Chapter Thirteen: Just in Case
Tenel Ka was running as fast as her considerable strength would allow. She had eluded Kanortine and his guards for a moment and all she cared about was Jacen, and making sure he was okay.
She approached the exit bay where the race contestants were unattached from their blobs and the injured were loaded onto stretchers to be taken to the nearby hospital and quickly glanced around a corner. When she peeked cautiously into the large, open room, she saw Jacen being carried on a stretcher to a waiting landspeeder by two medics.
"Wait!" she called, rushing towards the vehicle as the team hoisted the unconscious body into the back.
One of the men glanced up and his eyes quickly took in her lizard hide armour, black, hooded Jedi cloak and the reptile skin boots that went up to her calves. His gaze stopped at her face, surrounded by its usual style of warrior braids, with a scrutinizing look.
"You his girlfriend?" the man asked bluntly.
Tenel Ka nodded vigourously.
"Hop in," the man offered.
She complied with her swift grace and the man closed the back doors of the speeder.
"Step on it Jo," the other medic ordered, "this one's a bleeder."
"What are his injuries?" Tenel Ka asked worriedly, looking at the still face of her closest friend.
"Broken arm, nasty bite on the shoulder, loss of blood, lots of bruises," the man looked like he could go on, but he stopped at the pained look on Tenel Ka's face.
"He'll be okay, provided we can get a blood donor right away," the man assured her.
Tenel Ka immediately replied, "I'll do it."
The man, who was trying to apply treatment to Jacen's wounds as he talked, spared her a curious glance.
"Hold on a sec sweetie, we don't even know if you've got the right blood type."
"I do," she answered, "I gave him blood two days ago when he was hurt in the gladiator fight."
The man stopped what he was doing and stared at her.
"Hey, you're the princess, aren't you? The one that's been on Kanortine's arm lately."
Tenel Ka bristled.
"Not by choice," she replied stiffly.
"Sorry," the man apologized.
Tenel Ka shook her head, "No matter, I am Tenel Ka."
"Stilker," the man grinned, giving her a blood-covered hand to shake, then returned to his administrations.
Tenel Ka observed them working for a moment before tentatively clearing her throat.
"I am aware this is your area of expertise," she explained, "But I might be able to help in other ways besides giving blood."
"Oh?" Stilker questioned in an amused tone.
Tenel Ka reached out her hand and put it on his forehead, closing her eyes in concentration and reaching out with the Force. Instantly, the life signs monitor that had been bleeping panickedly slowed down to a normal level.
Stilker's partner looked at her in amazement.
"How did you do that?" he asked.
Tenel Ka opened her eyes and turned her head regally, not removing her hand from Jacen's forehead.
"Jedi have a tendency to travel in groups," she replied evenly with a trace of humour.
At that moment, the commlink at Stilker's belt beeped insistently.
"Stilker here," he answered.
"Is Princess Tenel Ka D'jo there with you?" a familiar voice asked smoothly.
"Yes, your majesty, she is," Stilker answered uncertainly.
"Good," Kanortine said, "When she gets to the hospital, there will be a guard to escort her away."
"She isn't allowed to donate blood to the patient?" Stilker inquired bravely.
There was a pause.
"His injuries require that much attention? I was unaware. In that case, she has my leave to remain there."
There was a click as Kanortine cut the communications link.
"I do not need 'his leave' for anything," Tenel Ka growled under her breath.
Honestly, the nerve of that imposter, to put Jacen through hell like he was and then to be oblivious to the hurt it caused. Was it possible for a person to be that unfeeling?
Obviously, it was.
Stilker glanced at her regretfully, but he didn't comment and at that moment, they reached the hospital. They kicked open the door, grabbed the handles on the stretcher and hauled it out, turning on the repulsors when they were clear of the vehicle.
Though Tenel Ka didn't see much of the hospital as they rushed down halls and into turbolifts, she got the impression that the hospital here on Simileon was fairly busy. The intercom was going non-stop and the patient/doctor traffic in the halls should have been controlled by with speed limits and traffic lights.
When they got Jacen into a room, a doctor immediately rushed in, wheeling a machine with plastic tubes and the required large amount of buttons.
"You said you have the blood donor here?" the doctor asked hurriedly.
Tenel Ka stepped forward.
"Hey!" You just gave some to him two days ago, are you sure you want to do it again? You'll feel weak for days," the doctor cautioned.
"I can manage," Tenel Ka said stoically.
The doctor proceeded to hook the tubes up with needles in Jacen's forearm . Then she took a rather large needle and jabbed it into Tenel Ka's wrist, then attached another tube from the machine to the needle. In a few seconds, bright red blood start coursing through the contraption.
Tenel Ka sat in a chair beside the bed. Where Jacen had been moved and anxiously waited for him to wake-up.
Stilker flashed her a smile as he finished up and headed for the door.
"He'll be fine sweetie, don't worry," he remarked as he left.
Now Tenel Ka was left alone, wondering for a minute why on Coruscant anyone would call her 'sweetie.' It didn't really matter, Stilker was just one of those nicer people.
She held Jacen's hand comfortingly in hers, then let it drop for a second as she brushed his hair out of his eyes. She leaned over to place a kiss softly on his forehead.
Be alright Jacen, please be alright.
The silence of the room was unbroken except for the regular chimes and beeps of the blood transfusion machine. Jacen's wounds were wrapped in bacta bandages and his arms was immobilized, lying across his chest.
Presently, a different doctor walked into the room and set the bones of the broken arm into a splint then enfolded the arm in a bacta cast.
"The bacta should heal the bones within two hours or so," the doctor mentioned to Tenel Ka before disappearing as quietly as he had come.
Tenel Ka sighed and leaned back in the chair, too tired from constant stress to move, but not drained enough to sleep.
After a few minutes, the first doctor entered again and unhooked the machine carefully, then bandaged where the needles had intruded in the skin. Tenel Ka had bit her lip last time she'd undergone the procedure, but now she only stared numbly at Jacen.
It was strange how misplaced one felt when one was in pain, whether it was your own or someone else's.
After what seemed like hours, Jacen stirred, murmuring feverishly and his eyelids blinking open.
Tenel Ka moved from her chair to kneel beside the bed, bringing her hand up to his face and stroking it gently with her fingers.
"Tenel Ka?" Jacen asked in a hoarse voice, "Where am I? What happened to me?"
"Ssh…" she whispered to him, "There is nothing to be concerned about."
Jacen tried to give a bitter-sounding laugh which turned out only as a hacking cough.
"Last I check I still had one more race left," Jacen said.
"Yes, there is that. But that is not the priority," Tenel Ka said softly, "You have to wait a few hours here, because your injuries haven't healed yet."
"What's wrong with me?" Jacen asked.
Tenel Ka considered telling him the ful extent of his injuries, but thought better it. He would be fine now, and hearing the worst wouldn't exactly boost his confidence before the last race. Besides, in comparison to the Gladiator fight, Jacen was in great form. He would never know how close he came to dying that day.
"You have a broken arm and some bruises. The bite has been taken care of," Tenel Ka assured him.
Jacen sat up gingerly and then gripped his forehead as dizziness overcame him. IN doing this he seemed to finally notice that his wrist was bandaged. His gaze flicked to Tenel Ka's hand and he reached out to touch the soiled cloth.
"Hey," he said uneasily, "You didn't hurt yourself did you? You didn't…"
"It was only a bit of blood," Tenel Ka said simply.
A range of emotions flashed across Jacen's face, anger, fear, pain, surprise and gratefulness. He settled with the last.
"Thank-you."
Tenel Ka smiled, "You're welcome."
She felt so relieved now that she could see for herself that he was alright. She'd felt frozen, like there was a ball of ice in her stomach and now it was slowly melting. There was still tension coiled wearily in her muscles, and she knew they weren't safe until Jacen won the last race, maybe not even then, and the fact there was only one left to go seemed to heighten the pressure.
Tenel Ka was drawn to him, as he sat there on the bed, his brown eyes tired, but glowing and the faint trace of a lopsided grin. He watched her adoringly, and her heart beat quickened slightly.
There really wasn't any point in holding back much longer, a voice inside of her pressed, and Tenel Ka knew it was true.
She leaned forward, closed her eyes and gently, because she knew he wasn't fully recuperated yet, covered his lips with her own.
The sound of someone clearing his throat brought both Jedi out of the kiss. They whirled around to see the doctor that had treated Jacen's arm standing in the doorway, a bemused look on his face.
"Glad to see you're feeling better," the doctor commented dryly.
Jacen laughed and Tenel Ka let her face go expressionless, the grim warrior princess once again.
The doctor unclipped the cast from Jacen's arm and then checked the cut on his shoulder.
"All better," the man said with an easygoing smile, "Kanortine contacted the hospital to tell you that the race will start within two standard hours. The escort is waiting outside the door."
Jacen rose laboriously, gripping Tenel Ka's arm for support which wasn't the wisest idea since she wasn't her strongest either.
There was a crash as they both fell to the floor in a heap, then a slight pause before Jacen burst out laughing. Tenel Ka was smiling widely.
"Please remove your elbow from my ear," Jacen joked, trying to disentangle himself from Tenel Ka.
"Jacen, it is impossible for the elbow to fit in the-"
"I know," he said with a smile, "Here."
He gave her a hand up and, much to her pleasure, a quick kiss before they tried walking again. This time they were able to make their way slowly to the door, and past it were six escorts, armed to the teeth as usual, and with forbidding expressions on their faces.
They must still be upset that I eluded them, Tenel Ka mused to herself with a bit of smugness.
Jacen and Tenel Ka were marched out of the hospital to a waiting luxury speeder. An escort opened the back door and they climbed in, only to be greeted by Kanortine, who was now sitting across from them. In between the groups was a table packed with food .
"So pleased you could join me," Kanortine drawled, "I thought you might enjoy refreshment before you race?"
"I won't say no to that," Jacen answered calmly and served himself up. Tenel Ka followed suit. The energy their bodies had lost had to be replenished somehow, even if it came from a despised host.
By the time they'd finished, the speeder had reached the hangar bay for the next race. After exiting the speeder, the guards found them again and latched on while Jacen and Tenel Ka fought through the bustling crowds to the interior of the complex.
Tenel Ka didn't understand what she was feeling at first. Every breath she inhaled felt painful, like she couldn't take in too much, or it would rip her lungs open. Her stomach was shifting, churning, making her feel nauseous and sick. A fever seemed to come over her, making her skin hot and prickly. She struggled to keep walking with her head upright and her back straight.
Jacen turned to her and his eyes told her he knew what she was feeling. He reached out and gripped her hand tightly, seeking to reassure her. His skin was still pale, so very white and weak looking.
When they reached the door to the bay where the vehicles were kept, Jacen stopped, not keying the access code or making any move to open the door.
"Hey," he said to the guards who were standing a few meters behind them, "Can you give us a minute?"
The guards exchanged glances, but they nodded and started walking back.
Jacen put his hands on Tenel Ka's shoulders and looked into her eyes, the brandy-brown sinking into sea gray.
"I know this is going to be a hard one," Jacen said. It was all he had to say.
Tenel Ka nodded, keeping her face expressionless, but struggling against the tightening in her throat that threatened to overwhelm her.
"But don't worry," he told her, "I can do it."
She inclined her head again, blinking her eyes to keep back the salty tears that were forming.
"And just in case I don't," Jacen continued with a smile.
He didn't say anything else. He tilted her chin slightly with his right hand, then tilted his lips down to meet hers. Then he stepped closer to her and wrapped his other arm around her waist to pull her against him. She snaked her arm around his neck and just let him kiss her. She wanted to keep him here so that he'd be safe, but the seconds ticked away and they let go.
"I love you Jacen," she blurted as he pressed the access buttons on the door and stepped through.
"I know," he smiled as the door closed between them.
Tenel Ka understood what she was feeling now.
It was called fear.