A/N: I'm amazed by the strong response to the first chapter of this story. I really appreciate everyone's support and feedback.
I got the feeling that a lot of you were settling in for a long ride, so I want to apologize for the story only being two chapters long, but I think it only needed the two chapters in order to be told.
I hope you enjoy it.
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What Dreams May Come, Chapter 2
"He's in cardiac arrest." Cottle shouted immediately bringing a nurse with a crash cart. He looked at the man on the other side of the bed sympathetically. "I'm sorry. You're going to have to wait outside."
OoOoOoOo
Bill Adama paced the waiting room nervously.
"You should sit down." Laura Roslin said, patting the seat of the chair next to her.
Bill accepted her invitation and rested his head in his hands as he sat.
"He's strong." She said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "He'll make it through this."
Bill shook his head. He wasn't so sure.
He shouldn't have been in a viper. It had been three days since Lee resigned - angered and hurt over the accusations Bill had hurled at him over Baltar's trial. Yet, when the claxons announced a Cylon attack moments after leaving his office, Lee joined in the fight. Bill could understand his son not wanting to abandon his friends, but he wondered if maybe Lee had a different reason for going out there.
He had reported seeing Kara's viper during the attack, though DRADIS showed nothing and no one else could back up his visual. Disregarding orders to return to Galactica, Lee had followed his vision into a swirling storm. It had appeared out of nowhere - just like the one that had claimed Kara Thrace. But where Kara's viper was blown into millions of irretrievable pieces, Lee's viper had disappeared into the maelstrom and was expelled minutes later, powerless yet still intact. Lee was pulled from the disabled bird unconscious and hadn't stirred since.
The diagnosis was severe blunt force trauma. The list of internal injuries was too numerous to recall. Lee's blood pressure had dropped dangerously low during surgery and they had to stop and wait for his vital signs to improve. Except they weren't improving.
And now this. His son was dying and all Bill could think about was that the last words he had spoken to him were cold and hard.
"He knows you love him." Laura said as if reading his thoughts. "And he knows you're proud of him. Just like you know he didn't take on Baltar's case just to spite you. The trial was stressful for everyone."
Stressful, yes, Bill silently agreed. But Lee had done his job unaffected by the prejudice they all carried against Gaius Baltar. He wasn't so quick to want to turn the man into a scapegoat. That was something that Bill himself couldn't do, and he had fought Lee tooth and nail until he pushed him away for good. By the time Bill was able to see the facts as his son did, it was too late.
"Admiral." Cottle's voice interrupted his thoughts and Bill lifted his head to look at the doctor. "Don't ask how, but he's still with us and he's awake. But just barely. He's drifting in and out of consciousness."
Bill stood up to run to his son's side, but Cottle held up a hand to stop him.
"Don't get your hopes up. His vital signs aren't getting better and he's still bleeding internally."
Bill moved again but Cottle placed is hand on his shoulder, stopping him again.
"He keeps asking for Captain Thrace."
OoOoOoOo
Lee's eyes were open and fixed on the ceiling when Bill stepped behind the curtain, but they turned to find his when Bill took his hand.
"Dad." Lee mouthed the word rather than spoke it.
"Sssh." Bill squeezed his son's hand. "Save your strength".
"Where's Kara?" Lee asked.
Bill hesitated in answering, debating whether or not he should keep the truth to himself, but Lee spoke again.
"We were having dinner with Zak.."
"Zak?" Bill repeated. "But Zak's - " He cut himself off. Lee was obviously reliving the past. Or a dream.
"Did you hear her on the comms, dad?" Lee asked, apparently back in the present. "She called to me. Said she would take me home."
Bill bit back the emotion that threatened to overcome him and squeezed Lee's hand tighter. "Home?"
"I'm sorry about the trial." Lee continued, ignoring him. "I let you down."
"No." Bill replied. "I've never been more proud of you -" He stopped. Lee had slipped back into unconsciousness.
OoOoOoOo
"Proud of me." Lee mumbled in his sleep.
Kara had fallen asleep on the chair next to his hospital bed, her head resting on his hand. She woke at the sound of his voice. "Lee?" She said softly, brushing her hand across his cheek. "How do you feel?"
He looked at her, confused. "Where's my dad?"
"He's in orbit. But we called him and he'll be here." Kara assured him.
Lee shook his head. "No. He was just here." He insisted. "I was just talking to him."
"You were dreaming, Lee." She replied calmly. "Do you remember what happened?"
Lee scrubbed his hand across his face and a picture of Kara laughing with his brother over beers flashed in his mind. "Were we having dinner?" He asked.
Kara nodded.
"What's wrong with me?" He asked, sinking back into the pillows.
Kara smiled broadly. "You're dying."
Lee frowned sleepily at her. "That's not terribly funny under the circumstances." He complained through a yawn.
"Who said I was kidding? Close your eyes and rest." She said, but Lee had fallen asleep again.
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "See you soon."
OoOoOoOo
"Dying" Lee sighed.
"No, son." Bill held Lee's hand tightly. "Not yet. There's so much to say."
Lee shook his head. "Don't have to, dad. It's ok. Love you."
Bill let out the sob he hadn't realized he was holding back. "I love you too, Lee."
He held his son close and cried as his life slipped slowly away.
All his children were together now.
OoOoOoO
Lee slapped at whatever was tickling his face and heard Kara giggle. He opened his eyes and found her face hovering over his, a buttercup in her hand.
She held it under his chin. "Yellow. That means you're sweet." She said. She bent down and kissed him softly on the lips. "It's over. Welcome home."
Lee smiled up at her and nodded. He could hear the birds chirping and the sounds of children playing, and knew that they were in Caprica City Park under their favorite tree, his head resting in her lap.
She had brought him home just like she promised.
A pyramid ball caught him squarely in the gut just as he reached up to touch her face.
"Come on, bro'." Zak cried out. "Me and Kara against you."
Lee stood up and tossed the ball back to his brother. "Sounds fair." He turned and offered his hand to Kara. "Shall we?"
She took his hand and smiled.
fin
"For in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause..."
- William Shakespeare