"In what system was Aquaria located in?" Laura calls out with a smile to her class.
"Helios Delta!" The class enthusiastically calls out.
Giving the children a thumbs up, she continues, "Who is Aquaria's patron God?"
"Hermes!" The children call out once again.
"You guys are awesome. One more and then I'll let you go home to study for the test tomorrow." Laura grins, laughing softly when she hears groans, "Come on. While Aquaria has no capital city, what is it's most populated city?"
"Heim!" The class calls out as they quickly grab their things, ushering toward the tent flaps.
"Okay, everyone have a great weekend. If you're with me after class, do what you do everyday and don't move a muscle." Laura grins broadly, glancing to a picture one of the students has drawn when the boy runs it up to her, thrusting it in front of her with pride, "Oh, this is beautiful. Thank you very much, Camron." She gives him a short hug before he runs from the room. "Your turn." She mouths to Maya.
"That's not even fair. Get them all excited and I have to help them with extra math." Maya smirks, making a face afterwards.
"Fine, how about you take the kids home for a little nap?" Laura folds her arms, smirking, "I'll handle things here."
"Are you sure? I was only kidding about before." The younger woman tilts her head to the side.
"I'm positive." She nods, "Sloane may want a warm bottle before he goes down. I made one last night, should be in the ice chest."
Maya smiles, "I think this might be harder than math with excited kids."
"You chose it." Laura grins, kissing each infant before her roommate carries them from the classroom. She sits at the white picnic table with her other students, letting them talk to her about the activity they expect to have during the weekend before getting back into school work.
Cottle listens to the woman as he examines her, "Tom Zarek?"
"Yes. He stopped by a few weeks ago. I meant to tell you. I was surprised to say the very least. I will say, for being a convicted terrorist, he actually does care about the safety and happiness of the people. More than Baltar has, that's for sure. Tom even said so himself. I kind of feel sorry for him, but then he was warned about what he was getting into." Laura rattled on. She knew she could say anything to this man because in the long run, he could care less.
"Shut up for a minute." He listened to her breathing. Sherman nodded, "Alright, go on and lie back."
Laura placed her feet in the stirrups, this was a weekly occurrence due to her high risk pregnancy with unusual circumstances. There was a routine involved. "He hasn't been moving much, but does once in awhile." Her voice was quieter, flinching, "I've been having contractions, but I read in the book that Layne leant me-"
"Who is Layne?" The older man raised an eyebrow, pulling on a pair of powder blue latex gloves after writing things down in his chart.
She hummed a soft laugh, "Layne Ishay...the woman who has been working alongside you for well over a year now." Laura grinned, "I read that this soon, they're usually practice contractions and nothing to worry about."
Cottle nodded, flicking ashes onto the dirt floor and setting his cigarette in a nearby ashtray, "Usually. Do they have a pattern?"
"Sometimes, but then they stop for a while, start back up again every twenty minutes...lasting for a few hours." Laura shrugs, "it varies."
The Doctor furrows his brow slightly, "Alright, you know the drill, young lady. Trust me when I say this is much more uncomfortable for me than it is for you." He reaches his hand under her cloth medical gown, assessing her. The old man sighed, sitting back as he removed his gloves, "Listen, I don't want you to be alarmed when I say what I'm about to say."
"Is everything okay?" Her voice was quiet, filled with worry.
"Those contractions you've been having, this time they're the real deal." He nodded, "You're in labor, Laura."
Laura began to shake her head, "No, no. I can't be. I'm only thirty weeks. He needs more time to grow." Tears started to form in the corner of her eyes, her entire body felt as if it was trembling.
"It's nothing to worry about. Children are born early all the time. We're going to do the best we can." Cottle stood, walking up and taking her hand, "Laura, I mean it."
"I don't...I don't want him to die." She whispered, like everyone else she had cared about. Everyone ripped from her in the worst possible way.
"Neither do I, which is why we're going to take this one step at a time. I'm going to have Ishay put you on a drip and we're going to monitor you. Would you like me to send someone over to tell Maya?"
Laura tucked her thick auburn hair behind her ear, "Please?" She had never been more afraid in her entire life. Not when she was told she only had weeks to live, not when her mother died, not during the car accident that killed her sisters and father before that. This was the one moment that terrified her. She wished Lee was there now. Wished he could know and hold her hand through it.
"Your contractions are going to become more and more painful. We don't have the pain medication here to give you that won't harm the fetus. You're going to have to tough it out." Sherman checked her vitals once more even though he completed them only a moment ago, placing his stethoscope against her chest, "Calm down, Laura." He mumbled, waiting a moment before removing the earpieces of the device and looping it around the back of his neck, "I can't promise you that everything will be perfect, but I'm going to try my damndest to make sure that little guy is born safely."
Laura began to stare in front of her again, not at any one thing, but feeling completely numb and almost detached with what was going on around her. She heard the older man call for his assistant as he tended to someone else. Laura felt the prick of a needle in her forearm. She was used to that.
Layne Ishay moved the stretcher into a portion of the tent that was reserved for isolated patients. She glanced up into the older woman's hollow eyes and swallowed. This situation wasn't good. Sure, she'd delivered plenty of babies since the mass exodus from the colonies and while she was a paramedic at the Scorpia military base, but this situation was different. They had all grown close to the former President. Since she boarded the Galactica and informed Doctor Cottle of her Cancer. Ishay slowly turned on the overhead light and pulled up one of the metal chairs. She placed her hand into the other woman's, holding it gently.
"What am I supposed to do now?" Laura voice was just above a whisper, flinching softly when she felt another contraction. She spoke to no one in particular. Maybe except to the gods.
"Pray." A simple word that meant more to Laura than she cared to admit. Ishay sighed, not releasing the other woman's hand as she settled into her chair more, prepared for the wait.
Metal against metal. A specific sound. Grinding, hand in hand with heavy footsteps. The usual bustle of the town that could be heard outside the tent grew silent. Laura knows that sound. There's nothing mistaking it. She rises from the bench of children and steps outside the tent, zippering up her sweater as she does. She glances across the row, noticing the Tighs and Kara Thrace. Laura feels the students crowd around her from behind, starving to see what was occurring. Thirsting for a touch of information. She holds them back, instructing them to stay away from the entrance as she closes it behind her ever so much.
Saul quickly notices Laura standing outside the school, her arms folded. He watches her a moment, wondering where Sloane could possibly be. Wondering if he's safe. He doesn't know why his mind automatically goes to the infant, but he assumes her mind is in the same place. He glances up, searching for even a trace of the Galactica, but it's nonexistent. He knows they jumped away. They had no chance but to jump.
Laura closes her eyes as she looks toward the ground. She knew this day would come. During the campaign, she warned Baltar time and time again that this day would come. He didn't care. It was all about the victory to him. She wants to run away now. She wants to grab hold of her son and run. She didn't know where, but as long as they would be safe.
"Great job, Laura." Layne Ishay gently wiped the woman's forehead, "You did a great job." The young woman offered the other a soft smile as she continued to hold her hand.
"He should be crying. Why isn't he crying?" Laura leaned her head back, catching her breath, "What's wrong?" She could feel herself growing more and more fearsome.
"Doctor Cottle is assessing the afterbirth and then he will come talk to you." Ishay attempted to keep her voice calm, sensing the woman's trepidation.
She shook her head, "No...no...you're supposed to put him on my chest and he's supposed to cry." Laura choked on a sob.
"Calm the hell down, would you?" Sherman Cottle moved to the other side of the incubator.
"He's..." Laura swallowed, attempting to calm herself some. Her head slowly leaning over, she could see the small being, bright lights illuminating his body, "Is he alive?" Her voice just above a whisper.
"Of course he's alive, why the hell wouldn't he be alive?" The older man shook his head, "See him?"
She bites her lip, smiling from around her teeth, "Yeah...yeah, I can see him."
"He's not crying because his lungs aren't fully developed. Steroids will turn that around." Cottle's large hands attached wires and intravenous lines to the newborn's small frame, "Everything else seems fine. We'll keep an eye on him, but Laura..."
Laura smiled softly as she watched the boy's chest rise and fall and the soft sounds of a constant heartbeat, "Yes?" She said almost absently, her complete attention was focused on the babe under the bright lights.
"You're a mother now." Sherman Cottle offered her a soft smirk.
Lee Adama leans over the center console on the Pegasus, attempting to collect his thoughts. So many people on the surface. Laura, Lara...not to mention half the people that once staffed his ship and the other ships of the fleet. He swallows, closing his eyes for a moment.
Dee tilts her head to the side, gently touching his forearm, "There was nothing else we could have done, Lee. The Admiral was right on this call."
"Yeah?" He angrily pushes himself up, stepping away from her, "Who the frak do you have down there, Dee?" He looks to the young woman, his anger displaced slightly, but he continues, "People I've flown alongside for..." Lee shakes his head, "It's different for you."
"Why? Because I've only recently become a commissioned officer?" Dee glances around the room to the other staff, "Don't do this here. If you want to argue, we can go to our quarters."
Lee places his hands against his hips, shaking his head, knowing she's right, "Later."
The Joint Intelligence supervisor glances back to the center console, "Commander, the Admiral is on the line for you."
Apollo falls silent for a moment, "I'll take it in my quarters." He nods, noticing when his wife starts to follow him, "Alone." He shakes his head as he jogs. to his personal quarters. She is always there. No matter where he looks, his wife is there. Never leaving him alone. Suffocating him. The marines open his hatch door as he steps through, quickly moving to his desk. He lifts the receiver to his ear, "Admiral." No warmth to his voice.
Bill could anticipate that response, "Commander." He glances up to the screen, "How are things on your end?"
"Stable." His curt reply even strikes himself as cold, "How are we getting them back?"
The Admiral shakes his head, his son sounding as if he is a small child again, "I don't know, son." He shakes his head, "Meet me in my quarters...two hours...there's something you need to know."