Author's Note: I have a good excuse this time, okay! A hurricane went by and knocked out my power for awhile😅 But here, finally, is the start of that healing you've all been waiting so anxiously for😉 Enjoy!
By luck of the draw, Obi-wan woke up first.
At first, he didn't understand why it was so bright or what that strange beeping was, but when he finally managed to pry his eyes apart, he realized it was merely an errant sunbeam peeking through the shades. Shades? Well, then I clearly can't be in Maul's dungeon. He paused, second-guessing himself. Right? Suddenly something else finally broke through his fragile awareness. And what is that blasted beeping? Swinging his head in the direction of the noise, he spied Anakin's sleeping form, lying on a bed like his own. The beeping appeared to be coming from some medical machine that connected to his former Padawan's wrist.
He felt a tug on his own wrist as he shifted to look his former Padawan over. Oh. We have more in common than a bed, it would appear. Wires on his wrist led to an identical machine.
He swung his head to the left and saw Ahsoka, also fast asleep. Only a heartbeat passed, though, before her eyelids fluttered and she slowly woke up. Noticing his gaze, she smiled carefully. "Good morning, Master."
He cleared his throat. "Good morning, Ahsoka. How are you feeling?"
She didn't answer right away, seeming to actually give it some thought. "I'm alright, Master Obi-wan." She paused, the muscles in her face stretching experimentally as a satisfied smile ghosted across her features. "I have to say, it's quite nice to have all that makeup off."
He huffed a laugh. "And I have to say, it's quite nice to see your own features again."
She grinned at him, and he had the strongest wish to snap a holo of it. He couldn't believe this young child had successfully coordinated and accomplished a search and rescue of the sort it had turned out to be. Of course, he hadn't heard any details about her side of it yet, but judging from her earlier beat-up appearance, general state of illness, and… interesting choice of clothing, he imagined it would be quite a tale. A tale that she had managed to move through successfully, no matter what it was in the end. Any adventure that requires the help of Asajj Ventress is certainly a tale I can't wait to hear. A rueful smile turned his lips… before he felt it slip from his face. He shook his head. We ask far too much of our young, whatever I said at Maul's table. And all in the name of war, like it's an excuse that can simply wash away the choice we've made. At her age, I hadn't even been matched with Qui-gon yet! Let alone gallivanting around after errant Jedi and fighting with and against ex-Sith-
"-ster Obi-wan? Obi-wan, are you there?"
He blinked, reaching up to run a tired hand down his face, flinching slightly at the unkempt state of his beard. "What was that, my dear? I'm sorry, I was… lost in thought."
"I said… you know it wasn't your fault, right? What happened, I mean? Getting captured, whatever he did to you and Master Anakin… what he did to me. You couldn't have known. You couldn't have known about any of it. You know that, right? It wasn't your fault."
His mouth fell open. Only slightly, but enough to give himself away. He looked into his grand-Padawan's – as Anakin would say – face, at the innocence, the earnestness there, the anxious fear that maybe he did, in fact, blame himself… and he was speechless. Too much. We ask too much. Thank the Force Anakin's not awake to see this.
But he'd been silent too long.
"Master? You know, right?"
He hesitated, unwilling to show this kind soul the truth. That he should have known. That he should have known to look into it, to double and triple check every suspicious action, every step of their original mission. That he should have been able to stop Maul, stop him from hurting so many people. From hurting the ones he loved. That he could have stopped it all if only he'd tried hard enough.
But he couldn't be the one to stamp out the innocent hope in her eyes. "Ahsoka, my dear. I–"
"Heeeeeeeyyy. Some people are tryna sleep over here."
He smiled. Impeccable timing as always. He turned to his right. "Anakin, do stop your whining. Some of us are trying to have a conversation."
"And you can't have a conversation without talking loud enough to wake the dead? They could hear you all the way on Mapuzo!"
Whatever retort he might have shot back was interrupted by the most unexpected sound: Ahsoka giggled.
Anakin spoke up. "Oh, you think that's funny, Snips? You're lucky I can't really move right now or you'd be in soooo much trouble."
Ahsoka gave another laugh, before breaking down coughing. "Oh, I'm lucky, am I?"
"Uh huh!"
"Oh, that's what you really think?"
"It's what I said, isn't it?!"
Secretly, his heart soared to hear their silly banter, so similar to his own with Anakin. He was incredibly proud of the mentor the Knight had become… even if his methods were rather unorthodox. But not-so-secretly, he would much prefer if no one walked in on them sounding like this. "Children, children. How about we all–" A cough worked its way up his throat. "Calm our minds before anyone comes–" He took a careful breath, already out of oxygen. "Before anyone comes to check on us and-" Had his lungs shrunk to half their normal size? "... and hears us arguing like younglings."
A new voice spoke. "Indeed."
All three Jedi looked up to see the head of the Halls of Healing herself, Jedi Master Vokara Che.
Anakin was completely unsurprised to hear Obi-wan speak first. "Master Che. How are you today?"
The blue-skinned Twi'lek gave him a wry look, carefully pushing one of her lekku over her shoulder as she smiled at his irony. "I am doing quite fine today, Master Kenobi. It's you three I am concerned with at the current moment. But I suppose if all three of you are well enough to "argue like younglings", as you put it, then you can't be feeling too poorly."
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his old Master flush. That's when he decided to study the high ceiling instead.
"Perhaps just a touch, Master," Obi-wan said.
He looked back just in time to see Master Che smile. "I'll get right into it, then. While I will not go into each of your many individual ailments now – I will wait to speak privately with each of you at a later time – I can tell you that all of you are well on the way to mending. With a little more time and care, no physical trace of your…" She gave a delicate pause. "Adventures will remain."
He held in a snort. No way these burns will go away just easy-peasy like that. His eyes flew open though as he felt a gentle touch brush briefly against his thoughts and the Master Healer shot him a look. "Yes, Knight Skywalker. Even your burns."
He heard Obi-wan give a suspicious cough, and frowned. Yeah, yeah, laugh it up Master, that I forgot she can sense thoughts when she wants to. I won't forget again.
Obi-wan broke off his coughing long enough to say, "Thank you, Master Che. We are most appreciative of your expert care."
Was it his imagination, or did an amused smile flit across her face before falling back into her trademark expression of serenity? She turned back to Obi-wan. "I'm sure you are, Master Kenobi. Now," she turned to address the room at large. "Both Master Yoda and Master Windu have requested to speak with you about the events that occurred. And I can tell by the shade of green you're all turning that I made the correct decision in turning them away."
He let out the fast intake of air he'd sucked in, perhaps just a bit too quickly, at the mention of the leading Council members already trying to speak with them. He shot a glance at Obi-wan, who had done the same, knowing that they were both thinking very similar thoughts. It's too soon. Way too soon. So much happened… what are we even supposed to tell them? What are we not? His apprentice had had a different journey than they did, but one glance in her direction and he knew instantly that she was having the same panicked thoughts. Thank the Force for Master Che.
He heard Obi-wan swallow. "Once again, I must express our gratitude for your excellent insight."
This time Anakin didn't even care if his Master was being too flowery. He and Ahsoka spoke at the same time. "Yes, thank you, Master."
"Thank you, Master Che."
Again, Anakin could have sworn he saw the amused smile flit back to her face at the look he and Ahsoka gave each other. Again, it smoothed back into serenity. "You are quite welcome. Now, I'm prescribing at least another several more days of bed rest for each of you, and the continuation of bacta treatments. There's still quite a lot of nutrients you are all missing." Anakin felt her gaze turn to him. "Perhaps a bit longer for you, Knight Skywalker."
His eyes fell to his lap as a wave of emotion threatened to overtake him at the brief mention of how different his injuries were from everyone else. He nodded dumbly, attempting to stuff his emotions back into their broken box. Maybe I can manage to sneak out earl–
"And please be aware that I will not hesitate to take more drastic measures should any of you try to leave before I dismiss you from my care."
He winced. Blast. Forgot again.
"And that I won't hesitate to split the three of you up if I find out you've been keeping each other awake with more "arguing like younglings"."
Now Anakin knew he wasn't imagining the amused smile that drew her lips apart.
"I will see that it does not happen," Obi-wan said.
He couldn't help but add, "Sure thing Master Che. And while he's doing that, I'll watch him." He felt a semblance of his old self return at the classic "annoyed Master" look Obi-wan threw his way.
Master Che merely gave a bow and left the room without another word.
Obi-wan laid back on the bed, finally letting go of his attempts to hide how sore and out of breath he was now that the Master Healer had left. He gave himself a single moment to feel every ache and pain acutely, intimately… before attempting to shove it all down again. My injuries do not matter. Not when I still have a job to do. "Alright, you two. We'd better do as Master Che said or we'll be in quite–"
But the quiet breaths of Ahsoka were already reaching his ears, and right when he turned to Anakin was the moment louder snores began to fill the room.
Pulling the covers up just a bit higher, Obi-wan smiled to himself… and fell asleep.
Author's Note: By the way, I took a little liberty with Master Che. I totally made up her being able to read minds😂 Thank you all for your continued interest! We're almost at the end now😓