Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters; I'm only borrowing them for a while

Spoilers: Set after the end of season 1, so anything before that is far game

Rating: T (but likely to change in future chapters)

It's a frakked up universe!

Chapter 1

Lee Adama watched the rhythmical rise and fall of his father's chest as the machines worked to keep him alive. The doc seemed to think it was a miracle that he'd made it this far. His heart had stopped twice but the medics had managed to get him back. When Lee had asked how he was doing after the surgery to remove the bullets, major Cottle had just said that he was "holding his own". Lee suspected that this was just the major's way of saying that he didn't have the slightest idea which way things were going to go.

Lee reflected that he never wanted to live through another day like the last one as long as he lived. His career was in tatters, Kara was gone and his father's life hung by a thread. It could only get worse if the old man…. he just didn't want to even think about it. He stood and stretched muscles that protested at the exertion after sitting for too long. His shoulder ached where he had taken out one of the marines who had tried to keep him from following the medical team taking his father from the CIC to sickbay. Fortunately major Cottle had come to his aid and diffused the situation by telling Tigh that he may need to take some of Lee's blood for the commander, so the colonel had let him go and had left him in the sickbay since. He'd posted marine guards around the sickbay; whether that was to keep Lee in or any Cylon agents out, Lee didn't really care if it let him remain at his father's side rather than being locked in the brig. He sat down again and resumed his watchful waiting. The strain of the day started to get to him and his head nodded onto his chest as he gave in to the exhaustion.

Sometime later he was jolted awake by various alarms and bleeps going off from the equipment around his father. The medical staff came running as he looked across at his dad, fear gripping his heart. He just wanted the chance to make things right between them. He wasn't a particularly religious man, but he believed enough to be certain that he couldn't bare the thought that his father might leave this life and enter the next thinking his son a mutineer who cared nothing for him. After what seemed like an age Cottle turned to him, a slight smile on his face

"Well this is a good sign"

"It is?" Lee asked, finding it hard to believe that all this commotion could be good

"Yes, he's making an effort to breath on his own. We can take him off the respirator and see how he does"

The actual moment when the machine was turned off was very tense. Lee held his own breath while the machines bleeped rapidly a few times and then evened out into a regular rhythm. There was a collective sigh of relief around the room.

And so started the vigil that would last much longer than he expected. People came and went but no once could persuade him to leave. Colonel Tigh came into the room at some point and stared long and hard at Lee. Lee met his gaze without blinking or looking away and the colonel nodded, seeming to accept that he should stay where he was, at least for the time being. The first time his father had awoken, Lee hadn't said anything, just held a glass of water to his cracked lips and dribbled some water into his mouth so the commander could slake his thirst.

"Lee, what are you doing here?" Lee couldn't believe that these were his father's first words. Was he going to order him to the brig? But the commander's next words caused a worry of a different kind.

"Where's your mother? Where's Zac?"

"Umm, they're not here right now, dad. It's just me" he seemed satisfied with this reply and drifted back to sleep. Lee was really worried that his brain had been damaged by the blood loss and lack of oxygen, but Cottle reassured him that it was probably just the meds that they were giving him. He came in and out of consciousness several more times, each time for a little longer as the doctor started to reduce down the sedating pain medication. About 3 days after the successful surgery he was able to wake for a considerable period and have a sensible conversation. This didn't make him more amenable to being poked about by the doctor when it came to checking on his dressings. As Cottle finally finished his latest examination a last grimace of pain crossed Adama's features.

"What on earth did you do to me major? My gut hurts like hell!"

"Sorry Bill, had to fish around quite a bit to get the bullets out and they did make rather a mess of a couple of organs."

"Thanks, that was more information than I really needed" he rested his head back on the pillows with a sigh

"I'll up the pain meds a bit more"

"No, I don't want too much. I need to start keeping more alert. Besides Lee thinks they make me cranky" he winked at his son who smiled at this sign of returning life in his father

The doctor left and Adama turned to look at his son. He felt they'd put off "the" conversation long enough

"Come here, Lee" Lee pulled his chair closer to the bed and took his father's hand.

"Well, son, when you do loose control and follow your instincts you certainly do it in style" he chose as his opening gambit

"We don't need to talk about his now, dad. When you're better, yes, but not now"

"No let's do it now. I haven't got anything better to do except lie here and you know if we put it off we may just ignore it completely and hope it will go away rather than address it. That's what you and I have been doing since the day you were old enough to first talk back to me. I won't let that happen again" Lee thought for a moment about what he should say. He needed to be careful not to anger his father in his current state of health, but he too wanted nothing but to clear everything up between them.

"I wasn't taking the president's side, dad. I hate that I seem to have been used as a pawn between the two of you. I wasn't taking any particular side, I was just doing what I thought was right to uphold the colonial law and maintain order in the fleet. My personal view is that you both made questionable decisions, which is completely understandable considering the immense strain you've both been under since the destruction of the colonies, but I was the one on the ground who had to deal with the consequences." He paused for a moment and glanced at his father who was looking at him with that intense unreadable stare of his. He didn't appear outwardly angry so Lee decided that he had to plough on and get everything off his chest.

"In the end you are my commanding officer and I am accountable to you. If you want to court martial me for pulling a weapon on a senior officer and disobeying orders then that's up to you in your capacity as my CO and I'll abide by your decision and accept any punishment the court gives me, but as my father don't hold the fact that I don't agree with everything you say and do against me. It…..It doesn't mean that I don't respect you"

"I don't hold it against you son. I told you to loose control and follow your instincts and that's what you did. I can't fault you for following my advice. I just wish you'd picked something a bit less dramatic to start loosening up on! My only concern with your arguement is that I expect the same courtesy in return." Lee didn't even pretend not to understand this reference to the treatment he had meted out to his father after his brother's death.

"Don't think I don't realise it. I've been…..judgemental in the extreme. My only excuse is that I'd never had to handle anything like Zac's death before and I just seemed to focus all my rage and guilt at you because you seemed to accept it so stoically. I didn't see the emotion that was underneath until after I came here to Galactica and spent time with you again." Lee took a deep breath as if to compose himself and looked up at his father, his eyes bright with emotion

"I would have done anything in my power to stop Boomer if I'd had the chance. I…I don't want to loose you again, dad" It was the closest he could get to admitting that he loved his father

"It works both ways son. Having you here with me has been the biggest reason making me get through this. For what it's worth, on reflection I think you did the right thing. I won't be pressing for a court martial, but I don't know what Saul will want to do."

Lee nodded and grasped his father's hand a little tighter. The commander returned the pressure and they remained that way in contented silence for a few minutes, each thinking through what had been said, oblivious to the sounds of the sickbay outside the room.

"We must try and talk like this more often. I don't want to have to wait until the next time either of us almost dies before we do it again"

"You just try and stop me, sir" Lee replied with a grin. Their conversation had tired the commander and he drifted off to sleep, but his face was relaxed for once and he hadn't taken his hand out of Lee's grasp. Lee was content that they had made the first steps towards a better understanding in the future, which was so important now that he was sure that they were going to have one.