TWENTY-ONE

It was more than twelve hours before Luke finally awoke. When food was offered, he polished off a large plateful of bland rations. Before he was through he was asking 2-1B when he could be released.

That was when the medical droid mentioned the attachment of a prosthetic. The idea gave Luke pause and he was forced to think about the possibility yet again. He still had no intention of following in his father's footsteps. He had adapted reasonably well to using one hand and didn't see many problems ahead if he refused a bionic replacement.

Then again, he might have been able to save himself on Sheol if he had two hands. Luke was thankful that the event had provided the catalyst for Anakin to come back to the light...but he had no intention of coming that close to death again. He was going to need more time.

Too-One-Be was in the midst of doing another examination on his wrist when there was a buzz at Luke's door. The long-limbed medical droid turned to look before regarding his patient. "You have visitors, Commander Skywalker. They may enter if you so wish."

Luke nodded eagerly. He wasn't skilled enough in the Force to identify individuals other than his father, but the presence on the other side was warm, speaking of friends.

Accordingly the door slid open, and in walked the five that Luke cared for most...Han, Leia, Chewbacca, Threepio, and Artoo. They all had a cautious manner about them, as if uncertain about this visit, but both Han and Leia broke into relieved smiles upon seeing him.

Luke couldn't help but smile back. "Leia...Han, Chewie..." His eyes stung with happy tears. "Hi, Threepio. It's good to see you. Artoo!"

"Oh, Master Luke! It is such a relief to have you back. These last days have been very worrisome," admitted Threepio. "But, I knew you would return!"

Artoo gave a quick series of indignant whistles.

"I did not say he wasn't coming back!" the golden droid retorted angrily. "Nor did I ever believe those ridiculous rumors that he had joined that dreadful Empire-"

"Threepio," interrupted Leia with a frown. "Luke is still recovering. Why don't you let him rest?"

Threepio seemed taken aback. "Oh, dear! I do hope I haven't upset you, Master Luke."

Luke shook his head tiredly. "That's all right, Threepio."

Threepio looked from Luke's hand to his face. "Well...again, it is so good to have you back. I wish you the speediest of recoveries." With a stiff bow, he turned and waddled out the door. Artoo followed for a time, then turned to regard his master with a worried whistle.

Luke craned his neck to look at the blue astromech with regret. "Artoo...I'm so sorry. I never meant to leave you behind. Are you all right?"

Artoo beeped a positive, then launched into a sentence that sounded like a concerned reprimand.

"I'll be fine, Artoo. I promise." Luke smile returned. "Go ahead with Threepio and make sure he stays out of trouble."

Artoo gave a beeping 'laugh' and then rolled out after his counterpart.

Now Luke could focus on his other visitors. He found himself unaccountably embarrassed having them there as Too-One-Be treated him. His arm was bare to the elbow and the scar on his wrist was ugly and drawn.

Han was the first to break the silence, hands stuffed in his pockets, strained smile on his face. "You are lookin' a whole lot better. How you doin'?"

Luke managed another smile. "It's amazing how much good a nap and a little food does."

Han lifted his brows. "From what I heard, you slept almost thirteen hours and ate like a starving Wookiee. Looks like you needed it."

Luke nodded. "I haven't been sleeping much..." Distracted, he turned to the droid, who had finished the exam.

"How is he, Too-One-Be?" questioned Leia.

"Commander Skywalker's condition has begun to improve with rest and nourishment. He should be fully recovered in several days," reported the droid. He turned to Luke. "Commander? The scan is complete. While the scar tissue is thick, it is still possible to locate the nerve endings for a prosthetic hand."

"Thanks. Are you finished?"

"Yes. I will come by again to check on your progress in several hours, but in the meantime my services are needed in the surgical theater. If you will excuse me, Captain Solo...Princess Leia...Chewbacca..." With that, Too-One-Be exited the room.

Leia, in the meantime, moved to stand at Luke's side. "How are you feeling?" she asked, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Unconsciously Luke pulled his sleeve back down to cover his stump. "Better, now that I've seen all of you and know that you're all right..." His eyes stung again, and he blinked them away with a deep breath. Calm down, he told himself. They're fine.

Chewbacca shuffled over with a soft purr of concern.

"I'm fine, Chewie," smiled Luke. "I'm just glad to see everyone. I missed you all so much," he said, looking about the room.

"We missed you too, Luke," said Leia, giving him a brief, gentle hug. She squeezed his left hand before settling next to him. Her eyes couldn't stop moving to his right arm.Poor Luke. He seems ashamed of it...we need to let him know it's all right...that we're here for him. Gently she took his forearm in her hand. "How's your arm?" Luke pulled away, and she shrank back in apology. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

Quickly the young man shook his head. "No. It doesn't really hurt now."

Han exchanged a glance with Leia and sank into the seat on the opposite side of the bed, straddling it and resting his arms on the back. "You don't have to keep hidin' it, Luke. It's not your fault. Nothin' to be ashamed of."

Luke frowned. Yes, it is. I was foolish. He opened his mouth in protest.

Leia spoke first. "Han's right. It wasn't your fault. Don't think for one minute it is. And don't be embarrassed about it."

Luke gave her a smile. "I'm just a little self-conscious right now. To answer your question, it's fine. I've actually learned how to get along pretty well with one hand." To prove his point, he pushed up with his wrist to shift his weight.

"Good." Leia smiled back, then settled into her chair. "Luke...I know it's not going to be easy for you to talk about, but...can I ask what happened? We looked all over Cloud City for you and...all we saw was a security recording."

Luke took a deep breath. Thinking about the incident made his arm throb. "How much did you see?"

Han grimaced. "Saw 'ya go after Vader...saw him come back without 'ya." He cleared his throat of emotion. "Stang, Luke. We thought you were gone."

Luke hunched his shoulders, shaking his head. "I'm sorry to put you through that. I never should have gone after Vader. He was toying with me, at least at first. But then he was pushing me back to the processing vane. He had me cornered. When I hit him, it...it made him angry, and that's...that's when…" Luke's wrist ached all the more. He winced and shut his eyes, covering his arm. He could still feel Vader's blade...the pain, and even worse, the shock of the news. He shuddered. Easy. It's over now.

Leia rubbed his shoulder. "You don't have to talk about it right now."

Luke shook his head. "No...it's all right. I want you to know. After he...took my hand, I...there wasn't any other way out. He...he asked me to...join him-"

Han snorted. "What is he, nuts? Join somebody who just did that?"

"He sensed my power and thought he could turn me to the Dark Side. I decided I'd rather die than do that. So...I just...jumped."

Leia tightened her grip on his shoulder. "Luke..."

Han went pale. He swore. "How'd you get away?"

Luke shrugged. "I didn't. I was sucked into one of the exhaust vents and landed on an antenna under the city. A rescue craft picked me up, but...it was sent by Vader."

Leia closed her eyes. To go through something like that, and then be captured… It was terrible to think of, and she could see the conversation was upsetting him. "Well, it's all right now. You're here, and we're not letting Vader anywhere near you."

Luke smiled sadly. He wished he could tell them...but the mention of Vader made his brows knit. "What did you do with him?"

Han turned away, shoving his hands in his pockets and glaring, while Leia cringed. "Don't think about him. You just focus on getting your strength back."

Luke sighed. "I'm not afraid of him. I just want to know where he is..." His voice drifted as the Force answered the question for him. His father was near. "He's not on the Liberty, is he...he's here, on the Redemption..."

How did he know? Rather than lie, Leia made a face. "There wasn't much choice. There's an infection and he needs surgery to live. The Rebellion isn't in the habit of valuable prisoners die, and he may be the key to bringing the Empire down."

Luke nodded slowly. "That's where Too-One-Be went…"

Han scuffed a boot on the floor, clearly angry. "Waste of good equipment," he muttered.

Leia seemed apologetic. "I'm sorry, Luke. I don't want to upset you. But if we can get any information out of him..." she shook her head. "Maybe this is a mistake."

Luke grimaced. So much for revealing the truth. He shook his head. "No. You did the right thing. Killing unarmed prisoners is what the Empire does, not the Alliance."

The thought seemed to be of no comfort to Leia. There was a long moment of silence between the three of them.

"Do they believe the rumors?" Luke asked after a while. He'd seen a guard outside his door. "The Alliance...do they think I joined the Empire?"

Leia shrugged helplessly. "Luke, they don't know what to believe. It certainly raised a few eyebrows the way you came back. No one can understand why you brought Vader back with you. Can you tell me?"

Luke closed his eyes. She saw only Darth Vader, the murderer of millions. How could he tell her that it was really Anakin Skywalker….his father?Not yet. She wouldn't understand.. "I can't."

Leia pressed her lips together in frustration. "Luke, it's me. Don't be afraid of the truth. Whatever it is, you can trust us." She took his arm and smiled when Han nodded his agreement.

Slowly Luke shook his head. While he knew and acknowledged the truth himself, he simply couldn't bring himself to tell his friends. A lump rose in his throat. "Leia, I...I'm sorry. I just...can't."

Clearly the subject was too difficult for him. Too-OneBe mentioned torture. Something terrible must have happened! Silently cursing Vader, she rubbed Luke's shoulder in comfort, then pulled him into a gentle hug. "It's all right. You don't have to talk about it right now."

Luke let out a shudder as his submitted to the hug. He knew Leia felt badly for him because she thought he had been traumatized by Vader. She saw him as emotionally fragile. While that was true- to some extent -Luke's main upset at that point was losing his father so soon after finding him...and his friends never understanding why he was so upset. He was able to smile when Han joined the hug.

A muffled call for Leia made her pull back. "Luke, I have to go now. But I'll be back, all right? Any time you need to talk...about anything...don't hesitate to ask. I'll be here." She squeezed his hand.

Han nodded his agreement. "That's right, buddy. We've got your back. Take it easy, 'kay?"

Luke managed a smile. "Okay. Good to see you, Han."

"You too, pal. Hang in there."

"I will."

And so, with a final parting from Leia, she and Han ducked out of Luke's room. The young pilot was left alone as his thoughts drifted toward his father.