Author's Note: Hi there! This was an idea that popped into my head two nights ago that was begging to be written out, so here it is. This is an AU where our favorite Star Wars characters don't live in a galaxy far, far away, but instead live relatively normal lives in the United States in 1977. I've always wanted to write a road trip AU, so I guess this is my chance! Enjoy!
He was going to get out of there.
And, surprisingly enough, it wasn't going to happen in all the ways he'd imagined over the last three days. There was no grand escape plan, no tying knotted bedsheets to the window sill, or crawling through the duct work. His 72 hours were up, and he would soon be free to go.
Luke curled his bony fingers around his aching wrist, above the thick bandage put in place over the deep gashes. He didn't care to see the total damage he had inflicted on himself, because he had realized that the scars would still linger for the rest of his life. There would be plenty of time to look at them later. He wasn't proud of what he did, yet there was no going back now.
Leia had called the nurse's station earlier that morning, and reported that she'd be the one to pick him up. His father Anakin was likely too intoxicated to drive, or to even function, as usual. Leia had been the only one who had visited Luke during his three-day nightmare, if only briefly, and she revealed that their father had no intentions of visiting his son in the hospital.
"He's an asshole, Luke, and he's not getting any better with age," she sneered. He knew it was true. He just nodded while she continued on.
"You need to get out of this town, if only for the summer," she said.
"How am I going to do that? Just run away?" Luke questioned.
"We turn 18 in another week. After that, it's not running away."
"We don't have the money to do anything like that, Leia. We'd be able to buy maybe a tank of gas and a greasy hamburger before we'd be forced to go home again. And where would we even go?"
She sat in silence for a moment, pondering how much she should tell her brother. "I know a guy that's going to be driving cross-country for his job. We can hitch a ride with him, and just pick up the tab for gas and stuff!"
"Wait, wait, wait. Who is 'this guy?'"
She drummed her fingers nervously on a table. "Well, his name is Han. I don't necessarily love his company, or even like anything about him, but if he can get us out of here, I think we should go."
Luke's dazzling blue eyes met his twin's brown ones for a moment, before he reluctantly nodded.
"I'd say no, but I can't think of anything better to do. Beats sweating my ass off, working on Uncle Owen's farm all summer."
"Great," Leia said with a grin. "We're getting the hell out of here. It's a plan."
Luke noticed that a nurse had entered his room, with the tray of daily pills in hand along with drinking water, neatly arranged in white paper cups.
"Seems like this is your last treatment, because I see on your chart that you're leaving today," the stunning brunette said. "It was nice meeting you, Luke. I wish you luck."
He downed the cup of medication with his swig of water before answering. "Thank you, Jane. It was nice meeting you, too. I just wish it had been under different circumstances."
Jane wandered over to the window and pulled the curtains back, letting the mid-morning sun trickle into the room.
"You have a scheduled therapy session today, but I've already talked to Dr. Kenobi, and he said you're free to go whenever your sister arrives."
Jane straightened the flowers in a vase on the bedside table that Leia had left before adding, "So, what are your plans when you leave today? Are you doing anything exciting?"
"Well... I... I plan on going on a trip with my sister. We graduated high school last month, and she really wants to go somewhere. I'm just along for the ride, I guess."
"That sounds fun. I hope you find some time to relax, Luke! It's summertime, and we all need it."
She was heading for the door when she remembered something. "Oh! And Dr. Kenobi said to give you his card. Take it with you when you travel, and if you need to talk, he's always available."
He turned the card over in his hand before stuffing it in the pocket of his jeans. "Thanks. Will Dr. Kenobi be stopping in to check on me before I leave?"
"He said that he'll be finishing up a therapy session, and then he'll be in to see you," she said as she left the room.
He patted the card in his pocket. He couldn't imagine himself stopping at a payphone while out on a road trip to call his therapist. As much as she cared about him, Leia wouldn't put up with that, and he doubted that her apparent acquaintance, Han, would either.
He was unsure what to tell Dr. Kenobi, who seemed to genuinely care about his well-being. He was certain that it wouldn't please him to find out that Luke was planning to essentially run away from home. Dr. Kenobi had already aligned a schedule of therapy sessions for the next three months for Luke, and he was expected to attend each one to continue his progress. Dr. Kenobi was bound to be surprised when he would come to discover that his young patient had escaped to a summer of likely debauchery, but the summer of 1977 was to be full of surprises, and one more couldn't hurt, right?