Chapter Twenty-Five:
"So he's been living in a cave... he married at sixteen, divorced her a few months later... is a chief, and has seen more violence than we may know?" Padmé summarized once Anakin and Leia's long and detailed explanation of what they knew about Luke's recent past was over.
She was overwhelmed by it all, but also impressed with her son's resilience and strength of character.
"But he married!" Padmé whispered, her hands upon her cheeks. "At sixteen?"
Anakin glanced down for a moment while Leia looked on with great interest.
"Angel..." Anakin said softly, returning his gaze to them both to let Leia know he was talking to her as well. "You must understand. Luke and his people were living on an unknown world with no way to contact anyone. They did not know if they would ever be found. They wanted to live lives, not just survive. We may not agree with the age thing... but we cannot hold something Luke thought was the right choice at that time against him." He looked to the now-empty operating room. Luke had been inside for five straight hours, and had only just been moved to another room. They were waiting on the doctor to talk to them. "It would drive an irreversible wedge between us all if we held Luke's marriage against him. It would push him away. Please, accept what happened and move on."
Leia nodded. "I can do that."
Padmé knew her husband was right: Luke was a tender heart... and for them to judge his choices and actions from the years he was away and not truly himself would be more than he could take. Not to mention unfair to him.
"Alright." Padmé also agreed. "I won't lose my son over it. It happened, and that's in the past. We will move forward."
"I think it'll still sit with Luke for a while," Anakin told them. "He truly did love Sidara, but she was using him the whole time. I fear he may never truly trust and love again... and if he ever did try to pursue a relationship down the road... well, I don't know if he would be able to let go of how hurt he is." Anakin sighed. "She literally stabbed him in the back... and she broke his heart willingly, stamping on it openly and waving her love for another man... the enemy... in his face like an idiot's array in sabacc."
"It will take him time to heal. We understand." Leia promised.
Just then the door opened and the medic strode in, looking weary. The Skywalkers stood as one and the medic managed a small smile.
"He is stable... finally. It took a good deal of time to fix that stab wound in him because of where it's located. It barely, and I mean barely, missed his heart and lungs. A few centimeters to the left and his lungs would have been punctured, and the tip of the blade would have nicked his heart." The medic shook his head. "Clearly something is watching out for him."
The man consulted his datapad while Padmé brought her hands to her mouth.
"His hand will be fine, but due to the trauma his body has sustained and the shock it's still in, we will wait to fit him with a prosthetic until he's better off. He's unconscious and has a fever, but it's not high enough anymore to cause immediate concern. He has lost a lot of blood, but we were able to give him a transfusion." He perused his notes once more, obviously trying to see if he had missed anything. "Oh, and he had an older pair of stab wounds: one in the shoulder, the other in the same arm's bicep. Those were slightly infected, but we got it cleared up. He is too weak to be submerged in bacta, so we will wait a few days and see where things go from there."
He looked at them. "There is one more thing I want you to know about," he said seriously.
He gestured for them to have a seat, and they did so warily.
"Luke sustained a serious blow to the core of his body. And due to the nature of his injury, it is highly likely that he may suffer from breathing problems and, possibly, heart palpitations. Call it muscle memory for what happened in that area." Seeing their slightly baffled expressions, he tried to explain again. "It's like a panic attack, but in his muscles and subconscious. He won't be able to predict these occurrences..." The man pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Well, maybe the Force will warn him... I don't know how that works, I am sorry. But if these occur he will need to be given breathing aid, and he will need to be sat down and kept calm in order not to aggravate the condition. Also, if it is a serious attack, he needs to be brought to the hospital for a checkup to make sure there aren't any hidden problems. I will assess this all further once he's awake and in far better condition. Just be aware that this could occur."
"How often do you think they'll come on if they do happen?" Leia asked.
"For the first few months, I'd say it could happen often, just because his body is still going to need time to truly heal. These types of injuries leave many types of scars— physical, emotional, psychological and so forth. However, as time goes on, I'd say any episodes would space out much more, and probably be triggered by high levels of stress."
The family nodded.
"I will send more information to you and home with you once I have a better diagnosis on this matter." He looked to each of the Skywalker's in turn. "Do you have any questions?"
"May we see him?" Anakin asked.
The doctor hesitated. "I would advise against visitations of any kind until after he's been put in bacta. I am sorry, but his condition is fragile at the moment, and he's in isolation. Let him regain strength and then you can see him."
"Please, just a for a moment!" Leia practically begged.
"I'm sorry but I must say no." The man did indeed look apologetic.
Anakin looked to the man, thinking. "Doctor, may Padmé see him? Just her? Please, it's been years: literally. Just let her see his face."
The man bit his lip, clearly deliberating before he sighed softly. "Only Padmé, and she must wash up and wear protective clothing. And only for a moment. I am sorry but that's the best I can do."
"Thank you." Anakin nodded.
The medic gestured for Padmé to follow, and she did so. She grimaced at the increasingly high levels of medical security they traversed through until they came to a wash room. The man helped her prepare and soon Padmé was being helped into a medical robe, hair net and shoe guards.
Her heart was hammering with anticipation by the time she was escorted into Luke's room.
The medic turned to her. "I'll be back shortly. Please be careful, I cannot stress enough how fragile he is. Any tampering could lead to serious issues, and his body isn't strong enough at this time to handle that."
"I understand. May I touch him at all?" Padmé asked.
"On the hand or forehead, yes, but very lightly," he answered.
"Thank you," Padmé said in her best political voice.
She was admitted, and Padmé walked through... but waited until the door was sealed behind her to step forward cautiously. Her heart was still trying to pound out of her chest, but the sight of her beloved son, hooked up to more medical devices and tubes than she could name, slowed it considerably.
She almost didn't recognize him for all the equipment and bandages and such, but she stepped forward resolutely, determined not to waste this opportunity. His hair had darkened some with age, and it was longer than it had been, but not unkempt.
His face was more worn too, and it had a scar running from the left eyebrow and down at an angle. Padmé saw a matching scar peeking out from the bandage wrapped about his chest.
Padmé stopped by his side and simply gazed at him, almost not believing he was right there in front of her.
With half her mind screaming at her that time was short, Padmé gingerly reached out a hand and poised it just over his forehead. She was almost afraid to touch him; for fear that he would somehow disappear.
But then she slowly, tenderly reached the rest of the distance and lovingly brushed a lock of golden hair out of his face, the physical touch filling her with utter joy. Her eyes filled with tears, and Padmé caressed his forehead once more.
"Oh Luke..." Padmé breathed, happy tears slipping down her face. "...my baby boy..."
She heard the door beginning to open, and on a whim she bent down and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.
"I love you."
Then she was escorted from the room, her heart lighter than it had been in nearly eight years.
00000
"Mom?"
Padmé looked up from where she sat in the waiting room. She and her family had been taking shifts at the hospital for the last three days, with each of them going to wash up and grab a meal before coming back. Anakin had reported to the Jedi Council as well, and was there now, giving them an update on things and probably discussing Trichi and Luke's past and possible future.
Padmé wondered if her son would still want to become a Jedi.
Would that still be an option if he had the medical issue the doctor warned us about? Padmé wondered.
None of them complained about how boring the wait was. They were all just too happy to have finally brought their missing family ember home. They just wished that the daily update from the medics would be more than 'he's still stable', and 'nothing has worsened, he's just rebuilding strength'.
"Yes Leia?" Padmé replied, smiling softly at how cleaned-up her daughter looked now.
"I need your help please." Leia hesitated. "Well, Luke needs it, but through me."
Padmé sat up straighter, setting her datapad down. She'd been keeping up with Senate work while she was in the medical center so she didn't fall too far behind. "What is it?"
Leia sat down beside her and Padmé turned more to face her.
"Luke led a tribe of over a hundred, Mom. But his wasn't the only group there. Trichi is where all those kids from the lost field trip ended up," Leia explained.
Padmé's eyes lit with understanding. "Oh! I didn't realize that! I thought they were natives he had met."
Leia smiled. "No. They are the missing kids from the Lucky Voyager. And I know for a fact that there are some who want to come home. I told Dad that I would ask for your help in bringing them back. Well, those who want to return anyway: I feel some might wish to stay on Trichi."
Padmé was already thinking it over. "I think we need to bring the authorities into this: they can supply the ships and the supplies we will need."
"What about those who want to stay there?" Leia asked. "Luke told them maybe we could establish some way for their families to visit Trichi and maybe establish some trade?"
Padmé pursed her lips. "That one will take more time, but we can certainly begin planning this. I'll place some calls to a few contacts; get the ball rolling."
Leia smiled. "Thank you Mom."
Padmé nodded. "Anything for my children: and if I can get my son back, I would be a cruel woman to deny other mothers that same thing."
Leia shook her head. "You're never cruel, Mother. You're the most selfless person I know."
Padmé accepted the compliment humbly, and then patted Leia's knee. "So, how are Captain Solo and Chewbacca?"
Leia blushed, and Padmé smiled knowingly. "They're good. Though we owe them a payload."
"Money is no option, Sweetheart," Padmé assured her daughter. "Not when it comes to you and your brother."
Leia drew her into a hug. "I know."
They fell silent for a time, and then Anakin walked in, looking pleased with himself.
"What's got you so happy?" Leia asked.
"I finally found a place for Mirat," Anakin informed them. "It's a perfect location and everything, though it will take some modifications and some obvious redecorating, but I thing we can make it work."
Padmé and Leia looked to each other, shrugged, and then returned their collective chocolate eyes to Anakin.
He sat down and expounded. "There was an abandoned apartment in the same building we live in. The last patron was murdered there, and no one has taken up the room since— superstitions and all." He grinned. "So I bought it and am working to have it transformed into a space for Mirat. I'm also working to see if we can't have some of Trichi's natural flora and fauna transported here."
Leia lifted a brow. "And who's doing this?"
"Solo volunteered." Anakin chuckled. "He said if it got the kilit off his ship, he'd do anything."
They shared a laugh, and Padmé cocked her head. "Where is the animal now?"
"At the Coruscant Zoo, in a private holding pen," Anakin shrugged. "It's not ideal compared to her former home, I agree. But until we can get her place up and running, and without Luke to be there to keep her calm, I had nowhere else to put her. I'll visit her once a day."
Padmé nodded. "So, what exactly is a... kilit, did you call it?"
Anakin smiled at his wife. "They're really magnificent creatures, Angel. I don't know if Mirat is a special case, but she is able to communicate with Luke to a degree in the Force. Kilits choose a single rider for life, much like the banthas in Sand People culture." He told her. "They're very equine-like in appearance, though they're much taller and incredibly fast. Their feet are clawed... they're very strong and they're actually quite intelligent, given what I have observed about Mirat."
Padmé tried to picture the animal in her mind's eye. "I'd like to see this creature some time."
"Don't worry, Luke will make sure of that," Leia teased. "And maybe you'll get to go on a ride. It's exhilarating."
Padmé smiled at Leia's wistful tone. "I take it you both have ridden?"
"Oh yes," Anakin was grinning. "Trust me, when the opportunity strikes, take it."
"I will," Padmé promised. Then she paused. "You said they bonded? How close are they?"
Anakin gave her a serious look. "Mirat tried to go through the hull of Solo's ship when we blocked her from getting to Luke. She's extremely protective of him. As fir Luke, he loves her deeply: as profoundly as anyone could love a pet. She was his one constant companion the whole time he was there."
Padmé nodded, thinking on this new information for a bit before she turned her head to Leia.
"Well, should we get started?"
Leia nodded. "Let's.
Anakin looked intrigued. "What's up, now?"
"We're spearheading the return of the lost students, remember?" Leia told him.
"Ah, yes." Anakin nodded. "That's good. Let me know if the Jedi can help, and I'll speak with the Council."
"We will."