Laura Roslin hated to leave a job half done. If she had accepted an assignment she would carry it out to the best of her ability, and do what was necessary in order to achieve the required result.
She found herself thrust into the position of president by the destruction of their worlds, with no warning and no preparation. She cared about people, it was why she became a teacher, why she had eventually moved into politics even though she disliked it, it was why she was prepared to accept the office of president. She felt every loss, rejoiced at every birth, hated every failure and celebrated every success. Her assignment was clear though. Survival of humanity. That was the all encompassing goal against which every decision had to be factored. And for that there was a cost to pay.
That was why, during the few moments she had to herself in those awful first days, she did what she needed to. She mourned the death sentence her doctor had given her. Tied up all those emotions and packed them away along with thoughts of her death, leaving behind only the deadline she had to work with to achieve what was necessary. She boxed away a part of her heart, the deepest part of her, where she kept the memory of her parents, her siblings, where she had held a place for the man she would love, the children she had once dreamed of. She knows he would have found his way there, if she had let him, she could have loved him but she had a job to do. That part of her could not be allowed free for now. She was at the end of the day, a practical person. For their survival in this desperate situation they found themselves in, she could not afford the distraction. She had to feel for, think about, fight for them as a whole, her decisions had to be based on what would ensure their survival and not on what any one individual thought, believed or wanted. If she allowed any one person to hold such a sway over her heart, she would not be able to achieve the required result. It was as simple as that. Survival.
What people saw as cold, calculating, ruthless, or even mania, depending on their personal lens, was at heart, practicality. Practicality and sacrifice.