A/N- I'm sorry for the delay in updating. I've been having a few problems of my own. Enjoy and a huge thank you to those of you who reviewed!
Chapter One
Still simmering with anger and concern, Lee raced down the corridor, bottle in hand. He had failed to find the Commander. He didn't want to talk to anyone else. He wanted answers, pure and simple. He never noticed the annoyed looks he received as he dodged people, showing through the thin crowds like an ice breaker through an ice sheet. The clear liquid in the bottle sloshed as he jogged, but it didn't spill.
It only took him a few minutes to reach the sick bay, but it seemed like it took forever. Without a thought to protocol or rank, he burst into the room. He was clenching his jaw so tightly that his teeth were aching. The heavy door swung on its well oiled hinges. He caught it with one hand, closing it behind him for privacy.
A young nurse was unlucky enough to be directly in his path. He grabbed her arm, some part of him remembering to take care not to hurt her. "Where is Captain Thrace?" He snapped. The few other people in the room looked torn between watching and not getting involved.
The young nurse stared at him, eyes wide and wary. "She's with the Doctor." She stammered. "I can tell him you're here."
"I think that would be a good idea." Lee said tightly, letting go of her arm. She hurried away, obviously glad to be away from him. She came back a few minutes later, eyes downcast. The younger man paced the room, waiting for news. He was torn between anger at Kara's actions and concern for her. He'd never seen her look so bad before.
"The Doctor will be out in a few minutes. You can see her then. She's awake."
"Thank you." He offered, feeling awful for shouting at her. She smiled slightly, before disappearing to attend to her duties. Realising he still had the bottle in his hand, he set it down on the table next to him.
The minutes dragged past, each seeming longer than the last. Doctor Cottle came out into the main room, looking troubled. Just as he stepped over to speak to Lee, the door burst open again- this time, two of the deck crew rushed in. The chief was supporting one of the new members, his hands clamped around her wrist. The cloth there was soaked in blood. It was dripping quickly from the Chief's hands, already forming a pool on the floor where they were standing. The young woman was leaning heavily against the Chief, looking pale and scared. He looked worried, eyes scanning the room for help.
Doctor Cottle glared at Lee. "Stay there until I come back!" He ordered Lee, rushing off to deal with the injury. Glancing at the retreating doctor's back, Lee took a giant risk. He crossed the room, searching for Kara in the curtained off bays. He found her in the third bay, quickly stepping inside and drawing the curtain back to hide his presence.
She was covered in a thick layer of blankets, tubes and wires running from her body to various machines. He found them comforting, in a strange way. Her eyes had been closed, but they snapped open as she heard him approach. An IV bag hung above her head, delivering fluid and medicine into her body via a port in her wrist.
"Lee…" She started, face and voice troubled. Her blonde hair had come undone from it's usual pony tail, hanging around her face in fine threads.
Through superhuman control, Lee managed not to shout. "Save it Kara. You've gone to far this time. Drinking so much that you pass out when you're supposed to be on duty is… unbelievably stupid, even for you. You're grounded, for life."
She dragged in a breath that sounded like a sob and said his name again. "Lee…" Her tone was tortured. He'd never heard he sound so upset before and it only served to fuel his anger even more. He barely noticed the heart monitor speed up, so intense was his fury.
"Just because you're Starbuck doesn't mean that we have to put up with this… juvenile behaviour." He used her call sign like an insult. He'd been so worried that she was dying, that seeing her laying, looking hung over was like a giant slap in the face.
She wanted to stop him, to force him to listen to her, but she couldn't find the energy. Fatigue coursed through her, sapping what little strength she had left. She felt sick, though didn't have the energy to vomit. She leaned back on the pillows, shivering in the cool atmosphere.
She managed to force a few little words out, so quietly that she might have imagined them "You're wrong, Lee." With the last of her energy gone, she let herself slip back into silent, still sleep.