"Whatever Happened to Captain Rex?"
Chapter 48
Barriss yawned, and rolled over in her cot. She gazed over at Cody. He was already awake, and just looking at her.
"Morning," he said, getting right down to business, "can we start?"
Barriss raised up an eyebrow, "Well, this does beat you yelling at me."
Cody frowned, "Hey, I already apologized for that."
Barriss rolled to her side, and sat up, "You did. You're right. Sorry, just a bit overtired." She yawned hugely, and scratched her head. She stretched, and padded over to Cody.
"You should leave your hair down more often," Cody said, studying her face. "You shouldn't always hide behind that hood."
Barriss blushed furiously, and immediately pulled her hood back up. She was so tired that she'd forgotten about her hood. She never wore her hair down! She quickly began tucking all of her hair back into the hood. She noticed Cody was frowning.
"Why do you do that?" Cody asked softly, "Hide like that?"
Barriss stopped what she was doing, "I'm not hiding," she protested, "I always dress like this at the Temple."
"You're not at the Temple," Cody pointed out.
"Still, it's not proper-" Barriss protested.
"I'm in only lounge pants, and I'm tied to the bed," Cody interrupted, "surely there's something terribly improper about that."
Barriss giggled.
Cody looked at her, eyes wide, "Did I just hear you giggle?"
Barriss nodded, blushing, covering her mouth with one hand. Cody looked deeply satisfied. He wondered if he could manage to get her to do it again sometime.
"Well, I guess it's not fair to just make you jump in and start work first thing in the morning," he scowled and looked at it his IV drip, "I guess unlike me, you actually require food. Do you want to get some caf or something before we get started?" Cody asked.
Barriss nodded. Caf sounded heavenly. She'd been grabbing a meal here and there at the medical center cafeteria when Cody had been sleeping. But, she hadn't been eating, or sleeping on a regular basis. She'd been too concerned about her new patient.
"Well, you'll have to get it," Cody said, nonchalantly,
"I'm feeling rather lazy today."
Barriss laughed again, and shook her head. It was good to see Cody in better spirits. Blowing up at her yesterday did seem to have released a lot of his pent-up frustrations. As Barriss turned to leave the room, Cody quipped, "I don't suppose you could bring me some, too?" Barriss shook her head at him, "No, Cody."
"What?" Cody protested, "they don't serve caf in eyedroppers here? Just kind of medcenter are they running here anyway?" Barriss actually giggled again. She turned around just enough, to see a deeply satisfied look appear on Cody's face again. She shook her head, and headed down to the cafeteria for a quick breakfast. But, as she walked, the sights and sounds that replayed in her mind were Cody's deep voice and the satisfied look he got on his face when he managed to make her smile. What was it about this particular clone that had always intrigued her so much?
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"Alright, now just relax, and I'm going to begin the healing, OK?"
Cody almost nodded, but caught himself just in time. Yeah, Cody, you're paralyzed, remember? He immediately cut off that line of thinking, refusing to get frustrated again.
"I'm ready," he said, realizing Barriss was still awaiting a response. He closed his eyes, and felt Barriss push against his mind. He dropped his barriers, letting her in. He then heard her voice inside his mind.
- OK, the healing should actually go quicker now that you are awake and conscious. We can actually work together on this.
Then, why was I kept drugged up for the first two weeks while you were here?
- Believe me, that was not my decision.
Who?
- Let's just say I've had a few run-ins with some of the doctors here. We had disagreements as to the best way to handle your care. It was a fight to get them to ease up on enough on the drugs so you could finally wake up. They just would have kept you under. None of the team here at the medical center have ever worked with Jedi healers. They're convinced I'm going to mess with the shrapnel and send pieces of it into your spine of brainstem. Or, I'll somehow get you so worked up that you'll do it to yourself. They seem to have a, um, lack of faith, or perhaps, better to say, lack of knowledge, about what I can do.
Cody was amused at her diplomatic language.
I know you can do this.
He could feel that Barriss was pleased at his faith in her abilities.
Have you ever been healed by a Jedi before?
A little, by Kenobi. But, it's not his strong suit.
- No, even Jedi masters have difficulties with it, if they are not trained healers. It requires a great deal of specialized training, and a certain natural intuition for healing.
You're politely saying you're either born with the skill, or not. You were obviously born with the gift.
-Yes. It is why I was chosen to be a healer.
Do you like being a healer?
Cody could tell the question caught her off-guard.
- No one has ever asked me that before.
Well, do you?
Cody could tell she was giving the matter serious thought.
- Yes, I believe I do like being a healer… Most of the time. It can be quite challenging, at times.
Like with me?
- Actually, this has been one of my better assignments.
Oh.
Cody had no idea how to interpret her response.
- Should we get started?
Cody was still off-guard from her earlier answer. Uh, yeah. What do I need to do?
- Just relax. Things should progress faster now that you are coherent, instead of all drugged up.
Why? I mean, I know why I'm not drugged up anymore. Thank you for that, by the way. I mean, why will the force healing work better?
Cody could sense Barriss was amused, rather than annoyed, by Cody's naturally inquisitive nature.
- Force healing is complex to explain, since it is an energy, and done by feeling and intuition, as much as it is by training and experience.
Cody struggled to understand, since so much of what he did was based strictly on rigid training and experience. It was actually frightening to him to think so much of the rest of his life, actually everything about his life, rested on something so counterintuitive to how he operated.
- But, to answer your question, Cody, the healing process itself can be very draining. I can sometimes draw strength from the person I am healing, connect with them, during the healing process. But, this can only be done if they are awake and aware of what is happening to them. It is this ability that allows those who are strong in the Force to heal unusually quickly.
I'm a fast learner.
Barriss could sense Cody was eager to proceed now that he knew something of how it worked. Underlying it all, she could sense his eagerness to get back out there and rescue his General.
- Cody, I can't guarantee this is going to work. You may not-
Let's talk about that later. Come on, let's go.
Despite his impatience, Barriss felt Cody force his mind into a relaxed state. He also even further let down his mental barriers. Barriss was impressed. She had no idea where he'd even learned how to erect such barriers in the first place. She felt a slight trickle of amusement from him. He was sensing as much through their bond as she was. It was a very strange experience. She had never been this intimately connected with any clone while doing healing before. Nervous, and feeling like she was taking a step into something new, she wasn't quite sure what, Barriss plunged on.
She connected more deeply with Cody's mind, trying to avoid prying into anything deeply personal. She was awash in his most recent memories, starting with waking up and seeing her in his room, and then going backwards through the events that had transpired on Kaz'haria.
Barriss followed along, riding the string of memories. She was looking for something…
Barriss was trying to establish a firm connection between them. His mind starting jumping backwards and suddenly Barriss gasped as she saw Ahsoka. For some reason, seeing her missing friend hit her by surprise. She quickly contained her emotional response and focused on Cody's memory.
Cody and Ahsoka were inquiring as to the whereabouts of Captain Rex. Barriss immediately felt Cody's stress levels rise. She pushed back further, going past that painful memory. Anything having to do with Captain Rex seemed to be a huge issue for Cody, but Barriss was starting to get it. She was starting to feel that way about Ahsoka.
Another recent memory popped up, and Barriss was surprised to see Ahsoka again. Cody and Ahsoka were laughing together by an elevator, and then mock-fighting over delectable looking pastries in a conference room. Barriss had never realized Ahsoka and Cody were friends. Ahsoka had often mentioned the friendship between Cody and Rex, and how important the friendship was to Rex. Barriss just hadn't realized that Ahsoka had also formed an attachment to Cody.
Barriss realized she now had exactly what she needed—she and Cody had a very important friend in common. Barriss focused upon the image of Ahsoka laughing and making a grab for delicious-looking pastries in the conference room. Cody responded well to the image. He was amused, and it was obviously a good positive memory for him. He thought very highly of Ahsoka. Barriss held on to that image, and then shared with Cody her own treasured memory of Ahsoka. Her memory of Ahsoka dated back several years from when they were both padawans in training at the Temple.
Ahsoka was even tinier, and her Jedi robes dwarfed her tiny, Togrutan frame. The two padawans were in the quarters that Barriss shared with Master Luminara at the Temple. They were in the kitchen area, and there was an alarming amount of smoke. The padawans were attempting to make a cake for Luminara's lifeday and it was not going well.
Baking was not part of a Jedi's training. It seems that kitchen skills just did not come naturally to Jedi, unlike so many of the other things Jedi were so innately talented in. The horrific, smoking morass that emerged from the oven did not look even remotely edible. It look as if younglings had taken their training lightsabers to it. Barriss was terribly upset, but Ahsoka, as usual, found humor in the situation.
"Well, I'm not sure if we should throw it in the disposal, or have memorial services for it," Ahsoka pursued her lips as she studied the lifeday cake. She folded her arms inside her oversized Jedi robes, and tried to look suitably serene as a Jedi should, but Barriss could tell she was having difficulties containing her laughter.
"It smells as if such services have already taken place," said a severe voice from the doorway. Both Ahsoka and Barriss gasped as they turned as one toward Master Luminara.
"What the Force is that?" Luminara pointed imperiously at the blackened mess in Ahsoka's hands.
"Happy Life Day!" Ahsoka called out cheerfully, thrusting the cake toward the Jedi Master.
Barriss covered her eyes with her hands, groaning. She heard a gasping sound, and finally uncovered her eyes. She looked up to see what the sound was.
Master Luminara was laughing.
"Is that a cake?" Master Luminara finally asked, wiping tears from her eyes. Barriss had never seen her Master laugh so hard.
Barriss just nodded very solemnly, and said quietly, "Yes, Master."
With one swipe of her hand, Luminara levitated the cake away from Ahsoka, and into the disposal. She put an arm around each girl, "Well, I must thank you two padawans. I don't know when I've last had such a good laugh. This was indeed a good lifeday present."
Barriss looked at Ahsoka, thinking only her spunky best friend could pull off something like this.
"Now," the Jedi Master said, looking down at the two girls, "what do you say we go down to the cafeteria for some sweetcake? I smelled some baking earlier, and I think I might just be able to use my influence to get us the biggest piece." She steered the two girls out of the room, turning on the room fans with a wave of her hand. "Now, Barriss," her Master scolded, as they headed down the hallway of the Temple, "you must promise you will never attempt to bake anything again."
"Yes, Master."
"It's downright dangerous."
"Really? Oh, I mean, yes, Master!" Barriss corrected herself, after a confused moment, thinking of all the things they did as padawans, baking was considered dangerous?
"Yes!" Master Luminara's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, and she leaned her head in toward the two girls, "did no one ever tell you the story about Mace Windu and the time he had a craving for sweet-sand cookies?"
Both girls shook their heads, and their eyes widened, as they sensed a very good storing in the telling. Master Luminara practically hugged both girls all the way down to the cafeteria as she told them the story. Barriss could still remember that feeling of being held so close to her Master, and Ahsoka at the same time. It was about the safest, most secure, and most loved she'd ever felt. Her Master was not normally one for touchy-feely and Barriss had very little physical contact with anyone in her life. It was the happiest five minutes of her life, and when they entered the cafeteria, the three of them were all doubled-over with laughter at the story. Of course, when the doors to the caferia opened, sitting there at one of the tables was Mace Windu himself, drinking a cup of tea with Master Kenobi. Mace gave them a harsh look for their undignified outburst, and the three of them contained themselves with a little more decorum as they headed for the desserts. But, even as they stood on line for their cake, her Master surprised her, by elbowing lightly in the ribs, rolling her eyes in the direction of Mace Windu, and smiling lightly at her. That lifeday was the most light-hearted and laidback she'd ever seen her Master. It was a whole new side of Master Luminara that she had never seen before, and never knew existed. The next day was back to business-as-usual, and Barriss couldn't say she'd seen much of that side since. Her Master was fair, but strict. But, she knew she had Ahsoka to thank for a special day that was as much a gift to her, as it had been her Master.
She could feel Cody's shared amusement at the story, and knew they now had a good positive connection. It was something that was removed outside of the pain of the war, which would make the healing easier. Positive energy always worked much better, and Ahsoka was the most positive person Barriss knew.
Holding on to the positive connection she'd established, Barriss began to work her way toward Cody's injury site. She'd worked on his injury before, but it had been slow, exhausting work. She could already feel a difference now. She felt herself cocooned in a much stronger layer of positive energy. Ahsoka had often talked about Rex having a good sense of humor. Barriss was glad to discover Cody had a good sense of humor, as well.
She worked her way down past the first few undamaged vertebrae, and down to the base of the neck. The first of the shell fragments came into view. She could feel Cody's surprise as they came upon the foreign invaders that were now keeping him a prisoner inside his own body.
She immediately went to work on the largest fragment, the one that had so far proved most challenging. She'd made some progress in reducing its mass, but not as much as she would have liked after two weeks of work. She wrapped her energy around the fragment, and then began visualizing it getting smaller.
She was surprised how much easier the work was this time. She was able to hold on to the fragment for a much longer amount of time. After some time, she began to feel herself tiring. But, then she felt Cody's mind, urging her on, asking her to please try for just a little longer. Then, to her surprise, she also felt Cody visualizing the fragment, focusing on making it smaller. She had no idea what effect this would have, but she felt a renewed burst of healing energy. She felt Cody's elation, and this provided her with additional strength. She realized she was willing to push the envelope a great deal for Cody.
They continued on, far longer than Barriss had intended. Barriss then became aware that Cody's strength was waning. She felt a trickle of fear. She shouldn't have let this go on for so long. She pulled back, stopping work on the fragment they'd been focused upon. She felt Cody protest, but it wasn't a very strong protest. As she quickly assessed him, she could feel he was completely drained. Barriss kicked herself, for getting so caught up in the healing that she hadn't been monitoring Cody's fatigue levels adequately. Of course he would push himself completely past his limits! After he rested, she was going to have some serious words with him.
Barriss could feel that Cody wanted to say something to her before they broke their link, but she urgently needed to break their link. He felt too weak to her. Plus, she had to admit she was annoyed with him, and she didn't want that to come across in the link.
Barriss, wait! I-
But, Barriss quickly withdraw from Cody's mind before they could have any further communicate between them. She broke the link. When she did, she saw Cody's eyes roll back in his head. An alarm started beeping on one of his monitors. She looked up, wide-eyed, immediately standing up. He was hooked up to multiple monitors. Which monitor was it that was going off?
She'd asked the doctors to explain all the monitors on her first day in Cody's room, but they'd done a very cursory, inadequate explanation. There were such power struggles going on between them concerning Cody's care. When she asked the doctors' questions about Cody, she kept getting brushed off. She was constantly told it was not "her area of concern." Yet, Cody was her one and only patient! How could he not be her area of concern! Barriss couldn't understand how these doctors could be so thick-headed!
An Ithorian doctor came rushing in and quickly shut off the alarm. The doctor stared at Barriss accusingly, "What did you do?"
Barriss sputtered, "No, I- I-"
"Never mind! Stand aside!"
Barriss took several steps back, feeling devasted. She didn't recognize this doctor. She'd had run-ins with several of the doctors over the past two weeks, but none of them was an Ithorian. She steeled herself for having to go into a whole explanation about why she was there, once again. The doctor quickly called for a medication, using his commlink. A moment later, a nurse ran in the requeted medication. The doctor injected the med into Cody's IV line. The doctor watched the monitors for a few minutes, and then nodded, satisfied. He grabbed Cody's medical chart, and studied it, frowning. At least, Barriss thought he was frowning. It was very difficult to tell with Ithorians.
"Why were these patients' medications cut back?" the doctor asked, his tone conveying his displeasure.
"It was interfering with the healing process," Barriss explained.
"What 'healing process' are you referring to?" the doctor continued to look through the chart, and then stared at her. "Who are you?"
"I'm Jedi Healer, Barriss Offee," Barriss put up a hand to forestall the doctor before he asked anymore questions, "and, I was specifically asked to be here to work with this patient."
"Your methods are dangerous and ineffective. I am going to suggest you be removed," the doctor said, spinning on his heel and leaving the room. Barriss stared after him, mouth agape.
She was absolutely fuming inside. How dare he treat her like that! She tried to reign in her emotions, knowing they were unbecoming of a Jedi.
"Well, that went well," a sleepy voice called from the bed, "that guy's a real charmer."
"Cody!" Barriss anger was instantly forgotten. She leaned over the bed, and looked into his face. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, just a little tired," his voice was slurred, and his eyes were only half-open. "What happened?"
Barriss sighed, and brushed back a piece of hair from his face. She'd never seen his hair this long. He normally always kept it so short, and tightly cropped. "We overdid it on the healing. But, I did take full responsibility. I should have been monitoring you more closely-"
"Don't blame yourself. I pushed you. I'm sorry," Cody's brown eyes searched out hers, and she could see genuine remorse in them.
"No, Cody, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I'm really the one at fault here-"
"No, Barriss, I know it was me. I'm sorry," Barriss could see the sincerety in Cody's eyes, how honest and open he was with her now as he tried to explain his actions to her, "I just so badly want to get out of this bed. To get back to the 212th-"
Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the return of the Ithorian doctor. "He's awake already? Yes, his chart said he is drug-resistant. Yes, well, this just backs up what I'm about to do. He never should have had his dosages reduced. I just conferred with another doctor, and we agreed. As of right now, he is going to be put back on the paralytic drug, Immoblin 24-7. "
"NO!" Cody shouted from the bed.
The doctor reached up to inject a syringe into Cody's IV.
"NO!" Cody shouted again. He struggled to move, despite all his restraints, in a vain effort to stop the doctor. Barriss sent a burst of calming energy his way, trying to prevent him from harming himself.
She braced both hands on the side of face, "Cody, please! You mustn't move! The fragments!" She was so focused on Cody, she had no time to prevent the doctor from injecting the drug into the IV. She saw Cody give the doctor a venomous look, filled with hatred, and then he gave her a look of misery, hurt and frustration, right before his entire body slumped into unconsciousness.
Barriss reared on the doctor, who was calmly making a note in Cody's chart, "That was completely unnecessary!"
"On the contrast, Jedi Offee, was that your name? Yes, the commander's little outburst right now just proved what a misguided decision it was to ever back off his medications in the first place. I have documented all of this now in his chart. I have no doubt now that the other doctors will all back me up on this. The Commander will be kept on Immobilin 24x7 from now on."
"To what end?" Barriss asked, bitterly.
"What do you mean, to what end?" the doctor asked, "we are trying to save his life!" The doctor sounded very indignant that his methods were being questioned.
Barriss sank back down into her chair, and stared at Cody. All she could think of was the miserable, hurt look that he'd given her as his body succumbed to the effects of the paralyzing medication. While on the Immobilin, he would not be able to talk at all, would likely be in a drug-induced sleep for most of the day. Even if he did wake up, he would have difficulties with the most basic of functions, even focusing his eyes.
"One more thing, Jedi Offee," the doctor had paused in the doorway. Barriss didn't even turn around. At this point, she didn't even trust herself to be civil to the man. "I am going to recommend that the Commander be removed from a private room, and returned to the General Ward. It will make it easier for us to monitor him. This healing of yours seems dangerous and ineffective. I see no reason why it should be continued. You should head back home, and do whatever it is you Jedi do. Leave the doctoring to us doctors."
Barriss closed her eyes, as she felt tears spring up behind her eyes. She didn't know why she was letting this obnoxious doctor get to her. As a healer, she'd worked with difficult doctors before. She gritted her teeth in frustration, and looked back at Cody again. She half-expected him to open his eyes, and quip: "Is he gone yet?"
But, his body was completely still. Too still. Barriss had to reach out to him with the Force just to double-check he was even in there somewhere. Yes, Cody was still inside that bound, drugged and restrained body. But, he was in a deep, unnatural sleep. His breathing was very slow.
Barriss felt her head drooping. She was exhausted. She laid her head down on Cody's bed, next to his shoulder, and within seconds, she was asleep.
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