"Become" – Part 4

A young voice startled Taash a few moments after he'd gotten Ryin settled. It was Vallon. His mother had just informed him of Ryin's condition and he'd come as fast as his legs would carry him. He was visibly upset.

"Master Taash?"

Taash turned towards the boy acknowledging him. "Hi, Vallon. Try and keep your voice low, he's becoming very sensitive to sound and touch right now. When I speak too loudly, it seems to cause some discomfort."

"Did the jellyworm cause this?"

"I believe so."

"And our doctors cannot help, can they? We don't have the ability to treat humans. We don't know how. We don't even have the correct medical tools."

"Dr. Nyri has been available for consult. But yes, there is little he or anyone else can do. The temple has dispatched a team here. Including one of our Jedi healers. But they are still days away."

Vallon stood at the bedside and watched his new friend in pain and shivering with chills. A pang of guilt began creeping in on him. Watching Ryin in such a desperate condition, he silently berated himself for not seeing this coming. He should have known that those worms could cause different reactions in humans than in his own people. He should have known to get out of the water as soon as he knew they were near. Then he remembered a strange feeling he had moments before the worms stung them. A feeling from the Force, but he being untrained, it was a feeling he could do nothing with. It was the only time he'd ever felt the Force fracture the barriers that he had become so practiced in maintaining. That should have been an obvious signal though. At the very least, he should have asked Master Taash about it. Maybe he could have helped to interpret the feeling. If the Force had indeed been trying to warn him of danger that was ahead then he'd failed Ryin by not listening to what it was saying. Or at least attempting to understand what it was telling him.

As he took Ryin's hand, he spoke quietly, "This is my fault."

The affirmation confused a frowning Taash. "No, Vallon. You didn't know he would react this way to a worm sting. You had no way of knowing it. There was probably no way to avoid it anyway."

"I knew the worms were near. But because I've never been severely bothered by them, I just assumed the same for Ryin. I should have known better. He is human. Humans and Ventans are very different. It's not unusual for toxins to 

react differently to different races. I am the future governor. I'm not allowed to forget the teachings that have been instilled into me since I was a baby. Never assume anything. Look at a situation from every conceivable angle. Take everything into consideration. Expect what should not happen. And then be prepared if it does happen."

"Vallon, it doesn't matter if you were the most powerful man in the galaxy. You would still not be perfect. No one person can know everything that might happen. No one person can expect every conceivable outcome. You and Ryin were two boys forming a new friendship and enjoying a day in the water. You are allowed to be a child every once in a while, aren't you?"

Vallon nodded shortly.

"You both were having such fun yesterday. It was easy for you to not think about all those pressures that are on you every day. You weren't the governor-to-be yesterday. You were Vallon Colton, ten-year-old boy playing in the ocean. And that's all you should have been. You are still a child. You could not have foreseen this." He paused momentarily for a deep breath to catch his emotions. Vallon's guilt was upsetting to him as it was so unexpected. "I felt nothing from the Force that showed me something might be wrong."

"I…I felt something, Master Taash. But I didn't know what it was."

Taash was actually intrigued by the statement. "You felt something from the Force? But you said you maintain barriers so that you aren't tempted to use it."

"I do. And I'm very good at keeping those barriers. The Force has never broken through them unless I wanted it to. Then yesterday. I felt something. It was a very odd sensation. I didn't know what it meant or what to do with it. I've never felt anything like it before. I should have asked you…" He wiped absently at his eyes.

"You had no reason to ask me. And your father would have said the same. You've not been trained in the Force. You would not know what certain feelings mean. This is not your fault, Vallon. Please do not feel guilty about this. I know Ryin would not blame you. And you should not place blame on yourself." Taash hoped his words sounded sincere. He placed a hand on the young politicians shoulder in a show of support.

After a few seconds, he felt the tension in the shoulder lessen. "He looks so ill, Master Taash. Will he die?"

"I don't know," was the whispered response.

They sat quietly for a time. Ryin drifted in and out of consciousness. Confusion was setting in. He would wake up and ask for Taash, even though his master was right next to him. He would ask where they were. What had happened. Other 

ramblings followed. It finally became too much for Vallon and he excused himself from the room. Immediately outside the suite, his mother had waited for him. And almost as if he'd been waiting a lifetime for it, he fell into her arms gratefully accepting an embrace that only a mother could offer.

Taash turned his attention back to the bed. Ryin was awake again. As he spoke, the words were quiet, filled with weariness and uncertainty. "Did Obi-Wan get the wood carving I made for him? You didn't tell me, Master."

"He did, Ryin. That was some time ago. Remember he told me to thank you for him?"

"No, I don't remember. His friend died. I want to make him a gift. Can you help me make him something?"

Taash tightened his hold on Ryin's hand. He remained patient as his apprentice continued his confused ramblings. "I would be glad to help you, Ryin. But you have to get well first."

"When can I meet Obi-Wan's master?"

"You've already done so. You remember Qui-Gon, don't you?"

Ryin moved his head back and forth on the pillow. "No. Can I meet your master? You told me I could, but I never did."

"Master Kem passed into the Force a number of years ago. I wish you could have met him. I've told you all about him though. Remember the stories I've told you about our travels together?"

"Master…" The ramblings stopped. Pain took over. Ryin doubled over onto his side again. Clutching his stomach, a wave of nausea welled up inside. Taash was not fast enough getting the basin to him. The mess was made. Ryin lay back again, but his master was quick to pull him onto his side with a pillow at his back. He didn't want him choking if the vomiting started again while he cleaned up. Ryin protested, but it was no use. "I'm sorry, Master." The once bright eyes held nothing but water now. It seemed to be more than just tears. Perhaps, another reaction to the toxin.

Dr. Nyri returned. He saw the mess on the bed and offered a hand in changing the linens. Taash pulled another clean shirt from the small pile that Myrel had provided. He worked quickly to change his apprentice. The boy was suffering enough, he didn't deserve to lay in his own sickness while that suffering continued.

The doctor felt the bare chest. "His skin is very cold right now. But he continues to sweat. I don't understand the reaction. I've seen nothing like it before. Perhaps a warm bath might regulate his body temperature. It's very warm in this room. He should not be so chilled."

Ryin's entire body shivered, as it had been doing since the beginning of this entire nightmare. And his body reacted by sweating. Either that or the toxins had his insides just as confused as Ryin's mind was. Not knowing what else to do, Taash agreed with the doctor. They would run a warm tub and see if it helped the situation at all. Neither held any hope that it would, but with vomiting and the continued white froth on his mouth, as well as the discharge from his eyes and nose, if nothing else, they could clean him up.

The bath was run. Taash carried Ryin into the bathroom and set him a chair so he could remove his borrowed sleep clothes. Dr. Nyri excused himself to finish the clean up in the bedroom.

Ryin remained upright in the chair only because it had a tall back and arms on either side. He could not slide off or fall over as his master stripped him of his clothes. Already Taash could see the weight loss in his apprentice. Ryin was lightly built as it was. He carried very little excess weight on him. It didn't take long for his body to begin to show first signs of emaciation. Taash made a mental note to address a recommendation to the healers once this was all over. And that would be a portable IV bag be a mandatory part of what each Jedi team would carry with them on any mission. Something to at least get fluids or nutrition into someone in a weakened state. If Ryin continued in this condition, there might be no other option than to force liquids into him, even if he did vomit them up soon after. At least there was a chance that he would retain something in his system.

But he would worry about that later. He refocused. Ryin's entire body shook with cold as Taash picked him up and slowly lowered him into the warm water. The Ventas people had thought of everything when it came to the comfort of their own. Even the tub water was easily controlled by temperature. A heater maintained the water at whatever degree requested, so that there was no shock to the system with warm water cooling to rapidly.

Ryin protested slightly as he felt himself being lowered into water. He mumbled something about sailing vessels and dolph fish, making little sense in his ramblings. Taash turned the temperature up several degrees until finally there was a small sign of relief to the violent shaking. Taking a soft cloth foamed with soap, he lathered it across his apprentice. When he ran the cloth over his back he could visibly see the muscles contracting and twitching in spasms under the skin. The cloth went through the short hair and the braid that Ryin was always so proud of. It went across his face. A face much too young for such torment. He wiped the constantly tearing eyes and froth that continued around his mouth. Everything Taash did was done with all the gentleness he could gather. There would be no unnecessary additional pain if it could be prevented.

The boy broke out of his delirium for a moment to look directly into the eyes of his teacher as the cloth dabbed his face. The voice was so small. "Hi, Master."

Taash continued the bathing. "Hi, Padawan. Do you remember where you are?"

"Uh huh. On Ventas. I got stung. Is Vallon okay."

"He's fine. He was in to see you a little while ago. But I don't think you realized he was here. He's very worried about you."

"I'm glad he's okay. I'll be sure to stay away from those worms next time."

The Jedi Master allowed himself a small smile. "I think that's a good idea, Ryin."

A few moments later, Ryin lapsed back into his confused world. His head lolled backwards. Taash caught it, and placed a tub pillow behind it. Ryin's eyes closed as he began his ramblings again. He asked about his crèche teachers and if they had wondered why he'd been away for so long. He asked again about Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, but then said he had never met them before, but that he would like to. He asked if Taash could be friends with Obi-Wan so that when Obi-Wan took an apprentice, they could be friends too. Then he flashed into darker thoughts. Mumblings about a dark Jedi and a red blade. Someone died. A baby was born. Two babies. Obi-Wan had to hide them.

For Taash, this all began sounding like a fiction story, and he had no idea what to make of it. But he listened. He comforted when he could. And when Ryin's head was clear for those few moments every so often, he made sure that he knew he was there with him.

He allowed Ryin to remain in the comforting bath for an hour. The chills had almost ceased. Although he suspected that wouldn't last long after he was taken out. Dr. Nyri returned with several thick towels to wrap him in. Taash lifted him from the tub and over to the same chair as before. He took a towel from the doctor and wrapped it tightly around the thin pale body. Every effort was made to make sure he was completely dry before putting him in another set of clothes. Taash struggled to try and dress him. Ryin was of no help. He swayed unsteadily in the chair, eventually falling forward and landing face first onto his master's shoulder. Taash stopped his efforts to finish dressing him and instead reached his arms around his apprentice and held him for a moment. It was more for him than for Ryin. At that moment he needed to feel connected to him. This whole experience had seemed to disconnect the two of them. Their bond, although still there, was so disjointed right now, it seemed the Force was trying to pull it apart. Taash needed to connect again. He held onto him for several moments until he felt the beginnings of chills starting again. It was at that point that Dr. Nyri stepped back in. He held Ryin still and upright while Taash finished pulling the sleep clothes on.

Returning him to the bed, Taash thanked the doctor for his help and asked if he could get him water and any type of sweetener they had handy. He would improvise a type of sugar-water to try and get some substance into his apprentice. Dr. Nyri agreed it was worth a try and disappeared to find what the Jedi requested.



Now settled into the bed with no less than four blankets pulled around him, Ryin breathed heavily into the pillow. The laboring had returned. There seemed to be no sensible reason for the progression of the symptoms. None seemed to be any worse than before, but before had been bad enough. Yet, Taash took that as a positive. He felt a desperate need to hold onto some type of hope until help arrived from Coruscant.

The doctor returned with the sweet water mixture in a large glass pitcher and a small cup with a straw attached. "We use these cups for our young ones here, so they make less of a mess. And if you can get him to suck in through a straw, it may help give him a focus. From what I've noticed of Ryin, he has a great desire to obey what you ask of him. He looks to you for approval. If you ask him to drink like this, he will. He may not like it, and it may be a mistake on our part, but he trusts that you will look after him if needed and wouldn't intentionally do anything to hurt him." Taash looked a bit surprised at the doctor's words. "I've observed you both since you've been here. As a doctor I am naturally an avid people watcher. I spend a great deal of time in the palace, as I treat most of the staff here. I've seen how he looks up to you. How much he trusts you. It's very obvious, Taash. Consider yourself fortunate. It's a wonderful thing to raise a child such as Ryin. I'm sure he brings you great joy."

The Jedi nodded mutely as he poured some of the sweet liquid into the cup.

Dr. Nyri saw the dark brown eyes glisten as he placed a hand on the Jedi's back. "You have my private com number. Do not hesitate to call if needed. I will be back this evening to relieve you for a while. You need a break. To sleep and eat. Ryin needs you strong for him. You're already struggling."

"I agree." Taash had no energy to argue a point he knew he would lose. What energy he still had was reserved for his ailing padawan.

The day seemed to go on forever. The Colton family visited again. Vallon was still extremely upset and guilt-ridden for what he felt was at least partially his fault. That guilt had driven him to confront his father about the Force. Telling him about the odd feeling the Force had given him not long before Ryin was stung by the worm, fed his insistence that the Force was not a weakness. His father's view was an old way of thinking. One that had handicapped the planet for centuries. Some of them had been given a gift, only to have it taken away. Ryin, lying there so ill with his future so uncertain, ironically showed Vallon the true power the Force held. He could have saved his friend so much pain and suffering if only he'd been trained to use that power rather than conceal it.

Typar would not hear it and although proud of his son for not being afraid to take on such a sensitive subject, he rejected the idea that he announce to all of Ventas that the future ruler of their planet was afflicted with their greatest weakness. There would be no more talk of it, Typar had told his son. The discussion was over. 

The boy of course left the discussion angry and frustrated. Those emotions compounded more so when he was in to see Ryin that afternoon. He saw Taash sitting in the bedside chair, leaning forward, his head buried in his crossed arms that lay on the bed. Then he looked at Ryin, bedcovers half off and the front of his shirt soaked. He'd been steadily vomiting up the water that Taash had been feeding him. Vallon stood next to Taash and put a soft hand on his arm. "Master Taash?"

His head jerked up. Taash's longer hair fell in front of his eyes. Disorientation owned him for several long seconds. Then he realized where he was and looked promptly to his apprentice. He saw the mess on the boy's shirt and the bed. Yellow bile coated the comforter. Some had dried around his mouth and on his chin. "Damn it," he cursed as he glanced at the white-haired boy next to him. "Thank you for waking me. I need help cleaning him up. Could you pull the bed sheets off if I lift him?" As the Jedi effortlessly lifted Ryin into his arms, Vallon pulled the sheets off the bed and tossed them onto the floor. A member of the staff was not far off and calmly snuck in to take them away, leaving another set as she did.

There was very little movement from Ryin other than the persistent shivering. His breathing was still labored, but he was relatively still. His body seemed to have adjusted to the pain and was reacting with exhaustion, a feeling that Taash felt all too strongly. Rest. He needed rest. Dr. Nyri. He would call the doctor.

"Master Taash, I will fix the new sheets on the bed. You should help Ryin."

"Yes. Thank you. Let me clean him up. Could you call Dr. Nyri for me, please Vallon? Tell him that…I need to rest," he admitted reluctantly.

"I will. He'll look after Ryin for you. I trust him very much. And I can stay and help. Maybe you can rest a little better if he has two people looking after him."

"That would make me feel better. Thank you, Vallon." After carrying Ryin into the bathroom, he set him on the toilet for moment, as he'd gotten in the habit of doing each time he had to wake him to clean him up. It was enough that the boy had to lay in his own vomit at times. Taash would not allow his apprentice to lay in his own waste as well. Then he sat him in the chair again so he could clean his face and change his clothes. At some point, Myrel had come in and placed a stack of clean clothes for him to use. She had known they would be needed. Silently he thanked her. A warm cloth to Ryin's face and he had him cleaned up. He replaced the stained shirt with a dry one, then ran a hand over the light-brown hair, still damp from the constant sweating. The boy was so dehydrated. The sweet water was helping a little, but much of it came back up and Taash began to wonder if it was causing more pain than good. Running his thumbs over Ryin's closed eyes, those eyes opened. They were their normal icy, pale-blue, but the whites were rimmed in red. Taash had him leaned against the back of the chair, but Ryin began floating again after he'd opened his eyes. His head bobbed from side to side as he fought the inner battle. A small hand reached up slowly to touch the older face. 

The uncallused fingers drifted from Taash's forehead, past his nose and chin, and then down the front of his tunic. The arm fell limply back to his side, then he muttered "Master" as his head fell forward and he collapsed into unconsciousness.

Absently, Taash wiped his eyes before tenderly lifting the small body in his arms and returning him to the bed.

Tbc…