Chapter Two

"You named my daughter what?" Kara asked looking at the name sticker on the incubator. She tilted her head and studied the letters.

"I named OUR daughter, Kaylee. It was your idea," Lee reminded her.

His wife stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. "When?"

"Right before you drifted off," Lee pointed out.

Kara leaned back in her wheelchair and crossed her arms. "You selected that name based on the fact that I was high?"

Lee rolled his eyes at her. "It's just an idea, Kara. It hadn't been entered into the database yet. I wanted to see what you thought first. We can pick something else but I gotta tell you, I've already started thinking of her as Kaylee. She looks like a Kaylee."

"She looks like a shriveled prune,"

"Prunella Adama?" Lee asked, cocking an amused eyebrow. He went to the sink in the bathroom, leaving the door open so he could hear Kara's reaction to that atrocity. He washed his hands for the fourth time, preparing for finally being able to hold little Prunella. Lee gave a small shudder at the name.

"Oh, ew. No!" Kara insisted. "It's just, Kaylee is so...cute. Like she'll be all sweetness and light. I've seen babies, Lee. They're evil little screaming monsters. We could use them to fight the Cylons and the toasters wouldn't stand a chance against all that snot and shrieking."

"Well she likes Kaylee," Lee insisted with a determined nod.

"Who?The kid?" Kara asked, fighting laughter.

"As a matter of fact, yes."

"Told you so, did she?" Her eyes flashed with amusement. She popped a pill into her mouth and took a long gulp of cool water to wash it down.

Cottle's assistant, Paramedic Ishay came in holding little Kaylee or Prunella and Kara's heart skipped in panicked rhythm.

"Here we are. Here's your mummy little Kaylee," Ishay said, her voice soft and soothing.

Kara raised her eyes to her husband who simply shrugged smugly. She watched as the baby came closer and almost flinched away. No! I'm gonna break her! I'm gonna drop her! Don't give her to me. Give her to Lee. She's not going to like me! But her arms rose of their own volition and the warm light weight was placed in them. They'd wrapped her so tightly in a pink blanket, only her head was visible. The baby whimpered slightly and Kara raised panicked eyes to Ishay.

"It's all right," She assured Kara sympathetically. "She's just getting used to you. Talk to her, she'll recognize your voice and settle right down."

Kara cleared her throat, unsure if she'd be able to find her voice. Her whole body shook and she wondered if that's why Kaylee...Oh geez, was that gonna stick?... could feel it. "Hey," Kara whispered, hoarsely. Her eyes burned with tears before she could stop them. "Hey you. Remember me? I'm the one who was screaming before."

The baby opened her eyes, actually opened her eyes, Kara realized with burst of excitement. She looked up at Lee to see if he noticed. He was grinning widely and his eyes were glistening.

Kara watched as her daughter stopped fussing and seemed to just be studying her mother with tired blue eyes. Then her tiny mouth was working, parting and closing in a tiny 'o'. "Look at her," Kara whispered, awe struck. "Just frakking look at her." Good lords! Had she and Lee created this perfect little person? Even her eyelashes were beautiful, curved and soft. She was curved and soft all over. No Thrace hardness here. Kara looked at her nose. Okay, so that's Lee's nose, she decided with a smile. But that mouth is mine, she thought with a surge of possessive pride.

Then the baby was whimpering again. "What did I do wrong?" Kara asked, panicked. She eased her grip on the bundle, afraid she was holding her too tight, hurting her. Oh Gods, I don't want to hurt her! I never want to hurt her. Not like... Kara squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to finish that thought.

"Nothing, she's probably just hungry and knows sustenance is nearby," Ishay replied with a wry smile.

Kara looked around for a bottle when Lee cleared his throat and pointedly stared at her swollen breasts.

"Oh man," she groaned with a grimace. Breast-feeding sounded kinda gross and Kara wasn't looking forward to the experience. "Do I have to?"

"Kara, come on. That's what they're there for," Lee reminded her.

She narrowed her eyes at her husband. "I'll remind you of that later."

He blushed sheepishly.

"No, you don't have to but it'll save on milk and your milk is better for her than the milk substitute the fleet drinks," Ishay informed her.

"Great," Kara said sarcastically. "So what do I do here? Just whip it out and point it at her?"

Ishay helped her get her gown undone and position Kaylee. Lee turned to leave but Kara stopped him.

"Where are going? It's nothing you haven't seen for frak sakes," Kara reminded him.

Lee shrugged. "I just thought you might want some privacy."

"Heck no. You have to stay in case I-Ow!" Kara lurched forward as Kaylee practically bit down on her nipple. "If the little monster had teeth, that would have been lethal. Oh...Oh that's so weird."

Lee stood rooted in place for a few seconds, watching in disbelief as the little girl who, up until this very moment had been a pretty inanimate bundle of soft skin, attacked Kara's nipple with a ferocity that almost made him jealous.

"Frak, is she supposed to-Gods!" Kara winced adjusting the warm weight in her arms.

"You're a hungry wee one ain't you?" Ishay whispered stroking Kaylee's tiny bald head. "I.V lactose just doesn't cut it, isn't that right?" The young paramedic gave Kara a nod and motioned for her do the same. Kara raised her free hand and stroked Kaylee's soft face.

"Easy there. My boobs aren't going anywhere. Easy," Kara whispered. She smiled as a sweet fluttering emotion beat in her chest as she soothed her child. The feeling reminded her of those fleeting memories of her father, pressing his lips to her forehead, praising her for some task well done. Yet this feeling was somehow different from anything she'd ever felt. There was pride, fear, gratitude and protectiveness all wrapped in a ball and thrumming strongly in her chest. Was this the whole mother thing? Is this what they...well, most of them felt. She couldn't ever imagine Karen Thrace feeling the heavy blanket of emotion covering Kara right this second. She couldn't imagine her mother feeling like this and then...changing. Kara shuddered briefly and held tighter to her daughter. Never, Kara vowed. She would never do to her daughter what her mother had put her through. I'll put a pistol in my mouth first. Kara promised herself.

Apparently pacified, the baby's frantic movements slowed until she was still tugging and sucking at the warm fluid gushing out but not as violently.

"There we are, then." Ishay smiled approvingly. "Looks like you got the hang of it. You just give me a shout if you need anything, all right?"

"Wh-Wait!" Kara called out nervously as Ishay passed Lee and was about to push the curtain aside. "What happens when she's finished? I mean how do I know if I'm giving her too much or not enough?"

"She'll let you know. Don't forget to burp her like we discussed, all right?"

"Right," Kara grimaced, worried she was gonna end up screwing up and patting Kaylee's back too hard, sending her flying across the room. "Maybe you can do that part, Lee?"

"Huh?" Lee asked, his eyes still fixated on her breasts.

"I'm thinking maybe Prunella would be a good idea after all."

"Okay," he said absently, not lifting his eyes once.

Kara sighed. No help on that end, she mused lowering her eyes and noticing his very physical reaction. "Sorry little Kaylee, looks like us girls will have to look out for ourselves here."