Laura starts out of her sleep with a scream on her lips and a wild look in her eyes. Bill jumps up out of the seat he had taken by her bedside, taking her hand and gently pressing her back into the bed.
"Hey, hey, hey. You're okay, I'm right here, you're okay," Bill tells Laura, stroking her shoulder. Laura sinks back against the pillows, closing her eyes as tears immediately start trickling down her cheeks, a strangled sob in her throat. Bill sits on the side of the bed, brushing Laura's hair back from her face and stroking her cheek, "You're okay."
Cottle slides into the cordoned off area with a chart in his hands. He jots down Laura's vitals before setting the folder down on her bedside table.
"Welcome back, young lady," The doctor greets. Laura opens her eyes and sniffles as she uses her free hand to wipe at her face. Bill squeezes her hand and looks down at her.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah just a…just a bad dream," Laura whispers with a raspy voice, her eyes starting to look around, "What happened?"
"You passed out, is the short version," Cottle tells her, "In the hangar deck after you got back from Kobol."
"What's the long version?"
"Physical stress, dehydration," Cottle lists off, "Some mild contractions. We're rehydrating you and have you on a very mild sedative."
"But?"
"It's the contractions that have me worried. We did a scan, the babies are fine, you're not dilating, but the placenta has shifted, which is what caused the bleeding in conjunction with the contractions."
"Bleeding?" Laura asks, alarmed.
"Not enough for us to give you a transfusion," Cottle placates, looking back at Laura's chart, "We're going to keep you here for the night. I want you to stay on Galactica exclusively for the next couple weeks and then we'll reevaluate."
"What do you mean reevaluate?" Laura says, narrowing her eyes.
"I mean reevaluating whether or not I let you off of this ship in the next few months, which at the moment hasn't been going very well for you lately," Cottle explains, "Now, you are going to need a c-section no matter what, and this is the only place you're going to have one."
"You've got to be kidding me."
"I am not in a joking mood right now. I'll be back to check on you once more before I leave for the night."
"Thank you," Bill says. Cottle nods before slipping out, pulling the curtain closed behind him. Laura sighs and closes her eyes for a moment before opening them and looking at Bill with a mournful look.
"I'm so sorry."
"I think we are past the point of sorry right now. We just need to move on. You're fine, well you're going to be. I'm about 90% of the way there. Aurora's fine, the babies are fine…We just need to move on."
"Come're," Laura curls her finger at Bill, pulling him down and pressing her lips to his in a slow deep kiss. She pulls back a moment later and lets his tunic out of her grasp, "Bring my baby girl down here."
"Yes, sir," Bill smiles and leans down to kiss her once more before getting up and leaving. He comes back a while later with Aurora wrapped around his torso with her blanket. Aurora scrambles out of his arms and snuggles up to her mother. Laura smiles and wraps her arms around the little girl, resting her cheek against her head.
"Oh I've missed you."
"I've missed you," Aurora mumbles into Laura's shoulder, already dozing off. Laura rubs her hand up Aurora's back and flicks out the little girl's blanket over her body. Bill turns the light down before resuming his seat next to the bed.
"You don't have to stay," Laura says as she rolls her head to look at her husband.
"I want to, we've been apart for too long," Bill tells her, scooting the chair closer and putting his feet up on her bed.
"We have," Laura hums, taking his hand in hers. She rests both of their hands on her stomach, sighing happily as she feels the gentle rolls and kicks within. Laura yawns before closing her eyes, drifting off to sleep.
"I swear to the gods, I am staying on Galactica. I will be back in quarters at five. And I'm keeping Aurora with me," Laura assures Bill as she pulls her shirt down over her stomach, "And provided there's no crises today and you ask nicely, I might even say yes to lunch with you."
"When have I ever not asked nicely," Bill says as he buttons his tunic.
"You do have a point," Laura says with a smile as she puts her earrings in. She runs a hand through her hair and straightens her skirt before leaving the head. Bill grabs her arm before she can breeze by, pulling her back to his chest and rubbing his hands over her stomach. Laura smiles and covers his hands, "Rubbing it for good luck?"
"Mmm, sure," Bill grins and kisses her neck.
"Don't you dare start that right now," Laura says as she pulls away, wagging a finger at him. Bill laughs and finishes buttoning up before putting his glasses on. Laura grabs her shoes before pulling them on, balancing her arm on the couch, "Aurora are you ready to go?"
"Yeah," Aurora says, climbing down from her chair and putting her backpack on. Laura smiles and straightens up.
"Go say bye to dad," Laura directs her as she gathers her own bag. Aurora bounds over and wraps her arms around Bill's waist. Bill wraps his arm around her, leaning down to press a kiss to her head.
"Have a good day."
"You too," Aurora smiles up at him before taking Laura's hand and following her mother out the hatch. Aurora smiles and waves at the few people she knew on their way to the ward room. Laura holds the door open for her daughter, smiling at Billy as they walk in.
"Madame President, it's good to see you up and around."
"Thank you, Billy," Laura says with a smile, putting her hand on Aurora's head, "You remember Aurora right?"
"Of course, I believe I've heard that you're the Princess of Galactica? I'm Billy," Billy smiles, kneeling down to Aurora's height and offering his hand. Aurora blushes and shakes his hand. Billy directs her to a chair, pulling it out for her, "I've got you a spot set up right here next to where your mom sits."
"Thank you," Aurora says shyly, taking her backpack off before climbing into the chair.
"Thank you, Billy. You really didn't have to come over early…"
"It's okay, it's nice to get back to the mundane finally," Billy smiles. Laura sets her bag down next to Aurora's before making herself a cup of tea.
"So, what's first on the docket today?"
Laura looks up from her book as she hears the hatch open, smiling at Bill as he comes in.
"Hi."
"Hey," Bill smiles at her, unbuttoning the top of his tunic before walking over to the couch and pressing a kiss to her lips. Laura hums and kisses him back gently, closing the book in her lap. Bill takes a seat next to her and takes the book out of her lap, looking at the cover, "Finally getting around to Dark Day hmm?"
"I am," Laura smiles, laying her head on Bill's shoulder.
"Where's Ror?"
"The kids came and picked her up, they were going over to Cloud 9 for dinner."
"That's nice of them."
"It is," Laura looks up at Bill and smiles, "And we have at least a couple hours alone."
"Even better," Bill murmurs, kissing Laura again, "Dinner?"
"Should be here soon," Laura replies pressing her lips back to his and deepening their kiss. Bill's arm winds around her waist and pulls her closer. Laura hums happily, resting her hand on his chest and playing with the buttons there. She breaks their kiss as someone knocks on the hatch, taking a deep breath with a grin before getting up.
Laura returns with two bowls of noodles, handing one to Bill before resuming her previous seat. She settles into his side before starting to eat. The two eat in compatible silence for a while before Laura takes their empty bowls and places them on the desk, licking some sauce off her thumb absentmindedly before turning to look at Bill. "Walk with me?"
"What did you have in mind?" Bill asks as he stands.
"Just a lap around the ship," Laura says as she takes her husband's hand, leading him out to the corridor before starting to walk at a leisurely place. She leans her head against his shoulder as his arm wraps around her waist, "I'd give anything to take a lap around the Riverwalk right now. You remember the last walk we took after the orchestra?"
"I do. I believe the word magical was used."
"It was. It was very magical."
"I also remember you talking about shoes dropping," Bill comments.
"I can't explain it, but the closer we got to the decommissioning the worse I felt, I mean my stomach was in knots and I had no idea why. When we were on the transport home I felt awful...and then the bombs dropped. And it was probably the worse day of everyone's life, but I finally felt relief. For the first time in weeks, I felt relief."
"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" Bill asks, turning them down a less trafficked corridor. Laura shrugs with a soft sigh.
"I don't know, I figured it was because of retiring, all the changes we were going through, that I was going through. I didn't think it was a big deal," Laura reasons as she rests a hand on her stomach, "I couldn't have even imagined any of this would happen."
"I know, I know," Bill says as he presses a kiss to her head. The two finish their walk in relative silence, occasionally pausing to greet people, before they find themselves back at their quarters. Bill holds the door open for Laura and closes it behind them. Laura kicks her shoes off and heads to their rack, changing into a pair of worn fleet sweatpants and one of Bill's shirts. She smiles as she feels her husband's arms slip around her waist, leaning back into his embrace.
"Hi there," Laura murmurs, reaching back to thread her fingers in his hair. Bill presses his lips to her neck and slips his hands under her shirt, cradling her stomach in his hands.
"How they doing in there?"
"Feels like a boxing match today," Laura says with a chuckle. She grabs one of Bill's hands and moves it to the top of her stomach, "Feel it?"
"Mmhm, got some heavyweight champions on our hands."
"Trust me they can go to bed at any time," Laura smiles and turns her head to capture Bill's lips. She turns her body and wraps her arms around his neck as she deepens the kiss. Bill pulls back a moment later, pressing kisses to her jaw.
"We have time?" He murmurs against her skin. Laura tips her watch towards herself and nods with a happy hum in her throat. She pushes herself away a moment later and cups Bill's face in her hands, looking deep into his eyes.
"Are we okay? I feel like we are..." Bill silences Laura with his lips on hers, teasing her mouth with a deep emotional kiss before pulling back and resting his forehead against hers. His hands find a home on her hips as he holds her close.
"We are very okay," Bill murmurs quietly, "We will always be okay."
"I don't ever want to lose you," Laura says tearfully as she strokes his cheek.
"You are never going to lose me. I am always going to be here," Bill assures her, pressing another kiss to her lips. Laura wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him back hungrily. She runs her arms down his biceps before finishing unbuttoning his tunic, running her hands up his chest before pushing the jacket off. She slips her hands under his tanks and pushes them up his chest, breaking her lips from his to take them off.
Laura bites her lip as she runs her fingers over the angry red scar down the middle of his chest before the puckered gun shot wounds. Her brow furrows as her fingers travel to his tattoo, tracing each of the rings slowly. Bill captures her hand and brings it to his mouth, kissing her palm gently.
"I'm here."
"You are," Laura nods and smiles at him before shoving him playfully onto the rack. She takes his boots off before working on his pants, leaving everything piled next to the bed once she has him naked. Bill lays back on his hands grinning up at her. Laura grins back and shakes her head, "You, sir, are absolute trouble."
"Am I?" Bill winks. Laura laughs and sheds the pajamas she had just dressed in before sliding into bed next to him. Bill wraps his arm around her waist, running his fingers over the soft skin of her hips, "I've only learned from the best."
"Mmmm, thank you," Laura grins as she kisses Bill, her hand running over his chest before traveling lower.
Laura swipes her tongue over her bottom lip as she grins at Bill.
"I feel selfish…great, but selfish," Bill says as Laura slips up his body, tangling her legs with his and laying her head on his shoulder.
"Oh don't worry, I'll get mine," Laura chuckles, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "Besides you know how much I love the taste of you."
"You're going to be the death of me," Bill laughs, capturing Laura's lips as a fist pounds against the hatch.
"Photo finish," Laura whispers in his ear before sliding out of the bed. She pulls the shirt and sweatpants back on before going to answer the knocks.
"Hey Laura," Lee says as he sets Aurora down. Aurora wraps a quick hug around her mother's waist, kissing her stomach before slipping past her into the room.
"Your dad's getting changed!" Laura yells after her daughter before letting the kids in, "Did you guys have a good time?"
"Yeah," Kara says with a smile, walking over to the drink cart and pouring herself a couple fingers of ambrosia, "The nugget liked it."
"She'll probably sleep well tonight, she was running laps around the park," Zak comments, setting Aurora's bag down on the couch.
"How was dinner?"
"Better than the mess," Lee shrugs. Aurora comes running back in and grabs her bag before disappearing again. Laura arches her eyebrow as she looks at the others. Kara shrugs as she takes a drink before handing the cup to Zak. Aurora comes back a moment later holding a vase of flowers in her hands. She holds them up to Laura with a grin.
"I got these for you."
"Oh my goodness, thank you, butterfly," Laura says with a smile as she takes the vase, smelling the flowers, "These are lovely."
"It was Lee's idea," Aurora explains before leaning in and whispering in a not so quiet voice, "He helped me pick them while Kara and Zak were kissing."
Laura laughs as she sets the vase on Bill's desk, taking one last breath before leaning down and kissing Aurora's head.
"What do you think about getting in the shower yourself hmm?"
"I can do that!"
"Okay, say good night to everyone," Laura directs, letting Aurora say goodnight to her brothers and sister before sending her off towards the head.
"So you ran her down, but then you reloaded her with sugar?" Laura asks with an arched eyebrow and a grin.
"She might have had some cake at dinner," Lee admits, sheepishly.
"Other way around, kids," Bill comments as he walks into the room, rubbing a towel over his hair, "Sugar then activity."
"I'm sure we'll get it right next time," Zak grins.
"Thank you again for taking her. She's been so cooped up lately," Laura says as she leans back against the desk.
"Any time. It's good R&R for us too," Kara comments, finishing off the glass of green liquid she'd been sharing with her husband.
"Are you up for the gym tomorrow?" Bill asks Lee. "We've got flight drill at 0900."
"Meet at 0630?"
"Sure," Lee nods.
"Zak, Kara?"
"Sure," Kara says, nudging Zak with her shoulder, "I could use a couple hours of kicking your ass."
"Oh you're gonna kick my ass?"
"Mmhm," Kara nods with a grin.
"Mooooooom, I can't reach my brush," Aurora calls out from the head. Laura rolls her eyes with a smile and sighs as she straightens up.
"I think that's my signal. You guys have a good night."
"Night, Laura," Lee says, stepping forward to kiss her cheek.
"Night, Madame Prez," Kara salutes. Zak stands and wraps Laura in a gentle hug.
"Night," He murmurs gently. Laura pulls back and smiles at him before turning to go help Aurora. Zak rubs the back of his neck before turning to look at his dad. "How's she doing?"
"She's doing okay," Bill nods reassuringly.
"Good."
"We should get going," Lee says pointedly at his brother and Kara.
"Right," Kara says, bouncing up off the couch. She half salutes Bill, "Sir."
"Starbuck." Lee claps Bill on the shoulder before shoving Zak out the hatch, Kara following behind them. Bill closes the hatch and turns it to lock. He flicks off most of the lights as Laura brings Aurora out and tucks her into bed, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Sleep tight, and thank you for the flowers."
"You're welcome," Aurora says with a sleepy grin. Laura smiles and kisses her head once more before turning away and smiling at Bill. She takes his hand and leads him back to their bed, shoving him down much the way she had earlier in the evening, before snuggling up to his side as she climbs in herself. Bill reaches up and turns the light off before pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"I love you."
"I love you too," Laura whispers, smiling at him before settling her head down and closing her eyes with a yawn.
[TBC]
