NEVER LET YOU GO
Chapter 1
It was two weeks after the Rebel Alliance had declared victory over the Galactic Empire. The after party was over (rumor had it that the galaxy had run out of intoxicants), and now the business of creating a new government and a new life were at hand.
For Han and Leia, the days were a blur. Not only was Leia a prominent member of the Provisional Government with all of its attending responsibilities; that would have been enough. On top of it, she and Han had a wedding to plan. They'd located a flat near the former Imperial Palace on Coruscant, where the fledgling councils would be housed. It was small but adequate for a young couple starting out.
Han was charged with running supplies to worlds that were in desperate need of them, and there were plenty of them that had suffered under the Empire. And it was still dangerous: the Empire still had sympathizers, and they were unhappy. The Falcon was now famous and Han wished she wasn't. He was still General Han Solo, but he had thoughts of retiring after he and Leia became husband and wife. What he wanted was his own business. The Provisional Government and the permanent one that would be formed after elections were held was likely to continue to be a good customer, but Han simply wasn't cut out to work for someone else, no matter how high his or her rank. Corellians had an inborn mistrust of authority, and the Alliance victory had not changed that.
He'd just completed a run to his homeworld, and was headed back to Coruscant. Han wished that they'd chosen Corellia for the site of the new regime. The climate was better and it had natural beauty. But that was not to be. He would go where Leia needed to be, and do it willingly. And, he reminded himself, it wasn't Tatooine.
Han was eager to be home. Fortunately, there were no official functions that evening. He hoped Leia would be home at a reasonable hour. He couldn't wait to see her again, to hold her in his arms, to be intimate with her...
But he was exhausted.
Chewie, very much in tune with Han, warbled a soft note of concern. {You don't look too good, cub}.
"I'm just tired," Han replied irritably. "Too much to do, not enough time to do it." It was early afternoon; once he and Chewie had tied the ship down, he was going back home and taking a long nap.
{We're all tired. But you look like you're getting sick}, Chewie told him, his voice carrying hints of worry.
"I'm not getting sick. I just need a nap. That's all." Sometimes, having Chewie was worse than having a mother around.
Yes, his head ached, his throat hurt, and he felt somewhat chilled, but he hadn't slept much since the victory celebration. What he needed was sleep, and he'd get that shortly.
Now in Coruscant's orbit, Han comm'd ground traffic.
"Millennium Falcon, requesting permission to land."
"Permission granted. Docking bay 422," the voice responded, giving the coordinates to do so. "Welcome home, General Solo."
Han gently guided the ship to line up with the landing pad. He could do it in his sleep, and sometimes he had.
Once they'd put the landing claws out, Han leaned back, closing his eyes. The headache, he had to admit, was getting worse.
{I'll tie her down}, Chewie offered.
"You sure?"
{I wouldn't say so if it wasn't}, Chewie retorted, but then his tone softened.
"Thanks, pal. I owe you one."
{You owe me a lot more than that}, Chewie teased.
"I know."
{I shall comm Leia}.
"No, you're not going to comm Leia. She's busy and she'll be home later."
{She would want to know that you're not well}.
"I need some sleep. I'll be fine by the time she gets home."
01123581321345589144233377610987
Leia slumped in her office chair. She had to write one report and then she'd be home. She and Han had been absent from each other for nine days and her longing was nearly indescribable. He'd comm'd her with the message, 'home.' It was all she needed to know, and despite her weariness, she couldn't keep from smiling. She had a clear calendar and would soon be heading home.
She took out her datapad and began making entries when Mon Mothma stepped into her office.
"Leia, the governor from Ruan just got in," Mon Mothma told her. Some of the governors had run into problems getting there on time but most had made it by lunchtime. "I'd like you to go to dinner with some of us to discuss today's discussions."
Leia's heart sank. "Han just got back, and we have a lot to do. I'll be happy to bring him up to speed tomorrow."
"He needs to be informed before talks resume tomorrow," Mon insisted.
"I'll meet him now," Leia told her.
"It would be better were it a group discussion," Mon persisted.
Leia groaned.
Mon studied her. "Leia, you know very well that setting up new governments requires commitment."
"I am committed," Leia said, trying to keep from snapping at the woman who was now her boss. "But Han and I are getting married soon, and we're still trying to set up our apartment."
"Leia, in case you've forgotten, I agreed to make the arrangements for the vast majority of the guests," Mon replied tersely. Mon Mothma was not at all happy about Leia marrying Han, and Leia and Han had told her that if she thought this was a way to unify the galaxy, she could invite and pay for the nine hundred-plus political and military leaders to attend. Han and Leia had wanted something more private, with only those they were close to in attendance.
Leia was trying to maintain diplomacy. "I'll agree to a dinner, but I can only do so if we can go early, say, in half an hour."
Mon sighed tragically. "Very well. I will attempt to get everyone who can help most to be there." She left the office, clearly irritated.
Leia comm'd Han. "Have to go to dinner but it's early. Will see you soon. I love you." He was probably asleep; that was his usual MO when he arrived home. He didn't sleep much on runs.
I'm going to eat and run, she told herself, smiling at the thought of Han being there, his arms wrapped around her, their kisses sweet and passionate, their clothes falling away...
01123581321345589144233377610987
By the time Han made it home, he felt as if he was going pass out. Dizziness had overcome him on the tram and he had to hang on for dear life. He'd never had balance problems. The only time he'd ever had this sort of symptom was when he had a case of the Corellian tanamen flu, many years ago. He remembered when Dewlanna had cared for him...
He staggered into the apartment, feeling horrible. His neck was stiff, and he couldn't tolerate the light coming in through the windows. He had the shaking chills, and could barely croak out a word. The dizziness was overpowering.
He stumbled to the bed, and promptly passed out.
01123581321345589144233377610987
Leia was irritated over having to attend the dinner; she was resentful at not being able to get home to her beloved fiancé right away, and she'd had her fill of political conversations for the day. The governor from Ruan was pleasant enough and seemed to be on board and Leia felt that a short conversation before tomorrow's discussions would have been sufficient.
Leia felt her comm go off, and asked to be excused.
It was Chewie, not Han.
"Chewie, what's up?" Chewie and Leia had become good friends but it was not like the Wookiee to call her.
{I went to check on Han and he didn't wake up. So he is on his way to the west medcenter}. Leia could feel the pain in Chewie's warbles.
"I'll be right there," Leia told him, snapping off the comm. "Excuse me, but I have to leave immediately.
"Leia –" Mon Mothma called after her, but Leia raced from the restaurant and signaled a hovercab. She swallowed hard to keep from crying.
If only she'd refused to go to dinner...
01123581321345589144233377610987
Leia raced into the medcenter. "I'm here about Han Solo," she said, struggling to maintain her composure.
"Are you family?" the clerk droid asked quietly.
"I'm his fiancee. He doesn't have any other family." Leia felt tears stinging her eyes. She felt the way she had when Han had been taken by Boba Fett.
"Let me find out his status," the droid said. He had a low, soothing voice programmed into him, and Leia appreciated the kindly manner. The droid comm'd the med droid in charge of Han and asked if Leia could see him.
"Follow me," the med droid beckoned Leia.
01123581321345589144233377610987
Leia was told to wait in a quiet room and that the med droid would be out shortly to talk to her.
I've got a really bad feeling about this, she told herself.
Leia nearly hit the ceiling when she felt something touching her shoulder.
"Oh, Chewie, it's you," she said, her voice shaking.
{I didn't want to scare you. But I wanted you to know that you're not alone}.
"Have they told you anything?" Leia held Chewie's paw in between her two hands, which were freezing cold.
{I had a hard time proving we were related. So no}.
That actually made Leia laugh a little. "That's funny. I think you two look a lot alike." That made the giant Wookiee laugh. "Especially when he hasn't shaved for a week."
A med droid appeared. "Minister Organa? I understand you are the fiancee of Captain Solo. I'm Four-O-Five, the medic in charge of Captain Solo's treatment. Could we talk privately?"
"Chewbacca is with me, and you need to include him. He's family," Leia told Four-O-Five.
"Uh, yes, very well, Minister. He arrived unconscious, and of course that's far too vague for a diagnosis. He appears to have some swelling of the cerebral cortex. We've given him some anti-inflammatories for that, and we're analyzing his cerebrospinal fluid. When did you last see your husband?"
"Nine days ago," Leia said, feeling as if the planet was falling out from under her. "I was supposed to be home early, but at the last minute I had to attend dinner for one of the governors who'd been late."
"How was he at that time?" Four-O-Five inquired.
"Perfectly healthy," Leia said, her voice barely more than a whisper. She was doing everything in her power to fight back the tears she could feel forming in her eyes. "Chewie was with him the entire nine days."
The med droid turned to Chewie. "Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?"
The droid did not understand Shyriiwook, and Leia translated as best as she could.
{I noticed the last few hours of the flight that he looked tired and not well. I tied down the ship and went back to my flat, which is in the same building. I was concerned about him, and did not know when the minister would arrive home, so I checked on him and he didn't respond}.
"Did he indicate a specific complaint?" the droid continued.
{He said he just needed some sleep. He wouldn't tell me anything else}.
"You have to understand," Leia told the Four-O-Five. "Han is the type that, were he hemorrhaging and in danger of losing a limb, would insist it's just a scratch." She paused. "Do you have any idea what's wrong?"
"Obviously, many diseases have the same symptoms as what General Solo is experiencing," the droid continued. "Do you know if he ever had the Corellain tanamen flu?"
Leia remembered Han telling her how the Wookiee Dewlanna had cared for him when he was sick. "He did, but I believe he was quite young. He's rarely sick. The last time he was was while we were still on Hoth, and that's been years now."
"The reason I asked," Four-O-Five said, "is that we are seeing a bizarre strain of the Corellian tanamen flu in those who've previously contracted it."
"But I think he was only, maybe twelve or thirteen when he had it," Leia told him.
"Normally, a human can only have one case of it. But sometimes the virus lives on and mutates, sometimes for decades, only to have it return in a much more virulent and dangerous form. It attacks the brain and spinal cord."
Leia was taking deep breaths, trying to keep from breaking into tears.
"He had a seizure en route to the med center, which is typical, since his temperature was 40.55. We have been able to lower it to 39, which is still quite high, but a vast improvement. He remains unconscious, and we're treating it as if we have a live case of it. Has he visited Corellia recently?"
{Four standard days ago}, Chewie responded, with Leia translating.
"I'm expecting the lab results to demonstrate that. Perhaps the oddest thing about the disease is that it is only affecting those native to Corellia. We believe it's a form of bioterrorism."
"That wouldn't surprise me," Leia said shakily. "There are some strong Imperial supporters who are very unhappy with the Alliance victory. They've made threats."
"Once we know that this is in fact the case, we will put him in the bacta tank for forty-eight standard hours." The droid paused. "This is the first case I've seen, but there have been about fifteen hundred cases in all. And it does have the potential to be fatal."
"What type of mortality rates are you talking about?" Leia asked.
"Unfortunately, nearly nine hundred have not survived. That is largely due to a shortage of bacta. Fortunately, since so many have migrated here to establish the New Republic, we have one of the best and strongest bacta supplies in the galaxy. You've indicated that your fiancé is usually very healthy, which is another thing in his favor. Many of the dead were elderly."
A nurse droid came out. "We have the lab results," she announced to Four-O-Five. The droid maneuvered to her and took the datapad from her, reading it.
"Yes, as I suspected."
"And I think he's regaining consciousness. He's asking for Leia."
"May I go back and see him?" Leia asked, clutching at Chewie.
"We do need to get him into the bacta tank as quickly as possible, but yes, you may see him for a moment," Four-O-Five said to her. "Follow me, please."
{I'll be out here if you need me}, Chewie told the princess gently.
"Thanks, Chewie." She hugged the big Wookiee.
And she thought she'd been terrified when Han had been encased in carbonite.