I must admit, I started this story after having only seen a few episodes. As the series continues, I am noting some "issues". Thank you for ignoring the technicalities and enjoying the story.

Six

It was several anxious hours before Lee was stabilized and the doctor came to the apprehensive pair waiting in a life station consultation room. Adama could tell by his Chief Medical Officer's face, that things were not going well for his son.

"It's not good." The low, gruff voice retained its command confidence, despite the circumstances.

"He's alive, right? He'll fight whatever this is. He's Lee frakin' Adama. He doesn't collapse in CIC and die." Kara Thrace wasn't willing to accept the message she was sensing.

"What's wrong with my son?" Adama was holding on to the same belief as Kara. If necessary, he would tell his son to give up. Lee always seemed to want to do exactly the opposite of what his father wanted lately. The mere thought brought a small smile to his lips.

"He's been poisoned."

"Poisoned?" Adama was silenced by a wave of the doctor's hand.

"It's a tricky bastard. It's complex. It seems to be attacking everything. We can't managed to isolate it and we haven't found anything to kill it."

"But you're treating it?" Kara asked.

"We've got him stabilized for now."

"Any idea how it got into him?" The Commander's mind was clicking from many angles.

"We didn't find any puncture marks, so it looks like he ingested it. Probably last night."

"He wasn't hungry this morning." Adama absentmindedly added then marched to the nearest phone. "Give me Colonel Tigh." He waited a moment and then continued. "Saul, Lee's been poisoned, most likely dinner last night. Get all available hands searching for any empty vials or containers that might be the source. Yes… I know… I'll keep you posted."

"Can we see him?" She'd been curious about the call, but now Kara wanted nothing more then to see Lee, to see his beautiful blue eyes looking up at her. She was already thinking of ways to spark his anger, keep him fighting.

"How long?"

The doctor was confused by two questions at once. Adama's drew first response. "I can't say for sure. We seem to have slowed the speed of the poison, but that's all. I've got my best people working in the lab."

"How long?" Adama demanded this time. He needed numbers.

"Maybe a day, two at most. I suspect he'll slip into a coma first."

Kara Thrace was angry. She ignored the fact that she was speaking to two superior officers. "What in the frak are you two doing? You're already planning his frakin' funeral." She rose to her feet and charged through the door. Both men knew where she was headed. They followed her.

Adama practically slammed into her back as she abruptly stopped at the end of the bed. He grabbed her arm. The doctor, seeing the action, wondered if it was for his benefit or hers. Kara couldn't speak. Lee Adama lay before her. There were monitors of every kind surrounding the top of the bed. There were even more wires connecting him to them. Tubes snaked under the covers to lords only knew where. An oxygen mask covered his face. His eyes were closed and all she could do was watch his chest rise and fall.

Adama stepped around her and moved to his son's side. He pulled the rolling stool up and sat. He took his son's hand in his. It was cold and clammy. His heart constricted, almost painfully. It hurt in so many ways and on so many levels. A man wasn't supposed to watch his son die. Nor was his son, a decorated colonial warrior, supposed to die like this. He wasn't a man of frequent prayer, but he closed his eyes and internally sent them out. 'Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer. Please save my son. He deserves better than this.'

His eyes popped open as he felt a slight squeeze to on his hand. "Lee?" He watched his son's face as struggled to open his eyes. "Lee, we're here. Kara and I."

Kara finally moved from the end of the bed to Lee's other side. She watched him open his eyes. She smiled. She knew Lee wouldn't give up. His unclaimed hand rose slowly from the bed and he moved to bat at the mask over his mouth and nose. Kara pulled his hand back. Lee made a snarling noise and moved it again to his face. Kara turned to the doctor and he nodded, adding quietly, "He wants to talk. It's alright for a short time."

Kara helped him slide the mask down under his chin. She was rewarded with one of his disarming smiles. "Damned persistent, aren't they?" His voice was quiet and raspy, giving away the seriousness of his situation. He winced at an unseen pain.

The doctor cut in. "Do you want something more for the pain, Captain?"

Lee shook his head and muttered quietly, "Time enough later."

"They didn't think you'd be so stubborn." Adama referred to Lee's previous statement.

Lee forgot his anger at his father for a few moments. He was here after all. He was at his side, holding his hand. "Just like my old man." Adama wanted to find humor in his son's tone, but hadn't.

Adama smiled and squeezed his son's hand. He glanced around the room. He suddenly felt the need to talk to his son alone. The doctor noted the desire and pulled Kara away. "Let's let the Commander alone with his son." He added in a quiet voice. He pulled harder then he would have liked to risk. He didn't want her to get physical.

Lee had closed his eyes. He didn't want Kara to leave. He couldn't deal with his father right now. He was taking some gulps of air. Adama moved to return the mask, but Lee shook it off. "No. Too much stuff on me already." He could see what the words were costing his son.

"Lee, we're working on finding a cure for this."

Lee gave a small laugh. "So they can try again? This is getting old." He coughed. Adama held his hand more tightly and then offered his son a drink of water.

"Thanks." He whispered.

"Are you telling me, you're giving up?" Adama's eyes betrayed the fear he felt. "That's not like you."

"Why not? How would you know what I'm like?"

"What? Lee, don't do this now."

"Can't handle the guilt? You've never known us, Dad. You were always gone." Lee didn't feel well and he was afraid. He needed to make someone understand his pain by feeling it as well. His mind was blurring. He tried to think of Zak and couldn't remember where he was.

"This is an old fight, Lee. It's really not worth it anymore, is it? I'm not going to apologize for my career."

"Of course not." Lee looked away. "Aren't you needed in CIC, Sir? Zak can sit with me."

Adama was shaken. His son seemed lucid, but his words weren't. "Lee, I…"

Lee looked back and made eye contact with his father. Was his father trying to express emotion? "What? You just can't say it, can you?" His voice was rising and a few of the monitors changed their bleeps accordingly. Lee's mind was reeling. "You have to mean it to say it and you have to feel it to mean it, Dad." The sarcasm dripped from the title at the end. Lee began gasping for air. The doctor rushed in. He pushed Adama aside and reapplied the mask. Kara and Adama could see Lee fade to unconsciousness. They waited for reassurance from the doctor.

"He needs rest." Internally the doctor was cursing himself. He should have known the Adama men would cause trouble for each other.

The Commander turned to Kara. "Stay with him. I'll be back soon to relieve you. You have patrol."

"Sir, you can't expect me…" Her words were cut off by a glance.

"I expect you will act as an officer. Right now, we need you to fulfill your duties. Lee would expect the same." There was no hint of a father present. It was all officer. If Lee had wanted to hurt his father, he'd won.

She wanted to argue with him. She wanted to disobey. She looked back at Lee and then to his father. Something had just happened between them and it wasn't good. All thoughts of disobeying him fled from her mind. "You'll be relieving me?" At least Lee wouldn't be alone.

"Yes."

The Commander made his way to CIC. After updating Colonel Tigh on Lee's condition, he pulled him aside. "I need to ask for a personal privilege."

Tigh was a bit stunned. He'd known Bill Adama for a long time and this had never come up before. "Go ahead."

"I'm gonna spend time with Lee. I…" He stammered over his words. "I think he needs me. I…"

Tigh waved his hand and silenced the father before him. "Of course. Go to him."

Adama was bothered by how easily Tigh had accepted the request. "I know it's not fair to you…"

Again, he was stopped. "None of this is fair, Husker. The world as we know it has been blown to bits. There are new rules and new expectations. Go to your son. We're fine here. Go be his father!"

Adama made his way to his quarters. He showered and cleaned up. He knew it was selfish of him, but it allowed Kara more time with Lee as well. He knew he hadn't been a great father. For the first time in his life, Adama had a feeling for just how deep the anger went in Lee. His son's words had stung. He thought back to that first night after the attack. Lee had tried to talk to him. He told him it could wait. He told him to get some sleep. Didn't anyone see that as the love and concern of a father? He tried to remember the last time he had told his son he loved him. He couldn't.

Caroline had always been after him for this. When he was home on leave, Zak had always been his shadow. Lee had been close too, but at a wary distance. He saw it so clearly now. Lee would run to his mother and accept all the love and affection she would shower on him, but never from his father. He and Caroline had spoken of it once. He had wondered why Lee seemed distant. Lee must have been about eight. She claimed he was too caught up in the weight of the world.

"What's that supposed to mean? He's eight. He has no weight."

"He tires too hard to be the little warrior you want him to be."

"What?"

"You tell him every time you leave to be a Little Warrior, to take care of Zak and I. He's terrified of letting you down."

"He's never let me down. He's a fine son. A man couldn't ask for better."

"Have you told him that?"

"He knows it."

"How?"

"I show him every time I come home."

"How?"

It was now clear to Adama; he'd been wrong for too many years. He opened the cabinet behind his desk and removed the large box within. He pulled back the lid and sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. He was tempted to wallow in self-pity. Not only was he battling the Cylons for humanity's existence, but his past decisions as well. It didn't seem fair.

He carried the large box securely under his arm as he made his way back to Life Station. Kara was sitting at Lee's side as he slept.

"Has he woken since I left?"

"Only long enough to lose the contents of his stomach, which wasn't much. Doc said it's the drugs."

"The treatment is worse than the condition?" Adama frowned. "Go do your pre-flights."

"Sir."

"That was an order, Starbuck."

She ignored him. "He's fighting."

Adama smiled. "He'll never give up."

"He got that from you, ya know?"

He took her hand and squeezed it, but said nothing. He moved to her vacated seat and squeezed his son's hand. He set the box on the edge of the bed and took the lid off. Inside were letters, hundred's of letters, each in a thick envelope.

Adama dug to the bottom and pulled a letter out. He unfolded it and took a deep breath before beginning to read. He read aloud, just enough for Lee's ears and no one else. This was private.

"Dear Will,

Lee rolled over today. I wish you could have seen it. I know the doctors say it's too early, but he did it. Those amazing blue eyes of his attract a fair share of attention. I suspect he'll have a parade of girls following him one day. I hate to say it, but people think he looks more and more like me. They don't see you as much in him, but I do…"

Letter after letter, Adama read to his son. He knew, somehow, his son heard him. He had been reading for about an hour when Lee's hand twitched. Adama stopped to gaze at his son. He couldn't help but smile when he noticed a lone tear roll down from Lee's eye. His son was listening.

"How about some water, Son?" Adama pushed the oxygen mask aside. He ignored Lee's closed eyes and held his head up while pushed the glass to his lips. At first, Lee didn't drink. "Come on, Lee. Drink something."

Lee did as he was told. When his head was again on the pillow and the mask replaced, he pulled his eyes open. Adama could see the question in his eyes.

"Your mother wrote the most amazing letters. Through her words, I felt like I was with you for each moment." He was silent. He watched his son's face for a response. "I thought it was enough to know about your life."

Lee closed his eyes. In the middle of this fight for his life, he felt the fight for his soul as well. Did he let his father off this easy? It occurred to him that his father was unable to say the words; 'I love you'. FRAK, his mind screamed out. Why did this have to be so damned hard? Others seemed to have normal relationships. Why couldn't they? Kara told him they were too much alike and it blinded them. She accused him of trying to compete with his old man. Truth be told, he did. He decided at a young age to win his father's love by being a success in every sense of the word. He would be stronger, faster and smarter than the great "Husker" Adama. Deep down, he knew it was true. He had successfully shut his father out and lived for one thing, as it seemed his father had.

The monitors again showed his distress. Adama was angered. Couldn't he do anything right by his son? "It's ok, calm down, Son. I'll stop. I don't want to hurt you. I thought you might enjoy…"

His words faded as he looked at his son's vivid blue eyes. He shook his head slowly, and through the mask, his father heard the words. "Go on." He could even see the trace of a smile on his son's lips.

Adama smiled and picked up a new letter.