'ello, peoples of the earth!
Thank you to the reviewers Zenkid100, Lux's Sister, and katierosefun for reviewing! Lux's Sister, I am pleasantly surprised that you know the Moffat War term. Have you ever been a part of one?
I should warn y'all - this is a short chapter. I mean, it's a chapter set in the medbay. Everyone knows there's nothing to do in a medbay.
I now present Chapter 9 of Bad Blood! Hope y'all enjoy! :)
When Kira woke up, she found herself in the medbay of the Resolute. Obi-Wan was seated beside her, lost in his thoughts until he saw that Kira was awake. "Hello, Kira," he greeted her.
Kira stretched, then regretted that idea when her knee protested. "Hey, Master. How long was I out?"
"About three hours, which is not nearly enough rest for you."
Kira resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that. "I take it Master Skywalker was unsuccessful in his mission?"
Obi-Wan nodded. "Tipoca City was lost."
Kira offered a half smile that probably looked more like a grimace. "Bet the Senate is going to have a cow when they hear about that."
Obi-Wan chuckled lightly. "The surviving Kaminoans will have much to do to rebuild the city, and it will take a long time for the facilities to be operational. However, you saved precious time by taking the DNA with you. Now the Kaminoans won't have to search for another donor."
Kira was confused. "What do you mean, Master?"
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "I found a container from the DNA chambers on your belt."
Now Kira remembered. She also remembered the trooper that had retrieved the DNA in the first place and died later in the battle. "Oh."
Obi-Wan changed the subject. "The medical team looked at your knee," he told her. "The blow shattered your patella. They were lucky to stop the bleeding." He laid a hand on Kira's shoulder. "You shouldn't have engaged Dooku, Kira. You could have died."
"He was about to kill you, Master," Kira protested. "I couldn't let him." And I never would've forgiven myself if he had.
Some emotion Kira couldn't place flashed across Obi-Wan's face. He opened his mouth to say something, then he changed his mind and swallowed whatever it was he was going to say. Instead he gently squeezed her shoulder.
Kira broke the silence that followed. "Can the doctors fix my knee?"
"Not here," Obi-Wan replied. "When we arrive on Coruscant, you will be taken directly to the medbay in the Temple so the healers can try to use the Force to heal your knee. If that doesn't work, then you will require knee replacement surgery."
Kira nodded in acknowledgement. "Will I be able to walk again?" she asked.
Obi-Wan sighed. "It's hard to say. I suppose we'll find that out when we return to Coruscant."
A silence descended over the Master and Padawan, both contemplating the uncertain future. Kira was wondering if the Council might deem her unfit for battle and ship her off to the AgriCorps, and Obi-Wan was thinking, too. Kira could tell, for he was stroking his beard, a nervous habit he performed when he was thinking hard about something.
"Shields, Kira," Obi-Wan said, startling Kira out of her thoughts.
The Padawan felt rather sheepish as she raised her mental shields. She thought she'd kept them up during the mission, and now she wondered if Dooku had been able to tap into her mind and figure out how to aggravate her while they'd fought. "Sorry, Master."
The door hissing open interrupted Obi-Wan's near response, and Cadena walked in, Anakin close behind her. "I told you that three's a crowd, Master," Cadena remarked, looking around the small room. "But did you listen to me? Nope."
"Anakin doesn't like to listen, Cadena," Obi-Wan said. "The sooner you realize this, the easier your life will be."
"Hey!"
Kira had to laugh at Anakin's indignant expression as he continued, "I'm standing right here!"
"We know," Cadena and Obi-Wan said in unison.
Anakin harrumphed. "If you two are going to be like this, I'm leaving," he said. He turned on his heel to leave.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Cadena grabbed Anakin's forearm and stopped him from walking out the door. "We're just joking, Master. Please stay."
Anakin warily glanced from Cadena to Obi-Wan before he relented and grabbed a chair to pull next to Obi-Wan's seat. The chair made a loud squeaking noise as Anakin dragged it over.
Cadena sighed loudly. "Yeah, Master, a headache's really going to help Kira get better," she said.
Anakin responded with a glare.
Cadena shrugged and sat on the edge of Kira's bed, careful not to sit on Kira's leg. "How are you?" she asked, concern replacing all jokes and smart remarks.
Before Kira could reply, a medic walked into the room. "Generals, Captain Rex is looking for you. He says the Council has sent a transmission and is waiting for you to arrive."
Anakin sighed, standing up. "We'll be out there in a moment. Come on, old man," he said to Obi-Wan, who hesitated.
"I'll be here, Master Kenobi," Cadena said, grinning. "Kira will be fine."
Kira offered a smile. "Go on, Master. If I'm correct, you haven't left this room since we boarded the Resolute. A few minutes away from the medbay won't kill you."
"All right. We will be back as soon as possible," Obi-Wan said. However, even with this statement, Anakin had to push Obi-Wan a little to get him to leave the medbay.
After the door slid shut behind the two Masters, Cadena turned back to Kira. "So how are you?" she asked again.
Kira sighed. "Long story short, the medics here can't do anything and I'll have to wait to find out if I can even walk again."
Cadena looked sympathetic. "That bad, huh? I bet Obi-Wan will pull some strings to keep you out of the AgriCorps in a worst-case scenario."
Kira shook her head. "I doubt that. You know as well as I do that Master Kenobi does the things the Council asks of him without question. This time will be no different, if it should come to that."
Cadena leaned forward as if she was sharing a secret. "I'm not so sure. You know, you were right. This is the first time Obi-Wan has left this room since you were brought here. The man really cares about you, Kira."
Kira glanced over at the door, suddenly wishing Obi-Wan hadn't gone to the meeting.
"Trust me, he'll be back as soon as that meeting is over. In the meantime..." Cadena pulled something from her belt.
Kira's eyes lit up. "Sabacc!" she exclaimed. She did love a good game of sabacc every now and then. "I don't have anything to bet."
"That's okay. Neither do I," Cadena said as she poured the cards out of the box into her hand and shuffled them. "Shall we?"
Kira grinned. "We shall."
"Sabacc!" Kira said, a grin on her face as she threw down her cards.
Cadena threw down her cards, too, but out of frustration instead of triumph. "Fourth time in a row! I swear you're cheating."
"I'm not! I don't cheat," Kira protested. "How would I cheat at sabacc anyway? You know for a fact I haven't peeked at the deck, and I don't know if there's another way to cheat."
"Apparently there's plenty of ways. Have you heard how many people have been disqualified from the Corellian Sabacc Championship for cheating?" Cadena asked, collecting the cards. "None of the cheaters peeked at the deck."
"Well, I don't listen to rumors from the lower levels," Kira retorted, "so I wouldn't know."
Cadena poked her tongue out at Kira, then shuffled the cards again. She and Kira both looked up, however, when the door hissed open to admit Obi-Wan and Anakin. Anakin perked up when he saw the cards in Cadena's hand. "I didn't know you knew how to play sabacc," he said to her.
"It's my favorite," Cadena said. "Want to join?"
"Unfortunately, we can't," Anakin replied. "The ship has just jumped out of hyperspace. We need to prepare to board a passenger shuttle."
Kira grinned at Cadena. "You'll win next time, yeah?"
Cadena smiled back. "I guess you'll have plenty of time to play."
"Yup. You'll keep me occupied." Kira turned to face Obi-Wan, who stood next to her bedside. "I suppose the clones are on their way?"
"They'll be here shortly," Obi-Wan replied.
As if on cue, Kix, a clone medic, and Trapper stepped into the room with a stretcher. Cadena and Anakin moved aside for them to make their way to Kira, who sat up and waited for them to bring the stretcher closer. Together, Trapper and Obi-Wan lifted her up, carried her to the stretcher, and gently lay her down.
Once Kira was settled, Cadena approached the side of the stretcher as Kix prepared to direct it toward the shuttle. "I'll see you after your surgery," she said. "Then I'll beat you. Just watch."
Kira raised an eye marking, amused. "We'll see about that," she said tiredly before Kix pushed the stretcher out of the medbay.
A few hours later, Kira blinked her eyes open, only to close them again when the bright lights of the medbay blinded her. Her heavy head reminded her that she'd just gotten out of surgery, for she was certain the numbness came from whatever drugs the healers had given her.
When Kira's eyes adjusted to the brightness, she opened them again to see Obi-Wan and Cadena seated on either side of her. Cadena was the first to notice that Kira was awake. "Hey," she said. "How are you feeling?"
Obi-Wan looked up at the question, eager to hear the answer.
Kira glanced at both of them before she answered. "Sleepy."
Obi-Wan chuckled, and a look of relief spread over his face. "I suppose that'll happen after surgery."
"No kidding." Cadena stood up. "Can I let Caleb in now?"
Kira perked up. "Caleb?" she asked.
Obi-Wan nodded, and Cadena darted out of the room. A few seconds later, she returned with Caleb. He seemed to have grown taller in the time they had been gone.
Caleb reached the other chair first, ignored Cadena's protest of "That's my chair!", and sat down, grabbing Kira's hand in his. "Hey there, Kiki," he said gently.
Kira could feel Obi-Wan's gaze on her and knew she was going to get a lecture on attachments later, but she wasn't going to let Caleb's hand go. His hand warmed up her cold one, and she didn't want to refuse that comfort from her friend. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" she teased.
Caleb laughed. "Oh, yeah. She'll be up and running in no time."
Cadena grinned, and even Obi-Wan had to smile. Kira squeezed Caleb's hand. "That's me. Up and running and taking down droids."
"You'll be able to walk today, but running will come later," Obi-Wan said. "The medics said the surgery was a textbook procedure. However, you will need to stay at the Temple while your knee heals."
"How long?" Kira asked.
"Three months at most, just so your muscles can heal, too. "
That was disappointing, but Kira had to admit that the situation could've been worse.
Cadena shrugged. "That's okay. We can play sabacc while I'm here. And I'm sure Kandra and Sara will want to see you."
"That would be nice."
Caleb squeezed Kira's hand. "I can visit, too. Master Depa still hasn't officially taken me as her Padawan, so I have some free time." Kira gave him a smile at that.
"It will be a difficult injury to overcome," Obi-Wan told Kira. "But I have no doubt that you're up to the task."
As usual, Kira's Master was right. With her friends' encouragement and Obi-Wan's support, she felt as if she was ready for anything.
I certainly hope that didn't bore you to death. I got bored writing it.
Kira: Well, then next time, don't make me nearly lose a limb!
Me: I was avenging your predicament in One Moment! By the way, readers, One Moment is an awesome story by katierosefun featuring Kira (no Cadena, sorry) on a solo mission. If you like these stories, you should definitely check it out.
Kira: ...you interrupted an argument to advertise that story. Have you no shame?
Me: Nope! Besides, I don't like arguing.
Obi-Wan: Neither do I.
Me: Says the Negotiator.
Obi-Wan: Negotiations and arguments are two very different things.
Me: Yada, yada, yada.
Kira: Hey! Don't mock my Master!
Me: *shrug* That wasn't exactly mocking. Anyway, who wants to pick the song today?
Kira: Me!
Me: Okay. *passes over tablet*
Kira: *scrolls through playlist* *presses button*
Tablet: Boys will be boys, they like to play around, you shot me with your love-gun, I'm falling to the ground...
Me: *facepalm* Do the review notice.
Kira: Please review, give feedback-
Me: That's Caroline's thing!
Kira: Oh, right. Sorry. Please review if you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn.
Me: That's correct. Thanks for clicking in, peoples! May the Force be with you always!
Kira: *browsing FF* Master, what does PWP mean?
Obi-Wan: O.o
Me: OKAY, enough browsing for you! *shuts down computer*
