Kam Solusar continued to jack open the turbolift
door as he heard Tionne cry out in pain. He wanted, desperately, to be able
to help his wife through her labor, to be there to hold hold her hand, to
take away her pain. The only thing separating him from her was a durasteel
door, but they might have been on opposite sides of the galaxy for all Kam
cared.
The Jedi Master redoubled his efforts at levering open the door when he heard Valin say, "Come on, you can do it. Just a little more." The door was open the length of Kam's hand, but all he could see was Tionne's still swollen belly.
Kam saw Tionne's body relax and then heard the sweetest thing ever: his daughter's voice, crying out. He reached out to touch her mind tentatively, but when she felt his touch, she latched onto it immediately. She was scared and suddenly cold, and she wanted her momma.
"Does that answer your question?" Valin threw at Taesa, who was standing behind Kam, anxiously looking over his shoulder into the lift. Valin's form was visible leaning over Tionne, handing her the bundle that was her baby. "Now, get us outta here!" the young man continued, looking right at Kam. He looked over at Taesa. "I'm not cutting the cord, or doing anything else, you hear?"
"No one's asking you to," Taesa assured him. "They'll both be fine for a few minutes until Master Solusar can get the door open enough for me to get in there. Just relax, your job is done."
"Thank the Force," he told her. "I never asked to do this. I just want outta here."
Taesa handed Valin a glow rod through the crack in the door. "Just check on Tionne real quick for me," she told him. "Check her breathing, reaction to light, things like that."
Valin nodded and crawled over to Tionne. Kam saw him flash the light in her face, but couldn't see her reaction. He put a hand above her mouth and nose to feel for breathing. "She didn't open her eyes to the light, but she is breathing," the young man reported. He moved to pull her robes down so that she was decent again, but stopped abruptly. "Master Taesa, she's bleeding an awful lot."
The healer stuck her head through the crack, now almost the size of Kam's forearm. She flashed her own glowrod on Tionne's robes. "She's just delivered a baby in twenty minutes. That's a major trauma. She's going to bleed some as a matter of course."
"Yeah, but I think she's bleeding more than that," Valin replied. "Her robes are covered in it. And I mean literally soaked through."
Taesa tried to maneuver to get a better look, but couldn't see, no matter what she did. "Shavit!" she cursed, looking from Tionne to Kam. "I need in there. Quickly."
"I'm working on it!" Kam snapped. He reached out to Tionne through their bond, but had difficulty finding her. Her spirit was drifting away from her body. Tionne, no! Come back! The baby needs you. I need you.
Taesa shouldered past Kam as the crack became large enough for her to squeeze through. The healer immediately set to work on Tionne, stopping only to cut and tie the umbilical cord between mother and child.
Valin moved to stand by the door, effectively blocking Kam from seeing his wife. The young man was now holding the baby, who was asleep, the trauma of childbirth tiring her. "Do you think Master Tionne will be okay?" the teen asked worriedly.
"I don't know," Kam answered truthfully. "I hope she'll be just fine, but I really don't know."
Mirax Horn rushed into the small medical bay, but was stopped just inside the door by Luke Skywalker. Mirax and Tionne had become good friends, and she had come as soon as she had heard about Tionne's labor in the turbolift.
"How is she?" Mirax asked Luke, worried. "And where's Valin?"
"I sent Valin back to his quarters," Luke answered her second question. "I told him to stay there until someone contacted him with news. He was very worried about Tionne." The Jedi gestured for Mirax to follow him, then went and sat in one of the chairs in from of the desks in Telki and Taesa's small office. "As to Tionne..." he trailed off, adverting his eyes. Mirax followed his gaze, and her eyes landed on Jag Fel in the bacta tank. She looked back to Luke as he continued. "Both Taesa and Telki are in there, working on her, but I have no idea how she's doing. Kam hasn't come out of there with news, so I'm as much in the dark as you are."
"What about the baby? How's she doing?" Mirax pressed.
"Leia's watching the baby for now," Luke said, turning his attention back to Mirax. "telki gave her a quick exam and said that she's perfectly healthy. No adverse effects from the quick delivery."
Both Mirax and Luke turned as the door to the exam room opened. Telki came out and shut the door behind herself. The little Chanda Fan healer moved to the small office and sat behind one of the desks. She rested her elbow on the desk, her head in her hands, exhaustion crossing her mousy features.
"How's Tionne?" Luke asked quietly. To Mirax, it seemed almost as if he were afraid to hear the answer.
Telki looked up as if just noticing the presence of others in the room. "We won't know for sure until at least tomorrow," she told them. "She lost a lot of blood, and she went through a major trauma. We managed to get her into a healing trance, but we don't know how well it will work. Right now, it's all up to Tionne."
Mirax sighed, then stood abruptly. "You'll let me know when she wakes up?" Telki nodded wearily. "Thanks." She turned and headed for the door to the medical bay. She almost ran into Jacen Solo, who was entering. "Don't expect much news," she warned him, then turned and stalked down the corridor.
The Traitor stood over Tionne Solusar, under the guise of visiting her. A feral grin crossed the Traitor's face as it thought of how well it's plans were proceeding.
At dinner the previous night, the Traitor had drugged Tionne's food, causing her to go into a mild labor. And at breakfast that morning, the Traitor had slipped a drug into her food, causing rapid labor and delivery.
The recording device in Jacen Solo's regular meditation room had been recovered. The Traitor had watched the recording, and was trying to figure out some way to use the information contained in it.
Jag Fel wouldn't come out of bacta for at least another two days. That is, the Traitor thought, if I let him life for now. He'll end up dead no matter what I choose, though. Either by my hand, or some Vong's.
Jaina Solo hadn't yet gone out in her X-wing, but the Traitor was sure that she would soon. She's got to, the Traitor thought with a sneer. She won't let her squadron fall out of fighting trim. Her own habits are working against her. I'll have her soon.
I won't fail again.
The Jedi Master redoubled his efforts at levering open the door when he heard Valin say, "Come on, you can do it. Just a little more." The door was open the length of Kam's hand, but all he could see was Tionne's still swollen belly.
Kam saw Tionne's body relax and then heard the sweetest thing ever: his daughter's voice, crying out. He reached out to touch her mind tentatively, but when she felt his touch, she latched onto it immediately. She was scared and suddenly cold, and she wanted her momma.
"Does that answer your question?" Valin threw at Taesa, who was standing behind Kam, anxiously looking over his shoulder into the lift. Valin's form was visible leaning over Tionne, handing her the bundle that was her baby. "Now, get us outta here!" the young man continued, looking right at Kam. He looked over at Taesa. "I'm not cutting the cord, or doing anything else, you hear?"
"No one's asking you to," Taesa assured him. "They'll both be fine for a few minutes until Master Solusar can get the door open enough for me to get in there. Just relax, your job is done."
"Thank the Force," he told her. "I never asked to do this. I just want outta here."
Taesa handed Valin a glow rod through the crack in the door. "Just check on Tionne real quick for me," she told him. "Check her breathing, reaction to light, things like that."
Valin nodded and crawled over to Tionne. Kam saw him flash the light in her face, but couldn't see her reaction. He put a hand above her mouth and nose to feel for breathing. "She didn't open her eyes to the light, but she is breathing," the young man reported. He moved to pull her robes down so that she was decent again, but stopped abruptly. "Master Taesa, she's bleeding an awful lot."
The healer stuck her head through the crack, now almost the size of Kam's forearm. She flashed her own glowrod on Tionne's robes. "She's just delivered a baby in twenty minutes. That's a major trauma. She's going to bleed some as a matter of course."
"Yeah, but I think she's bleeding more than that," Valin replied. "Her robes are covered in it. And I mean literally soaked through."
Taesa tried to maneuver to get a better look, but couldn't see, no matter what she did. "Shavit!" she cursed, looking from Tionne to Kam. "I need in there. Quickly."
"I'm working on it!" Kam snapped. He reached out to Tionne through their bond, but had difficulty finding her. Her spirit was drifting away from her body. Tionne, no! Come back! The baby needs you. I need you.
Taesa shouldered past Kam as the crack became large enough for her to squeeze through. The healer immediately set to work on Tionne, stopping only to cut and tie the umbilical cord between mother and child.
Valin moved to stand by the door, effectively blocking Kam from seeing his wife. The young man was now holding the baby, who was asleep, the trauma of childbirth tiring her. "Do you think Master Tionne will be okay?" the teen asked worriedly.
"I don't know," Kam answered truthfully. "I hope she'll be just fine, but I really don't know."
Mirax Horn rushed into the small medical bay, but was stopped just inside the door by Luke Skywalker. Mirax and Tionne had become good friends, and she had come as soon as she had heard about Tionne's labor in the turbolift.
"How is she?" Mirax asked Luke, worried. "And where's Valin?"
"I sent Valin back to his quarters," Luke answered her second question. "I told him to stay there until someone contacted him with news. He was very worried about Tionne." The Jedi gestured for Mirax to follow him, then went and sat in one of the chairs in from of the desks in Telki and Taesa's small office. "As to Tionne..." he trailed off, adverting his eyes. Mirax followed his gaze, and her eyes landed on Jag Fel in the bacta tank. She looked back to Luke as he continued. "Both Taesa and Telki are in there, working on her, but I have no idea how she's doing. Kam hasn't come out of there with news, so I'm as much in the dark as you are."
"What about the baby? How's she doing?" Mirax pressed.
"Leia's watching the baby for now," Luke said, turning his attention back to Mirax. "telki gave her a quick exam and said that she's perfectly healthy. No adverse effects from the quick delivery."
Both Mirax and Luke turned as the door to the exam room opened. Telki came out and shut the door behind herself. The little Chanda Fan healer moved to the small office and sat behind one of the desks. She rested her elbow on the desk, her head in her hands, exhaustion crossing her mousy features.
"How's Tionne?" Luke asked quietly. To Mirax, it seemed almost as if he were afraid to hear the answer.
Telki looked up as if just noticing the presence of others in the room. "We won't know for sure until at least tomorrow," she told them. "She lost a lot of blood, and she went through a major trauma. We managed to get her into a healing trance, but we don't know how well it will work. Right now, it's all up to Tionne."
Mirax sighed, then stood abruptly. "You'll let me know when she wakes up?" Telki nodded wearily. "Thanks." She turned and headed for the door to the medical bay. She almost ran into Jacen Solo, who was entering. "Don't expect much news," she warned him, then turned and stalked down the corridor.
The Traitor stood over Tionne Solusar, under the guise of visiting her. A feral grin crossed the Traitor's face as it thought of how well it's plans were proceeding.
At dinner the previous night, the Traitor had drugged Tionne's food, causing her to go into a mild labor. And at breakfast that morning, the Traitor had slipped a drug into her food, causing rapid labor and delivery.
The recording device in Jacen Solo's regular meditation room had been recovered. The Traitor had watched the recording, and was trying to figure out some way to use the information contained in it.
Jag Fel wouldn't come out of bacta for at least another two days. That is, the Traitor thought, if I let him life for now. He'll end up dead no matter what I choose, though. Either by my hand, or some Vong's.
Jaina Solo hadn't yet gone out in her X-wing, but the Traitor was sure that she would soon. She's got to, the Traitor thought with a sneer. She won't let her squadron fall out of fighting trim. Her own habits are working against her. I'll have her soon.
I won't fail again.