Bill Adama looks down to the receiver in front of him when it begins to buzz. Dee didn't alert him, it came straight to this line. There were very few people who had the direct patch code. He lifts it to his year, "Adama." His gravel voice murmurs into the receiver as he stares toward the DRADIS screen.
"Admiral, this is Sick Bay. Just wanted to let you know Laura Roslin's here with the boy. He's sick and we're doing tests. She doesn't want to tell Apollo as to not take his mind off of flying. However, she never said I couldn't tell you." Cottle watches the child with his terrified mother through the glass windows of his office. "So, you heard none of this from me."
The Admiral's face softens slightly, "What's wrong with him?" He keeps his head tilted back slightly.
"Tests haven't come back yet."
"Yeah, but what do you think?"
Cottle shakes his head a little, "Heart's a little slow and he says the scar hurts him. No matter how much we tried, that planet was a hotbed for germs. We could disinfect the instruments and the beds, but the environment was uncontrollable. We've seen it happening a lot. Also, with that virus or bacteria that's going around in the outer fleet...I want to keep him close and keep an eye on him."
"Good idea. Thanks for the call." Adama nods, placing the receiver back onto the base.
"Everything okay, Sir?" Zarek has his arms folded, standing not far from the ever so slightly older man, able to hear his end of the conversation.
The Admiral scowls toward him, not willing to divulge personal secrets about his family, "Fine." He pauses a moment, his family. He's never thought about Laura Roslin that way. Always just the President or a friend with him, but really, she's family now.
There they stood. Maya and Isis. They stood gripping hands. Laura watched through the window of Colonial One. She stared at them once she was able to spot them. She saw as Maya shook her head to a metal beast, she saw as she attempted to lift Isis into her arms and run off. Attempted to save her daughter.
She watched as they were gunned down and the dusty ground below them began to stain with blood. Laura shook her head, tears sprung to her eyes. She wanted to scream, she wanted to save them, she wanted to help them. Laura lifted her hand, ready to slam it against the glass.
"Mommy."
Laura Roslin opens her eyes, her son's face in front of her own. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I fell asleep." The dream felt far too real. Her body still trembling ever so slightly from the after effects. It's hard for her to differentiate what actually happened only a day before. The bustle of the Sick Bay quickly helps her return to alertness. "Did you sleep?"
Sloane nods, "Little bit."
She clears her throat, blinking rapidly with the overhead lights forcing her eyes to adjust quicker than they're usually accustomed. "Has Doctor Cottle been back?" When the boy hums his positive response, she continues, "And he didn't wake me?"
"Of course I didn't wake you." Cottle steps into the curtained area, having heard her voice, "You needed to sleep. You've been awake here all that time and you need to rest once in a while. You look like hell."
"Well, thanks." Laura gives him a playful look, knowing he didn't mean it in a degrading way, "You stopped in while I was out, have the tests returned anything?"
The older man slowly shakes his head, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, "It may just be a natural occurrence. Though, with illness, we commonly see the heart race, especially in children. This may just be an isolated thing. His cells seem to be attempting to rapidly adjust themselves. His fever is gone, not even so much as a stuffy nose or an aching ear." He shrugs, "I don't know what the hell to tell you. Those super cells at work, I suppose."
Super cells? Laura glances to her boy, searching her brain for what the doctor could possibly mean, "Cylon cells." She murmurs out loud. "You...That's what you mean?"
Cottle sighs slowly, "Young lady, you know it's a possibility. I've been thinking about it, even looking over his charts about three, four times. They would attribute to his rapid psychological growth. He's succeeding his marks when he should be a bit behind, he's talking at a rate that I don't see in three-year-old children. He's an amazing child, Laura." His voice is hushed, not wanting anyone nearby to hear even a single word.
"I don't want that bit of information getting out." She nearly has tears in her eyes. The beings that have caused so much pain to all of humanity are also responsible for her greatest gift in her son. She hates that predicament. "Can we leave?"
The older man nods, "I want to have a listen once more and then you're free to go."
The Three model watched the older doctor perform surgery on a being in the medic tent. Completely enthralled by him. She isn't able to tell if the one he's working on is one of her own or a human. However, she can also see a Four model working alongside him.
Cottle slowly stepped out of the tent, bringing a cigarette to his lips and lighting it. He notices the woman watching him, "Something I can help you with?"
She looked him up and down, taking in the blood on his apron before meeting his face again, "Is that cylon or human?"
He shrugged, "Does it matter? A bullet wound is a bullet wound. I'm going to treat it regardless of species...though, you'd think modeling yourselves after us...that you'd change all that to be better and stronger." He shrugs, "Skin that can't be cut or self repairing intestines."
The Three chuckled softly to herself, "We don't want there to be any difference."
Cottle nodded, taking a long drag before flicking his ashes onto the dirt ground, "Just a suggestion."
"God made us in his image...same with you. He looks like all of us." She smirked toward him, "How many humans let the Four treat them?"
"More than you'd think, actually. He's a wonder in there. Has a way about him that relaxes some of the children that come through. The older ones aren't so welcoming, but a wayward child...they take to him like a fish to water."
D'anna holds Hera in her arms as she stands about with her brothers and sisters, "I believe we need to formulate a plan to obtain the Roslin child."
Boomer quirks her eyebrow, "You have any idea how hard that will be? I mean, we're talking about the former President's kid here...and rumor has it, also an Adama. Not a refugee. That kid is fleet royalty and no one probably has any knowledge just how important he is."
Gaius Baltar raises a hand, causing everyone to look to him, "May I add something?" When he doesn't receive an answer or a head shake, he continues, "Sloane Roslin is, as I've been told by Tom Zarek, the child of Lee Adama. Since he is no longer in command of the Pegasus, he probably has free time while on board the Galactica. It's unknown how doting of a mother Laura Roslin is, but I assume she may be one. You aren't going to get the young child alone or available to take. It's impossible."
A creepy smirk appears on the face of a Five model, "Nothing is ever impossible, Doctor Baltar."
"God said there will be one female and one male and together they will create his followers one by one. Being that the two children have both cylon and human blood, it is imperative that he is obtained so that God's will is done." D'anna explains, "More of one and not enough of the other simply won't do. Do you understand?"
Baltar exhales slowly, "I understand perfectly. What of a meeting between our...your people and the humans? My people?"
"Your people?" The Five laughs, "You're no more a leader to those people than any one of us. You're enemy number one. They want your hide." The man shakes his head, "And I highly doubt they'd want to talk to us."
"Wait a minute." Boomer interrupts them, "That may be the way we do it. They want Baltar, we have Baltar. Not to mention that I may...they may listen to me more than the rest of you."
The Six model folds her arms, "They don't think very fondly of you either, but Adama may..." She shakes her head, "I don't think just handing Gaius over would be the best option. We use him as a speaker. Make them think we're holding him captive. They'll want him back to punish."
"You're right." Baltar nods, anything to keep himself alive, "You're absolutely correct."
Boomer rolls her eyes, groaning when D'anna shoves the toddler back into her arms, "She doesn't like me...or any of us. I mean...She doesn't know us as her mother. She was brought up by that woman. Why would she care?"
"Doctor Cottle is very close to her. When Laura Roslin was in the medic tent with her son, they would speak of her often." Simon, a Four model, starts, "She may feel comfort with blood relations. That's why she was close to Roslin...and doesn't feel anything for Boomer."
"That's ridiculous." D'anna shakes her head, "She's far too small to know any better."
"She's one of us. She know plenty." Simon nods, glancing to Baltar before continuing, "She's ill...there's nothing I can do for her though. Possibly the problem may fix itself. It's the cause for her incessant crying, I believe."
"Of course." Baltar nods, "I could have-" He's cut short with a look from the group. "Yes, well, we must pull defenses back before offering peace...or making them think we're offering peace-"
"We don't listen to you. You are not one of us." The Five laughs at the man, turning back to look at the child in front of him.
"How are you even considering this? They are the enemy! Your people are in imminent danger, we must start boarding Galactica and the surrounding ships." Tom Zarek glared toward the President. the door guarded by various cylon models.
"We have no choice. We are outnumbered and unable to defend ourselves. We must surrender." Gaius Baltar watched the man.
"She was right. She was frakking right about you."
"Who?"
"Laura Roslin. The one who should have been the President. She would have never backed down. Unlike you. You could care less about your people or their living conditions...and now...now you're just ready to give up. Ready to give in to them." Zarek shook his head, "I cannot support this and I will not allow you to continue." He wanted to reach across and strangle him.
"You haven't a choice. They will take you away." Baltar's eyes watered, "You must trust me, Tom."
"Trust you? I can barely stand to look at you."
Laura stares at her son. Just stares. What if he is more cylon than not? What if she actually gave birth to the enemy and not the messiah some believed? She sits back in her temporary quarters on board the Galactica, the area reserved for Lee though she knows he's busy in the gym and training other pilots during their break from the metal beasts.
Bill Adama quietly slips into the room, as quietly as one possibly can when using a hatch. Seeing Laura's face was a different matter. "Hey." His gruff voice breaks the silence.
The woman snapped her head over to offer him a tired smile, "Admiral."
"Thought you'd be here." He gives a hearty chuckle when the boy rushes over to him, "Hey bud."
"Papu." Sloane hugs onto the man.
"Heard you had a visit with Doctor Cottle. How did that go?" Bill nods before glancing to Laura again.
Laura sighs softly, "Does Lee know?"
The man shakes his head slowly, "I thought you could tell him if you want him to know. If it's serious enough."
"He's fine." She folds her arms, leaning back, "He's perfectly fine. Absolutely nothing."
Bill can see through her facade. He knows that look of fear behind her eye. He sets the boy down, motioning for him to return to his few toys, "What else?" He takes a seat in the antique chair across from the woman.
Laura shakes her head, "There is nothing else."
"Madam President." His voice concerned, yet knowing. Making it clear that she wasn't pulling one over on him.
"On our way out of the Sick Bay, people were kneeling in our path...They wanted to touch the messiah child...they wanted me to bless them." She swallows hard, removing her glasses from her face, "I'm worried that he may be more like one of them than not."
"What do you mean?" Bill shakes his head, attempting to search her face for answers.
"Cottle mentioned that the reason he may have healed so quickly is because of the cylon DNA that's more than likely running through him." Laura stares at the toddler again, "Admiral, what if I'm raising exactly what...exactly what I was unable to protect before."
"I'm not-"
"It's something I can't explain to you right now, Bill." She goes silent for a few moments before speaking again, "Does Lee know?"
"I didn't tell him. Cottle called me, however, they're probably letting him know now. He'll probably be confused as to why you're on Galactica." Bill stands, walking toward the hatch, "If you need me, let me know." He says sternly before turning the ring on the door. He pauses when he feels as if someone else is turning it as well.
"Dad." Lee offers him a curt smile, stepping aside, "Everything okay? Someone told me Laura was on board." He nods when the older man waves a hand to the room. "Hey." He closes the hatch behind himself. "Dad was in a hurry."
Laura nods, offering him a smile, "I suppose so."
"You didn't tell me you were coming here." He beams, "Come to surprise me?"
"We were in to see Doctor Cottle."
"Oh?" The young man furrows his brow, "Miss the old guy?"
"Sloane was sick...now he isn't." Laura nods, leaning against Lee when he sits next to her.
"Oh...got the job done then?" Lee wraps his arm around her, kissing the top of her head.
"Something like that." She answers quietly, "How are things going here?"
"It's only been a day. We've been training...attempting to keep the cylon forces at bay. They've seemed to pull back a bit though." He shakes his head, then pats his gut, "Helo's promised to help me train a bit. I've let the whole not flying thing get the best of me."
"I'm starting to get used to it." Laura teases, leaning her head back to look at his face, "It doesn't matter to me, you know."
"I appreciate that." Lee pecks her lips with his own, "I do."