Waking up in Mando's bed was a bit disorienting for Larena. Had she really been so depleted that she couldn't even heal a wound without passing out? How long had she actually been practicing before Mando and the baby returned? Her mind was reeling as she came to - why was she in a cot? Had Mando carried her there? Was this his cot? How long had she been out this time?
Larena groaned at the blinding ache that persisted in her temple and rubbed the heels of her palms against her eyes. Her thoughts only encouraged the pain so she focused on her breathing instead, in and out, in and out. She lay there for a few moments simply breathing, allowing herself to fully awaken before she pulled herself up. She brushed her hands, as gently as possible, through her hair, wincing when she tugged through a tangle.
She allowed herself one more yawn before dragged herself out of the cot and into the cockpit.
"Morning," she greeted quietly.
A soft coo came from one of the seats and she smiled lightly when she saw a little green head poke around the side of it, the baby's toothy smile widening at her presence. He babbled and reached for her and, although pain shot like lightning through her head, she wiggled her fingers toward him in greeting. "Hey, little guy."
She scooped the baby into her arms and sat down, drawing him close to her chest. The child looked up at her with the tilt of his head, his eyes blinking slowly as he took her in. He looked confused at first, and then... something else flashed in his big eyes. She gave his ear a stroke and the corners of his mouth curled up at her once more. She looked forward to the stoic man who had yet to greet her. "How long was I out?"
The Mandalorian didn't move to look at her when he answered. "Not long. A couple hours."
She took a deep breath and blew it out of her nose. "Sorry about that. I didn't think I was so... tired."
A modulated hum came from him, but he left her with that. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, the baby playing with Larena's hands while she closed her eyes in hopes of some kind of relief. She felt the baby nuzzle his head against her side and she smiled, giving his little head a pat without opening her eyes.
"Where are we going?" Larena asked after a while, her head laid back against the seat.
"I'm going to get another bounty," Mando told her quietly. "Turn in the ones I secured in the last few weeks."
Larena nodded, the motion of it almost blinding her. She cursed and brought her hands to her temples, careful to not knock the child from her lap.
"Everything alright?" The turning of his chair came with a slight creak and Larena winced. She squinted her eyes open, only to find him staring at her through the slits of his helmet. Or so she assumed. "Were you injured when you fell?"
"Nothing like that." She closed her eyes and sighed. "It's just a headache. It happens sometimes when I overdo it."
"We restocked the medkit." Mando offered. "I can get it for you if you want?"
"No, but," she all but whispered, "is it okay if I go sleep just a little longer?"
Mando gave a small nod, his hands resting on his thighs. "It'll be a while before we arrive, go ahead and rest. I'll need you to watch the kid when we get there."
"Okay." Larena gave the baby a small tap on his nose eliciting a coo, before she sat him back down in the chair. "Wake me when we land."
She turned to leave, squinting against the harsh lights on the panels around them.
"Larena." She froze in place - it was the first time she'd heard him say her name. She looked over her shoulder, waiting for the man of very few words to continue. "Thank you. For helping me."
She gave him a small smile. "Of course."
Mando sighed and tucked the screaming child against his chest. "Shh."
The baby wailed and kicked his legs against the Mandalorian's side. His screamed echoed in the ship, bouncing from one wall to the other with fury. He threw his head back and cried, tears cascading down his cheeks and onto the hand Mando held him with.
"C'mon kid," Mando half-whispered, rubbing the baby's back gently. "We'll be there soon. Let's settle down."
The baby didn't relent, however, and only screamed harder. He gathered the screaming bundle to his chest and bounced slightly as he walked - something he'd seen mothers in the streets do to their own young, but it didn't comfort the green thing. If anything it only made him worse.
The baby held it's hands out toward the cot Larena was in, his glassy eyes staring straight through the Mandalorian's helmet.
"Fine." Mando sighed, long and deep before trudging toward his cot, feeling the beginning of a headache himself. He knocked lightly, not wanting to catch the Healer in any sort of undress, and when she didn't respond Mando poked his head in. He didn't know how she slept through the child's tantrum, but there she was, curled into a ball on his cot. He took note of how much smaller she looked as she slept, but shoved it to the back of his mind when he got another swift kick to his side by the child.
"Larena," he whispered. He leaned over, his hand hovering over her arm, not wanting to cross a line with her. "Hey, wake up."
He watched her brows furrow and she sucked a deep breath through her nose before her eyes opened. He watched her blink the sleep away. "Mando? What's goin' on? Did we land?"
"No. Sorry to wake you," he said over the sobs. "The kid, he's been crying nonstop. He's tried coming in here a few times before it started. I think he's wanting you."
Larena nods and sits up, her hair sticking out on one side. She held her hands out to the baby. "C'mere, little guy."
Mando stood there and watched as she tucks the child against her breast, stifling a yawn. She runs her fingers along the length of the baby's nose, shushing him in the softest voice Mando thinks he's ever heard. She pulls the blanket off her and drapes it around her shoulders, wrapping the baby into the cocoon with her. The baby's crying is a bit quieter now, but tears are coming all the same. Larena glances up at Mando and motions for him to sit with her on the cot.
He hesitates for a moment, then, for all their sake, he sat beside them as she requested.
Mando is watching her every move as she gently rocks from side to side, the child curled tightly against her. Then she began to hum. It was a familiar tune. He remembered it from when he'd caught her practicing her "focus" and again when she had helped him not even a day prior. She hummed softly until the baby's tears stopped and his crying was nothing more than hiccups and then she began to sing.
Her lips parted and the lilting words of the song comforted the baby to sleep in a matter of minutes. Once the baby's eyes were shut and little snores filled the room Larena ended the song, her lips curled into a gentle smile.
"How'd you know what to do?" Mando asked quietly. "I don't think he's ever been so inconsolable."
Larena chanced a glance at the man. "Earlier, when I woke up the first time, he seemed... scared. I think he could sense that I was depleted."
"He was worried about you." Mando surmised, watching her. She gave small nod, still tracing her finger around the baby's round features. "You're good with him."
"Wow." Larena glanced over at him, a smile playing on her lips. "Was that a compliment?"
"It was an observation."
Larena hummed, a grin still on hr lips, and then scooted closer to the edge of the cot, careful not to wake the sleeping child in her arms. "I'll go put him to bed."
Mando watched her back disappear into the darkness of the ship still draped in the blanket from his cot. He hand fell from from his lap and onto the cot where she'd just been, shocked to find it still warm. He sighed deeply, his eyes closed beneath the mask, fully aware of the tightness growing in his chest that he was knew wasn't there before.