@phaserstm continued from this painful mess here
As soon as he gets the call that Barash has been injured, Picard is in sickbay almost at once. He hovers for just a few minutes as Doctor Crusher && the nurses finish tending to the young child’s injuries. It’s only once they move away, giving two a moment alone, that he attempts to speak to them.
And Barash’s response is... in some ways justified, though it at once frustrates him and breaks his heart to hear the accusation from the child who considered Will their father. ( “I know you don’t want to be my dad,” ) Barash says. ( “I know you miss him.” )
“Of course I miss him,” Picard says quietly. Since Will died on Nervala a week ago, he’s felt the hole that’s been ripped in his heart at the loss of his first officer, his best friend, the love of his life. “I miss him every single day. And I know you do too.” It must be worse in some ways for Barash, who had no one else in the world. Picard had thought it would be better to send them away, somewhere safer than a Starship, with people who could care for them properly. Perhaps this incident is further proof of that, but how he’s not so sure.
“Barash... losing Will -- your father -- has made me realize some things. I know I haven’t done a very good job of being part of your life. But you mean... you meant a lot to him. And in a way... you’re all I have left of him.” There’s Tom too, of course, but he’s a little too much like Will, and a little too unpredictable for Picard’s comfort. “His death...” his words get caught in his throat, and he starts to get choked up. “I don’t know what I would do if I lost you too.:
Gentle hands brush Barash’s hair from their face, and he smiles sadly, “I can’t replace your father, but I am going to try harder . Make up for lost time. Perhaps -- we can be there for each other.”
