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"Madam President, there's someone here to see you. If you're not up to it, I'll tell her to go," the nurse said politely, as she helped Laura adjust the bed to a more comfortable position.

"Its fine," She said, with a thankful smile. Cottle had removed the mask from her face and replaced it with a small tube to her nose, now that she was breathing a bit better. She was eternally grateful because no she could talk freely, or as freely as her lungs could manage.

The nurse left promptly, and after a moment the curtain was moved aside to reveal Kara Thrace entering carefully.

"Kara," Laura said softly, a surprised smile spreading across her lips.

"Madam President," Kara nodded, steeping forward awkwardly.

They stared at each other for a long moment, Laura waiting for Kara to speak, Kara mesmerized by the sight of the President, so ill and weak. She wasn't even sure why she'd come to see the President, but Lee had been so distraught the day before, and now he was refusing to go and see her for himself.

"What can I do for you Kara?" Laura prompted, her smile only widening.

"I'm sorry to bother you Ma'am, but I wanted to see how you were," she said with an awkward smile.

"I'm as well as can be expected, thank you," Laura replied as brightly as she could.

"Lee is um," Kara started, but paused trying to find the right words. "He's worried about you." She blurted out after a moment.

Laura watched the young woman carefully, taking in the multiple meanings of her words and expression.

"He, well… He's being Lee Adama Ma'am, and he refuses to come see you himself." Kara continued with a laugh.

"I see," Laura replied with a nod. "Tell him that I'm feeling much better, and thank him for all of his efforts yesterday. I understand I am also indebted to you and Chief Tyrol."

"It was nothing," Kara said waving her off.

Laura smiled, her eyes revealing her great desire to argue.

"Well Ma'am I'll be sure to tell Lee that you're okay," Kara said, with a nod, about to turn and leave.

"Kara," Laura said softly, her lungs beginning to ache from so much use.

"Yes Ma'am," Kara said, standing almost at attention.

"I was hoping to speak with Lee, but if you wouldn't mind I'd like you to relay a message to him from me." She said carefully, but didn't wait for a response. "Tell Lee that I hope he and his father can continue to work toward understanding one another. The Old Man is going to need him now, and you Kara." Laura said slowly, regretting having to even say it.

"Also, please let him know that I have one last request of him." She had the sudden urge to impart one last bit of advice to her young Captain Apollo, and the enigma that was Kara Thrace. "Ask him to please set aside his pride and his foolishness, and to not waste any more time."

"I'm not sure I…" Kara began to question, but Laura interrupted.

"I've found that in dying you realize how much time you have wasted on pride and things like propriety and obligations." She said softly, her lungs ready to burst.

"But those aren't the things that end up mattering in the end, Kara. The people you love are what matter. Spending whatever time you have with them, is everything." She said before she broke out into a fit of coughing. Kara stepped forward and handing Laura the cup of water on the table. She drank from it gratefully and let her lungs settle.

"Tell him," She said with a small smile, as she rested her head and felt her eyes willing to close.

"I will," Kara said with a nod, before turning to leave. She looked back at the dying woman in front of her, and said a prayer quietly in her head. She couldn't put into words what she wanted to ask the Gods for. Pleading and begging didn't seem to be enough. All she could manage was to send through her prayer her emotion and her intense desperation.

0o0o

Adama held his breath as he stood just outside the curtain. He could feel her waiting behind the barrier, and he wanted to be as calm and joyful as he could possibly muster before he entered. He shook his head, and cleared his throat before pulling the curtain aside and taking a few steps inside.

His eyes ran over her quickly, taking stock. She didn't open her eyes, but a broad smile swept across her features, as he sat down gently on the bed at her hip.

"How are you?" he asked softly, his gravelly voice even.

"Dying," she replied, her smile only growing.

He laughed under his breath and reached up to touch her cheek.

"Laura," he said softly, causing her to slowly open her eyes. It took a moment for her to focus, but she found the sight of him to be fabulously calming.

"Zareck agreed," he said nod.

"And you're satisfied?" She asked quickly. Her expression falling more serious.

"As I'll ever be," he replied with a nod. He moved to run his fingers through her hair.

"I'm sorry it has to be like this," she said softly, her eyes closing as she took in the feel of his touch.

"Shhh," he said with a smile, "Don't be sorry."

"Bill," she said softly, her eyes opening and finding his. "I need you to know something." She began, she was ready for this, but she was still a bit nervous to be saying it.

"Laura," he breathed, shaking his head.

"No Bill I have to say it," she said quickly.

"No you don't, not yet," he said, his voice shaking a little.

"Bill," She said, her eyes expressing her resignation. He saw her determination and let her win. He knew she was right, he just couldn't bear it.

"I want you to know how grateful I am to you, and how sorry I am to be leaving you like this," She started, proud of the calmness in her voice, but feeling the tears begin to well behind her eyes.

"You have made my last few weeks the best of my life, and I will never be able to thank you enough." Bill shook his head at this and smiled, but didn't dare to speak. "But I feel so selfish, and guilty." She said it quickly, needed to finally get it out, as tears began to run down her cheeks.

"I'm leaving you with all of it. The responsibilities of the fleet, the problems with finding Earth, and with," her voice broke, and tears began to run down his cheeks as well.

She took in the deepest breath she could. "And I'm leaving you to live with what we've done here. I'm leaving you with the price of us stealing whatever time we had left. I won't have to deal with losing you Bill, I'll be dead. If we hadn't ever let ourselves do this, I wouldn't be leaving you so much pain.. You're the one who will have to mourn, and feel the loss of me dying, and losing what we've had together. You're the one who will have to shoulder it all, and I hate myself for that." She broke down into soft sobs, and he gathered her tightly in his arms.

"Laura" he breathed softly into her hair. He couldn't think of words to explain himself, or what he thought of hers. He couldn't form any coherent thoughts, much less statements to refute what she had just admitted. And he couldn't stop himself from weeping with her, feeling her sobs against his chest, and letting his tears fall into her hair.

When they finally loosened their grip on one another, they both sighed, wiping tears from one another's eyes.

"Laura I didn't marry you so that you could regret it later. I married you so that you could be done with regret, and so that we could live our lives and love each other for whatever time we had left." He said softly and surely. "Don't you dare ruin that by feeling guilty, and don't you dare think for even one second that anything we've done, and everything we've been to each other, will for one second be a burden on me." He sighed, as he felt a few more tears escape his eyes.

"This time we've had together has been the best of my life Laura. It is worth any price and any pain that may come." He kissed her softly on the lips, and she touched his cheek gently. "I love you Laura, and there is nothing in the universe that could ever make me give that up."