Chapter XII:
As the ship made it's way back to the temple, Qui Gon sat by his padawan's side. He cursed himself for letting this happen to Obi Wan. He didn't know what he would do if he were to lose this boy. When he became a Jedi, he had given up a life that others take for granted. The life of a Jedi consists of discipline, and honor, but you have to give up having a spouse, and children. To Qui Gon, Obi Wan was his family, and he had let him down. He looked down at the padawan, who had slipped into unconsciousness again. He held the young man's hand, praying to the force to let Obi Wan live. He stroked the teenager's hair, and bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. After the kiss, he didn't move his head away from Obi Wan; instead, the large man leaned his head on his "son's" and cried. Mace Windu, clearing his throat, interrupted his cries.
"We're almost there Qui." He said, not sure what else to say. "The healers are at the hanger, waiting."
Qui Gon nodded his head in response.
**
When the ship finally landed, healers grabbed Obi Wan out of Qui Gon's grasp. Qui Gon's heart lurched as his padawan was ripped from his arms, he wanted to protect Obi Wan, but he let them take him. Quickly the healers rushed Obi Wan to their ward, Qui Gon watched his padawan drift away out of sight. Suddenly Qui Gon was aware how exhausted he had become. Yoda walked up to him, and pointed his staff at Qui Gon's own wound in his shoulder.
"Have that looked at you should." He told Qui Gon, who was still not responding to anything.
Qui Gon looked at his shoulder, and shrugged.
"Need to be healed yourself when the boy wakes up you do." Yoda continued. "Tell you when information we receive I will." Qui Gon still looked towards where his apprentice had been taken. "Go." Yoda said, and he gave the human a shove in the direction. As Yoda watched Qui Gon go to the healer's ward, Mace came down the ramp of the ship. Yoda shook his head. "Almost lost him we did." He said to his friend.
"I know, Qui Gon came so close to turning." Mace answered with a sigh.
"Not speaking of Qui Gon was I." Yoda said, looking at Mace.
"Obi Wan crawled to where Qui Gon was fighting Xanatos..." Mace retold the story "he saved Qui Gon from turning, but risked his own life."
"Qui Gon's defiance I sense in him, needs that he does not." Yoda said with a grunt.
Mace chuckled. "That's the understatement of the year."
**
Qui Gon was sitting in the waiting room of the healer's ward; it had been 5 hours since they brought Obi Wan back, but still no word on his condition. Qui Gon looked out the window, at the passing traffic of Courascant. Yoda made his way to his former apprentice.
"How feel you?" He asked Qui Gon, as he sat next to him.
"Afraid master." Qui Gon admitted.
"Hmmm, afraid to lose the boy I think."
"More than that master, afraid that this is Obi Wan's destiny." Qui Gon answered, still not looking at Yoda.
"Explain."
Qui Gon let out a long sigh. "I thought more about what you said, about Obi Wan being born to suffer, what if you're right?"
Yoda also let out a sigh. "Suffering makes one stronger, preparing him this was I think."
Qui Gon nodded. "I think you might be right." He looked at Yoda, tears coming to his lids. "I had a dream sometime ago, it was of Obi Wan as an old man..." Qui Gon was holding back his tears. "He was alone master Yoda, and he was hurting, hurting worse than anyone has ever been hurt before. And no one was able to help him." Qui Gon turned away from his master, so that he wouldn't see the tears. Yoda nodded, and hung his head. They sat in silence for a long moment. "Why him master? Why can't it be someone else?" Yoda looked up at his former pupil and shrugged.
"Always changing the future is, not certain what you see is true." Yoda told Qui Gon, trying to calm the man down. Both Jedi masters sat in a long silence, when finally a healer came out to meet them. Qui Gon's heart was racing.
"Master Jinn, master Yoda." The healer bowed to them. "We finally have him stabilized, he lost an amazingly large amount of blood. We need to keep a close eye on him for the next 48 hours, after that if he survives we can get him into the bacta tanks." She looked at Qui Gon. "I'll give you the name of our mind healer, I think once his physical wounds have healed, he still has a long way to go."
Qui Gon nodded. "Thank you." He looked at Yoda, who put a hand on his arm. "Can we see him?"
The healer looked at him. "Yes, but he's not awake yet."
Suddenly Mace Windu appeared with She-ar-ah. "Look who I found hiding behind that plant right there." He said, pointing to a potted plant. She-ar-ah looked at the masters, embarrassed.
"Will Obi Wan be ok?" She asked in a quiet tone.
Qui Gon knelt in front of her. "I think so little one, thanks to you." With that She-ar-ah gave Qui Gon a big hug, they both let out some tears.
**
Later that night, Qui Gon Jinn, Yoda, Mace Windu, and She-ar-ah all were asleep in Obi Wan Kenobi's healer's room. Obi Wan opened his eyes, to his surprise he found the four Jedi in his room. Qui Gon was holding his hand, Yoda was next to him, and She-ar-ah and Mace were asleep on the couch. Obi Wan smiled, he was glad to be home. He knew that this was his family. Yoda opened his eyes and looked at Obi Wan, and smiled.
/glad to have you home we are/.
/glad to be home master/.
/proud of you we are/ Yoda continued.
/why?/
/another time tell you I will. Rest now you need/.
Yoda walked up to Obi Wan, and placed his hand over his eyes. Obi Wan fell into a deep sleep.
/So far you have come little one, still so far to go/. With that Yoda took his place back on his chair and fell asleep.
As the ship made it's way back to the temple, Qui Gon sat by his padawan's side. He cursed himself for letting this happen to Obi Wan. He didn't know what he would do if he were to lose this boy. When he became a Jedi, he had given up a life that others take for granted. The life of a Jedi consists of discipline, and honor, but you have to give up having a spouse, and children. To Qui Gon, Obi Wan was his family, and he had let him down. He looked down at the padawan, who had slipped into unconsciousness again. He held the young man's hand, praying to the force to let Obi Wan live. He stroked the teenager's hair, and bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. After the kiss, he didn't move his head away from Obi Wan; instead, the large man leaned his head on his "son's" and cried. Mace Windu, clearing his throat, interrupted his cries.
"We're almost there Qui." He said, not sure what else to say. "The healers are at the hanger, waiting."
Qui Gon nodded his head in response.
**
When the ship finally landed, healers grabbed Obi Wan out of Qui Gon's grasp. Qui Gon's heart lurched as his padawan was ripped from his arms, he wanted to protect Obi Wan, but he let them take him. Quickly the healers rushed Obi Wan to their ward, Qui Gon watched his padawan drift away out of sight. Suddenly Qui Gon was aware how exhausted he had become. Yoda walked up to him, and pointed his staff at Qui Gon's own wound in his shoulder.
"Have that looked at you should." He told Qui Gon, who was still not responding to anything.
Qui Gon looked at his shoulder, and shrugged.
"Need to be healed yourself when the boy wakes up you do." Yoda continued. "Tell you when information we receive I will." Qui Gon still looked towards where his apprentice had been taken. "Go." Yoda said, and he gave the human a shove in the direction. As Yoda watched Qui Gon go to the healer's ward, Mace came down the ramp of the ship. Yoda shook his head. "Almost lost him we did." He said to his friend.
"I know, Qui Gon came so close to turning." Mace answered with a sigh.
"Not speaking of Qui Gon was I." Yoda said, looking at Mace.
"Obi Wan crawled to where Qui Gon was fighting Xanatos..." Mace retold the story "he saved Qui Gon from turning, but risked his own life."
"Qui Gon's defiance I sense in him, needs that he does not." Yoda said with a grunt.
Mace chuckled. "That's the understatement of the year."
**
Qui Gon was sitting in the waiting room of the healer's ward; it had been 5 hours since they brought Obi Wan back, but still no word on his condition. Qui Gon looked out the window, at the passing traffic of Courascant. Yoda made his way to his former apprentice.
"How feel you?" He asked Qui Gon, as he sat next to him.
"Afraid master." Qui Gon admitted.
"Hmmm, afraid to lose the boy I think."
"More than that master, afraid that this is Obi Wan's destiny." Qui Gon answered, still not looking at Yoda.
"Explain."
Qui Gon let out a long sigh. "I thought more about what you said, about Obi Wan being born to suffer, what if you're right?"
Yoda also let out a sigh. "Suffering makes one stronger, preparing him this was I think."
Qui Gon nodded. "I think you might be right." He looked at Yoda, tears coming to his lids. "I had a dream sometime ago, it was of Obi Wan as an old man..." Qui Gon was holding back his tears. "He was alone master Yoda, and he was hurting, hurting worse than anyone has ever been hurt before. And no one was able to help him." Qui Gon turned away from his master, so that he wouldn't see the tears. Yoda nodded, and hung his head. They sat in silence for a long moment. "Why him master? Why can't it be someone else?" Yoda looked up at his former pupil and shrugged.
"Always changing the future is, not certain what you see is true." Yoda told Qui Gon, trying to calm the man down. Both Jedi masters sat in a long silence, when finally a healer came out to meet them. Qui Gon's heart was racing.
"Master Jinn, master Yoda." The healer bowed to them. "We finally have him stabilized, he lost an amazingly large amount of blood. We need to keep a close eye on him for the next 48 hours, after that if he survives we can get him into the bacta tanks." She looked at Qui Gon. "I'll give you the name of our mind healer, I think once his physical wounds have healed, he still has a long way to go."
Qui Gon nodded. "Thank you." He looked at Yoda, who put a hand on his arm. "Can we see him?"
The healer looked at him. "Yes, but he's not awake yet."
Suddenly Mace Windu appeared with She-ar-ah. "Look who I found hiding behind that plant right there." He said, pointing to a potted plant. She-ar-ah looked at the masters, embarrassed.
"Will Obi Wan be ok?" She asked in a quiet tone.
Qui Gon knelt in front of her. "I think so little one, thanks to you." With that She-ar-ah gave Qui Gon a big hug, they both let out some tears.
**
Later that night, Qui Gon Jinn, Yoda, Mace Windu, and She-ar-ah all were asleep in Obi Wan Kenobi's healer's room. Obi Wan opened his eyes, to his surprise he found the four Jedi in his room. Qui Gon was holding his hand, Yoda was next to him, and She-ar-ah and Mace were asleep on the couch. Obi Wan smiled, he was glad to be home. He knew that this was his family. Yoda opened his eyes and looked at Obi Wan, and smiled.
/glad to have you home we are/.
/glad to be home master/.
/proud of you we are/ Yoda continued.
/why?/
/another time tell you I will. Rest now you need/.
Yoda walked up to Obi Wan, and placed his hand over his eyes. Obi Wan fell into a deep sleep.
/So far you have come little one, still so far to go/. With that Yoda took his place back on his chair and fell asleep.