Chapter twelve
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Luke came home a week-and-a-half later. By that time Mara and Rose had worked out a mutual routine that had included baths, meals, regular naps, and a couple of hours of work on Karrde's shipment reports.
Remarkably, he came home with nothing more than a cane. The bone- knitters had done their jobs, and his broken bones had healed pretty well. His vision seemed to be another matter, though. In spite of a second opinion, bacta treatments and half-a-dozen healing trances, there had not been any improvement. Luke was able to see lights and very bright or dark colors, but nothing else. Mara secretly feared his eyesight would not get any better, but kept her doubts to herself. Luke had been strangely unwilling to talk about any of it. She didn't want to upset him any more than he already seemed to be.
"Han and Leia are having a welcome-home dinner at their house tonight," she told Luke's retreating back as he shuffled into their bedroom. "It's just a family thing. The kids are excited to see you."
She walked into Rose's room and laid the sleeping baby gently in her crib. "Are you hungry?" she asked him. "Do you want lunch?"
"Sure," murmured his voice from the other room.
"What do you want to eat?" Walking into the bedroom, she found Luke sitting on the edge of their bed, staring blankly at the floor. He looked up at the sound of her voice, giving her a belated smile.
"I'm sure anything will taste better than med-center food."
Mara made a face. "Is that complimenting or insulting my cooking?"
Luke grinned at the carpet. "Complimenting, of course."
Mara sat down next to him on the bed, slipping her hand into his. "Well I would hope so, Skywalker, considering the fact that I--"
She was interrupted by the shrill and insistent beeping from Artoo- detoo down the hall.
Mara sighed in exasperation. "Great--what does he want now? He's going to wake up the baby again."
"Call on the comm.," Luke answered, twisting his hand away from Mara's. "I can get it."
"No, I'll get it," Mara growled, rising to her feet. "Find out who it is, and maybe figure out how to program that bucket of bolts to shut up for once."
"Good luck on the latter," Luke's amused voice called after her.
Artoo clamored at her heels like a small, domestic, yapping animal, as Mara made her way to the comm. unit. "Okay, thanks, I've got it."
The little droid continued to whistle up a blue streak. Mara pointed in exasperation to the hallway. "I don't know what you want. Go talk to Luke--he's the one that can understand you."
She brushed her red-gold hair back behind her ears and pulled up the screen. General Rieekan appeared, dressed in a neatly pressed khaki uniform, hands folded on his desk, graying hair combed neatly back.
"Good afternoon, Mara," he greeted her.
"General," Mara smiled, nodding.
"I was wondering if I might be able to speak to Luke--he is home now, isn't he?"
Mara nodded, feeling a flash of irritation that they couldn't just give him the courtesy of letting him alone for a couple of days to rest and recover before clamoring for his attention again. "Yeah, we actually just walked in a few minutes ago. Just a minute--I'll get him."
"Luke," she walked down the hall again. "The news has already spread that you're back--General Riekan's on the comm for you. Luke--"
She entered the room to find him stretched out on the bed, fast asleep. Artoo stood next to his master, dome spinning back and forth indecisively.
She sighed, remembering their trek through Myrkr's forest. He had an uncanny ability to drop off at any time, in any situation. "Luke," she nudged his shoulder. "Wake up. Luke--"
With a start, his eyes snapped open. "Wha--"
"Luke, General Rieekan is waiting on the comm. for you."
Wordlessly, he sat up, groping for his cane. Artoo rolled forward and beeped something. Luke waved him away, rising unsteadily to his feet and shuffling toward the door. The little droid followed.
Mara sighed, glancing around the room, trying to dispel her irritation. She spotted a pile of reports and a datapad that were sitting on the nightstand where she'd left them the night before.
Seated at the computer in the small office a few minutes later, papers and datacards sprawling, she listened with half an ear to Luke's conversation with Riekan in the kitchen. The voices were low enough that she couldn't hear what was being said, but there was something about Luke's sense that made her uneasy. It was a feeling she couldn't really identify, and so dismissed it for the time being, concentrating on her work instead.
"What did Riekan want?" she asked as Luke came into the office a few minutes later.
He shrugged, gazing in her general direction. "Just for me to meet with him tomorrow morning."
"Oh."
"Mara?"
She looked up, scrutinizing his unreadable expression and the sense through the Force that came with it. "Yes?"
"Do you think we can postpone this dinner with Han, Leia, and the kids? Maybe until next week?"
"I--" Mara spread her empty hands. "Sure. I can call her and tell her."
"Okay, thanks," he turned to leave, bumping into Artoo and catching his hand on the blue dome. "I think I'm going to try to take a nap."
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comments, comments, da ta-da ta-da da..
********** **************
Luke came home a week-and-a-half later. By that time Mara and Rose had worked out a mutual routine that had included baths, meals, regular naps, and a couple of hours of work on Karrde's shipment reports.
Remarkably, he came home with nothing more than a cane. The bone- knitters had done their jobs, and his broken bones had healed pretty well. His vision seemed to be another matter, though. In spite of a second opinion, bacta treatments and half-a-dozen healing trances, there had not been any improvement. Luke was able to see lights and very bright or dark colors, but nothing else. Mara secretly feared his eyesight would not get any better, but kept her doubts to herself. Luke had been strangely unwilling to talk about any of it. She didn't want to upset him any more than he already seemed to be.
"Han and Leia are having a welcome-home dinner at their house tonight," she told Luke's retreating back as he shuffled into their bedroom. "It's just a family thing. The kids are excited to see you."
She walked into Rose's room and laid the sleeping baby gently in her crib. "Are you hungry?" she asked him. "Do you want lunch?"
"Sure," murmured his voice from the other room.
"What do you want to eat?" Walking into the bedroom, she found Luke sitting on the edge of their bed, staring blankly at the floor. He looked up at the sound of her voice, giving her a belated smile.
"I'm sure anything will taste better than med-center food."
Mara made a face. "Is that complimenting or insulting my cooking?"
Luke grinned at the carpet. "Complimenting, of course."
Mara sat down next to him on the bed, slipping her hand into his. "Well I would hope so, Skywalker, considering the fact that I--"
She was interrupted by the shrill and insistent beeping from Artoo- detoo down the hall.
Mara sighed in exasperation. "Great--what does he want now? He's going to wake up the baby again."
"Call on the comm.," Luke answered, twisting his hand away from Mara's. "I can get it."
"No, I'll get it," Mara growled, rising to her feet. "Find out who it is, and maybe figure out how to program that bucket of bolts to shut up for once."
"Good luck on the latter," Luke's amused voice called after her.
Artoo clamored at her heels like a small, domestic, yapping animal, as Mara made her way to the comm. unit. "Okay, thanks, I've got it."
The little droid continued to whistle up a blue streak. Mara pointed in exasperation to the hallway. "I don't know what you want. Go talk to Luke--he's the one that can understand you."
She brushed her red-gold hair back behind her ears and pulled up the screen. General Rieekan appeared, dressed in a neatly pressed khaki uniform, hands folded on his desk, graying hair combed neatly back.
"Good afternoon, Mara," he greeted her.
"General," Mara smiled, nodding.
"I was wondering if I might be able to speak to Luke--he is home now, isn't he?"
Mara nodded, feeling a flash of irritation that they couldn't just give him the courtesy of letting him alone for a couple of days to rest and recover before clamoring for his attention again. "Yeah, we actually just walked in a few minutes ago. Just a minute--I'll get him."
"Luke," she walked down the hall again. "The news has already spread that you're back--General Riekan's on the comm for you. Luke--"
She entered the room to find him stretched out on the bed, fast asleep. Artoo stood next to his master, dome spinning back and forth indecisively.
She sighed, remembering their trek through Myrkr's forest. He had an uncanny ability to drop off at any time, in any situation. "Luke," she nudged his shoulder. "Wake up. Luke--"
With a start, his eyes snapped open. "Wha--"
"Luke, General Rieekan is waiting on the comm. for you."
Wordlessly, he sat up, groping for his cane. Artoo rolled forward and beeped something. Luke waved him away, rising unsteadily to his feet and shuffling toward the door. The little droid followed.
Mara sighed, glancing around the room, trying to dispel her irritation. She spotted a pile of reports and a datapad that were sitting on the nightstand where she'd left them the night before.
Seated at the computer in the small office a few minutes later, papers and datacards sprawling, she listened with half an ear to Luke's conversation with Riekan in the kitchen. The voices were low enough that she couldn't hear what was being said, but there was something about Luke's sense that made her uneasy. It was a feeling she couldn't really identify, and so dismissed it for the time being, concentrating on her work instead.
"What did Riekan want?" she asked as Luke came into the office a few minutes later.
He shrugged, gazing in her general direction. "Just for me to meet with him tomorrow morning."
"Oh."
"Mara?"
She looked up, scrutinizing his unreadable expression and the sense through the Force that came with it. "Yes?"
"Do you think we can postpone this dinner with Han, Leia, and the kids? Maybe until next week?"
"I--" Mara spread her empty hands. "Sure. I can call her and tell her."
"Okay, thanks," he turned to leave, bumping into Artoo and catching his hand on the blue dome. "I think I'm going to try to take a nap."
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