How did I get here? What am I doing? Why does this have to hurt so much? These and too many other thoughts to consider for more than half a moment streamed through the head of Leia Organa as she lay in the Medical Bay. At the moment it seemed too crowded for her taste, what with Dr. Kalonia, a medic, and two medical droids besides the news-hungry crew of Holo-net reporters hovering outside. After all, this was a momentous event. The child of the famous war heroes was finally ready to arrive.
Han was there, of course, and looked worse than Leia did. His easygoing, joking front hadn't lasted long in the face of his wife's pain, and he periodically went as pale as the sheets on the birthing table. Leia couldn't feel much sympathy for him at the moment, but she was glad he had chosen to be present. She would never let him live it down if he missed the moment when their son was born.
But the one other person Leia wanted to see was nowhere to be found. The one member of her family that was left couldn't be there...much as she wanted him to be.
Leia had never expected Luke's search for Jedi artifacts to become a full-time job. She hadn't seen him more than once since he'd resigned his commission as a Commander in the Rebel Fleet. At times it made her angry...angry that he'd left, or that she hadn't taken him up on his offer to train her when the time came. She regretted that now, but her reasons stood...she just didn't have the time. Especially not now. The trouble there was that she'd expected Luke to at least stay in regular contact. But the only times they spoke now were via hologram message, sometimes more than a month apart. Luke's travels often took him to places so remote and forgotten that no one could reach him. The worst part was he didn't even seem to notice how much his absence hurt.
But it was who Luke Skywalker was. When he made a promise to someone, he kept it, come hell, high water, or meteor shower. He almost had a one-track mind when he set his mind on something, and nothing but death would keep him from his task. He couldn't train anyone until he'd learned more himself.
It had been nearly a day since she'd tried to get a hold of Luke and there was no word. By then Leia had given up hope that he would be there and had to focus on bringing her son into the world.
He certainly wasn't making things easy. The boy had seemed impatient to make his way into the world initially, but after nearly twenty hours, still had yet to make his appearance. The contractions would increase dramatically, and then fall off to almost nothing for hours on end before returning worse than ever. Leia's water hadn't even broken until the last hour and despite the irregular pauses, she had not slept since the first contraction. She was exhausted and cranky and was on the verge of demanding Dr Kalonia to just go in and get the baby out. Han, by contrast, had been able to catch a few naps. He was the only one to have slept in the last thirty-six hours.
Where is that nerf-herder? Wondered Leia, scowling at the rest of the room. Han had just stepped out of the room- to get air, caf, a sip of Corellian brandy, or possibly all three. The contractions were starting to pick up again, and if Leia was correctly interpreting what the Force was telling her, this was it. I swear if he's not here when his son is born-
"Fine, Leia," soothed Dr Kalonia as she checked Leia's progress. "You're doing just fine."
"That's what you said yesterday," grunted Leia through gritted teeth. "Isn't he ready to come out yet?"
"You'd know better than I would," reminded the patient-but-tired doctor. "But it can't be much longer now."
"That's what you said...ten...hours ago!" Leia closed her eyes and struggled to get a better grasp on the Force. How did Luke do this? It took Leia every ounce of concentration she possessed to connect with that mystical energy field even in the best of moods and health. Doing it when she was drained of all energy and ready to scream was like trying to grab a slippery, slimy newt with one hand while blindfolded. It was so much easier when Luke was there to help her. Luke, where are you? Why won't you even talk to me?
At that moment a tousle-headed Han popped back into the room. He looked a little more refreshed and almost chipper as he plopped back in his chair next to Leia. "Hey, sweetheart. How you doin'?"
Leia glared at him. "Where were you? I swear, if you step out one more time-"
Han flinched and showed his palms. "Whoa...hey, easy. Can't a guy use the bathroom once in a while? I wasn't gone that long." Carefully he took her hand, slowly rubbing it with the air of one about to diffuse a bomb.
Leia's shoulders fell and she sighed. He had sat with her almost constantly and didn't deserve such treatment. She knew his attempts at joking were only to disguise his worry. "I'm sorry. I'm...ugh!"
Han nodded, grimacing. "I know. Wish there was somethin' I could do...I hate seein' ya like this. It's drivin' me nuts not bein' able to help."
Leia almost smiled. Han was a man of action. The fact that he was willing to sit still for this long was a testament to his love. He didn't always know what to do, but when he did, his enthusiasm didn't wane. "You're here...that's enough..." When Han kissed her on the cheek she did smile, but only for a moment. Something changed. She felt it in her body and sensed it through the vague touch of the Force. A sense of urgency that had only been halfway there before came full-force, and even before Dr Kalonia's scanners registered the change, Leia knew what all this meant.
Her son was coming.
While momentarily afraid that she wouldn't have the strength to push, Leia nevertheless rose with determination, blowing fiercely through pursed lips.
Dr Kalonia lifted her brows and set down the scanner, motioning to the waiting medic, who picked up a blanket. "Aha. All right, Leia. Time for the real work. You know the drill, chin to chest, push with your body, not against it."
Leia nodded, unable to say anything through the increasing pain. The first push was bad enough. Knowing there were more just made it worse. By the third she was almost in tears...and Leia never cried. She'd hardly even cried for Alderaan.
Han grimaced with sympathy and occupied himself in clearing stray hairs out of his wife's red face. "Shh. S'okay, sweetheart. You're okay."
Irritated that his attempts to help were just distracting her, Leia batted his hand away. "Don't...just don't. Leave me alone!"
Han let his arm drop in dismay. "What? I'm tryin' to help. Whaddya want me to-"
Leia's next cry interrupted him and she just shook her head, whimpering through the next push. When she could breathe and noticed her comments had wounded Han, she shook her head at him and reached for him. "Hold my hand...that's all...just...take my hand."
Relieved, Han did as he was asked, interlacing his fingers with hers. "You got it, sweetheart. Anything you need. I'm right here." His loving comments twisted into a grimace as Leia squeezed the aforementioned hand. Any protests died on his lips. She was in ten times more pain than he was. "Atta girl," he couldn't help but wince.
"Sorry," whimpered Leia.
"Nah. You squeeze as hard as you want...ow," grimaced Han as she took him up on his offer.
For Leia it became a seemingly endless cycle. Push, breathe, push, breathe, push, breathe, repeat. Was she making any progress at all? Her eyes just wanted to close, her body just needed rest...but she couldn't. Not yet. "Help me," she whispered through the Force. Any friendly presence would be welcomed at that point. "Please help me."
Leia...
Someone was calling back! Who was it? Leia reached out again. Who are you? Where are you?
Leia, it's me.
Leia's eyes flew open, and she nearly gave in to further tears, this time of relief. The warm presence was unmistakable. "Luke..." So he had heard her. He was still there...even if not in the building or on the same planet, her brother had found her. "Luke."
Han looked around in confusion. "Luke? Whaddya...oh. That Jedi thing again?"
Leia could only nod as she mentally clung to Luke's presence. Luke, he's coming...your nephew is coming.
I know. A sense of pride and happiness rose, followed quickly by regret. I wish I could do something for you.
Just tell me how to keep it from hurting so much. There has to be a way.
More regret. Luke seemed to be doing the mental equivalent of shaking his head. I'm not so sure. Just try to relax-
"Are you kidding!?" yelped Leia as she pushed for the fifteenth- or was it sixteenth? -time. How can I relax?
Leia, I'm sorry. Just breathe. You'll be all right. And with that Luke seemed to withdraw.
"Easy for you to say," muttered Leia under her breath. But she took the effort to try and slow her breathing. In a while she connected again with her son and found him afraid. It's all right, sweetheart. Soon we get to meet each other. Oddly, thinking of her son helped some with the pain.
Nothing helped with her fatigue. Each push drained ever more of her waning strength. She'd lost count of how many times she had pushed with almost no progress when her elbows gave out and sent her back to the pillows, shaking and sweating.
"Leia?" The worry in Han's voice rose, and he gave her hand a feeble squeeze. "C'mon, sweetheart. You're almost there. You can do it."
Leia whimpered again. She'd never been so tired in her life. For a moment she feared blacking out.
Leia? Luke's voice came again into her mind, a gentle yet insistent nudge. Perhaps he sensed her fatigue.
It hurts...so tired...Leia tried pushing back up to her elbows, but they wouldn't hold her.
I know. You can do it, Leia. Don't give up.
Leia grunted and gave yet another feeble push but held it for only half the time. I'm not...but tired.
Hold on, Leia. Hold on.
Leia just lay whimpering as the contractions kept coming. Every ounce of strength was spent. Luke's presence seemed so near, and yet still too far away.
Meanwhile Dr. Kalonia glanced from husband to wife. "I know it hurts, but you're so close. Believe me, Leia. It won't be much longer. Sit up, now. Come on." When Leia didn't stir beyond lifting her head, the doctor nodded to Han. "Go ahead and give her some help. Get behind her and lift her up just a little."
Leia growled a little in feeling Han lift her shoulders and rose the rest of the way on her own.
"Atta girl. That's my feisty princess," said Han with a shadow of his lopsided grin.
"Former...princess," panted Leia in correction. After another push she summoned Luke again. Don't go yet.
I'm not going anywhere. I promise. Somehow Luke seemed even closer now, or his presence stronger. It was comforting.
Leia nodded and managed a few more pushes before she had to take another short break.
"All right, his head's out," announced Dr. Kalonia happily. "You're in the home stretch, now. Hey Papa, wanna see?"
"Uh-" Han glanced at his son's head, only to feel every drop of blood drain from his face. He turned away as pale as the sheets, stomach churning. "He...uh...he's okay, right? Is he supposed to be that color?"
"Perfectly normal," assured the doctor. "All right, now Leia, as soon as you're ready, we can work on getting his shoulders out."
Leia nodded. A sudden calm had swept over her, stilling her trembling limbs and slowing her heart rate. She could take deeper breaths now. The Force was strong in her, and it was finally helping. Her son was still afraid, and she was able to calm him down. Hold on, little one. Almost there. With one final burst of strength she pushed with everything she had left...once, twice, five times...until finally relief came, and Dr Kalonia was holding a slippery and squirming infant. Leia sighed in relief, relaxing and whimpering a little after all that hard work had finally paid off. While the baby hadn't cried yet, his strong presence in the Force made it obvious that he was healthy.
Han wasn't so lucky to know this and kept fitfully rubbing Leia's hand. "C'mon buddy...breathe, buddy, c'mon, breathe..." His voice sounded ragged, as if he was ready to cry. "C'mon, kiddo, you can do it."
The baby boy coughed, flailing at the nurses who were trying to clear his mouth and nose, and then finally burst into a loud wail. The attendants let out a cheer and began crooning to him.
"Is he okay? He's okay, right?" confirmed Han.
"He is just perfect," confirmed a beaming Dr. Kalonia. "Ooh, boy, what a pair of lungs he's got! Here, Han, want to cut the cord?"
"Uh...no...no, thanks." Han had gone pale again at the prospect and instead focused on his exhausted wife. "Hey, honey. You did it. See? I knew you could."
Leia just nodded, still concentrating on breathing. The realization was slowly dawning on her why Luke's presence was so strong. He was waiting just outside the door. He'd come after all. "Thank you," she whispered before forcing her eyes open to look for her son.
What Leia saw was Dr. Kalonia busily cleaning up the very bloody mess at the other end of the birthing table while two different medics wiped a very unhappy infant clean. Leia could sense his distrust of these strangers and his need to be warm and fed from across the room, and painfully she inched back into a sitting position. "He's afraid. Let me hold him."
"We have not yet completed our health scan of the newborn," replied the medical droid in its emotionless monotone.
"He's fine," sighed Leia, wishing she could just use the Force to pick her son up. "Please?"
"All right. Come here, handsome," teased a nurse as she hurriedly swaddled the baby and carried him back to Leia. "There. My, my, what a howler you are! Is that better?"
Eagerly Leia reached for the baby and, while she'd never held a newborn before in her life, somehow knew how to cradle her son without being shown. "Oh, shh...I know. I know. It's all right."
The baby, still damp from his first hasty sponge bath, squirmed and cried for a moment until he heard his mother's voice. Then his wail faded into a whimper, and squinty, unfocused eyes searched for her.
Leia's heart swelled as she met her son's eyes for the first time and saw the understanding and recognition in them. "There you are. Remember me? This is Mama." The baby gave a questioning whimper, and Leia nearly laughed. "Right. Oh, Han, look at him. Just look at our son. Isn't he beautiful?"
Han gazed on the squirmy newborn, still somewhat in a state of shock, and finally broke into a smile. "Yeah. Cute little guy. Wow. We made that?" he asked in awe.
Leia nodded, slowly rocking from side to side. "You bet we did. He's all ours." And she bestowed a soft kiss on the baby's forehead.
Though there was still the delivery of the afterbirth, Leia hardly felt it. Her attention was fully on this tiny human being that had been borne out of hers and Han's love. She couldn't take her eyes away if she tried. He was a strong boy with a shock of dark hair and deep blue eyes, and took to nursing with such a voracious appetite Leia wondered if he would ever stop eating.
After the baby was finished and the mess was gone (and the blankets turned back over the foot of the bed), Leia gave permission to let in the visitor who had been standing guard for the last half hour.
Luke Skywalker was quiet as he edged into the room, wearing a smile bright enough to outshine Tatooine's twin suns.
Han's head snapped up in surprise. "Hey! Welcome back, pal. Long time no see. You got some timing, I'm tellin ' ya. Hey, how'd you know-" And as he glanced from Luke to Leia, he finally gave a shrug. "Lemme guess. Jedi stuff, right? Figures."
Luke nodded patiently. "It's good to see you, too, Han." He submitted to the brief hug from his brother-in-law before edging up to his sister. "Leia...I'm so proud of you."
Leia slowly shook her head. "Don't be. I feel so foolish, worrying...it turns out there was nothing to be afraid of. I need to thank you, by the way. For just...being there."
Luke's mouth quirked to one side. "Always. But you don't need to thank me. You're the one who found the strength to keep going, despite the pain. The Force is with you, just as it's always been."
Leia nodded, stifling the statement she was going to make about needing more guidance, more training. Instead she nodded down at the drowsy infant in her arms. "Come meet your nephew."
Luke craned his neck to look, and nearly melted. "Leia...he's perfect."
"Do you want to hold him?" offered Leia.
"Could I? Are you sure? I've never held a baby before," admitted Luke. For a moment he reverted back to the shy farmboy from Tatooine.
"Yes. I want him to know his Uncle Luke," said Leia firmly.
"All right, then. What do I do?"
Leia carefully explained the procedure until Luke felt confident enough to try it. Slowly and carefully he juggled the baby in his arms, though the little Solo wasn't making things easy by squirming and whimpering. Luke grimaced, trying to calm the baby.
"Uh-oh. Who is this, huh? Who's got you now?" When the baby began to cry, Luke's shoulders fell. "Aw, it's all right. Don't be afraid. Shh..." Almost without thinking the Jedi closed his eyes and rocked slowly side to side. "Shh, you're safe. No one's going to hurt you," he assured softly.
In a short time the baby boy's crying quieted, and he tried to focus on his uncle's blurry face.
Luke gave a short sigh of relief and opened his eyes. "That's better. See? I'm your uncle."
Han was dumbfounded. He looked from Luke, to Leia, to the baby, crossed his arms, and opened his mouth to say something...then reconsidered it and let his arms drop. "Y'know, Luke, if you ever wanna babysit, just say the word."
Luke wistfully shook his head. "You don't know how much I wish I could, but I'm never in one place long enough to set down roots. The Jedi aren't going to resurrect themselves." He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment before managing a smile. "Once I'm settled, you're all more than welcome to visit."
Leia nodded, though she wasn't surprised. "Well, then you'll have to come see us every so often."
"I will. Here," said Luke, handing the baby back to his sister. "I think he's about ready to fall asleep. Oh...I'm sorry, I forgot to ask. What's his name?"
"Well..." Leia and Han exchanged guilty glances. "I was hoping...Luke, would you do us the honor of naming our son?"
"Me?" Luke's face colored. "I couldn't. He's your son. You should name him. Han?"
"It's okay, pal. We went over this at least fifty times. Leia's right. If this kid's got half as much Jedi power as you do, you're gonna have to tell him about it sooner or later. One way or another, he's gonna know his uncle. 'Sides, all I could come up with was Han Junior." Han rolled his eyes.
Luke looked from one to another in the little family and finally gave in. "Well...there are only two names I can think of off the top of my head. Whether or not he ends up becoming a Jedi, he's going to have that heritage. Why not name him Anakin, after his grandfather?"
Leia avoided her brother's gaze while Han cringed. "Uh...ain't that kinda bad luck, naming him after somebody who...uh, went dark?"
"There's no such thing as luck..." After seeing Leia shudder, Luke nodded in understanding. "It's just an idea. But the only other name I can think of is Obi-Wan, and that wouldn't exactly work."
Han made a face. "Obi-Wan Solo? Nuh-uh. I mean...no offense, Luke. I know he was your teacher. He was nice, and patient, and a great Jedi and all that, but...man."
Leia looked thoughtful. "General Kenobi was a close friend of my father- of Bail Organa...what about the alias he used on Tatooine?"
Luke lifted his brows. "Ben?"
"Yes. What do you think, Han?" Leia offered.
"Hm. Ben...Ben Solo." He nodded while a smile slowly dawned on his face. "Yeah. Ben Solo. I like it. Short, easy to spell, easy to remember, he ain't gonna grow out of it, and...it means somethin' special. Whaddya think, sweetheart? Would that suit our little bandit?"
"For the last time, Han, he's not a bandit. But yes. I think it would suit him just fine. Luke, do you think Kenobi would mind?"
Luke smiled and lifted his eyebrows. "To have the grandson of his best friend named after him? No, I don't think he'd mind at all."
With a decisive nod, Leia leaned over to kiss her son's forehead again. "Then Ben Solo, it is."
Han stuck his pinky in Ben's little hand. "Hey, Ben. You like your name?"
The newly-christened Ben let out a yawn and stretched, pushing at the blanket that swaddled him. But his tiny fingers still curled around his father's pinky.
Father, mother, and uncle all chuckled softly, but the moment wasn't to last. Too soon Luke had to bid his family farewell. Too soon Ben would awaken from his nap and Leia wouldn't get more than an hour's sleep at a time.
But the future didn't really matter. All that mattered at the moment was that they were family, and they were together.
THE END