Chapter 3 Notes: Set during season 2 whilst Commander Adama is unconscious in Sick Bay. In Greek Mythology, Asclepius is a god and the son of Apollo and like Apollo is associated with medicine and healing. Happy Reading =)

Chapter 3: Playthings of the Gods

She kept vigil by his bedside when she was not on duty. She had not slept in days and her appetite had been non-existent since he had been shot in the CIC. She was not the only one who checked up on their Commander; various members of Galactica's crew always seemed to stop by and left in a daze seeing the helpless state their Commander lay in.

Indeed Zeus had fallen and with him all their hope and belief that they would survive annihilation by the Cylons. He had highlighted human frailty in all its ungodly glory and the timing could not have been worse. The Gods could not have had a more frakked up sense of humour she thought sadly.

Cottle pushed the drapes aside, unlit cigarette dangling from his lips as he checked the observations on the monitor and the medications running through the IV lines. He harrumphed in his usual way but stopped to pat her shoulder on his way out, "Don't count him out yet, Petty Officer." were his meagre words of comfort and solace.

She gave a tight smile in acknowledgement to his words as he left.

She held his hand in hers and again compared the vast difference in size between them. Her mind flashed back to the CIC when he lay bleeding out on the table. She could not explain what prescience had caused her to move towards the Command and Control console as he congratulated Boomer and Racetrack. She had suddenly felt the urge to be close to him which is why she found herself by his side when Boomer had shot him, the force of the bullets throwing him backwards.

She thought of her reactions; in hindsight she had been foolish. Her military training had deserted her and instead like a frightened child she had held his hand close, weeping and praying for his survival.

Her watch beeped softly to remind her that her shift was due to start in fifteen minutes. With the XO on the rampage after Captain Adama and President Roslin had escaped from the brig, it would not do to be late.

She picked up a mouth sponge from the table and soaked it in the water beaker. Doc Cottle had told her on an earlier visit that mouth care was important and sometimes it just was not possible for them to do it as regularly as they should due to the pressures in sick-bay so he encouraged her to do it a couple of times whenever she visited.

Her fingers ghosted lightly over his face as she leaned over him to take in all his features, just in case this was the last time she saw him alive. Her fingertips hovered momentarily over his lips before she ran the water-logged sponge carefully along his lips avoiding the tubing from the ventilator and NG feed bottle that was taped to the side of his face.

Gods! If she was brave enough she would have liked to kiss him but the fear of being caught and the inappropriateness of it all held her back. The remnants of human civilisation was seemingly crumbling around her and all she could think of was kissing the 'Old Man' - how childish you are indeed, Petty Officer, she chided herself.

She offered one last prayer up to Asclepius and squeezed his hand tightly in hers before she left his sick bed.