Doctor Kaeden Larte and the case of the Critically Wounded Girlfriend

A.N: Timeline setting: Some time after 'To Take Down An Emperor'

Side note: This prompt was sent to me on Tumblr. The prompt in question was:

Just read your newest kaesoka prompts on ao3 and loved them! Potential prompt... idk if you like doing angst so feel free to reject lol. Ahsoka gets seriously injured and Kaeden is the one who treats her? I guess this could also be a fluffy prompt too or be angst with a fluffy/happy ending so if you want to do this take this whichever path you want to haha.

Hope you all enjoy


"Careful! You never know what taking that could do!"

Maul sighed. Every time he and Lady Tano ventured together into an ancient tomb or temple, the Togurta was always overly cautious of every move they would take.

He didn't blame her of course. He knew these tombs and temples had devious traps lying in wait for unwitting adventurers.

But he was no ordinary adventurer, and neither was Lady Tano. If anything they were the foremost experts on 'Tomb Raiding' these days. Surely they could afford to be a bit reckless?

"You grow paranoid in your old age, Lady Tano. It is a simple jar upon a pedestal. Nothing bad will happen if I remove it."

"Hey! I'm not old!"

"Then you have grown too cautious. Not everything is out to get you." Maul replied, his tone sarcastic, knowing Lady Tano would see his joke.

From the roll of the Togruta's eyes, as well as the small smirk that came to her lips, he could see if understood.

Yet still she protested.

"We didn't come here for trinkets Maul. There is a holocron here after all. This is the tomb of a Sith Lord after all."

"Yes yes, I know. But I like this jar, so I am taking it."

"Maul don't…."

Maul didn't listen. Reaching a hand forward, he grasped hold of the ornate looking jar, one that was heavier than he expected it to be, before placing it in the small bag he was carrying. It would look nice in his 'house' on Dathomir.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lady Tano freeze up, as if expecting something bad to happen.

But, just as Maul had predicted, nothing bad happened.

"See? Paranoid in your old age Tano. I'd of thought that now you were no longer sexually frustrated that you'd be…"

The tomb shuddered suddenly, interrupting Maul before he could complete his teasing remark.

Perhaps he had spoken too soon?

A loud crash suddenly echoed through the room, causing both occupants to spin and look for the source of the noise.

Maul spotted it quickly. A part of the roof had fallen down, crushing whatever lay below it.

It was then that another section collapsed, followed by another, and another.

"You were saying Maul?!"

Maul had no time to respond vocally. Instead he span back towards Lady Tano and nodded once, a gesture she understood the meaning of instantly.

Without any more delay, both broke into a sprint, retracing their route in as the tomb caved in around them.

"You just had to go and take the jar didn't you?!" Lady Tano yelled as they ran, her voice full of mock rage. He could tell she was secretly enjoying it.

Turning a corner, Maul pushed off the wall behind him to regain the speed he had lost in the process. Behind him Ahsoka fell back slightly, not having had the same momentum to regain as much speed as he had. Maul wasn't worried though. Lady Tano was more than capable of catching him up. She had her real legs after all, and wasn't weighed down by the cybernetics.

"Our exit is ahead!" Maul called over his shoulder as he spotted the light of outdoors ahead, ducking his head as he ran in the process to avoid some falling debris.

It was then that he heard a sound that terrified him.

A yell of pain echoed from behind, drawing his attention immediately, and just in time to watch Lady Tano be crushed by falling rocks.

"NO!" Maul screamed in rage as he turned and ran back for her without hesitation, using the Force to lift the rocks that he crushed her off, whilst also keeping any more debris from the collapsing tomb from squashing them both.

Once the rocks were off, Maul wasted no time and bent down to pick Lady Tano up. He didn't have time to check her injuries right now, but he knew she was unconscious from the way her head rolled to one side without control.

Ignoring the strain his use of the Force was placing on him, Maul pushed ahead, shielding Lady Tano from any more falling debris to the best of his ability.

Once clear of the tomb's interior, and outside in the plains surrounding the tomb, Maul allowed himself to breathe, slowly placing the Togruta on the grass before checking her over.

The injuries were not good.

The rocks that had fallen on her had collided directly with her head, severely damaging one of her montrals, leaving a large dent in one of them, as well as several gashes on both montral and face. Maul knew that Togruta relied upon their montrals, and that any damage to them could be life threatening if not treated as soon as possible.

But Maul was no medic, and aside from heading to Dathomir and trying to get the spirits of the nightsisters to help, Maul knew he had only one other alternative, even if it meant he would get shouted at… a lot!

Still, if that was the case, he would bare it. He had to save Lady Tano, just like she had saved him.

Steeling himself, Maul gently picked Ahsoka's unconscious form up, and headed for his ship.

He needed to speak to a certain doctor who knew Ahsoka better than most.


"Hey Kaeden, there is a Zabrak here with a patient. Says he wants to speak to you specifically."

Kaeden Larte honestly wasn't surprised. In the time she had been working at the Alderaan General Hospital, she seemed to have built up a bit of a reputation as one of the most effective, and sometimes scary, doctors on the ward. Apparently she just had a way with medical skills that led to her being recommended to everyone.

Of course the flip side of that was that nine times out of ten her days were exhausting. Rewarding yes… but exhausting.

At least she had someone to go home to though. Seeing Ahsoka after a long day on the ward always made it worth it.

"What's wrong with him Kas?" Kaeden asked her colleague, standing from her desk and gathering her tools. Hopefully this was nothing too serious.

However, judging by the look on Kas' face, it clearly was serious.

"Well, it's not him Kaeden, but his friend he brought in with him. Togruta female. Heavy damage to the montrals. She's unconscious, and this 'Maul' guy is insistent that you come immediately."

Every bone in Kaeden's body suddenly ceased, a thick pool of dread building up in the pit of her stomach at the mention of the Zabrak's name.

If it really was Maul, and he was in the company of a badly hurt Togruta, that meant that his friend was…

"No! No no no no no! Kriff!"

Kaeden didn't wait around to see Kas' reaction to her sudden cursing, nor did she wait around for more information. If Ahsoka was hurt as badly as Kas said so Kaeden was needed now!

Moving as fast as she could without resorting to running, Kaeden exited her office and moved through the ward, heading towards a set of rooms that she knew new arrivals were placed in.

It didn't take her long to locate Maul. His booming voice gave away his position immediately.

"I do not care if you are a more qualified doctor! I want Doctor Larte NOW!"

"Maul, I'm here!" Kaeden called out as she entered the room, startling the other doctor who had attempted to intervene.

Maul's face was a myriad of emotion. Part anger, part impatience.

And part full of worry too.

And then Kaeden saw why.

A single bed was in the room, and there, bruised and beaten, a large crack in one of her montrals, was Ahsoka. Her usually bright orange skin had dulled considerably, her perfect facial markings that Kaeden loved to trace scarred by various cuts.

Kaeden felt her heart plummet instantly. How had this happened?

The only saving grace, and ray of hope that Kaeden had was the heart rate monitor currently attached to Ahsoka. Her heart was beating at a steady rate, despite her external injuries.

"We were in a tomb, and it collapsed around us. Lady Tano was crushed by falling debris. I tried to help her, but this level of damage is beyond my abilities Doctor." Maul spoke, his voice oddly soothing, despite his darker persona.

A rush of emotions overcame Kaeden. She knew that realistically, she shouldn't be the one to treat Ahsoka. Her emotional attachment to the Togruta could compromise the situation, leading to the worst possible outcome Kaeden could imagine.

But Kaeden didn't care for rules, not when Ahsoka's life was at stake. Kriff what the 'Board of Directors' would think. They could fire her for all she cared! Right now all her attention was on helping Ahsoka to the best of her ability.

"Kas! Cancel all of my meetings for the day. I've got a critical patient that needs my attention." Kaeden called out behind her, knowing her colleague had followed her out of concern.

"Of course Doctor Larte. Consider it done." Kas' voice replied before she left the room, leaving Kaeden with Ahsoka and Maul.

And the other doctor.

"You seem determined to handle this situation Doctor Larte." The doctor spoke, his voice bordering on condescending. From the way Maul snarled beside her, Kaeden could tell the Zabrak thought much the same.

"She's my girlfriend! She's my responsibility." Kaeden spat back, ignoring the look of shock on the doctor's face.

"Doctor Larte, you should know that it would be inappropriate of you to treat this…."

The doctor didn't get to finish his sentence, not with Maul in the room. The Zabrak moved away from Kaeden, his hand instantly falling to and presenting his lightsaber hilt to the doctor.

"I suggest you leave now before my anger takes control. Lady Tano is in good hands with Doctor Larte. The best in fact."

The doctor didn't argue, and whilst normally Kaeden would be concerned by the threats Maul was making, right now she didn't care. She needed to focus on her patient.

Temporarily moving away from Ahsoka and towards the door to the room, Kaeden called out to another of her colleagues.

"Zi! I need you to get the internal scanner immediately. I've got a patient with possible internal damage."

"Right away Doctor!" Came the reply of Zi. The man was usually an overly flirtatious individual, but when he was in 'Doctor' mode, he was one of the most effective.

Kaeden was glad to see he recognized the severity in Kaeden's tone.

Moving back from the threshold of the door, Kaeden scooped up the datapad that was resting at the foot of Ahsoka's bed and began to enter the Togruta's details.

Her mind on autopilot, Kaeden entered each and every detail she knew, from name to age, blood type to allergies.

When it came to 'Next of Kin' details though, Kaeden hesitated, but only briefly.

Continuing on, she entered her own name as the first emergency contact, followed by Rex's as the second, and Kanan as the backup third.

"Her montrals..." Maul's voice interrupted Kaeden's work, the Zabrak now standing at the top of the bed, his golden eyes surveying the damage done to Ahsoka's face, "They are much worse than I thought!"

Glancing up from the datapad, Kaeden's eyes fell upon the montrals atop Ahsoka's head. A large crack ran down one side of one of them, various dents present along the length of it as well. Kaeden had studied Togruta biology during her training to become a Doctor, and knew just from seeing the damage that it was bad.

Togruta relied on their montrals for echolocation and hearing. There was a very high chance that the damage could be permanent, It could lead to a loss of hearing, or worse, tumors in the brain.

There were even reports of such damage to montrals killing who they belonged to.

Kaeden would not let that happen!

"I know Maul. I know. We will do everything we can to help her." Kaeden spoke, struggling to keep her voice level. Part of her wanted to break down in tears at the sight of Ahsoka hurt so bad, but she had a level of professionalism to maintain.

Just then Zi came into the room, the portable scanning device Kaeden had requested in his hand.

"The patient is Ahsoka Tano. Togruta, female, 43 years of age. Born on Shili, but raised by the Jedi Order on Coruscant before the purge. She has a strong affinity to the Force as a result. Her montrals have been severely damaged by falling debris, and there is a possibility that she may have broken bones or internal bleeding as a result. These sorts of injuries can go one of two ways for Togruta, so we must proceed quickly but cautiously." Kaeden spoke, her 'Doctor' persona taking over instantly, pushing aside her emotional investment.

"Wait! She's a Jedi!" Zi's interruption, while expected, was not welcome right now.

"Not anymore. Now do your job human!" Maul's interruption was welcome even less, even if he was voicing Kaeden's thoughts aloud.

"Right, yeah, sorry. Beginning scan." Zi hastily replied bringing the portal scanner up to Ahsoka's prone form, running it over every inch of her body.

The process took several minutes before Zi finally stopped, his eyes running over the readouts on the scanner.

"Well the good news is that there is no internal bleeding, and her bones are mostly intact. One or two fractures, but nothing broken."

"And the bad news?" Kaeden asked, fearing she already knew the answer.

"The bad news is that the damage to the montrals is severe and needs operating on immediately. Togruta montrals are hollow, and from the looks of the scanner several pieces have been fractured and broken. We need to graft the damage with skin cells to ensure they heal correctly, as well as remove any shards of broken montral from within the hollow section."

"That does not sound like an easy task Doctor." Maul commented, his tone grim, expression dull. Kaeden felt much the same.

"I won't lie, Togruta very rarely survive such an operation, but without her her chances are zero percent. The problems lie with trying to repair the damage done to the montral without harming them any more. What we really need is something to heal them as we work." Zi replied, handing the scanner over to Kaeden to look at. Glancing at the results on screen, Kaeden could see exactly what Zi meant.

The damage to Ahsoka's montrals had left several cracks along one central fissure. In order to stabilize them they would need to seal the cracks in without disrupting the hollow interior, whilst simultaneously removing any damaged skin. The hope was that but grafting skin cells onto the surface of the montral that Ahsoka's body would react and attempt to self heal. Over time the skin cells would dissolve as the skin montral beneath them reshaped and repaired.

As simple as it sounded on paper though, Kaeden knew this was a risky gambit, but it was also the only one she had available to her, and she knew she would need help.

Turning to Maul, Kaeden spoke.

"Get in contact with Kanan. Get him to send Barriss Offee here as soon as possible. I will need her abilities in Force healing to stabilize Ahsoka whilst I remove the damaged tissue and graft the new cells on. It's likely Ahsoka's only hope."

Maul hesitated briefly, knowing of Ahsoka's past with Barriss. Kaeden too was skeptical, but only Barriss was a true expert at Force healing. With the current dilemma Kaeden was facing, she needed all the help she could get.

Luckily, Maul seemed to agree.


Barriss had wasted no time heading to the hospital, arriving only hours after Maul made the call. Apparently the Mirialan had been on Alderaan for a medical conference, one that she had hastily abandoned upon hearing of Ahsoka's predicament.

Now she was standing opposite Kaeden in the operating theatre, her eyes closed as she used the Force to stabilise her patient.

Between them lay Ahsoka, an oxygen mask attached to her face, which was oddly serene despite the situation she was in. Chances are she didn't even know where she was.

Leaning down, Kaeden began to inspect the damage to Ahsoka's montral once more.

The large fissure that ran along one side was jagged, several pieces of it sticking up like a razor's edge. Those would have to be removed before they could go any further.

Reaching onto the table behind her, Kaeden picked up two medical instruments. One was a precision laser scalpel, the other a pair of tweezers. She didn't like the idea of cutting the cracked skin off of her girlfriends head, but it was the only choice.

"Ok Barriss, keep her steady please. Kas, keep an eye on her vitals. Let me know if anything goes into the red. Zi, get ready with the first skin graft." Kaeden spoke, issuing her order to her gathered team. Perhaps she should have chosen a more experienced group to perform the surgery, but this was a personal matter for her. If she couldn't save Ahsoka, then she didn't deserve to have her in the first place.

When she was content that her team understood their orders, Kaeden began her work.

Moving the scalpel slow and steady, Kaeden gently began to make an incision along the cracked edge, removing the sharper elements that were protruding from the fissure. Her goal was to remove the already dead tissue of the montral before pacing the skin graft between the healthy tissue to encourage healing.

It took several minutes for her to be happy with her work before she signaled to Zi to bring the first graft over.

Said graft was little more than specialized bacta patch, one that was neatly laid across the surface of the crack in the montral. Content with it;s placement, Kaeden reached for a new tool.

"Sorry about this bit Ahsoka. It's gonna leave a mark." Kaeden whispered to her comatose girlfriend, knowing what she was about to do would leave a scar that might possibly never heal, even with a skin graft.

The tool in question was a simple precision laser, one used to seal up injuries, or in this case surgically attach the graft to the montral. It would, in theory, burn the patch on, at least until it dissolved at a later date.

Taking a deep breath, Kaeden activated the laser and began to work.

"Stress on the body is increasing Doctor Larte! I'm reading all sorts of head trauma occurring!" Kas spoke from behind, alarm in her voice. Kaeden had predicted this however, and knew what her next move was.

"Barriss, stabilize her mind. Cut off the pain receptors to her brain if you can."

"Easy enough." Came the reply on the Mirialan, her voice steady despite the strain she was likely under.

"Vitals stabilising. Whatever she's doing is working." Kas spoke again, the alarm in her voice replaced with surprise and awe.

Happy with how things were proceeding, Kaeden continued her work, carefully using the laser to attach the graft to the damaged area of Ahsoka's montrals.

Despite the risk it posed however, it all seemed to work, and a few moments later the first graft was successfully attached to the damaged montral.

Stepping back to admire her work, Kaeden allowed herself to release the breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"Good work Doctor. One down, five to go." Zi's comment both inspired her, and reminded her of the gravity of the situation. There was still time for it to all go wrong after all.

"Get the next patch ready Zi." Kaeden said, returning the laser to the table and picking the scalpel and tweezers up once again.

She had a long way to go yet before they were finished.


Despite the difficulty of the operation, and despite every single risk she was taking, in the end the operation had been a complete success. It may have taken two hours, but it was done, and Ahsoka was stable.

Attacking the skin grafts to the cracks had been the easy part. The challenging part had been dealing with the fissure that ran the length of the montral. Removing the dead tissue on the exterior had been easy, it was the shards that had fallen within the hollow montral that had proven tricky.

Luckily for them all, Barriss had been prepared. Her use of the Force to extract the shards had been a marvel, and one that had saved Ahsoka's life. When she woke up, Kaeden knew she had a lot of talking to do with Barriss.

As of right now though, all she could do was sit and wait.

Her shift had long since ended, but Kaeden had no reason to go home. Her home was sitting before her, asleep, for the time being. Hopefully soon she would awaken.

Sighing to herself, and taking a small sip of the cup of caf she had in her hands, Kaeden began to inspect her work for the fifteenth time.

Ahsoka's complexion had returned to normal, and her vitals had been strong throughout. Her montrals were now coated with various skin grafts, disrupting the patterns that Kaeden had grown so fond of. It was only temporary however. Once the grafts dissolved and the montrals repaired themselves, the patterns that Kaeden loved to trace would be back.

The only long lasting effect would be the scarring where the fissure had been. Kaeden knew that Ahsoka wouldn't care less about any visual damage though. If anything the Togruta would treat it like a trophy!

"Urgghhh, man my head hurts."

Kaeden very nearly dropped her caf at the soft sound of the voice she held so dear. Ahsoka's eyes had opened, one of her hands moving slowly towards her forehead, grasping it in pain.

Wasting no time, Kaeden placed her cup on the side and moved towards Ahsoka, stopping her hand from reaching any higher atop her head. Disturbing the montrals and the skin grafts as they healed would not help whatsoever. They needed to be left alone.

"Hey, hey, it's ok Ahsoka. You're safe now. You're in the hospital."

Ahsoka's eyes widened at Kaeden's words, the blue in them dulling for a moment as she tried to recollect what had led to this situation.

It took a few moments before clarity came to her blue eyes, her expression tightening suddenly.

"That damn Zabrak! I told him not to take the jar!"

Kaeden couldn't help but laugh at the tone Ahsoka had used. In that moment, despite the danger she had been in, Kaeden was confident that Ahsoka would make a full recovery and be back on her feet in no time.

And for that, Kaeden wouldn't have been happier.


Author's thoughts

Well, that was a fun little drabble to write. Thanks to the Tumblr user AhsokaMyQueen for the request. This was a lot of fun to write.

For those worried though, Ahsoka will be fine in the long run. Kaeden is one hell of a doctor after all. XD

Furthermore, if anyone has any complaints about the surgery scene and my descriptions of it, then I'm sorry, but I'm a historian by nature, not a doctor. I made it up as I went along. Hopefully it was ok.

Anyways, no idea what the next chapter will be. I guess I will see if I get any more requests over on Tumblr, or even here in the comments. Feel free to suggest stuff to me. XD

As usual, comment and speculate at will.

Till next time. XD