The Path Taken

Laura Roslin stirred as the murmur of conversation filtered through the haze she’d been sleeping in. Stretching carefully, she winced as pain raced through her joints. While the frakking medicine was supposedly extending her life, it wasn’t doing much for the quality of the same. Focusing on the voices in the living area, she blinked sleepily. The second voice sounded like Lee Adama, which could be a good thing, except when Bill began to dwell on his son’s recent, and if she was totally honest, not so recent decisions in his life.

She lay there for a few minutes, letting the almost inaudible voices lull her back to sleep, when a sudden racking cough caught her off guard, sending her into a painful convulsion. As she struggled to catch her breath between coughs, a strong arm slid around her, easing her up she was pulled into an embrace. “Laura, relax against me,” Bill murmured into her ear, “shh…it’s all right, I’ve got you.” As he continued, she shuddered, turning her face into his shoulder, her gasps finally subsiding into deep heaves, her stomach suddenly revolting against her again.

“Sick…” She managed to get out, and twisted just as the small amount of food she’d managed to get down came back up; landing in a trash can that suddenly appeared in her way.

“That’s all right,” Bill continued to rub her back, holding her hair out of her face as she frakking threw up. In front of not only Bill, who’d seen it before, but also Lee. Not so much a matter of pride, she didn’t have much of that left in dealing with her biological concerns, but the woman in her found something strange about throwing up into a trash can held by the son of the man whose bed she was in. Her face burning, she realized Bill was speaking again, issuing soft directions to Lee, who left for a brief moment, taking the can. “Laura, it’s all right. Just breathe. Think of…think of that night on New Caprica, when you told me about your cabin…of looking at the stars.” She jumped slightly as a damp cloth was drawn across the back of her neck then gently cleaned her face. “Lee, give us a minute…can you call down to the galley for some tea?”

“Yes sir.” At the soft reply, Lee’s tone choked by what he’d witnessed, Laura cringed again.

“Shh. Laura,” Bill gently pushed her hair behind an ear and lowered his face to hers. “Laura, it’s all right.”

“I’m sorry…” she whispered as he used the cloth to gently wipe away the tears running down her cheeks. “I’m…”

“Come here.” Wrapping her in his arms, he gently urged her to bury her face into the crook of his neck. “Better?” At her soft hmm, he smiled slightly. “No matter what has happened between you and Lee, he still cares for you. You know that. And helping you now, it doesn’t lessen that at all. Just as nothing will lessen how I feel about you. You know that.” She nodded slowly, still trembling. “Do you want me to call Cottle?”

“No.” Lifting her head, her lips twitched. “He’ll lecture me again, that I should be there, not…anywhere else. I’ll be all right. Really.”

“I know you will.” Coaxing her head back to his shoulder, he continued to stroke her back until he heard the hatch open and close. “Do you feel up to some tea?”

“Tea, no.” She pressed her lips against his neck softly. “Getting up for a few minutes, yes. Please.”

“Come along then.” Gently, he eased the covers back and helped her swing her legs around and clear of the berth. “Ready?” At her slow nod, he stood and turned to face her. Bracing her arms on his, he carefully helped her stand, waiting until she’d caught her balance to release one arm and reach out for her robe. Hesitating a moment, he changed his movement and picked up his robe, heavier and warmer than hers. “Here, put this on. It will keep you warmer.”

She smiled slightly at him, her eyes peeking from under her lashes. “I know. Sometimes…”

“I know.” He chuckled. “You fold it differently.”

“I’ll keep that in mind next time.” She slid her arms into the sleeves, wrapping the warm material around her. “Lee’s still out there?”

“Yes.” Bill raised an eyebrow, “you aren’t going to get the giggles are you?”

“The…” Laura’s eyes widened at the distant memory of confessing her past of collapsing into giggles before debate team in high school, a pattern she’d ended up repeating at various times throughout her life, including prior to the debates with Gaius. At least she’d learned to use a nearby storage locker or restroom to hide in when they hit. Usually. “You remember that?”

”How could I forget?” His grin widened. “Tory came to get us and you almost collapsed in laughter before we got out the door. I think she had some serious concerns about you at that moment.”

“Well, you started laughing too.” She retorted, wrinkling her nose at him.

“Madness in numbers.” He tilted his head toward the living area. “Shall we?” Laura gazed past him, her hand tightening on his arm. “It’s all right. We were just…talking.”

“I know.” Her voice was barely audible. “It was soothing.”

“You can lie back…” Bill hesitated as her gaze swung to meet his.

“No.” She shook her head and smiled, an actual genuine Laura Roslin smile, and one that he hadn’t seen in some time. “I want to, but I’m not going to.”

“All right then.” He stepped back and led her into the living area.

“Madame President.” Lee Adama stood as she approached him.

“Lee,” one eyebrow raised in amusement. “I think we can dispense with titles at this point. You just held a trashcan as I threw up in it, and well, based on what I’m wearing; formality just isn’t a viable option at this point.”

”Um, very well.” Lee glanced at his father, watching as he helped Laura seat herself on the couch, then covered her legs with a nearby blanket. “Here…” Pouring a cup of tea, he offered it to her.

“Thank you.” Accepting it, Laura wrapped her hands around the steaming cup and inhaled deeply. “So what were you two discussing?” At their silence, she gazed from one to the other. “Really, I know it can’t be fleet business, so what is it?”

“Lee brought me something.” Bill leaned forward and picked up a box.

“I found them in a storage unit.” Lee took a swallow of his tea. “I thought you’d like them.”

“What are they?” Curious, she tilted her head to look into the box. “Pieces of wood?”

“No,” Bill glanced at the tilted ship on a shelf against the far wall. “A model.”

“A model?” Laura looked at the ship, one she knew he’d spent months putting together, then Kara had disappeared and something had happened to it, but he still displayed it. “Another ship?”

“Well, since…” Lee took a deep breath. “Since, well, it was just sitting there, and I didn’t think you had any more spare wood to start a new one.”

“I didn’t.” Bill reached into the box and stirred the pieces around. “As I said, thank you.”

“Let me see.” Extending a hand she waited as he handed her the box. “There’s a lot of pieces.”

“It’s soothing.” Bill stood and crossed back to the sleeping berth. When he returned, he handed Laura her glasses. “Here.”

“Thank you.” Setting the box on her lap, she put the glasses on and returned her attention to the contents of the box. After a moment, she glanced up. “Don’t mind me; go on with your conversation.” The two men exchanged a glance and she sighed. “Really, I’m fine.” With another lift of her eyebrow, Laura shook her head and looked back into the box. As they picked up their conversation, an innocuous one about something or other, she absently toyed with the pieces of wood in the box. Looking at each piece, she found it…interesting that the items in the box would fit together into something as complex as the ship on the shelf across the room. It actually was an intriguing analogy that would apply to their lives as well. Finding the bits and pieces that they needed to survive, their lives growing more and more complex until the pieces came together to be a tapestry, woven together…suddenly she realized they had fallen silent and were staring at her. “I’m sorry…?”

“Did you want some more tea?” Lee repeated gently, nodding at her cup, which she’d absently put on the table next to her.

“Oh.” She shook her head. “No, thank you. I’m fine. But here…” handing the box back to Bill, she relaxed into the cushions, nestling into their warmth.

“Well, I need to go.” Lee reached out and took her hand, startled at the icy coldness and how slender it was. “It was good to see you…Laura.”

“Likewise.” She tilted her head slightly, her lips curving upward. “I’ve missed you…Lee.”

“Our prayers are with you.” He glanced at his father, who nodded as they stood.

“Thank you for the model.” Bill walked to the hatch with Lee.

“She’ll be all right?” Lee’s voice was low as they paused just inside the hatch, his hand on the handle.

”For now.” Bill matched his son’s voice and involuntarily glanced over his shoulder at Laura, who had picked up the book he’d left on the table next to the couch. “She had another diloxin treatment this afternoon, and the quorum gave her a rough morning before that.”

”I see.” Lee glanced at Laura before returning his attention to his father. “I’m…glad you’re able to help her by giving her a safe place close to sickbay.”

“It’s the least I could do.” Their eyes locked. “I’ll see you in a few days.”

“A few days.” Lee nodded and reached for the hatch.

After speaking to the marine guard on duty, Bill closed the hatch and crossed the room, looking down at Laura. “Did you want to stay up?’

”For a bit. It’s nice to be upright and semi-comfortable.” She shifted slightly and waited as he eased himself down next to her before curling up against him, the book resting on her lap. “I’m glad Lee was here. You don’t see enough of each other.”

“We saw altogether too much of each other for a while there.” Carefully, he tucked the blanket back around her. “But it was good. Although…”

When he remained silent for a few minutes, she lifted her hand and touched his cheek. “Although what?”

His chuckle rumbled under her cheek, “although, I don’t know when I’ll have time to devote to another model. It was…”

“A good gesture.” As he kissed her hand, Laura smiled, her eyes closing.

“Yes, it was.” Bill ran his hand along her cheek.

“He’s a good son.” She murmured softly. “He truly does care about you. And he’s following his heart. Right or not, that’s the gift you’ve given him. To commit himself to what he believes in. Even if it’s not what you’d want him to see or do, you always make sure he knows you love him.”

“Why didn’t you have children?” A few minutes later, Bill finally broke the comfortable silence they’d fallen into.

“I do.” She smiled. “I have children everywhere, those I taught before making the mistake of becoming Secretary of Education…those I taught on New Caprica…all over.”

”You think becoming Secretary of Education was a mistake?” Pushing the hair out of her face, he gazed down at her in confusion. “Why did you do it then?”

“I don’t know.” Laura frowned slightly. “I think…I was encouraged because I truly wanted the best for the children. And once it happened there were…things, reasons. Sometimes I wonder how I let myself get seduced into leaving the classroom. Or into other things that occurred while I was Secretary.”

”Or you could look at it as the entire fleet is now your classroom, Madame President.” Bill teased gently.

“For now.” She sighed and relaxed into the gentle stroking of his hand along her back, her hand now resting on his chest, where she could feel the solid steady pace of his heart.

“I’m glad you were the Secretary of Education.” He stated a few minutes later.

“You hated me as the Secretary of Education.” Amused, Laura giggled. “Something about a waste of time for the tour or something.”

“They’d just turned my ship into a tourist attraction.” Bill grimaced. “And no, I didn’t want to take the time to see the ship become a teaching tool or tourists going everywhere. But that’s not why.”

She twisted slightly to look up at him. “Why then?”

“Because if it wasn’t for that frakking tour you wouldn’t be here today.” He bent and kissed her gently.