AN: Here we are, another piece to this one.
I hope you enjoy! If you do, please do let me know!
111
"We'll be there in less than twenty-four hours, now," Beverly said. She had washed her face, and somewhat washed the rest of her body with warm water and a rag—enough to get by. At least the clean clothes that she'd replicated for herself felt nice. Beverly checked the auto-controls, the flight course, the sensors, and the somewhat leaky hose that was giving her trouble and would be the first thing she repaired when the Eleos was landed and she could devote some free time to its repairs. For now, another layer of duct tape would do the trick.
She replicated food for herself and food for Laris, and she brought both plates to the pallet where Laris was resting as much as her comfort level would really allow. Beverly dosed her with another round of the supplement to help her blood volume keep at its slow increase.
"Do I get clothing?" Laris asked. She smiled at Beverly. They had been on their way to Earth for two days, slowed down by everything imaginable and a few things unpredictable. During that time, Beverly had learned that her Romulan companion had a wicked sense of humor, but was also sweet and gentle, when that's what Beverly needed from her.
She also refused to complain and only asked for things when she'd reached a certain level of "desperate." Her health wasn't improving as much as Beverly would like, but Beverly wasn't exactly surprised by that. They were not in optimal conditions, at all, for her recovery. She would improve rapidly, Beverly felt, as soon as she could be cared for properly and get some genuine rest. They had less than twenty-four hours to go, and Beverly felt like every cell in her body was registering the passing of that time.
"Or—am I just to arrive at the famous Jean-Luc Picard's home naked, like a Ferengi woman or a…an Orion slave? Perhaps…even a Betazoid bride."
Beverly smirked at her and held food out to her. Laris opened her mouth took it without argument, protest, or insistence that she could feed herself with her left hand. Beverly needed to do this, and Laris accepted that.
"The blankets will have to do," Beverly said. "I'll wrap them tightly, if you like. I'll even tape them on with that duct tape. I don't want to risk shock, though, by moving your right side too much. It's going to be enough just moving you to the transport board. Put this in your mouth. It'll detract from the feeling that you need to talk so much."
Laris laughed quietly, and Beverly echoed it. Her face felt warm. Her whole body felt warm. Laris did that for her—and it had been a while since someone did that for Beverly…especially without her having to worry about when the shoe would fall.
Laris had already agreed to accompany Beverly. When she was well, and they were able to emerge from their safe haven, Laris would join Beverly aboard the Eleos. She had experience flying and she had limited experience, according to her, in engineering. Beverly had told her that her qualifications were perfect, and exactly what she was looking for in a partner.
Only once had Beverly's mind gotten the better of her and suggested that Laris's decision to stay with her was one born of having no other choice—of feeling trapped or, perhaps, as though she had nothing else, so she might as well stay. Beverly had dismissed the thought. After all, this whole happy meeting between them was born from bad circumstances. It wasn't their circumstances that mattered.
What mattered was now. What mattered was the way that Laris looked at her when she teased her, and the way that it made Beverly's whole body feel warm. What mattered was the feeling that swelled up inside of Beverly—like she would do whatever she had to do to protect Laris and, when she was healed, she knew that she could rest assured that the woman would offer her a safe, comfortable place to rest when she needed it.
"Shouldn't you be flying?" Laris said around her food. "I can feed myself."
It was mostly a lie. It was also mostly to continue to tease Beverly.
"I have auto-controls on," Beverly said. "The trajectory is clear. The Eleos can practically fly itself as long as I monitor the course." Laris knew that, and Beverly knew that she did. "And you can't feed yourself. You can hardly move."
"If you would heal these bones," Laris said.
"I've healed everything enough that you won't lose that arm or your ability to use it," Beverly said. "I didn't realize how bad that shoulder is. Even after I'm able to use the osteo-regenerator and repair some of those ligaments, you're going to have to take it easy for a few days."
"Use the osteo-regenerator now," Laris said.
"Absolutely not," Beverly protested. "You're refusing the pain medication for the baby's sake, and I'll respect that. Your vitals are erratic at times, though, and I can't risk the shock."
"I'm in pain mostly because I can't move from this spot," Laris said. "What will you have there that you don't have here?"
"Mirah has sent supplies ahead," Beverly said. "Grounded, and with better access, I can afford to be picky and take my time. I should have a safer alternative for pain management—which you're taking. I'll have some additional supplements to help raise your blood volume a little faster. I'll have better scanning equipment for the baby. And I'll have others to help me in case the pain of these repairs puts you into shock. An extra set of hands is what I'm most looking forward to." She gave Laris a reassuring smile. For all of Laris's teasing, Beverly knew she was hiding pain and, more than likely, fear. "A few days of the best treatment I can give, and rest, and you'll be back to your old self."
"Will your extra set of hands be Jean-Luc Picard?" Laris asked. "Does he have medical training?"
"He has the same basic training that everyone in Starfleet has," Beverly said. "Emergency training. And he's good at following directions. You'll be in good hands."
"I already am," Laris said. "After all—I'm still here."
Beverly nodded and glanced toward the vitals monitor. She felt Laris's hand touching her, and she smiled when the woman squeezed her hand.
"I'm still here," Laris said again. "No matter what your…little box says. I'm here."
"And getting stronger by the minute," Beverly said. It was true, though she might have hoped for a more rapid building of strength. As she had started doing—an act which, perhaps, gave her more comfort than it did Laris—Beverly raised Laris's hand and kissed her fingers. Laris smiled at her and accepted the bite of food that Beverly urged her to take. "Will you let me give you something for pain? I already know what you're going to say…"
"No. Please. I'm fine," Laris said.
"See? I knew," Beverly said. Laris rested her hand on Beverly's leg and squeezed.
"I'm fine," she repeated, this time with a bit more emphasis behind the words.
"You'll sleep, at least," Beverly said.
"As will you," Laris said. "You'll set sensor alarms, and you will rest." She smirked at Beverly. "You look—awful."
"Have you seen yourself?" Beverly teased.
"You know I haven't," Laris said. "I'm not allowed to move."
"Soon," Beverly assured her. "I just don't want you damaging anything worse or going into shock. We'll be at the Château before you know it."
"And when we get there?" Laris asked. Beverly simply raised her eyebrows at her, turning her own attention to the food she'd replicated for herself. She ate quickly, not realizing how hungry she was until she'd started eating. "You still love him…"
"There is room in our hearts for many feelings," Beverly said. "Someone very wise once told me that."
"Very wise?" Laris asked.
"I think so," Beverly said.
"If you want to talk about it…" Laris offered.
"I've told you all there is to say," Beverly said. "He doesn't want this. He never has. He doesn't want what I want…what I need. And—I don't want my baby to be an obligation. I don't want to be an obligation."
"Well…" Laris said, "you won't be an obligation to me. If it's any consolation."
"More than you know," Beverly said, forcing herself to eat the food that she didn't really feel like eating, and putting the plate to the side when she felt she couldn't stand another bite. Laris hummed at her.
"I can wait. If you want to go somewhere else," Laris said. "If it would be easier for you…"
"What I want is to get the supplies I need and to have a place where my attention isn't divided," Beverly said. "What I want is for you to be healed. Mirah found us a safe haven for that to happen, and we're going to use it. That's all there is to say about it, Laris."
"We could find another safe haven," Laris said. Beverly looked at her. "If I weren't Romulan."
"You are Romulan," Beverly said. "And—I wouldn't change that."
Laris smiled at her.
"I didn't know you had such an affection for Romulans," she teased.
"Neither did I," Beverly said. "I don't want to talk about it anymore, Laris. We're going to the Château."
She got up, took the plates to the recycler, and recycled them. She checked controls and the course once more, and set alarms for anything that might arise and need her attention while she slept.
"I understand," Laris offered gently. Beverly returned to the pallet, and this time she laid down next to the woman. Laris turned her eyes to face Beverly, careful not to move too much. Beverly covered them both with a blanket. She didn't worry that Laris would get too hot, already wrapped in another blanket. Laris didn't seem to have the capacity to get too hot. Beverly drew in a deep breath and settled, happy to be next to her.
"May I?" Beverly asked
Laris smiled at her.
"You don't have to ask," Laris said.
Beverly's pulse kicked up. So did Laris's, according to the monitor. Beverly didn't call attention to it, but she was happy to hear it for a number of reasons.
She raised her arm and gently brushed Laris's hair back from her face. She tucked a strand behind her ear, and she gave into the impulse she had to brush her finger over the curve and point of Laris's ear. Laris shivered slightly.
"Am I allowed to do that?" Beverly asked.
"I grant you permission to do whatever you want," Laris said softly.
"If you don't like it," Beverly said, letting her words hang, their meaning clear.
"I like it very much, when you do it," Laris said. Beverly smiled.
"I think your ears might have been the only thing I didn't have to heal at all," Beverly said. She brushed her cheek. Then, she moved her hand down and rested it on Laris's belly. She would have given nearly anything to feel a nudge of some sort against her palm.
"How is the baby?" Laris asked, almost as though she could read Beverly's mind.
"When I scanned you earlier, we still have a fetal heartbeat," Beverly said.
"Strong?" Laris asked.
"Strong enough," Beverly said. "The baby could stand a little time where your body isn't fighting so hard. That's one reason I'm glad we have an ETA of less than twenty-four hours. Any movement?"
"None that I've noticed," Laris said.
"Don't worry," Beverly said.
"That's easier said than done," Laris said.
"You're just going to have to trust me, then," Beverly said.
"I'm a Romulan," Laris teased.
"And I won't lie to you," Beverly said. "I'll tell you if it's time to worry. I still have hope, though, so you should too. Do you want to know if it's a boy or a girl?"
"You know?" Laris asked. Beverly hummed at her.
"The tricorder can pick it up."
"Then—I'll let you tell me when you think is best."
"I'll save it a while longer," Beverly said. "When we arrive—Laris, I would appreciate it if you didn't say anything about the baby to Jean-Luc."
Laris laughed quietly.
"I think he might notice," Laris said. "It's becoming quite difficult for me to hide it, especially when my only clothing is a blanket."
Beverly gave her a look.
"Laris…"
Laris gave her a soft smile and barely nodded.
"I will keep your secrets, Beverly. Always."
Beverly sighed, relieved.
"Thank you. Sleep, Laris."
As soon as Laris closed her eyes, a show that she intended to do what Beverly asked, Beverly did the same, allowing herself to drift off for just a little while.
111
Beverly had kept her initial conversation with Jean-Luc professional. She'd handled it the same way she would when speaking to anyone with whom Mirah put her in contact. Jean-Luc, ever the professional, had hesitated only a moment before accepting that. What had been important, at that moment, Beverly had stressed, was that she needed coordinates for landing the Eleos. She needed safety guarantees for the Romulan woman she was bringing. She needed to know that Jean-Luc would receive the necessary supplies that Mirah was sending via one of the Rangers or a Mariposa. And she needed to know that she and Laris could stay there until Laris had time to recover.
Jean-Luc had agreed to all of that.
Beverly's experience with landing the Eleos was limited. When she put the ship down in the field in La Barre, it was only the second time she'd done so. She knew, immediately, that the landing gear could use some repairs before she took it back up again. Still, she thought she did a pretty good job of putting it down without causing even too much distress to her patient—regardless of the fact that she was almost certain that Laris wouldn't have complained no matter what.
Beverly left the ship to meet Jean-Luc. The entire walk off the ship, she focused on her breathing. She focused on looking confident. She tried not to focus, at all, on the fact that she hadn't spoken to anyone about why she was leaving, when she left abruptly, and she hadn't answered a single communication since.
She felt like she'd been doused in ice cold water to find that Jean-Luc, meeting her as he did, wasn't alone. Will and Deanna stood with him.
Beverly steeled herself.
"Have the supplies come?" She asked, trying to be as professional as she would have been if she'd arrived at any safe haven besides this one.
"Everything is inside," Jean-Luc said. "The individual that Mirah sent from the Mariposas set it all up for you before he departed."
Beverly nodded.
"She's stable, but she lost a lot of blood. Almost more than she had to lose."
"We don't have blood," Jean-Luc said.
"There hasn't been any copper-based blood to spare for a while," Beverly said. "We're building up blood volume, but her vitals are still unpredictable at times. She's pregnant, and that's complicating matters a little. Her right arm and collarbone are badly broken, and her right shoulder is damaged. I haven't been able to make repairs because she hasn't been strong enough to handle the possible shock, and I haven't had another pair of hands to help me if she crashes."
"We'll move her carefully," Will said.
"And we'll help you with whatever you need," Deanna said.
"I can't thank you enough," Beverly said.
"Thanks isn't needed," Jean-Luc said. "It never has been."
