Chapter 6

"Pinchers."

Cordé slid the instrument requested into Padmé's hand.

"Clamps."

A second instrument followed the first.

Padmé bent over the wound, applying the surgical tools to stem the flow of blood. The young Jedi on her operating table moaned, shivering. Padmé glanced up at Anja. "Hold her! If I connect the wrong vessels her lekku will never work the same again!"

Anja's concentration obviously deepened as she fought to keep the Jedi in place, sweat popping out on her brow.

Padmé examined the severed end with a frown, feeling her stomach churn. She locked her jaw; she was not going to get queasy with someone depending on her. Checking the vessels, she then began the slow process of reconnecting them, making the first of a hundred she would need to bring them together.

The process was slow, forcing her to stand at an angle, her eyes glued to the veins of the Twi'lek's lekku. She had the vague feeling of everything disappearing, everything becoming insignificant as she worked. The room vanished, the slightly queasy rotation vanishing with it, as the surgery became her only concern. Her stomach settled and her hands increased their pace as she felt more in control of herself than before.

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, the severed portions of the lekku were brought back together, the vessels reconnected and the veins reattached. Padmé paused only to change the needle for one with more synth-thread before sealing the wound shut from the outside. She ached abominably as she straightened, completely unaware that several hours had passed since she'd begun her work, and nodded to Cordé, placing both hands in the center of her lower back and massaging through her scrubs. "I want her in bacta until tomorrow. Lekku are tricky so she's to be watched constantly."

Cordé nodded. "I'll set Mik up on the first watch."

"Good thinking." Padmé shifted her stance, thrusting her hips forward and arching her back to relieve the pain. Her back cracked in several places, followed by a sigh as the young Twi'lek was wheeled away. Without thinking she rubbed her stomach as it fluttered. Shaking her head - the training accidents with the young Jedi were the most common and the hardest - she headed to her sanitization room. Padmé did her best not to think about Shala coming into her infirmary with such an injury.

Cordé joined her, taking the opportunity to scrub down as Anja settled their patient into the bacta tank. "Nice work, Doc."

Padmé smiled faintly. "I'd be happier if accidents like these didn't happen. Pitting two barely trained younglings against each other with lightsabers is ludicrous!"

Cordé sighed. "That's a fifth year apprentice out there, Padmé and she was well trained by her Master. Accidents do happen, you know."

Padmé blushed at Cordé pointed look, rubbing her hands harder as she resisted the urge to cover her lower abdomen. "I am well aware that accidents happen. I'm simply saying that children shouldn't be permitted such a potentially lethal weapon."

"Criticizing again, Padmé?" Cordé pulled off her body scrubs before yanking off her hair cover and tossing them in the disposal unit. Her tone changed and she glanced meaningfully at Padmé stomach. "How long?"

Padmé cast a sidelong look at her friend before reaching for a towel. "I can't help but criticize. I can't abide children being hurt." Her tone dropped. "This morning."

Cordé's eyes shone with excitement. "Can we check?"

Padmé began stripping off the rest of her scrubs. "I doubt we'll be able to tell."

"So? You can't tell me you're not the least bit curious."

"I am." She cast a sidelong look at her friend. "I wish he'd come home."

Cordé squeezed Padmé's shoulder reassuringly. "He will. Come on, Anja and Mik are occupied and Lana's with the younglings. We won't find a better chance."

Padmé hesitated a bit. "It could just be nerves; Mace asked to see me this afternoon."

"And I'm a Sith Lord." Cordé crossed her arms over her chest. "Come on, I want to know!"

Padmé was pulled along as Cordé led her across the room to the imaging computer. She sat as Cordé directed her, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "So how do we explain this one?"

Padmé grinned. "Checking on the organism?"

Cordé snickered and turned the machine on. "Relax, would you? This isn't going to hurt you."

Padmé couldn't relax though. It was mid-morning, just after the regular noon hour meal - which she'd missed - and the time when most people wandered into the infirmary. "Maybe we should wait."

"This will only take a minute. Quit squirming."

"Cordé."

She glanced up her smiling faltering at the worried expression on Padmé's face. "I'll wipe the memory and the security holos can't read screens; relax would you? I just need to- oh!"

"What?" Padmé almost popped out of the chair in alarm.

"Sit tight, let me get this right." Her admonishment was almost on reflex. "Oh, Padmé! You won't... oh my!"

"What? What is it?" Fear gripped Padmé's heart. Was the baby alright? "Cordé?"

Cordé waved her down, making a hard copy and printing it out before wiping the memory and shutting the machine down. She collected the copy and pulled Padmé all the way back to her room, ignoring the startled look Mik and Anja tossed their way. Padmé's stomach churned again as worry and fear spread through her system. Her hand went protectively to her abdomen as Cordé pulled her inside the room and locked the door, making Padmé sit on the bed before sliding the hard copy onto her lap.

Padmé's heart sank as he mind couldn't first process the image. "A growth?"

Cordé laughed, shifting the image for her. "Look again."

Padmé did, but the image didn't register as it should have and her heart sank.

Cordé's next words were almost unbelievable. "Twins! You're going to have twins, Padmé!"

"Tw-" Her breath caught in her throat as the word echoed through her head. Twins. Two babies. Twins. She felt at a loss, her breath leaving her body in a rush as the word finally sank in. Twins! Her gaze went to the flimsiplast in her hands; hands that were beginning to shake. Tears blurred her eyes as, on the heels of the revelation, came the knowledge that instead of possibly losing one child, she could now lose two. Two of Anakin's children.

Two to temple training and regulations.

She burst into tears, overwhelmed, and hugged the flimsiplast tightly to her chest.

Cordé's arms came about her, whispering words of reassurance, though Padmé could tell she didn't understand why the tears. She wept, clinging to the flimsiplast and Cordé, wishing she could explain but not having the voice or the air to do so.

They remained together, Cordé stroking Padmé's hair gently, as her bout subsided almost as quickly as it started. Cordé reached for the tissues Padmé kept handy and offered them. "Here."

Padmé blew her nose and wiped her eyes, the ache in her heart a dull echo of the ache in her throat. "Thanks."

Cordé gently brushed Padmé's hair back from her face. "I didn't mean to upset you, Padmé. I thought you'd be happy."

Padmé managed a watery smile. "I am, Cordé, but don't you see? Anakin doesn't even know yet and now I have two lives to worry about." She stopped, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "Unless you're going to pretend to be pregnant, the Jedi will sense it for sure."

"They haven't yet."

Padmé's hands curled protectively about her abdomen; she had only started to notice a swelling this morning when her pants had been difficult to close. Tears stung her eyes. "They will. Cordé, what am I going to do?"

Cordé kept her arm about Padmé's shoulders. "You mean, what are we going to do." Her words were firm, brokering no argument. "Anakin needs to know; he should be able to help."

Padmé closed her eyes, a tear sliding out from under her lashes. "I can't just broadcast it on an open link."

"So we'll encrypt it and send it to Artoo with instructions to give it to Anakin when he's alone."

Padmé's eyes slowly opened. "I can't do that to him, Cordé. He deserves to hear it from me, face to face."

"Can I send him a message?"

"You?" Padmé pulled back to look at her friend. "Why would you send my husband a message?"

Cordé smiled with a wink. "Nothing untoward, I assure you. I save those for Master Kenobi."

"Cordé!"

"Shocked?" Cordé laughed. "Good, because it made you smile. Besides, Kenobi wouldn't look my way if I was naked and covered in chocolate sauce."

Padmé giggled. "That was more than I needed to know."

Cordé squeezed Padmé's hand. "What if we get you to him?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well... the council is meeting this afternoon and I know you said you would meet Master Windu, but that's probably not a good idea right now, but I could suggest some leave off planet. Maybe go home to Naboo for a while? Mik and I can handle whatever pops up. Besides, you've the perfect excuse."

"Oh?"

Cordé's grin was crafty. "The health of the Jedi's best Team."

Padmé giggled, remembering the cause for the call that had happened the previous week. "The effects will have long cleared their systems."

"Ah, but the Jedi don't know the secondary side effects that can kick in after two standard weeks and lead to chills, violent shivering and even seizures."

Padmé's eyes widened. "I don't remember read- oh. Oh! You're horrible."

Cordé's eyes sparkled. "I analyzed the sample you gave me. The two of them will be going through withdrawal symptoms for another week or so; the plant they used was fresh and in full bloom."

"So they-?"

"Cover every lie with a truth and every truth with a lie." She grinned unrepentantly. "I heard one of the Jedi mention the latest rumor of Grievous' whereabouts was Naboo; so they're going there anyway."

Padmé's heart leapt into her throat, hope blossoming in her chest. "Really? It wouldn't be too much trouble?"

"If it helps you through this, Padmé, we'll manage whatever comes our way until your return. But," she paused and then sighed, "we'll also understand if you want to stay with your family until after the twins are born."

Padmé's heart leapt again, this time for another reason. Stay with her family? Have the twins on Naboo, away from the Temple? Possibly away from Anakin? Her heart sank at the thought and she was torn between wanting to have her children, keep them in secret, watch and help them grow, or staying in the Temple and watching them grow from afar. Her chest ached.

"I'll have to think about it."

Cordé patted her hand. "I understand. Will you at least let me ask the council if they can spare you?"

"Would you?"

"Of course."

Padmé relaxed, letting the small hope of possibly seeing Anakin warm her heart. "If you don't need me, Cordé, I think I'll take a nap. Give Master Windu my regrets?"

Cordé rose to her feet and helped tuck Padmé into bed, not mentioning the fact that the flimsiplast was locked securely in her grip. "I'll report back after my meeting. Sweet dreams Padmé. Dream of your twins, I'm sure they'll be beautiful."

A bittersweet smile crossed Padmé's face as Cordé dimmed the lights and left her to her dreams.