Ben
I bolted awake with a gasp, not recognizing the room I was in, and frantically looked around for Rey.
I saw the faces of my Knights instead, pale and drawn, and dread settled in my stomach as I noticed that the Bond was cold and silent.
I tried to sit up, but my left leg was useless, throbbing dully where a bacta bandage was wrapped tightly around it.
There was blood everywhere. On me, on the floor, on the thin white sheet that covered my right leg and pelvic region. I noticed then that I was nude, my clothing most likely having been cut away by the medics.
I pushed myself up on my elbows, and took a breath.
"She's in a room down the hall." Ap'lek said, knowing my first question would be about Rey's whereabouts.
I moved to get up, to go to her, but Trudgen put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me.
"If you put any weight on that leg, you'll rip it open again." Ap'lek explained. "We will take you to Rey, but you need to know how bad it is."
The dread in my stomach rolled, and I had to remind myself to breathe. "You can tell me how bad it is after you take me to her." I said, my voice shaking.
They moved then, the three of them coming to help me up, and I leaned on Trudgen as Ap'lek put a black robe on me to cover my nakedness and tied the sash.
I put an arm over Ap'lek and Trugden as they gripped me firmly around my waist, and we walked, each movement sending spears of agony through my leg.
I gritted my teeth against the pain, though grunts still erupted from my throat.
When we turned into the doorway of Rey's room, I was thankful Trudgen and Ap'lek were there to hold me up.
The first thing I noticed were all the tubes and lines hooked to her. She was unnaturally still, her chest rising and falling with the puff of the machine next to her. I reached out for her through the Bond, for some spark of life, of warmth, of...Rey. But, she wasn't there.
She wasn't there because I couldn't protect her.
A doctor turned, and frowned at me. "Supreme Leader." He bowed. "We've identified four of the six substances, Sir. One is paraleptin, which causes respiratory failure. Another is Tritoximlnate, which acts as an anticoagulant. There's a paralytic, which is a nerve toxin, it makes her body unresponsive, and a weaponized form of Tisyn-C, which causes confusion, delirium, and, has the possibility of causing long term effects such as dementia."
"What about the antidote to these?" I asked, unable to look away from Rey.
The doctor shook his head. "Our supply records say that we have them on hand, but when we went to retrieve them, they were missing"
"Hux must have destroyed them." Trudgen snarled. "He planned this, knowing he wouldn't win."
But, he had won.
When Rey had last seen him, he'd told her that he would not hurt me, he'd make me watch him hurt her. And, as promised, he'd hurt her, and he was making me watch.
"We've contacted the manufacturer of the antidotes, and they're being rushed to us." The doctor said.
"That's not good enough." I growled. "She can't wait that long." The effort to stay upright was excruciating, and I panted as I looked over to Ushar. "Send tie fighters there to get the antidotes and bring them back."
He bowed his head respectfully and promptly left to see that it was done.
"The other two," The doctor went on. "Are made from the blood of ysalimiri. One is mutated from the other, but there are no known antidotes for either."
One was most likely what I'd been poisoned with, what had nearly killed me before Rey brought me the antidote.
"All we can do is try to manage her symptoms as they come." The doctor explained. "Combat the fever, control the internal bleeding, and try and keep her comfortable."
His blue-grey eyes held something like genuine remorse as he sighed and said. "I was ordered by your Knights to save this woman at all costs."
My throat grew tight. "But you can't."
He shook his head. "I can't."
Though I was expecting his honesty, it was still a solid punch to my heart. I looked to Rey again.
Not saving her was not an option. "Do what you have to do to heal me." I told him.
Mutated meant that someone, under the employ of Hux, had taken that poison and they'd altered it.
And that was someone I could, and would find.
oOo
Author's note:
I may or may not have been using Enter The Dragon as background noise while writing this chapter. Hence the name ;)
