Mara sat on the hospital bed while the emdee droid cleaned the last remained drops of bacta from her body. Her Friend Mirax sat on the wooden chair next to her bed beside Mara's sister in law, Leia. The embee beebed and finished it's job, then rolled away to tend another patients.
Mirax gave Mara "the look".
"What?" Mara said. "I didn't know he had a fibroblade. Anyone could make that mistake."
"We know that." Leia said. "Sometimes accidents happen."
"Yeah, they just happen." Mirax rolled her eyes. "Mara, you a magnet for accidents."
This time it was Mara who game Mirax "the look".
They were interrupted when a doctor came by. He had tended Mara's wounds when she was brought to the hospital a few days ago.
"Hello, how are you feeling?" the doctor asked.
"I'm fine. Can I go now?" Mara said trying to sound patient.
"Almost. I just have to check the would."
"I said I was fine. The would is fine. Everything's fine, alright?" she said.
"I'll take your word for it. I don't want to keep you here any longer than necessary. But remember, you got lucky this time. The blade did not hit anything vital, although the would was pretty close to your reproductive organs." The doctor explained. "You're good to go."
Then the doctor turned sharply and left, leaving Mara with her friends.
"I have your spare clothes here." Leia said.
"Thanks. I'll get busy." Mara said and closed the curtains around her bed to get some needed privacy.
Soon all three women were walking down the hospital corridors trying to find their way out. They were on the top floor and it was twenty floors down to the outside doors where Leia had ordered a hovercab to take to the spaceport docking bay, where Mara's ship Jade's Sabre was berthed.
They walked in silence until they were safely in the privacy of the turbolift.
"You know, Mara, you have to be more careful." Mirax said. "You heard what the doctor said. You're gonna need those reproductive organs eventually."
"I don't think so." Mara said rather dryly.
"You just don't want to admit it, do you?" Mirax teased her. "You really should get going to this baby business, you're not getting any younger."
"Thank you for the reminder, Mirax, that was kind." Mara glared daggers at her friend.
"What Mirax means, is, that you really should consider starting a family. I know Luke would want that." Leia said, trying to calm down the situation.
"Think about it Mara, really, it's not too late for you." Mirax continued. "You would make a terrific mother!"
"More like a terrible." Mara countered. "I'm not something you would consider "mother material"."
"Nonsense, Mara. I've seen you with the kids." Leia said. "They love you and you love them."
"More likely, they like me because I give them sweets." Mara countered. "Can we drop the subject. Please."
Mirax just rolled her eyes, but remained silent. Leia just sighed inwardly. How could she make Mara understand that she was ready for a family of her own. Leia knew Mara would make the best mother in the whole galaxy, she definitely had the qualities needed.
The turbolift arrived at the ground floor and the three women walked out the hospital to the hovercab waiting for them outside.
Later the Jade's Sabre entered the hyperspace. It was late according to the ship's timer. Mirax and Mara had had a few drinks, while Leia had watched them and rolled her eyes occasionally. Their trading trip/holiday to Chandrila had not gone as well as they had hoped. First, their buyer had cancelled the deal and left without saying anything and then, when they had tried to sell Mara's cargo, seventy figurines made of very expensive Kuati porcelain, a group of some sort of pirates or thugs had attacked them. Mara, of course, had dealt with them quite easily, until one of them had pulled a concealed vibroblade and managed to hurt her.
Well, now it was all over. They were on their way to Coruscant, the figurines were to me sold later (apparently Mara had found a second buyer) and they still had two days left of their holiday, which meant they might actually get some time off to relax in some luxurious coruscanti bathhouse.
Leia bid Mirax and Mara goodnight and then went to get some sleep herself.
Later in the night Leia woke up. She had seen restless dreams and was a bit upset. She got up and walked towards the fresher' when she heard noises coming from Mara's Cabin. Silently she made her way to the door, and saw dim light coming from under it.
"Mara?" Leia called and opened the door. She found Mara was lying on her bunk facing the wall.
"Mara are you alright?"
"Go away." Mara mumbled.
"Mara, are you crying?" Leia said and sat on the bunk next to her.
"I said, go away. I'm fine."
"Mara, it's me. You can tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing is wrong. I'm fine." Mara said. She tried to sound convincing but her voice faltered and Leia could clearly see she had been crying.
"Mara, please. You're upset about something. And now that I know you're upset, I can't sleep. So, spill it out."
Mara sighed. "It's nothing, really. I was thinking about what Mirax said earlier. That I'd be a terrific mother. And what I said." Mara paused for a while. "You know what… She was right. I'd make a terrific mother."
Silence filled the small room for a while.
"I know. "Leia said. "We all know that. We just thought you didn't."
"Why would you think that?" Mara said rather weakly.
"Well, you have never shoved much interest in children other than a few hours of babysitting. And you're always travelling. We just assumed you weren't thinking about a family."
Mara snorted and sat up next to Leia. "It's not easy to fit work and family together."
It's was Leia's time to snort. "Definitely not. I think I've spent more time away from my family than I care to think about."
"Nobody blames you for that. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. " Mara said. "I'd like to have a family."
"What's stopping you, then?" Leia said. "I know Luke wants to have a family."
"He does, doesn't he? But it's not going to happen. Luke hides it really well, but he's disappointed." Mara laughed. "I'm just having a hard time to accept the will of the Force, as he puts it."
"What do you mean?" Leia said worried about her friend.
"It's just not going to happen. I have to accept it. That's the end of it."
"I don't understand. You want to have a family, why the wait?"
"To be frank." Mara said. "We have tried. To have a baby." She waited nervously what Leia would answer.
"And?" Leia finally said.
"It's not working out. So we just have to accept that it's just Luke and me."
"Don't be so defeated. The Mara I know wouldn't be. She'd fight the with any means necessary." Leia said. Mara smiled at the thought.
"She just might, wouldn't she."
"So, how long you've been trying?" Leia asked.
Mara was silent for a long time. "Well?" Leia finally asked. "Four." Mara said.
"Four what? Months? That's not too long. Just don't think about it and it'll happen."
Mara laughed. "Not four months. Oh how I wish it would've been only four months." She turned to face her sister in law. "Leia, we've been trying for four years."
"Four years! That's almost as long as you have been married!"
"I know. There's nothing wrong with me and there's nothing wrong with Luke. It just doesn't happen. End of story." Mara said.
Leia and Mara sat there in silence. Leis tried to think something to say, but couldn't come up with anything. Maybe Mara was right. Sometimes things just didn't happen.
It was Mara then who said: "Look why don't you go to bed? I'm fine, honestly. Sometimes I just have a weak moment when someone questions why I don't have a family. It'll get over it. I know Mirax meant well, but sometimes she should just keep her mouth shut."
Leia smiled. Mara was right. It was hard to remain untouched when people made careless remarks.
"Alright then. Try to get some sleep." Leia said and patted Mara on the shoulder.
Mara smiled and waited for Leia to go before she turned of the lights. Yes, she'd be fine. They'd all be fine, eventually, she was sure. She had seen a family of her own in her dreams, and that gave her hope to keep dreaming.