There were times when watching Din walk away was easy for Syn. The times in Osoria when she knew he only had one bounty left to go, and he'd made a side trip just to see her. The mornings when he'd walk up before her, Syn would sleepily watch his broad form go and restock the fire in the bedroom before heading out to put breakfast on. Not knowing when he'd be back but knowing it would happen was easier than this.
Right now, Syn was unsuccessfully holding back her tears as the speeder Din was on was long out of sight. He'd gone and come back, minus a visit to Grogu, which had left them both confused and heartbroken. Especially as it had been Ahsoka who'd given them the coordinates in the first place.
One of Boba's allies had their cantina blown up. There had been no survivors. The war that Boba had hoped to avoid had started. Syn barely had time to greet Din before he was again whisked away.
Syn knew she had no place in the middle of a war zone. The stress that had so clearly marred Din's handsome face when they had a few moments to themselves before Din left made Syn not even ask. Din had given her clear instructions to head back to Nevarro as soon as possible if he wasn't back within 24 hours.
Once again, Syn had nothing to do but wait. What was worse was that the Palace had been cleared out, leaving her as the only living thing. Even the Rancor handler with Boba's pet Rancor was standing by nearby in case they were needed.
It had barely been an hour since everyone had left. But Syn was getting antsier with every passing moment. Boba had promised to send any critically injured people straight to her when they could.
Picking at the bowl of fruit Syn had tried to make herself eat, she turned down the empty halls. Staying with Boba and Fennec, even with the rising tension with the Pyke Syndicate, had been very enjoyable. Syn had surprised Fennec by being very good at Sabacc, and the pair had played every night. While Fennec wasn't the person, you'd choose to have a lively conversation with, Syn still looked forward to their nightly games. Fennec was much like Din because she only spoke if she needed or wanted to. So the light conversation the pair had made Syn feel honoured to have the other woman's trust and friendship.
The added calamity of Boba's gotra being in the Palace had kept things lively. Now the huge structure was as quiet as a tomb.
Syn hoped for someone to get shot badly enough to give her something to do.
Pausing mid-step, Syn snorted in annoyance at her wish. As a fresh out of medical school doctor, she had once uttered the phrase dreaded by all doctors and medical staff.
"It's awfully quiet today."
The words fell out of her mouth before she could stop them. A silly wish for the echoing halls to have something other than her own footsteps.
Like she knew it would, nothing happened. Continuing on her track through quiet halls, Syn's feet found themselves heading back to her bedroom. The large bath had become one of her favourite things.
Halfway to her room, one of the droids came scurrying in, giving Syn a mild heart attack. The little kitchen droid usually brought her meals when she didn't feel like dining with anyone else.
"Ma'am," the droid's tinny voice was distorted and hard to understand. "Incoming."
The Palace had an impenetrable defence system. The fact that someone could pass through the activated system meant they had the correct passcodes. It was another reason why Din hadn't hesitated to leave her in the Palace alone. Normally the front gates were always guarded by actual personnel. When everyone had to leave, there were ground defence systems that vaporised anything within a mile. Whoever was coming was friendly and knew exactly what to expect.
Syn's mind quickly switched from her own worries to work mode. Changing paths, she hurried down to the front gate, only stopping to grab her satchel.
Putting in the passcode, the heavy iron structure groaned as it opened. The transport approaching her at full speed came to a jerky halt a few feet away.
"The Mandalorian said you'd be here if we needed help," the female who was driving said breathlessly. "The Marshall…"
She trailed off tearfully. Syn didn't waste any time. She ran to the back of the speeder and took in what was in front of her. Din had told her all about Cobb Vanth. Syn was only now disappointed that he wasn't conscious to finally meet him.
The blaster bolt to the shoulder had made a mess. It was a long trip from Mos Pelgo. The infection had already set in. Syn was still sensitive to smells; she could already smell the rotting flesh. Ripping the sleeve away already showed an arm that Syn knew she wouldn't be able to save.
"Okay, let's get him to the infirmary," Syn said firmly. "I'm going to need your help."
The young woman looked exhausted, but her firm nod gave Syn all the confidence in the world she wouldn't falter. Boba had a full bacta tank in his room. It wouldn't help save the arm, but it would heal what would be left.
"You take the feet," Syn instructed. "I've got the shoulders. What was your name?"
"Katmea," she introduced herself. "You must be Syn. Ready?"
Syn instantly liked her. Despite giving Syn an obvious glance of surprise at her now obvious pregnant state, she didn't hesitate. Katmea grabbed Cobb's feet and lifted. Syn did the same with his shoulders. He was out cold and didn't twitch as Syn roughly dragged him off the transport.
A room was generally used for the guards on duty off to the side of the main entrance. Syn steered them towards that. She unceremoniously dumped the body on the table.
"Find the first droid you can," Syn ordered, pulling out a pair of scissors from her satchel. "I'll need a stretcher from the medical wing."
Katmea didn't argue. She gave Syn a nod and hurried away to find the requested droid. Syn got to work cutting away the sleeve to get a better look at the wound.
Her initial assessment had been right. The wound had gotten infected very quickly, spreading down the arm. It was beyond what Syn knew she could safely save. The wound was not like the usual blaster wounds she'd dealt with. A trip across the desert with what looked to be no medical attention hadn't helped it either. Urgent medical attention might have saved the arm. However, it was a mess.
Blowing out a long breath, Syn braced herself for what she would have to do. Even in Osoria she tried to avoid doing amputations. Doing one that high up to take the shoulder was something she'd only done once. Even then, she was supervised by a very experienced senior doctor. It was going to be a tricky operation. If he'd come a few hours earlier, or at least had some bacta thrown on it, it wouldn't have been as dire. But Syn knew there was no saving the limb.
"Sorry, Marshall," Syn apologised to his prone form. "You will be quite unhappy with me when you wake up."
At least by doing the amputation, Syn knew he had a much better chance of surviving.
Katmea came back a few minutes later with the droids that were left. They had the requested floating stretcher. It was much easier to manhandle Cobb onto the stretcher. Heading to the medical room Boba had let Syn fit out over the last few days, she mentally ran through everything she'd need to do. Once they got there, Syn had a game plan in her head.
"This is going to get gruesome," Syn warned Katmea. "If you've got a weak stomach, leave before I start."
The other woman looked torn. But it only took her a moment to shake her head.
"I'll leave," Katmea said, glancing back down to Cobb. "Thank you."
Syn's face softened into a smile very briefly. With a nod, she turned back to start to gather what she needed. While she would have liked to have a spare pair of hands, Syn knew that even someone with a strong stomach might have a problem with what she was going to do.
Boba had been very kind in getting Syn whatever she needed. Knowing a war was coming, Syn didn't hesitate in stocking what would essentially be a full surgical unit. Once all of the instruments and drugs she needed were placed within reach, Syn scrubbed her hands and got to work.
Placing a ventilation mask over Cobb's face, it hissed before sealing over his face. Syn waited to see his breath fogging up the mask before getting to work. Cutting away the last of his shirt, Syn threw the rags on the ground. Spraying the entire area with surgical scrub, Syn thoroughly scrubbed the area. Even through her gloves, she could feel how hot the arm was. Dead skin sloughed away far too easily. Testing for any signs the limb could be salvaged, Syn grew more confident in her decision at every passing moment.
Taking a deep breath, Syn made the first incision along the clavicle.
Piecing together that young Mandalorian's spine was the last major surgery that Syn had done. Doing a major amputation like this made that surgery feel like a routine appendectomy. But like last time, Syn fell into it easily.
Hours passed as Syn teased away muscle, nerve and finally bone. The major arteries were her biggest worry. As soon as they were successfully ligated, Syn breathed a lot easier.
Part of her didn't mind doing an amputation. It seemed like a crude surgery to the uneducated. However, for Syn it was another type of art form. Taking away a part of the body and leaving something functional for the person to live with was hard to do. Especially on a major part of the body like Syn was currently doing.
Her hands were aching by the time she sewed the flap of skin that would cover the shoulder joint back up. Standing up, Syn took a glance out of the window to see the twin suns were now setting. She'd been going for hours. At that moment, her body decided to remind her of the hours that had passed. Her back ached along with her hands. Syn felt like her bladder was ready to burst.
Looking down, Syn was very proud of the work she'd done. There wasn't anything else to do except to dress the wound. Cobb's vitals had remained rock steady for the entire time. Stripping off her gloves, Syn bolted for the bathroom.
Pregnancy had made her need to pee what felt like every few seconds. Laughing quietly, Syn impressed herself that she'd managed to hold on for so long. Splashing some water on her face, Syn took a moment to herself. She'd been so caught up in the surgery she hadn't had a moment to think about anything else.
Going back to Cobb, Syn snapped on another pair of gloves and got to work finishing the dressing of the wound. There was a mess all around her. Something she'd happily leave for the cleaning drone. Activating the floating stretcher, Syn pushed it out of the room. Right now, the bacta tank would be the best thing to help heal things up.
The Palace was still quiet. Syn didn't run into anyone on her long trip from her medical room to Boba's room. Boba's dressing droid helped her get Cobb into the bacta tank and hooked up. Once the tank was full, Syn turned with a long sigh. The healing cycle would run for hours. Now she was back to waiting.
Her stomach made itself known that she hadn't eaten anything since picking on the fruit hours beforehand. Heading down to the kitchens, Syn finally ran into another person. Katmea was sitting in one of the dining rooms with food spread out in front of her. Seeing Syn, she jumped up with a hopeful look.
"He's in the bacta tank and holding steady," Syn was pleased to deliver the good news. She happily sunk into one of the free chairs. "I think he'll be a bit upset about losing his dominant hand, but I'm very confident he'll live."
Fennec always insisted the kitchen droids put out a full spread of food, no matter who the guest was. Syn always felt it was a little excessive. At the moment, she was thrilled by Fennec's insistence. Her favourite salad and spiced meat were laid out. Syn grabbed the serving plate of the salad and began shovelling it into her mouth.
"Sorry," Syn said around the first mouthful of food. "I'm starving. Has there been any other word?"
Katmea shook her head, making Syn's heart sink a little. Pushing aside her disappointment, she shovelled more food into her mouth. Katmea didn't comment, picking at her own plate.
Syn was too tired to try and engage in small talk. Instead, she ate until she was full. One of the kitchen droids brought her out a pot of tea. Pouring a cup, Syn sat back with a small sigh. No sooner had she raised her cup to her lips the hard to understand kitchen droid came out.
"Incoming again."
Those two words sent another surge of energy into Syn's aching body. Throwing back the far too hot tea, Syn got back to her feet and headed back to the entrance. More people coming would only mean one thing. More critically injured.
"Can I help?" Katmea asked, getting up as well.
"Sure." Syn shot her a grateful smile. After all of this was done, she'd have a proper conversation with the other woman. "Thank you."
Katmea smiled back, and the pair hurried back to the main entrance. As Syn suspected, it was the first of the critically injured. With them came some extra sets of hands. Though not the ones she would have liked to see. She knew it was silly to wish for DIn to be back already. It didn't stop the few seconds of pity she let herself feel when her husband didn't come off the transport with everyone else.
Despite having no Din, Syn was very happy to see some of the younger members of Boba's gotra unharmed beyond a few small scrapes. She didn't have time to linger or ask about anyone else. No one was as critically injured as Cobb. But there were plenty of blaster wounds for Syn to deal with.
Again, the hours flew by at Syn saw person after person. Her eyes were starting to feel like lead by the time the last people trickled in. Thankfully none of the last people were injured beyond needing either stitches or some bacta dressings. Along the way, Syn had lost Katmea when her husband had come in with a nasty blaster graze to the leg. Syn left the pair in peace as soon as she got him patched up. Not that she minded. Nearly everything she could deal with herself.
Standing up, Syn's back popped in protest at the sudden movement. As she turned around, she faced a familiar beskar chest plate. It took a moment for her exhausted brain to process that it was Din. Once it did, Syn threw herself into her husband's waiting arms.
He stank like blaster fire and sweat. But he was standing and not bleeding everywhere. One arm came up to hug her back.
"I'm okay," Din's voice was laced with exhaustion. "I'm so happy to see you."
This time the tears Syn fought back were happy tears. Hugging Din hard, she buried her nose into the crook of his neck. Then she realised the awkward angle Din was hugging her at. That usually meant one thing. He wasn't bleeding but he had definitely broken something.
Taking a step back, Syn ran a critical eye over him. Din was holding his cape over his left arm in an odd way.
Before Syn could interrogate Din on what he'd done, he dramatically pulled off the cape.
Grogu was in his arm, smiling widely up at Syn. A second later, Grogu threw himself into Syn's arms. It had taken her a moment to realise Din had been standing there. Grogu being in his arms made her brain stop working for a good few seconds.
It was impossible. Grogu was meant to be training to be a Jedi. Yet here he was.
Tears flowed freely as Syn hugged their son back as hard as she dared. Din pulled them both into a crushing hug. No words needed to be said.
They were a family again.
Authors Note
Sorry for the super short chapter! I'm finally on top of Uni and decided to enjoy this awful rainy day writing.
Thank you all so much for the reviews on the last chapter! You're all amazing.