Thankfully, over the next few weeks, the President's morning sickness subsided. Unfortunately, it was replaced with an ever increasing need to sleep. She asked Billy to block two one-hour sessions into her daily schedule for uninterrupted time. Laura used the time to take naps but kept that detail from Billy.
Lee was dismayed more than anyone when she announced she wouldn't run for another term for "personal reasons". He was worried that the "clean bill of health" was a smokescreen and the cancer had advanced. He got Billy to put him on her schedule for a half hour to discuss military issues. Lee started the meeting by reviewing the status of forces for her. He wrapped it up in ten minutes so he could broach the subject he really wanted to talk about.
"Madam President, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, Lee. Thank you for asking. I'm just a little tired these days."
"Ma'am, I want you to know how much I appreciate your bringing me into your confidence about the cancer. I hope…"
Laura realized then that she should have told Lee sooner that she was free of cancer now. He earned her trust by keeping her secrets well. His earnest loyalty meant he cared more about her health than the average staff member.
"Sit down, Lee," she interrupted as she motioned to the chair facing her desk. He obeyed and mentally prepared himself to hear the worst. "Your father didn't take me away to deal with an assassin away from the fleet. He took me to the armory to cure my cancer."
Lee wasn't following her. Everyone lauded his father for being such a hero. He'd protected the President and kept the fleet out of harm's way at the same time. How the Hell would going to the armory cure her cancer?
"So he knew about your cancer too?"
"Well, he saw the drugs in my bathroom and took it upon himself to do something about it." She decided to leave the abduction part out.
Lee furrowed his brow. "So, how did going to the armory cure your cancer?" he asked, incredulous.
"The combination of thermal and electric radiation. Apparently the theory is right. It shrank the tumors until they were small enough for the doctor to operate. I'm clean."
Lee stood up and exclaimed, "Ma'am that's wonderful!" He was beaming at her and she couldn't help smiling back. She was touched by how concerned he must have been to be so ecstatic now that she was OK.
She got up from her desk to walk him to the door. When she came around to his side he unexpectedly glommed onto her in a crushing bear hug. She laughed and patted his back in an attempt to get him to release her. That only made him hold her tighter and kiss her cheek.
Laura began to feel uncomfortable from the physical closeness to this boy and couldn't understand why he cared so much about her. She was a good role model but…
Then he started to stroke her back and she recognized this move from the way his father cuddled her after they made love. It signaled the deep Adama need to protect the women they cherished. This boy must have thought of her as a surrogate mother since his own was killed, she concluded.
"I'm OK," she reiterated gently, attempting to extract herself from his embrace.
He released her and straightened up, realizing he'd broken protocol. "Why won't you run, then? Madam President there is no one better for…"
She raised a hand to silence him. "I'm not running, Lee. That's final," she said as she walked him toward the door.
Lee let it drop for now because he was so happy about her cancer being cured. He would have to talk to his father about it. "Yes, Madam President." He smiled at her as he left and she felt buoyed by his staunch loyalty.
The fleet was abuzz with talk of the election. Seven people originally ran but after two weeks, it dwindled to four. A businessman, a judge, a businesswoman and a policeman were vying for the job. There was a relative lack of mudslinging since there were no historical files to dig through. In addition, this would truly be an act of service since there were no benefits associated with the job anymore.
Despite her distaste for politics, Laura Roslin was torn about leaving office. She hadn't wanted the job but felt she was doing a fairly good job and making somewhat of a difference for the best interest of the fleet. Still, she would be relieved to fall back into obscurity and spend her time raising her daughter and keeping private counsel with Husher. Eventually, she supposed, she would become a sort of den mother to the military members since she would be the top officer's wife. Best of all, she'd be able to sleep more, which was all she seemed to have on her mind lately, thanks to her daughter growing inside her.
Ever since the President called both of the Adama men on the carpet for risking everything to rescue Starbuck because they couldn't deal with Zak's death, the two men were a bit closer. Occasionally, Lee would stop by his father's quarters to get some advice or they would have dinner together. Lee made it a point to ask his father if they could have dinner alone tonight because he wanted to talk. The elder Adama agreed, happy to do his fatherly duty by rendering sage advice to his son.
As soon as they sat down, Lee launched his agenda. "Dad, why won't the President run?"
Husher stopped pouring the water and eyed his son. He couldn't tell him the truth without talking it over with Laura first. "Personal reasons," was all he said as he put the carafe down.
"That's what the papers say, but what personal reasons? Didn't she tell you anything when you were out there for eight days alone?"
"She told me lots of things…in confidence," he said with a finality that left no room for further questioning. Honor was one thing neither of these men would ever consider compromising.
"So, you're really convinced she can't be talked into running?"
"I'm absolutely positive," the commander answered truthfully.
Shut off from his argument, Lee decided to bring up his second, touchier subject. "If she doesn't run, I'm going to ask her to marry me."
Adama almost choked on his food. He swallowed hard. "What! You love her?"
"Yes." Lee expected this. His father was so all business that any ideas about love were foreign and surprising to him. Not to mention, his father didn't like the President.
"Does she know that?" his father asked in a disbelieving tone.
"Well, I haven't told her yet. She's still the President."
"Have you even so much as kissed her?" Husher was praying the answer to this was no. Visions of Oedipus came to him.
"Yes…only on the cheek but that's not important. I know you have a lot of philosophical differences with her, Dad, but you have to admit, she's a pretty incredible woman."
Husher had closed his eyes in relief. Laura, he gathered, was totally unaware of his son's crush on her. He opened them and looked his son in the eye. "I will talk to the President tomorrow to see if she will tell you why she won't run again. I suggest you stop making plans until you know."
Lee was vexed. What were these mysterious personal reasons if it wasn't cancer? She had no personal life. Her calendar was full of meetings and ceremonies and tours and paperwork dawn to dusk. Lee nodded his consent, thankful for his father's help if not his support. Lee didn't care if he didn't like her. He would marry her anyway.
Lee found it very amusing that all of the papers tried to create a romance between his father and the President. If they only knew how much they argued during staff meetings. She always took the humanitarian side and he always fought for the best military strategy. In the end, that arrangement actually served the fleet best, as the better argument would win but all sides were considered. Compromises were frequently the result of such charged debate.
The next day, the President and the commander were having their customary office call which was now nestled between the staff meeting and her nap. He was on her couch and she was in the chair next to it. They were discussing the timing of breaking the news to the public that they would be married. The election was in four weeks. They agreed on telling the press in three weeks since Laura wanted to have the ceremony a week after the elections, after the new President would be sworn in. She also didn't want to be showing during the ceremony.
Having made the decision, Laura felt a bit giddy. She was "short". The end of long days of interminable meetings was in sight. The thought of being married never excited her so she found this rush a little out of character for herself. A mischievous thought came to her and her exhaustion and giddiness squelched her inhibition.
She got up from her chair and crossed to stand in front of Adama where he sat on the couch. Laura put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from standing up as a matter of protocol. His knees were slightly parted and she nudged them apart with her right knee. She leaned forward, turned sideways and lowered herself into his lap, much to his surprise. She curled up against him and nuzzled her face into his neck.
Though he found this dangerously seductive, he wrapped his arms around her. Once he recovered from the surprise, he kept his promise to his son. "You know, there's someone we have to tell before we tell the press," he ventured in an intimate tone.
"Mmmhmm," was all she could manage. She was overwhelmingly sleepy and felt so relaxed in his arms.
"We need to tell Lee. I don't know if you noticed but he's exceptionally fond of you."
When she didn't say anything he continued. "Laura, he has a crush on you. He thinks he's in love with you." Adama expected at least mild shock at this revelation but she said nothing. Then he heard her rhythmic, shallow breaths. "Madam President?" he whispered, feeling a little ridiculous saying that with her on his lap. She was fast asleep.
Adama slowly withdrew his right arm from her waist and slid it under her knees so he could carry her to her bed. Billy came through the curtains with an "urgent" message from one of the candidates. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the President curled up on Commander Adama's lap. Lee was following him and almost bowled Billy over when he took in the same sight.
As embarrassing as this was, Commander Adama put that aside and willed the pair to be quiet with a menacing glare. He fell into his reflex mode and started giving orders.
"Billy, take off her shoes," he whispered. "Lee, turn her covers down." Both obeyed in dumbfounded silence. Adama carried her over to the bed and gently laid her down. He unfastened her jacket at the waist and pulled the covers Lee had pulled down back up to her shoulders. Now that the jig was up, he indulged in a kiss to her forehead before he silently herded the others out to the antechamber.
"Sir, I have this urgent message from one of the candidates," Billy said. He was mildly amused by what he'd just seen but was more concerned with not getting in trouble for disregarding an urgent message. He'd suspected the President and the commander were together for weeks.
Lee was visibly shaken but didn't want to bring up how he'd been betrayed in front of Billy.
Adama took the message from Billy. It read that the businessman was dropping out of the race because he had an idea for a new enterprise in the fleet. "It can wait until she wakes up," he instructed as he handed it back to Billy.
He managed to glance at Lee, saw that he was enraged and hurt and said, "Captain, lets go to my office," as he strode toward the airlock.