"All right, Doc, just how much longer do we have to wait?"
Four minutes. The average human brain could go without oxygen for approximately four minutes before death of brain cells would begin to occur. Even as short an amount of time that was, it already felt like a lifetime to Kara.
She was not the only anxious one in the room. She felt the gentle squeeze her husband, Sam, was giving the hand he held. It was partly to reassure her, and partly to reassure himself as well. She looked across the gurney to the Old Man. His face was stern, but the barely kept in tears in his eyes told a different tale altogether. He lifted his gaze to hers, and held it for a few moments before looking back down to the slowly dying body of his only living son. But those few moments let her know that he was grateful, and also that he would not blame her if things didn't work out.
Kara took in a deep breath and exhaled audibly as she looked at the stop clock on the wall. Thirty seconds to go. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cottle give Lee and injection, and then the nurse passing him the paddles.
"Okay, people. Move back and give me room to work. This may be easy, it may not. Just do your freaking out on your own time and leave the frakking work to me."
Quickly, all those around Lee Adama's gurney took a step back, almost in unison. Kara reached in her pocket to grab on of her god's statues that she had brought with her, saying a silent prayer. But aloud, she said a different one.
"God, if you really do exist…. If the Cylons aren't lying their frakking asses off…. Please, help this young man before us. Bring him back to us again. Make him whole."
She closed her eyes as she heard the paddles shock Lee for the first time. And then another. Each time she winced as she heard Cottle quickly tell the nurse to charge them higher. Kara Thrace Anders – Starbuck – fearless in all things before her, was finally afraid. She didn't open her eyelids until she heard the faint beep of the heart monitor beginning again. Everything came into full focus when she heard it getting stronger.
"Thank God. What?"
Kara shrugged as those around her looked at her rather funnily for her choice of words. Now all they could do was wait and see if he woke up.
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Four days. For four days, those who gave a frak about Lee 'Apollo' Adama had been taking turns to see if he would open his eyes.
They all read to him from the same books. There was one on military action that Colonel Tigh had given to Bill long ago. There was a book of prayer and poetry that Kara had bought on Caprica during their last leave, so long ago. There was even a book on Pyramid strategy, which she was sure in the back of her mind that he would hold no interest in, but that made her smile at Sam's obvious gesture towards Lee's well being.
Late in the evening, on that fourth day, William Adama gave a squeeze to Kara's shoulder as he went to turn in for the night. She smiled, and squeezed his hand back as hard as she could.
"Thank you, sir. You know that you're like a father to me."
"And you a daughter to me. And Kara? Don't ever forget how grateful I am…. No matter what the outcome."
She nodded silently, understanding exactly what she meant. Even thought the old Doc had reassured them all that these things sometimes happened after prolonged death experiences, she couldn't help but worry each additional day that Lee's eyes didn't voluntarily open. On the bright side, it also meant that the Cylon part of him hadn't woken up to return, either.
About three hours into her shift, Kara stopped and marked her space in the book of poems. She stood up to stretch and feel the new firmness marked in her belly. At least I don't have morning sickness. She walked over to the side of Lee's bed and sat down on the edge of it, feeling the mattress give way a little under her weight.
"Oh Lee, if you could only see how big Billy is getting. He's got an attitude just like his father."
"Maybe he's got one like his mother. Who's Billy, Kara?"
Kara jumped so high in response to his soft yet gruff voice that she nearly landed on her butt next to the bed.
"Holy frak! Lee? Is that you?"
"Frak you, Lieutenant. Did I suddenly die and become someone else?"
She smiled at the fact that Lee was awake. And, oh yes, this was most definitely Lee Adama before her. But little warning bells went off when he called her Lieutenant.
"Okay, flyboy. Take it easy. Let me go get your dad."
"Kara, where am I?"
She made a motion with her hand to indicate that he was in a set of private quarters. The light was low and the furnishings sparse, but it was neat and clean.
"You took quite a knock to your noggin', Apollo. Your dad's going to want to know that you're awake. Okay?"
He grabbed onto her hand, keeping her from leaving just yet.
"Wait a second, Kara. How long have I been out?"
"A few days. Like I said, I need to go get your dad. Then we'll tell you all about it, together."
Lee sank back down into the fluffy pillows behind him as he nodded in resignation. He didn't know what was going on, but by the nervousness he detected in Starbuck's voice, a knock to the skull couldn't possibly be the simple explanation for why he was in that bed in the first place.
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Kara tapped her foot nervously in the corridor outside of Lee's room as she waited for Cottle and the Old Man to get there.
"Frak, he doesn't remember. Oh frak, would you two hurry up!"
"Talking to yourself again, I see. You know, we have medications for that, Captain."
Cottle's face held a slight smile as he stood there, arms crossed in typical Cottle fashion. William Adama was bringing up the rear, showing signs of running out of breath. He had obviously moved a little faster than usual to get there.
"Okay, Captain, what's the sitrep?"
Kara twisted her hands nervously as she began to explain.
"Well, the good news is, Lee's awake. And from what I can tell, it's just Lee there. The bad news is, I think he's missing a pretty big chunk of time from that memory of his."
The good doctor looked at her closely.
"And how's that again?"
"Well, for starters, he doesn't remember his son. And on top of that, he called me Lieutenant."
Bill took a deep breath. Then he took another. After the third, he reached out and squeezed her shoulder before looking carefully at Cottle.
"So, doctor, what should we do?"
"Well, we have to tell him the truth. We can't keep his son from him forever. But I suggest that we go slowly and carefully. It's going to be hard enough on him as it is. I also think that for now, we skip over some of the, shall we say, gorier details of his life as a half Cylon. Agreed?"
She and Lee's father nodded in unison. All three of them took another deep breath before following the Old Man back into the room.