Five Percent
Anakin awoke and instantly flinched, shutting his eyes tightly against the strong lighting. After two weeks in a dark prison he was unable to adjust to the brightness of the ship's infirmary.
"Dim the lights to 30%," Obi-Wan ordered, the bond between them cluing him into the problem. The medical droid obeyed, dimming the brightness considerably.
"Thanks," Anakin said, able to open his eyes now, "sorry if that is too dark."
"No, it's fine," Obi-Wan said from his chair next to the bed. He'd been sitting there for several hours, making sure his Padawan would be okay.
"Is everyone alright?"
"Peace Anakin, just rest," Obi-Wan ordered, using the bond to gently lull Anakin to sleep. Now that Obi-Wan was certain Anakin was going to be all right, he would also take the time to sleep.
"Very well…"
A week later Anakin's eyes had not improved much and though they were back at the temple Anakin had to keep the lights dim in their quarters. He had to wear a hood to leave and even his lightsaber was too bright for him to look at. He had to dim his datapad too, and could only use it sparingly. Tinkering was out of the question with the limited light, so mostly he lay around bored.
In short, her restrictions where many and her patience was thin.
Obi-Wan, on the other hand, was dealing with it as well as he could. His worry for his Padawan prior to the rescue was enough to keep him patient with Anakin, who was more annoying and curt that usual. And he was able to bolster Anakin's mood too.
However he could not fall behind on his training, so Obi-Wan was starting to have Anakin work on learning some more about other planets and cultures from audio-books so he didn't need to strain his eyes.
However, he often fell asleep in the midst of lessons. Coming into the apartment after a duel with Mace he found his Padawan sprawled on the couch with an arm slung over his eyes and his hand dangling near the floor.
Assuming Anakin was asleep, he quietly went over to the kitchen for a quick snack. He was fairly sure he had some leftover sliders in the back of the fridge, but as he felt around on the shelves he only managed to find something very sticking residing in his path.
"Yuck!" He groaned softly, getting up to move towards the sink.
"You could turn up the lights. I just had a headache earlier," Anakin's voice startled Obi-Wan.
"You tried to turn them up again didn't you?" Obi-Wan asked knowingly. He was beginning to suspect Anakin was over-doing it and that was causing more harm then good.
"Yes," Anakin admitted.
"How much?" Obi-Wan asked, glad the darkness could hide his scowl. He didn't need to start a fight now.
"Ten percent," Anakin said reluctantly.
"The healers said increments of five percent. Five," Obi-Wan reminded his Padawan.
"I know what they said Master!" Anakin snapped, irritation with his own condition causing him to be impatient.
"You can't take such chances! Do you want your eyesight to be forever ruined?" Obi-Wan asked, gentle but firm.
"No, but I'm getting nowhere five percent at a time!" Anakin said with a huff.
"Do you remember when I lost my voice because of that Lannik headcold I got?" Obi-Wan asked, hating the memory, but needing to remind Anakin of his own advice.
Anakin sighed, "yes."
"Well you told me to just talk a little more each day, just an extra ten minutes. And you know what? I hated it. I thought you just said it so I wouldn't talk as much. But really, even that little bit helped me to build up my strength so I could get back to normal," Obi-Wan said. True, it had also been the doctor's recommendation, but Anakin had held him firmly to it.
Anakin growled, realizing his mentor was turning the tables on him.
"Five percent. Or I don't leave until you're better," Obi-Wan finally said.
"You mean you'll never leave me alone?" Anakin sounded appalled.
"If that's what it takes to make sure you follow the doctor's instructions," Obi-Wan declared. He wondered what Qui-Gon would say about his deviousness right now.
"Oh all right," Anakin yielded, "I'll obey the instructions. Five percent at a time."
"And how often?" Obi-wan pressed, making sure he didn't leave Anakin an easy loophole.
"Every three days," Anakin answered.
"Thank you Padawan. And you will get through this. I promise," Obi-Wan assured him. He used the dimmed light in the kitchen to make a light dinner for them. They spent the evening in the darkness, but it was a comforting sort of dark, the kind that can only be found when in the company of a good friend.