was not in the least bit surprising.

"Doctor Crusher, the results of the diagnostic on the visor and your bioscans show no physical reason for the pain you are suffering. It is my conclusion that your brain patterns, being essentially new to the apparatus, are undergoing a period of adjustment to the signal inputs. I can administer something for the pain and perhaps provide you with an alpha wave inducer to help you sleep."

"That won't be necessary."

"I am sorry, Doctor."

"No need to apologize. Thank you for your help and thank you for coming, Jean-Luc. You didn't have to, you know."

"But I did. I have a vested interest in your well being after all." He reached over to help her put the visor back on. "The Doctor is right. You're exhausted and you need to get some sleep. I can make that an order if I need to."

Too tired to argue with him, she raised her hand to her forehead in a mock salute, "Aye, Captain."

"Good."

A palpable tension filled the room as Beverly noticed that neither one of them was making a move.

"Well, this is awkward."

"I'm sorry, Beverly."

"I wish everyone would stop apologizing. It was an accident. And it's not like this is permanent, right?"

"Of course not, you're right."

"Right. Besides, Newton's Third Law states that for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction, so it's just a matter of us finding the right reaction."

"And we will. But you should get some rest tonight. I can escort you to your quarters when you're through here with Doctor Selar."

He reached over and put his hand on her knee, and although Beverly knew that he was only trying to be supportive, it only served to reinforce the gravity of their predicament.

"Maybe you'd better not."

"Why?"

"Because…" she answered softly, "I don't know how I will handle having to watch you walk away."

"I could stay…help out Data and Commander LaForge."

"Look, I know what you're trying to do and it's nice of you to offer, but you're going to need your rest as much as I am. It's ok. I'll be all right."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I think it would be best."

"Beverly…"

"I know, Jean-Luc, I know."

Neither one of them had to say anything else. The discretion their relationship necessitated had helped them evolve to the point where they could communicate more with looks and silent expressions than they ever could with words long before they had become lovers, but the knowledge had to be enough for now. Beverly knew she couldn't expect anything more; not as long as she was in Geordi's body.

"You should go now."

"All right, but I will stop by to see you first thing in the morning."

"Okay, I'll have breakfast waiting."

She cracked a faint smile, which he responded to with his own hopeful grin.

"Goodnight then."

"Goodnight."

He moved to leave, but stopped in place and turned to face her.

"Beverly, I love you."

"I love you too."

Beverly watched him hesitate before he exited sickbay in a blur of colored lines and pattern signatures as Doctor Selar walked over and administered the hypo spray with a familiar hiss. It only took a matter of seconds for the throbbing in her head to subside, but as she slipped onto her feet to leave, she found herself wishing that the pain in her heart could be as easily alleviated.