Hey guys! I'm amazed I actually have readers, thanks for letting me know you're there! ;) Here is the next part, can you find a hint of gasp plot?

Chapter 4

Anakin shut the cabinet after he removed the canister of tea, and placed a measured amount in a mug. Leaning against the counter, he waited for the water to boil. Anakin didn't much care for tea, though he had sensed that Obi-Wan was coming awake and thought to make some for him. Fidgeting, Anakin resisted the urge to speed up the process with a touch of Force energy, knowing that his Master would disapprove. Now Anakin remembered why he didn't drink tea. After what seemed like eternity, the water finally boiled, and Anakin quickly poured some into the waiting mug, grabbed it, and headed back to the bedroom.

Sliding open the door, he nearly dropped the mug in surprise at the sight of the empty bed. He looked around the room franticly, but saw no sign of Obi-Wan. It hadn't even been half a day, and he had already lost his patient. Moving to leave the room, figuring that Obi-Wan may have gone to the 'fresher, he shivered as a cool breeze wafted by. Breeze? Looking toward the balcony, he saw that the door was slightly ajar and went over to close it, only to be met with a most unexpected sight that sent a jolt through his spine. Obi-Wan stood near the edge of the balcony, leaning on the guard rail as the wind made his light bedclothes dance around his lean frame.

Crossing the balcony in two long strides after putting the tea down, Anakin came up behind Obi-Wan and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Master, its cold out here," he said simply. "Will you come in?" He didn't bother mentioning that Obi-Wan shouldn't be out in the cold in his condition, knowing that it would only irritate the stubborn man.

Turning his flushed, slightly glazed gaze to his padawan, Obi-Wan nodded reluctantly, and allowed Anakin to lead him back into the bedroom. Sitting him down on the bed, Anakin had him lying down and tucked into bed before Obi-Wan could even tell him that he didn't want to go back to bed. True, he was tired, but he had been sleeping for most of the day, so he really should get up.

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan rasped, struggling to sit up under the mound of covers, "I think I've been--" he began, only to be cut off as Anakin lifted his upper body and shoved a couple of large, fluffy pillows behind him to prop him up.

"That should help you breathe better, Master," Anakin told him as he spread another blanket over the bed.

"Anakin--" Obi-Wan started again, intending to let Anakin know that he wanted to stay up.

"Oh! And I almost forgot," Anakin continued, picking up the tea from the night stand and pressing it into Obi-Wan's cold hands as he seated himself on the side of the bed, "I made you some tea."

Looking down at the mug, Obi-Wan sighed softly, overwhelmed and thoroughly bewildered by his padawan's behavior. He really would've preferred to be left alone with his illness, but how could he tell Anakin that? Not feeling up to an argument, he leaned back against the pillows wearily.

"Thank you, Anakin," he replied resignedly. "May I ask the time?"

"It's nearly twenty hundred hours, Master. You've been . . . sleeping since this afternoon." he replied, looking down as he fiddled with the bedcovers.

"Yes, I suppose I was more worn out than I'd thought. Thank you for bringing me back to our quarters," he said gently, capturing Anakin's eyes with his own tired gaze.

"It's no problem, Master," he responded warmly, reassured. "It's a bit past meal time, though I made some soup for you. Now that you're awake I'll bring you some." Rising, Anakin turned though was stopped by Obi-Wan's soft protest.

"That's very considerate of you, Padawan, thank you, but I'm really not hungry now." Obi-Wan felt bad for turning down his padawan's soup – Anakin hardly ever cooked – but the thought of food was very unappealing.

"Oh. Alright, Master, if you're sure," he replied, sounding somewhat disapproving.

Although he could tell that Obi-Wan didn't want to stay in bed, he could also see that he was fading fast. "Just stay awake for a little while longer, I need to go get your medicine before bed." Rescuing the mug of tea from Obi-Wan's lax hands, he left the room in a flurry of robes.

The last time Obi-Wan had actually wanted to fall asleep, he had found it quite difficult, which made it all the more frustrating that it was so difficult to stay awake now that he wanted to. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back against the pillow to wait for Anakin to return. Blinking, he came awake at the light touch of his Padawan's hand on his arm.

"Here, Master, sorry to wake you," he said, handing Obi-Wan the cooling tea and two small pills. Obi-Wan obliged and swallowed them, handing back the mug as Anakin administered the hypospray.

"Good night, Master," Anakin called softly as he left, though Obi-Wan was already asleep.

xoxoxox

For the third morning in a row, Obi-Wan found himself waking up late. According to the chrono, it was nearly half past eight, indicating that he had been sleeping for more than twelve hours. At least this time, though, he didn't have anywhere that he needed to go. Coughing into his hand, he slowly got out of bed and was pleased to find that he was relatively steady on his feet. Grabbing a fresh change of clothes from the closet, he made his way to the 'fresher for a shower. He then shed his sleep clothes and dropped them in the hamper. Stepping into the shower, he rattled a contented sigh as the steam from the hot water loosened the congestion in his chest.

Now that he was feeling a bit clearer headed this morning, he could try and make some sense of what had happened yesterday. He had been truthful when he had told the healers that there was no one to look after him when he was sick; or at least, he thought that he had been truthful. Anakin had seemed vaguely uncomfortable around sick people, Obi-Wan had noticed lately. Though Anakin seemed to think that he concealed his discomfort, it had not escaped Obi-Wan's watchful eye. This was not an appropriate feeling for a Jedi, and it was something that he had been meaning to talk to Anakin about and help him work through. He had not gotten around to it yet though, and having Anakin deal with him while he was ill had not seemed like a good way to go about doing it.

Yet Anakin had not only visited him in the healer's wing but had taken him back to their quarters; and if last night was any indication, he clearly intended to take care of him while he was ill as well. All in all, Obi-Wan was stumped by his Padawan's behavior, but he couldn't summon the mental energy to ponder it as his train of thought was interrupted by a bought of harsh coughs that left him panting. He would have to deal with it later.

Turning off the water, he stepped out of the shower gingerly, dried, and pulled on the clean white pants and tunic. Feeling refreshed from the shower yet tired from the effort, he shuffled into kitchen and poured himself a small glass of fruit juice. He would have liked tea instead, but he really didn't feel like waiting around for the water to boil, and he figured that juice was a more nutritious breakfast anyway. He finished the juice and put the glass it in the washer unit, and then went back to the living room and collapsed onto the sofa.

The warmth and stimulation from the shower had worn off, leaving Obi-Wan tired and chilled in his light-weight clothing. Tucking his feet under him, he curled up on the sofa and coughed. He eyed a data pad on the end table and grabbed it, determined to get some work done while his Padawan was absent.