Chapter 2: All That Was Lost
There is a silence that is almost deadly.
Not even birds are heard, even the usual sound of the water that falls from outside the house is missing. All voices are hushed. All steps are light. All faces are long and sad. It is indeed a hard time for the Naberrie family.
Padmé rests calmly, heavily sedated from some herbal tea. It is the only medicine she could take for the time being. Her long shiny brown curls are scattered around the soft white pillows that hold her broken head; her body lays softly as if on water, and in her slumber, she almost feels she's floating.
Under her closed eyes there are purple marks, from all the past shed tears. By now there are no bruises left on her body; only her mind is bruised now. And the hearts of those that love her.
Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie sit in the library, drinking a tea that helps them—to some extent—remain at ease.
Outside Padmé's door, Sola Naberrie paces back and forth, doubting for the tenth time whether she should enter her sister's room or not. In the end, she opts to wait some more, thinking about what happened the last time she went in alone.
Like every other living creature in that house, she makes no sound whatsoever—quiet tears fall down her sad blue eyes.
"Is she really still sleeping?" a voice is finally out, which makes Sola jump, nervously.
"Quiet, Ryoo!" Sola scolds in her most quiet whisper. "I told you to stay in your room!"
"Sorry, mom!" the little girl is unaware of how much her small voice disrupts the house. "It is Pooja's fault! She sent me to see if aunt Padmé had awaken—"
Sola had to put her small hand on her daughter's mouth. Then she grabbed her arm, and took her to her room. Begging inwardly to the Force that the child didn't awake her sleeping sister.
Now in the comfort that the little girl's room gives her —given the fact that it's so far from Padmé's— Sola once again explains, with words her kids can or might understand, the delicate situation of their family, and why they can't see their aunt nor make any noise in the house.
The girls might be young but they aren't immune to worriedness. And no matter how much Sola tries to minimize the situation, her uncontrollable tears frighten Ryoo and Pooja.
But how could Sola remain calm? Especially when as she speaks of her sister she pictures her as she probably is now; eyes closed and lips sealed. Without a memory or word to say.
That is pretty much Padmé's look for the moment.
Not much has changed with her—but with her surroundings? Something has.
As she is not alone anymore.
No Naberrie member has dared to go see her that day; no doctor nor droid has gone to check on her since morning. Yet there is someone there in the room, who came in unannounced, uninvited. More than unwanted.
From the wide window he came in, passing by any set of eyes—family member or guard—and now his loud breathing has savagely broken the previous deadly silence.
The Jedi Knight, who can't hold back the tears of emotion that now flood his handsome face, approaches the bed with an unsteady and shaky step.
He kneels by her side and fears to even touch her, as if by doing so she'd disappear.
But when Anakin sees how her chest moves up and down, with normal breathing, and her pretty face without a scratch, all his fears disappear. She's fine! Alive, at least. The war had scared him and almost took what he values the most in life, but it was an almost and nothing more. Things will be alright, he tells himself, we will be alright…
Anakin stands up and smiles broadly at her, he softly strokes her hair, and then, unable of holding back the impulse, he reaches over to kiss her fair cheek. As he did that, he wetted her with his tears; tears of happiness of course, having found her a million times better than he had expected.
His heart starts beating crazily as he feels her move; she throws her arms in the air and she opens her confused eyes. First looking at the high ceiling, then at the young knight.
"Oh, Padmé," Anakin cried. "I'm so glad you're alright! As soon as I heard the news I…"
He stopped talking as he saw her face of fear. And he felt it within him, just how much he was frightening his beloved wife.
She screamed savagely and shed tears violently.
He tried to reach her to help her calm down but that only made everything worse.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" her mad, trembling voice cried. "Help! Someone please help me!" Padmé would've run for her life but she was so scared her fear paralyzed her.
Anakin was so confused and shocked he didn't know what to do.
He stepped back, unsurely. Tears crowded on his broken blue eyes and he had to blink many times to keep them from falling.
The mad scene only lasted a few seconds. To Anakin and Padmé it was like a cruel eternity.
At once the door was open and Ruwee Naberrie, alongside a number of guards, broke into the bedroom.
"Get away from my daughter!" was his initial, natural response.
The guards fired at Anakin but he dodged the fire swiftly with his lightsaber.
"Stop!" Ruwee cried and indicated the guards to drop their weapons. "He's a Jedi knight, and I know him. He's Anakin Skywalker, he's a friend of my daughter's."
The guards obeyed and then more people came.
"What is happening?" captain Typho looked very worried.
"Anakin?" Sola was surprised.
Still on her bed, crying and covering her ears with supreme fear, Padmé watched them all.
"This can't be good for my daughter," Ruwee said, tiredly. "Captain Typho, stay outside the door, if you please. Guards, stay on every corner of this room." He then walked to his daughter and spoke in the most sweet and comforting voice. "My dear, I'm so, so sorry for this mess. I'm going to send the doctor back in. Please don't cry, try and be calm."
Padmé ran her hands through her face and tried to clean herself. She just took the blanket and covered herself with it.
Padmé's father's orders were obeyed.
As he was exiting the room, he saw one person standing still, dumbfounded by one corner. "Anakin," he said. "Please, come with me."
The Jedi obliged and followed him, his face redden at holding back so many bitter tears.
Ruwee Naberrie took him into the library, where Padmé's mother was still imagining all kind of crazy, terrible things.
The door opened and Jobal Naberrie almost jumped at her husband. "What happened?" she cried, desperately. "Oh tell me quickly! Who's come? Is she all right? What did…? Anakin?" she finally looked at the young Jedi. "What are you doing here?"
There was a huge lump on Anakin's throat, and it took him some time before managing to say some words. "I'm sorry," his first instinct was to apologize for all that he had caused. "I didn't mean to upset her so much. I—I don't know what happened. She must be very sick or maybe she's too medicated, but she didn't recognize me."
The old couple sighed.
"Why did you sneak in like that?" Ruwee asked, gravely. "Why didn't you come in by the door? You know we would've welcomed you with open arms like always. And we would've been able of giving you a heads up."
Now what was the man talking about?
"Sir, I have to know. What's the matter with her? What happened?"
"You don't know?"
"No."
"Haven't you seen the news lately? Or didn't they speak about it in Coruscant?"
"Sir, I—"it was still hard to speak. He said nothing but the truth. "I heard about it while I was on the Outer Rim Territories, I immediately went to Coruscant and there I just heard she had been brought back to Naboo, so I came here. I apologize for breaking in, but I really needed to see her. I just—I just couldn't wait."
"I understand, Anakin. But it was wrong. I don't mean to scold you, young man. But you really ruined weeks of progress."
"Sir, I beg you. Tell me, what's happened to Padmé?"
The man blinked away tears.
"I'll go check on her," Jobal said. "I guess there's no point in being afraid of upsetting her…" she looked angrily at Anakin. "Goodbye, Skywalker."
Anakin sat on the couch and passed his human hand through his face, exhausted.
He wasn't ready to learn the truth, but he just had to.
"After a short holiday she spent here with us," Ruwee said, almost reluctantly. "She returned to the Senate, and on the way to Coruscant—her ship fell under attack by the Separatist."
In spite the fact that that was the part he already know, it was hard for Anakin to hear it.
"She was rescued in time and luckily, no one on the ship died. Her stupid droid was repaired, the pilot and co-pilot healed in time, the crew managed with only a few scratches. Padmé though—Padmé… she really hit her head during the landing. Anakin, are you all right?"
He couldn't face the man. "I'm fine," he said. "Please, sir, go on."
"Of course everyone had it rough while they were under attack. But she was the last one to be out of the ship after they landed. They looked for her incredibly and when they found her, she was under a piece of metal and she—well, a lot of smoke had already gone into her brain. Anakin are you sure you want to listen?"
This time Anakin couldn't say anything, but he just nodded along.
"This is not any easier for me to say than for you to listen, young man. Anakin, Padmé was diagnosed with memory loss. My daughter has amnesia."
Anakin felt the floor under him waver. Images almost shook around him and nothing seemed real. His voice was surprisingly together, though. "What kind?" he asked, hoarsely. "Is it immediate memories? Short-term? What?"
Ruwee sighed. "Retrograde amnesia," tears finally escaped the old man's eyes. "She can't remember anything prior to the accident."
The Jedi almost fell into the ground, but soon enough, strength returned to him. "I have to see her!" he said. "I just have to!"
"You will not!" Ruwee cried, a mixture of anger and sadness on his face. "You've scared her enough for today!"
"I didn't know! I will be more careful this time! I'll make her remember me!"
"You can't! Anakin, listen to me! Padmé doesn't even remember her own family. She doesn't know who she is. And you think she's going to remember an occasional friend?"
Occasional friend? Anakin almost felt like snapping the man's neck.
He was so much more than that. The love of her life. Her husband. Her best friend. And without knowing, so much more...
Could anyone come in between him and his wife at such a time? Now that he knew the truth, he planned on taking her, afar. Surely he can make her remember!