This is Antonia Rose and my second One Shot. This time it really is a One Shot and therefore there will only be one chapter. We hope you enjoy reading it!
Injured
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Obi-Wan. This is my fault, I did this to you", Anakin sobbed.
Obi-Wan was unconscious, his head rested in Anakin's lap. With a shaking hand he brushed his former Master's blood-stained hair out of his face. It was all his fault. Now they both were in great danger and could die. Obi-Wan had warned him, but he didn't listen. Why didn't he ever listen?
Suddenly a small figure ran towards them and spoke in relief: "Master!"
"Ahsoka, what are you doing here?"
"Saving you, Master!", she said teasingly, but turned serious at once, as the ship fell slightly to the side. "We have to hurry! Rex is waiting on us, but he can't wait for long, the ship is going to explode. He won't be happy if his rescue mission fails."
Just as she finished talking another part of the damaged ship exploded and a shock wave blew over them. At once Ahsoka jumped to her feet again only to lose balance once more as the ground of the ship shook slightly. She looked at her Master and saw that he was protectively pulling Obi-Wan closer. She hadn't realised that he was unconscious before.
"What happened?", Ahsoka wanted to know.
"That's not important right now!", Anakin said as he got to his feet and lifted Obi-Wan over his shoulder. The last thing he wanted to do was tell Ahsoka what he had done. "We have to get of this ship!"
Ahsoka looked at Obi-Wan with concern but turned to lead the way to Rex without another word.
As Ashoka lead the way Anakin reflected on his foolish behavior.
...
Two hours before:
"Docking onto Dooku's ship, Master." Anakin called over his shoulder.
"Good. Make sure they don't detect us." Obi-Wan replied.
Anakin rolled his eyes. "I know what I'm doing." The ship docked and Anakin jumped to his feet. "You coming?"
"Oh, I'm right behind you." Obi-Wan said, allowing Anakin to lead the way.
They boarded Dooku's ship and made their way through the corridors with caution. "Something doesn't feel right. We should have encountered battle droids by now." Obi-Wan said as they continued their path.
"This is Dooku's ship, nothing feels right when he's around. You worry too much. The reason we haven't encountered any trouble yet is because of my expert stealth flying." Anakin said.
Obi-Wan grimaced, "stealth was never your forte. I think something else is…" He was cut off by the deep tone of Count Dooku's voice.
"Master Kenobi. And I see you brought Skywalker with you." He greeted. Anakin scowled but Obi-Wan held him from doing anything rash. Seeing this Dooku just laughed "As I see, Kenobi still has you on his leash." At that Anakin charged at Dooku.
"Anakin, no!" Obi-Wan called but it was no use, Anakin was already chasing the Count down the corridor.
Obi-Wan managed to catch up to Anakin as he ran. "Anakin, slow down. This is too easy, I'm sure he's leading us into a trap!" But Anakin wasn't listening. All that was left for Obi-Wan to do was follow Anakin and make sure he didn't get himself killed.
The Count disappeared around a corner. As Anakin and Obi-Wan came around the corner Dooku was gone. Anakin came to an abrupt stop and Obi-Wan almost ran into him.
"Where did he go?", Anakin cried angrily and turned around to face Obi-Wan.
"Patience, my former Padawan!", was all Obi-Wan said.
Alarmes sounded through the ship. "What's that?" Obi-Wan asked, but Anakin wasn't listening. He had a lock on Dooku's signature and was prepared to sprint off after him. Obi-Wan knew the look on Anakin's face. "Anakin don't! We have to..."
"We can't just let him go!" The young knight said through clenched teeth. With that he started off down the corridor again. Just then an explosion went off above them.
"Anakin, watch out!" Obi-Wan called out. But it was too late. A part of the ceiling fell down and missed Anakin by millimeters. Anakin stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face his former Master. "We have to get out, now!" Obi-Wan screamed over the ringing in his ears.
"No! We might never get a better chance to get rid of him. He's been a problem to us for far too long."
Obi-Wan sighed, he knew Anakin wouldn't back down. So, as Anakin started running off again, Obi-Wan followed.
Anakin found it difficult to keep track of Dooku. He knew in which approximate direction to head, but he couldn't get an exact location. So, he ended up double checking every intersection he past, Obi-Wan following closely behind. Anakin could sense his former Master's disapproval but he couldn't just let Dooku get away, not again! Not when he - they were so close.
Another explosion shook the ground and Obi-Wan had to steady himself on the wall. "Anakin, just let him go. This ship is falling apart, we have to get off. Head to the hangar!"
The hanger! Of course, that was where Dooku was going. Anakin broke into another sprint and Obi-Wan struggled to keep up.
They reached the hanger just in time to watch Dooku's small craft take off. "No!" Anakin shouted with frustration. In his anger he felt the waring in the Force too late. One by one explosions went off around the hanger.
Like a reflex, Obi-Wan reached out with his hand, calling on the Force to pull Anakin out of harm's way. With a swift movement, Obi-Wan sent Anakin flying back out of the hangar, into the corridor. Just as the door closed behind Anakin an explosion right next to Obi-Wan went off. Splinters rained on him and he got cut by a few before he could use the force to keep them away. Surrounded by fire and smoke Obi-Wan was barely able to see and his lungs protested against the lack of clean air, which caused a stabbing pain in his ribcage. He coughed, losing his concentration for a moment, and that was his downfall. A large piece broke away from the ceiling and fell straight towards him. Within an instant everything went dark.
...
"OBI-WAN?", Anakin had managed to open the door and now he was moving cautiously through the devastated hangar. The worst explosions in the hangar had settled down a little, but the room was still burning and the ship shook from other explosions. With every passing second Anakin grew more worried. They had to get off the ship, but Anakin couldn't leave without his former Master. He tried to reach him through the force, but all he felt was a dull presence which he couldn't locate.
He climbed over the wreckage, trying to remember where he had last seen Obi-Wan standing. "OBI-WAN?" Anakin called out again, in hopes that his former Master would hear him. But he got no reply. He coughed as smoke started to fill his lungs, they were running out of time.
"Where are you?" Anakin pleaded. He was panicking, what if he couldn't find Obi-Wan in time? What if he…? Anakin shook the thought from his head, he couldn't go there. He needed to focus, that's what Obi-Wan would tell him to do.
He closed his eyes and reached out to the Force again. It was weak, but Anakin could sense Obi-Wan's presence. He was close. He reached out and lifted the rubble around him that had fallen from the ceiling. His eyes closed tightly in concentration and sweet dripped from his forehead.
When he opened his eyes again Anakin took a sharp, shocked intake of breath. The sight before him made his blood run cold and he dropped to his knees right next to Obi-Wan. He hesitated and stroked gently over Obi-Wan's forehead. Blood stained his fingers, but he didn't care.
"Obi-Wan, please wake up!"
Carefully he lifted his former Master's head up and skid closer, so he could position him on his lap. Tears rolled down Anakin's check and he wiped them away angrily.
"Master! I need you to wake up!"
But Obi-Wan didn't respond. Of course not, he was kriffing unconscious! Anakin felt stupid and helpless and it dawned on him that he had acted impulsively and most of all stupidly. Of course his former Master had been right and Anakin had proven himself a fool once more.
Anakin was afraid of checking Obi-Wan's injuries. The way his head was bleeding heavily was frightening enough. His former Master was alive, that was all that mattered, there was nothing Anakin could do for him anyway. His healing skills weren't good enough and they were trapped with no way off the ship.
The full weight of what he had done hit him, if Obi-Wan died it would be his fault and he would never forgive himself for that.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Obi-Wan. This is my fault, I did this to you"
…
A few minutes later:
Anakin was pulled from his thoughts when they finally reached the small ship Ahsoka had arrived on.
"It's good to see you General." Rex said as Anakin boarded the ship, Ahsoka close behind.
"And you, Rex. Take off. I want to get off this ship!"
Rex nodded, "Yes, sir."
Carefully Anakin put Obi-Wan down and sat down next to him. He buried his face in his hands in frustration. There was no more to do, than wait.
Ahsoka leaned towards Rex, "Head to the Cruiser! Master Obi-Wan is in desperate need of medical attention!"
Rex nodded his understanding and directed the ship towards the Jedi Cruiser.
Ahsoka settled a hand on her Master's shoulder.
"Master, are you alright? Did you get hurt as well?"
"I'll be alright, when Obi-Wan is! Can't this ship fly any faster?" Anakin thunderously cried and leaped to his feet. He anxiously paced up and down and Ahsoka watched him with growing concern.
"We are approaching the Cruiser." Rex informed them.
Anakin ran back to Obi-Wan and put his arms under his former Master's body. He held him like a small child and one of Obi-Wan's arms hung to the side. Cautiously Ahsoka put it on his stomach and left for the air lock to open it as soon as they landed on the Jedi Cruiser.
"Rex, I need you to call for the Medics. They need to come to the hangar and attend to Obi-Wan at once!"
Anakin turned on his heels and followed his Padawan. Constantly he checked on Obi-Wan's breathing and was a little relieved each time he saw his chest moving slightly up and down.
"Hang on, Master! I'm not done with you yet and I won't let you go that easily!"
The few seconds he had to wait until the air lock opened where pure torture for him and he ran through the opening gap as soon as the door hissed open.
"General Skywalker, we're here at your request. What's the matter?"
Anakin suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the stupid medic, who seemed to purposely oversee the unconscious figure in Anakin's arms.
"Maybe it hasn't come to your attention just yet, but there is a dying person in my arms. Just take your time, I'm sure he doesn't mind dying since he's already unconscious and doesn't know what's going on anyway!" Anakin snapped and the medic frowned at the Jedi's remark. But without a comment he gestured for his colleagues to take Obi-Wan from Anakin.
Not liking the idea of letting Obi-Wan out of his sight, Anakin followed the medics on their heels. Even as they entered the for this occasion prepared room he didn't stray from his former Master's side.
"Excuse me, but you need to leave the room!"
"I won't!"
"You are hindering us in our work. We need to be able to move freely in order to do our duty."
"I won't leave Obi-Wan's side!"
Suddenly a small hand found its way to Anakin's shoulder.
"Master, let them have their way. They're only trying to help Obi-Wan and you can help by letting them do their job." The soft voice of Ahsoka reached his worried mind.
Defeated by her effective words Anakin let himself be lead out of the medic room by her. He got no farther than just right outside before he stumbled over his own feet. He didn't even try to stop himself from falling, he just steadied the fall by leaning onto the wall and slowly he slid down until he sat on the ground.
"Master, are you sure you aren't hurt?"
"I already told you, that I'll be alright as soon as Obi-Wan is, Snips!"
"Yes, but that doesn't answer my question!"
"If you are just going to annoy me, why don't you just leave?"
Ahsoka's mouth parted in disbelieve, before she closed it again, only to open up again to throw a snippy remark at her Master.
"And if you are not going to let me help you, then why don't I just really leave?"
And with that she turned at once and left Anakin all by himself. She would have none of her Master's bad temper right now. For Force's sake, she had saved him from certain death on that sith ship and he didn't even bother to praise her nor even thank her. Not that she needed praise, it would have just been nice to be recognized for her accomplishment.
Anakin knew he had been too harsh on his Padawan. He was a dumb slimo for saying those words to her, while she only tried to help him. But he couldn't help himself. The anxiety over his former Master had gotten the best of him and his mind could only concentrate on him getting better again.
...
Anakin had no idea how long he had been sitting there. It had felt like days. And he had heard no word from the medics. Why were they taking so long?
"Master?" A cautious voice asked.
Anakin looked up from the cold gray floor he had been staring at to the girl who had just called him.
He sighed. "I'm sorry. You were only trying to help, I shouldn't have spoken to you like that…"
Ahsoka smiled, "Apology accepted, Skyguy."
She then sank to the floor next to her Master and turned concerned eyes on him. "You haven't moved since I left you here hours ago… I'm worried about you. Obi-Wan's been injured before but I've never seen you act like this. Why is this time different?"
Anakin looked away in shame, this wasn't something he wanted to discuss with his Padawan. But Ahsoka had the right to know.
"Because he could have died and it was my fault." he said quietly.
Ahsoka remained silent for a moment. "Master Obi-Wan will be fine, I'm sure of it. It doesn't matter whose fault it was…" she said softly. "Besides, I'm sure he'll be more worried about you than himself when he wakes up."
Anakin would have laughed if it wasn't so tragic. His Padawan was right.
Ahsoka suddenly stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Now, you're coming with me to get a check up."
Anakin shook his head, "I'm not injured."
Ahsoka didn't believe him. "I know - you'll be alright when Obi-Wan is - but please see a medic."
For the first time since she rescued him, Anakin looked Ahsoka in the eye. She could see the pain in her Master's blue eyes.
"You don't understand. I'm not injured," he turned away again, "that's the problem. Obi-Wan is in there," he inclined his head towards the door next to him, "because he saved me and I barely have a scratch."
...
Obi-Wan slowly opened his eyes. He had no idea where he was and the bright light blinding him didn't help recognizing the place at all. Wherever he was felt vaguely familiar but he was too tired to place it.
He blinked a few times, as his eyes adjusted to the light. Even as he did so, he felt sleep trying to claim him again. However his curiosity kept him awake for a while longer.
He moved his head slightly to look around the room he was in, but the slightest movement sent a wave of pain through his body. He pulled a hand up to his head but as he did so it brushed against something soft. Very carefully he repositioned himself to see what it was. It was a mess of brown hair. Without much thought he knew who it belonged to.
Anakin was asleep in a chair, his head resting on the side of the bed Obi-Wan was lying on. He smiled faintly at the sight. Weakly he reached out and tousled Anakin's hair.
He hadn't meant to wake him, but Anakin's head jerked up suddenly, all signs of sleep disappearing instantly as he looked around, every sense on high alert.
His searching eyes finally rested on Obi-Wan. His former Master looked at him with mild surprise. "Obi-Wan!" He said with pure relief.
"Where…?" Obi-Wan started to ask.
"We brought you back to the Temple. You're in the Healer's Wing."
Obi-Wan nodded minutely to signal he had understood. He couldn't manage anything else as he was losing his fight against sleep.
"Obi-Wan, I…" Anakin started to say, but his former Master's eyes had already closed again. "I'm sorry." he finished quietly.
Suddenly the door hissed open and Ahsoka peaked into the room. Anakin motioned her to come in but be quiet.
"How is he?", she whispered caringly.
"He woke up before, but he's still weak."
"Of course he is, but that doesn't mean he won't be fine." Ahsoka said reassuringly. She was glad to hear that Obi-Wan had finally woken up.
She stepped closer and handed Anakin something.
"I'm not hungry, thanks Ahsoka!"
"I know you aren't but you still need to eat.", she persisted.
Anakin groaned but took the food anyway. Slowly he chewed on the snack.
"Have you informed the healers that he woke up?" Ahsoka asked.
Anakin shook his head.
Ahsoka got to her feet, "I'll be right back."
Anakin watched his Padawan leave the room again and then turned his attention back to the sleeping Jedi Master.
As soon as they arrived on Coruscant just over a week ago, Obi-Wan had been submerged in a bacta tank. He had more broken bones than Anakin wanted to think about including a fractured skull. The healers had warned him that Obi-Wan could have brain damage but they wouldn't know the extent until he woke up. Of course he had just woken up, but sleep had overwhelmed him so fast, that there was no chance to know about the extent of the damage just yet.
Anakin sighed loudly. Tiredly he put his head on the mattress next to Obi-Wan's arm and closed his eyes. He really was tired, but he wouldn't leave his Master's side until he was completely fine.
Again the door opened and a healer entered the room followed by Ahsoka.
"I was told he was awake?", the healer asked.
Slowly Anakin lifted his head from the bed and nodded.
The healer walked around the bed to the other side from where Anakin was sitting. She studied the equipment intently before turning back to Anakin. "Did he say anything?" She asked.
"He asked where he was." Anakin replied
"Alright." She said as she took a few notes. "If the last week is anything to go by I assume you won't be leaving." She paused to see if Anakin would object but he didn't so the healer continued. "The moment he wakes up again, I would like you to call for me."
Anakin promised that he would and the healer left again.
Ahsoka turned to leave as well, but turned around and stood quietly halfway between the door and the bed.
Anakin tiredly looked at her. "What's the matter, Snips?", he asked teasingly.
"When are you coming back to the apartment, Master? It's really empty there without company." Ahsoka pulled her arms around her body as if she were cold and Anakin felt bad. Now he had not only hurt his former Master but neglected his Padawan. Could he be any worse of a person?
"I'm sorry, Snips. I didn't mean to leave you all alone, not on purpose anyway!", he assured her and stood up. Hesitantly he looked at Obi-Wan and back at his Padawan.
"I am…", he swallowed hardly. This was harder to do than he thought.
Ahsoka looked at her Master almost desperately and Anakin closed his eyes. Ahsoka was right, he needed to go back to the apartment.
"I'm coming back to the apartment with you.", he promised and put his hand on his former Master's shoulder. "I'll be back tomorrow.", he swore to him.
Ahsoka smiled gently at him, when he turned to follow her out of the room. They left the Healer's Wing together and walked quietly to their apartment.
When they entered the apartment Anakin stood tentative in the foyer, while Ahsoka walked straight to the kitchen. He heard her preparing something to eat or drink. Anakin slowly walked into the living room and looked outside the huge window.
The nightlights of Coruscant where beaming, the traffic steadily moving on as always.
Tiredly Anakin let himself fall on the small couch standing on one of the four walls and closed his eyes. Almost immediately he fell into a light sleep and was woken only minutes later by Ahsoka.
"Master?"
"Yes?" His head jerked up and he almost collided with Ahsoka.
"You should sleep in your own bed! I'm sure it is a lot more comfortable than the couch."
A smile crossed his face and he nodded. "When did you become my Master, Snips?"
She shrugged with her shoulders and helped him stand up: "Probably during the time you where with Obi-Wan."
A sting of guilt went through his chest.
"I'm truly sorry, Ahsoka."
"It's alright. I understand. I'm just glad you're here now."
Gently she guided him to his room and he sank on his bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow he fell dead asleep.
Smiling at her Master, Ahsoka pulled the blanket over his body and tucked it in on the sides just as Anakin had done a few times, when he had brought her to bed.
"Sleep well, Master.", she whispered as she turned of the lights and left the room.
...
The next day Obi-Wan woke up already and the Healer's tested him with routine checks. During the following week Anakin followed a simple daily schedule. He rose with his Padawan to eat breakfast, ran to the Healer's Wing as soon as Ahsoka went to classes, ate lunch with his Padawan, ran to the Healer's Wing as soon as Ahsoka went to practice, ate dinner with his Padawan, ran back to the Healer's Wing as soon as Ahsoka went away to meet with friends and spent the night at the apartment so that Ahsoka wasn't on her own. The Healers soon grew tired of his interfering with their checks on Obi-Wan and by the third visit he paid Obi-Wan they threw him out. But that didn't keep him from going to the Healer's Wing. Now he just lingered before it and made each passing Healer or Jedi nervous with his pacing.
Obi-Wan didn't have a more pleasant time than his former Padawan. After the first week he spent in the Healer's Wing since he woke up, he grew tired of the constant repeating checks. The first two visits from Anakin distracted him from his uncomfortable stay in the Healer's Wing and he was glad, but the Healers made Anakin agitated which made Anakin make the Healers agitated which made the Healers throw Anakin out before he could visit Obi-Wan for a third time.
During the tests they made with Obi-Wan the Healers tried to find out what exactly caused the fractured skull and if he could remember what had happened. Unfortunate for them he couldn't and unfortunate for him the testing made him dizzy. Therefore they let him rest. He slept a lot and as soon as he woke up the Healers tried to re-establish the lost memory. He grew really tired of their constant interrogation and their intrusion of his mind. After a week he finally snapped. Nicely put, he called one of the Padawan learners "Not the brightest star in the sky" because the girl asked him for the third him if he really didn't remember anything. Of course this made the girl burst out in tears and the Padawan's Master glared at Obi-Wan in disbelieve, before guiding her Padawan out of the room.
After another round of him pestering almost each and every Healer that attempted to take care of him, they decided they had had enough and released him, or more so, threw him out.
Anakin came to pick him up from the Healer's Wing and Obi-Wan was looking forwards to a conversation that didn't revolve around what happened to leave him with 16 broken bones and minor brain damage, (amongst other things).
"So…" Anakin cleared his throat, "did you remember what happened?"
Obi-Wan gave Anakin a look that he very rarely saw on his former Master's face. It was one that said "If I didn't have so much self control I would have punched you in the face by now." However Obi-Wan's expression soon softened again and he sighed.
"No, I don't. The healers say I probably won't ever remember." He glanced at Anakin. "I was hoping you might be able to enlighten me."
Anakin swallowed "Me?"
Obi-Wan considered his former Padawan for a moment. "You were there, weren't you?" He finally asked.
"Oh… Ehm… The ceiling fell on you."
"How unfortunate."
Anakin stared at Obi-Wan. He knew that his former Master didn't take his injuries very seriously but it never stopped surprising him. He had spent weeks worrying about him and all he had to say was: "How unfortunate".
Obi-Wan could see the disbelief on Anakin's face and smiled. His statement had the desired effect.
"You're messing with me?" Anakin noted with mild agitation.
"You're being deliberately vague." Obi-Wan threw back evenly. He had known Anakin for 12 years, he knew when he was hiding something.
After enjoying the embarrassed look on Anakin's face for a moment Obi-Wan placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I suppose it doesn't really matter what happened." He then turned his attention back to the corridor and continued walking, leaving Anakin where he was.
"Obi-Wan." With a short sprint Anakin caught up with the other Jedi. "I'm…"
"I forgive you Anakin."
"So you do remember?"
"No, but I know you. If the last 12 years are anything to go by, I assume you got us in some kind of trouble again."
"Maybe."
Obi-Wan chuckled lightly. "I see."
Whatever Anakin was going to reply got cut off by a familiar voice.
"Master Kenobi!" Ahsoka called out as she spotted the pair walking towards her. With a short jog she joined the group. "I'm so glad to see you back on your feet." She said with genuine delight.
Obi-Wan smiled back warmly. "Thank you. I hope Anakin wasn't too much trouble."
"Hey!"
Ahsoka smiled: "He was alright. Though, I had to make him eat and he wouldn't come back to the apartment for a while, so I had to get him at the Healer's Wing and bring him back to the apartment myself."
Obi-Wan chuckled again and Anakin looked slightly upset.
"I wasn't that bad.", he defended himself. Ahsoka just smiled warmly at him and after a little hesitation he replied with an equally warm smile.
They reached Anakin and Ahsoka's apartment and Ahsoka walked into it while Anakin stood with Obi-Wan in front of the door.
"What are you going to do now?", Anakin asked his former Master.
"I'm going to enjoy my vacation time." He said with a boyish grin.
"Alright.", Anakin replied.
"Just alright? No comment about well behavior or anything?"
"Not this time. Just enjoy your time off."
"Alright."
Indecisively Obi-Wan and Anakin stood a little longer in front of the door, until Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin's shoulder, said: "Take care of yourself", and walked off towards his own apartment.
Anakin looked after his former Master. He caught a slight uncertainty in Obi-Wan's steps and felt guilty. Standing there he swore himself to never disobey his former Master like this again. His anger towards Dooku had almost killed Obi-Wan and for this he would never forgive himself. At least Obi-Wan had forgiven him, maybe only because he couldn't even remember what had happened in the first place.