Chapter 19
(Cottle's POV)

As soon as the Old Man walks into sickbay I move to intercept him, knowing that a couple of things are going to have to change around here... and that I'm going to need his help if I want to make those changes.

"Bill, do you have a minute?"

"Sure, is there a problem? Is Kara okay?"

"She is fine, don't worry," I reassure him. "In fact that's precisely the reason why I wanted to talk to you in the first place: I think the time has come for us to start pushing a little and I'm afraid I'm going to need you to give me a hand in that regard."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Nothing as awful as you are probably thinking. Could you help her walk a few corridors today?"

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? I mean, isn't it too soon?" he asks, sounding rather worried and I can barely keep myself from rolling my eyes at that... I mean, is there even such a thing as a 'father hen'?

"Not really. She's been here for over a week now and you know it. In fact, if anything, I would have to say that I have already put it off for a lot longer than I probably should have, though the fact that she was sedated for most of that week obviously played a major role in that decision. The thing is that that sedative is completely out of her system by now, I'm already cutting back on her painkillers and even the stitches should be coming out within the next forty-eight hours or so, so there's no way that taking a few steps is going to aggravate matters. The problem is that while from a physical perspective she is more than ready to do it, right now she is in hiding... and that is precisely why I need your help here."

"In hiding? Starbuck?" he asks with a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"Well, 'in hiding' may not have been the best way to phrase it but for better or for worse that girl has a lot of friends on this ship and that means that there are a lot of people who are worried about her," I remind him. "Hell, I've already had to warn about half your crew that the next time I catch them trying to sneak in here for no good reason they will find themselves on the receiving end of a complete and painful physical. The thing is that while I can certainly understand why she may be reluctant to face them, I can't let her stay in here forever... and that's why I need someone with her who can actually keep her friends from pouncing on her."

"In other words, you want me to run interference."

"Well, you are 'The Admiral' so if anyone can do it it's bound to be you. The problem is that while in here I can shield her from her friends' good intentions --at least to some extent-- as soon as she sets foot out that door I am going to lose whatever control I have over that particular situation and I'd rather not take any unnecessary chances. From a physical perspective she may be more than ready to get out of that bed but emotionally that girl is still a frakking mess. She hasn't even begun to deal with any of this and I don't want people who are not fully aware of what is going on, and of just how delicate the situation really is, trying to push her."

"I see," he says, still sounding rather worried as he makes his way to the curtained area that has all but become an extension of his quarters in these past few days.

"Hi, Kara," Bill greets her as soon as we walk in, making a deliberate attempt to sound as relaxed and as casual as possible, though anyone who knows him would be able to tell right away that that is nothing but a facade... and a pretty flimsy one at that.

"Sir," she replies, looking at both of us with some mistrust and obviously sensing that something is up.

"So, Starbuck, how do you feel about the idea of going for a little walk? I hear that the weather is nice outside this time of year," I say, trying to keep things light and not wanting to make it an order --at least not yet-- though I know that in the end I'll probably have no choice but to do just that.

"Actually, it's the vacuum of space out there... though now that you mention it, that does sound kind of nice."

"Don't even joke about it, Kara!" growls Bill, sounding rather pained at that and obviously not finding it funny in the least.

"I'm sorry, sir, it's just that... WHAT!?" she exclaims, glaring at me.

"You heard me, Starbuck."

"Well, if it's all the same to you, I think I'll pass," she says, crossing her arms and almost daring me to push the issue.

"Okay, then let's see if I can sweeten the deal for you: you get your butt out of that bed and let the admiral take you out for a five minute walk then, when lunch comes around, you actually try to eat something and not just push your food around on your plate. Now, it doesn't have to be much and I certainly don't expect you to eat a full meal, not yet, but I do want you to get at least a couple of bites down..."

"You've got to be frakking kidding me," she mutters, looking almost green at the thought, not that that is particularly surprising. In fact I knew all along that that was likely to be an issue. After all, I am well aware of what happened yesterday when she tried it for the first time: she failed to take into account just how careful she had to be and ended up eating a little faster than she probably should have. That triggered a gag reflex that, while not entirely unexpected, was still excruciatingly painful and left her feeling more than a little reluctant to try again. Now, I know she is unlikely to make the same mistake twice but that doesn't mean that getting her over that initial reluctance is going to be easy... and that in turn means that I am going to have to play dirty here.

"Oh, I get that but we haven't gotten anywhere near the best part yet."

"The best part?"

"Well, I did say it was a 'deal', didn't I?" I remind her.

"What kind of deal?" she asks, eying me with some suspicion.

"If you do as you are told then later today I'll have Ishay help you to the head where you get to take a real shower and --if you can manage that-- you can then be rid of both bedpans and sponge baths... unless you are actually enjoying them, of course."

"Not really, but..."

"That's my final offer, Starbuck. Take it or leave it," I warn her, seeing that she is getting ready to argue and knowing that this is not really open for debate.

"Fine, I'll take it," she growls while muttering something under her breath, something I can't quite make out though I am fairly certain I heard something that was less than flattering about my ancestry somewhere in there.

Oh, well, after all she is Starbuck and the good news is that at least she agreed to play along. That is a good sign. Besides, knowing this girl like I do, I have to say that what would have been troubling would have been if she had actually been nice about it.