Accidents Will Happen
A/N: This story serves no purpose other than to amuse my muse. That being said, I've always had a thing for writing dads and their daughters interacting...and well Han and Jaina were just too cute to pass up. Be sure to let me know what you think!
Han Solo was not Force-sensitive. That had been established, challenged, and proven many times over. He was lucky. How else do you explain how an orphan boy, raised on the streets of Corellia, who was kicked out of the Imperial Navy, grew up to become a New Republic general, marry a princess, and father three amazing children? Luck: pure and simple. He had won his beloved Falcon with a lucky sabaac hand. He'd won rights to Dathomir with the same luck. Call it luck or call it instinct, it had served him well throughout his life and he wasn't about to question it.
So when Han felt that all too familiar twinge in his gut, he knew something was amiss. Setting the hydro spanner aside, he climbed out of the Falcon's maintenance hatch and perked his ears up. That's when he heard it, the unmistakable sound of a small feet pounding down the landing ramp followed by a loud thud.
"Jaina?" His voice wasn't loud but it echoed around the bulkheads. Jaina had begged Han to take her with him while he worked on the Falcon. And since Han loved spending time with his daughter, he quickly acquiesced. Her giggling had reverberated throughout the ship as she sat in the pilot's chair and shot down imaginary TIE fighters.
But the Falcon was eerily silent now. Han took a few steps into the main galley. "Jaina?" he called a little louder. No answer. Stepping to the top of the ramp, his eyes travelled down the metal expanse, coming to rest on a site that made his blood run cold and would bring him nightmares for years to come. At the bottom of the ramp lay his little girl, her right arm twisted beneath her body and her legs tangled behind her.
"Jaina," his feet carried him until he was kneeling next to her. With great care, Han turned her small body until she was lying on her back. The first thing he noticed was amount of blood seeping from the large gash across her forehead. His hand was shaking as he pressed it against the wound in a vain attempt to slow the bleeding. "Jaina…Princess, talk to me." A low groan was the only response he received, but at least that meant she was conscious.
"What happened?" a voice yelled. Han looked up to see two New Republic mechanics racing toward him.
"Call the med center," Han said with more confidence than he felt, "I need a transport." One of them pulled out a comm link and dialed the emergency frequency while the other looked over the little girl. She couldn't have been much younger than his oldest granddaughter.
"Cancel the transport," the older gentleman called over his shoulder. He turned to Han with sympathetic eyes. "We'll take my speeder. It'll be faster. I'll drive."
Han said nothing as he picked his daughter up and followed the man to a nearby speeder. He sat in the backseat cradling Jaina's body against his chest as they weaved between traffic lanes. "Stay with me, Sweetheart," he whispered into her hair.
**SW**
"Madame Chief of State?"
Han & Leia stood from their chairs in the private waiting room. Being the New Republic's Chief of State sometimes had its perks. They took three cautious steps toward the doctor, mentally preparing themselves for whatever news awaited them.
The doctor took in their worried expressions, the creases marring their foreheads before continuing. "I'm Dr. Fibrahm, the attending on your daughter's case. She is fine. She has a laceration to the forehead and her right arm was fractured in two places. We've already applied bacta to the head wound which has healed up nicely. It's unlikely that it will scar."
"And the arm?" Leia asked.
"The bacta has repaired most of the damage, but we'd like to wrap and set the arm just to be sure. She should take it easy for the next few days. The cast can come off in a few days."
Han let out a deep sigh, running his hand over his face in an effort to wipe away the stress of the last few hours. His little girl was okay, she was going to be just fine. "Can we see her?" The doctor nodded his head and ushered them into a nearby room.
Jaina was sitting on the bed watching as a medic wrapped her arm in a bright orange plaster. A faint mark was left of her forehead where the gash had been, but other than that she looked perfectly fine.
"Now we just let the wrap set and it'll harden up," the medic explained. "And then you can get all your friends to sign it if you like."
Jaina smiled. "That would be cool." She studied the orange covering for a few seconds before she noticed the room's newest occupants. "Mom! Dad! Check it out!" she laughed holding up her arm.
Leia moved over and took a seat on the edge of the hospital bed. "That's very…colorful."
"It'll match the Rogues' flight suits!" the little girl said excitedly.
"Yes it will," Leia laughed. She reached forward and pushed a piece of hair behind her daughter's ear. "How do you feel?"
Jaina's face fell. She stared down at the bed as she answered. "I'm okay. My head hurts a little but it's not bad." A short silence stretched before the little girl raised watering eyes to her father. "I'm so sorry daddy."
Han was startled from his reverie. "What are you talking about, Princess? You have nothing to be sorry about."
Jaina's head nodded, her wayward curls bouncing around her shoulders. "Yes I do. I broke a piece off one of the control yokes when I was playing. I tried to put it back together but I couldn't get it to stick. I went to ask one of the ship mechanics if they had some adhesive I could use and…that's when I tripped." By the end of the explanation, her voice was trembling as a lone tear slid down her cheek.
Han leaned over and grasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting her head gently until their eyes met. He could stare into those eyes for an eternity. They were so much like her mother's eyes; the same color and sparkle, but with a youthful exuberance all their own.
"Listen to me very carefully Jaina," Han said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't care about the ship. It's just nuts and bolts and a whole lot of metal pieced together. You are far more important to me than the Falcon."
"But you love your ship," Jaina said.
"True, but she pales in comparison to the love I have for you, and your brothers, and your mom."
"And Uncle Luke?"
He smirked. "Yeah, I guess I love the kid too. Even Chewie." Leaning forward Han placed a soft kiss to the girl's forehead where the small mark was still present.
Beside them Leia smiled and blinked tears from the corners of her eyes. She would never tire of watching Han interact with their children. When she first learned she was pregnant, he had been a bundle of nerves, constantly questioning whether or not he could succeed as a father given that he had very few family experiences to draw upon. But he learned as he went and believe it or not when it came to parenting Han Solo was a natural. Leia knew how blessed she was to have him in her life and times like this reminded her of that fact.
A few moments later the doctor returned to the room. "There are a few release forms that you need to sign at the nurses' station," he told them. "Meanwhile Jaina here can get dressed and she'll be ready to go home."
"Do you need some help, honey?" Leia asked as she rose from the bed.
Jaina's face held a determined scowl. "I can dress myself, mom."
Leia quirked her eyebrows in amusement. "But can you do it with one arm?"
Jaina's face fell for a moment as she considered this new obstacle. "I'll figure it out."
Leia smiled and joined Han by the door. "Just come out here when you are done." She followed Han and the doctor out the door and across the waiting room to the nurse's desk. After signing numerous forms to release their daughter from medical care, Dr. Fibrahm bid the couple a good day and returned to his other patients. As soon as he was out of sight, Leia grabbed her husband's hand. Han looked at her, expecting her to say something. He was not expecting her to grab his face and pull him into a soul-searing kiss. It was the kind of kiss that made your toes curl; the kind of kiss that resulted in three kids.
"What was that about?" he asked breathlessly.
"Thank you."
Han's head dropped in defeat. "I don't know what you're thanking me for Princess, I let her get hurt."
Leia grabbed his chin with her fingers and raised it so their eyes met. "Han, when have we ever let Jaina do anything? Accidents happen. You did everything right and thanks to you she's perfectly fine. Please, never doubt that you are a pretty amazing father."
Han shifted his eyes to her. "Amazing, huh?"
Leia kissed him soundly. "Pretty amazing, flyboy. Don't get cocky."
Han's trademark grin was now firmly back in place. "Hey…it's me!"