Jacen gently
stroked Tenel Ka's cheek. It hurt him to see the once-proud warrior girl so
prone and vulnerable. He ached to do something, but the doctors assured him
that all that could be, was being done. It was of no use, however. The wounds
were deep, and they were slowly but surely losing her.
Tears in
his eyes threatened to spill over, and he ducked his head down. Then, with his
emotions once again under control, he pulled back the cover and crawled in
beside her. It had taken some real pressure on the doctors to allow this one,
but eventually Luke, arguing that perhaps Tenel Ka could sense his presence,
had won out.
Wrapping
his arms around her, he snuggled up to her back, careful not to touch the
bandage on her side. He then smoothed her hair, keeping it away from another dressing
on the left side of her head. The doctors had had to shave a four-inch square
of her beautiful red hair off to get to the wound, but Jacen didn't care. If
that was what had to be done, that was what had to be done. Hair was
superficial, anyway.
Closing his
arms around her, he willed himself to sleep, his head resting on the
sweet-smelling pillow of her hair.
Luke walked
into Tenel Ka's hospital room on Hapes. The best care had been given to her,
but even the bacta could not repair the damage. All hope was gone, and her
closest friends had even begun to accept that she would grace their lives with
her presence no longer. Only in Jacen Solo, could the famous Jedi master feel
the slightest sliver of hope remaining.
Luke would
admit that there was no medical way to help her remaining. And no Jedi way had
been left untried, either. But he knew, that with Jacen's help, there was one
way left to save the princess of Hapes.
When two
Jedi fell in deep, true, love, the bond created between them was unbreakable.
If one died young, there was a distinct possibility that the other would not
survive. Only a Jedi very strong of character, or one with many people to help
him or her through it, would continue to live his life.
The bond
had advantages, though. Through this string of life, hope could be delivered,
whole plans could be conveyed, and the health of one, could be transferred to
the other. Its most common usage was the silent communication that the pair
could utilize, though.
They were
very near the end, Luke knew. Tenel Ka had not woken for nearly six weeks, and
Jacen Solo had stayed by her side the entire time. Not once had he left for
more than three hours. And every morning, he was there, braiding Tenel Ka's
hair, re-dressing her wounds, or just talking to her. His life had been turned
upside down, but still, he would not turn away from her. Luke had known then,
that Jacen could help the young warrior girl reclaim her life.
Knocking
softly, Luke waited for an answer. Jacen's tired, but still hopeful voice
answered his hail. "Come in."
Luke walked
into Tenel Ka's hospital room. Plush and comfortable, her parents had spared no
expense. But comfort would do little good, if Tenel Ka did not wake soon.
Jacen
looked up uninterestedly. "Hello, uncle Luke."
"Hello,
Jacen. Any changes?"
Jacen shook
his head. "No. They wanted to take her off life-support yesterday, they think
she's brain dead, but I can still feel her. She's in there somewhere, Master."
Luke nodded
slowly. "Okay." He stood, beckoning his elder nephew. "Come here."
Bewildered,
Jacen dutifully followed his uncle to Tenel Ka's bedside. Sitting in the chair
he motioned to, Jacen waited.
Luke picked
up Jacen's hands, and placed them on top of her wounds. Jacen winced a little
with sympathetic pain, but said nothing. His uncle pushed Jacen's head down, and
the brown-haired Jedi willingly dropped his head in a prayer position. "Now,"
Luke continued. "Close your eyes."
Jacen
closed his eyes, and heard Luke stand up and walk away. The door opened, but he
didn't hear it close. Without moving a muscle, Jacen waited.
Luke didn't disappoint him. But the
instructions he left were far from crystal clear. Turning so that his back was
to the open door, Luke gave one command, and left.
"Now," he said, "Believe in the
power of love."
For several
days, Jacen pondered what his uncle could have meant. But, as he realized he
was getting nowhere, he remembered his uncle's instructions at just about
everything. Surrender yourself to the Force, Jacen, and nothing can harm
your spirit.
All of a
sudden, Jacen knew what he had to do. He returned to his place at the side of
Tenel Ka's bed, and placed his hands over her wounds. Closing his eyes, he took
a deep breath, and pushed it slowly out, pushing his doubts and skepticism with
it. Surrender yourself to the Force, he heard Luke's voice say in his
head. Drawing on the binding energy, he complied.
A feeling
of being lifted from the ground came at Jacen, but he didn't fight. He let
himself be swept away, floating like a bird above his petty material galaxy.
The thoughts and feelings of life surrounded him, but though the sensation was
normally uncomfortable, it felt serene and quiet today.
From all
around him echoed a voice. "Jacen Solo," it trembled. "You seek the
help of the Masters."
Jacen
didn't quite know what it meant, but somehow, it felt right. "Yes," he replied.
"The Masters."
"Choose
your council," the voice continued. Thousands of Jedi paraded by, and when
Jacen picked up on what he was supposed to be doing, he wasn't sure whom to
ask. "You," he responded, pointing a finger at a ghostly figure floating by
with the rest of them.
The old man
stopped before him, and the others vanished. "How may I help you, young
Solo?"
Jacen
felt no surprise at the man knowing his name. And, with a start, he realized
that he knew of the old man, too. "Master," he nodded, bowing his head. "I seek
your assistance."
Obi-Wan
folded his arms over his chest, and stared serenely at the young Jedi. "I
will do what I can."
Jacen
took a deep breath, and started from the beginning, wasting no time. "Tenel Ka
is injured. She will not survive, if I cannot help her."
"Ah." Obi-Wan's
voice grew understanding. "To help her, Jacen, you must believe in the power
of love." Then his image slowly
faded, and Jacen felt himself return to his usual world. His heart filled with
despair, he didn't even bother opening his eyes.
The power
of love. Why did he need to believe in the power of love? Didn't he do that
already? Love was strong stuff, and it had done tremendous things before.
Shrugging his shoulders, Jacen concluded it was worth a try. Anything was worth
a try at this point.
Breathing
in, then out, Jacen concentrated on the simple sound of his breathing. Once he
had entered a semi-trance state, he began to search his memory for instances of
love helping heal the injured. As he thought of instance after instance, his
hopes soared. Maybe there was a chance his love could help heal Tenel Ka! No,
he knew there was a chance!
"Jacen?"
Jacen's
eyes flew open at the sound of Tenel Ka's weak voice. "Tenel!"
"Jacen,
where am I?"
"In a
hospital on Hapes. You got pretty banged up in the crash, and you've been out
like a light for six weeks."
Tenel Ka's
shaky voice took on a note of surprise. "Six weeks?"
"Yeah. And
the doctors thought we'd lost you. But you're back. You're back, Tenel, you're
back!"
Tenel Ka
raised an unsteady hand to his face. "I…felt you, Jacen. You were here with me,
the whole time, weren't you?"
Jacen
looked away for a moment, and then back. Tenel Ka's whole face was lit up with
a wobbly grin. She met his eyes, and whispered, "I know you were. And I love
you, Jacen Solo."
Jacen
returned her smile, knowing his probably looked stupid and comical; he was so
high on relief. But he didn't care. "I love you, Tenel Ka Chume Ta'a Djo."
Drawing her trembling body to him, he kissed her gently.
"I'll never
leave you, Tenel. For the rest of our lives, I'll stick to you like glue."
Sudden doubt gripped Jacen. "If you want, of course."
"If I want?
Jacen, I would love nothing better."
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