New Fic: Deja Vu 8/? A/R T
Any hope Laura had for a short meeting with Tom Zarek was shot out the window as soon as he walked into her office. He was not with out compassion for the current situation but he wanted to make sure Laura kept her eye on the ball, so to speak. The meeting finally ended and she was now on a shuttle bound for Galactica. In a matter of minutes she would see William Adama for better or worse. She would be able to find out what was going on and the butterfly storm in the pit of her stomach would calm down or so she hoped.
Laura couldn’t explain her feelings for Bill. They had come a long way for sure. In the beginning of their journey their was no trust only arguments. She had tested him, pitted him against her on several occasions. Used his family for her personal gain and gain for the fleet. In the end, he had seen what she was trying to do and came after her on Kobol. She had never been so relieved in her life, as the moment she saw his face. He was alive the cylon had missed. He was there to bring them back to the fleet and he did. Since that faithful day, Laura Roslin and William Adama had been inseparable. They started talking, they started joking and they forged a friendship that quickly turned into love and support. The relationship was not without bumps in the road. Laura’s first battle with cancer tore Bill apart emotionally and Laura as well. They both survived to live and fight another day and they did and the will continue to do so.
Laura felt the shuttle being lowered into the bay and moments later she was greeted on the deck by Dee. The young woman looked tired and concerned. “How is he, Dee?” Laura asked as she stepped down from the shuttle. Dee didn’t answer right away.
“He’s having a rough time with the situation but he’s healing physically.”
Laura walked with Dee to sickbay and Dee filled her in on the events of earlier. When they arrived in sickbay Doctor Cottle approached Laura quickly.
“About time you got here.”
“I’m sorry Doctor. I assure you I’m as annoyed as you at the situation.” Laura smiled sweetly.
“Dee could you relive your husband and ask him to join us in my office.” Jack stubbed out his cigarette in a bedpan and led Laura to his office. Dee went in the opposite direction toward the isolation area.
When she entered the room, her breath catches in her throat. Lee’s expression was absolutely crestfallen. “What happened?”
Lee stood up and embraced her. “He started talking about. I thought I had gotten through to him but then he denied it all ever happened. He turned away from me and has been laying like that for hours. He fell asleep two hours ago. I didn’t have the heart to leave.”
Dee broke the embrace, cupping her husband’s face in her hands. “It’ll take time. You did the right thing.” Lee gave her a sad smile.
“I know.”
“Laura is here she’s with Cottle. He wants to talk to both of you in the office.”
“I can’t leave him.”
Dee leaned forward and kissed him loving. “I’ll stay with him.”
Lee started to walk out after returning his wife’s kiss but then turned back.
“Lee, you’re not abandoning him. Go. I’ll stay.” Lee nodded wiping his eyes and left the room.
----
Lee walked into the office. Laura didn’t look much better than him. “Sorry.”
“No, Lee, don’t apologize.” Laura grasped his hand and he squeezed back in support.
“You wanted to talk to us doc.”
“Yes.” Cottle looked at the two people in front of him and began to speak as he leaned up against his desk. “I concerned about Bill’s psychological state at the moment. Physically he is healing. The incision site looks good it’s not infected. We should be moving him to a normal bed soon. I would think he would be released to his quarters in the next couple of weeks but I’m still concerned about his blatant denial of the events.”
“So are we.” Lee said quietly.
“It’s oblivious he is reliving them.”
“Jack, what do we do about it?”
“Stay close.”
“That’s easier said then done at the moment.” Laura stood up and began to pace the office. “He pushed me away yesterday and hard.”
“He just did the same to me a few hours ago. This man is no longer the man I knew Doctor. He’s fragile…unsure of himself. I don’t think he has any intentions of return to Command.”
Laura stopped dead and snapped around to face Lee. “If he doesn’t he will die inside Lee you know that as well as I do.”
“I think he may already be dead.”
“I refuse to believe that.” Laura sank back into her chair in front of the desk.
“I don’t want to believe it but I can’t reach him.”
Cottle had been keeping a close eye on the conversation. “Well, I’ll make this easy on both of you. If we don’t reach him I’m afraid we will lose him for good.”
“Then why release him.”
“Because in two weeks he will be healed. He starts therapy again tomorrow.”
“He’ll fight you.”
“I don’t give a frak.” Cottle looked at Laura. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh, no don’t…” Laura shook her head.
“The reason I wanted to talk to you both is because when the time comes he will need supervision the first few days. Someone will have to check on him on a regular basis. I will check on him as was as Ishay but I think it may help if you all do as well. We need to get him back into some sort of normal routine a light routine but a routine or I’m afraid the depression will consume him.”
“It hasn’t already.”
“This is just the surface Son.”
“I think we can manage that Jack. What do you think Lee.”
“Definitely.”
-----
Laura and Lee spent a few minutes after the meeting visiting or rather sitting with his father. They talked to Dee about a possible schedule to check on the old man and had agreed that they would be the three that did it. They all felt he would respond best to them and Cottle.
“What is it Lee?” Laura had been watching him for the last half hour and the wheels wouldn’t stop turning.
“I’m just thinking about what Kara said. “We need to continue on our way. She claims she can help. She says she’s been there.”
Laura sipped a cup of tea Dee had gotten her before she left to get some sleep. “And you are wondering if she really is who she says she is and if you can trust her.”
“Yes. If I make one wrong decision the entire human race gets to pay the price.”
“Welcome to my world Commander.” Laura put a hand on his arm. “I wouldn’t let you make a wrong decision. This is a decision that the military and civilian leaders of the fleet have to make together. We need to talk to her.”
Lee rolled his neck attempting to remove the kinks. “Yes, we do but we’ll do in the morning if that is okay. I need to get some sleep.” Lee stood up and walked over to Laura, who was holding his father’s hand. He put a hand on her shoulder. “You should too. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you used his quarters.”
Laura smiled at the thought of curling up on his couch for a couple of hours. “No, I’m sure he wouldn’t but I’m going to stay here with him, at least for a little while longer.”
“Make sure you get some sleep we have a busy day tomorrow.”
Laura patted him on the arm. “I will.” Lee turned and walked out leaving Laura to hold her vigil at his father’s bedside.
After Lee left Laura laid back in the reclining chair Jack had placed by his bed. She pulled the light cotton blanket up around her and retook his hand. She squeezed it and felt a squeeze back. Laura sat up removing the blanket. “Bill? Can you hear me?”
Bill stirred a bit. “I’m surprised you’re here after what you did to me.” He rolled over to face her. Laura brushed her hand against his cheek. “Why did you come back? Are you going tot try to sell me on the Tigh is Cylon idea.”
Laura pulled her hand away and stared into his deep, broken eyes. “It hurts me too you know. He is a cylon Bill, the test confirmed it and he shot you!” Laura’s voice was shaky “I was there. I saw it. I was the one covered in your blood.”
“I didn’t ask you to save me.” Bill’s own voice broke at this. It wasn’t a dream anymore too many people were telling him the same story they couldn’t all be lying to him. Lee wouldn’t lie. Laura…she had lied to him before but they had passed that now.
“Yes, I did because I need you William Adama. I cannot live without you.” Laura leaned over the bed and kissed him “I need you.”
“I’m a broken man, Laura. I don’t know how to control what I’m feeling. I need you too but I don’t trust myself anymore. I don’t want to do this anymore.”
“Don’t talk like that.” The fear in Laura’s voice was raw.
“I feel like I’m falling. Everything I ever knew is a lie. I’m falling and there is no one there to catch me.” Bill’s eyes were full of tears that would not fall and Laura was beginning to cry.
She perched on the side of the bed and held him in her arms still being careful of the surgery site. “I will catch you. I promise. I will catch you.” Bill put an arm around her as she cried. He could feel her hot tears collide with his pajamas and there was nothing he could do to stop them. There was also nothing he could do that would stop these negative thoughts in his mind. She loved him and she hand been there since the beginning. Laura was the one that saved his life but he couldn’t stop thinking about the one friend’s betrayal and it was eating him up inside.
-----
Laura didn’t leave his side that night. She had moved back into the reclining chair and wrapped the blanket around herself and she kept a hold of his hand. She didn’t dare leave his side. This is how Tory and Lee found her the next morning.
Tory didn’t really want to wake her but they had a tight schedule today. “I can’t do it.” Tory turned to Lee. “Do you have any idea how long it’s been since she’s slept this soundly?”
Lee rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, I have some idea.” Lee walked up next to Laura.
“Sorry that was totally unfeeling of me.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Lee said as he turned to face Tory again. “I’ll wake her. We’ll meet you before the press conference.”
Tory nodded handing a file to Lee. “Could you tell her to look at that before conference.”
“Sure.” Lee placed the folder on the tray table by his father’s bed.
When Tory left Lee took in the scene in front of him. He knew his father didn’t like her in the beginning. They had gotten alone like oil and water but they were different people now. It wasn’t until he walked in there this morning that he realized how much Laura Roslin and his father were in love. “Madame President.” Lee gently took her free hand and gave it a squeeze.
“Oh, Lee.” She opened her eyes and reached for her glasses letting go of Bill’s hand for the first time since their talk the night before. “What time is it?”
“0800, I thought I would sit with him while you freshened up. We can meet with Kara before we meet with the Press.”
Laura stood up from the chair and stretched. “That’s a very good idea Commander.” Laura walked to the door and then turned back. “Lee you should know, he woke up last night and we had a little heart to heart.”
“That sounds encouraging.”
“Yes, it was but we still have a long road to travel.” She gave him a smile and went freshen up.
----
The walk to the brig was a silent one. Laura didn’t offer Lee any more insight into her conversation with his father and he hadn’t had a chance to talk to him since he slept through his visit this morning. Lee nodded to the Marine outside the door. The Marine saluted, turned, punched in the access code and opened the door.
Kara was doing push ups on the deck inside her cell. She jumped to attention when she saw Lee and Laura enter the room.
“At ease, Lieutenant.” Lee said as Corporal Venner pulled a chair up in front of the cell for the President. Laura smiled gratefully and sat down.
“Lieutenant Thrace.” Laura began formally the task ahead wasn’t an easy one. They would both have to decide weather they could trust the woman currently in front of them. “You’ll have to excuse us but we thought you were dead.”
“I understand Ma’am. That is to say I understand that you believe I died but I didn’t.”
“Given our current situation you’ll have to give us time to adjust to this end.”
Lee stepped up to the bars. “If you didn’t die. What was it that I saw?”
“An elaborate trip to fool both you and the cylons. I honestly didn’t know until it was over. I thought I was dead but the people on Earth convinced me I wasn’t.”
“You say you’ve seen Earth. You claim that you have been there.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Laura stood up and began to pace the deck in front of Kara’s cell. Lee followed her with his eyes. “You claim they sent you back to us to lead us to Earth. How are you going to do that?”
“I have been drawing this image.” Kara held up a piece of paper with her Maelstrom drawn on it. “It wasn’t until I found Earth that I understood my role in this life. I have the map. This contains the map to Earth. It never made sense to me when I would draw it. I thought it was just some abstract thing I had stuck in my head but it’s not I can see it now. This is a clear map to Earth.”
“It looks like a child’s drawing to me.”
“That’s just it Lee. You only can see the surface. I see the entire picture. This is my destiny Lee. This is what I was meant to do.”
“You just trying convince us to let you out of hack.”
“No!”
Laura’s sudden outburst shocked Lee, Venner and Kara all. “She may be on to something. The scriptures tell us a dying leader led the way to Earth but it also says she will have a guide along the way.”
“I thought that was Athena.”
“It may very well have been and it was Sharon when we were down on Kobol. All of this will happen before all of this will happen again.” Laura repeated silently to herself. “I was dying on Kobol, but then Hera cured my caner, we found New Caprica, not Earth.”
Lee was beginning to catch her train of thought. “History is repeating itself.”
“For some of us yes. Kara maybe our new guide.”