Chapter 3: Amnesia
"I don't remember."
Luke looked at the woman sitting next to him, stunned. No wonder she had been so nervous and confused. If she couldn't remember her own name, it was likely she remembered little else. Whatever had happened to the woman must have resulted in her coming down with amnesia. Luke, however, couldn't be entirely sure of his assessment until his suspicions were confirmed. It wouldn't be hard to find out for sure. "Do you remember anything?"
The woman looked at Luke hesitantly for a moment before biting her lip and shaking her head. Obviously, her lack of memories didn't make it easy for her to open up. It seemed to Luke that she was afraid of appearing vulnerable and trusting him wasn't going to come easy to her. She looked into Luke's eyes for a moment before looking down and speaking in a whisper. "Nothing. I can't remember a thing."
Luke brushed his hands through his hair, trying to assess the situation. He had no idea where to begin with helping this woman regain her memory, but he knew that he was the only one she had. It was up to him to get the woman back on her feet. Somehow, they would put together the pieces and give her back her life. Luke looked over the woman and saw spots of blood on the bacta patches. She must have overexerted herself trying to subdue him and opened the raw wounds.
"Lay back. I need to change the bacta patches." The woman looked a look for a moment, confused by the sudden shift in their discussion. Looking down and seeing the blood on the patches, however, the woman realized his concern. Lying back on the bed while Luke retrieved new bacta patches, the woman started to berate herself. She shouldn't overexert herself for a few days. If she wasn't at her best, she was vulnerable and if she was vulnerable, it could get her killed. The woman started slightly. Where had that thought come from?
Brushing off her concerns as paranoia, the woman watched as Luke gently removed each of her bandages, cleaned the wound and put on fresh bacta patches. She was lucky he was the one that had found her. Most people would not be understanding of her situation and likely would have left her to her own devices or used the circumstances to their own advantage. But not Luke. She knew that he could still take advantage of her if he wanted, but the woman knew on some level that he wouldn't. Luke had a good heart and she would be safe with him until she figured things out.
Finished with his task, Luke placed a nearby blanket on the woman. Her small yawns while he had been replacing the last of the bacta patches had made it clear that she still needed rest in order to recover properly. "Get some rest. Sleep will help you heal faster. We'll figure out just who you are once you have your health back."
The woman nodded as she pulled the blanket up. Sleep was a great idea. She closed her eyes and curled up to fall asleep as Luke walked out of the room. However, she opened her eyes once more. "Luke."
Luke stopped suddenly in the doorway and turned back to the bed, wondering what was wrong. He looked at the woman and was surprised he hadn't noticed earlier just how beautiful her green eyes were. Luke was relieved when the woman gave him a soft smile. "Thank you. For everything."
Luke gave her a gentle smile in return, thankful that nothing more was wrong. "You're welcome. Sleep well."
The woman did not respond as sleep overtook her and Luke just turned out the lights of the room and walked out. He made his way across the main room of his living quarters and sat down on the nerfhide sofa. He sat in silence in the room, his attention elsewhere as he monitored the sleeping woman through the Force. Finally satisfied that she was sleeping comfortably, Luke opened his eyes and called his senses back to him.
Luke sat on the sofa rubbing his chin in thought when R2 rolled in front of him and beeped out an inquiry to his master. Smiling at the droid, Luke finally removed his hand from his chin. "I was just thinking. Thanks for your help before, by the way." The droid whistled proudly, drawing a chuckle out of Luke before the Jedi's face turned serious. He had an idea.
"R2, can you get access to the planetary computer systems?" After spinning his dome back and forth while he was processing what it would take to do what his master had requested, R2 beeped out a loud affirmative. "Good. I want you to compare any records you can get a hold of with the woman I brought in today. Start with the customs lists and go from there. I don't think she's from Naboo."
R2 whistled his acknowledgement of Luke's request and rolled away to a nearby computer terminal, leaving Luke alone once more. While his droid took the technological route to finding information, Luke decided to try searching for clues using his area of expertise: the Force. Luke leaned back into his seat and started to focus on his breathing, clearing his mind and drawing the Force to him. He let his senses go and followed the Force's energy in the direction of the woman in his spare bedroom.
Not wanting to violate the sanctity of her mind, Luke only reached as far as the edge of her Force presence. He probed for any clue that would help him unlock her past, but the Force was not readily providing any answers this night. Deciding to pursue other routes, Luke began to withdraw his Force sense from the room, but he stopped himself when he felt a flicker of worry from the woman. He looked closer and realized that she was having some sort of nightmare.
Although a peak into the woman's feverish dreams could provide him with the answers he was seeking, Luke decided it best to allow her privacy. However, this did not prevent him from sending comforting waves to the woman through the Force. She started to settle and once the woman was calm and sleeping peacefully once more, Luke finally withdrew his senses. He looked at his chronometer. 0300. Luke knew he wasn't going to be getting sleep tonight. After a quick check on R2's progress, Luke slipped into the spare bedroom and maintained a constant vigil for a return of the woman's nightmares until just before dawn. There were none.