"Can I hold her?" Laura rasped, motioning for Bill to move her bed to its seated position. He pressed the button, allowing her to "sit up," then placed their two hour old daughter into her arms. Laura smiled, a small hum escaping her as she gazed adoringly at her child. It had been a long labor. Nineteen hours. It was worth every minute.

"Hi there. It's nice to finally meet you," Laura said, allowing the baby to grasp her index finger. "We weren't sure if either of us would make it, but here we are," Laura whispered tearfully.

Bill could feel his heart breaking into pieces. They had a daughter. A beautiful, six pound seven ounce, blue eyed, daughter. She was perfect. Perfect just like her mother. Bill sniffled, not even attempting to hide his tears. Laura looked up at him, her own tired eyes filled with tears.

"Your daddy is going to take such good care of you," Laura continued, stroking the baby's cheek with the finger she'd just released.

Don't talk that way.

You aren't going anywhere.

Nobody's going anywhere.

He knew he would only be lying to Laura, and to himself. There was no way he could guarantee that. Laura was sick. She'd refused treatment, said she didn't want to harm the baby. They found out her cancer had returned when she was five months pregnant.

"Bill, it's back. My cancer's back."

They had both cried. Laura had been afraid she would never see the baby. They both had, really.
Her pregnancy was monitored very closely after that. Constant check-ups and visits to their quarters. They never complained. The baby's health was what mattered now. They knew that.

"What are we going to call her?" Laura asked softly.

"I want you to name her," he said, coming to stand beside her bed. Laura smiled sadly, readjusting the baby's position a bit.

"Mae," Laura said, looking up at Bill.

"It's perfect. Mae Adama," Bill repeated the name, leaning down to kiss Laura on the top of her head.

"I don't want to leave her, Bill."

"You might not have to. We're going to fight this, Laura."

She nodded. She'd been prepared to give up, but not now. Not after holding her child in her arms.

"I'll go through the treatment," she said suddenly.

"Are you sure?" He hoped she was. She nodded again.

"I want to be there for her, for both of you, as long as I can."

Mae let out a loud wail, breaking her parents away from their conversation.

"Oh my Gods, what's the matter my sweet girl?" Laura cooed, bouncing her child slightly.

"Sounds like someone's hungry," Cottle said, appearing from behind the curtain that separated Laura from the other patients.

"I'd say so," Laura replied, giving him a smile.

"Does this young lady have a name yet?" He asked, handing Laura a bottle. He had told her it wasn't a good idea to breastfeed, and she had agreed with him.

"Yes, she does. It's Mae," she said proudly.

"I like it. It's simple."

She thanked him, but didn't look up. She was far too enthralled with her daughter at the moment.

"I've decided to go through treatment. Now that she's born, I'd like to start as soon as possible," Laura informed him.

"I can start you as soon as this week if you'd like."

"That's fine," she said. Bill could hear the fear in her voice, and took her hand in his own, squeezing it tightly.

After Cottle finished checking up on Laura and Mae, he left them alone once again. Bill eased himself down beside Laura in bed, gently putting his arm around her.

"She's so beautiful," he said.

"She's breathtaking. I'm so proud to be her mother." Laura leaned up against him, still feeling quite exhausted both from the labor and her cancer. Bill reached out, silently offering his index finger to Mae, who gladly accepted, wrapping her tiny fingers around the calloused skin.

Laura could feel a sob building in her chest. This was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of her life, but it was unbelievably bittersweet. She had a daughter, a daughter who was healthy and whole and perfect. She also had cancer, a disease that could tear her apart and take her away from her child and the man she loved. The man she'd never said she loved out loud. The sob that had been building escaped, and Laura used all the strength she could muster to bring her baby girl closer.

"I'm going to fight so hard to stay with you," she said through her tears. "I'll do everything I can, but if I don't make it, you'll still be alright. You've got the greatest daddy in the whole fleet. He'll always be there for you."

Bill felt as though he would fall apart at any moment. He felt so much love for the woman sitting next to him, and for the child she held. He couldn't stand the thought of losing either one of them.

"Laura?" He asked quietly.

"Hmm?" She responded without looking away from Mae, much as she'd done with Cottle.

"I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered, turning to look at him. He smiled, reaching out to brush away her tears.

"About time."