Down in the hanger deck, Kara approached the Raptor only to find it empty. She placed her bag down in the co-pilot seat and waited on Lee. Thinking she was late, Lee showed up ten minutes later. "I was about to leave you here and go on my own. What the frak took you so long?"

Lee didn't answer her as he put on his helmet.

"Never mind I don't want to know." Kara sat down in the back and waited for the pre-flight checking to begin. It was going to be the longest day of her life.

Trying not to be discouraged by his seeming lack of progress, Anders pushed himself harder and harder everyday until Cottle finally had to tell him that if he continued the way he was, he'd cause more damage than the initial injury. To that end, the sadistic doctor, to Sam's way of thinking, took away his mode of transportation forcing Anders to keep off his feet for two days.

"When Starbuck returns in a few hours, you can have them back," he said taking a drag on his cigarette.

"What the frak am I supposed to do until then?" Anders demanded. He hate sitting on his ass doing nothing and he seemed to be doing that a hell of a lot lately.

"You're supposed to let that leg heal! If you don't I'll put you back in sickbay under sedation for three days. You got that Anders?"

"Right, sure thing," Sam snapped determined to do this his way. "What the frak did doctors know anyway?" He mumbled under his breath.

Kara didn't return that day.

Day three of the conference, Kara was growing tried of standing around staring at people that were wrestling back and forth on one topic. Every second that passed by meant more and more people were starving. She leaned back on the wall as she scanned the room just once more.

"Falling asleep on the job again Starbuck?" Lee asked her over the wireless headset in her ear.

"Aren't you? I can't take this anymore Apollo. I need an eight soon. I didn't get much sleep again last night." Kara whined back to him.

"Was it the kid again?" He asked as he moved from his post.

"Yeah. I thought morning sickness was just in the morning. Not in the middle of the night," she sighed as she studied Lee closer. It was the baby and Sam that was keeping her up all night long. She tried calling Sam to see how he was but he was always out of the room when she did. "Where are you going Apollo?"

Lee walked over to Kara and stood next to her. "Sam would kill me if he saw you like this. Go back to your room and take a nap. That's an order. I'll bring in two marines to take my place as I take yours. Don't worry if there's something really exciting happens I'll give you a ring." He smiled up at Kara as he pushed Kara to the exit and into the corridor were they were staying.

It had been three long agonizing days since Kara had gone off on her mission and Sam's temper hadn't improved at all. He'd been stuck in his quarters confined to either the bunk or sitting with his leg up. He was stiff, sore, and thoroughly annoyed with anyone and everyone. Karl and Sharon had come to visit him but after biting off Sharon's head over some silly comment she hadn't been back and Karl was rather pissed that he'd upset her. He was currently visiting Sam.

"I know what you're going through Sam, but you have to do as the doc tells you! If you persist in overdoing it, you're going to totally screw up your knee and then where will you be?" Helo raged at him. Earlier Helo entered to find Anders lying on the floor of his quarters pale from pain and hardly able to respond at first. Sam had been trying to exercise his leg when it gave out on him and down he went. Karl helped get Sam back to his bunk and against Sam's wishes, called Cottle in. He got another tongue lashing and was only saved from being stuck for the duration in sickbay by Helo promising that Sam would behave from now on.

Over the following few days, Sam fell into a bit of a depression. He missed Kara badly and he was feeling just a bit sorry for himself. He didn't shave, didn't comb his hair and barely stirred from his bunk but for pressing bodily needs. Sam's complete opposite behavioral change concerned his friends even more than his trying to over do.

Kara stumbled into her suite aboard the Rising Star. She was beyond wiped and exhausted from standing and watching for eight hours straight. Slowly peeling off her uniform jacket, she threw it on the chair in the corner of the room. She yawned as she rubbed the side of her neck. Walking over to the bathroom, she turned on the shower and started to take the rest of her clothes off. Just as she was about to jump in, there was a knock at her door. She didn't have the time or energy to throw her clothes back on, so she grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her tightly. "Lee… this isn't funny…" She yanked the door completely open only to find someone else. "Helo? What are you doing here?" She asked still standing in her towel.

"Sorry Starbuck I wish I was here with better news but…" he paused and looked away from Kara. "Uhm… can we have this talk inside Starbuck so the people in the hallway don't see you half naked pregnant body?! Though I must say it's a great look on you." He said as he heard Kara wrap her towel more tightly around her body before looking back at her.

"Karl what is it? Who died?" Kara stared into his face before walking into the bathroom to change back into her clothes and turned off the water from the shower.

"No one died Kara, its your husband," Karl told Kara as she came out of the bathroom back in her uniform. "He's depressed I think. He's not acting the same anymore. You need to come back, the Old man is sending Hot-Dog to take your place. I'm here to take you back."

Within two minutes Kara packed her belongings into her bag and handed it to Karl to carry for her. "You have to be kidding me. Depressed over what?" She asked before hopping into the Raptor as Karl started it up.

"I wish I was Kara but I'm not. I'm sorry that I had to pull you away like this."

"Don't apologize Karl, just get me home."

Other five minutes and Kara was back aboard Galactica heading to her quarters.

Sam, feeling like he was on Cottle's permanent black list, didn't know what the hell to believe anymore. One moment the crotchety man was telling him to stay off his leg and the next hounding him to be up and exercising. Well frak him anyway! He wasn't feeling like obeying anyone at the moment. He had been accused more than once of being a stubborn son of a bitch so be it. Didn't he deserve to do something his way for a change? And he didn't feel like doing it at the moment.

He blinked when the light turned on in the room, blinding him for a moment. "Do you frakking mind?" He growled at his intruder. "If that is you Cottle, you can just turn around and leave me the hell alone," his sleep husky voice came from the bed as he closed his eyes and drew the blanket up higher over his bared shoulders ignoring his visitor.

Kara's hand lowered from the light switch as she watched out of the corner of her eye, the covers of the bed raised and fell over Sam. She dropped her bag on the floor with a thud as she still stood in the doorway. "Excuse me?" She asked snotty as she walked over to the bed. "Hi honey would have been better than that you just delivered to me. I'm not even going to ask you how you've been. I can already tell."

She wasn't sure whether to be angry, relieved, or just apathetic. She chose the first and stormed over to the bathroom. Within the pass fifteen minutes this would have been the second time she has taking off her clothes to take a shower. She turned on the water, it was loud enough that she let out a scream that couldn't be heard. "Just frakking great!" She jumped in even before the water was warm. The cold water slowly clammed her down as she let it beat on her face and down her back and torso. She slicked her short hair back as her hands ran down her sides and stopped on her stomach. Something didn't feel right to her.

He felt bad about snapping at Kara, he really hadn't expected her back just yet. Then a thought hit him. What if she were having problems with her pregnancy? Sam shoved off the covers and sat up a bit too quickly. His head swam from lack of food and movement. After a moment he rose carefully and made his way painfully to the bathroom.

"Kara?" He pushed open the door and then over to the enclosed shower. "I'm sorry babe, I didn't know you were back... are you alright?" He asked blue eyes going wide at the sight of her hands on the small hump on her stomach. "What is it?"

It took awhile for Kara to response to Sam's question. She slowly looked away from her stomach and up at him. "Hmm… what? Oh it's nothing just a little bit of morning sickness that's all."

"It's two in the afternoon Kara."

"Well your child doesn't know time yet."

"But you are okay, right?" He asked concerned for her face had gone pale.

"I'm fine really. I'm just tired, hungry and now I'm cold."

Sam stood in the entrance of the shower with the door wide open let the hot steam escape into the bedroom. She looked him up and down, he looked like he could use a shower himself. "In or out?" She stepped back into the hot water letting it warm her back up again.

Sam hesitated for just a moment before shedding his sweat pants. "Do you mind if I join you?" He asked a little shyly. He knew he looked terrible with his unshaven face and unwashed hair.

"I was hoping you would," she replied.

Naked, he stepped in the enclosure savoring the hot water beating on his skin.

Kara reached around her husband to grab the soap and sponge and began to work the lather into Sam's skin. She ran the sponge over his broad chest, over his well defined arms and down his lean stomach. "You've lost too much weight Sammy," she said.

"How many times I have I asked you not to call me that and look who's talking." He said running his hands over her waist. "You look exhausted Kara, what did they have you doing?" He asked loving the feel of her hands over his body.

Kara stopped her task of washing him and looked up at him. "The usual. Stand at your post and watch. Make sure no one looks like their up to something. One guy did act weird the first day so I asked him to leave. He put on a show until I punched him in the face and Lee forced him out of the room. That was the highlight of my trip the rest was boring. The second day was a ten hour rotation with two twenty minute breaks. So it was mainly just standing around, watching, and wait to see which of the miliarty personnel would pull out their sidearm and shoot themselves in the head. Gods it was so boring. Then today I was standing around maybe three hours and Lee sent me to my suite to take a nap."

Kara pulled him into the water letting the suds wash of his body. He seemed to be walking a lot better from the last time she saw him walk. Of course it was just three steps, maybe it was from the hot water warming up his muscles. "Actually before I came back home, I was about to take a shower and head to bed. But Helo ruined that for me when he came knocking on my door." She grabbed the bottle of shampoo and lather it up in his hair. "You didn't cause any trouble while I was gone did you? How's the leg by the way?"

His eyes slid closed in pure pleasure at the sensation of her fingers gently rubbing his scalp. He knew he needed a shave and haircut and he also had to snap out of the lethargy that gripped him. He had to take care of her.

'Come on Anders, this isn't like you,' that voice in his head said. 'Start being smart and you'll be just fine, you've done it before and you can again.'

Sam gave her a half smile and a look that was practiced innocence. "Me cause trouble? What in the world would give you that impression?" He asked. "I've been held prisoner in that frakking bed for three days. As for the leg, it'll be fine," he said with determination that it would be.

Kara smiled as she let Sam wash the shampoo out of his hair. He was facing away from her, so she wrapped her arms around his chest. She ran her mouth from his shoulders and up along his neck, biting lightly. Her hands traveled from his chest and played with his ear. "Oh that's good news. Now I know what to do with you later. But do you want to leave this room now that I'm back? I missed you."

"You have no idea how much I missed you Kara," he pulled her into him and kissed her.

Reaching over to the handle, Kara turned off the shower and opened the shower door. She dripped all the way to the other side of the bathroom to grab a towel for her and Sam.

"I hate when you do that," Sam glared at the water puddles on the floor before reaching his hand out to her to receive his towel.

"It will dry like it always does." She walked back to Sam and handed him his towel. "I'll take a quick nap and then we can leave to get you out of here." She told him as she threw on one of his shirts.

"No, the only thing I want to do right now is hold you in my arms while you sleep, if you think you can handle that. I've found that I don't sleep well when you're gone," he said walking up behind her to wrap his arms about too slender waist. "You said that I've lost weight, well my love you're much too thin." Sam reached up underneath his shirt on Kara and rubbed where she was carrying their child.

Kara's head flung back on his shoulder and let out a soft moan. Just the slightest touch from him made her go crazy. "Sam…"

"What do you say to that nap, a nice long one and then I'll see what I can find to make you for dinner? You may not know this but I'm a fantastic cook providing of course that we have anything to cook." He let go of Kara and hobbled his way, naked, over to their closet and pulled out a clean set of clothes. He pulled on his boxers and sat down heavily on the bunk to rewrap his knee.

"Let me see that Sam," she said kneeling at his side taking the length of bandaging out of his hands.

The wound was much less red and even though it was still a little swollen, it was looking so much better aside from the long scar he now bore due to the surgery needed to clean out the terrible infection. "You know this is looking much better than it did last week," she said softly.

Anders nodded. "Yeah, I guess I over did it a few times," he admitted. "Kara," he said stilling her hands. "I swear to you that I won't let you down. I swear it. I guess Helo saw I was feeling sorry for myself and called you back, but I'm not going to give up," he said fervently and looking as if he was going to breakdown in front of her.

Kara placed the bandage on Sam's knee and rewrapped it before helping him into bed. "Shh… It's okay. I know I know. Helo told me everything. Look it's not as bad as you are picturing it babe. After my first knee surgery that threw me out of Pyramid I thought my life was over, but I found something better to do. Everything is going to be okay as long as you put your mind to it." She stood up next to the bed, staring down at Sam before walking over to her side of the bed.

Kara remembered her father telling her something similar to that when she got the chance to visit him. He was the one that told Kara to follow her dreams and do whatever she wanted, while her mother told her she was to join the military. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

An exhausted Kara Anders grabbed the corner of the covers and pulled them down to crawl into bed. It took her awhile to get comfortable. "I'm going to help you through this, just like you helped me through my breakdowns after Leoben." She scooted in closer to him, placing one arm over his chest and placed her head on top of his shoulder. "You're going to be fine… back on the court in no time." She yawned as her hand rubbed his other shoulder and down to his arm until she fell asleep.

Sam hoped so and he would work toward that. He knew that he'd never play professionally again, at least not for a very long time and certainly not while they were on the run like they were, but there was talk of them setting up a court in one of the hangers or converting one of the storage bays into an arena. Adama had mentioned to him that they needed more sporting events to release the tension around when time permitted and that Sam should get as many of the players together as he could. He was lucky in the fact that most of the C-Bucs were with him here on Galactica and only a few had been lost in the time on New Caprica, not that their loss was any easier to take, but he had to keep his mind on those that survived.

Sam saw just how tired Kara was. She had dark shadows under her eyes and her face was drawn. "I love you," he whispered as he settled her against him as she fell asleep within the circle of his arms. He looked down at her face and kicked himself for wallowing in self pity when she needed him more than she knew. He swore then and there that he would do as he was told and work hard to regain his strength. With that thought in his mind, Sam fell asleep and for the first time in days, he slept deeply and dreamlessly.

TBC

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