~BSG: One Hour
Title: One Hour
Author: kastari
Summary: One hour can change everything. Forever.
Characters: Adama/Roslin, Cottle
Rating: T
Word Count: 304
Author’s Note: Written for the 48th ar_drabbles . Prompt: Time
Disclaimer: I’m just playing in Universal’s sandbox.
One Hour
There was no privacy in Life Station.
It didn’t matter that she would always be the president of the Twelve Colonies regardless of who actually held the current office, only a thin curtain surrounded her bed.
He stood on the other side of it in the shadowy light, out of the way, helpless, watching Cottle and Ishay hover around her.
There was nothing he could do, nothing they could do. Except try to make her comfortable.
It was time.
…Promise me.
Promise you what?
Promise you won’t let me die in that sickbay.
Life Station.
Call it whatever you want, just promise you won’t let me die there.
I promise…
It was quiet except for the soft, steady beeping of the heart monitor. Her face was pale against the white pillow. Her eyes were closed. There was an IV drip and a tangle of useless oxygen tubing. He watched the labored rise and fall of her chest, her breathing now requiring extreme effort, regardless of the flow of gas to her lungs.
The cancer had moved to her lungs.
Ishay looked up and saw the admiral. She smiled softly at him and moved to another patient. Cottle nodded. Bill took a deep, steadying breath and stepped from the shadows.
“This is it,” he said quietly.
His voice quivered.
“Yeah,” Cottle whispered. “This is it.”
His voice quivered.
“I want her to live. I want to see the sparkle of her green eyes. Her smile. Her furrowed brow. I want to hear that tone she uses when she’s pissed at me, you, Saul. Her giggle. Her laugh. Her snort. I want to hold her. Kiss her. Love her. Grow old with her. I want her to see Earth. I want her home.”
Cottle’s eyes welled with tears.
Bill’s fell freely.
“I want one more hour.”
~finis~
Author: kastari
Summary: One hour can change everything. Forever.
Characters: Adama/Roslin, Cottle
Rating: T
Word Count: 304
Author’s Note: Written for the 48th ar_drabbles . Prompt: Time
Disclaimer: I’m just playing in Universal’s sandbox.
One Hour
There was no privacy in Life Station.
It didn’t matter that she would always be the president of the Twelve Colonies regardless of who actually held the current office, only a thin curtain surrounded her bed.
He stood on the other side of it in the shadowy light, out of the way, helpless, watching Cottle and Ishay hover around her.
There was nothing he could do, nothing they could do. Except try to make her comfortable.
It was time.
…Promise me.
Promise you what?
Promise you won’t let me die in that sickbay.
Life Station.
Call it whatever you want, just promise you won’t let me die there.
I promise…
It was quiet except for the soft, steady beeping of the heart monitor. Her face was pale against the white pillow. Her eyes were closed. There was an IV drip and a tangle of useless oxygen tubing. He watched the labored rise and fall of her chest, her breathing now requiring extreme effort, regardless of the flow of gas to her lungs.
The cancer had moved to her lungs.
Ishay looked up and saw the admiral. She smiled softly at him and moved to another patient. Cottle nodded. Bill took a deep, steadying breath and stepped from the shadows.
“This is it,” he said quietly.
His voice quivered.
“Yeah,” Cottle whispered. “This is it.”
His voice quivered.
“I want her to live. I want to see the sparkle of her green eyes. Her smile. Her furrowed brow. I want to hear that tone she uses when she’s pissed at me, you, Saul. Her giggle. Her laugh. Her snort. I want to hold her. Kiss her. Love her. Grow old with her. I want her to see Earth. I want her home.”
Cottle’s eyes welled with tears.
Bill’s fell freely.
“I want one more hour.”
~finis~