AN: a chapter for Leia. Thanks for your reviews – it's always great when readers leave feedback.

Chapter Ten

The medical office in the Critical ward was unremarkable, band white walls, actual books on shelves, a neat, tidy desk with various charts and papers in marked piles. It hadn't changed much in the over two months since she began having consultations with the medical staff about Han's health issues. Dr. Amanda Harris was the supervisor of the critical ward and she and Leia had several conversations about her husband's prognosis.

She waited with some impatience as she realized the doctor must be finishing her rounds, and was running late.

The doctor breezed into her office a few minutes later and with a harried look set a file down on her desk before turning to the Senator.

"Sorry, Leia. Rounds took longer than I expected tonight."

"How do you do it?" Leia shook her head as she realized the burden this woman carried on a daily basis. "How do you care for all of these people who might die at any moment?"

Amanda offered her a sad smile. "How can I not do it?"

"Do you ever take your work home with you?"

"All the time. And when I can't get it out of my head I have a drink and a good cry."

"I'm sorry for your pain, but thank you for all you do for them."

The woman shared a long moment of silent understanding with Leia.

"Well, I think we need to talk about your husband, don't we?"

"Yes, we do. Hopefully the prognosis is good?"

The doctor across the desk opened the data pad, touched a few choices on it, and after looking at the results, she sighed.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I can't explain why Han Solo is alive. From everything I know, he should be dead. For the first time in my life I have witnessed a medical miracle, and I couldn't be happier." Dr. Harris leaned back in her chair. "Your husband, is an amazing man. To have suffered what he has and be alive is amazing . . . I've never seen someone so strong willed…."

Leia wiped at a tear that trailed down her cheek. "You don't know the half of it…"

They exchanged a small smile.

"That being said, you know the extent of his injuries, as we've talked about them before. Thanks to the new release of a more potent bacta fluid and updated technology he has made great progress towards a total physical recovery. He still has a great deal of healing to do, and there isn't much more we can do to help his internal organs complete their healing, so it's mostly a matter of time, as is the physical therapy." She looked up from Han's chart at Leia. "Mind you, he still has a long road ahead of him, but at the moment I am guardedly optimistic."

Leia expelled a sigh of relief.

"He will need a lot, and I do mean a lot of support." She paused and with a grim smile she pushed forward. "I know how busy your schedule is, how much you have to do. Forgive me, Senator, but I have to be brutally honest with you, please understand I only have his best interests at heart." She expelled a breath. "We are friends of a sort now, so this is difficult to say. I don't know how you will have enough time to give him the help he needs given your position and that you also have a son to raise."

Leia blinked back the tears and gathered herself together. "Why would you think I wouldn't help him?"

"Leia, I know it's not because you don't want to, but there's only so much of you to go around." She paused and gently cleared her throat. "There are other options. You can place him in a medical facility until he is strong enough to go home."

"No! He just got out of a prison of sorts. Why would I put him back in one?"

"A medical rehabilitation facility is hardly a prison…"

"But to him it will seem like one." Leia's mouth was set in a grim line. "No, it can't be done."

Dr. Harris sighed. "Are you sure you understand the intense care he will need once he is released? Now you can offset that a bit by hiring a full-time nurse and part time physical therapist, but…"

"You said, given enough time you think he will recover physically?"

"For the most part, yes. He won't be able to do some things, or at least not as well as before, but overall I think he will do well given enough time." She paused. "But there are other problems."

"What problems?" The doctor gave her a knowing look and Leia sighed. "I know. You said he'd probably have some mental and emotional issues."

"It's common for people that have suffered extreme abuse such as Han has. He is suffering from PTSD but he hasn't been conscious long enough for us to know if it is moderate or severe. He is suffering from memory loss, we don't know the extent of that yet. He is displaying anger issues, and possibly violence issues…"

"Han's not a violent man…"

"He was a general in the war, and I hear a smuggler in his former life? I'm guessing that may have been a bit…unsavory?"

"His past life has nothing to do with this," Leia dismissed the notion.

"I'm only trying to point out he has done violence in the past. It may have been necessary at the time, but it's a tendency that does exist within him. And his…torture may have damaged him more than we know."

"What do you suggest?"

"He needs to be mentally evaluated so that we can determine the best course of treatment for him."

"He won't let you treat him."

"Leia, he needs more help than you can give him." She studied Leia, her eyes filled with compassion. "I am certain this part of things will be better if you can help us with him. He loves you and respects you, and I suspect he may only listen to you."

Leia let her gaze fall to the floor.

"He's a good man, he's lucky to have you."

"He's been tortured before and survived, did you know that?"

Amanda nodded slowly. "Yes, it's in his medical records. As I said, it's obvious he's very strong willed. That can be a benefit but also a detriment. If he determines to work with us he will get better faster and it will be a benefit. If he uses the same will to fight the treatments it will be a detriment."

"I know." She paused. "Are the restraints really necessary?"

"For a couple of days until we see how he is behaving. At this point we expect his behavior to be hostile given what we saw tonight."

"But he was remembering…"

"Remembering what?"

"Breha," Leia whispered.

"Who's Breha?'

She didn't bother to hide the tears running down her cheeks and the doctor looked at her in concern before offering her some tissues.

"She's our…little girl. She was taken when Han was. They kept him but let her go, but we have no idea where she is…or what's happened to her…"

"Well, that helps to explain the ferocity of his actions. I'm so sorry, Leia. I had no idea you had lost your daughter as well."

"He's a grieving father, he'll do whatever he can to go and find Breha now, even if it physically harms him."

"Then what do you want to do?"

Leia sighed, her expression melancholy. "Can I have a night to think about all this?"

"Of course. He'll be out until mid-morning anyway. We don't want to keep sedating him because he needs to do some healing on his own, and some therapy while he is conscious. We will sedate him for his next session on the bacta tank, however."

"He hates that," Leia frowned.

"Don't we all?" the Doctor grimaced, stretched, and stood up. "I need to go and finish my rounds. You can stay here as long as you need to. And if you have any questions be sure to call me, you have my number."

With a last look of compassion for the trauma Leia was going through, the doctor left her office and closed the door behind her.

Leia sighed, knowing she had a lot to think about.

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Once Leia got home a short time later, she automatically went to the bedroom, and changed into some comfortable clothes. She chose one of Han's old shirts that she had taken as hers a long time ago, wearing it made her feel closer to him.

It had been a long day both at work and at the hospital, so she had called Susan and asked her to take Ben home and put him to bed. Both were asleep in their rooms now and appeared they would sleep through the night, which was a good thing because she had a lot to process.

She let herself out through the glass doors onto the balcony, and put her mug of kaf down on a small table and wandered over to the railing's edge to take in the spectacular view of the city before her. They were up over fifty stories and owned the opulent floor as their living quarters. Han always teased her about finally finding some 'Princess digs' more suited to her position but strangely enough, the place she often seemed happiest was on Han's battered ship. Somewhere along the way, the Falcon had become her home.

The Falcon was gone now, and with it a piece of Han. She wasn't sure how he could be whole again with both his daughter and his ship missing from his life.

She cringed when she thought about the pain he endured, it was a miracle he was alive, and she was eternally thankful for that. There were times she thanked the stars he was such a damnable, stubborn Corellian, and this was one of those times, because without his strength of will, and without that stubbornness she doubted he would be here now. And Leia didn't want to consider a world without Han in it, no matter their disagreements, she loved him more than anything.

Han's prognosis had improved, seemingly getting better each day that went by, but he still had many serious obstacles to overcome, both physical and mental. The physical she was sure he could overcome, he had before in his life and although not easy it was something he could accomplish.

The mental and emotional were much harder to diagnose and deal with, especially for a man like Han. He was a passionate, emotional man who kept his vulnerabilities hidden behind a façade of bravado, even now after being together for such a long time she could see it happen before her eyes. Not while they were together as a family, but in the company of strangers, people he didn't know, he tended to become the cocky, arrogant man she once believed him to be. Instead she found a smuggler with a heart of gold, once whose decency and trust were worth more than any amount of credits she could imagine. Everyone that spent any amount of time around Han Solo learned who he really was despite his attempts to hide it, his decency was too well established within himself for him to ignore it for long.

Yes, Han was a good man. Her good man. What was the best way to help him? To keep him safe? To heal him?

The answer was glaringly simple. Find Breha and bring her home. Han loved his family, all of them, but there was no doubt he and Breha had a special bond that Leia couldn't explain. It didn't bother Leia in the least, because truth be told, she had a similar bond with Ben. But somehow her birth evened out the family and got them all in stride. Even Ben's bursts of anger had lessened, and he seemed to find comfort in the presence of his sister.

Where was Breha? Was she all right?

Leia went over to one of the lounge chairs and stretched out on it. Lying back she put her arm over her eyes willing herself to think more clearly.

Leia calmed herself, reaching a meditative state so she more easily had access the force. Perhaps Luke was right, perhaps she could gain some knowledge, some insight into things to come depending on the path that was chosen.

She concentrated and found herself in a place of calm and she opened herself up to the peace and serenity as it began to flow through her. Her first thoughts were of Han and just a general questing for what would happen to him from this point and into the future.

Images began to flow through her mind, images from their past that she found comforting.

Their fights on Hoth that were actually a prelude to the passion that lie buried within them; their first time together was such a sweet memory for her, he was her one and only and she didn't regret that for a minute. She saw their sweet, but simple wedding on Endor and felt his love for her positively oozing out of him as he looked at her with adoring eyes.

Then the flow of the force changed and she saw images that she was unfamiliar with, images of her family that she didn't understand.

She saw family fights, Han and Ben having a terrible fight with her in the middle and resentment rolling off Ben when Han decided to believe her; she felt the absence of their daughter tearing them apart and the three of them growing distant with each other. The image of him as an older man was shocking but comforting at the same time as it showed her they would live a long life together; as she was admiring his handsome, distinguished looks, he just faded away.

Han?

I'm here.

I can't see you…

Faith, Sweetheart, have faith…

And then he was gone.

Somewhat puzzled by the strange vision, Leia changed her focus and concentrated on Breha. This was murkier but still she pushed on through the shadows, focusing on bringing her home. She saw tears, laughter, and joy at her homecoming, and the normal process of a girl growing up in a loving family, but then a dark turn while as a teen her light in the force goes out, she is found assaulted and murdered. Han blames himself for not protecting her and his behavior lapses into heavy drinking, Ben hates them both and in his anger, he reaches for the dark…

Leia opened her eyes, her calm rattled by her vision. Taking a few deep breaths, she collected herself and tried again, this time her focus was on leaving Breha safe and away from her family. Again, the images were vague, a harsh life on some barren planet with no family to love her and raise her; but her light burned bright and didn't go out.

Leia breathed a sigh of relief and continued to her next subject, Ben.

She tried to follow from the path he was on now, to see what his future might be, but it was as if she were somehow being blocked. All she could get were images of him with darkness leaking around his edges and when he looked at her his eyes were red.

You made the wrong choice, mother, you didn't give me what I needed…

Ben! What do you mean?

He only offered her a sad smile and turned away from her. It was then that she saw the red lightsaber he held in his hand…

Shaking, Leia pulled herself out of her force trance, and tried to calm her breathing which was far too rapid.

But what was the correct course? So many treacherous obstacles loomed up around her.

What did her visions mean? Han was consistently in the future, it seemed to mean he would recover from this ordeal and somehow, they would be together.

Breha? There were two very different scenarios. And while the one of her surviving unloved by a family, hidden away from them was unpleasant, the other vision was horrifying. Somehow Breha was blessed with a light that radiated from within her and it was much too important to let go out, Leia felt that with every pore of her being. The feeling from the force was strong within her that this was the right course of action for their daughter, painful as it may be for all of them, but she also felt somewhere in the future, at the proper time, they would all be together again.

How would Han deal with this if they never found her? If they stopped looking for her? She knew he would continue his search for Breha, and she suspected even if she shared her force visions with him it wouldn't make any difference, nor would any request from Luke. And maybe he would grow to hate them because they were keeping him from his daughter?

Leia groaned and rubbed her temple, she had a definite headache coming on and it felt like it would be a phenomenal one.

She knew she alone could go into Han's mind as he had long ago given her permission to do so, and she suspected by now even if he put up obstacles she could work her way around them. He was not weak willed by any sense of the imagination and had a surprisingly strong set of barriers for someone not skilled in the use of the force, but he dropped them for her and let her in.

She couldn't make him forget about Breha, nor did she want to, but perhaps she could she modify his memories to help subdue his pain? Modify his sorrow and guilt so it would allow him to live a life without the constant search for Breha? If he ever found out he'd be madder than hell and maybe unforgiving? But given the alternative wouldn't this be easier on Han if this was the best course of action to be followed for Breha?

And Ben, her Ben, her baby boy. They had been aware of his mental health issues for some time now and were doing their best to deal with his problems. He had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and that coupled with his strong force abilities were creating confusion and misunderstandings in the brooding, dark boy. They argued with him over taking his medications and due to his refusal and then his occasional tantrums, he had had a few hospital stays in the mental health unit. It broke Leia's heart and made Ben angry and resentful towards them but so far it seemed to have helped their son.

What was the best choice for Ben? It seemed sending him to Luke was what needed to be done. Luke knew the ways of the force and would be sure to guide him through the obstacles, but Han was of the firm belief that he was better staying with the psychologist he trusted.

And even with all of that, she couldn't forget about her work and the importance of it. Many of the negotiations could be turned over to others but there were some delicate matters she had to attend to as she had laid the groundwork and was a trusted Senator. If she backed out now, some new members of the New Republic involved in delicate negotiations would be highly insulted.

She sighed and took another sip of her kaffe and stared at the city lights.

Her immediate concern was to get Han to stand down, but how? She understood the depth of her husband's iron will and determination when he something mattered to him. And his family mattered to him more than anything.

So, what to tell Han, and Ben?

She planned to try some force healing on Han when they were alone again and not likely to be disturbed, it always worked best when he was asleep. She had helped to heal him before, when he had suffered from hibernation sickness. Everyone thought his issues were only physical but that wasn't true at all, and only he and Leia knew the truth of it. He refused to go to a psychologist except for the initial session when he still hardly knew who he was, after that he refused and no one, not even Leia could make him. So, one night when he was restlessly tossing and turning she inserted herself into his dream, and discovered she could soothe him. They experimented a little and she found she did indeed possess healing ability through the force, and because of his implicit trust of her, he was accepting of her, and slowly he began to mentally and emotionally heal.

Soon, she planned to get into Han's head and investigate. Find out how much and what kind of damage had been done to him. It would be brutally unpleasant and she wasn't sure she wanted to see the images he was currently hiding from her, but without it she wasn't sure if he would get better.

That was the easy decision.

Her mind circled back to Breha. What if she told Han the truth? Maybe she could enhance this belief after she told Han about her visions, try to convince him Breha was safer where she was, and subdue his inclination to tirelessly search for her.

It tore at her to even think of such things. She had never used the force to change someone's memories, subdue their desires, especially not someone she loved as much as she loved Han. But she didn't know what else to do to make things better, for once in her life she was at a loss as to how to resolve the problems that lie in front of her.

She got up and set her cup aside in the kitchen, and instead went to the bathroom where she could take some medication for the monster headache now pounding within her head.