Chapter Two

The Healer's Wing



Obi-Wan Kenobi felt pain, and could hear voices speaking near by as he began to reclaim consciousness. His head was throbbing as he tried to concentrate on the voices.

" . . . concussion, two cracked ribs, a broken nose, a dislocated shoulder, a hyper extended knee, numerous bruises, and he is malnourished, " a voice that Obi-Wan recognized as healer Wealy said.

"Will he make a full recovery?" another female voice asked, he was not certain, however, whom that voice belonged to.

"Yes, he will fully recover from all of his injuries. He will be in some pain for a few days, and will need to use a cane to walk with for the first three to four days after he is released from here. He also should not participate in any rigorous physical activities like sparring or katas for about three days after he is released to give his knee a chance to heal properly."

"And when will he be released?" the unmistakable voice of Master Mace Windu asked.

"I would like to keep him over night for observations, I think if he does not develop any complications, that he can go back to his apartment tomorrow afternoon."

"Very good, may we speak with him now?" Mace asked.

"As soon as he fully regains consciousness," healer Wealy said.

"I'm awake," Obi-Wan said, his voice sounding weak from disuse, as he slowly opened his eyes, and winced at the light in the healers room.

"Obi-Wan, how do you feel?" the female voice asked again. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he was able to recognize the woman as Master Adi Gallia.

"Like I was run over by a speeder," Obi-Wan answered.

"You got banged up quite a bit in the lift tube," healer Wealy said.

"Yes, you were very lucky that Cam and Master Windu were walking down the corridor and saw you enter the malfunctioning lift," Adi said.

"Why did you enter the malfunctioning lift tube? You had to have walked right past the operational lift tube?" Mace asked. And for the first time since regaining consciousness Obi-Wan thought that he saw disappointment in both of the council members eyes.

"No," the young teenager said. "The one closest to my sparring room was the one with the malfunction. I saw the sign on it that said out of order so I used the other lift tube instead. Obi-Wan could feel the lure of unconsciousness beckoning him sleep more, and fought to keep his eyes opened.

"No, Obi-Wan," Adi said sounding calmer, and somehow less stern than Mace had, "we talked to all the other students from your sparring class and they all told us that the lift you used was the one that had the out of order sign on it. Your sparring instructor and Master Yoda rode in the other lift tube because of the sign posted on the lift that you rode in."

"Obi-Wan, I need you to tell us the truth, if you lie to us you will only get yourself into more trouble than you already are. And I doubt that I need to remind you again that you are on probation."

Obi-Wan's eyes opened wide because of the man's accusations.

"Obi-Wan, please tell us the real reason. We really don't want to have to send you back to the Agricultural Corps," Adi said.

"I did, I told you the truth. I saw the out of order sign on the other lift tube, so I walked down to the other lift tube and there was no sign on it so I entered my destination to go to the cafeteria, and then it went crazy. I'm not lying. If I knew that the lift was malfunctioning I would have taken the stairs instead."

"Obi-Wan," Mace began, but Obi-Wan's temper took control over him, and he cut the master off.

"I told you the real reason, Master Windu, but you don't want to believe me! And I already know that you're going to send me away. Master Qui-Gon will never take me back as his apprentice, and I am too old to stay here now. So since you don't want to believe me Master, maybe you should just arrange for me to leave tomorr-"

"That is enough Obi-Wan!" Adi raised her voice for the first time since the young teen woke up, "your fate has not yet been decided, and you should not jump to conclusions," she then turned to Master Windu. "Mace, the boy has told us his reasons and is obviously standing by them. We need to concentrate now on finding out if what he says is true, and Obi-Wan needs to rest."

"Ok," Mace agreed, and then turned to look at Obi-Wan. "I'll be back later, and I'll let you know what we find out," the master then turned and left the room without another word.

"Obi-Wan you get some rest and later when you wake again, perhaps healer Wealy will let your friends come and visit you. They were all very worried about you," Adi said.

Obi-Wan nodded feeling even more certain, after the way that he had just raised his voice to a master that he would be sent away from the temple for good this time.

"Obi-Wan, are you alright?" healer Wealy asked.

"Do you believe me?"

"Well Obi-Wan, you've been a patient of mine on a few occasions, and I've never known you to lie before. You were always very honest in your dislike of the healer's wing, and I'm sure you were telling the truth when you complained constantly that you wanted to leave," Wealy smiled, "but I do have a feeling that I will be seeing you a lot more in the future. Now sleep," the healer said. She put her hand on the boy's forehead and gave him a force suggestion to sleep. Obi-Wan immediately fell into a peaceful, and dreamless sleep.

* *** * *** *

Qui-Gon sat silently in the Schumson conference room partially listening to the negotiations taking place around him. He could not get the image of his battered and unconscious padawan out of his mind though.

The Jedi Master wondered why he would dream about the boy? Maybe because he was afraid that the council won't let Obi-Wan become a Jedi again, he guessed.

"Master Jinn," a senator sitting next to him said, "are you going to stay here?"

"What?" Qui-Gon asked looking up at the senator from the Eastern quadrant of Schumson, Senator Pencile.

Senator Pencile sat back down beside the Jedi Master, and sighed. "It is our lunch break. You seem distracted, is there anything wrong?"

"It's nothing really," Qui-Gon said.

"You know my people have a saying: When you are bothered by something, talking to someone, even a stranger may help. Tell me Master Jedi, what troubles you and perhaps just speaking of it will help ease you troubles."

Qui-Gon sighed knowing that it could not do any harm to tell the man about his dream, so he told the senator of his dream the night before.

"You obviously care a great deal about this padawan of yours, if a mere dream could upset you so much. Is he your son?"

"No," Qui-Gon said. "He is a boy that I had chosen as my padawan learner. So I can teach him to be a great Knight one day."

"Aw," Senator Pencile nodded, "but I can tell that he is much more than a mere student to you in your heart, or the dream would not bother you quite this much."

"Yeah, I guess he is," Qui-Gon said, suddenly realizing the reason why what Obi-Wan had did on Melida/Dann, and despite the boys good intentions and that he had believed the force had guided him to do it, that the reason he was so upset was because he did really care for the boy. In such a short time Obi-Wan had claimed Qui-Gon's heart, and Qui-Gon had been too blind to realize it.

"Why don't we go and get some food Master Jinn, and perhaps later after the negotiations end for the day, you can contact your padawan and make sure that he is ok." Qui-Gon nodded and then went out of the conference room with the senator to eat, although he knew until he spoke with Obi-Wan he would not have much of an appetite.

* *** * *** *

"Obi-Wan are you alright?" Bant asked her friend as she entered the recovery room where Obi-Wan laid on a sleep couch. Garen, and Reeft followed Bant into the room.

"Yes I'm ok Bant. Just a couple bumps and bruises," Obi-Wan smiled trying to relieve the worried expressions from his friends faces.

"This is not funny Obi-Wan," Garen said. "You had us all scared. And there are rumors that they are expelling you from the Jedi order over this."

"How could you ride in a lift that was out of order? You nearly got yourself killed, and if there would have been any one from maintenance working in the lift tube shafts they could have been hurt or even killed also," Bant asked.

Obi-Wan sighed, "not you too."

"Do you have a death wish or something? And what do you mean 'you too'?"

"I mean that you are just like Master Windu. Actually you are worse, at least Master Windu gave me a chance to explain what happened before refusing to believe me because of Melida/Dann. And maybe I do have a death wish, I know I no longer have any friends or a master, and soon I won't even have the Jedi order."

"Obi-Wan," Bant said.

"No, I just want to be left alone. When they ship me off to the Agri Corps for good this time, don't even bother to come and say goodbye to me."

"Obi-Wan don't say that. If you-" Bant began.

"No!" Obi-Wan yelled cutting her off, his voice radiated outside of the room and down the hallway. "I want to be left alone. Just get out, and leave me alone!"

"Obi-Wan, calm down we just-" Reeft said.

"What is going on?" Adi Gallia asked entering the room.

"I want them to leave," Obi-Wan said.

"Master Adi, we didn't want to upset him we just," Bant broke off as she looked at Obi-Wan's hurt filled eyes.

"I think you should go now, and give him a chance to calm down. It can't be good for him to get up set like this."

Reluctantly the three initiates left the room, each looking back at their friend before they exited.

"Obi-Wan," Adi said, "are you alright?"

The boy nodded, but he could no longer hold back the tears as a droplet of moisture slid down his cheek.

Adi sat down beside Obi-Wan, "What is wrong Obi-Wan?" Obi-Wan turned his head, if he could not even hide his emotions, how did he ever think that he would one day be a great Jedi Knight. "Obi-Wan please tell me what is wrong. I would like to help you," the councilwoman said. "Tell me what has upset you, and I promise that I will do my best to help in what ever way that I can."

"I didn't mean to hurt Master Qui-Gon. I'm so sorry, please let me talk to Qui-Gon before you send me away. I need to tell him that I'm sorry and that-"

"Hold on a minute Obi-Wan. Who told you that you were going to be sent away?"

"No, one believes me. Even Bant thinks I got into the lift tube purposely knowing it was malfunctioning. They are going to send me back to the Agri Corps."

"Obi-Wan the council has not decided to send you away. And I for one believe that you did not know that the lift was malfunctioning. You are on probation; you have not been expelled from being a Jedi. And When Qui-Gon returns from his mission in a few days you can tell him what you just told me. Now I want you to rest, you have had a terrible accident and getting yourself so upset is not going to help. I'll check in on you later." Adi gently touched the boy's forehead and gave him a force suggestion to sleep, since she guessed he would not easily fall a sleep on his own. Obi-Wan immediately fell asleep. Adi sat and watched the boy sleep a few minutes, wondering if Qui-Gon would be able to help the child to ease his tormented mind.

* *** * *** *

Qui-Gon entered his guest room with a yawn after a long boring day of negotiations. Qui-Gon had tried to contact Obi-Wan and find out if the boy was all right after dinner break. When he contacted the temple and asked to speak with Obi-Wan, he was informed that Master Adi Gallia was speaking with him. Qui-Gon was very relieved, assuming that since he was speaking with Adi that Obi-Wan was ok. Adi was probably talking to him about his class work, since Mace and Adi had both agreed to look in on the boy while Qui-Gon was away.

After his worry over Obi-Wan had been set at ease he was able to concentrate on the negotiations, which had not had any out of hand, disagreements. The day was very long though and Qui-Gon was eager to get some sleep.

After using the fresher and changing his clothes Qui-Gon laid down on the sleep couch and immediately began to drift asleep with the dim light of Schumson's two moons shining through the window.

After what seemed like mere minutes of sleep Qui-Gon again woke to the same beeping sound as the night before and looked at the screen on the nearby monitor. Again after he pushed a button on the keypad the screen came to life with the image of Obi-Wan lying on a sleep couch in one of the recovery rooms in the healer's wing.

His nose was obviously bruised, possibly broken, and his bottom lip was swollen. Any other injuries were hidden beneath the blanket that covered him. Obi-Wan stared out the window across the room at the Coruscant traffic that flew past the window constantly. He looked bored. Qui-Gon smiled remembering Healer Wealy telling him about all the times that the boy had argued with her to get out of the wing, when he had escorted Obi-Wan to the healer's for a routine check up after they returned to the temple from Melida/Dann. Healer Wealy had teased the boy that it was the first time that he went to see her without a complaint.

Suddenly Obi-Wan turned his head towards the door way, seconds before a loud explosion from outside the room sent the boy flying off the sleep couch and crashing onto the floor, as pieces of burning debris showered into the room through the door that had been blown away.

Obi-Wan slowly, and carefully began to get up as alarms began to ring. As Qui-Gon watched the boy, he noticed that Obi-Wan was limping, and held his left arm still against his chest. His padawan looked around the room in an attempt to assess the situation; and Qui-Gon did not need to see the grim look on his face to know that the situation was bad.

Flames were already raging inside the doorway. Small areas of the room had also began to burn do to the burning debris, and the fire retardant systems did not activate like they should have. Qui-Gon's heart began to race as he watched the fire rage and his padawan begin to cough. Each cough seemed to give the boy some pain, and Qui-Gon wondered if the boy had also had broken some ribs.

Obi-Wan looked around the room frantically, still coughing, as the flames became visible through the monitor seconds before the screen erupted in static. The fire had gotten to the camera, leaving Qui-Gon to wonder if the flames had also gotten to his young padawan learner?

* *** * *** *

"Did you get every one out?" Mace Windu asked Healer Marroil as he stood watching the other Jedi trying to put out the fire that raged at the far end of the healer's wing.

"No. The explosion happened right outside of Obi-Wan Kenobi's room. There is no way to get him out until they get the fire out."

"What about the ventilation shafts?" Siri Tachi suggested as she walked up behind them.

Mace looked at the young girl then at the healer beside him.

"Padawan Tachi, you should not be here," Healer Marroil said.

"Hold on a minute," Mace said. "Where is the closest ventilation shaft to get to Obi-Wan's recovery room?"

"The closest room that is not still burning is in the surgical area in surgical room 1a, but I'm afraid you are too large to fit into a ventilation shaft. Perhaps-"

"I can fit," Siri suggested.

"No, we'll find another way," Mace said.

"Please Master Windu, I can help him. I've gone into the shafts before, and you'll waste too much time trying to find someone who can get into the shaft, and get through it quickly."

"That's very brave of you padawan, but it's not safe for a girl your age to-"

"I know," Siri again cut the healer off, "and I'm willing to take that risk. Please Master Windu I can do this." Siri pleaded.

"Very well, but you must take a breath mask with you so that you are able to breath. The shafts are full of smoke."

"Yes Master Windu," Siri said and ran quickly down the hall towards a storage cabinet to get a breath mask, before she ran into the surgical area, followed by Mace and Marroil.

* *** * *** *

Obi-Wan looked around the room frantically for a way out of the fiery room. In a few minutes the fire would engulf the entire room, and he was quickly running out of a clear area to stand. He could not jump out of the window he knew he could not survive a fall that far. And he could not risk running through the flames to get to the doorway because he had already used the force, and had determined that the flames would burn him too severely to make it up the hallway where there was no fire.

Suddenly he remembered a conversation that he had overheard between Siri and Bruck Chun a few years ago about the two of them using the ventilation shafts to sneak out of their rooms in the crèche and go to the gardens.

Looking around Obi-Wan saw the grating that covered the ventilation shaft, in a section of the room that had already begun to burn. Having no other choice, he called on the force to remove the grating and then let the grating drop to the floor.

Obi-Wan who had been holding his breath, opened his mouth, took a breath of air, and immediately began to cough. He quickly took a deep breath and tried to prepare himself as best he could for what he was about to do. Then he started to run as quickly as he could with his injured knee, through the flames, and leapt up to the ventilation shaft opening.

"Sith," Obi-Wan muttered as he felt his entire body screaming in agony as he pulled himself through the opening of the shaft. After using his right hand to pat out the flames on his legs, he started to crawl through the shaft slowly. He tried to ignore the protests that his body screamed at him with each movement he made.

It felt as if he had been crawling for hours, although he knew that it had only been minutes. With each agonizing movement, he felt himself growing weaker and weaker. Because of the smoke he found it very hard to see where he was going, and he could not keep holding his breath. He felt lightheaded, and had to force himself to go forward, and not give in to the darkness that was calling to him.

Obi-Wan knew that if he lost consciousness he would die of smoke inhalation because no one knew that he was in the shaft. After a few more minutes of crawling his fatigue finally overtook him and he fell into the abyss of unconsciousness once again.

To Be Continued . . .