Come Undone

Chap16

There was pain. She knew that. Somewhere there was pain, and voices. She breathed deeply and thought she smelled flowers, almost. Ani was next to her, holding her hand, encouraging her. Vaguely she was aware of someone else encouraging her to 'push' and oddly enough,

there was the sensation of something... something, a weight... and pain. It became a more personal thing now. The 'flowers' she could smell... and PAIN!

"ANI!" Padmé cried out, "ANI! Please! It hurts! And I'm afraid! ANIIIIII!"

"Padmé, it's all right! You're safe..."

Obi-wan held one hand tightly and smoothed her forehead with the other. He took the small air mask and held it to her nose and mouth.

"Just breathe a little Padmé," he encouraged her. "This will help, I promise. Just a little..."

"Ani," she whimpered, but her breathing became slow and steady again. She was back at the meadow on Naboo... surrounded by wildflowers, Ani beside her... the pain was still there, but distant, impersonal. More pressure... that voice again saying that she should 'push' and that odd sensation... the flowers faded... more voices... encouragement to do something... Obi-wan's voice directly in her ear whispering incomprehensible things... The PAIN!

"ANI!" She shrieked, unaware that in that instant, Anakin Skywalker, thankfully alone in his quarters, was brought to his knees. Her shriek was suddenly harmonized by a new sound, a baby cry.

"Your daughter!" Chiron announced happily, she handed the little girl off to an assistant who quickly spirited her off for a moment. Padmé  protested weakly but was seized with new, sharper pains. Deeper and angrier than before.

Chiron gave a grunt of frustration and muttered to herself.

"That's quiet enough of THAT, young lady," she growled. "She needs to hold back a bit." She signaled to both Obi-wan and the medi-droid that controlled the anesthetic. Obi-wan nodded and grimaced

Padmé cried again briefly, but slowly relaxed. Obi-wan continued to stroke her hair and face, wishing that Anakin were here. On an impulse, born of sheer desperation, he tried to tap into the Master/Padawan link that he had once shared with Anakin. He found a small chink in his mental armor... a little corner that hadn't been closed off completely.

With all of his might he sent an image to Anakin of Padmé lying in the infirmary… or tried to. It was as if a door had been slammed on his face such was the force of the rebuttal, but it hadn't come from Anakin himself. It was almost as if… as  if an outside presence had noticed the attempt at contact and had rushed in to prevent it. He took his one hand and rubbed his eye. He was going to have a large headache very soon but he felt that it had been worth the try. After all, it had not been Anakin who had cut him off, perhaps there was hope after all.

Chiron shook her head and motioned for her assistant. "The other one's in trouble, we'll have to take matters into our own hands.

As if she heard the prognosis, Padmé started to writhe and cry out again. She had felt Ani, she was sure of it! The scent of wildflowers came back again but this time she resisted. The meadow on Naboo was a memory, Ani was somewhere in the here and now and she NEEDED him! Dimly, in the distance she heard a woman's voice, telling her to calm down, that she was hurting her baby.., but NO! It couldn't be! She tried to call out to Anakin again but she couldn't get enough air... the sent of wildflowers had become cloying, acrid... She gasped once more and then fell into the nothingness.