AFTER THE FIRE

Chapter 2

"I want to see my son," Leia demanded sharply.

"Madam, I appreciate how you feel, but right now, he is in bacta treatment. We want to make sure the burns he experienced are healed over before we take care of his internal injuries. According to our transport team, he is in surprisingly good shape considering the impact."

"What's this about burns?" Jaina demanded. "I thought the suit protected him!"

"It did a great deal of help. Most of his burns are on his face, although there are some on his arms and hands. He has a high potential for infection, hence the bacta treatments."

Han held Leia tightly; he wanted to be strong for her, for all of his family, despite the fact that his guts had been ripped out of him. He made a note to himself to schedule a complete nervous breakdown once Jarik was well. He refused to consider any other alternative than his son's complete recovery.

Anakin was still white as the ground on Hoth. Jacen and Jag were holding him up gently.

Han whispered to Leia, "Let me talk to Anakin."

"Sure." Jaina came to her mother, and Leia and they hugged each other tightly. Tenel Ka held fast to Jacen's arm.

Han shepherded his middle son to a sofa nearby. As was the rule in all medcenters, this one was hard and uncomfortable.

"Anakin," Han said softly. "You need to stop blaming yourself for this."

"I can't." Anakin was trying not to weep, taking in great gulps of air. "I should have probed the Force harder, trying to get specifics."

"You've said yourself that you can't always command it," Han said, laying his arm over his son's shoulder. "I think you did your due diligence here. You warned Jarik. You asked your brothers and sister and uncle. None of you had a clear vision."

"It doesn't help. My brother's still hurt."

"He's a tough kid. He'll make it." Please make it, kiddo, Han prayed silently. "You're a superb engineer."

Something in his father's voice brought him out of himself. "I need to find out who screwed with the skid rail pumps," Anakin said suddenly.

Han was pleased to see him take a positive direction instead of immersing himself in guilt and grief. "Good idea."

"I should stay here, though."

"Jarik'd want you out there figuring this out," Han said. "And while you're at it, find out who won."

I may not be Force sensitive, Han told himself. But I'm a fair anthropologist, and my sense is that whoever won the race has something to do with this.

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"Where's Anakin?" Leia asked when Han returned without him.

"He's off to find out who messed with Jarik's sled. I told him it'd be better to go out and find the monster that did this. And you guys," he turned to the four members of the younger generation, "go and help him out."

"Are you guys gonna be okay?" Jacen asked his parents.

"We'll be fine," Han lied. "Go, figure this out."

The four looked at each other. "Okay," Jaina finally relented. "Let's do this. But keep us posted."

"We will," Leia said, hugging each child. They were all deeply into their twenties, but she would forever think of them as children. Hers and Han's children.

And one of them was suffering horribly. Their unexpected child, the one who'd been in such a hurry to enter the world, the one that the kids had taken on as their mascot, the one they'd spoiled horribly, the one who didn't have to deal with the Force and all of its implications. The one who was the class clown, who found the universe to be amusing, the one who was game for anything, who loved machinery the way his father did. The one who made everyone laugh.

A nursing droid approached them. "You may see your son but only for a few minutes. Come this way."

The tank was state of the art. They could barely see Jarik in the sticky red fluid.

"He's unconscious?" Han asked.

"Yes. But he is safe in the tank. We monitor his vitals continuously."

Han was grateful that he couldn't see his son clearly. He wrapped Leia in his arms, kissing her hair, murmuring comfort. This is what I have to do, he told himself, despite the fact that he felt close to falling apart.

"Shouldn't we take him back to the capital city? I mean, the facilities there - "

"Let's wait for him to stabilize. They've got a small facility, but everything looks as good as near home. They've taken care of sled racers on this route. Let's stay here. I'm sure there has to be somewhere nearby that we can stay."

"The only place I'm going to stay is here with our son," Leia informed him, her tone unrelenting.

"Then I'm staying with you."