InsaneJournal

Adjusting to shipboard life was easier than expected. Even a century and change in the past the rhythms of life on board a starship weren’t terribly different than what she’d lived for the majority of her adult life. It was comforting in a way that seeing patients was, in the same way talking to Deanna over dinner was. And yet, Beverly found herself struggling emotionally. Wesley was only returned from his travels for a couple of years, and Beverly had spent only a fraction of that time with him. Her son was entirely grown up now, mature and wise in ways she’d never dreamed he could be.

And now, she was gone from him, indefinitely. Possibly forever. The career she had built was also gone, vanished in an instant and leaving her at sixes and sevens. This wasn’t her sickbay, wasn’t her responsibility, and she missed it. It had been a long time since she had been under another doctor’s command, and she had a feeling that she would be adjusting to the idea for awhile. In the meantime, though, there were patients, and paperwork, and making sure that she was trained in all the areas that regulations demanded.

Her shift was over; she’d submitted her paperwork, and for the first time in decades, Beverly had more time than she knew what to do with. It was good that she and Jean-Luc had made plans. Teaching people to dance was fun, and she enjoyed it, but it wasn’t exactly her ideal activity every day. An hour on the holodeck had become available, and she and Jean-Luc were scheduled to take advantage of it. She’d scanned the available programs earlier, and had one in mind.

He was waiting for her outside the doors to the holodeck. Beverly smiled her greeting, reaching to touch his shoulder briefly when she reached him. “Did I ever tell you about the time I taught Data to dance?”