CHAPTER 11

She giggles and he thinks it's the greatest sound he has ever heard.

They make it through another two episodes before Rey wakes up. He can feel it the moment she does.

Ben...could you bring me a glass of water?

"Hey. Your mom wants a glass of water," he tells her, freeing her from under his arm.

"Oh, that means she's got the pukes." She scrambles off the couch. Ben follows her to the kitchen and grabs a cup, filling it with water. "I want to see mommy too. I've got to give her some hugs." She holds her hands up, silently asking if she can carry the cup. He hands it to her and she takes off down the hall. He reclaims the cup after twenty-five percent of its contents end up on the hardwood floor.

When the reach the 'fresher, Rey is sitting on the floor with her eyes closed.

"Hey," Ben says softly.

Her eyes fly open and her lips turn up into a small smile. "Hey, you. What time did you wake? I didn't hear you get up."

"It was pretty early," he admits.

"It usually is," she nods in agreement, reaching out for the plastic cup. Padme waits for her mother to take a drink before making herself known.

"Morning, mommy," she yells, peeking out from behind Ben's legs.

Rey breaks into a toothy grin. "Little love, I didn't know you were up too." She holds her arms out and the little girl rushes into them. "What have you been up to?," she asks cradling her face in her hands.

"Watching "Galactic Heroes," she replies. "He doesn't remember any of it," she continues, throwing a pitied look at Ben. "We had to start over."

Rey laughs. "Well, I hope you get your memory back soon, Ben because there's about seven seasons."

"Mommy, is the baby awake yet?," Padme asks with excitement in her voice.

"Not yet, sweetheart." The child's face falls.

"Oh. Tell me when it is. I need to say good morning."

"Will do. Why don't you go get dressed. I'm gonna clean up and talk to your daddy a bit," she suggests gently.

"Are we gonna run forms?" Rey nods. "Okay," she states. She gives Rey a quick peck on the cheeks and heads towards her room.

Rey removes herself from the floor with a soft moan.

"Does this happen to you every morning?," he asks.

"At the beginning. It's gotten a lot better actually. I think with all the excitement over the last 48 hours my body decided it wasn't too happy with me," she states. "Enough about me, how are you doing?" She begins brushing her teeth.

"I'm okay. I think."

Spit. "Is your head hurting you?"

Now that she mentioned it, he head still hurt. "Moderately."

She grabs a pill bottle off the counter and tosses it to him. "Take one. Where you okay this morning with Padme? You could have woken me up," she states. She presses a kiss to his temple as she passes by him into their bedroom.

The kiss makes him lose his train of thought. This morning. Padme. "You looked...peaceful. I didn't want to ruin that. It was disorienting, but okay, I guess." They are both silent for a moment. "She reminds me a lot of my mother."

Rey smiles. "Her facial expressions?" He nods. "You do a lot of those too. Padme spends a lot of time with Leia."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Padme adores her. She was the first person, besides you and me, to hold her," Rey responds handing him a photo. His mother, regal as always, with a tiny bundle tucked in her arms.

"I remember that I think. She waited around the hospital to meet her?"

"Yes."

"Congrats, mom and dad," the Medic states. "We have a few things we need to do before we are finished with mom. We also need to bring the baby to the nursery for a quick exam." Rey's eyes widen as the baby is taken from her arms. "Dad can stay here or go with the baby."

"Ben, go with her. Please. I don't want her to be alone," she pleads.

"I don't want you to be alone."

"I'm not. Go. Please, Ben." He nods and follows the nursing staff down the long corridor towards the nursery.

When they get there, a different medic comes over the examine his daughter. He stands in the doorway. "Are you the father?," the older woman asks. He nods. "Come here then." He walks over to stand next to the crib. "This is a standard exam we do on all newborns. No need to fret, boy." He watches as she jots down various measurements, tests reflexes, and moves the baby's limbs. Ben doesn't speak until the baby lets out a shrill cry.

"Is she okay?," he asks panicked.

"Oh, she's just mad I'm moving her around. Baby Girl Solo here passed with flying colors." Ben lets out a sigh of relief. "Have you gotten to hold her yet?" He shakes his head. "Sit," she commands pointing to an armchair in the corner. He does. The medic shows him how to position his arms and gently places his daughter into them.

She begins to fuss and frantically he looks around to ask the woman for further assistance. However, she's nowhere to be found. "Hey there, kid," he says softly. She quiets slightly and opens her little eyes. Brown eyes. His eyes. "I'm your dad." He plays with her little hand and lets her tiny fingers wrap around one of his own. "I'm not really sure how to be, but I'm gonna do my best," he muses. "I've done a lot of really bad things in my lifetime. I'm sure you'll learn about those someday. Your mom saved me though. She's my best friend." He lets tears run down his face. "She's around here somewhere. She's incredible. You're going to love her. If you are even half the woman she is, you are going to be exceptional." He takes a moment to reach for her force signature. It's so powerful and so light.

He frees his hand from her grasp and reaches up to play with her soft curls. " Your mom and I were very lonely growing up. We were lonely, but then we found each other and now we have you. We were scared when we heard you were coming. We were afraid we aren't going to be enough. But now, I think we're going to be okay. We aren't going to be perfect, but we are going to try our hardest to do right by you."

He leans forward so he can plant a kiss on the top of her head. He spends time memorizing every part of her tiny face. He counts her fingers and toes. Perfect. She's perfect. He's drawn back to the brown eyes that mirror his own. His mother's eyes. His mother.

He gently rises from the chair, taking care not to rattle the baby. He manages to find a medic in the hall.

"Would it be okay if I bring my daughter out to meet her grandmother?"

"Absolutely. We put ankle monitors on all of our newborns. You can't take her off the floor, but the waiting room is within limits."

"Great, thanks." He follows the signs to the waiting room. It wasn't until he passed a clock that he realized that it's 3 AM. She might have gone home.

When he walks through the sliding doors, the waiting room is empty. Wait. Almost empty. His mother lay sleeping on a couch in the corner. There are numerous bouquets of flowers on the floor around her. He walks up quietly.

"Mother." She sits up groggily, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"Ben. Is everything okay?"

"There's someone I would like you to meet." Her eyes flicker down to the bundle in his arms.

"Oh, Ben." She makes space for him on the couch next to him.

"You have a granddaughter." His mother holds out her arms and he gently places the baby in them. There is something deeply moving about his mother holding his daughter.

"A girl...She's beautiful, Ben," Leia whispers and she can't keep her voice from cracking. She runs her thumb across the baby's cheek.

"She is beautiful. She's perfect," he agrees.

"She looks exactly like you." He mother smiles at him. "Except for that," she states tapping the baby's nose. "That's her mom's."

"She got my ears."

"You can't blame that one on me. Those are Solo ears. How's her mommy doing?"

"Rey's good. She did great."

"And how's her dad doing?" His mother shoots him a knowing look.

"I'm scared." He chokes back his own tears.

"You and Rey are going to be great parents," his mother consoles him. He lays his head on his mother's shoulder and she lets him cry. "Your father and I were in similar circumstances. You were a surprise while we were still tying up the loose ends of a war. All of the sudden, we were parents. You were the sweetest child. So affectionate. When you started showing your force sensibilities, your father and I were terrified. You always felt things more strongly than everyone else. I think our ignorance groomed you into being afraid of your own power. We sent you to Luke, because we thought he would help. It was never because we didn't want you."

"I missed you. Had you given me the choice, I would have stayed with you a hundred times over," he reveals.

"We orbited the planet for two days, debating about whether to pick you back up. The day we dropped you off was the only time I ever saw your father cry." His mother lays her head on his.

"He was afraid of me," he says sharper than he intended to.

"He was afraid for you. We didn't know how to give you what you needed. I'm so sorry for that." she says and her voice is filled with regret. "You've learned from our mistakes. You know what made you feel loved and you know what made you feel like you weren't wanted."

"She's strong in the force"

"Of course she is. And she'll grow up with two very talented force users who will give her every tool she needs to succeed. You're not alone in this. You have help. Never be ashamed to ask for it," she says gently. "I, for one, am looking forward to spending time with this little princess."

His eyes are drawn back to all the floral arrangements. "Did you bring all of these?"

"No. You have quite the crowd here. I sent them home a few hours back. It was late and I figured that you two had had enough excitement for one day."

"Thank you."

"I can't protect you when they all come rushing back first thing in the morning," she laughs.

"Rey and I will enjoy the peace while it lasts." He can't help, but smile. Just then, his daughter decides to voice her displeasure. He tenses up everytime she cries.

"She's fine, Ben. Oh, baby girl. You're okay," his mother says before sliding her back into his arms. The cries stop almost immediately. "See. She just wanted her dad."

"I can't stop looking at her. I didn't think I could ever love anyone as much as I love Rey, but I might have been wrong." Having her in his arms felt right. It felt like it was meant to be.

"Go back to your wife, Ben. Treasure this moment together. Pick out a name. Relax while you still can."

"Okay. Thanks, mother. For everything...Rey and I will never be able to thank you enough for your support over the last few and a half. For what it's worth, I never blamed you for sending me away. Not really. I always felt like it was my fault," he says honestly. He and his mother had put off the conversation for too long.

"There are many things your are at fault for Ben, but us sending you away is not one of them. I love you more than my own life. I love you and Rey and your precious little girl," she says, rubbing circles on his back. He can tell his mother is exhausted and he is too. He rises from the couch and she follows suit.

"Goodnight. Love you," he says, kissing his mother on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Ben. Give Rey my love. Thank you for making me a grandmother," she says, brushing his hair from his face. "And goodnight to you, little one." She bend down to kiss the baby on the nose."Welcome to the world. You're in good hands."