Laura peered around the corner of the makeshift room they had set up aboard Colonial One for Kestra. It was nothing more than a couple wall dividers and a bed in the corner of one of the conference rooms. She saw the girl was sitting up in her bed and drawing as she had frequently begun to do since her arrival. In the few days she'd been aboard, Kestra had explored the ship a little but mostly kept to her little room. Laura had honestly not paid the girl much attention since she'd agree to take her in. She wasn't even sure what had caused her to think of the girl in this moment. Most of Laura's thoughts were consumed by her grief. All she could think about was Billy. Poor Billy. He was so young. How could this have happened? Yet as she had rushed toward her raptor, her thoughts had lingered on the young girl who she had been cooped up on Colonial One for days with little to no human interaction. Given Kestra's peaceful demeanor, Laura assumed that she had no idea what had happened on Cloud Nine. Laura cleared her throat to gain Kestra's attention. Kestra stood quickly when she noticed her visitor.

"Madam President, hello," she greeted. It struck Laura that as soon as she came aboard Colonial One, Kestra had begun making more of an effort to show respect to her. She would have questioned it if there were more important matters pressing on her mind.

"I'm going to Galactica. Would you like to join me?" she said shakily. Kestra looked concerned for the older woman. "Lee's been shot," Laura informed her. Kestra's eyes went wide as she gasped.

"Is he-"

"He's alive," Laura said, though she had to work very hard to keep from crying. Kestra seemed to notice the president's struggle, but thankfully didn't comment on it.

"Yes, I'd like to go," she said. Roslin nodded and turned to leave. Kestra followed closely behind her all the way to the raptor. While they sat in the back of the raptor, Kestra watched as Roslin attempted to keep her tears at bay. The younger woman slowly reached over and grabbed the president's hand. Roslin flinched slightly but did not pull away from the pressure placed on her hand. When she didn't pull away, Kestra squeezed Roslin's hand to try to offer her some sort of comfort. She didn't know what had happened, but she could tell it was a source of profound grief for Roslin. Kestra released her hand as the raptor landed, knowing enough about Roslin to know she wouldn't want to show any emotion in front of the crew of the Galactica. The hatch opened and Roslin stepped out without a word to anyone. She briskly walked through the ship and stopped in front of a large door. She abruptly turned to Kestra.

"Can you make it to the sickbay on your own?" she asked. Kestra nodded and turned to go. As she turned the corner, she glanced back to see Roslin bracing herself before opening the door. Kestra left Roslin behind and shifted her focus to Lee. She walked quickly both to get to Lee and to avoid any confrontations in the hall. She stopped short when she reached the sickbay and saw Starbuck standing just beyond the doorway. She watched as the pilot moved behind one of the medical curtains, but she was watching something across the room. Kestra stepped closer to the door and saw Kara's eyes were fixed on Lee who laid in a bed with the woman who had watched her in Lee's absence on the Pegasus. Kestra tried to find a way into the sickbay without crossing paths with Starbuck, but the only open path was right through Kara's line of sight. Kestra looked around and caught sight of Doc Cottle. The old man lifted his head when he noticed her and beckoned her in. She threw a glance at Starbuck, and Cottle nodded in understanding. He walked by quietly, and Starbuck was too focused on Lee to notice him beyond a break in her watch of her friend. Cottle put his arm around Kestra and led her back through, again avoiding Starbuck's attention. He led her past Lee's bed and beyond another set of curtains.

"What are you doing here?" he asked quietly, "I thought you were staying on Colonial One?" Kestra looked back toward Lee.

"The president told me Lee was injured. She let me come with her… to see him," she said. Cottle sighed.

"He'll be alright. Don't you worry," he assured her.

"I'm not worried," she said with a smile, "he's got you looking after him." Cottle shook his head and scoffed.

"Now where do you get off making claims like that? You don't even know if I'm a good doctor," he said gruffly.

"Yes I do," she said firmly. "you helped me. And," she lowered her voice to whisper conspiratorially, "I know that the best doctors are always the grumpiest ones." Cottle chuckled at her statement.

"Is that so?" he asked, amused. Kestra nodded resolutely, but her smile faltered, and she looked back at Lee.

"You're sure he's alright?" she asked.

"Positive," Cottle said with a nod. Kestra met his eyes again.

"Do you mind if I stay here until the President is ready to leave? I don't want to get in their way," she said tilting her head toward the bed where the young woman sat at Lee's side. Cottle nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Take as much time as you need," he said as he walked away. Kestra watched the rise and fall of Lee's chest from across the room. It was a comforting sign that he was still alive.

Lee. Wake up, Lee. Please.

Kestra watched the bed closely as she tried to wake her friend. While she knew he was alive, she needed some sign that he was alright. That he would recover and be back to his old self. She watched him but nothing changed. His breaths rose and fell at the same steady rate.

Lee… Come back.

Lee's head twitched and his eyes fluttered open. Kestra took a few steps forward before noticing the woman beside Lee quickly grasping his hand and leaning over him.

"Hey," she said hopefully. Lee looked around confused for a moment, but his eyes finally landed on the woman in front of him. Kestra backed away as the two began to talk. She smiled sadly. Lee was okay. That was what was important. She had to keep reminding herself of that as she watched the pair. Try as she might, Kestra couldn't help feeling a little jealous, wishing she was at Lee's bedside instead of that woman. She knew she had no right to feel that way, and that the woman at his side had no doubt known him for years whereas Kestra had only known him a few months. Out of the corner of her eye Kestra saw a moment across the room. She glanced up to see Starbuck look sadly back at Lee before leaving the room. Kestra had to smile. It was funny to consider that she and Starbuck might have something in common despite Starbucks hatred towards her. They both cared for Lee, and wished they could be the one at his side. Kestra remained silent and still as she watched the pair talk until Lee fell back asleep.

Kestra was brought back to the hangar by a member of Galactica's crew. The President was already waiting for her in the raptor. The older woman's eyes were red and tear marks had been left on her cheeks. She did not acknowledge Kestra as she boarded the raptor. Once they had taken off, Roslin broke the silence.

"How is Lee?" she asked shakily.

"Doctor Cottle said he'll be alright," she replied. Roslin looked up questioningly.

"Was he awake?" she asked, concerned. Kestra nodded.

"There was a young woman with him," she responded evenly. Roslin cocked her head curiously.

"Did you speak to him at all?" she asked. Kestra shook her head but offered no more response to the president's inquiry. They both fell silent. When they arrived back on Colonial One, Kestra followed Roslin until they came to her quarters. Roslin stopped briefly to look back at Kestra. Kestra looked into her red rimmed, puffy eyes and felt a surge of pity for the older woman.

"Is there anything I can do for you President Roslin?" she asked. Roslin seemed taken aback by her offer. She shook her head slowly.

"No, there's nothing you can do," she said sadly. Her voice hitched as she fought off another wave of tears.

"Actually," Kestra said tentatively. Roslin looked at her curiously. "With your permission, I could try to help…" Kestra trailed off. Roslin shook her head.

"Help how?" she asked shakily.

"You're grieving," Kestra said plainly. "I could try to project… calmer," she paused looking for the right word, "more pleasant emotions to you." Roslin's brows furrowed.

"You can do that?" she asked warily, "what will happen?"

"While I'm projecting I can make you feel anything that I'm feeling. It may help you… deal with your grief," Kestra said. Roslin's body shook slightly as she fought off her emotions, and after a while, she nodded slowly. She opened her door and allowed Kestra to step in. Roslin pulled out a chair for Kestra and then sat across from her in another. Kestra waited for Laura to sit before speaking again. "I… what would you like me to project?" she asked. Laura's mouth gaped open for a moment as she tried to come up with an answer to Kestra's question.

"Anything but this," Laura finally said as her tears finally forced their way into her eyes and down her cheeks. Kestra's heart went out to the woman. She reminded her so much of her mother after Thad had died. All that grief and nothing to do but suffer through it. Kestra had not been able to help her mother then, but maybe she could help Laura Roslin now. All she needed now was some peace to calm the grief and guilt that were most certainly taking over her mind. Kestra closed her eyes and thought of home. Nepenthe. She remembered the stillness of the lake beside her parent's cabin. She remembered the feel of the dirt beneath her feet and the rush of the wind in her hair as she sat atop the trees. These were the memories that Kestra treasured even after she had left her home. She treasured being Kestra, Wild Girl of the Woods. It was a happier time. Far happier than the past few years. With all these feelings of peace and happiness, she reached out to the consciousness of Laura Roslin. She found her without much trouble. The past few days she had spent near the woman had made it easier to focus on her. Despite being only proficient in projection, Kestra still struggled with it. It wasn't a skill she often had a use for, especially since she'd been alone. Reaching Laura Roslin was far more difficult than Lee and even the Admiral. Their minds were by far more open than the president's. Roslin was guarded and clearly mistrustful of Kestra which made reaching her consciousness a difficult task.

"Relax," Kestra breathed calmly as she persisted in reaching out to Laura. She heard Laura sigh deeply. She smiled as she redoubled her efforts and finally felt some give in Laura's mind. Kestra returned to her thought's of home. She knew it was safe to think about moments at home, because as hard as it had been to project her emotions to Roslin, it would be even harder to reach her with thoughts. Kestra thought about racing through the woods and jumping from tree to tree with her bow and arrow in hand. She thought about proudly bringing a dead bunnicorn to her father for dinner, and being praised as the wild girl of the woods. She thought about swimming with her parents in the lake, and planting flowers in the garden with her mother. She thought about learning Viveen with Thad. Thad left. She left them. Kestra quickly opened her eyes, and ripped her focus away from the mind of Laura Roslin. Roslin looked shocked as she stared back at Kestra. Kestra pursed her lips to avoid breaking down in front of the already grief stricken woman.

"I'm sorry. I," she stuttered. When she didn't continue, Roslin spoke up.

"Don't. It… it helped," she said with an expression between a smile and a grimace. "That was… a good distraction. Happy. Why did you stop?" Kestra pursed her lips again before replying.

"I can only project my own emotions, and… they were beginning to wander," she said evenly, "I'm glad I could help, but if you'll excuse me." Kestra stood up tentatively.

"Of course," Laura replied as she followed her to the door, "and … thank you." Kestra nodded as she left. Laura shut the door and leaned up against it with her eyes shut. She sighed heavily and sunk down until she was sitting on the ground. She stayed there for the rest of the evening.