Lee's world had become one of pain and terror. He sat on a bed in Galactica's sick bay, as a medic stitched up his shoulder. The anesthetic he had been given dulled the pain of his wound and immobilized the muscle around it, but did not completely dissipate it. The medics had wanted to anesthetize him out to perform the procedure, but Lee insisted that only a local anesthetic be used. He wanted to watch them work on his father.
The bullet fired by Sharon Valeri penetrated Lee's upper right shoulder, sending the young man reeling to the deck from the impact. However, the medics said the bullet went clean through, causing some muscle damage and bleeding. They quickly got the bleeding under control and proceeded to stitch up his wound. But as Lee sat in sickbay, his greatest source of pain at the moment was not from where he was shot.
On an operating table across the sick bay, nurses and medics frantically worked to stabilize Commander Adama, who was wounded far worse than Lee was. Sharon's shot entered right into Adama's chest. From what Lee heard, the round may have damaged his father's vital organs beyond repair. They were trying to control the bleeding, to keep the old man from bleeding out before Doctor Cottle could operate on him.
Sharon Valeri had been one of Lee's best pilots. Whenever he had a tough Raptor assignment, he always called Sharon because he trusted her the most to get the job done. Now, it looked like all that time, Lee had trusted a Cylon operative, and she had now possibly killed his father.
To top it off, Lee also had to worry about his wife, who was now gods knows where and more than likely in grave danger. If Sharon had been in contact with the Cylons, even if sub-consciously, then they might know that Kara was coming and she could have been flying right into a trap. All kinds of possibilities ran through Lee's mind, and all the while he knew that he couldn't help her no matter what was happening to her.
While the medic's worked on Lee, he became more and more apprehensive as Doctor Cottle still had not arrived. "Where the frak is Cottle!" screamed Lee.
"He should be here any moment," said one of the medics. "He was supposed to be on a Raptor to Galactica as soon as we jumped."
"We jumped ten FRAKKING MINUTES AGO!" screamed Lee. "Where is he!"
"Sir, please sit still," said the medic, as he tried to stitch up Lee's wound. "You are not making our job any easier!"
"Lee," said a gruff voice, coming up beside him.
Lee looked up to see Colonel Tigh. "How's your wound?" asked Tigh, as the older man's eyes were focused on Commander Adama across the room.
"Shoulder wound," said Lee. "Round went clean through. I should be okay."
"You grabbed Sharon's gun at the last moment before she fired," said Tigh. "That probably saved your life. She probably would have shot you in the chest just like Bill."
"Where the FRAK is COTTLE!" said Lee, now frantic.
"He's not coming," said Tigh, gravely.
"WHAT!" yelled Lee. "What the FRAK do you mean!"
"When we jumped," said Tigh, "the rest of the fleet didn't jump to our new position. Gaeta believes that they jumped to old emergency coordinates because we hadn't yet uploaded the update to the fleet."
"Oh, that's just GREAT!" yelled Lee. "Meanwhile, my Dad is dying on the operating table because Cottle was off making HOUSE CALLS and now can't get BACK!"
"We'll find a way to rejoin the fleet!" said Tigh, forcefully. "I will not let Bill Adama die on my watch! Captain, I need you to settle down and focus!"
"My father may be dying!" said Lee. "No, he IS DYING! My wife is AWOL on a Cylon occupied world, if she's lucky, and you want me to 'settle down' and 'focus'!"
"YES!" yelled Tigh. "You are a Captain in the Colonial Fleet, a senior officer on this ship, and the air group's CAG! We need you! Your father is counting on you, would trust you, to do your duty! Now, as soon as the medics clear you, I want a status report on our Viper squadrons! Also, make sure we have some Raptor's ready to go in case we need them to reconnoiter for the fleet!"
Lee was silent for a moment, looking back and forth between Tigh and his father. His mind swirled with emotions, but finally Tigh's words worked their way through Lee's feelings of the moment. Everyone was counting on him.
"Aye, sir," said Lee, closing his eyes, and nodding his head.
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The music started to play as Kara sat down. She never thought she would hear this music again, at least not for real. Sometimes, she could close her eyes, and hear the music in her mind. But she was hearing it for real, sitting in her old apartment in Delphi, letting the sound of her father's music wash over her. She said something to Helo, who sat down on the chair opposite her, about this being her father, about the apartment being overpriced and too hot in the summer, or some other such nonsense. Kara only half-cared what she was saying to Helo. Instead, she lost herself in her own thoughts and emotions.
For a time, Kara pondered what few memories she had of her father, as she always did when she heard the music. That was the primary reason she played it, because it was her last real connection to a father who long ago abandoned her and her mother. It also appealed to Kara's artistic side, which appreciated painting, classical music, and poetry, a side that most would never expect from the brash and often crude Kara "Starbuck" Thrace. It was the side of herself she inherited from her dad. But there was one person who knew all about it, and much more, and this time the music brought back memories of him, too.
Kara thought back to when she first brought Lee to this apartment two years ago. It seemed inconceivable to her that it had only been two years. All of the events of that time seemed like ancient history now. She remembered playing the music, as Lee listened patiently as Kara told him about her childhood, about who she was and where she was coming from. She had brought him there as a test, to see what he would do. Kara already had strong feelings for Lee Adama at that time, but didn't know if he felt the same way. She knew that he had pursued her, despite her attempts to rebuff him, but she wanted to see if Lee would continue to do so knowing who and what she truly was.
To her good fortune, Lee had decided he wanted her, and wanted to try to be with her. She smiled as she thought about that weekend she spent in Lee's arms in this apartment. That weekend started Kara on her journey with Lee Adama, a journey that led her to what she would never thought she would have; love and belonging.
"And I've probably thrown it all away," thought Kara. "All for a stupid arrow that a President with religious delusions sent me to find. Lords, Lee will never forgive me."
Kara wanted to cry, but refused to let her inner turmoil show. Helo just watched her from the chair, trying to read her thoughts, but Kara didn't let him. She just wore a neutral expression on her face, as her mind filled with sorrow. In the past twenty-four hours, she had found one friend still alive, and that another was an enemy. Another enemy had almost killed her, and the pain from her injuries added to Kara's misery. She had betrayed her husband and her father, the only two people who ever loved her completely.
"Lee, maybe it would have been better for you if you had walked away from me that day," she thought, remembering Lee's choice to stick with her in that other lifetime. "Even if I can get back to you, you probably won't even want me anymore."
Should she even try to get back? This thought caused the survivor in her to fight through the emotional turmoil in Kara's mind. Kara did as she always did; she took her losses in stride, put away her pain, and pressed forward with her no-nonsense Starbuck way. Kara reached into the pocket of the old jacket she had put on, and found the keys she remembered where there.
Kara puffed on her cigar, and smiled. "You tired of walking?" she said to Helo.
As they left, Kara closed the door on the apartment, and with it her memories of the life she once had, and a life she feared she had lost with the only man she had ever loved. As she walked down to the garage where her truck was stored, Kara felt the Arrow of Apollo in her hand, and only hoped it was worth all she stood to loose.
End of Chapter Twenty-Eight. Chapter Twenty-Nine coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.