14 New Beginnings
"Lydia, how…" Obi Wan's voice broke as they hobbled into the small hut that he had come to know as home.
Lydia shushed him as she eased him down onto the bed they shared. She lightly caressed his cheek, running her fingers through his auburn beard which was just starting to gray. "Shush, rest first, questions later."
She rushed into the small kitchen and began making tea. While the tea was steeping, she returned to his side and helped him out of his soiled robes. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked over his bruised and battered body.
"Oh, Ben…" She took a calming breath then reached for the med kit and began cleansing wounds. "I've never seen cuts like these before. If the skin hadn't been cauterized, you could have experienced terrible blood loss."
Obi Wan placed his hand over hers. "Lightsaber wounds, Lydia. You've read about them, but never seen them before."
She nodded, forcing herself to remain calm and focused on the task at hand as she carefully spread the bacta-ointment onto the wounds before covering them with a sterile gauze. She set the med kit aside as she rose to pour him a cup of tea.
Obi Wan frowned as he shifted onto his side, his muscles protesting the slight movement. "Lydia, how did you know where to find me?"
She paused as she stepped down into the small sleeping area with two mugs of tea. She thought back to the dream she had and the man with the soothing voice who warned her that Ben was in trouble. "I had a dream. A man calling himself Qui Gon told me you were hurt… that you needed my help. He told me where to find you."
"Qui Gon?" Obi Wan's eyes widened at hearing his master's name being whispered from her lips. "Qui Gon told you?"
She handed him the cup of tea as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Yes. I was dreaming I was in this beautiful garden." She smiled as her eyes took on a dreamy far away look. "Oh, Ben. I've never seen such beauty before in my life. It was so… colorful! The most gorgeous flowers! I can't ever even remember seeing flowers as these before! White and yellow, with lovely blue butterflies fluttering all about!"
Obi Wan was stunned. He had never told her about the meditation garden of his visions where he would often meet Qui Gon for their lessons. She described it exactly as he had always envisioned it. "A garden?"
She nodded. "Yes, it was so lush. I didn't want to leave!" A soft laugh escaped her lips. "Qui Gon looked so familiar to me. Even his voice sounded familiar. I can't explain it, Ben. But he told me that you needed me to wake up now, that you were wounded and needed my help. He called you Obi Wan."
She watched his face closely to gauge his reaction. A spark of wonder flitted across his features as his eyes widened slightly.
"Lydia, Obi Wan is the name I was born with. The name I used until I came here, to Tatooine, when the order fell." Obi Wan said quietly.
She set her mug down on the small bedside table. "I know that, now. Forgive me I continue to call you Ben. Obi Wan sounds like the name of a stranger to me."
Obi Wan set his mug beside hers, then pulled her down to lie next to him in the small bed. "I'll always be your Ben, my darling."
#
As the weeks passed, Obi Wan settled back into his routine as his body healed. He didn't speak of his failure to Lydia. Qui Gon, during their meditations, simply nodded when Obi Wan told him of his near defeat at the hands of Vader.
He sighed as he rolled his shoulders, the aches now beginning to fade from his encounter with the Sith lord. However, the ache deep inside of his heart, he knew that pain would never truly fade. It would always be with him, forever haunting him.
Obi Wan stirred the fire as he pulled his cloak tighter around him. He watched over the Lars homestead and thought of Luke. Lydia said the child was growing up quickly, but was still an affectionate boy, always happy to see her and would ask about him often when she had tea with Beru. Thinking of Luke gave him hope for the future.
Hope for the galaxy.
Hope for Anakin.
#
Lydia woke to find the bed beside her was empty. She sighed as she leaned over and turned on the small lamp on the bedside table. The small hut was cold as she wandered through the living area to turn on the heater. She pressed a worried hand to her stomach as she felt it lurch before fleeing into the refresher.
She poured some water into the basin to splash onto her pallid face. As she dried her face, she studied her pale reflection in the mirror above the basin. She ran her hand over her eyes, which had dark circles forming underneath them. Pressing the back of her hand over her forehead, she studied her temperature, which seemed normal. Perhaps it's just the stress of the last two months getting to me, she thought as she left the refresher to make some tea to help settle her stomach.
She curled up in the chair before the heater with her mug of tea while she waited for Ben to return home. She pressed her hand to her stomach, hoping she wasn't coming down with something. Even after all the contents from last night's meal came up, she still felt queasy. She took a cautious sip of tea as she reflected over the past weeks that passed slowly as Ben recovered.
She could tell by his defeated demeanor that he had failed his mission. She was just happy to have him home, and in one piece. He offered up a few details about Vader which left her chilled to the bone. Worry creased her brow as she remembered the deep gashes on his arms and sides from the lightsaber battle. Knowing what she now knew about Luke's father, when she visited Beru, she was extra cautious when Luke would ask her about Ben and why he hadn't seen him in so long. Now, she understood Owen's worry even more, but also Beru's.
Beru had argued for Ben to begin training Luke, but as the years passed… Beru lost that argument every time it was brought up to Owen. Beru worried that one day, Ben wouldn't be here to protect Luke.
Thinking of Vader, Lydia knew Luke would need the training that Ben offered to protect himself. So far, they had been lucky when the Jedi hunters had come to Tatooine. Hiding out in the Jungland Wastes and shielding his force abilities, Ben had been able to evade them over the years. Would Luke fare as well when his force abilities, hidden deep inside of him, decided to awaken? And, without Ben to help guide him through such a confusing time?
Lydia took another cautious sip of tea before sitting the cup down and fell back into an uneasy sleep.
Obi Wan entered the warmth of the hut to find Lydia curled up in the chair, fast asleep. Her mug of tea sat, now chilled, on the small table beside the chair. He smiled softly as he laid a blanket over her and tenderly swept the mass of blonde tresses away from her cheek. She stirred softly in her sleep as he brushed his lips on her forehead.
"Ben?"
Obi Wan frowned as he noticed the dark circles under her tired eyes. "Lydia, darling, are you unwell?" He crouched down beside her, while rubbing his thumb over her cheek.
"It's just stress, love." Lydia turned her face to lean into his hand. "I'll be fine."
Obi Wan's frown deepened as he took in her pale features. He rose to get the portable med scanner they kept with the med kit. "Perhaps you should go into Anchorhead later this morning and get checked out."
Lydia shook her head. "You know how I feel about doctors, Ben. No, it's probably just some bug."
Stubborn woman. Obi Wan activated the medical scanner. As he waved the scanner over her, his breath caught in his throat as he began reading the results. "Lydia…"
She sat up straighter in the chair. "What is it? What does it say?"
A smile split across his face. "You're pregnant."
#
"Doc, are you sure? I mean, at my age, this can't be right! There must be some mistake!" Lydia sat on the exam table while she waited for the doctor to give her the results from her test.
Doctor Forn looked back over the readout on his datapad as he shook his head and grinned. "The readings are correct, Lydia. According to the medbay scanner, you are at fourteen weeks gestation. How long have you been experiencing these symptoms?"
Lydia pressed a shaky hand to her temple. "The nausea, for weeks now. But, I just figured it was… you know, stress. I didn't think anything about my missing periods. I mean, I am forty-three years old."
Doctor Forn smiled kindly at her. "Yes, Lydia, but you are still a bit young for menopause to begin. You should have alerted me when this first started. The nausea should start to subside soon. Would you like to know the gender?"
Lydia's head snapped up. Without Ben? "No, I would rather wait."
The doctor chuckled. "That is unusual these days, but not unheard of. Overall, everything looks good. I'll see you next month for a checkup. Congratulations."
Lydia sat on the exam table in disbelief. She pressed her hands onto her abdomen. A baby? At my age?
#
The months passed quietly as they awaited the arrival of the baby, whom Obi Wan insisted was a girl. They argued over names but finally settled on naming the baby after their parents.
Beru was ecstatic over the news when Lydia told her over tea. She caught the concerned worried look in Owen's eyes as he overheard her telling Beru. One afternoon, Beru surprised her with a load of Luke's old baby things. When Ben helped her unload the box from the speeder, she noticed a far away look in his eyes as he held up the soft beige blanket that was folded neatly on top.
"Beru said that was the blanket Luke was swaddled in when you brought him to them when he was a baby." Lydia thought she saw tears beginning to well up in his eyes. "Are you alright, Ben?"
He brought the blanket up to his nose and sniffed. "Oh. Yes, darling. I'm fine. Just remembering Luke's mother."
Lydia nodded. She didn't know much about Luke's mother, other than her name, Padme, but she knew Obi Wan had thought fondly of the young woman. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against him. "Everything is going to be okay. It's not going to end like that."
Padme probably thought that too, Obi Wan thought sadly as he set the blanket back on top of the box. He turned in her arms and placed his hands on her swollen belly. He could feel the baby move and kick under his palms, bringing a smile to his face. The baby was strong and healthy, as was Lydia. "I know."
A few months later they welcomed their auburn haired daughter into the world. They named her after both their mother's. Mara, for Lydia's mother, and Jade, for Obi Wan's.
Obi Wan felt a swell of love he had never known was possible as he held the tiny girl in his arms.
His Mara Jade.
#
***A/N***
Happy Holidays! I was going to wait until Monday to post this chapter but with tomorrow being Christmas, I thought I would post it early! Have a wonderful holiday, and as always, thank you for reading! ~ Cheers! Nia