"Send a healer to room 62345-KG right now!", Padmé called through her comm link. Some droid answered her and accomplished her request. Three minutes later, a healer was in Padmé's room cheking her vitals. She had an angsty look on her face and couldn't wait to hear the healer's diagnosis.
"Well, Naberrie, you'll have to stay in bed for a couple of weeks. You almost suffered a lost, and the next time it might be too late to do something about it", the healer said raising his brows as a warning. Padmé nodded, trying to hide how afraid she was.
"Yes, thank you. Do you know what may have caused this?", she asked curious.
"Maybe you haven't got enough rest since you returned from your trip, or perhaps you've been under a lot of stress. My advice is to stay in bed and not to move at all, only if it's necessary. Try to stay calm, alright?", the healer said tapping her shoulder. Padmé smiled and nodded.
"Thank you very much. I should talk to the council about this...", she said reaching for her comm link, but the healer stopped her.
"Don't worry, I'll talk to them to inform them of your status", the healer said smiling. "Now get some rest, and try to sleep".
Padmé covered herself with the sheets and lied her head on the pillows. The healer had given her a shot earlier and that made it easier for her to fall asleep.
She dreamed of a baby, possibly hers, and the baby started to talk to her about the future. For as much as Padmé tried to listen to the baby's words, she didn't understand anything. She woke up sweating and felt a trembling hand on her shoulder. It was Sabé.
"Sabé?", Padmé asked rubbing her eyes to check if she was still sleeping, but she was very much awake.
"Yes, it's me. How are you feeling?", she asked placing her hand on Padmé's forehead.
"Good, better at least...", she answered giving it another thought. "But how... how did you...?", she started, but Sabé interrupted her.
"The healer reached Anakin and explained to him what had happened to you. Anakin grew hysterical, you know him, and sent me here to keep you company. He was so sorry that he couldn't be here. He was worried sick about you and the baby...", Sabé said shaking her head.
"Oh, Sabé, please don't tell me that everyone knows that I'm pregnant...", Padmé feared. Sabé smiled.
"No, only the people that you have talked to about it know, nobody else does, not even Anakin's advisor!", Sabé explained. Padmé sighed in relief. "Now go back to sleep, I'll stay here with you until you feel better", Sabé said while pushing Padmé down.
"Alright...", she answered.
A week went by, and every time that Padmé woke up, she found Sabé next to her, always watching over her. One particular morning, Padmé was very happy: after the healer checked how she was doing, he told her that she had one month of pregnancy. That also meant that Anakin had been king of Naboo for almost two weeks.
//Poor Ani, he must be covered in paperwork...//, Padmé thought sadly. But then she remembered that Anakin loved his job and serving his people was part of his life.
Padmé wondered if she would have to choose between her duty as a Jedi and her family life. She loved being a Jedi, but now that a baby was coming into the picture, she realized that the decision would be easy: her child would come first.
This made Padmé question her devotion to the Jedi order. She knew that she owed them their life, and in a certain way, thanks to them she married Anakin, but was she willing to be a mother and a Jedi? She knew that her duties would keep her away from her child once or twice, there was no doubt about that.
But besides everything that she owed to the Jedi, she really loved helping the galaxy, and in a certain way her duties made her feel good about herself, because she had responsabilities and was beeing usefull. Being a Jedi brought so much emotion to her life. It made her feel complete.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Sabé's voice, calling her from the 'freshner.
"What?", Padmé asked.
"I said that I'll go out for a while and that I'll return in two hours! I heard about this nightclub that it's only three blocks away from here", Sabé yelled back. Padmé laughed and nodded.
"Fine!", she yelled. Sabé, somehow, had the power to bring a smile to Padmé's face. She was so funny, and she didn't even know it. A couple of minutes later, Sabé left the room. Padmé settled herself across the bed thinking that she would be able to get some sleep, when Sabé called her from the door.
"Padmé, there's a Jedi here to see you!", she yelled. Padmé sighed and sat up.
//There goes my nap...//
"Send him in", she said. Padmé heard the foot steps and her jaw almost fell when she saw the Jedi. "Anakin?!", she cried out. Anakin brought a finger to his mouth ordering her to keep silence.
"Yes, it's me", he whispered as he sat next to Padmé. They hugged and Anakin was very carefull to avoid squeezing her too much. "I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier, I've been very busy". Padmé shook her head and kissed him.
"Don't worry, it's alright. Where did you get that outfit?", Padmé asked looking at him with a smile.
"Master Yoda gave it to me, so that no one could recognize me. I must look pretty stupid...", he said shaking his head.
"Are you kiddin' me? You look so... not like you!", she commented. Anakin smiled and brought her closer to kiss her. Then he leaned his forehead on hers and hugged her.
"I've been so worried about you... how are you feeling?", he asked concerned. Padmé sighed and tightened her embrace.
"Better, but I was really scared... what if this happens again?", she asked, concern obvious in her voice. Anakin shook his head.
"No, you must do everything the healer told you and you and the baby will be fine, alright?", he said rubbing her back. Padmé nodded.
"I just wish that I could be in Naboo...", she complained. Anakin sighed and nodded.
"Me too, but we'll have to wait another... how many months? Do you know how far along are you?", he asked curious. Padmé nodded.
"Yes, one month today". Anakin smiled and placed his hand on Padmé's flat belly.
"Wow, there really is a little life in there...", he said amazed. Padmé smiled and kissed him.
"Yes, there is. How are we going to call it?", she asked excited. Anakin shrugged.
"I... I don't know. I guess that we'll have to wait and see what it is and then think of a name. Do you want to know what it is before it's born?"
"I guess so, I hate reffering to the baby as 'it', that sounds so shallow. I'd like to know what the baby is...", she said puting her hand on top of Anakin's. Their hands carressed Padmé's stomach, as if they could feel the baby. "I can't wait until it gets bigger". Anakin smiled.
"I thought you had said that you didn't want to get fat...", he said raising a brow. Padmé smiled and kissed the tip of his nose.
"I take it back...", she shot back. "How could I don't want to feel our baby? I can't wait to feel it kicking and moving. After all, it's our first child, and I don't want to miss anything"
"I like that", Anakin said smiling. Padmé smiled and frowned a little confused.
"What?", she asked. Anakin smiled and laid next to Padmé, spooning her against him.
"That this is our child, that we made it out of love"
"...and something else...", Padmé added mischievously. Anakin laughed and kissed her temple.
"Love and something else. When the kid starts asking questions we better keep that part to ourselves...", he teased. Padmé laughed.
"I agree".
"What do you think that it will be? Boy or girl?", Anakin asked.
"I know that you'll say boy, and I'll have to join you in that one", Padmé answered, slowly closing her eyes. Anakin yawned and held her closer.
"Actually I was going to say a girl, but I trust a visionary Jedi's opinion over a politician's". Padmé gave a tired smile and covered herself. "Good night", Anakin whispered. Padmé smiled.
"It's still morning, Ani", she pointed.
"I know, but I'm still used to standard Nubian time...", he muttered. "Listen, Padmé, I have to leave before night falls".
"Sure, you waited until I was almost asleep to tell me, that way I can't complain", she said as she yawned.
"You have a clever husband", Anakin said smiling. Padmé smiled back, even though she wasn't facing him.
"Very clever...", she added, just before she fell asleep. Anakin called her name a couple of times to see if she was still awake, but he fell asleep too when he noticed that she didn't answer.
*
Anakin woke up to see that the sun was starting to set. He looked down and saw Padmé's head resting on his chest. He smiled to himself: that always happened. No matter in which position they fell asleep, she always ended up resting on his chest. Anakin looked at his watch and realized that it was time to go.
Carefully he moved Padmé's arm from his waist and dropped it on her side. He stood up and fixed his Jedi robes, smiling on the inside.
//Anakin Skywalker as a Jedi... how stupid is that?//, he thought amused. He stopped thinking about him when he heard Padmé mumbling something in her sleep. He knelt by her side and kissed her cheek.
"Bye, kid", he whispered. That was Padmé's pet name, and she hated when Anakin called her that. He always found a way to call her that making sure that she couldn't hear him.
After kissing her cheek, Anakin moved his head down to Padmé's belly and softly kissed it. Padmé stirred a little to then go back to her sleep. "Bye, kid", he repeated smiling. He stood up and left the room as quiet as possible.
Hours later, Padmé woke up alone and sad. This were going to be some hard months.
*
One week later, Padmé and her baby were out of danger. Padmé felt that she was ready to start training the Padawans in their mental skills and she made sure that mastrer Yoda knew it. He decided that she was ready too, so the lessons began.
Being in the training room brought lots of memories to Padmé. Her first years as a Padawan and how hard they were. Most of the Padawans were four or five, and she was nine. That made her feel bad and didn't do much to her self esteem. Obi Wan always found a word to cheer her up, telling her that because she was the chosen one, she needed a special training, or that she was catching up with the more advanced classes.
Obi Wan... Where was her mentor and good friend? He had been gone, or better said disappeared for a little more than a year. What would he think of her if he saw her now, was all Padmé could think about.
"I'm sure that happy for you, he would've been", Yoda said all of the sudden. Padmé turned her head to the old Jedi master and smiled.
"Oh, would he?", she questioned amused. Yoda smiled and walked to where Padmé was standing. He motioned for her to kneel and she did. Carefully, Yoda placed his green and wrinkled hand on Padmé's stomach. She just watched amazed as the master closed his eyes and drifted into the Force.
"Strong in the Force, this child is", he said still with his eyes closed. "Strong and healthy, it will be", he predicted as if he had seen the child in a vision. Padmé smiled really excited.
"You can feel it?", she asked amazed. Yoda opened his eyes and nodded. He grabbed Padmé's hand and placed it under his own, against her stomach.
"Connect with the Force, you must, and feel your child, you wil", he said. Padmé closed her eyes and started to concentrate, but she opened them all of the sudden.
"I don't want to do this now... Um... we have a class to teach, remember Master Yoda?", she said standing up and walking toward the children. The real reason why she wanted to wait was because she wanted Anakin to be there with her the first time she could feel the baby. With Padmé's help, he would be able to feel it too. Yoda shook his head and smiled.
"Girls in love... Never understand them, I will..."
*
Three months later, Padmé's belly was starting to grow, and fast. The baby hadn't kick yet, and Padmé was a little frustrated. She wanted the fun part of pregnancy to begin soon, so that she could interact with her baby.
Beeing pregnant changed Padmé's life in many ways. Now she didn't get angry at all, even when people started to talk about her pregnancy. She couldn't do anything to hide her belly anymore, and she wasn't able to walk in and out of the temple as she used to. Sometimes, reporters waited outside to see if they could get an image of Padmé.
Before her pregnancy, this really bothered Padmé, it made her so angry that people would invade her privacy like that. Now, she didn't care at all, even though she was giving the reporters something to write about. Her baby was all that mattered to her, and no nosy reporter could change that.
Padmé felt radiant, complete. It was as if some strange force was surrounding her and keeping her from any worries and distractions. She had never been so happy before. The only stain that blurred her happyness was the fact that she couldn't share all this with her husband. They saw each other six days a month, as it had been settled, but still that wasn't enough for neither of them.
Anakin was catching up with his work pretty quickly, and there wasn't much to do in Naboo, except having meetings and going to official events. After the Trade Federation's invation, Naboo had survived and improved it's goverment. Thanks to Anakin and Jamillia's reigns, Naboo was stronger than ever.
During Padmé's visits they spent their time together for as long as duties allowed it. The first months were hard, and they could only manage to spend one or two days together at most in each visit instead of three. But as time went by, things were much easier.
On one particular visit, things changed a lot for both Anakin and Padmé. They where at Theed's gardens, sitting on the grass and leaning on a tree. Anakin had his arms around Padmé's waist and his hands were resting on her now swollen stomach. She sat between Anakin's legs, her back resting on his chest.
They were just talking about meaningless things, when the baby suddenly kicked. They both stayed freezed for a minute, their eyes mesmerized on Padmé's belly.
"Did...did you feel that?", Anakin whispered, still amazed. Padmé smiled.
"You felt it too?", she asked looking at Anakin. He returned her smile and laughed a little nervous.
"I can't believe this! Is... is this the first time that it happens?", he asked, his eyes wide open. Padmé nodded. At her geasture, Anakin raised a brow, questioning her answer.
"I'm serious! This has never happened before, I swear!", she said looking back at her belly. She felt another kick and smiled. "Did you feel that?"
"Not as strong as the first one, but yes, I felt it", Anakin answered. Padmé grabbed his hands and guided them to her side, where she had felt the kick. They waited for a minute and... nothing. Anakin was a little frustrated. "Nothing's happening..."
"Just wait... wait", she interrupted. She moved Anakin's hands a little lower and the baby kicked again. They both smiled. "See? You just have to have a little patience...", she said smiling at him. Anakin smiled back.
"You are right, I should've listened to the almighty Chosen One...", he said mockingly. Padmé gave him a half smile and sighed a little sad. Anakin frowned at her sudden change of emotions and grew concerned. "What's the matter?"
"It's the Jedi. They gave me three months after I have the baby to rest and to take care of it. Then I have to go back to duty", she said looking away.
"Why didn't you tell me about this before?", Anakin asked softly. Padmé sighed and turned to look at him.
"They told me two days ago, I WAS going to tell you, don't worry", she said smiling. Anakin gave her a weak smile and kissed her temple. "I'm worried about the baby though, who will take care of it while I'm gone?", she asked more to herself than to her husband. Anakin raised a brow and waved his hand in front of her eyes.
"Hello? I'm right here", he asked sarcastically, but smiling. Padmé looked at him a little upset.
"Come on, Ani. You have a lot of work to do, you wouldn't have the time to be with the baby", Pamé answered. Anakin frowned.
"Well, I'd find the time, and Sabé could help us to take of it, she's got millions of nieces and nephews, so she'll know what to do", Anakin suggested. Padmé thought it over for a minute and finally looked at Anakin.
"That would be a good solution. Alright, we'll do that", she finally agreed. Anakin couldn't be happier. He was going to raise his child as he had always wanted. Years ago, he thought that if he ever had children, duties and responsabilities would keep him away from them, and that was the last thing he wanted.
Anakin would be able to participate in his child's life, he would be an active part of it. Though Padmé wouldn't. At least not as she and Anakin wanted.