Healing one's own arm from second-degree burns was more difficult than Beverly expected. The burn area, on the underside of her arm, was at just the right angle to where the autosuture could barely reach it. She didn't particularly want to have another physician on duty tend to her injury either. The examination would lead to questioning and Beverly didn't feel like sharing how she received the burn.

Still, the doctor reluctantly admitted, if she wasn't able to mend her arm soon, the pain would force her to ask for assistance. As she continued to attempt the procedure, the doors to her office slid apart, revealing the captain. She frowned as she thought as the memories from the past several hours came rushing through her mind. Pretending to be focused solely on her arm, she turned away slightly from him.

Unaware her feelings, the captain walked inside her office and looked at her. "How bad is it?" he asked.

She suppressed a sigh as she was finally able to reach her injury with the aquiculture and began mending the burned skin. There was no way she could avoid answering a direct question without completely ignoring him. "I'll be fine, Captain."

"Your arm was on fire, Doctor. Perhaps Dr. Salar could look at-"

Pain forgotten, Beverly whipped around and faced him, her eyes blazing. He had already embarrassed her on the bridge with the way he dismissed her; there was no way he was going to question her capability in front of her staff.

"Are you questioning my ability to properly diagnosis my condition?" she shot back.

For a moment, he was silent. "I apologize," he finally said, trying to ease his way back to middle ground.

Beverly, on the other hand, had different plans. "For what? Dismissing me off the bridge so I can watch my son-who, by the way, has been able to take care of himself for years now-or questioning my qualifications as a doctor?"

"Both," he said sincerely.

Her anger deflated slightly, but she couldn't leave the issue alone. She did not take the assignment on the Enterprise to chase after her son when he bothered the captain. "Wesley is his own person, Jean-Luc. Do not punish me for his actions," she warned, her voice firm.

"I was not-"

She cocked her eyebrow. "Weren't you? Outside of you and Commander Riker, I am the highest ranking officer on the Enterprise. I went through the same training you both did to earn my rank. There was nothing I did that deserved my dismissal off the bridge."

For a moment, she wondered if she crossed a line. She knew that if it wasn't for her history with Jean-Luc, she wouldn't be as candid as she was. Of course, she noted, if he was anyone else, she would have filed a formal complaint against him for his actions.

"I am truly sorry, Beverly."

It wasn't fact he apologized again or the soft-spoken way he delivered the apology that caused her anger to dissipate completely. It was the way he said her name, like a friend who realized their grievous error and sincerely wanted to make amends.

"Sometimes…" he trailed off.

"You see me as Wesley's mother instead of your CMO," she finished.

For a moment he seemed like he would argue, but he finally nodded. "I suppose, in a way, that I do. But," he added quickly, eager to mend things between them, "it was my decision to promote him and it is my responsibility to handle the discipline of my officers when they step out of line. That includes your son."

A smile stretched over her lips.

"Perhaps, after you changed," he continued, as he nodded towards her charred uniform, "you would like to join the rest of the command staff on the bridge."

Beverly knew there were many reasons as CMO why she should stay in sickbay and one very personal reason why she should go up to the bridge.

"Of course, Jean-Luc," she said, accepting his invitation.

With a nod, he turned around and left her office. Looking down at her now-healed arm, Beverly smiled faintly.

Everything was all better now, she thought, satisfied.