Chapter 7
Obi-Wan coughed and winced at the taste of bacta. He had only been in the tank for two hours but his master was still floating in there. He did not envy him the bad and lingering taste in his mouth that he would have once he got out. Suddenly, he turned to see Kyran Josel standing beside him. He smiled warmly. "Master Kyran, glad to see that they've let you out."
"It's nice to be out. I was stuck down in the basement with W'Go. He can't carry a tune in a bucket if it was handed to him." He rolled his eyes. "Glad to see you doing better, Obi-Wan." His eyes strayed to Qui-Gon. "What have they said about your Master?"
Obi-Wan sobered. "He'll heal...but it'll take many more bacta treatments and some surgery if he wants to avoid bad scarring." Dryly, he added, "He'll just love that."
Kyran frowned at that. "How long will he have to stay here?" He queried
Obi-Wan shrugged. "Master Han'yaie isn't quite certain yet. At least a fortnight."
Kyran winced at that. "That long? What about you? When do you get to leave?"
Obi-Wan grinned. "Tomorrow morning. My lightsaber burn wasn't really that deep, it just nicked a vein."
"Ahh, you were lucky then. For once." He smirked at the apprentice. "When will he be able to come out of the tank?"
Now Obi-Wan sighed. "Not until tomorrow. They have him in an induced healing trance to try to speed the process along, seeing as how his hatred for staying in the Healers is legendary." He chuckled.
Kyran laughed slightly remembering a time where Qui-Gon had tried to unsuccessfully escape the Healer's wing, causing the chief healer, Han'yaie, to tie him to a bed.*
Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "Han'yaie thinks that Knight Jayla should be waking soon. Just in case you'd like to see her, she's in the third Recovery room. I think I should warn you...they have bacta bandages wrapped all over her since Force lightening makes skin too tender to just dunk in a tank."
Kyran sobered at that. "Good. I'll go see her. You take care and listen to Han'yaie. I'm going to check on Jayla. I'll be back."
Obi-Wan smiled sadly as he watched Kyran walk away, and then turned to monitor his master's presence in the Force.
~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~
Kyran sat in a chair next to Jayla's bed and held her hand tightly. How many times had he been here in this position, he wondered. Whenever she was ill or injured, and that had been too many times to count in her youth. He studied her, waiting for her to awaken. She was older now. A grown woman and a fully trained Jedi knight. He smiled sadly at the thought.
Jayla slowly came awake. Her body woke first and pain barely numbed by expert Healers pounded for attention. She barely sighed and then opened her eyes. To her surprise, her old master was sitting beside her, holding her hand. "Master Kyran?" She said in a whisper.
"Mmmhm. How are you feeling?" He asked gently, squeezing her hand.
She groaned. "Like a bantha herd stampeded over me. I assume everything came out well?"
"Yes. Qui-Gon is in healing and Obi-Wan will be let out tomorrow. The Healers say you'll have to stay awhile."
Jayla groaned again. "Can I ask a favor, Kyran?"
"What's that, young one?" He asked using the affectionate term for her that he'd never grown out of using.
Jayla tried to laugh. "Get me out of here!"
Kyran laughed. "Sorry. I can't do that. Obi-Wan was a special exception." He grinned.
Jayla pouted, a comical sight on her older face. "I suppose I'll have to stay here then. Could I ask a different favor then?"
He smirked at her. "Depends on the favor."
She smiled. "Come visit me? And perhaps bring me some food other than the junk they'll give me here?"
"That I can do. I'll go alert the Healers that you're awake." He headed out of the room to find Han'yaie and deliver his message.
~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~
Kyran headed for Jayla's room. It had been two days now and she had been healing
nicely. He wanted to check with her to see if she needed help getting out of
the Healer's Ward--which he doubted--and then he was going to check on Qui-Gon.
He desperately wished to talk to his friend. Killing an exact duplicate of his
best friend had unnerved him more than he liked to admit. He woke several times
in the night in a sweat because of it.
Jayla
was putting things into a travel bag when the door to her room chimed.
"Enter," she called. For once, her long hair was down instead of
being back in a ponytail or braid. The blonde highlights gleamed in the lights
and she brushed the long silky strands out of her face to see Kyran enter.
"Master Kyran!" She said, pleased. "How nice
to see you again!"
"I just came to see if you needed any help getting out of here." He grinned. "I figured you could handle it, but I wanted to make sure before I went to see Qui-Gon."
She smiled. "I've got it, Kyran. I was about to go see Qui-Gon before I left for my next mission. Master Windu just contacted me and says he has something that requires a woman's delicate touch." She laughed and shook her head.
Kyran shook his head. "Oh, dear. The galaxy will tremble now. Alright, well, I was just checking on you. I'll go check on Qui-Gon. I hope you have good luck on your mission."
Jayla yanked her bag closed and attached her lightsaber. "Oh, I've been told it's an easy one. Just something to get me back on my feet without having me go crazy in here." She smiled and waved as she walked out the door. "Give me just a minute with Qui-Gon, will you?"
Qui-Gon frowned as he sat in the Healer's Wing in his bed. Almost his entire body was covered in bandages and he was on cushions after dealing with the acid burns. He sighed deeply. He was so bored--and lonely. Other than Obi-Wan, no one had been by to see him. Not even his best friend.
Jayla knocked on Qui-Gon's door and once she heard a soft 'enter' she came in. "Hello, Master Qui-Gon," she greeted. "You're already looking better."
He arched a brow. "I suppose so since technically I was dead."
Jayla laughed. "My, aren't we the spirited one today?" She joked.
"Very funny. I suppose you'll be leaving on a mission soon," he said, trying not to show his exasperation with the amount of time that he would have to be stuck in here.
Jayla nodded. "On my way right now, as a matter of fact. I've been assured it's really easy. Just something to keep me occupied for a little while and to get me away from Master Yoda. He's already pressuring me to take a padawan." She laughed again.
"Well, don't stick a round long then. He'll probably try to badger you again as you head out the door." Qui-Gon said smirking.
She chuckled. "I know. Well, I just wanted to make sure that you're still in the land of the breathing." She winked. "I'll see you in a week."
"May the Force be with you." He nodded and settled back in his bed as she left, bored already.
Kyran popped his head in shortly after Jayla had been gone. "Need company?"
"Where have you been?" He greeted his friend. "You weren't still stuck in the lower levels, were you?"
Kyran chuckled as he walked in and sat down near his friend. "No, but I had to get my ribs set and I was put in a healing trance right after. You know I would have been here sooner."
"How have you been doing?" He stared at his friend for a long moment. "Obi-Wan told me how you protected him."
Kyran shrugged and blushed. "You know I'd never let anything happen to him as long as you weren't able to. I do feel bad about not believing him at first, though he told me he forgave me."
"You killed my clone." Qui-Gon arched a brow at his friend. "Are you alright?"
Kyran cleared his throat and examined his hands for a few moments. Suddenly restless, he got up and paced. Finally, he said, "No, I suppose not. It was...you, in a way. I killed my own best friend. Your face as I killed you haunts me, Qui-Gon. I'm...a little shaken up by it."
"I'm sorry." He sighed deeply. "I never should've left the Temple when I was angry at Obi-Wan. Then you wouldn't have had to go through that. I don't know how I can atone for it."
Kyran shook his head, though he still didn't look at his friend. "You didn't know. I didn't know. 'Know not what the future holds do we'," he quoted Yoda. "Still...I see your face...your eyes...as you died right in front of me."
"I suppose this is my corporeal self talking then." He grinned slightly, then paled as he moved. "Death shouldn't hurt this much." He grimaced.
Kyran forced a laugh as he sat down. "I guess I should go talk to a Soul Healer."
Qui-Gon put a hand on his arm. "We both should. Being cloned was not a fun experience." He touched his lips gently.
Kyran smiled lopsidedly at his friend. "Perhaps, while you have nothing else to do, I could get one to come in here while you are not in the bacta tank?"
"Yes, perhaps. Before you go, can you do me a favor?"
Kyran seemed puzzled but nodded. "Anything, my friend. Just name it."
"Get me out of here!"
THE END OF PART ONE….
DON'T MISS THE SEQUEL…COMING SOON…SILENCED: PART TWO
*This short comedy fic about tying Qui-Gon to the bed in the Healers' Wing will be coming soon.
