I dipped the cotton cloth back into the bowl and wrung out the cool water. With one hand, I brushed back his tousled brown hair and wiped his forehead and cheeks down.
He stirred slightly, and groaned. He reached a hand up to block mine. "Cold," he moaned.
"Sorry Master," I replied, gently pushing his hand away. "Your fever has to come down." I started wiping his bare arms down.
"Fever? Wha?" He asked, trying to sit up. I grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back down.
"You passed out at 7 last night. The med center said you had gotten a bacterial infection. It's not life threatening, but you need to stay in bed for a few days."
He nodded once, and sank back into the bed. "Alright Snips," he said, fully conscious now, "Are you playing Doctor?"
I smiled, pulling the blanket back up to his chest. "Yep. I'm going to take care of you, just like you always take care of me."
"Oh really?"
"Really." I replied. "First things first, you need to take your medicine."
I brought him a glass of blue milk and the medicine the healers brought me.
He sat up, and I handed him the two pills. "What's the milk for?" he asked.
"You always bring me something sweet to drink. In case the medicine tastes bad."
He took the pills, taking a big swig of milk and giving a comical wince. "Do you feel like eating?" I ask, grabbing his hand, and squeezing it gently.
"Not really. My stomach is still kind of messed up." He replied, and I could tell that he was finally starting to trust me to take care of him, and wasn't taking it as a joke as much.
"Alright, then you should go back to sleep for a while." He gave me a look of utmost resentment in reply.
I gave him a stern look. "You know the rules Master. If you're sick, the best thing for you to do is sleep. I can use a sleep suggestion on you if you want."
He rolls his eyes and lies back down. "I didn't think you paid this much attention."
"Master, I always paid attention. I remember that one time when I had broken my leg, you would take me wheel chair and use the Force to race Rex down the hall."
He laughed, and broke into a fit of coughing. "And then I helped you wash dishes that night in the mess when we got caught."
We both laughed, recalling Master Yoda lecturing us about proper procedure for med center patients.
"Proper times for enjoyment there are, do not waste time on such ridiculous schemes." He mimicked. I laughed, not missing a beat. "Better behavior I expect, from a Jedi Knight. An example you must set, for your padawan."
We were both laughing so hard I thought my stomach was going to explode, and Anakin was coughing so furiously, I was worried he would choke, so I stopped and got him some water.
"You okay?" I asked, trying to catch my breath. He nodded, his fatigued face showing some more life and color than before.
"Do you know what you did when I was sick that always made me feel better?"
He shook his head. "What, my young padawan?" I smiled, and gave his hand a squeeze. "You would sing to me. I would be so uncomfortable and so miserable and when you sang to me, I would always fall asleep and feel better."
A comfortable silence fell between them. "Can you sing for me, Ahsoka?"
I smiled. "Like you had to ask." I cleared my throat and thought about which song would be right. Then I remembered one. One that he would always sing, and would always make me think about how we could escape the war just by being together and using music to take our mind off things.
There is a castle on a cloud,
I like to go there in my sleep.
Aren't any floors for me to sweep
Not in my castle on a cloud.
There is a lady, all in white
Holds me and sings, a lullaby
She's nice to see, and she's soft to touch
She says, Master, I love you very much.
I know a place where no one's lost
I know a place where no one cries
Crying at all is not allowed
Not in my castle on a cloud.
He smiled, wide. "Ahsoka, you were right. That does make me feel better."
"I'm glad. Now sleep, you need to get your strength back."
He kissed my hand and closed his eyes. I sat with him until he drifted off and then started to clean up. I checked his temperature and found that it had already started to go down. He was going to be just fine.
Years Later
As I walked away from the Temple, trying to keep my tears at bay, I started hearing Castle on a Cloud in my head. My whole world was collapsing around me, but I couldn't help clinging to the one memory, the one thing that always made me feel better. But not today. And it never would again.
I know a place where no one's lost,
I know a place where no one cries.
Crying at all is not allowed.
Not in my castle,
On a cloud.
Author's Note: I do not own Star Wars or Le Miserables.