A/N: This idea actually was asked by Braggy here on Fanfiction, loved the idea I went with it. So you can thank Braggy for coming up with this idea. I actually have a bunch of ideas written down for this story and am surprised with myself for not coming with the scenario myself. Anyways here it is.
It was early in the morning when Hera and Ezra were the medbay unwrapping Ezra's wrist from the bandages that had helped his wrist heal from his time as a prisoner. Hera could hardly believe it had been almost two weeks since they rescued little Ezra from the hands of the imperials, but his injured wrist reminded Hera where he once was and was more than happy to get rid of that temporary reminder.
"Okay Ezra, how does your wrist feel?" Hera asked Ezra.
Ezra turned his wrist around and smiled, "We're good." Ezra said happily, "Thank you Hera."
Hera just smiled at her little guy before telling him, "You don't need to thank me Ezra, but I want you to be careful," Hera said as she ruffled Ezra's hair before jokingly telling him, "Don't want to see you back in here unless it is to go to bed. Okay?"
Ezra just smiled at her and told her, "Okay," Ezra then asked, "Can Chopper and I go chase lothcats now?"
"Sure go have some fun," Hera approved, as he was heading out the door she yelled out towards him, "Tell Chopper not to shock any of them this time."
"Will do," Ezra hollered back.
Ezra and Chopper were yet again out on their lothcat hunts. The two had been doing these hunts every other day since Ezra had joined the crew. The two would normal do their hunts after lunch, most of their hunts though were less hunting and more of chasing the cats around to see who could find the most.
While Chopper was one in the distant, Ezra found one sleeping out in the open on top of a rock. Ezra looked at it peacefully sleeping. Ezra tried to quietly approach it in an order to pet it, but just as he reached his hand out, the cat awoke and attacked.
"AW!" Ezra cried out, grabbing his scratched up arm.
As the Lothcat ran off from the boy, Ezra saw the damage the cat left on him. His right arm now had three clawed scratch marks that went from his mid-forearm to his wrist. Ezra looked at it carefully. It wasn't bleeding too much, and he remembered what Hera had said, he didn't want her mad at him. Also Ezra knew that if Hera would be mad, so would Kanan.
Besides, Ezra has had way worse, so he rolled his arm sleeve back down and ignored it to find Chopper. Ezra soon forgot about the scratches, but that was only for a little while.
That night, his arm started to bleed again when he moved it, so he relied on his other arm that night to get comfortable in his bed. Over the next few days Ezra noticed his arm became redder around the scratches and some strange green mucous started to drip from around the edges, and he couldn't help but notice some swelling happening with his arm as well. Ezra couldn't even touch his arm after two days. He knew he should tell Hera or Kanan, but they have been so nice to him and he didn't want them to be mad at him, so he let his fear overcloud his better judgement.
A few days later though while Sabine and Zeb brought some supplies to Tarkintown, Hera had enlisted Kanan, Ezra and Chopper to help clean up the outside of the Ghost.
While they were cleaning up the top of the Ghost, Kanan and Hera noticed Ezra was being a little off, he was cleaning, but seemed to be doing it at a slow pace, like he was tired or something.
"Does Ezra look off to you?" Hera asked Kanan
"He probably is just a little tired. Let's be honest though, cleaning the ship isn't the most exciting job." Kanan assured Hera. As she went to clean the window of the turret, Kanan decided to approach the little guy.
Ezra was cleaning near the top of the blaster when Kanan approached him. Upon closer inspection, Kana noticed Ezra not only looked tired, but he looked like he was in pain, that was when Kanan noticed Ezra was holding his right arm close to himself.
"Ezra, are you okay?" Kanan asked.
Ezra began to climb down from the blasters as he told Kanan, "I think I am," Ezra smiled at Kanan, "Why?" he asked.
"Just checking on you little buddy," Kanan said as he patted Ezra's head. While Ezra smiled at Kanan's sign of affection, Kanan became concerned as he felt the heat radiating from Ezra's skin. Kanan then knelt down next to Ezra and felt his cheek, it was just as warm.
"Kid you seem a bit warm, you sure you're feeling okay?" Kanan asked Ezra again.
Ezra though just began to back up a bit before replying, "Yeah I'm fine. I just-,"
Ezra walking back didn't notice the wet surface of the Ghost that Chopper had just mopped up and slipped on it. Ezra would have fallen onto his back if Kanan hadn't caught him. But catching Ezra by his right arm just might have been as worse as Ezra let out a cry in pain the moment Kanan grabbed his arm.
"OW!" Ezra cried out as Kanan steadied him back onto his feet only for Ezra to kneel down, crying in pain as Ezra was cradling his arm.
"Kid!" Kanan yelled out for his injured padawan's attention, catching the attention of the twi'lek, causing her to run towards the situation, as she was though Kanan was figuring out what was going on.
"Kid, what's wrong? Are you-," Kanan's thoughts were interrupted when he noticed blood in his hand, the one he caught Ezra with.
Kanan calmed down his voice, "Kid, let me look at your arm.
Ezra just shook his head, but Kanan told him sternly, "Kid let me see your arm, right now."
Ezra knew he had to show him, so he gently let go of his arm. Kanan then gently rolled up the boys sleeve and saw what was causing the boy so much pain; Ezra's arm was infected from some scratches on his arm. The arm was swelled up, puss now oozing out form the edges along with some blood. When Kanan touched it to see how sore it was, Ezra yet again let out a cry in pain, but the heat form the wound helped Kanan realize that this scratches were at least a few days old.
"Come on kid, we need to get this cleaned up." Kanan told the crying child as he picked him up.
Hera then finally approached the two, freaking out when she saw Ezra crying, "What's going on? Ezra are you okay?"
Ezra though only began to cry harder into Kanan's shoulder, but the two grownups were able to make out what Ezra was saying in between his sobs,
"I'm sorry Hera." Ezra would only repeat his apology to the twi'lek until the three and Chopper got to the medbay
Once in the medbay Hera began to clean up the wounds on Ezra's arm, Ezra would occasionally flinch, but the whole time kept his head down and his eyes closed, like he was terrified to look at Kanan and Hera. Ezra also was now quite, beside the occasional sniffle. Hera would look at Kanan sadly, she didn't want to say it, but she was hurt Ezra was scared to come to her about his wound.
As Hera had finished up wrapping up the now cleaned up injury, Kanan sat down next to Ezra on the bed.
"Kid I need you to look at me," Kanan told Ezra, but he only kept his head down, "Ezra, look at me." Kanan said more sternly.
Ezra looked up at Kanan with his teary blue eyes full of fear,
"Ezra, when did you get hurt?" Kanan asked calmly, trying to assure Ezra he wasn't in trouble.
Ezra looked back down a bit before he answered, "A few days ago when Chopper and I were chasing Lothcats, "Ezra explained, "One of them scratched me."
Hera then asked a question as she came back from the cabinet to retrieve something, "Why didn't you tell us though hun?"
Ezra just kept looking down, "Because I didn't want you to get mad at me." He said as he wiped up the tears threatening to roll down his face.
Hera was now both hurt and confused, "Why would you think I'd be mad at you for getting hurt?"
Ezra told her "You said you didn't want to see me in here unless it was for bed. I didn't want you guys to be mad that I got hurt again, and I know that guys are mad at me now."
"Oh sweetie," Hera whispered as she sat down on Ezra's other side to hug him, "Ezra I was joking," she began to explain, "I don't like seeing you hurt, but if you are ever hurt I want you to come to Kanan, me, or anyone here before it can get this bad," Hera told the little guy as she indicated towards his wrapped up arm.
"So you guys aren't mad at me?" Ezra asked the two nervously.
Kanan took over the explanation, telling him assuring "We're mad that you didn't tell us you were hurt, but we aren't mad at you. But next time something like this happens, we want you to tell us, not hide it. Okay?"
Ezra gave a weak smile, "Okay," but something still bugged him, "But why did this scratch get bad, none of my others one did."
While Kanan knew what he was talking about Hera was going to ask, but Kanan looked at her without Ezra noticing. Hera understood. So Kanan took over explaining.
"Because these scratches were a lot deeper then ones you got before, so it caused a lot more pain, does that make sense kid?"
Ezra though about before smiling and nodding that he understood.
Hera then got out some fever reducers for Ezra. While it was more of a high temperature then a fever, Hera gave him one to lower it down.
"Now Ezra these might make you a little sleepy, but will help you feel a little better."
Ezra just nodded and swallowed it down with some juice Chopper had brought in.
"Now Ezra, be honest, is your arm still bugging you,
Ezra just looked at it, and replied, "It feels better, but…"
"What?" Hera asked the kid as he trailed off.
Ezra then held his wrapped up arm up to her, "Can you kiss it?"
Hera and Kanan just looked at each other and smiled at the boy's innocent question.
Hera took Ezra's arm and kissed it gently, "Now does it feel better?"
Ezra nodded happily before he let out a big yawn.
Kanan picked up Ezra's feet onto the bed and then laid down a blanket over him, "Try to sleep off the pain okay little guy. Get better." Kanan whispered to the sleeping child.
Kanan and Hera left the medbay and head to the cockpit to wait for Zeb and Sabine to come back home.
"That fever reducer should keep him a sleep for maybe an hour or two," Kanan told Hera "We should keep an eye on the wound to make sure it's healing right."
Kanan then noticed Hera was quiet, something he was not used to,
"Hera, are you ok?" Kanan asked.
Hera looked at him and asked what she already knew, "There are more, aren't their?"
Kanan knew what she was talking about; Hera was talking about more scratches marks on Ezra, ones that Ezra received from both the harsh streets and the ruthless Empire.
Kanan had to be honest, "Yeah," Kanan then explained to Hera what Zeb told him the day after Ezra officially joined the crew, "One of Ezra's cuts reopened the day we were in Capitol city. Zeb saw a lot of them." Kanan let that sink a bit.
Hera then looked at him, her emerald green eyes full of sadness and sympathy for the boy,
"But that's why he is with us now," Kanan assured Hera as he took his loves hand, "To make sure he never gets hurt like that again."
Hera and Kanan then took each other into their embraces, each taking in the others warmth and comfort. Chopper even patted the two's arm, letting them know it was going to be okay.
Over the next few days, Ezra's arm healed up quickly, only showing three small scars, once it was completely healed up. Hera knew that she couldn't do anything for what happened to Ezra in the past. Hera and the other knew they couldn't guarantee Ezra wouldn't ever get hurt again, but they would be there for him when he needed them, just as he would be there for them when they needed him as well.
