Reunited
"Tell your sister… you were right." With that request hanging in the air, Anakin Skywalker drifted into unconsciousness. Luke, his son, dragged his body carefully into the escape pod. In no time, they were en route to a nearby medical center. Luke maneuvered the pod toward the building, landing square in front of the main doors. By the time the door of the pod would open, the medics were out the door. They rushed Anakin inside, hooking him up to various machines on the way. Luke followed his father until the medics bid him stay put, just outside the operating room. Through a conveniently-placed window, the young man watched in wonder as the doctors removed the dark armor, then the prosthetic limbs.
A soft gasp from beside him drew Luke's attention to the woman who had produced it. It was only the receptionist, about 25 years Luke's senior, with long, dark, curly hair. For a moment, something seemed familiar about her, but Luke brushed it off. He knew no Aurri Nabbo, which the nametag labeled the woman. Why she cried so as they restored Anakin's body, Luke could not guess.
"Wait here," Leia instructed Han, Chewbacca, and Lando aboard the Millennium Falcon. They had just landed at the med center, and Leia wanted to be alone with her father and brother. Once inside, she found both her brother and the receptionist watching Anakin's progress through a long, narrow window. As she reached Luke's side and her brother wrapped an arm around her, the medics installed the latest, most realistic prosthetics onto Anakin's body. A small "oh!" escaped from the receptionist as they finished up on the former Jedi's life-changing surgery. Leia could not ignore the familiarity about the other woman. "Excuse me," she laid a gentle hand on the receptionist's shoulder, "do I know you from somewhere?"
The other woman turned quickly, but gently, meeting Leia's gaze with her own hopeful one. "Leia?" Her eyes brightened at this recognition, and her smile intensified.
"Yes, I am Leia Organa, senator, and this is my brother, Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight." To Leia's surprise, the receptionist looked upon them with a mother's love.
"Just like your father," the older woman recalled reminiscently.
Luke sighed. "No; I can't say I've been to the Dark Side and back."
"So it's true? He's turned back to the good side?" You could almost see her heart racing.
"Yes…"
The woman's eyes filled with tears of joy that made itself evident in every fiber of her being. Leia knew that there was a hidden connection between her family and the receptionist. "Ms. Nabbo…"
"Please," the woman protested, "if you must address me formally, use my real name: Padmé Skywalker."
"Mom?!" Luke realized.
"No," Leia protested. "No, that's impossible. We were told that our mother died in childbirth."
"I'm sorry; I had to stage my death to hide myself and protect you two. But now, you're out of danger and I have no more reason to hide. No matter whether you believe me or not, I'll always love you."
This was all Leia needed to hear. With a cry of joy, she collapsed into her mother's embrace for a long moment before allowing Luke a turn. A huge weight was lifted from each of their hearts, but none like what Anakin was about to experience.