Dave leaves Jen's house feeling exhilarated and hopeful for the future – their future. Knowing that she loves him, too, and what that means to not only him but his family creates a warmth inside of him. Almost a year ago she had told him that people that have loved deeply once are more likely to love deeply again. She was absolutely right.
About three-fourths of the way home, he answers a call from Sandra. "How are you feeling, kiddo?"
"Daddy?" a distressed voice calls out.
"Cheryl? Honey, what's wrong?"
"Sandra's really sick. Are you almost home?"
"I'll be there in a few minutes. What's going on?"
"She's crying, her tummy hurts, and she's throwing up. I don't know what to do. I'm scared."
"Can you hand her the phone? Can she talk to me?"
All Sandra can manage to say to him is, "It hurts, hurry," before Cheryl gets back on the phone.
"I'm almost there. Stay on the phone with me. Can you have her point to where it hurts and let me know?" She informs him that Sandra has pointed to her right side. "I was afraid of that. I'm pulling into the driveway now." He leaves the car running as he enters the kitchen from the garage.
"In here," Cheryl calls from the living room where Sandra is lying on the sofa holding her side, tears running down her face, and a trash can in front of her that she has vomited in.
"Hey, sweetheart," he says kneeling next to her and touching her face. "Show me where it hurts."
Pointing to her lower right side, she sniffles back some sobs.
"I'm going to pick you up and carry you to the car. Cheryl, can you get a clean trash bag from under the sink, and get a blanket from your room? We're going to the emergency room."
"What's…wrong…," Sandra grunts through gritted teeth.
"It might be your appendix. This happened to me when I was your age. I'm going to pick you up now, okay?"
He slides his arms beneath her as best as he can, then tries to lift her gently.
"Ow! Ow!"
"I'm sorry, honey. Let's get you in the car. Cheryl? Hurry!"
At the hospital, Sandra is diagnosed with a hot appendix after an examination and a blood test. She hasn't eaten anything since the ice cream after lunch, so they immediately take her into surgery.
"Will she be okay?" Cheryl asks, her eyes wide with worry.
"She's going to be fine. I had my appendix out when I was a teenager. It just leaves some little scars and she'll have to rest for a few days, but then she'll be like new. Did you get anything to eat tonight?"
"Yeah," she nods. "I had some ice cream and cookies since Sandra couldn't cook."
"Not the best dinner, but did it fill you up?"
"I thought it was a great dinner and I ate a lot so I'm full."
He isn't quick enough to hide his smile. "I suppose it won't hurt to have that for dinner once. You getting sleepy?"
She nods her head, pulling her blanket up over her lap while she leans against him.
"It might be a while before we can leave. I'll call someone to see if they can take you home."
With Bill, Laura, Saul, and Ellen on Picon, the only person he can call is Jen.
"Hey, Jen," he says softly when she answers.
"Hi, Dave, I've been thinking about you. How's Sandra?"
"That's part of why I'm calling. We're at the hospital. They just took her back to surgery to remove her appendix."
"Oh, no. Give me a few minutes to get some shoes on and then I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Is there any way you could take Cheryl home for me? The last time Sandra spent the night in the hospital it was very traumatic for her, so I'd like to stay with her tonight."
"Of course. I'll pack an overnight bag and a change of clothes. See you soon."
Approximately 30 minutes later Jen arrives at the hospital, joining Dave and Cheryl in the surgery waiting room. It's empty except for them, a slow night for emergent cases at Caprica City General. Cheryl has nodded off with her head against her father's chest and her arm stretched across him, gripping him tight.
His eyes light up when he sees her. Carefully removing Cheryl's arm from him, he lays her down across the chairs, tucking the blanket around her. They stand just outside the doorway so that he can keep an eye on his youngest daughter while they talk.
Instead of speaking, Jen slips her arms around him, embracing him for several seconds before she whispers, "Any word on Sandra yet?"
"Not yet. They said it would be a good 30 to 60 minutes depending on if they need to convert to an open procedure. Then another hour or so in recovery."
"I feel so bad for her. Seems like she's been through so much already. How are you doing, Dave?"
He snorts a little, smiles, and shakes his head. "This isn't exactly what I had in mind for an exciting evening. My kids keep me on my toes."
"They certainly do. They're part of our journey. I wouldn't want it any other way, would you?"
Our journey – he likes hearing that from her. "No, I wouldn't. When I left your place earlier, I assumed it was goodnight. I hope you weren't busy with something."
"I had curled up with a good book. Thought I'd revisit the sexier side of history," she says with a small grin and a twinkle in her eyes.
A man dressed in surgical scrubs approaches them from down the hallway. "Excuse me, are you Sandra Roslin's parents?"
"I'm her father."
Stepping away to give Dave some privacy to discuss his daughter with the doctor, he reaches out for her hand, pulling her back into the conversation.
The surgeon, Dr. Fincher, provides an update on Sandra. Her appendix had not burst, so he was able to remove it laparoscopically. Discharge will likely be before lunch tomorrow. She will need bed rest for a few days and no heavy lifting for a month. Follow-up will be with her primary care physician in a week.
"Will you and your wife be staying with her tonight?" Dr. Fincher asks.
"Jen will be going home with my youngest daughter, but I'll stay," he replies, caressing the back of Jen's hand with his thumb.
"I'll have an orderly set up a cot in Sandra's room once we get her settled. Excuse me."
"This is such good news, very good news," Jen says, hugging him, relieved that there were no complications during the surgery.
"It is. Guess I was more worried than I realized," he confesses, relaxing into her embrace.
Dave carries Cheryl to his car and sets her in the front seat while he moves her booster seat to Jen's pickup. He then carefully puts her inside, and buckles her in.
"You know where Cheryl's room is - mine is upstairs, first door on the left. Please use my bed and if you want to shower, the towel in my bathroom is clean because I just set it out this morning. Am I forgetting anything?"
"Just two things. I need a key."
"Right, here, take mine, and take the garage door opener, too. You can park inside. What's the other thing?"
"This." Kissing him deeply, she steals his breath away again. "You know, I always thought if I ever spent the night in your bed, you'd be with me," she says with a smile.
"I'll do something about that as soon as I can," he replies, kissing her again.
At 5:30 a.m., Sandra coughs a little, opens her eyes, and looks around the room to get her bearings. It's still dark outside but the light from the vital signs monitor in her room creates a dim glow, just bright enough for her to see her father sleeping on a cot in the corner of the room. It's another reminder of what a great father he is, concerned enough to stay with her in the hospital even though she's out of danger. She looks around for Cheryl but doesn't spot her.
"Daddy," she whispers, then coughs. Her throat is incredibly dry and slightly irritated. "Daddy?"
"Hmmhh, I'm awake," he replies, rolling over to look at her. "How are you feeling?"
"Thirsty. Where's Cheryl?"
"Jen took her home and is staying with her." He reaches for the call button to buzz the nurse to see if it's okay to give Sandra some water.
"Jen? You mean JJ?"
"Yes. Bill and Laurie are on Picon, so I had to give Jen a call."
Cheryl had told her that their father was suddenly calling JJ by her given name, but she had never heard it for herself. Just as she's about to ask him about it, the nurse comes in with a jug of ice water. "Small sips at first. It could upset your stomach and, take it from me, vomiting after abdominal surgery is unpleasant."
"Or anytime," she replies before taking just enough to wet the inside of her mouth and her lips. "I kinda need to pee. Can we take this IV out so I can go the bathroom?"
"Not yet. I'll carry the IV. Can you lean on your dad to help you walk?"
After some gentle maneuvering to get off the bed, Sandra rises to her feet, taking short breaths to deal with the pain. Dave helps her to the restroom where the nurse hangs the IV bag, leaving her alone. The nurse assures Dave it's a good sign she's walking and using the restroom already since those are two tasks she must accomplish before discharge. After helping her back to bed, the nurse leaves.
"So, did you get her phone number? I know how you like young nurses, daddy."
"I can tell you're feeling a lot better because your orneriness has returned and, no, I did not get her number."
"Okay, I'll behave myself. I'm sorry I ruined your evening. I feel bad about that."
"I had a wonderful evening. There's nothing to feel bad about. I'm just grateful I got home when I did."
"Cheryl was scared. I'll make it up to her."
"Sandra, you don't need to make up for anything. Things like this happen sometimes. It's not your fault."
"I just feel so guilty, that's all. You know, if you'd like to go home and check on Cheryl, I'll be okay here by myself. I'm probably just gonna sleep some more, and you'd probably like to change your clothes. I have my phone – I can call if something comes up or if they're going to discharge me."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure. I'll feel less guilty if you go home and change and check on Cher-bear. And I promise I'll call the nurse if I need anything. C'mon, gimme a hug. I'm a big girl."
Using the spare key he has hidden outside, Dave enters his house through the front door. Cheryl isn't in her room even though her bed looks slept in. Sometimes when she's upset or stressed out about something, she'll climb into his bed with him in the middle of the night. He suspects she did the same with Jen.
They're both soundly asleep in his room, Jen with her hair spilled across the pillow and Cheryl curled up next to her, clutching her Fernando bear. Fletcher is asleep at the foot of the bed and waddles out of the room when he sees Dave since he knows he's not supposed to be on his bed.
Gently lifting Cheryl into his arms, careful not to disturb Jen, he carries her downstairs to her room where Fletch has already snuggled into place in the middle of the bed. After tucking her in, he goes back upstairs, closing the door behind him.
He must not have been as quiet as he thought, because Jen is no longer in bed, instead, coming from the bathroom. The messy bedhead look is adorable on her, as well as the fact she's wearing a pajama top of his, which is quite large. Even though she has it buttoned all the way to the top, it still hangs low enough to show off some cleavage, and the hem hangs well below her bottom.
"I hope you don't mind - I forgot my pajamas so I borrowed some of yours that I found in that drawer," she says pointing to his dresser.
"Looks good on you," he observes as he sits down on the edge of the bed to remove his shoes.
"How's Sandra?" she asks stepping over to him, then resting her hands on his shoulders.
"She was able to drink some water and use the bathroom this morning. She's feeling like her old self judging by her orneriness. She told me to go home, change, and check on Cheryl. Something about being a big girl now," he chuckles, placing his hands on her waist.
Her eyes land on that same lock of hair that was sticking out last night. This time she runs her fingers through his hair, lightly grabbing a handful, giving it a quick tug, then releasing it. "And how are you this morning, Dave? Did you get any rest?"
"Enough." He pulls her closer, his thumbs caressing large circles dipping down below her hip bones, then stroking back up to her waist.
"Then good morning," she whispers, leaning in for a kiss. "Is the door locked?"
"Yes," he replies, slipping his hands beneath her pajama top. Her skin feels as soft as it looked when he picked her up the previous evening. It's silky, warm, sensitive to his touch. He flattens his hands, feeling as much of her as he can on his palms, caressing her everywhere he can reach. Slowly, he drags the tip of his thumb up the outside of her panties, applying pressure between her folds.
When her hands move to the buttons on her pajama top, he stops her, grabbing one of her wrists and gently pinning it behind her back. "Let me do that," he tells her. It's something he's thought about for a while – undressing her slowly, drawing out the anticipation of his first look at her body.
She quietly agrees, letting her arm fall to the side while he unfastens the buttons, revealing her skin inch by inch. The slow, sensual nature of this seduction makes her breathe heavy, weakening her legs so much they threaten to give away beneath her.
Noticing her swoon, he pulls her to him, letting her straddle his lap while he nuzzles her breast before swirling his tongue around her right nipple. Dropping her head back, she gasps for air, cradling his face in her arms.
After the first night he worked at her restaurant, she fantasized about being with him. Part of the reason she called him Busboy was because she has too much integrity to frak an employee even though technically he wasn't. The nickname was a gentle reminder to keep her hands off him. But fantasizing wasn't off limits and occasionally when alone in bed at night, her mind filled with thoughts of him, while her hands had an adventure of their own. Those fantasies are falling far short of her current reality as she begins to grind her hips on his lap, reveling in the sensation of his mouth nibbling at her skin. This isn't just a quick frak, either, like she had become so accustomed to for years. For the first time in her life, her mind, heart, body, and soul are in harmony.
Cupping his face with her hands, she leans down, kissing him passionately. A tug at his shirt lifts it over his head, and she tosses it toward a chair near the bed, where it lands across the back.
"Nice throw," he commends her.
"A lot of luck," she murmurs, nipping at his earlobe, while moving her hands to the waistband of his pants, making quick work of his belt, button, and zipper.
He lays down flat on his back, pulling her with him, joining their lips again. His pants and boxers slide off easily when she shifts her weight, and as soon as she lies back on top of him, he strips her of her panties.
Rolling her over, he places kisses down her body, paying special attention to a small tattoo of a butterfly on the lower right side of her abdomen.
"Gods, you found it!" she groans, placing her forearm over her eyes to hide her embarrassment. "One of the regrets of my youth."
"Why do you regret it?" he asks between kisses on her thighs, smiling up at her to show his amusement.
"I was drinking with some college friends one night, having a good time, and we all decided to get tattoos. It's a permanent reminder of one night of foolishness."
"But it was a fun night, right?" he asks before placing a soft kiss on her folds.
"It was a blast," she sighs as his tongue explores her further.
"We all need reminders of good times," he replies.
"Mmmhh."
"It's nothing bad like a skull or the name of an ex you'd rather forget - just a beautiful butterfly, my favorite butterfly." Slipping a finger inside of her, he glances up to make eye contact before flicking her clit with his tongue. "Little butterfly spreading her wings."
Travelling to Picon wasn't as stressful as Laura thought it would be. Once their luggage was checked in, they took their seats on the military transport. Laura was expecting the worst from Emilee based on her experiences of being on transports with other people's infants – a loud, wailing, inconsolable child. She was convinced Em would behave similarly and had several pacifiers handy to pop in her mouth. But children can surprise their parents - Emilee stared at her father's face, then her mother's, then closed her eyes and slept the entire way.
Bill decided she must take after him – flying soothes the soul. He even speculated that she may become a pilot, much to Laura's chagrin. They checked into the hotel where a crib was already waiting for them in their room. Once they were unpacked, Laura nursed Emilee, then they met Saul and Ellen for dinner.
Em slept almost the entire night, waking them up only twice. This morning they have a brunch with other military families before the promotion ceremony begins mid-afternoon. After that, they'll go out to eat with Saul and Ellen again and turn in early so they can catch the early transport back to Caprica tomorrow morning.
"Oh-oh," Laura says, checking the text notification on her phone as she's nursing Emilee before they leave for the brunch. "Sandra's in the hospital."
"Do we need to go home?" Bill asks, very concerned about his sister-in-law.
"Mmmh, no. Appendicitis. Daddy took her to the ER last night and they removed it. She's going home this morning."
"Let her know we'll stop by tomorrow evening. Maybe we can bring dinner over, whatever she wants."
Laura texts Sandra back, asking her to think about what she'd like for dinner when they return to Caprica. "You almost ready?" she asks Bill, who has just slipped on his uniform.
"Let me burp her for her," he says holding out his arms.
"Uhhh, better let me. I'd hate for her to spit up on you."
Bill, Laura, Saul, and Ellen are seated together at a table, with Emilee resting in her car seat that's attached to a highchair. Ellen is happy to learn that so far, Em has been a good traveler. Saul can't help himself, constantly making faces and saying silly things to the little girl, tickling her toes, and occasionally booping her nose with his finger.
"Ahhh, Bill, I get it now. I could never leave her, either," he says, giving the little girl a toothy grin.
"Saul!" Ellen says, grabbing his hand, and shaking her head at him while Bill glares at him from across the table.
Laura looks at him, but he glances away. She then turns her gaze to her husband. "Bill, what's he talking about?"
"It's not important, Laura. Don't worry about it," he replies, reaching for her hand, hoping she doesn't persist.
She looks around the table, then settles her eyes on her husband again. After glancing at her, he reaches for his glass, taking a long drink while staring across the room.
Ellen gives him a disapproving look, tired of keeping this secret from her good friend. "Just tell her, Bill."
"Tell me what?" Laura asks, her brow furrowed from worry.
"I'm not going anywhere, that's the important thing," he assures her, a small comforting smile on his lips.
Laura doesn't buy that this isn't important, nor can she hardly believe he's been keeping a secret from her. "Saul, tell me what's going on. My husband has decided I don't need to know."
He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it when Bill glares at him again. Shaking his head and pursing his lips, he looks away.
"Fine, I'll tell her. She deserves to know. I swear you macho viper pilots are all chickens deep down inside," Ellen chastises them. "Laura, Bill's promotion was supposed to include reassignment. He was asked to be the next XO of Galactica."
"Geez, Ellen, this is why I don't like telling you things! You can't keep your yap shut!" Saul grumbles.
"She's his wife, Saul! She deserves to know that her husband was offered a deep space assignment. You don't keep things like that from people that you love."
"Bill, why didn't you say anything?" It hurts knowing that he kept this from her.
"I turned it down, Laura. I turned it down. I'm staying on Caprica and I'm still getting the promotion, but without reassignment," he says looking her directly in her eyes.
"But we should have discussed this. It's not just you anymore, Bill, it's me and Emilee, too. I'm grateful that you aren't going away, but we still should have talked about it."
"You were kind of busy giving birth. And when I held Emilee in my arms, there was no way I was leaving. I could never leave either one of you."
"We still should have discussed it. I shouldn't find out about things like this from anyone other than you. I'm done here," she says tossing her napkin on her plate. "I'm taking Em back to our room. I just…I can't…I'm disappointed." With the diaper bag slung over her shoulder, she removes the car seat from the highchair and walks out of the room with Emilee.
"I'll go talk to her," Ellen offers.
"No, Ellen! I think you've done enough for today!" Saul argues.
"I'll go," Bill says, rising from his chair.
Jen snuggles into Dave's side, placing kisses along his chest. Basking in the afterglow of making love, she's as content as she's ever been. "Remind me to thank Sandra for sending you home early," she murmurs as he places a kiss to the top of her head.
"About that," he begins. "I didn't tell her that we're together. How would you feel about waiting?"
"Why?" she asks, lifting her head and giving him a concerned look.
"Don't worry, it's nothing bad," he says, realizing what he said could be misinterpreted. "We've waited a long time to get here, to start our relationship, and I think we've both earned the right to be a little selfish. Let's wait a week or two, enjoy each other, then we can tell them. Because once we do, I don't think Sandra and Cheryl will leave us alone."
"One or two weeks? What would we do during that time?" she asks innocently, mulling over the possibilities in her mind.
"Oh, I don't know, probably nothing too exciting. Maybe I could help out in the restaurant some more," he suggests, purposefully choosing something mundane.
"We could have dinner with Greg and Sharon," she offers, hinting at something more fun.
"Watch Cheryl's team win the championship," he shrugs, trying to one-up her.
"Oh, I know – I need some help with gardening," she says, imagining him glistening with sweat in her yard.
"I'd really like to learn more about a butterfly I recently discovered – that's probably the top of the priority list, for me anyway. When I study something, I go all in. I'm very thorough."
She listens intently, watching his eyes sparkle as he describes this butterfly. "I'm counting on your thoroughness, Dave. In fact, I think your newfound interest in lepidopterology should be the primary focus of the next two weeks."
"Lepid-what?" he laughs.
"Lepidopterology – the branch of entomology that studies moths and butterflies."
"I'm impressed. I bet you could teach me a lot."
"In just a few weeks' time, there's only so much I can do," she says, feigning her doubt at his ability to pick up the essentials in a short time.
"I'm an incredibly fast learner," he states, pulling her face to his and kissing her deeply.
An incoming call on his phone interrupts their flirtation. "It's Sandra," he says. He takes the call and is happy to learn that the doctor has said she can be released in about two hours.
After ending the call, he kisses Jen again, then stands and offers her his hand. "The shower's big enough for both of us if you'd like to join me."
Emilee kicks her chunky little legs in the air as Laura changes her diaper on the bed. She's not as fussy as she used to be when her diaper would get wet, and that has helped her sleep for longer periods of time, which means more sleep for mommy and daddy. The downside is the red rash that has appeared, which can make her cranky if not treated with a soothing balm each time she's changed.
"You've been such a good little girl this whole trip. Mommy's so proud of you," she says, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Maybe you like all the attention you're getting. Everyone says you're precious and I think they're right."
Laura places her in the crib while she goes to wash her hands. When she comes out of the bathroom, Bill has returned to the room and is hunched over the crib, smiling at their daughter and kissing the bottom of her feet.
His presence makes Laura immediately tense up.
"Laura, we need to talk about this."
"I don't want to fight in front of our baby," she states, staying in the doorway of the bathroom.
"Then let's not fight. Let's talk," he says, moving toward her.
"That's going to be difficult because I'm upset with you, Bill."
He slowly closes the distance between them, gently taking one of her hands in his. "I'm sorry. You were right and I was wrong. I should have told you, and it won't happen again."
His words help soothe some of her anger, but not all of it. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because it was never really a decision for me. The military is full of people that never see their families more than a few times each year and because of that, the divorce rate is high and infidelity is rampant. I love my life on Caprica, I love you and Emilee more than life on a battlestar. It's a no-brainer."
"So you turned it down right away?"
"No, but only because Saul interrupted my meeting with Admiral Emery to tell me you were in labor. I would have told him then, but I was in a little bit of shock that you were on your way to the hospital, and then Saul grabbed me and told me to get in the car, and we left. I called the Admiral a few days later and turned down the position. I honestly didn't think I'd get the promotion, but they decided to give it to me anyway."
"If you took the XO position, we'd only see each other a few times each year?"
"We'd be lucky to spend more than 96 hours together all year long. I could come home twice for 48 hours each time and that's it. And a lot of the time we'd be out of communications range. You and Emilee would be alone, and I would never see my daughter grow up."
She wonders why anyone with a family would ever want to be stationed on a battlestar. "Wow. That's um…that's really demanding of your time. I'm grateful you thought it was a no-brainer because I can't imagine not seeing you, and the thought of Emilee not knowing you is…awful. I'm sorry I got so upset. I just want you to talk with me about things like this."
"Understood. Saul knew about it, but I asked him not to say anything. I didn't see the point of upsetting you, but I guess I managed to do that anyway."
"Bill," she says in a conciliatory tone, stepping toward him and embracing him.
"I never considered leaving, not for a second. I left you once before and only lasted a week before I came back looking for you. I'll never leave like that again."
"I should apologize to Saul. I really put him on the spot. Is he scared of me?"
"A little bit. He thinks you're still mad at him about the nipple balm."
Dave pulls his car into the garage, Jen having moved her pickup to the street while he went to the hospital. He helps Sandra from the passenger seat and into the house, suggesting she rest in her bedroom where she'll be most comfortable.
On her bed, Cheryl sits next to her, examining her sister's surgical scars and bombarding her with all sorts of questions about the surgery. Does she feel like something's missing? Do the scars hurt? Did she get to keep her appendix in a jar?
Sandra assures her she's mostly tired, thirsty, and it only hurts when she moves around a lot but that's supposed to go away in a few days. The idea of keeping her appendix in a jar in her room grosses her out, so even if the doctor had offered it to her, she wouldn't have taken it.
"But what did they do with it?" Cheryl asks, very concerned that it may be used for some nefarious purpose.
"I don't know, they probably threw it in the trash. Enough questions. Can you ask JJ to come in here?"
Cheryl goes to the kitchen where her father and JJ are talking over lunch options. Her suggestion of ice cream and cookies makes Dave laugh and he promises to explain the inside joke to JJ after she speaks with Sandra.
When JJ enters the bedroom, she finds Sandra holding her arms out to her, wanting a hug. "Thank you for taking care of Cheryl last night. And daddy, too, because I know he was worried. I'm sorry I haven't seen you much lately. I don't think it's fair to burden you with my problems because you might think you always have to be there for me."
"Sandra, honey, I'm here for you because I want to be here. I know you're working through some things, but if you ever just want to talk- and it can be about anything- let me know."
"JJ," Sandra says, sniffing in her arms, "you smell like daddy's body wash."
"That's because I used his shower this morning."
"Ah, that makes sense. There is something I'd like to talk with you about that I don't think daddy could ever help me with."
Expecting to hear a problem regarding a boy, a question about sex, or something of that nature, JJ mentally prepares herself. "What is it?"
"Do you think I'd look good with some highlights in my hair?"
A few dozen people are being promoted during a ceremony that's heavy on military pomp. When Bill is called by the Admiral, Emilee lets out a loud squeal, almost making him break into a smile. Laura sees his lip quiver, trying to keep his face serious which is tradition among the military. But his eyes are smiling, and she beams with pride as he accepts the change in rank.
Afterwards, Bill wastes no time in finding her in the crowd, giving her a kiss on the cheek and holding Emilee to him, letting her play with his nose and do other adorable things. As proud as Laura is of his military accomplishments, she's most proud of what a tremendous father he has become, and a good husband. Their fight earlier in the day seems like years ago.
If there's one thing that can cut through the serious façade of a high-ranking military officer, it's a cute baby. Bill shows her off to everyone, including Admiral Emery, who officially declares her the most adorable baby in the fleet. The glint of medals on his uniform mesmerizes the infant and he accommodates her curiosity by holding her hand against one of them, carefully so that she doesn't get poked from the pin holding it in place.
"She's after my job, Bill!" he chortles as she continues to stare wide eyed at his medals, suddenly making a face Laura is all too familiar with.
"I'll take her, Bill," she says grabbing her out of his hands right before she fills her diaper. "Do we have containment?" she asks with a concerned look on her face.
"Affirmative. No leakage," he replies examining her bottom.
"Excuse us, Admiral. Emilee and I have an appointment with the changing table in the ladies' room."
After Dave gives his blessing for Sandra to get her hair highlighted, she and JJ talk for most of the afternoon about hairstyles, looking in several magazines at different cuts that might look good on her. Sandra doesn't want to cut all her length off, so they decide a bob that hangs just above her shoulders with a few highlights will be a nice style for the remainder of the summer. JJ makes both of them appointments with her stylist in two weeks, adding in pedicures and manicures to make it a spa day.
Neither one of them pays any attention to the doorbell when it rings, but a light knocking at her door draws their attention to Dave. "Sandra, there's someone here to see you."
Jeff steps into the bedroom carrying a large colorful bouquet of flowers and a smirk on his lips. "I heard you gave your dad a hard time last night."
"Are those for me?" she asks, her eyes about popping out of her head from the size of the bouquet.
"If you want them. Otherwise, I could always give them to Cheryl," he teases.
"Oh, I want them all right! These are gorgeous!"
JJ moves off the bed and walks to Dave, pushing him along to the kitchen, whispering that they should find a big vase so that Sandra can have the flowers in her room.
In a dogfight with imaginary cylons, Cheryl careens through the doorway, makes a sweep through the bedroom, then heads back to the door. Jeff asks her to wait, plucks a pretty pink rose from the bouquet, and presents it to her. It's the first time she's ever blushed from the attention of one of her sisters' friends. This gift from such a handsome guy makes her forget all about vipers, cylons, and fighting battles in outer space.
Since it's close to dinner time, Dave invites Jeff to stay and eat with them. The meal will consist of takeout from JJs restaurant, noodles with varying levels of spiciness that she has already placed an order for and is headed out the door to retrieve. Dave follows her to her pickup, sneaking a kiss before she drives away. "I've been wanting to do that all afternoon."
"Same here. I'm starting to think this could be a couple of tough weeks for us."
Twenty minutes later she returns with the food and enlists Dave and Cheryl to help her carry it all in. They set the table, fill the drinking glasses with ice water, and put napkins with each place setting. "Is Jeff still talking to Sandra?" Dave asks Cheryl.
"They aren't talking. They're in bed together," she informs him.
Both JJ and Dave immediately stop what they're doing and stare at each other, then quickly move toward Sandra's room. The door is shut, making Dave fear the worst, his heart pounding in his chest the same way it pounded when Sandra jokingly told him she was pregnant. He flings it open, expecting to see something no father ever wants to see.
Instead, he sees Jeff propped up in a seated position against the headboard reading a book. His arm is around Sandra, who is snuggled next to him sleeping soundly.
"She just crashed like this," he whispers. "I asked Cheryl to shut the door to keep the noise out. Is the food here?"
Despite the hotel restaurant being noisy and crowded, Emilee is content and happy. She enjoys the attention Saul heaps on her and doesn't even fuss when he picks her up and holds her close. Ellen needs her baby fix, too, almost having to pry the little girl away from her husband. For the first time in a long while, Laura can see in her friend's eyes that she wishes she had her own child, too. There's no doubt in her mind that Saul and Ellen would make wonderful parents, so she says a silent prayer that their dream of having a baby will come true.
They call it a night around 8:30 pm, turning in early so they can pack in the evening since the transport leaves at 8:00 am the following morning. Laura nurses Emilee and changes her, then Bill puts her in her jammies and sings a lullaby before he strips down to his boxers and crawls into bed where he reads a book while waiting for Laura to finish brushing her teeth.
"Bill," she says quietly, stepping from the bathroom.
He moves his eyes from the page of the book to her and is stunned by what he sees. A nude-colored lace chemise hugs her body. This is the first sexy outfit she has worn since she had their baby, almost returning to her pre-pregnancy weight. Now she has wonderfully sexy curves, ones Bill can't get enough of, and this tight-fitting lingerie draws his attention to them. His cock is already hard, throbbing, and interfering with his ability to speak.
"Do you like it?"
He nods his head, throwing the covers off his lap to reveal his erection tenting his boxers.
"That's an affirmative if I ever saw one," she giggles. "And since you're the one with the big promotion, Lieutenant Colonel Adama, you get to give the orders tonight."