Chapter 3/4
His world reeled when his son reached out towards a stranger. Bill Adama could not tear his gaze away from their locked hands. The gesture was not of sexual nature but one of shared comfort but…but envy still lifted her ugly head and silently roared at the scene in front of him. Roslin had no right to stand there, not now, not ever. William's fists clenched. That place besides his son should rightfully be his.
The comfort he sensed from them both was almost more than he could bear. When exactly had he lost him? Although Lee had been the more introverted of his sons, they had shared moments like this even after Lee had grown from child to teenager and to an adult. Given, they had been sparse, but they had existed. Up until…
Bill shook his head. Had it really all began with Zak's death? There had been so many opportunities lost, so many things left unsaid.
On Lee's Graduation Day, he had nearly burst with pride. Despite being an absentee father, he had succeeded. Whenever he had been home, he had tried to make up for the times he was away, tried to pass on as many values as he could. William trusted his wife completely in her abilities to raise their kids but he wanted to make sure his sons had a male role model when they needed one. Moreover, he wanted them…
What he had wanted seemed unimportant now. Both his sons had chosen to follow their father into the military. One had died and the other had broken off contact with him, accusing him with words said and unsaid. Now Lee and he were talking again, thrust together by the end of their worlds. Although their brief conversations were no longer loaded with contempt and hatred from Lee's side, they were still awkward and unnatural – far from comfortable.
Lee and Laura Roslin drew their hands away but both continued to stand next to each other, silently gazing out into space as if words and gestures were unnecessary between them. William's fingernails dug into his palms and he unclenched his fists. He knew it was much easier to build up a friendship than to repair one.