Kara sat silently in the raptor looking over at Lee who muttered inaudibly. Her hand wandered once again to her stomach, feeling it gently, she was positive that it was just beginning to swell. Her breasts had been changing too, she was sure she wasn't imagining it. This was it. The raptor was landed smoothly in the deck, when it lurched beneath them Lee glanced over at Kara as if he expected her to explode. Lee lifted Kara out of the raptor and into the chair. They quickly made their way through the halls of Galactica, headed for the infirmary. They stopped right near the closest empty bed.
Doc Cottle looked at them curiously, "Now what?"
"Blood test right now!" Lee said gasping for breath.
"Pardon?"
"I'm pregnant, Lee wants to know for sure." Kara said simply, it was only the second time she's let herself say it and it still felt strange. Might as well get it over with quickly.
Doc Cottle rolled his eyes, pulling a preparing a needle to puncture Kara's arm, "You do know that stress can…" noticing Kara's expression he stopped talking and simply extracted blood from her arm, handing a vial to an amused looking medic. "The test will takes a while, how far along do you estimate you are?"
"Two months…" Lee stammered, after Kara remained silent for a few minutes too long.
"Captain Thrace?"
"Lee's right on."
"In sickbay?" The tone of his voice contained both amusement and exasperation. That is, if Doc Cottle was ever amused, he seemed especially grumpy, which is when Kara noticed he wasn't smoking. The question went unanswered, Doc Cottle continued, "That's unlikely, stress and injury. In weeks… that's over ten; shirt up Thrace."
Kara stared at him dumbfounded as Doc Cottle motioned for two medics to hoist her up onto one of the beds.
"Wait, the test isn't even done yet, what are you doing?" Lee asked.
"A physical examination, would you prefer I wait?" Doc Cottle grabbed a stethoscope from the table muttering under his breath.
Kara yelped, "Hey!" As he pressed first his hand and than a cold stethoscope to her bare stomach.
"Don't talk!" Cottle commanded adjusting the stethoscope lower, he grimaced after a moment pulled Lee over and put the stethoscope in his ears.
"What the frak is this?" Lee demanded, with a bemused expression on his face.
"Your child's heartbeat, it's detectable at ten weeks."
Kara stared at Lee before demanding, "Let me hear!" But Doc Cottle pulled away the stethoscope.
"This child puts your health at risk, interferes with your therapy and otherwise strains your body, should I schedule an abortion?"
"Isn't that illegal?" Lee asked in disbelief
"Yes, but we could attempt permission on the grounds it endangers the life of Captain Thrace."
"No." Kara said simply. Her mind raced through possibilities, falling short at a one-syllable answer.
Both Lee and Cottle looked at her in disbelief.
"I am not having an abortion." Kara stated more firmly, if this baby was a gift from the gods she wasn't about to kill it; that was against the will of the gods.
Lee looked at her in horror, "Kara, I won't lose you, if this baby…I can't live with that."
"Very well, this pregnancy is high risk, we will have to reconsider you remaining on the Rising Star; you need to stay close to proper medical facilities."
"So I get to stay on Galactica?" Kara asked hopefully.
"Possibly, if we can find a therapist willing to come to you." And with that Cottle wandered off for a moment, leaving Kara and Lee alone once more.
Lee looked like he'd swallowed his own tongue. Kara realized quickly that her mixed terror and excitement, especially about her dreams in relation to the baby paled to Lee's fear. She reached for his hand and Lee pulled her into a hug, a tight hug.
"Kara, I can't lose you, I can't." he murmured into her hair.
He held her closer; as if he could just hang on to her physically he could 'save' her. And she just clung to him, just seeking comfort for a moment. She heard Lee's heart speed up, and her own along with it.
Hearing footsteps, Kara looked up from Lee's shoulder, "Admiral." She loosened her arms slightly, but didn't let go of Lee. Lee still held her around her waist, but hadn't bothered to loosen his grip.
"You're looking better Kara, another test? How are you feeling?"
"I'm alright sir."
Lee looked from his father to Kara, "No Kara you're not fine."
Doc Cottle walked back into the room, "Results are positive, confirming the physical examination."
"Pardon?" Bill looked concerned, he seemed to notice his son was close to tears.
"Captain Thrace has put her own life in danger, and Major Adama helped." Cottle said waiting for his patient to fill in the Admiral.
"Sir, this is none of your business." Lee told his father calmly. Causing the perplexed expression on the Admiral's face to worsen.
"Actually, if Captain Thrace is returning to the Galactica for closer observation it is his business." Doc Cottle paused, waiting for Kara, giving her the option of informing the Admiral herself.
She took it, "I'm pregnant." She said it quietly, but loud enough, judging by the falling expression of the face of Admiral Adama.
"And Lee's the father." Bill Adama said quietly, "How bad is it?" he directed his next question to Doc Cottle.
"Might kill her, might not." Doc Cottle said simply, "It won't make learning to walk again easy. As for the baby…no guarantees."
At the thought of her baby dieing, Kara rested her head on Lee's shoulder, he responded instantly drawing her into his arms. She was frightened, but the gods gave her this child, they did so for a reason. Looking at Lee, she realized she might have to be strong for him as well as herself.
"I could talk to the President about altering the law, allowing for extenuating circumstances."
"She won't have an abortion." Lee said rubbing Kara's back slowly as he did so.
Admiral Adama paced slightly avoiding looking at Kara and Lee, "Would it be safer for Kara to remain on the Galactica? Could we have her therapist come here?"
"It might help, if something goes wrong, she has a better chance of living through it if she's here."
"Kara stays." He said simply, "Make it happen." And with that, Admiral Adama walked out of sickbay.
Doc Cottle led Kara and Lee to a largish room fairly close to sickbay. Guest quarters, Kara thought as she saw how comfortable the room had been made. It was not however nearly as nice as the room on the Rising Star, but she was on Galactica, she was home.
"I have CAP Kara, I'll see you soon." Lee gave her a lingering kiss before he left.
Kara managed to get herself on to the bed, after Doc Cottle left, with a warning to get some rest. She undressed, and as she did so remembered the terrified look in Lee's eyes, the way he held on. She'd rest, she decided, but only until Lee came back from CAP, he needed comfort even more than she did if that was possible.