The voices around him sounded so distant. He could hear a faint beeping sound, followed my murmuring. Heavy breathing was prominent and he was unsure whether it was his own or someone else's.

Where am I? He thought, focus Bill, focus.

He concentrated his effort on the noises around him. The beeping of the machine got louder, and he guessed that he was in the Life Station.

Did Starbuck hurt me? He wondered, focusing on the muttering of the people nearby, did she knock me out?

The voices became more prominent and he could tell that one of the voices was female, the other male. The female voice was light, but was laden with worry and fatigue. The male voice was rough, but also held traces of nerves.

"- and I don't know young lady, when he'll wake up. Just thank the Gods that he's alive."

With that, footsteps echoed, as the male voice left the room. Curtains were being drawn, he realised, I must be in pretty bad shape.

Suddenly, a hand covered his own. His eyes were closed, so he didn't know who it was. The hand was warm, and squeezed his fingers gently, before lightly stroking his wrists. He relaxed to the touch, and found himself wondering who it was.

Laura. The name immediately entered his thoughts. It must be her.

As if to support this sudden recognition, a voice came from next to him.

"Bill, please wake up. Can you hear me Bill?"

That voice. He knew it was Laura. No-one else's voice could hold such qualities combined. Both strict and soothing at once. So many emotions conveyed in that placid tone of hers, and he felt a stab of pride at being the only one in the fleet to be able to bring them all out at once.

His eyes opened on their own accord, hungry for a glance of the president. When he saw her, her eyes looking elsewhere, her mouth humming a tune, his heart leapt in his chest. Almost as if sensing his focus on her, she turned towards him.

Laura's eyes widened in shock. Bill noticed that her hand had not let go of his, and was now smoothing the hairs down on his arm. He smiled, although it took a lot of effort.

She's worth it, He thought, grimacing against the pain.

Laura realised the effort he was going to, and felt a lot of affection rise up within her. She smiled slowly in response, and moved her other hand up to place on his forehead.

"Quitters never win, eh Bill?"

"No," He grunted, gritting his teeth as he turned his head slightly. He ached all over, "I'm not in it for the winning though. I'm in it for the being pampered."

Laura laughed, and he saw genuine happiness reflected in her eyes, "And this time, I'm not a fugitive, eh?"

Sensing his sudden withdrawal, she berated herself for bringing it up. She tried to change the subject quickly, before he became sullen.

"Do you know what happened Bill?"

"Not really," He replied gruffly, coughing a few times. The pains in his chest increased, and he gasped for air. Laura suddenly held a glass of water up in front of him, and brought it to his lips. Gratefully draining the glass, he relaxed again and sighed, "I remember Starbuck, then … nothing."

He saw her nod slowly, then look away.

"Well Bill," she spoke slowly, and her hand on his arm moved in rhythm with her voice, "You had a heart attack. According to Cottle, it was mild. Some sort of stressful incident must have triggered it, but of course it is understood that since the trial, everything has been havoc."

She spoke in her presidential tone, but Bill could still pick up that Laura herself was worried. This made him feel slightly better.

"Bill, what did Kara say to you?" She asked suddenly, her gaze focusing on him again, seeking out the truth in his eyes. He sighed, and his eyes closed briefly, before fluttering open again and focusing on the ceiling.

"She was coaxing me, trying to get a reaction I guess."

"You were strangling her." It was not a question, or even a reproach. It was a statement. She let no emotion show in the sentence.

"Thought I could save you the trouble of having to walk to the airlock." He said, trying to lighten the mood. His hand slowly turned over, until their hands were palm to palm. Interlinking his fingers with her own, he gave her hand a small reassuring squeeze.

This seemed to be a grand gesture for Laura, as suddenly she looked away, holding back tears.

"I was worried about you Bill."

"I know." He said softly. Tension hung in the air between them, suffocating them. Suddenly, Laura abruptly stood up. She put a shaky hand through her hair, and remarked;

"You just had to out-do me, didn't you? Couldn't let me have my cancer. No. You had to go have a heart attack."

Bill laughed, puffing. He could only manage a few seconds before the pain started again and he grunted with the exertion. Laura smoothly went to his side again, and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Get better Bill, We need you. I need you."

With that, she drew the curtain back and left, making way for Cottle.