Kara stared at the Chief's log, doing her best to make the checklist less blurry. Blinking a few times, she gritted her teeth, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. Pull it together, Thrace.
"Sir? Are you all right?"
Opening her eyes, Kara frowned at Tyrol, grabbed the pen from his hand and scribbled at the bottom of the form where she hoped her signature went. "Fine, Chief. Just make sure my portside stops listing. I need to be able to fly straight."
Turning before she could register Tyrol's offended expression, Kara took a step towards her ladder. As another wave of dizziness consumed her, she reached out a steadying hand towards the side of her Viper. "Frak," she murmured, swallowing down the wave of nausea that followed the vertigo. Now was really not the time for a headache.
"Lieutenant?"
Speaking of headaches … Kara grimaced before straightening, fighting off the dizziness. Clenching her jaw in an effort to not get sick, she turned and saluted. "Captain."
Lee Adama looked at his best friend with equal parts concern and annoyance. If her behavior was the result of another all-night bender he was going to throw her ass in hack.
But while the tired eyes and slightly queasy expression did indicate a hangover, Kara wasn't treating it as such. She normally swaggered about, pounding back water and barking at knuckle draggers. And if she felt the need to empty the contents of her stomach, she did so with a wolfish grin that implied the previous night's exploits were well worth her current discomfort.
Glancing back to Tyrol, the Chief shrugged once. Lee knew that expression; it was often the one his father gave him in regards to Kara. It said, "She's your problem. Fix it."
"Did you need something, sir? Because if not, I've got CAP." Kara placed her hands on the ladder's rungs and perched her foot on the lowest step. Not waiting for an answer, she hauled herself up the ladder, glad Lee couldn't see her or the green tint to her skin as more nausea swam in her gut. Dropping into the cockpit, she reached for her helmet. Why was the damn hangar deck spinning?
"Are you feeling all right, Lieutenant?" Lee's tongue no longer tied he stepped to the bottom of her ladder and met her fierce gaze. Same old, stubborn Kara.
Why were there two Lees? Wasn't one a big enough pain in her ass?
Squeezing her eyes shut, she was relieved to find him in the singular as she reopened them. This headache could go away any time now.
"Just fine, sir." As talking only reminded her of how much she wanted to vomit, Kara slammed her helmet on, locking it into place and doing a quick comms check. Lee watched as her cockpit slid over her, noting the way she avoided his gaze at all costs.
Stepping back, he watched her power up the Viper and swing it towards the tube. Handing Cally his checklist, he told her, "I'll be in CIC."
Lee Adama suddenly had the urge to watch Starbuck and Hot Dog fly a routine CAP.
---- ----
The only problem with space was that there was no up or down. Unless there was a planet or moon to serve as a focal point, direction was pretty much arbitrary. And when fighting nausea, dizziness and double vision, it was just plain unsettling.
Kara breathed in and out slowly, feeling the claustrophobia of being encased in her helmet. Her breath was hot and continually fogged up her faceplate. She scanned her instruments, the red, green and amber lights hurting her eyes. Closing them briefly, she took another deep breath and willed the throbbing behind her eyes to go away.
She wasn't unaccustomed to migraines. They'd actually been pretty frequent when she was a child. The problem was Kara Thrace didn't do anything halfway and that included getting sick.
No, her migraines would keep her out of commission for at least a day, maybe two. Any kind of light was impossible for her eyes to bear and her skin would run hot and cold at regular intervals. She could never eat and more often than not emptied the contents of her stomach until she gagged with dry heaves.
Honestly, she was surprised she hadn't gotten them before now. It had been two months since the worlds ended. Kara had assumed that with the amount of stress she'd been under she was due for a little mind-numbing pain. Gods only know what caused it to start now.
She'd felt it creeping up on her the day before. She'd pounded back a few pain killers hoping to keep the worst of it at bay, but as soon as she'd woken this morning she'd known she'd failed. As Kara had lurched towards the head and barely made it to the toilet before retching, she guessed she was in for a really bad day.
With her reputation, she could and had easily passed it off on drinking too much. But no hangover she'd ever experienced was as bad as this.
Even the stars hurt her eyes. She could barely focus on her flight controls. And now she was stuck in this tiny cockpit with this damn helmet and constricting flight suit for three hours. Glancing to her chrono, Kara stifled a groan. She still had two and a half hours to go.
"-buck. Do you copy?"
Wincing as Hot Dog's nasally voice filled her head, she answered evenly, "Yeah, Hot Dog. I read. What's up?"
"Requesting permission for weapons free." He was still a nugget in Kara's eyes, but he'd been battle tested a hundred times over. His deference to her was charming in a lot of ways although at the moment, she just really wanted him to shut up.
"Permission granted. Clear your throat, Hot Dog."
"Roger that."
She watched through narrowed eyes as his guns lit up on either side of his ship, shooting white bursts of light into space. Squeezing her eyes shut again as the flare of brightness caused her head to pound more acutely, Kara willed the pain away.
And failed to notice as her portside began to list.
---- ----
"Captain."
Lee stood at attention and saluted his father. The elder Adama returned the gesture, before glancing back up to the readouts above. Watching the DRADIS, he saw Starbuck and Hot Dog's signals materialize as they launched from Galactica's hangar deck.
In seconds, the comm. crackled to life. "Galactica, Starbuck. CAP is away."
"We copy that, Starbuck," Dee answered, always steady at her post. "Good hunting."
"Roger that, Galactica."
Lee took a step closer to the console, studying the same screen his father was watching. It wasn't as trustworthy as some of the newer computers on the other battlestars, but at least from here Lee could watch her. Something about the way Kara had looked as she'd settled into her cockpit was not sitting well with him.
"Problem with your pilots, Captain?"
Colonel Tigh's voice was tinged with mirth and Lee bit back the smartass comment that boiled in his throat. Damn Starbuck was rubbing off on him. "No, sir. Just thought I'd watch from here. See if there's anything we can adjust on CAP to make the runs more efficient."
If Tigh or his father thought it was a lie, they didn't call him on it, and Lee tuned back into the comms. Kara was being awfully quiet. Considering she was flying with Hot Dog, Lee expected banter, the Starbuck bravado. Instead, he was met with an eerie silence.
Close to ordering Dee to open a channel to Starbuck's Viper, Lee's request was cut off as Hot Dog requested weapons free. It took Kara a full minute to respond and those sixty seconds almost stopped Lee's heart. Something was up.
"I think I'll head back to the hangar deck," he told his father, saluting again and silently requesting permission. He knew he was wearing his anxiety on his sleeve and prayed that his father would ignore it until he had something concrete to tell him.
"Good to see you, Captain," Bill Adama told him, nodding his dismissal.
Apollo headed for the exit, doing his best not to break into a jog. There was no real reason to be concerned. Kara had more than likely overdone it last night, probably played Triad until all hours, drinking and smoking right along with it. He was fairly certain he'd heard her retching in the head this morning.
The only problem was Lee hadn't seen her go anywhere near the rec room last night. And he was almost positive that by the time he'd made it to his rack, she was already sleeping in hers.
"Starbuck! Starbuck, correct course."
Hot Dog's panicked voice cut through Lee's musings like a knife, halting his step mid-stride. Whirling back towards the command center, he glanced up to the readouts, noting the proximity of Starbuck's and Hot Dog's signals. She was flying way too close.
"I heard you, nugget." Kara's tone was hoarse and Lee heard her clear her throat, before she added, "Just testing your reflexes. I'd hate to see you nick one of your wingmates with some friendly fire."
Lee stretched out a hand towards Dee and she slapped a headset into it without question. Sometimes it was nice to have someone read his mind; as long as it wasn't Kara Thrace.
"Starbuck, this is Apollo. Cut the crap. I can't afford for you to give my nuggets heart attacks."
"Don't you mean my nuggets, sir?" Kara's voice didn't hold any of its usual taunt although Lee had to admit, he was glad she'd responded at all.
"Semantics, Lieutenant," he answered back. "Fly right. You've still got over two hours out there."
Lee was almost positive he heard Kara mutter something under her breath, but a second or two ticked by before he heard her acknowledgement. "Copy that. Starbuck out."
As the comm. went to static, Lee handed it back to Dee with a smile of thanks and then again headed for the exit. Once he hit the hallway, he was at a run. Lee Adama was a good pilot and an even better CAG, but he was also Kara Thrace's friend, probably the last one she had left.
And he knew something was wrong.
---- ----
By the time Lee reached the hangar deck, all Hades had broken loose. Tyrol was standing in the middle of the storm, his bright orange flight suit a beacon among the yellows and browns of the others. Barking orders as was his custom, he stopped to address Apollo as the CAG approached.
"What's going on?"
"Starbuck strayed into Hot Dog's firing line," Tyrol explained. If he noticed the way Lee's eyes widened or how the muscles of his shoulders bunched, he respectively ignored it.
"How bad?"
Before the Chief could answer, Gaeta's voice filled the hanger. "Pass the word. Captain Adama, call CIC immediately. Captain Adama, call CIC."
Brushing past the Chief, Lee made it to the nearest comm. unit and banged it on with a sharp flick of his fist. "Captain Adama."
"Captain, Starbuck's not coming home. She's refusing to fly off Hot Dog's wing." Tigh's voice was tight and if Lee didn't know any better he'd swear the drunk was concerned. "And she's unsealed her helmet."
More than anxiety churning in his gut, Lee answered swiftly, "Understood. Adama out."
Turning, he headed for the other side of the bay at a dead run, charging up the stairs two at a time and into the flight command room, praying he'd be able to talk in one of the best pilots in the fleet.
---- ----
All good pilots know when they're in trouble. It's one of the first lessons they teach at the Academy. Well, maybe second, the first one being don't get into trouble.
Kara Thrace was in trouble.
"Starbuck, Apollo. Do you copy?"
Wincing at the sound of Lee's annoyed voice in her ear, Kara gritted her teeth and answered. "I copy, Apollo. Keep it down will you?"
She heard an almost indefinable click and when Lee spoke again his voice was much lower. "Kara, what's going on?"
Squeezing her eyes shut, Kara gripped her controls tightly as she felt her Viper shake beneath her. "Just out for a little stroll, Captain."
"Kara." Lee's voice was beyond controlled and Kara almost took pleasure in the more than exasperated expression she knew he was currently sporting. "What's wrong?"
Releasing a deep sigh, Kara opened her eyes, watching as the space outside her cockpit spun at a dizzying pace. Biting back the wave of bile rising in her throat, she bit out, "I can't see."
There was silence for a second too long and Kara feared Lee hadn't heard her. She did not want to repeat herself. Then, "Can you land?"
"If I could get the world to right itself I'm sure I could." She paused to take a few deep breaths more than unhappy when the extra oxygen in her system only caused her stomach to rumble more violently. "I'm gonna be sick."
"Kara, listen to me." His voice left no room for disagreement. "I'm going to talk you in, do you hear me?"
Releasing a huge breath and fighting the urge to vomit, she answered weakly, "Yeah, I heard you."
"All right, good." A hiss came across the radio and Kara was fairly certain it was the mechanical aftereffects of a sigh. "We're going to do this by the numbers. Turn three degrees counterclockwise."
---- ----
It had only taken Lee about a week of being on Galactica to get readjusted to the hands-on only approach his father insisted on. Given his comfort in a cockpit, there wasn't much Lee couldn't do when flying a Viper.
But standing in the control room with a headset wrapped around his ears and talking his best friend down to a combat landing might actually push his limits.
And Kara was by far the better pilot.
He watched the screens before him with a rapt attention, giving orders and watching as slowly, almost painfully so, she adjusted per his instruction. His hands gripped the seatback of the nearest tech, his knuckles white as she almost drifted again too far out of the landing cone. He did not want to have instruct her to restart her approach.
"Kara, pull back five degrees, you're coming in too hot." He watched as her speed remained constant, her ship drifting to the edge of its appointed trajectory, but not slowing. "Kara," he warned, pressing the headset to his ear as if it would make his order clearer. "Starbuck, do you copy? You're coming in too hot?"
He didn't get an answer.
---- ----
Kara heard Apollo telling her to back-off, but every time she tried to adjust her head throbbed acutely. The readouts in front of her swam as she struggled to bring them into focus. "Frak!"
"Starbuck, answer me!"
He was shouting again. Gritting her teeth, Kara forced her eyes open a crack and saw the triangle-shaped hangar bay of the Galactica looming before her. "Copy, Apollo. Pulling back five degrees."
Doing her best to follow his commands, Kara felt as though her head might explode. It was akin to having a whole squadron of Cylon Raiders flying formations behind her eyeballs. And she was convinced she would be sick before she actually got a chance to land.
On cue, bile rose in her throat and Kara ripped at her helmet. Removing it hurriedly, she managed to vomit to the right of her seat, the acidic fluid dripping on her console. The smell was instantly overpowering and Kara felt her gag reflex react once more.
"Starbuck, this is Galactica. Your helmet seal is malfunctioning. Confirm lock."
Unable to speak as she fought to keep control of her Viper and her stomach, Kara simply tried to focus on the landing deck and prayed to the Gods.
---- ----
"Starbuck, pull up! Pull up!"
Lee's strained voice echoed through CIC as Commander and XO stared at the screens overhead, watching the blip that was Kara's Viper approach the ship. As Apollo's shout died away, only to be replaced by static, Bill yanked the phone off its cradle.
"Chief this is Actual. Report."
He felt the color drain out of his face as Tyrol relayed the story frantically. Barely hearing anything other than Starbuck, down and fire, Bill slammed the receiver down.
"Colonel, you have command," he barked to his old friend as he headed briskly for the flight deck.
---- ----
Lee was to the side of Kara's Viper in seconds after it crashed. The dark smoke billowing from the back told him her fuel line had been hit. "Hurry up!" he screamed, motioning the fire suppression unit over as they rushed to douse the flames before it caused even more damage.
"Kara!"
He tried to see her through the smoke, but his eyes watered as the acrid air stung his irises. "Kara, answer me!"
And then she was being lifted from the wreckage, a broken body placed in effigy as the deckhands gently passed her unconscious form down to the medics waiting beside Lee. He barely caught a glimpse of the angry gash on her head and the bruises already erupting along her face before she was spirited away, Ishay biting out orders as she placed the IV in Kara's arm.
Lee followed along hurriedly. This couldn't be happening. If he lost her … Glancing back to the tangled mess of scrap that was her Viper, Lee felt his heart pound violently against his ribcage and he sprinted to catch up to her. He couldn't lose her.
---- ----
Kara awoke to the unenviable smell of cigarette smoke. Blinking rapidly, she tried to clear her vision, grateful when the non-descript walls of Life Station became much easier to see.
"Joined us again, have you?"
Cottle's gruff voice grated on her ears. The pounding in her head had lessened somewhat, but she still felt as though an army of Centurions had marched through. Closing her eyes again, she murmured, "Sorry to disappoint, doc."
He snorted and then flipped her chart closed. Taking a step closer to the bed, when she reopened her eyes, he was studying her intently. "So, how long have you been getting migraines?"
Kara pretended to do the math. "Well, let's see … All my life?"
Shaking his head, Cottle cursed under his breath. Throwing his head back, he asked the Gods, "What do you expect me to do with such stubbornness?" Bringing his old, but still gentle eyes back to her face, he demanded, "You do know I can't read minds, right?"
Her eyes were refusing to stay open. "There goes that theory," she murmured, wondering if she might get lucky enough to fall asleep once more.
Next time she was conscious the lights were dimmed. Kara guessed she'd been out for at least three hours. She felt markedly better. Her head was no longer throbbing, although there was still a dull ache behind her eyes which she knew wouldn't fade for at least another day. The room was no longer spinning though and her stomach no longer felt as if she needed to turn it inside out.
But her shoulder hurt. Frak, now that she was aware of it, it hurt a lot. Turning her eyes towards the offending limb, Kara winced at the sight of the sling and the mountain of gauze. Great, just great.
"She's my pilot and she almost crashed a bird."
Lee's angry voice made its way through the barely opaque curtain. Kara closed her eyes, noting his angry tone. It was a definite contrast to his gentle orders as he'd guided her back onto the hangar deck earlier that day. Kara hated the fact that she'd had to rely on him – on anyone – just to land her damn plane, but wasn't stupid enough, or proud enough to ignore the obvious.
Without Lee's help she'd be a piece of floating space junk.
"And I've already told you, Captain, her condition is not life-threatening or permanent. She should be clear to fly in about three days." Cottle's voice was punctuated by what Kara assumed were a few long drags on his cigarette. "The details of the Lieutenant's condition are not for public record."
Lee let out a huge sigh and Kara watch his silhouetted shoulders move up and down with the motion. Outlined in shadow, his head bent, his arms crossed over his chest, the tension was undeniable. Kara had always known Lee had a stick up his ass, but the man she watched now, unbeknownst to him, was going to explode – if something didn't give.
With a few perfunctory grunts, Cottle and Lee parted ways and Kara watched fascinated as Lee hovered at the edge of the curtain. Why he'd be hesitant to check on her she didn't know. Since the worlds had ended their friendship was the only constant in her life. And their fighting, but Kara figured that was only to be expected.
She watched Lee's fingers curl around the edge of the curtain before he pushed his way through, careful to close the gap before turning to face her.
"Hey."
He jumped, obviously surprised to see her awake. Refusing to move closer, he crossed his arms back over his chest, his expression unreadable in the dim glow of the room. "How are you?"
Kara shrugged, the movement aggravating her shoulder and causing her to wince. Lee moved quickly, at her side before the pain completely ebbed. One hand covered hers, the warmth seeping into her skin as he raised the other to perhaps brush against her cheek. However, it froze halfway to its goal before again falling limp to his side.
Her eyes opened and met his blue ones and for a second, Kara couldn't breathe. There was something unreadable in his expression, something Kara had glimpsed in the past, but never understood. She had never really tried to either.
"You scared the crap out of me." His voice was a whisper and Kara held her breath, certain she'd say something and screw up this oddly comforting moment. "What happened?"
It was difficult to find her voice. Once she did, she tried for nonchalance. "I get migraines and I had one today."
The disappointment she expected to see was missing. With a heavy sigh, Lee sat next to her, not relinquishing the hold on her hand. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have pulled you off CAP."
"And replaced me with who?" Kara questioned, cocking an eyebrow at him. When he only shook his head, she knew she'd made her point. "We're all tired, Lee. All suffering from some Gods damned thing one way or another." Lee released another heavy sigh, his eyes staring at their entwined hands. "Like those muscle spasms in your shoulder, for instance?"
Blue eyes snapped back to her face, and Kara saw his body stiffen. "There's nothing wrong with my shoulders," he told her, his tone less than convincing.
Frowning, Kara squeezed his hand hard, getting him to focus on her. "Try again, Adama."
He sighed once more and took his hand from hers, scrubbing it over his face. Shifting into the chair next to her bed, Kara pretended not to miss his closeness. "Fine. I have muscles spasms. I have ever since the Academy." A wry smirk covering his handsome features, he challenged, "Happy now?"
Ignoring the taunt, Kara told him, "It just proves my point. If it's not my migraines, it's your shoulders and if it's not that, it's Kat's insomnia or Hotdog's slipped disc."
"Yeah, but they're not you." Lee's words were softly spoken and Kara stared as his blue eyes lifted to her face. It wasn't a secret to Kara that Lee had a big heart. She'd witnessed it half a dozen times before she'd even met Zak and more than a dozen times since. Despite his rocky relationship with his father and his sometimes less than charming personality, Kara could see his compassion every time he sent his pilots out. She never missed the brief flare of concern in those blue depths whenever he wished them all 'good hunting.'
But this look was different. Kara knew it, although she could in no way identify it. "I'm just a pilot, Captain. Same as all the others."
Lee stared at her and Kara could swear his expression was incredulous. Yeah, that was the word. They seemed to hold the gaze for an indeterminate amount of time before Lee, once again shaking his head, leaned forward and covered her hand with both of his. Making sure her large hazel eyes were locked on his, his voice was no more than a whisper as he corrected her. "You are not just any pilot, Kara."
Eyes wide, Kara wasn't sure what to make of that statement and was even less sure what to make of Lee's next action. Getting to his feet, he once again leaned over her and, similar to the old man just a month ago when she'd frakked up her knee, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Kara couldn't believe how soft his lips were. She closed her eyes against the sensation, trying to think of anything besides Lee frakking Adama. But it was no use. He was so close, her senses were consumed by him: his smell, his touch. He smelled like the Caprican woods and Kara was curious as to how that was possible. They were so very far away from anything that even remotely resembled nature. But it was a rich smell, deep and all-consuming and Kara allowed herself the briefest moment of indulgence.
Finally, the moist softness of his lips on her skin drifted away and when she again opened her eyes, she was confronted with Lee's gaze staring directly at her. Lifting one hand from hers, he stroked the backs of his fingers down her cheek and whispered, "Don't ever pull a stunt like that again or I will throw your ass in the brig."
The small quirk of his lips at the end of the statement pulled a chuckle from Kara and even as she winced as the sound made her head hurt a bit, she wouldn't trade their levity for anything. "Promises, promises," she sighed, feeling her entire body relax as Lee stayed close.
Her traitorous eyes were closing again and Kara knew she was going to lose consciousness soon. The doc certainly had some good drugs.
Lee must have noticed. "You need rest," he reminded her needlessly, however, he made no move to leave.
Kara was desperate for him to stay. There was no reason of course, she'd be asleep soon and back on duty in just a few days, once Cottle was satisfied. And she knew Lee had more than enough work to do, no doubt scrambling his pilots and shredding his schedule all to hell now that she was out of the mix.
But she hated Life Station and she just didn't want to be alone. She'd come far too close to death today to be forced into solitary with her thoughts.
Lee's hands were still on hers and as she studied his face again she couldn't help but smile. She could just ask him to stay – she knew he would – but that would be admitting something that Kara Thrace couldn't … not yet.
"I guess I do," she murmured, her smiling deepening into a yawn.
Squeezing her hand tightly, Lee held her gaze for a moment more. "Sweet dreams, Kara."
He was already out of the curtained off area and halfway out Life Station by the time Kara was able to respond. "'Night, Lee."
---- ----