A/N: I'm back! Here we go with the second chapter, in which there are more characters than just Wedge and Tycho, I promise!
Disclaimer: If I did, I wouldn't be writing on now would I?
Can't wait 'til November 1st! Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith is coming out on VHS and DVD!
Emdee is a medical droid, and I'm attempting (key word) to use military time.
Chapter 2: A Little Surprise
The first thing Wedge registered when he opened his eyes was that he was in a bed in the apartment building's hospital wing.
Excellent.
He wondered how this had happened.
He attempted to lift his head off the pillow, but it throbbed so he had to lie down again. "It's a mild concussion," said a voice from his right side, "I've had those, and I wouldn't recommend getting up."
"Leia!" said Wedge, surprised enough to look at her, even though it hurt his head. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you to wake up," she answered, looking wryly amused. "Emdee said to tell him when you're awake, but I suppose that can wait a few minutes: I haven't seen you in ages! How've you been?"
"Oh, so-so, you know," he returned, wondering when the last time they'd talked had been. He remembered the wedding…then Han and Leia had gone on a honeymoon to Corellia, and everyone had been so busy when they'd gotten back….
"How was the honeymoon?"
"Wow, we really haven't talked in forever, have we?" laughed Leia. "That was eight months ago…well, it was a disaster. Han got into a bar fight—he wasn't drinking, but the other guy was—and we spent the rest of those two weeks on the run from some amateur bounty hunter."
Wedge raised his eyebrows. "Not the best honeymoon, but who could expect less from you and Han?"
She laughed again. Wedge noticed on closer inspection that she looked a bit stressed, tired maybe. Was she sick? Then again, she was a politician and that had to be taxing.
"So, what happened to me?" Wedge queried.
"Well," she answered with a twinkle of amusement in her brown eyes, "it seems you fell down the stairs."
"That's it? No stormtroopers? No TIE-fighters? No nothing?" he joked.
"Nope. Emdee says you have a slight concussion, that flu that's been going around (though that's not from the fall), and your right leg is broken in three different places."
"Ouch." Wedge made a face. He could see now that his leg was bandaged from the ankle to half way up his thigh, with a brace to hold it straight. A/N: For the brace, think Tiny Tim or Forrest Gump.
"Well," said Leia, "I'd better get Emdee—"
"Wait," Wedge cut her off, "I'm just wondering: why did you have to watch me? Aren't you busy?"
"No, I've been ill for the last week and a half. I think it's the flu, and I've been feeling so crummy these last few mornings that I've called in sick. Luke keeps telling me to get checked over," she made a face at her twin's concern, "but I'm honestly fine. It gets better throughout the day."
"Well, I don't feel any better…which reminds me: what time is it?"
"About 1700 hours 5:00 pm," Leia answered him, "You've been out almost all day. Now, let me get Emdee. I'm sure he'll let you go home."
About half an hour later, Wedge was ready to leave. He had been given crutches and shown how to use them. Emdee had explained what he could and could not do until the concussion went away. He wore his regular shoe on his left foot, but because his right foot was slightly swollen, he wore a sandal with a sock, his pants leg rolled up.
As he and Leia entered the waiting room, through which they would proceed to the hall way, a young man with dishwater blond hair walked in. He grinned when he saw them.
"Hey, Wedge! I heard you fell down the stairs!" Luke laughed as the two friends greeted each other with slaps on the back.
"Good to see you, too," chuckled Wedge. "Haven't seen you since the wedding!"
"Yeah, I've been really busy, reopening the Jedi Temple and rebuilding the Order and all…And Leia's here too!"
"Yes, and I'm fine, I don't need Emdee to check me over!" said Leia, correctly reading Luke's mind.
"Leia, cummon. I know you think it's the flu, but it could be anything! Seriously, it'll take Emdee ten minutes to check you over, and he can give you medicine, and you'll be back at work in no time," Luke begged her.
"Fine," said Leia, rolling her eyes, "but if it's only the flu, you have to buy me a caf every morning all week."
"Alright, alright, easy," said Luke, "And if I'm right, well, I know what I want from you. It's no biggy; you'd probably do it anyway, but…."
"And precisely what is it you want from me?" Leia asked with her eyebrows raised, suddenly reminding Wedge very much of how she sounded back in the chilly Echo Base on Hoth whenever Han tried to talk to her.
"I can't tell you," Luke professed. "I don't want to give it away until I'm sure I'm right."
"Whatever," said Leia. Turning to Wedge she added, "You know, I always wanted a brother. When I was little, I liked to wrestle, and Winter would never wrestle with me, so I wished I had a brother. Now that I have one, however…." She smiled at Luke with exasperation and headed into the check up room.
"That wasn't really a fair bet, Luke," Wedge informed his friend as soon as the door had closed.
"Why?" The Jedi Master looked genuinely curious.
"Well," Wedge answered, "I mean, I'm Corellian so I don't care about odds, but I do know it's more likely for Leia to not have the flu because the flu's one thing, but everything else is a lot more. I probably botched explaining that," he added.
"No, I understand," said Luke. "You think I'm more likely to win, and I'll give you that. See, it's not a fair bet because I think I've sensed what's wrong with her. Well, not wrong with her, per say, but what's up."
"What, with your Jedi powers?" asked Wedge. He didn't understand the Force any more than your average Tom, Dick, or Harry.
But he tried.
Occasionally.
"So you can tell what's wrong with her? Just like that? Huh, you should be a doctor!"
"Well, no," Luke replied. "I can use the Force to sense, well, the Force. Everyone, even non-Jedi like you or Han, has Force presence, and I can tune in to that. That's why you can't sneak up on me without my knowing who you are. One morning about a month or so ago, I happened to meet Leia and noticed something odd: her Force presence was sure there, but…well, it's hard to explain. It was like she had two Force presences, like there was a weaker one hiding under her bright Force presence. It was odd."
"So. She had two Force presences? She was two people?" Wedge asked, confused.
"Yeah," said Luke, "so, I thought maybe—"
He was cut off by Leia coming out of the examining room and closing the door behind her. The twins looked at each other, and Leia smiled slightly. They were silent for a few moments, then Luke said, grinning broadly, "So I was right! That's, well, that's pretty awesome!"
The twins hugged.
Wedge piped up, even more confused, "What's awesome?"
Leia turned to him, grinning as widely as her brother. "Luke was right; it's not the flu. I'm pregnant."
"Uh, wow."
Still, Wedge thought as he got into bed half an hour later, it shouldn't have been that much of a surprise. Everyone was getting older, getting married; it was only a matter of time before someone started a family.
Wedge wondered how Han would react, and laughed to himself as he imagined the look on the older man's face when he found out. Wedge had wanted to stay, but Luke and Leia had insisted he go home and rest.
He needed to sleep off this concussion.
Which was ok, he guessed, because he wasn't really part of the family.
That's me, all alone. The one and only Antilles in the galaxy.
As he thought this, somewhere, far away on a distant planet where the sun sets red-gold on a clear evening, the Force flowed strong within a dark haired woman as she ignited a blue-green lightsaber before her.
And, on an even more distant planet, in this galaxy that is so vast you'd be ancient dust before you'd even walked a hundredth of the distance, a child-sized, blue skinned hand hovered over a control panel covered with fascinating levers and switches, and then pressed, with innocent deliberation, a red button, beginning a set of chain reactions that would, in approximately three years, change Wedge Antilles' life forever.
A/N: So, how is it? I like it, but I'm biased, being the author. Did I use military time ok? Luke and Leia can communicate through the Force because she's training to be a Jedi. And how 'bout that cliffhanger ending? Probably won't be explained for another couple chapters. You will find out sooner what Luke wants for being winning the bet.
Note: being fifteen, I know nothing about being pregnant. Duh. So forgive any mistakes.
Note 2: What movie is this from (because I have no idea): "Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon----- and for the rest of your life."?
MTFBWYA May the Force be with you always.