CHAPTER 7

30 weeks pregnant…

That is all Picard could think about as he watched Beverly happily eating her breakfast. The moment she entered her third trimester, she craved croissants with peanut butter and pickles. The concoction didn't seem very appetizing for Picard but was happy to see Beverly enjoy every bite.

She stopped eating for a moment, noticing he was staring at her with a slight smirk on his face. "What?" she asked annoyingly.

"Nothing" Picard quickly answered, while placing his tea down on the table.

"Liar" she snarked before wiping off the bits of peanut butter off the corner of her mouth. Picard chuckled at her response which caused her to glare at him.

"I'm sorry. I am just enjoying the simple pleasure this not-so-pleasant arrangement of food is making you" he confessed happily.

"Hey, don't knock it until you try it. This is delicious" Beverly confessed before taking another bite.

"It's disgusting, Beverly" he laughed.

"Says you" she defended, raising a brow in his direction.

"Whatever makes you happy" Picard said before standing up and placing a kiss on Beverly's cheek. "I am needed on the bridge. I'll see you later this afternoon"

"If you keep making fun of my eating habits, you might not" Beverly teased while finishing her plate. Picard raised a brow before smiling down at her.

"I'll keep that in mind," he says, shaking his head before leaving his quarters.

Beverly hummed happily as she began to clear the table and take it to the recycler. As she was loading the final dishes, a sharp pain ignited the side of her belly, which caused her to drop the dishes to the floor. She doubles over, clutching her side, eyes shut so tight they begin to water. The rush of fear washes over Beverly as she quickly taps her badge. "Crusher to Selar!"

"Selar here" she responds.

And with every ounce of breath, Beverly says "Something's wrong"

It had only been thirty minutes since the last time Picard saw Beverly in his quarters. After he got the message from Selar to come to Sickbay immediately, his heart dropped into his stomach. He just saw her and she was fine. What could have happened?

Beverly? The baby? His thoughts were flooded with worry and he wasn't going to be satisfied with anything until he saw she was okay. He entered hastily through the side entrance to get to Beverly's room. As soon as he entered, he saw Beverly standing, placing her lab coat on. He raised a brow in confusion as she looked perfectly fine and wondered if he heard Selar wrong over his combadge. "Beverly?"

Beverly looked over and was surprised to see Picard standing there. She dropped her shoulders and let out an exhausted sigh and began to shake her head. "I told Selar not to call you," she said disappointed. Picard opened his mouth to respond but Selar beat him to it as she entered the room.

"It was not logical to not inform the Captain. I felt he had the right to know" Selar answered. Beverly glared at her for a moment before Picard broke the awkward silence.

"Can someone please tell me what happened?" He said, almost throwing his hands in the air, annoyed feeling left in the dark.

"That's just it. Nothing happened. Or at least, I thought something did but I was overreacting" Beverly explained, placing one hand in her pocket and the other lightly touching her unborn son. Picard raised his brow at her, not satisfied with her answer.

"Dr. Crusher experienced Braxton Hicks contractions. A little early to be experiencing them but not impossible" Selar said.

"Braxton Hicks?" Picard questioned.

"They are false labor pains. It helps prepare the body for when Labor really happens. It's perfectly normal" Beverly explained.

"Labor?!" Picard exclaimed, walking closer to Beverly. "But you still have at least 8 weeks before the baby comes. Why would you be experiencing labor now?" Picard asked worriedly. This reaction brought a small smile to Beverly's face.

"Again, it's normal, Jean-Luc. Don't worry" Beverly said, placing her hand on his cheek. He grabbed her hand with his and kissed the top of it, softening a bit.

"I did order Dr. Crusher to begin cutting back her hours and resting. It seems she may be overworking herself, which caused the early false contractions" Selar explained. Picard looked at Beverly with worry. Was she working too much? How could I have not noticed? He thought.

"Thank you, Selar" Beverly said with slight embarrassment. She didn't think she was overdoing it, but as the clock ticked closer to her son's arrival, she may not have realized it. Selar nodded and left the room, leaving Picard and Beverly in the quiet room. Beverly could tell what Picard was thinking at that moment and she smiled. "Yes, I'm taking the rest of the day off"

"Good" Picard said, smiling back. "Would you like some company?" he asked.

"Really?" Beverly was surprised by his offer. "But I thought you were needed on the bridge today?"

"Oh, I'm sure Will can handle it. I mean, unless you want to be alone?" Picard asked curiously, squeezing her hand as he waited for her answer.

"No! Of course not, I just–" Beverly stopped herself. She took a deep breath before finishing her sentence. "I would love it"

"Good" Picard answered. He leaned in and lightly kissed her on the cheek. "What would you like to do today? Anything you want" Picard asked.

It took Beverly a moment before an idea sparked in her mind. "This might sound like an odd request…"

Picard and Beverly were walking down the corridor, hand in hand. Dressed in more casual clothing, they stopped in front of Holodeck 3's doors. Picard fiddled with the touch screen before he found what he was looking for. "Computer, activate program Picard 1"

"Program activated. You may enter when ready" says the computer. A slight chill brushes across her face as the doors swoosh open in front of Beverly. "After you" Picard says with his hand placed out for her to enter first.

Beverly steps in and is immediately taken by the beauty she sees. She had heard stories but never could she imagine how amazing it truly was. She looks over to him with a stunned look on her face. "This is your home?"

"Yes. Is there something wrong?" Picard questioned, unsure of what she meant.

"No, it's just–" She pauses a moment to find the right words. "It's beautiful" is all she could muster. Picard smiles and takes her hand.

"That she is. Just a quaint chateau, nothing too crazy" Picard explained, breathing in the ripe grapes from the vineyard.

"Quaint?" Beverly raises a brow at his description.

"Oh yes, the chateaus nearby are much bigger" Picard said, as they slowly began to walk towards the entrance of the home.

"Jean-Luc, this is a mansion" Beverly quipped which caused Picard to chuckle at her statement.

"I guess she is bigger than most homes people grow up in" he says to her with a small smile on his face, enjoying the rare moment with her. But as he studied her face, he noticed her smile had faded and she began to look a little sad. "Beverly? Are you alright?" he asked with concern, stopping their walk and turning towards her.

Beverly quickly put up a wall and stopped the tears that began to form in her eyes. She shook her head and smiled sweetly at him. "I'm fine. Can we go inside?" She quickly changes the subject.

"Of course" Picard says and doesn't press any further. He knows if it is something she wants to share, she will open up to him when she's ready.

Picard gives her as much as a tour that Beverly is able to handle. After the third complaint of her back or feet hurting, Picard knew it was time to go relax in the study. Beverly lay on the couch, back resting against one end and her legs spread across. Picard brought over some Lemon Tea and sat at the other end of the couch, letting her legs rest on him.

A few quiet moments passed as they sipped their drinks. Picard noticed the solemn look on Beverly's face and worried he might have done something wrong. He placed his drink down on the side table and reached out for her hand. Beverly noticed the invitation and put her tea down so she could entangle her fingers in his.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked quietly.

Beverly hesitates for a moment before she nods. Picard shifts his body a little so he can see her better, placing his elbow on the back end of the couch and propping his head up, ready to listen.

"My parents–" Beverly stopped quickly. She felt a rush of emotion overcome her and she didn't want to burst into tears over uncontrollable hormones. She took in a deep breath before she continued. "My parents were scientists. Always bouncing around from place to place. I never had a place I could call home" Beverly explained, looking down for a moment. Picard nodded and squeezed her hand, letting her know to continue.

"They died when I was 6– Shuttle accident" Beverly said quickly, without going into detail. The loss of her parents still pained her even to this day. "That is when my Grandmother decided to help colonize Arvada III. A fresh start… well, you know how that went" she sarcastically chuckled to help break the moment of despair.

"And your Grandmother taught you how to be a healer, isn't that right?" Picard asked.

"She didn't really have much of a choice. But, It wasn't until we moved to Caldos that I felt I really had a home. A place I could call my own. I just wish–" Beverly stopped mid-sentence as if she forgot what she was going to say.

"You just wish what?" Picard asked.

"I wish they were there" Beverly smiled sadly. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she thought of her parents. Picard placed her legs down and sat her up to pull her close into his arms. She let a few tears fall as he held her close, kissing the top of her head.

"You know, this house has been in my family for generations, but it never felt like home to me" Picard confessed. This caused Beverly to look at him in confusion, wiping a few tears that fell.

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"My father was a brutal man. Never showed me once he loved me" Picard begins to tell Beverly the dark secrets of his family. Picard is looking away from her, into the far distance as he continues. "My mother took her own life in this house" Picard says with no emotion.

"Jean-Luc…" Beverly says his name in shock. Picard keeps with his story as if he didn't hear her.

"I think my father blamed me for her death because I let her out of her room. So, he never could forgive me and was so cruel" Picard's voice began to get angry as the memories flooded his mind. "I didn't know. I didn't mean to–" Picard's own eyes began to tear up. Beverly placed her hand on Picard's cheek so he could look at her.

"I am so sorry, Jean-Luc" Beverly says sincerely. He looks at her for a moment, almost as if he snapped out of a trance. He slowly nods and kisses her forehead, leaning back onto the couch and holding her close to him. She holds onto him tightly, inhaling his very scent to calm her own emotions down. Picard reaches over and places his hand on her rounded belly, which causes Beverly to place her hand on top of his.

"Let's give our son everything we didn't have growing up" Picard whispers in her ear. Beverly looks deep into his hazel eyes and nods, before planting a soft kiss on his lips. Picard deepens the kiss as his hand moves into the locks of her hair. Beverly breaks the kiss in need of air but doesn't want their night to end.

"Computer, security lock Holodeck 3. Crusher 2-2-Beta-Charlie" Beverly says, not taking her eyes off of his.

"Security lock initiated" the computer responds. Picard and Beverly smile at each other before they begin their memorable evening in the holodeck.