Chapter 46
(Lee's POV)

"Wait, you mean to tell me that you think that what Kara's been through can somehow be considered a good thing?" I ask, shaking my head at the thought.

"No, of course not."

"Then what are you..."

"I'm just saying that it is too soon to tell what the long term consequences of this are going to be."

"She damn near killed herself!" I exclaim.

"Yes."

"So?"

"So that still doesn't mean a frakking thing. Yes, anyone can see that what she went through on New Caprica was a hellish experience --one that left her badly damaged-- but you have to keep in mind that the causes and the consequences of something like this don't necessarily lie along the same lines."

"What?!"

"Let me see if I can explain it to you. If a man were to be involved in a serious accident, one that resulted in some fairly major injuries --say, several broken bones-- would you describe that accident as a good thing?" he asks.

"No, of course not," I reply, still not quite knowing what that has to do with anything.

"Fine, now assume that in the aftermath of that accident an x-ray is taken and it reveals the presence of a small dark spot in one of the man's lungs. It's a tumor, one that under normal circumstances wouldn't even have been found until it was too late. Because of that x-ray the man's life is saved. Does that change the nature of what happened to him in the first place, does that make a difference in terms of the injuries he sustained?"

"No, but..."

"So, using your own definition, the accident itself would technically remain a 'bad' thing?"

"I guess."

"And what about its consequences?"

"I see."

"Good. Now, I'm not suggesting that that is an accurate analogy or that that situation is all that similar to what we are dealing with here, far from it. The truth is that in most instances the causes do match the consequences but that still doesn't mean that the outcome of this thing can be predicted with any kind of certainty. As I said, what happened to her on that planet will leave some scars and there are going to be some permanent changes --that is unavoidable-- but at the same time this has given us an unexpected opening to address some other issues, one we wouldn't otherwise have had."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, let's face it, Starbuck has been a ticking time bomb ever since she came on board and the destruction of the colonies didn't really do much to help matters in that regard. She was a mess when I met her, turned into an even bigger mess after the attacks --not that the rest of us were doing much better, mind you-- and then New Caprica pushed her over the edge. Now, back when I first met her her defenses would have prevented anyone from getting close enough to even attempt to address those underlying issues however those defenses have been effectively destroyed. Yes, the price she had to pay to make that possible was high, way too high for anyone to say that it was worth it, but that price has already been paid so we might as well take advantage of the opportunity."

"In other words, you are saying that there is something that can be gained from all of this?"

"No, I wouldn't go that far. All I'm saying is that there may be something that can be gained from all of this. It won't be easy and I know she is going to have to rebuild her defenses sooner or later--she has to-- but I'm hoping that by the time she is done picking up the pieces that won't change a frakking thing because at least you and your father will already be inside the perimeter."

"So that's what you are aiming for?"

"Or at least what I'm hoping for."

"Okay, so what comes next?"

"I guess the next step would be to at least try to bring Anders back into the picture."

"Sam?" I ask, not quite knowing how I feel about that. She may be married to the guy but I still don't trust him... especially not after what happened the last time he was allowed to come near her.

"Yes. I have been keeping him away ever since she regained consciousness but he has been asking me to let him see her on a daily basis and let's just say that he is not the only one that keeps bugging me about that. Granted, unlike the rest of her friends his being banned was a direct result of his own stupidity but now that she is doing better there is no real reason for me to keep him away any longer. "

"But Kara still hasn't asked to see him," I remind him.

"No, but then again she hasn't asked to see any of her friends either... and if we were to leave her to her own devices that situation would be unlikely to change. Right now she is in hiding and that means that if we don't want her to retreat further into her shell we are going to have to do some pushing."

"Are you sure she is ready for something like that?" I ask, feeling more than a little worried.

"I'm about as sure as I can be. There is a small measure of risk, there always will be, but that won't change if we keep putting this off and the bottom line is that this situation can't be allowed to go on for much longer. That's why I want to do this. Yes, Anders messed up and he messed up badly but the truth is that what happened wasn't entirely his fault and, even if it had been, we have to start with someone."

"But wouldn't Helo...?" I begin but Cottle interrupts me.

"No."

"Why not?" I insist.

"Because he doesn't know, Sam does," he points out.

"But..."

"Oh, for frak's sake, she may be more than a little vulnerable right now but that girl is not made of china and she is not going to break. Besides, even though Starbuck is my main concern here, she is not my only one. Anders is worried sick about her, he cares about her and the guilt is killing him. He needs to see her. Besides, it's not like I'm going to be leaving them alone any time soon, all I'm saying is that the time has come for us to at least try to get those two in the same room. I know you want to protect her, I know you are worried --I get that-- but she is going to have to brave the outside world sooner or later and there's not a frakking thing you can do to change that," he growls and, even though the rational part of my mind knows that the doc actually has a point, that doesn't mean I have to like it.