The air feels thick and heavy as the man she knows to be Ben stands before her. He's older now, by several years in fact but he looks the same as he did on that rooftop all those years ago. Han is looking between them curiously, his brows quirked in a playfully mischievous manner as he settles on his son who is looking a mix of shocked, panicked and stunned all at the same time.
"It's…" Ben starts, his voice soft and full of childlike wonder as a smile quirks his lips and he points at her.
"Rey," she says and she's sure she's blushing now, lost in this surreal moment as his dark eyes take her in. His tie is black she observes, it's loosened as if he's been working at it anxiously. His mouth, those full kissable lips move as if to speak but he falls short and Rey finds she likes this level of light fluster about him.
"Yeah… I remember." he finally says shaking his head in a moment of bewilderment only to be drawn from it by his father.
Han is clearly amused by the interaction, Rey can feel as he shifts back against the wheelchair, his shoulders bumping her hands, "And here I was thinking this was about me," he jokes. Ben looks ashamed, suddenly suppressing his smile as he focuses on his father. The lack of attention is disappointing and yet a relief at the same time. Rey feels like she can breathe now that his eyes aren't holding her in her place.
"Dad, shit, yeah. You ok?" Ben asks, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "Where's mom?"
"In the room asleep, you didn't bring her a change of clothes?" Han asks sharply as he looks around his son to see the only item he carries is the light blazer draped across his forearm. "Kid, come on now."
It's at that moment the hurried flutter of feet sound from down the hallway. When Rey turns she sees Maz and a rush of interns at her heels. Cade and Harper are back looking quite sheepish as Kaydel stops alongside Doctor Kanata. "Ben, it's good to see you," she says pleasantly, "I suggest we all go have a seat in Han's room I have some things we need to discuss."
Han mutters, "Well that's never good," as Kaydel tries to scoop the wheelchair away from Rey. It's pointless though as Rey pushes forward indicating with a nod of her head which door is Han's so Ben can hold it open. As she brushes passed, he smiles at her in a way that makes her cheeks flush and her heart flutter. It's been a long time since a man has made her feel such a state of unease and the unprofessionalism of it makes it even worse.
The bustling wakes Leia up, her dark eyes laden with sleep as she shifts out of the bed to make room for Han. Maz is muttering with the interns Han calls 'Ding and Dong' which Rey finds rather amusing and Ben has his mother wrapped in a deep hug before draping his jacket over the back of a chair. Rey, unsure what to do with herself fills the idle time organizing Han's wires and tucking away equipment that is no longer needed. She's extra in the room, unneeded for this part but Maz tells her she needs her to stay so she does.
It's an odd family picture, Han and his wondrous stare sitting in a hospital bed as his wife stands by utterly dwarfed by their tall and very handsome son. She has her glasses pushed up on the top of her head, her dark eyes lined with exhaustion and worry as Maz begins to explain what the scans have shown. Han has had another series of small heart attacks, like spasms in the muscle. The problem is his pacemaker is now starting to malfunction on top of a rather dangerous blockage that appears to have formed. He's lucky he's even upright at this point.
"You're a stubborn old man Han, this time it may have saved your life." Maz quips trying to keep the conversation light despite the seriousness of the situation. He'll need surgery and the sooner the better. Maz wants to address the blockage and see how bad the damage is which will mean a bypass surgery and replacing the pacemaker. The worry is the damage done to the heart due to the minor spasms. She won't know until she's in but she's hoping there won't be a need for more work than that
The room is still, even Han has to take a moment to process the information. His joking smile is gone as he stares at Maz his mouth agape, "So, this is serious," he says finally.
Leia looks mortified, Ben a stonewall of unreadable harsh lines. Rey finds her mind slowly tracing over the fine detail of his profile, focusing on those incredible lips. When he looks up to see her staring those lips quirk in a quiet knowing smile which causes her to flush and quickly look away. She hasn't heard much of what is being said but apparently, they're talking to her because everyone in the room now, not just Ben is looking at her.
Han says, "What do you say kiddo?" as she flounders and looks between him and Doctor Kanata. Only Ben looks briefly amused, chuckling softly to himself only to catch an elbow to the gut from his mother.
"I'm so sorry I missed that completely," she says with an apologetic grin.
Maz gives her a look she's starting to recognize as fond irritation, "Are you ok if I steal you from Emergency for the next few days? I'll run it by Holdo of course but you're one of the few nurses with cardiac rehabilitation training and the family already knows you."
Rey is stunned by the request, her face betraying her emotions as she gives a curt nod, swallowing hard as she agrees, "Yeah, yeah that would be fine." she says easily enough.
Han looks pleased, even Leia smiles softly. Maz continues to explain her plan outlining projected timelines and essential needs. It's going to mean a bit of a stay in the hospital and a jigging around of Rey's schedule but Maz exudes a confidence that puts everyone at ease.
When she opens the floor for questions, Han is the first to speak up, "Well I don't know about the procedure, I'll trust you there, what I really want to know is how Ben knows the kid here?"
Everything stops.
Rey's skin crawls as all the eyes on the room settle on her again. It's like that dream where you show up to school and realize you're in nothing but your underwear. Maz is starting to look irritated but Rey can't tell if it's at Han, the late hour or possibly Rey for her blatant unprofessionalism. Leia looks like she wants to say something, she's primed to give Han another swat for his joking but then turns her attention to Ben. It's Ben who gives them away, his deep whiskey-colored eyes staring at her with an intensity she's often seen in her dreams.
There's a secrecy in his smile that only she knows the truth of as he worries a hand through his hair pushing it back and out of his eyes. She wonders if he remembers if it was as meaningful to him as it had been for her. A moment longer and she's back there, on that roof, at that party and he's everywhere for her again as if years hadn't passed and they weren't two completely different people now.
Her phone vibrates in her pocket and sheer panic settles into her bones. She's falling through a series of emotions that are too large for her to comprehend in one untamed moment. Still, he's watching her, she wonders if he can sense her panic, the way the back of her neck heats up beneath his gaze.
Maz makes a noise of irritation which stirs Rey from her mindful wanderings and she's back in the room again. "As thrilling as that may be. I have procedures to schedule and a surgery to plan. Rey, I trust…" Doctor Kanata pins Rey beneath her knowing stare. She's searching for the truth of the matter as though suddenly now it means something or makes a difference. Rey steels her resolve and nods, "good," she checks her watch absently, waving Ding and Dong out of the room with a twirl of her finger, "You're off in…"
"At Seven," Rey clarifies.
Nodding Maz says something to Kaydel quietly and the intern is off quickly, "Come and touch base with me before you leave." She's pulling her phone from her pocket and thumbing through her messages, "alright, I have to go, they need me in the trenches. Han, you have my number?" it's Leia who confirms as Maz adjusts her glasses and then turns her attention back to Rey. "You get me if anything changes," she says firmly.
"And only you," Rey assures her, "You got it. Do you want me to round on a few other patients on this floor since I'm up here?" she asks, trying to be helpful, trying to seem like more than the flighty teenage girl she's starting to feel like, trying to give herself space from Ben Solo and his intensely intoxicating stare.
Maz is halfway to the door when she turns, "No, I have Cade and Harper running point on that," she says with a wicked grin, "interns need to learn." and she's gone before Rey can ask anything else.
The room is quiet, but the focus is back on her. She's making excuses to get blankets and offers to go and get Leia a coffee or something to eat when Han stops her dead, "No, I think we need to hear how you two know each other." he says with a grin.
Her phone vibrates again and she's thrown back into the reality of it all. He's not just a fantasy, the image of a boy who she met once and never saw again. He's here and there's so much tied to it that it makes her want to be sick. It's not just those lips or that smile. It's everything he means.
"We met at a party once," Ben informs them easily as if it was nothing. Maybe it was nothing to him or maybe he's trying to throw them off their search for meaning in something he's not ready to share with anyone else.
Leia is nodding slowly, she wants more information, she's not happy with the bare minimum but Ben is tight-lipped so she turns her attention onto Rey with a kind warming smile, "Is that all?" Does she see it? Can they hear her heartbeat hammering against her chest as she tries desperately to gain footing and process all of this information at once?
"What party?" Han asks roughly, "When was the last time you went to a party?" It sounds like he's accusing Ben of something. Like he's accusing him of having fun. The man she met knew fun, he was wild and free and reckless. This man, this dressed in a three-piece suit fellow, he doesn't have the same glow of life. He's subdued and quiet and by the set of his shoulders wound incredibly tight. "When was the last time you had time for anything fun?"
"Dad," Ben admonishes, "I have fun,"
"It was what, four years ago now? Five?" Rey offers casually, "Hanna House at the University of Chandrilla."
Han and Leia share a look but Rey is too focused on escaping this conversation to really process what it may have meant. "Some impression," Leia muses and Rey is pretty sure she can detect the faintest glimmer of a blush creeping up Ben's neck, the tips of his ears sticking out beneath his hair a faint crimson.
Ben laughs as he works his hand over the back of his neck, "Yeah that sounds about right. So you're a nurse now," his observational astuteness is astounding.
"Your father's nurse," she tells him, her lips pressed together as she nods her confirmation. Her phone vibrates against her hip again and she's about to try and excuse herself when the door starts to slide open slowly. Rey, sure it's one of the interns returning with equipment of some kind swoops in to hold the heavy metal slab open. It isn't an intern at all but a tall blonde woman, her arms laden with goods. She's devastatingly beautiful with cherubic cheeks and a sweet mouth. Her skin is fair in a way that makes her glow, her short asymmetrical hair curled in a retro sweep pinned against her head. Her makeup is flawless as is her dress, a simple black number that clings tightly to her frame ending mid-thigh and showing off miles worth of long legs.
She enters with a smile chirping a friendly, "Thanks love," as she sweeps into the room. Her lilting accent and perfumed aroma making Rey dizzy. In her arms, she carries a tray full of coffees with a brown bag perched in the middle, a black coat, a large teal handbag and a knapsack. "Cheers," she says by way of dismissing Rey as she starts divesting herself of the items bogging her down.
"Han, Leia!" she kisses Han on the cheek as he rumbles his hello and then she wraps Leia up in a warm hug. "I've brought you clothes, coffee and treats. I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner but we had the driver drop Ben off as soon as our flight got in." her words are a rush of accented apology as she finds herself at Ben's side. Her arm winding around his back as she presses her ruby red lips to his cheek and continues after muttering a 'hello darling,' into his ear. "I went and picked up some things and came as quick as I could.
Leia gives the woman arm a soft squeeze of thanks and smiles, "I appreciate that Gwen, how was your trip?"
"Oh delightful, all Ben did was work of course," she never seemed to stop talking, her voice like something out of a movie, the Sound of Music or Mary Poppins. Very Julie Andrews in nature. "I think we'll do Naboo again though." she says with a flourish, "But never mind that, have you seen a doctor yet? what's happening?"
Ben's voice is a low rumble, almost as if embarrassed as he speaks to this Gwen at his side. His words are directed at the blonde but his eyes linger surreptitiously towards Rey, "Dad needs surgery, his pacemakers not working properly and he has a blockage so they're going to fix it."
Rey feels confused and an odd pang of jealousy as she watches the blonde woman, rub her hand against Ben's back. She is comfortable here with their family and it makes Rey feel a rush of something she can't quite identify. Her phone is vibrating again causing her to cast her eyes to the clock in the corner. It's nearly one am. That deep-seated curious feeling melts into a state of panic as she realizes this isn't the first time her phone has gone off in the last few minutes. She feels trapped, needing to check the incoming texts but stuck in this strange void of emotional hell. Ben looks awkwardly uneasy as Gwen and Leia fall into conversation, Han accenting the discussion with witty remarks and comments of annoyance.
When she shifts at the corner of the room wondering if she can slip out unnoticed, her movement draws Gwen's attention and she finds herself pinned beneath icy blue eyes lined with masterfully drawn dark eyeliner. Rey could never get her makeup to look like that, not with all the youtube tutorials in the world. She'd end up looking like a drag queen and not a good one. "Oh hello there," Gwen purrs sweetly, "I'm sorry dear, I didn't see you there, and who are you?"
It's Han who perks up, his grin broad and full of mischief as he says, "That's the kid," his tone is full of a fondness that's heartwarming and despite the irritation at not being acknowledged by her name, Rey likes the way 'kid' sounds when Han says it.
"Surely she has a name." Gwen chastises Han.
"Rey," Ben says a little too quickly, Leia is casting him a careful glance but Gwen is breezing passed the way Rey's name sounds on his lips, "Her name is Rey."
Another vibration, longer this time, an incoming call. She knows this can't be good, she has to leave the room and quickly so that she can answer the phone but doesn't want to seem rude. She's torn between professional pride and personal duty.
Once the conversation veers away from her again she excuses herself but not before making eye contact with Ben one last time. She doesn't have time to contemplate the level of emotion swelling within those curiously dark eyes as she darts out of the room. There's a series of comments, voices curious and raised as she slips out into the alcove but Ben is at her back before she has time to pull her phone out of her pocket. He probably thinks she's upset about the gorgeous blonde but she can't even bring herself to mull over those thoughts as her phone vibrates again, it's only seconds from the last call. Panic is setting in making her chest heave, her breaths falling in labored pants.
He's there and he sees her, his eyes roving over her the way they had four years ago. He's all around her, his form large and imposing as he cocks his head to the side trying to gauge her reaction. He's looking for answers where there are none. He was a lovely fantasy but his presence if nothing more then an oversized complication that she needs to escape.
Then he looks hurt, "You never called me," he says as if she's owed him that. As if he'd been thinking about that fact for the past four years. She hates it and him because it's something she has thought about too. When she allows herself a moment to dwell on the past and all that has brought her to who she is now. He wants answers from her, she can see it in his eyes but she isn't sure what she's suppose to say to him.
"I tried," her voice sounds hollow even to her own ears but it's not him she's upset about. "I didn't know anything about you and you just disappeared." she tries to reinforce the steel in her voice like she's over this, beyond that now. "Life moves on Ben," she tells him sadly. "You knew where I was."
Ben looks hurt, maybe remorseful, "I came back a year later and you weren't there." he tells her now and her heart bleeds warmth into her soul, broken and raw. She can't do this now. Her phone vibrates again and she's pushing away from him.
"I moved," is all she offers him, "I called you twice. The first time no one answered the second time the number as out of service. What were you doing anyway, slumming with the college kids?"
He opens his mouth to explain when one of Maz's interns appears at the end of the hallway. He looks frightened, wide-eyed and he's moving towards them quickly. His large green eyes dart away from her as though he's afraid. Of what she isn't sure but when he stops in front of them he doesn't make eye contact with Ben. He's looking at her as if he doesn't want to say what he's come here to saw. The bottom drops out of her world, she's trying to hold herself upright and without thinking she grabs onto Ben, her fingers groping at the flesh of his forearm.
"Holdo," the intern says and Rey feels her heart shatter, she can't see correctly, the world is spinning on its axis. Her phone isn't vibrating anymore, it's silent against her hip telling her what she already knows.
"Where?" Rey demands, "Where?" She says again, her voice stricken with unbridled panic. Ben's hand is at her back in a way that is far too intimate, his touch hot even through her sweater and scrub top.
Harper is reaching out for her but he's afraid to touch her, "They're in trauma right now, you… you really need to go." he says. He's not afraid to touch her, he's just afraid she realizes.
Warm hot claws are dragging over her insides shredding her lungs and throat as she tries to steady her breathing. "You'll stay with them?" She asks and Harper nods.
"Doctor Kanata is with them too and Doctor Kalonia."
She's repeating the names in her head, "Holdo, Kanata, and Kalonia?" The intern nods, his eyes urging her to go. "Poe and Finn?" she asks, forgetting that Harper likely had no idea who her two roommates were.
"There are two men yes, and…"
"Fuck," Rey cries and her knees buckle, Ben has her by the elbow but she's pulling away, "Fuck fuck fuck," her voice shakes and she has to will herself to be strong. There's a question on Ben's face and somewhere in the back of her mind, she can see Gwen opening the door wide, Leia at her side looking into the hallway questioningly.
She doesn't know when she started to move, just that her legs are carrying her away faster then she thought possible. She's running down the hallway, dodging nurses with carts and interns who aren't paying attention. When she comes to a stop in front of the elevator she presses the button. Once, Twice, three times. She's stabbing her finger at it repeatedly as she takes a step back to look at the metal box's progress. It's slow and her heartbeat is thumping against her chest with such ferocity that she feels sick. It's either that or the stress or maybe the fear. She presses the button again and again but the number is stuck on three and she needs to get to the main floor.
Frustration mingles with panic and she beats her palms against the metal doors as if it's going to change something. A nurse comes out from one of the rooms and tells her to keep it down or they're calling security. Rey merely curses and throws herself down the hallway, her sneakers squeaking loudly as she rounds a corner and finds the stairwell. She takes the stairs two and three at a time, vaulting down them with her hand steadied on the railing. Her feet slip out from underneath her once and she curses as her knees collide with the floor. It's hard and painful but she can't stop to think about that. Her phone vibrates again and she can't think to answer it now because nothing matters more than getting to the main level. She has to get to trauma.
When she hits the bottom, she throws herself against the doors and bursts through. She's near the nurse's station where Jyn looks up at her questioningly. She says something but Rey can't hear her over the force of blood pumping in her ears, adrenaline coursing through her like a live wire. She takes off, brushing passed Kaydel and Beaumont who are talking heatedly. One says something but it doesn't matter.
Trauma is a sea of faces all swirling around before her. Some lookup hoping that they're to be called next. She looks like every other nurse in the department, black scrubs, hair pulled up in a messy sort of bun. It's a pretty standard look and someone is asking her when it's going be their turn. She looks at them wide-eyed as they approach her. She sees their mouth moving but the buzzing sound in her head is too loud. The triage nurse comes out from behind her sliding glass partition and sees, Rey. It's Jannah, her brilliant face a grim line as she approaches on nimble feet and sweeps her away from the patient who won't stop talking. Jannah has her by the biceps and she's leading her through the doors to the far west. Of course, they wouldn't be in the waiting area, not with Luke as sick as he was. The doctors would have him out back in one of the trauma bays, probably nine, it's the largest and furthest away from prying eyes. Her friend is speaking softly, trying to instruct her, fill her in on what has happened but all she catches are words like, high temperature and seizure and Rey's body can't handle anymore of it.
Shock is beginning to set in, her limbs feel numb and useless like she's floating now. Everything is happening far too quickly but people are moving slow. The hallway is long and never-ending but still her feet glide across the floor. Her phone falls out of her pocket at one point and Jannah hurries back to pick it up, stuffing it in the deep recesses of Rey's front scrub pockets.
Further down she can see Poe and Finn, they're standing in the hallway outside of a room staring in. Poe has his hand covering his mouth while Finn stands hugging himself. His arms wrapped awkwardly around his torso. They're both wearing flannel pajama pants, Poe's are speckled with something wet and pale. Her friends are the only thing in focus now, Poe's brown leather jacket in stark contrast with his blue and white plaid while Finn is sporting an old soccer jersey, thick-necked cardigan and black and grey plaid pants. When they see her, the world around her erupts. She's being pulled and pushed all at once. Finn is demanding to know why she hasn't answered her phone, his voice ringing with a panic that matches her rising need to vomit. Poe is telling him to calm down and let her breathe but all Rey can ask is, "Where is he?"
Jannah is gone, Rey doesn't know when she left but Poe and Finn have her held between them as Poe gives her the rational facts. She only half hears them her eyes wide and searching.
From the room beyond them she hears someone holler, "He's seizing again," and her legs give out, She's on the floor and Finn is calling for help. The ground beneath her is cold compared to the heat rising off of her skin. She feels like she's on fire and the world around her is bleeding with colors and lights. She can hear Doctor Kanata speaking softly to her, trying to get her to focus. She knows she needs to be strong but she doesn't know if she has it in her. She feels guilty and weak and all she wants to do is wrap her arms around him and know that he'll be ok.
Maz is saying her name, her small hands are on Rey's face. They've gotten her into a chair in the hallway. Had that always been there? Finn is at the open doorway and Rey can see movement inside. She hears Doctor Holdo ordering people around. Interns swim in and out of the room like bees around a hive and Rey wants to scream at them to get away from him, let the doctors do their job.
She's angry with herself and so she's angry at everyone. They had better not be using him as a teaching tool. This was not a god damn teaching moment. She wants to say so but the words won't come out of her mouth. She can feel Maz's hands again, she's snapping her fingers in front of Rey's face the sound echoing as though it were coming from an empty hallway.
"Focus girl, focus." she's telling her softly. "They have this, you need to breathe."
Right breathing is important. She can feel her body relax as she steadies the intake of air coming into her body. She must have been holding her breath. Hyperventilating maybe?
"I need to be with him." she cries softly, raising her head to see a short bald man with large glasses and a strange little beard walk into the room. It takes her a moment before she recognizes Doctor Akbar their head of neurology and she's looking to Maz with a renewed sort of panic.
"He's seizing, we thought it was febrile at first, we're trying to get his temperature down but we don't think it's the fever causing it." Maz's voice is like cotton, some of the words sound crisp while others are far away, too distant from her comprehension. "We just want to be sure but we can't do an MRI until he stops and we have him stable."
Poe is at her side, he has her hand in his. It's warm and soft from years of wearing gloves at work. It's comforting and still making her realize how cold and clammy her own feel, "His fever spiked and he started to vomit again," that's the mess on his pants Rey realizes, "We called 911 and when they loaded him in the ambulance he started to seize."
Her heart feels like its being choked, squeezed through a vice until she can't breathe. "I need to see him," she says softly, her voice less a whimper now, and more of a desperate plea.
Maz says something about looking into it while Poe slides his arm around her. He's rubbing her back with a relentless firmness that is both comforting and sure. Looking for Maz she can see Finn starting to pace. He's not good in hospitals, he hates them as a rule and this experience is likely the nail in that coffin.
"There are too many people in there," he complains as another intern comes out. They seem to be emptying the room now, slipping away like wisps of smoke avoiding eye contact with Rey and her friends. The interns are skittish little lambs most days but this is sheer terror, none of them have been prepared on how to handle emotional family interactions yet and they have to work with Rey, the golden girl, the doctor's favorite.
When Maz returns she takes Rey's hands in her own. They're small and dark against Rey's tanned flesh. The contrast is a distraction but Doctor Kanata is saying her name softly, again, begging her to look up, to focus on her. "We're moving him to a room," she says quietly, looking over her shoulder as Amilyn Holdo makes her approach. Her pink scrubs are bright and cheery, they make Rey laugh in an awkward way that makes her chest ache. She doesn't deal with stress of this nature well and her first reaction is to giggle.
"Rey…" Holdo says softly, "I need you to prepare yourself, Akbar has him in a medically induced coma to stop the seizures, We're going to take him to a room and let his stats stabilize and then get him down to imagine ok?" Holdo is a kind woman but her tall form is blocking Rey's view of the door. Maybe it's intentional, maybe it's not but she can see people exiting as the end of a hospital bed starts to emerge from the doorway
She's on her feet quickly pushing the doctors aside with more force than may have been necessary. Doctor Kalonia is at his side her fingers through his hair as they break through the threshold and make their way down the hall. Rey wants to swat her away, she wants to slap the woman and tell her to get her hands off him.
Luke is small and pale, his body dwarfed by the large bed and it's stark white sheets. His hair is plastered against his forehead, sweaty and hot. They've put in an endotracheal tube which looks twisted and grotesque as it protrudes from his smallmouth. "His airways started to close up, we had to intubate him. Did he eat anything? Does he have any allergies?"
"I already told you all," Finn says, he's gesturing with his hands as he talks, "He has no allergies that we're aware of."
Kalonia is a sweet woman with a kind disposition, she was made for pediatrics but the parents she has a harder time dealing with. Rey doesn't know her well because she avoids working in the children's unit, it's too hard for her despite the need for patient and kind nurses. She sees the look though, the one they get all the time when the three of them stand together in the park or go out to dinner. It's appraising and curious as they try to unravel the mystery of genetics. Paternity is so important to everyone except for them, it's never been an issue or a concern. They say it takes a village…
"Which one of you is… the father?" She asks carefully, eyeing Finn and his dark complexion before her eyes fall on Poe who is delightfully sun-kissed. Luke is pale, but his coloring favors Rey's so that part is evident but people always stumble over who the father could be.
"Neither," Finn says with a level of finality that brokers further discussion. "Not biologically anyway, think of us as the fun uncles."
Rey knows how this is going to go, fun Uncles aren't allowed the all-access pass that direct family is. Kalonia is about to shut them down when Rey barks, "They both are, as good as anyway. He doesn't know anyone else." Both men swell a little at the compliment, "Look I get there's a policy here but I'm going with my son. I'm not fucking around with this anymore, sorry Doctor but they come too." Kalonia looks thoroughly admonished, turning to Holdo for some modicum of support.
"Sorry Harter, they're a family, we don't get to say what shape it takes."
Rey smiles at Amilyn as she pushes passed, her feet skipping as she tries to keep up with the moving bed. When they're settled and in a room, people bustle around getting Luke more comfortable. Rey finds herself seated in an old plush armchair at his bedside, cradling his little hand within her own. She forces down the tears that choke off in her throat as she watches her heart beating outside of her body.