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Second Chance 

I.

“Captain? Captain Thrace?”

Kara could hear the voice pulling her out of the corridors of her dream, but she didn’t stop running, just in case she wasn’t sleeping.

“Kara. Wake up.”

Kara’s eyes snapped open. She instantly knew where she was- no other place in the universe had the exact light and smell of Doc Cottle’s infirmary, and she’d spent more than her share of time here. She did not, however, recognize the face hovering over her. The woman was a bit older than Starbuck but somehow softer. Seeing Kara’s eyes open, the stranger moved away, with a pleased half-smile.

Kara’s suspicion hardened as she noticed that the woman was heavily pregnant. There was something about pregnant women- the way they blithely took on a responsibility that gave them so much power, so much potential to mess things up. It struck Kara as unbearably arrogant. “Who are you?” she demanded. Her voice was hoarse.

“Oh- I’m Pam. I’m a patient here, too.” Pam smiled, not immediately recognizing the hostility in Kara’s eyes. “You were thrashing around in your sleep and I was afraid you’d knock your IV out. The doctor said you needed to be re-hydrated, so I thought….” Her voice trailed off. “I’m sorry I woke you up. I’ll go back to my bed.” She started moving awkwardly away.

“Where’s everyone else?” It occurred to Kara that no one else was around, and that it was odd for another patient to be tending to her. The question brought the concerned look back into Pam’s face.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “I think something bad has happened somewhere on the ship. A voice came over the PA and said…something I didn’t catch- I was sleeping- and then everyone rushed out, grabbing supplies. They’ve been gone a long time. I mean, if anyone were hurt badly, they’d have brought them back here already, right? But they’ve been gone a really long time. I don’t know.”

Trouble on Galactica. Starbuck tried to pull herself up to get out of bed, but the room began to sway just as the stabbing pain struck behind her eyes. “Oh, my gods,” she hissed as she rested her head back on the pillows.

Pam had rushed back to her bedside. “Captain, you need to stay still. You were hurt pretty bad, I think. Everyone was really surprised…I mean, I think you were pretty lucky to make it.”

Kara wasn’t hurting too much to be sarcastic. “Yeah, that’s me. Lucky.” Her voice was soft, though, because the pain in her head made it hard to speak. The two women remained silent for a long moment, and then Pam turned again, to return to her bed.

“Wait. How long was I out?”

Pam paused and turned back. She said, “Two days. They brought you in just after I got here. I don’t really know what happened, but everyone was frantic. And then when you were OK, everyone was so happy.” She paused for a moment. “You have, um, really famous friends. The Admiral and the President came by…together. And then a really famous Pyramid player, and a Major, and the head of the labor union. It was like a red carpet event or something in here for a little while.” Pam was smiling again, trying to joke, and Kara felt some of her tension seep away into trust. It was an unsettling feeling, so she grasped at something Pam had said.

“You recognized Sam? You follow Pyramid?”

“Me? Not really. But back on Picon I was engaged to a huge sports fan. I watched more sports news than I did local or Colonial news by a long shot.”

“Did he cry? Sam, I mean.” Kara wasn’t sure why she asked; she felt her voice dripping with disdain that she didn’t entirely feel. She was surprised by Pam’s reaction. She looked quickly away from Kara and shook her head slightly, an uncomfortable smile on her face. Suddenly, the truth dawned on Kara. “Lee did, though, didn’t he?” She barked out a short laugh, as much as she could muster with the pain and exhaustion pressing against her temples. “Major Adama, I mean. Gods, he’s such a girl.” Pam nodded, clearly feeling both confused and awkward.

“They’re my husband and my…frak, I don’t even know. Betcha can’t guess which is which, though.” Kara laughed hollowly. A flicker of something unexpected lit in Pam’s soft hazel eyes. Something like empathy.