Part 3

"I am so sorry, Beverly," sighs Picard wearily, palming his face. Yet again, he had had to call the doctor in the middle of the night to tend to his ill child. And, once again, Beverly had dashed over to his quarters in her pyjamas to give medical attention to his new born baby. Picard is infinitely grateful to have this old friend as his Chief Medical Officer.

Kneeling on the floor in front of the sofa, Beverly administers a hypo to the whimpering baby laying on a blanket on the sofa. "I'm glad you did call me. She's running quite a temperature."

"What's wrong?" demands Picard, crouching on the ground next to Beverly. "Did the chest infection return?"

"I don't think so," sighs Beverly, scanning the infant with the diagnostic wand of her tricorder. "I need to run some tests in Sickbay. But, for tonight, I'd like to keep an eye on her."

"Yes," acquiesces Picard instantly. "Thank you."

"If you'd like to bring her bassinet out here, I can just lie on the sofa?" suggests Beverly.

Shaking his head, Picard rises to his feet. "Certainly not. There's a basinet in my room. You can sleep there with Adele. I'll stay out here on the sofa."

Rolling her eyes, Beverly starts to protest. "Jean-Luc…"

Forestalling her with a raised hand, Jean-Luc smirks. "You're gracious enough to help me. Please, just take my room."

Relenting, Beverly bobs her head. She has no energy to put up a fight. She gathers the baby in her blanket and rises to her feet. Rocking on her heels, she tries to soothe the infant back to sleep.

Picard retrieves Beverly's tricorder and med-kit and leads her through to his room.

"Hopefully her fever will break in the morning, but I'll take her down with me and run a more thorough scan," Beverly tells him, locating the basinet in the corner of the bedroom and walking toward it.

"Very well, " agrees Picard, setting the med-kit and tricorder down beside the basinet as Beverly lays her down.

Beverly finds a pacifier in the basinet and gives it to Adele, the baby's eyes growing heavy.

"Call me if she changes, or if you need anything," requests Picard, observing his daughter finally settling in the bed.

Nodding, Beverly smiles wearily. "I will."

Lips pursed, Jean-Luc drops his hands to his hips, tension in his shoulders.

"Get some rest, Jean-Luc," suggests Beverly. "I promise I'll investigate thoroughly in the morning."

Plastering on a smile, Jean-Luc nods. "Yes. Very well."

Beverly steps over to him and grasps his elbow lightly. "I know you're worried. It's okay. Adele will be fine."

Exhaling deeply, Jean-Luc drops his arms. "Of course. You're right. Thank you, Beverly."

Squeezing his bicep, Beverly offers an encouraging smile. "Go lie down. We're fine here."

Acquiescing, Picard backs out of the room, leaving his daughter in the doctor's capable hands.

PAGE BREAK

"What's wrong?" demands Picard, hovering over the biobed in the emergency ward of Sickbay as he observes Beverly placing a small sensor array on Adele's tiny chest as she lays on top of a blanket on the bed.

Wrapping the blanket around the baby, Beverly turns to Nurse Alyssa Ogawa recording measurements off of the bio sensors above the bed. "Watch her. Let me know if her vitals change. I'll be in my office with the captain."

Nodding, Alyssa's eyes drift to the slumbering one month-old infant on the bed.

Beverly motions for Picard to follow her and she takes off in the direction of her office. Stressed, Picard follows her through to the Chief Medical Officer's office, worried and impatient.

"What's wrong with Adele?" demands Picard as Beverly circumnavigates her desk.

Gesturing to the chair in front of her desk, Beverly sits in her office chair behind her desk.

Thoroughly riled, Picard reluctantly takes a seat in the visitor chair. "Beverly, my daughter…"

"She'll be fine, Jean-Luc," commences Beverly, leaning forward in her chair.

Picard braces his arms on the desk, leaning forward. "What did you find?"

Turning earnest, Beverly regards him ruefully. "Jean-Luc, Adele has a heart defect."

Alarmed, Jean-Luc's eyes widen. "Heart defect?"

Face falling, Beverly nods. "Essentially, there are holes between the chambers of her heart, and the valves which control the flow of the blood aren't formed properly."

Stunned, Picard gives his head a shake, trying to mentally process this revelation. "What…what…do we do?"

Frowning, Beverly folds her hands on the desk. "Normally, I wouldn't want to operate on such a young infant. But, I'm afraid if I don't then she could get worse. I can see she's already having difficulty breathing and experiencing pulmonary hypertension. That could be irreversible. I'm concerned about her lungs, and she could have cardiac distress if we don't intervene. Her growth will be stunted, and she'll always be fatigued."

"It's serious?" confirms Picard, his eyes dilated.

Exhaling, Beverly chooses her words carefully. "I'm glad we picked this up now. It's entirely operable. Quite easily treatable."

Trying to decipher everything the doctor is telling him, Picard bobs his head, leaning on his arms over the desk.

"Jean-Luc, I reviewed her medical file from Starfleet Medical," Beverly tells him quietly. "When she was born she was six pounds two ounces. She's five pounds four ounces now."

Surprised, Jean-Luc's mouth falls agape. "She's lost that much weight?"

Biting her lip, Beverly tries to be delicate, trying to phrase her words carefully. "You became a father for the first time, then immediately had to take command of this new vessel. You've had…the weight of the galaxy on your shoulders the past month. You didn't have any family or close friends to help you. You weren't taking Adele for check-ups. But, that…that's not okay."

Tears welling in his eyes, Jean-Luc leans back into his chair, overcome with grief.

Heart aching, Beverly stands out of her chair and walks around her desk. Perching on the edge of her desk in front of Jean-Luc, she reaches for his hand. "Hey, everything's going to be fine now."

As a tear slowly descends down his cheek, Jean-Luc bows his head. "It's not okay. I'm a terrible father, Beverly. My daughter was terribly ill, and I didn't even notice."

Beverly slips off of the desk and kneels down on the ground beside the visitor chair, holding Jean-Luc's hand. "You did notice! You kept bringing her to me, telling me she wasn't feeling well, she wasn't eating."

Averting his eyes, Jean-Luc sniffles, desperately trying to withhold his tears. "I am a horrible father. I…I can't do this, Beverly. I…I can't. Adele deserves better."

Reaching up, Beverly lays a hand on his cheek. "Stop it, Jean-Luc. You are a wonderful father. You love that little girl more than anything. You're just new to this. Guess what? We all make mistakes. No one is perfect."

Exhaling a shaky breath, Jean-Luc shakes his head. "No. I'm not cut out for this. I've made a terrible mistake."

Growing agitated, Beverly squeezes his hand, running her hand down his chest. "Stop it. Everything will be fine."

Jean-Luc swallows the lump in his throat as Beverly rights herself, straightening her lab coat.

"Jean-Luc, I can operate and Adele will grow and thrive as she should." Offering Jean-Luc a reassuring smile, Beverly outstretches her hand.

Standing out of the chair, Jean-Luc composes himself and accepts her hand. "Thank you, Beverly. I am…so sorry. I'm…a little overwhelmed, I suppose."

Pulling him in, Beverly smiles empathetically. "That's okay. Just know, you're not in this alone, okay?"

Laying a hand on her shoulder, Jean-Luc smiles gratefully. "I'd be lost without you, you know that?"

Brushing him off, Beverly rolls her eyes. "You manage just fine."

A haunted look in his eyes, Jean-Luc shakes his head. "No, I don't."