Chapter 2: Tending to the Wounded
Luke sat in the spare bedroom of his apartment, looking over the still unconscious woman he had pulled out of the lake. He brushed a lock of hair away from her face for what fifth time in the last hour. After bringing her into his apartment during the early morning hours, he had done his best to get the woman out of her wet clothes while still preserving some level of modesty. Getting nowhere, he had instead opted to cut off the sections of fabric necessary to give her the care she needed. When she regained consciousness, he could provide her with new garments.
It had taken Luke hours to treat the various ailments he had found on the woman. In addition to the lack of oxygen due to her near drowning, he had found burns on her side. Blaster burns. Also, the woman was cold to the touch, her body having obviously shut down to the point where she was no longer maintaining a natural temperature. Luke had covered the woman with a thick blanket to assist her in warming up, exposing only the areas he needed to work on. He had used up numerous bacta patches in treating the blaster burns, but Luke didn't care. He could always buy more.
Luke couldn't help but wonder about the blaster burns hiding under the bacta patches at her side as well as the numerous scars he had found elsewhere. Someone had tried to kill this woman and Luke couldn't help but wonder if that person would be back. In fact, Luke didn't know why someone would have wanted her dead in the first place. She could be anyone. However, nothing was going to stop Luke from tending to this woman. He knew in the Force that this was the right thing to do. His questions could wait until she was healed.
Luke had even used his limited knowledge of Force healing to help speed along the woman's healing. When he touched her presence in the Force, Luke had found that the woman's presence was brighter than the average person's would be. He quickly realized that he had found a Force sensitive woman. Perhaps, this was why the Force had drawn him here. Luke couldn't help but feel strangely drawn to the woman. By the time he was finished with his attempts to advance the woman's healing, Luke was sure that she was at least part of the reason he had been drawn to Naboo. Their paths were meant to cross.
Feeling a stirring from the woman, Luke let out a sigh of relief. She was finally coming around, signaling that the worst was beyond them. He hadn't made a fatal decision by not taking her to a medical center. After finding the blaster burns, he had considered taking her for proper medical attention despite the risks, but Luke had thought better of it after receiving a warning from the Force. It wasn't safe to draw attention to either of them for the time being.
Realizing he had not left the woman's side for hours and was starting to feel the effects of his long day, Luke made his way out of the room for a moment to use the fresher and get himself a drink. When he returned to the room minutes later, Luke was surprised to find the room's bed empty. He quickly discovered where the woman had disappeared to when he felt an arm tighten around his neck.
Luke knew that the woman must be disconcerted and afraid to find herself in a strange room after whatever she had been through. He also knew that with a quick use of the Force, he would be able to reverse their roles. But it would be better to put the confused woman at ease rather that antagonize her in an obviously unbalanced state. "I'm not trying to hurt you. If I was, I could have just left you for dead when I found you."
Luke felt the arm wrapped around his neck loosen slightly, but not enough to allow his to slip loose without an aggressive action. Through the Force, the woman's emotions were bombarding him. He could feel confusion, panic and frustration coming off her in equal amounts. He heard the woman hiss into his ear. "How do I know that?"
"I found you floating in the lake outside, unconscious. I brought you back to my apartment and have been tending to your wounds ever since. The bacta patches on your sides should be evidence enough of that fact." Luke felt the woman's arm loosen a little more around his neck as she looked down to check the veracity of his last statement. He could feel that she was still wary, but starting to accept that he was telling the truth. "I only want to help you."
Luke let out a sigh of relief when he felt the woman's arm unwrap from around his neck. He could still feel confusion and panic rolling off of her through the Force, but they were muted now. He turned around to face the woman to find her making her way back to the bed on the other side of the room. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, the woman looked up at Luke nervously. Hoping to help her understand that he was not out to hurt her, Luke walked slowly, but deliberately, toward her, making an effort to avoid any action which could possibly be interpreted as hostile.
He sat down on the bed a respectful distance away from the woman and watched her shaky breathing for a moment. Whatever had happened to this woman, it had put her in a place where she had trouble trusting anyone. Luke could only hope that he could get through to her and help her get through whatever problems she had. When the woman finally looked over to Luke, she was biting her lip and gave Luke the impression that she wanted to say something, but was hesitant to do so. Luke decided it would be best if he broke the ice. "I'm Luke Skywalker. I want to help you if you'll let me."
The woman looked back and forth between Luke and the floor. Luke could feel in the Force that she was still hesitating, but could feel her motivation to remain silent slipping. Perhaps it would be best to start simple. If he got to know the woman, he would be able to do a better job of helping her. When her gaze turned to him once more, Luke finally asked his first question. "What's your name?"
The woman snapped back to the floor as she rocked back and forth in her seat in the bed. Luke was confused at how such a simple question could elicit such a strong response. He watched the woman bite her lip and watch him for a long moment. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak in barely a whisper. "I don't remember."