There was barely room to move in the lifepod but the commander knew he needed to stop the bleeding from the President's foot. As it was, she was barely conscious. He undid his jacket trying unsuccessfully not to poke her in the close quarters. He handed it to her and he took off his t-shirt with some difficulty. Sliding down to the floor, with her standing between his knees, he gently put his hand on the back of her calf and raised her leg to balance her wounded foot on his thigh. He ripped the t-shirt and bandaged her foot by tying it off. Placing his hand behind her knee, he lifted her leg a few inches, slid his knee out from under her bandaged foot and rose back up. He kept her knee elevated, anchored to his hip to minimize the blood flow to her foot.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"You know, Madam President, I'm supposed to take the bullet for you, not vice-versa."
Laura smiled weakly, "Well, I'm new at this…" her voice trailed off as she started to slide down the wall, unconscious.
Adama caught her and was able to hold her up by pressing against her since the pod was so small. Automatic guidance had them at the threshold of Galactica where they were being scanned to confirm the ID of the pod beacon. Chaos over the explosion on Colonial One made the mission manager wary but the IFF code was valid, so she brought the pod into the hanger.
Security Police with guns drawn greeted the commander as he exited the hatch with the unconscious President in his arms. They were both blood-spattered. Adama rushed forward and ordered the chief to let the doc know he was coming down with the President and she might need blood. A large SP approached Adama with his arms outstretched to take the President off his hands. Adama glared at him and barked, "I've got her," as he pushed by the SP.
After a few hours, Adama was allowed to see the patient. She was propped up against pillows in the bed but her eyes were closed. When he came to her side, she opened them.
"The doc says you're going to be OK. It's a miracle he didn't hit any bone."
"Every squirrel gets a nut once in a while. How's my ship?"
The commander noted that she referred to it as her ship. That was good. She was getting more comfortable with being the President.
"Tigh broke away from her after the explosion, so we sent a shuttle over with a team to do the investigation. We won't get the mishap report until tomorrow but it will definitely be a Class A. I think it will be at least a couple of weeks until she's fully mission capable."
Laura sighed. "Did any of the guards survive?"
"No. We're lucky your personal assistant wasn't aboard." Adama paused, mourning the loss of three good crewmembers. He snapped back to the moment before he gave in to the misery. "Which brings us to your security tonight. I can't leave you in sick bay. It's too open."
The President didn't have any problem with that. She didn't like it here anyway. "OK. You can just put me in one of your vacant quarters. I don't need anything special."
"We don't have any vacant single quarters, Madam President. Everyone except Col Tigh and myself are in bunks. Originally, I planned on giving you my quarters and sharing with Tigh but now his wife is back. I guess we'll put her with you in my quarters and I'll stay in his."
"We can't do that. I've still got two nights of potential sleepwalking to get through. Ellen Tigh is the last person in the universe I'd trust with inadvertently disclosed state secrets." Not to mention her own personal secrets, she thought.
The commander nodded but didn't say anything. Adama sensed she was more worried about having to put up with Ellen than keeping secrets. He couldn't blame her. He looked her in the eye and waited. She had to be the one to say it, especially after his slip up the night before last.
"I'll sleep on your couch, if you don't mind, Commander. You can keep your bed. Ellen Tigh can sleep wherever she chooses, but not with me."
Adama smiled at the well-deserved slight to Ellen. "If that's what you'd like, Ma'am, that's what we'll do. So, let's get you out of here." Adama stepped through the curtains while explaining, "Your clothes had some blood on them. Billy is having them cleaned. I had an aide get you some things from the luxury liner." He was exhilarated at the idea of having her near through the night but worried about screwing up again. He'd have to be careful.
The commander returned with a box. "Apparently, there's a thriving barter market going on over there." He set the box on the chair next to her bed and said, "I'll be just outside," as he exited back through the privacy curtains.
She blinked at the box. This was odd but interesting. Had she known there was a market she might have gone over herself to get something new before this. Unwilling to stand yet, she sat on the edge of the bed and reached for the box. She opened it and pulled out a silk crimson dress which looked like it would fit, though it was a little less conservative than she would like. Underneath that, there was a nightgown which was a lot less conservative than she would like, but it came with a robe that would afford some modesty. There was a black skirt and an emerald blouse which she liked a lot. At the bottom of the box, there was an array of lingerie which told her the aide who picked this stuff out was definitely a man. All of it was ornamental instead of functional but it would have to do until she could get to her own things. If nothing else, it was amusing.
The President decided on the red silk dress for tonight because she figured not many people would see her between sickbay and Commander Adama's quarters. She hoped not, anyway. It was a wrap style and was rather low cut despite her attempts to make the closure less revealing. She leaned on the bed to keep from putting any weight on her bandaged, splintered foot. Her other foot was bare and she called out to Adama, "I'm ready."
Adama hadn't bothered to look in the box so the sexiness of the dress made him stop just inside the curtain. Laura was busy putting the rest of the clothes back into the box as he drank in the sight of her from her shoulders to her toes.
"Don't tell me he forgot shoes!" Adama said when he noticed her bare feet on the cold metal floor.
"Technically, I only need one," she joked, "but I didn't find any in here."
"I'll send him back for shoes tonight," he said in a sort of apology as he crossed to her and caught her by surprise by picking her up in his arms.
"Commander! The doctor gave me a crutch. I can manage."
"I can't have the President hobbling barefoot through the passageways. Once we get you some shoes, you can use the crutch." He bent down so she could pick up the box.
The trip to his Q was mildly embarrassing. They only passed a few crewmembers but they all reacted to the sight of Commander Adama carrying the President and some box in the direction of his Q. A couple of them jumped out of the way and didn't even realize the woman he was carrying was the President until they heard the accident report later. After all, the President was always in a suit and definitely always had shoes on. No one thought they would ever see her in Adama's arms either.
Adama acknowledged his subordinates when they greeted him with a head nod but he didn't say anything. Though he knew what most of them must be thinking, they kept silent, which was wise. Starbuck was the exception. There was no safety speedbump between her brain and her mouth. She was coming from the direction of his Q and stopped when she saw them. Starbuck recognized the President immediately by her mass of dark hair.
"Wow! RHIP!" she exclaimed.
The President closed her eyes and blushed a bit.
"Miss the brig, Starbuck? Because I can send you back," Adama threatened.
"No, Sir. Have a memorable night, Ma'am and Sir," she teased as she continued on her route.
Laura giggled. "I feel like I've been caught entering an all-male dorm."
"Not that you ever did that."
"No, of course not," she joked as he carefully set her down outside his Q so he could open the hatch.
When he opened it she grabbed the frame to lean on as she hobbled in but he took her up in his arms again without warning.
"I wish you'd warn me when you're going to do that," she chided.
"Would you let me carry you without argument?"
"Probably not."
"Then no warnings," he said with finality as he carried her over the threshold. She sensed he was enjoying this physical dominance more than he let on. In fairness, she liked being in his arms more than she let on.
Laura looked around at Hotel Adama, thinking it might be nice to have the time here to ask him about all his treasures. She'd eyed them with curiosity on several occasions but the battle rhythm of the work at hand never allowed her the luxury of time to question him.
He bent down so she could put the box on the table and carried her over to his bed. He laid her down with her head on his pillow. She slid her arms from around his neck, down his shoulders and chest before crossing her hands behind her head. Adama lingered over her a second too long, giving away his desire.
"I thought we agreed you'd keep your bed and I would sleep on the couch," she said.
"Military people are simple, Ma'am. You outrank me, you get the bed. Besides, I still feel guilty that you got shot trying to keep me from getting shot."
"Tactical error for you to admit that, Commander. Now I'll be sure to lord that over you when necessary," she teased.
"You've got me under your thumb. What could you possibly get me to do that I don't already have to?"
His kiss came to mind. "How about teaching me pyramids?" she said instead.
Adama raised an eyebrow. "That's rather unpresidential, isn't it?"
"Well, if I'm going to be among the military, I should learn their pastimes."
"Very well, Madam President. But don't expect me to coddle you," he warned as he crossed over to throw a blanket on the couch. "I'm good at the game and you'll have to take a few beatings to learn." He went over to a panel near his bookshelf and switched on some trance music he liked to have on for reading.
Laura sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "You have music!" she exclaimed. Her eyes were shining. Adama threw a pillow on the couch and was surprised at the excitement on her face when he looked at her.
"Yes. Every commander adds to the catalogue and it gets rather extensive. Battleship voyages are long. You've got to bring music and reading material or you'd go mad."
Enraptured, she closed her eyes, "It's been so long since I've heard music, I nearly forgot how great it makes me feel."
Commander Adama was intrigued by this side of her. He was glad to have some magic that she cherished. "We can make those the stakes in pyramids. If you ever win, I'll copy songs for you to take back to Colonial One."
"Deal," she said smiling at him.
"Are you hungry?"
"Yes. I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon."
"I can have something sent up from the officer's mess or I can make some komen noodles and nake soup here."
"The noodles sound good if it's not too much trouble. I really don't want anyone else to see me in this dress."
"Good idea. Cylons and murderers I can handle, but I'm not sure I can defend you against hundreds of overstimulated male crewmembers," Adama joked as he moved into his mini-galley.
The President let that slide while she tested her ability to stand. She found she could manage as long as she leaned on something like the back of the chair she now grasped. By leaning on alternate things and hopping on her good foot, she made it over to the table across from the galley. She pulled a chair out and sat down to watch the commander cook.
When he turned around and saw her sitting there, he scolded her, "You can't hop around like that. If you fall you could rip open those stitches or worse." He sighed, "If you really can't stand for me to pick you up, I'll send for the crutch tonight to get you around my Q." He turned back to the galley to scoop the noodles into bowls.
"I'll wait until tomorrow for the crutch. I promise to be good," she said, amused at how mother-like this fearsome warrior was.
"Uh huh," he said disbelievingly as he set the food on the table.
"Really!" she said, somewhat offended at his lack of faith in her integrity.
Adama sat across from her after pouring the water. "If you're not, so help me, I'll pull you into my lap and carry you everywhere with me until tomorrow."
The picture he just put in her head kept Laura from breathing and she swallowed her mouthful of noodles with difficulty. She looked at her noodles for minute and spoke to change the subject. "This is wonderful. Your sauce is perfect. I'm surprised you can cook," she said when she was finally able to look at him again.
The rest of their dinner conversation ranged from personal anecdotes to ship gossip. It was one of the few really enjoyable hours either of them had since the attack. Each of them was surprised how much they enjoyed the other's company since their approach to most problems was usually diametrically opposed. There were no problems tonight, though, just good company.
As Adama cleared the dishes, she noted that he seemed to be enjoying entertaining. It struck her that her original impression of him was one-dimensional. She was discovering a social, caring man beneath the lethal warrior surface. Intrigued, she wanted to know more about this person she was starting to like. "So what do you read for fun?" she asked as she picked up her glass and hopped from the table over to the galley sink.
Adama turned, grabbed the glass out of her hand, dropped it in the sink and clenched her in his arms. "Now you've done it. Madam President, you broke your promise but I intend to keep mine."
He picked her up but this time instead of a fireman's carry, he kept her facing him and pulled her up from under her thighs so that her legs wrapped around his waist. She was too excited to protest, though he expected her too. In fact, she laid her head down on his shoulder like a child, causing a rush of tender affection to dampen his slight anger at her disregard for her own well-being. When she didn't fight him, he was almost at a loss for what to do.
The commander went over to the couch and gingerly moved her legs from his waist to his front as he sat down, settling her in his lap. This was new territory and neither of them said anything for a moment. Adama reached to the side and pulled a worn book from his shelf. "This is what I read for fun," he said as he showed her the book.
Laura hoped this distraction would hide the fire spreading through her body from being in his lap. Externally she was cool, but she knew if he kissed her, she would not be able to contain the fire. If that happened, she foresaw them both sleeping on the couch, among other things.
