The beeps weren't as loud as Laura Roslin remembered. She wasn't as cold as
she'd been. Suddenly she realized she wasn't in pain but at peace.
Did the after life look like Galactica's Sick Bay? Laura struggled for
comprehension. She tried to breathe deeply something that had been
impossible for weeks. The effort didn't hurt but her heart nearly stopped
when she saw Dr. Baltar next to her bed.
This couldn't be the reward for a life well lived or even the punishment for
a life of utter debauchery. He was whispering something to Laura. She
noticed he looked relieved. That was strange since she doubted he cared
whether she lived or died. Maybe this was another hallucination.
She felt another hand on her wrist and turned to see Doc Cottle. Oh, gods.
She realized she was alive when she felt him taking her pulse. He looked as
stunned as she was as he said, "Young lady, welcome back.
Laura could only nod in wonder. She attempted to sit up but was held down
gently by medics, "What . . .?"
Exhaustion claimed her before she could complete the question and hear an
answer. It was a blissful and refreshing sleep without any trace of pain.
***
"Bill." She murmured his name as she swam out of the deep sleep. He wasn't
there.
Laura realized it immediately. Everything looked and sounded sharper to her.
Doc Cottle and Billy came into view. There was so much joy and relief on
Billy's face he looked even younger if that was possible. He grabbed Laura's
hand in both of his and pumped it up and down vigorously, "It's so good to
see you, Madame President."
She reclaimed her hand and focused on the Doctor. Galactica's Chief Medical
Officer had lost a bit of his usual hangdog look. In its place was one of
amazement.
"Doctor, what is going on with me?"
"How do you feel, young lady?"
"Don't answer a question with a question." She noticed a cigarette dangling
from his mouth, "I am aware there's been an improvement."
"Because you have no pain?"
"Because you're smoking and when I was near death, you didn't."
"It seemed disrespectful, not to mention the oxygen flammability factor." At
Laura's raised eyebrow, he continued, "You've not lost a brain cell, Madame
President."
"No, however I'm about to blow my image by uttering a stream of Colonial
Fleet profanity that would embarrass a knuckle dragger unless I get some
answers. Now!"
The doctor pulled the curtain tighter around her bed and in a low voice gave
her all the details of her cure. Laura glanced at Billy for confirmation and
watched him slowly nod in agreement.
Laura stared at him, "The Admiral and Dr. Baltar did this? Cylon cells in .
Billy weighed in, "It was Dr. Baltar's theory and after his explanation, the
Admiral considered everything before allowing it."
She swallowed hard and Billy noticed her distress. "Madame President, we
were about to lose you. He saw no other choice."
"Which 'he' are you referring to when it comes to controlling my life?"
"The Admiral, Ma'am. This wasn't an easy decision."
Doc Cottle saw his patient growing more agitated. "Son, step out for a
second." When Billy hesitated the doctor added, "Please."
***
Billy reluctantly abandoned his President. He heard a quiet cough as he
stepped outside the curtain. It was Bill Adama's subtle entrance, "How is
she, Billy?"
The aide hesitated. Admiral Adama was the reason President Roslin lived and
that counted for everything. Billy trusted and respected the senior officer
more than ever. That allowed Billy to plunge in, "Physically, it's amazing.
She's tired as you'd expect but pain free. The staff says her vital signs
are good."
"There's more." Bill phrased it as a statement not a question.
"Sir, she's learning about the circumstances surrounding her cure."
"I take it by your reaction that her reaction isn't positive."
"Admiral, she's upset and confused." Billy squared his shoulders, "That
doesn't matter, all that matters is that she's alive and remains the
President."
Bill patted him on the shoulders, "I have no doubts you'll convince her of
that even if she hates me."
He nodded to the young man and turned to leave. It surprised Billy, "Admiral
Adama, you're not going in to see her?"
"She needs some time to process everything. And I want her to rest. The crew
is under orders to make a wide berth around Sick Bay unless ordered to
report here. I'm responsible for setting the example."
***
Laura felt better every time she woke up from one of an endless succession
of catnaps. She appeared calmer and was trying to accept the fact that she
would live. The people had lost their dying prophet and gained a history
making medical miracle. One that would stay top secret. The Quorum and the
rest of the people would only be told an experimental treatment had been
effective for now.
For now. Laura could deal with things a little easier because there was a
chance the cancer would return. The lack of that guarantee allowed her to
consider herself still human, still mortal, still fallible.
And she was hungry. She craved food and information about what was happening
in her world. The medicos agreed she could move from IVs to clear liquids.
With a few words to Billy, her hunger for information was assuaged as he
added tidbits from around the Fleet to the official briefings.
Her hunger for the sight of Bill was harder to satisfy. She couldn't figure
out how to ask for a private audience without causing more rumors. She was
sure his time at her supposed deathbed had set tongues wagging on Galactica
and beyond. She'd have to hope he'd stop by on his own.
***
The President of the Twelve Colonies digested her liquid diet well. She
didn't take the information from Billy about the Demand Peace terrorists as
well. She could see them becoming a divisive force and they'd worked too
hard since Kobol to allow that.
She told Billy to round up whichever of her suits was more presentable and
then to find the Admiral. Laura steeled herself to come face to face with
Bill for the first time since she was reborn. Maybe it was better their
initial meeting was in a professional capacity. Her feelings remained raw
about what had transpired on her deathbed at his order.
Doc Cottle made disapproving noises when her clothes arrived. Laura waved
him off. His noises grew to angry shouts when she started to refuse the
wheelchair. When she saw Bill's deep blue eyes looking steely as he pulled
back the curtain, she accepted that riding in the wheelchair was not
negotiable.
***
Billy wheeled her back to Sick Bay after her session with Royan Jahee in the
brig. She'd expected Bill to follow them back to her bedside to discuss the
meeting. Instead, he excused himself with a courtly bow. It was her last
glimpse of him that day even though she'd expected he might stop by after
the ship settled into its night cycle.
That had been their time. Laura fought to stay awake because she wanted to
see him and talk to him. She needed to hear how he'd felt about Baltar's
plan and how it turned out. Laura wanted to feel her hand enveloped in
Bill's again while his husky voice soothed her.
Sleep claimed her before any of that. She slept without any sense of Bill at
her side and woke wondering if the connection between them was forged out of
pity over her illness. Or maybe it lived only in her drug fogged
imagination.
The next few days fell into a new routine. Laura pleaded to get back to
Colonial One and work. Doc Cottle refused, setting strict limits on her work
sessions with Billy and discouraging other visitors.
Her physician always added, "Except for the Admiral since it's his ship."
Bill would pass through twice a day but never overstayed his welcome. He
would exchange pleasantries with Laura and Billy. Her aide would offer to
step out but the Admiral always politely rebuffed that. Within minutes Bill
was moving on to his other duties.
Laura concluded she'd become just another one of his daily chores and his
brisk attitude did nothing to dispel that.
These nights she had only a skeleton crew to periodically interrupt her
sleep to ironically make sure she was okay. Bill was never there in those
hours, yet he was always her last thought at night and first in the morning.
Both were punctuated by deep sighs.
***
Although their commanding officer might not linger, his crew had other
ideas. Lee, Kara and Dee made daily stops with the excuse of relieving
Billy. In truth, it was to relieve the President's boredom. They were well
trained and never said a word to anyone else about her appearance or
condition.
That meant the usual rumors flew at FTL speed. Billy fielded daily requests
for interviews and audiences from the media and the Quorum members. He
deftly dealt with them, inferring each time that the request of that person
topped his list.
Eventually, he decided something needed to be done for everyone's morale
including President Roslin's. Billy suggested she accept a visit from
someone on the Galactica crew. He offered to make the choice and promised it
would be easy to find the right person because nearly everyone would be
proud to volunteer. The Public Relations upside was that it was a way to
update the Fleet on her recovery and that she was in charge.
Billy suggested the Chief Petty Officer after a brief consideration of the
possible choices.
Laura approved the idea. Billy figured she liked it for its simplicity and
because she already knew Chief Galen Tyrol. He believed she was feeling a
little self-consciousness about a stranger putting her under a microscope.
The mood changed in Laura's corner of Sick Bay when Billy reminded her that
the visit needed to be okayed by the ship's commander. He was surprised to
see his boss hesitate over this mundane detail. It was basic protocol and
Billy couldn't imagine the Admiral offering objections.
Moreover, the aide was confused about the recent lack of interaction between
the two most powerful people left in the Colonies. He'd watched them grow
closer after Kobol and as the President's condition worsened.
The Admiral's agony over losing Laura Roslin had been particularly evident
to Billy. It was a burden the two men had in common. That was one of the
reasons Billy was extremely grateful the Admiral had the courage to put Dr.
Baltar's unorthodox treatment plan into action.
Because of that Laura Roslin was back. It seemed to Billy as each day
progressed she regained more color and energy but lost a little of her inner
sparkle. Each day it seemed as if Admiral Adama's perfunctory visits became
shorter.
The sigh from the President snapped Billy back to the present. He noticed
her biting her lip, "Madame President?"
"Yeah, we should mention it to him. Put it on the list for things relating
to the Admiral when he sails through precisely at 1400 hours."
"I'll do that."
"Just make sure you're concise. We don't want to keep him here for one
second longer than his presence is required."
"Uh, okay." Billy wanted to sigh himself. Nearly a year older and he was no
closer to understanding much about women.
(TBC)