"We're going to need to have some kind of meeting about all this," Han told him.
"It definitely wasn't just a random kidnapping," Jacen said solemnly, "Shawnkyr seemed to be the leader."
Wedge remembered her vaguely. He had led so many pilots in his time that he couldn't directly put a name to a face; all he knew was that she was, at some point, a squadron leader under his command as a General. Plus, the tranquilizers that the medics had given him were fully starting to kick in. He straightened up when he noticed that Han was looking at him curiously.
"Are you alright?" Jacen asked, noticing his father's curiosity.
"At the moment, yes," Wedge answered, scooping Gianna off the ground, who threw her arms around his neck, "I'd like to get back down to the medical center if you don't mind."
With that, Wedge turned and headed down the hallway, followed closely by Bryan and Deron. Han and Jacen exchanged a quick look and followed him, knowing full well that Wedge wasn't acting like himself. They made it down the medical center in time to see the medics laying Wes into a bacta bed. The unit worked very well for an injury like his; he didn't need to be fully submersed in the pink medium.
Mara, Leia, and Luke all stood around Jaina's sleeping pad, a few feet from where the medic's wheeled Wes'. The children, all but Alex, who still clung to Han, ran to the bedside, holding onto the edges and trying to jump up to see their mother. Wedge helped the boys up onto the bed; Mara lifted Gianna onto the other side.
Wes was the first to speak, his voice a little groggy from the painkillers they had administered, "How is she?"
Wedge touched his wife's hand, sadly noting there was still no change in her vitals. He wasn't sure if he would have spoken out under normal circumstances, so he assumed it was the tranquilizers that made him feel compelled to say, "She's pregnant."
Though there were few in the room who didn't know about this possibility, they were mostly sobered by the implications that arose from it. Wedge and Wes stole a quick glance at one another, only long enough that Wedge could give him a nod that let him know the paternity of the unborn child.
"Unbelievable," Han said, finally placing Alex onto the bed with his siblings, "I remember when she was told that she most likely wouldn't be able to conceive at all."
A silence lingered in the medical center as the extended family stared at Jaina's unmoving figure. Mara was the first to break it, resting a hand on her husbands shoulder, but speaking to everyone, "I believe that it's time we all get some rest."
Leia touched Wedge's arm gently, "I know you probably want to stay down here with them. Han and I wouldn't mind taking the children with us for the time being."
Wedge nodded, giving her a small, appreciative smile, "Yes, thank you."
He walked over to the bed and lifted each of his children off, giving them a tight hug before handing them off to either of their grandparents. Luke and Mara each embraced Wedge and gave Wes a wave, and Jacen nodded to each of them. The medical center was finally quiet again, after they had all walked out of the doorway.
Wedge came and sat between Jaina and Wes. His old friend's eyelids were half closed, but he asked, "How are you feeling?"
Wedge sighed, pulling a small satchel from his vest pocket and tapping a pill out into his hand. He had already taken higher than the dosage the medics recommended, but he needed to make the last of the dull ache leave his chest if he expected to get any sleep that night. He dropped the pill into his mouth and swallowed it dry, "Not so well, yourself?"
When he looked though the transparisteel coffin that Wes lay in, he could see his chest rising and falling rhythmically. Wedge exhaled a soft, sad breath and leaned more deeply into the chair he sat in. It wasn't long before his over-dosage of tranquilizers took over and all he knew was darkness.
The next few weeks didn't bring much change. The weakness in Wes' muscle structure made it harder for his wound to heal, so he was confined the bacta bed. Jaina's condition showed very little change. Wedge kept a tiring vigil at both of their bedsides, only able to tolerate it because every few days he felt it necessary to add one more pill to his regimen.
Luke didn't know what was causing Wedge to always look so tired all the time, but he knew that it wasn't lack of sleep. His children were spending more and more time with their extended family members as the day went on. It was quite a difference from his reaction to when Wedge had learned of their abduction.
Han had made it his own personal quest to delve deeper into the issue of his grandchildren's safety. He had asked Leia to get in contact with Baron Fel to ask him if he knew anything about trying to take Alex. On his own, he contacted an old nemesis to see if there was anything out on the Bounty Hunter's circuit involving them.
"Anything interesting that I should know about?" the image of Boba Fett's helmet hung over the desk in Jacen's office.
"Not so much," Han said, a hint of suspicion in his voice, "It wouldn't be wise to get yourself involved in anything involving my grandchildren, either. I wouldn't want to see you go out that way, considering you survived the Sarlacc."
He heard Fett chuckle, "It's always a pleasure, Solo."
"Indeed. Please, let me know if anything comes around to you about it. The information would hold a pretty good reward to whoever gets it back to me."
"Consider it done. Over and out."
Han sat back in his seat, leaning his chin on his hand and sighing. He looked up when Leia entered the office, "Any word from the Bounty Hunters?"
Han shook his head, adjusting himself to lean forward and rest his arms on the desk, "I asked Fett to keep eyes and ears out for any tips, but he hasn't heard anything yet. How are things over in Chiss space?"
"I wasn't able to reach the Baron specifically. The Chiss that I talked to seemed a little perturbed at seeing my face though. I got a strange feeling from her. It might be something worth looking into in the very near future," Leia answered.
"I'll tell you what. I'm going to go down and talk to Wedge about what he thinks we should do. You call Jacen and Luke back here for me, and we'll figure out what to do with all of this," Han said, standing and walking to his wife, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead.
Han walked down to the medical center and came into the small alcove where Wes and Jaina were being kept, just in time to see Wedge popping a pill into his mouth.
"You feeling all right?" Han asked, genuine concern in his voice.
Wedge jumped at the sound of his voice, turning to face him. Han was not convinced by his tired eyes or his response, "Yes, the medics think that I should be taking vitamins to keep my immune system up. These stressful times can do a real number on your health."
"Yea, tell me about it," Han responded, glancing at the bottle in his hand, "I'm feeling a little under the weather myself. Think I could get a few of those?"
Wedge's entire demeanor changed. Han could almost see the hairs on his neck raise and his shoulders hunch into a protective position, "Oh no, I believe they have to be prescribed."
Han waited until Wedge realized that he couldn't meet his eyes, "Yea, that's what I thought. Let me see that bottle."
"No," he glanced over to Wes' peacefully sleeping form to distract himself from Han's intense stare.
"No? Wedge, give me the bottle."
"No."
"Now."
Suddenly, Wedge's defeated looking posture changed again. Han took a step closer to him and Wedge recoiled sharply, shouting, "I SAID NO!"
This brought Wes out of his slumber, "What in blazes is going on?"
Both of the other men ignored him. Han took another step closer to Wedge, who backed all the way up to the ferrocrete wall that Wes and Jaina's beds were up against, "This is ridiculous Wedge, don't make me take it away from you. Besides, it's only vitamins, right?"
"Stop it Han, get away from me."
"I'll leave you alone if you give me the bottle." Han reached out and took a hold of Wedge's arm. Wes watched in complete bewilderment as Wedge fought childishly against him. In his weakened, and, unbeknownst to them, heavily medicated state, it was useless, and Han had a surprisingly easy time of prying it out of his son-in-law's fingers.
Han looked at Wedge, the bottle, and then to Wes, "Vitamins, he says. They're tranquilizers."
His gaze shifted back to Wedge, who was still backed up against the wall, and then he read out loud, "Take two pills daily, with at least 10 hours in between each. Do not take more than this suggested amount."
Wes struggled to sit up in his bacta bed, the pinkish liquid trailing down the nasty wound and his back, "Wedge, how many have you taken in the last hour?"
"Four."
"And you're not dead?"
Han threw Wes a particularly venomous look that did a good job of shutting him up. He then turned this expression on Wedge, "This ends here. You are coming upstairs with me. You're spending far too much time grieving down here with only your medicine to listen to your sorrows. It's bindingly selfish, and it's doing absolutely nothing to help my daughter. Let's go. Now."
As Wedge trudged out of the medical center in front of him, Han threw a quick glance back to Wes, "We'll be back down here soon."