Chapter 14
(Sam's POV)

I am still trying to figure out what the frak happened in there as I wait for the doctor to deign talk to me when I see the Admiral walk in and then, after a quick exchange with Cottle, go in to see Kara. That is the last straw.

I mean, I know that the Galactica is a battlestar and he is her CO but for frak's sake she is my wife, so how come he is in there and I am out here?

I am still fuming about that, especially because both he and his son have already admitted to having played a rather large role in her ending up here in the first place, when Cottle finally turns his attention to me.

"Would you mind telling me what the frak did you think you were doing?" he growls.

"Hey, what did I do?" I ask, not quite believing my ears.

"In there, what could you possibly have been thinking?"

"I was just kissing my wife for frak's sake... and I was being careful not to hurt her!" I exclaim, more than a little fed up with this whole situation.

"Nowhere near careful enough," he mutters.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I ask and he just looks at me at that, taking a deep breath.

"I'm saying that you obviously don't have a frakking clue as to what it is that you are dealing with here, though I have to admit that that is probably as much my fault as it is yours, but then again I wasn't exactly expecting you to make such a mess out of things without even trying."

"What is this all about?"

"I need you to tell me everything you know about what happened to Starbuck back on New Caprica," he says, all but ignoring my question.

"I already did."

"No, you told me where you found her but that was the extent of it."

"Yes, well, that's because that's about the only thing I know for sure. Kara wouldn't even mention it and she let me know in no uncertain terms that the subject was off limits."

"And after four months you didn't push?"

"Do you know my wife?" I snort, openly rolling my eyes at the doctor at that.

"Fair enough."

"What is this all about?"

"That's what we are still trying to piece together but..."

"But what?"

"But off the top of your head, if you were to see a man, a woman and a child living together, how would you describe them?" he asks out of nowhere.

"As a family," I reply without even thinking about it.

"Exactly and, back on New Caprica, where did you find Starbuck?"

"In an apartment with Leoben and a little... frak!" I exclaim as I finally realize what he is getting at with this line of questioning and not quite believing that I had never even considered the possibility before, especially because --as I think back to Kara's behavior in these past few days--I can't help but to acknowledge that it would explain a lot.

"That about sums it up, doesn't it?"

"Are you saying that that frakking toaster?... no," I trail off, shaking my head, even though deep down I know he is right.

"Why not?"

"Because you said a man, a woman and a child... and that damned thing is not a man," I manage to spit out.

"Semantics."

"I want to talk to her."

"No."

"She is my wife!"

"Right now I don't particularly care. She may be your wife but she is my patient first and until she tells me that she wants to see you you are not going anywhere near her and that's final."

"But I have to tell her that I..."

"What? That you are sorry? It's not going to happen, not now. In case you haven't noticed, this is not about what you need and it's certainly not about what you want."

"You can't do this!" I exclaim, not willing to take 'no' for an answer.

"Believe me, I can and I warned you going in that once she started coming around I was going to be taking my cues from her in terms of who was going to be allowed to see her and when. Listen, give it a few days and, if she doesn't ask to see you, when she is a little stronger I may reconsider the possibility of pushing the issue but right now that kind of stress is the last thing she needs and she is my top priority."

"Does the Admiral know?" I finally ask, thinking back to their little exchange a few minutes ago.

"Yes."

"And Apollo?"

"The old man filled him in."

"And why didn't anyone tell me? I'm her husband for frak's sake, didn't you people think that maybe I had a right to know?"

"Because there was no point in telling you while she was unconscious and I was hoping you would manage to figure it out on your own. Besides, at least for today, I didn't want you making matters worse by walking on eggshells around her, and that is exactly what would have happened if I had told you right before you went in. That may have been a mistake but it's done and there is no turning back."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"I don't know, I really don't know. From a medical perspective I can tell you that she is essentially out of danger but other than that... it's a mess, and this latest incident is not likely to help matters."

"Take care of her," I finally say, feeling almost literally sick as I force myself to walk out of sickbay.