CHAPTER THREE: ALONE AGAIN
Peckum was taken out of bacta hours ago. The doctors had informed Zekk that a bacta tank could do no more for the spacer pilot; his internal injuries too severe for even the bacta compound to heal.
They moved Peckum to a private room in the critical care section, where he lay hooked up to a respirator and other medical devices to allow the doctors to continue monitoring his condition.
Ian Gellic was there to meet Zekk when he arrived at the med center. Gellic had been vague about the details surrounding Peckum's injuries when he had contacted him, which was why Zekk had demanded a detailed report of how badly he was hurt. Gellic was completely upfront with him. He told Zekk about the varying degree of burns Peckum had received and the severeness of the internal bleeding. The next forty-eight hours would be the most critical. If he survived them, there was a fifty-fifty chance he would make a full recovery.
That was more then a day away, and Zekk could sense that Gellic did not seem optimistic about Peckum even making it through the night.
Zekk had not left Peckum's side except when they had taken him out of the bacta tank and then again now, because the nurses had forced him to leave, saying it was way past visiting hours. He didn't have the energy to put up a fight, but he had no plans on leaving the critical care wing until he knew Peckum was going to be all right. He'd sleep in the waiting room for a week or more if he had to.
At that time of night, the waiting room was deserted, save for the one person who was sitting there, waiting for him.
Jaina rushed over to him, and just stood in front of him for a few moments, unsure of what to do next. When the indecision had passed, she put her arms around Zekk – somewhat awkwardly – and pulled him into a hug.
"I'm sorry, Zekk," she whispered into his shoulder. "How is he?" She asked when she let go of him.
Zekk could only shake his head. He could not begin to form the words to say just how serious Peckum's condition was, and that the doctors did not hold much hope of him recovering.
"He'll pull through," she tried to reassure him.
He wanted to believe her, but he knew in his heart Jaina didn't even believe her own words.
"What are you doing here?" He said, wanting to change to a less painful topic.
"My Uncle told us what happened. We got here as soon as we could. Jacen and everyone else are here too," she told him. "But they figured you'd be spending the night in Peckum's room, so they were going to come by in the morning,"
"You didn't have to come," he said to her.
She looked surprised by his reaction. "We care about Peckum, too, Zekk,"
Of course they did, he hadn't meant to imply otherwise. But no one was as close to Peckum as he was. Sure, Jaina and Jacen saw him on his whenever he brought supplies to the Academy or on one of their occasional visits home, but that didn't mean they knew the old pilot any better. Peckum was his family not theirs. He really wasn't up for an argument though, and didn't bother voicing his thoughts.
"It's late, Jaina. You should go home. Your parents – "
"Know where I am," she finished for him.
He watched her try to make herself as comfortable as possible on one of the hard waiting room chairs. "You don't have to stay with me. I'm fine,"
"Then I'm staying for Peckum," she informed him. "And there's not a thing you can say that will make me change my mind,"
Truer words were never spoken. Once a Solo made up their mind, it was a waste of time and energy trying to convince them otherwise. He could probably use the company anyways.
Drifting back to the conscious world, Jaina became aware of her face pressed up against something warm and hard. She opened her eyes to find she had fallen asleep on Zekk's shoulder.
"Sorry," Zekk said as she moved her head off him. "I didn't want to wake you,"
"It's okay," she said, even though it wasn't okay. She really wished she hadn't gone and fallen asleep on him.
Zekk looked like he hadn't slept at all. She was about to ask him if he had gotten any sleep, when a squad of doctors and nurses rushed past them before disappearing around a corner.
Fully awake now, Jaina wondered what was going on. Beside her, Zekk's face paled, and he shot out of his chair. He knew what was happening. He had to get to Peckum before it was too late. Without a word to Jaina, he bolted after the doctors.
He used the force to add on an extra burst of speed, feeling an increased sense of urgency growing inside of him with each stride he took.
He stopped just short of Peckum's door. He wanted so desperately to go inside, but knew his being there would not help. None of his training as a Jedi would make a world of difference right then. He felt useless, reduced to the role of spectator; watching a bunch of strangers that probably didn't even know Peckum's name, try to save his life.
He felt Jaina's familiar presence standing at a respectful distance behind him. There was nothing she could do either.
The two of them stood in silence, watching the doctor's efforts. They were so thickly crowded around the bed, Zekk couldn't see the occupant of it. There was no panic in their movements, as if they had far too much experience with this sort of situation. Everyone played their part, and after several more minutes, they stopped their efforts and backed away from the bed.
Dr. Gellic saw Zekk standing outside and slipped out of the room. He faced the young man in front of him, his expression showing nothing but sympathy. "I'm sorry, Zekk. Peckum stopped breathing and there was nothing we could do to revive him,"
Zekk grabbed onto the wall with a shaking hand to keep himself steady on his feet. He felt the cold that had been growing inside of him increase tenfold. He couldn't move or speak. It was like he was stuck in some sort of trance and the air was being sucked out of him. All the while Gellic kept going on about forms and paperwork that would have to be done.
"I want to see him," Zekk said calmly, when he found his voice.
Gellic stopped talking and looked at Zekk hard. "I don't think that's a good idea,"
"I want to see him," Zekk repeated, his voice more forceful now.
"Zekk – "
"I don't really think you want an angry Jedi on your hands," Zekk threatened. He could feel Jaina's growing unease as he came closer to losing his temper, but he ignored it. If this doctor actually thought he could keep him from seeing Peckum one last time, he had another thing coming.
Seeing as he had no other choice, Gellic told Zekk to wait there while he cleared out the room. The doctors and nurses heeded Gellic's request and quietly vacated the room.
Zekk refused to look at any of them, not wanting to see the pitying looks they were surely giving him.
He waited until they were all gone before stepping into the room to say one last good-bye to the man who had taken him off the streets and given him a home.
The only noise that could be heard in the room was the sound of Zekk's breathing. The room's other occupant lay on a bunk with a sheet pulled up over his face. Slowly, Zekk reached for the cover and pulled it back.
He had to look away at first, the sight of Peckum's lifeless face was too much for him to handle. He had seen plenty of dead bodies before, having spent a good majority of his childhood on the streets. But it was different this time. He was seeing someone he knew, and seeing it made his death seem all the more real. He was no longer taking the word of some stranger doctor. He was seeing it for himself. As reality sunk in for Zekk, the tightness in his throat that he had been fighting back since first seeing the doctors efforts to save Peckum's life, overtook him, and the first tears of grief trickled down his face.
He composed himself enough to pull up a nearby chair and collapse into it. He had come to say good-bye, but he didn't know where to begin. He figured the best way to start was by telling him what he should have told him years ago.
He sat on the edge of his chair, leaning his elbows on his knees, forcing himself to look at his friend's dead face. He owed Peckum that much – to look him in the face as he said his final good-bye.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to say," he began in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "When my parents died on Ennth, I never really had a chance to mourn their deaths. I was just an eight-year-old kid doing his best to survive onboard one of the refugee stations. When Ennth finally become habitable again, I had nowhere to go. No family to take me in. So I did the only thing I could: I stowed away on the nearest supply ship and hoped for the best.
"It worked for awhile. I found ways to get money to live off of, but the streets were no place for a child. I got into trouble with some of the local gangs on Ossus, so I snuck aboard this rust bucket of a ship in the spaceport, hoping it would take me far away from there. I was right," he said, wiping his eyes.
"When you found me hidden aboard one of the compartments, the best I could have hoped for was you would let me off wherever you touched down next – but you did better than that. When you found out my parents were dead and I had no other family, you offered to take me in and I remembered refusing," Zekk's eyes glistened and a reminiscent smile surfaced on his face. "I'd been on my own for two years then and had done just fine. After my experience with a couple of orphanages, I wasn't exactly jumping at the chance to have another person tell me what to do. But you gave me your word it wouldn't be like that. You valued your independence as much as I did mine. All you wanted to do was offer me some place to sleep at night, but I would be free to come and go as I please. I knew I wouldn't get a better offer then that, and I accepted.
"I never thought we would become as close as we did. I started helping you with the Lightning Rod, and even went on a few supply runs with you. Whoever thought an orphaned kid and an old spacer pilot could have gotten along so well?
"You took me in when I had no one, and looked out for me, even though it wasn't your job. We took care of each other and became a real family. I never told you this," Zekk said, his voice choking up slightly, "but I always thought of you as like a father. You were always the one person in my life who respected me for who I was. You're opinion never changed even when I went over to the dark side.
"I've spent half my life trying to prove I'm as good as everyone else, but there was never anyone I wanted as badly to be proud of me as you. That was part of the reason I decided to train to be a Jedi. To show you that the choice you made to take me in all those years ago hadn't been for nothing. I hope I made you proud.
"I don't know what I'm going to do now. I haven't been alone like this since my parent's deaths. I've always wanted independence, but I'd it give it up in a second if it would bring you back. I'll miss you. I hope wherever you are, you're okay. Don't worry about me, I know how to take care of myself. Good-bye, Peckum,"
Those last words had been the hardest ones he had ever had to speak. And with his final farewell said, he truly was alone – in his heart and in the galaxy.
Jaina sat alone in the waiting room, debating whether or not she should go home. Zekk had been in with Peckum for over a half hour now, and would probably want some time to himself when he got out. He was still her friend though, and they had been through too much together for her to just pack up and head home.
She sat there biting her lip, a habit she thought she had grown out of, when Zekk appeared from around a corner. He made his way over to her, but avoided eye contact. That did not stop her from noticing the red puffiness under his eyes.
She was supposed to be the one offering him comforting words, but she could not think of a single thing to say that wouldn't come out sounding lame, like "it's going to be okay."
"Do you want to go somewhere?" She asked instead.
"No, I need to be alone right now," he said, his voice hoarse.
She understood. He needed time to himself to deal with everything – and time to grieve in private.
The only thing Jaina could do was watch him disappear down the corridor without another word to her.
Hope you like it so far. I'll try and have chapter four up sometime later this week.