Chapter 4
After breakfast the next morning, Leia, Han and their children went to visit Luke in his quarters. The Jedi master, much to their surprise (although they were not quite as surprised as one might think), was sitting up in bed, talking in a rather alert and perky voice with Threepio. "Thank you," he told the protocol droid, who passed Han and Leia with "Good morning, Mistress and Master Solos, and young master's and mistress solo's."
Leia chuckled to herself, hurrying over to the side of the bed. "Oh Luke," she breathed, after feeling his forehead. "Your fever's gone!"
He nodded, laughing as the twins piled onto the bed, each presenting their Uncle with hugs and kisses. "I do feel much better this morning," he told them, "though the healer insists I spend the day in bed." He coughed into his fist, sniffling lightly.
"What did the healer say last night?" Leia asked, sitting down with her brother. "You had a pretty bad fever."
Jaina snuggled up to her Uncle's side, allowing him to wrap his arm around her and kiss the top of her head. "They took a blood sample from my finger, and said I'd contracted a twenty four hour viral infection," he told Leia. "Or something along that line. I was in too much pain to be brought to the medical ward, but tonight he wants to bring me in to do a full exam." Luke sighed heavily.
Jaina lay her head across her Uncle's lap, feeling warm and safe when she was this close to him. Han and Leia smiled at each other, and shook their heads. "So I take it you're going?" Han asked, watching as Anakin rubbed noses with Luke, bursting into squeals of giggles as his Uncle pretended to nibble his neck.
"Looks like I have no choice," he replied, bending down to kiss Jaina again, stroking her hair, and pulling a strand of it behind one of her ears. "I really am sorry for worrying you last night," he added, and Leia squeezed his foot.
"You had us worried sick," she replied, "no pun intended, of course," she added, after Han gave a snort.
"Too manly to join us?" Luke laughed, noticing that Han and Chewbacca were the only two standing up.
"Maybe," Han sniggered. Chewbacca gave a rawr, urging his friend forward with a big furry paw, and Leia pulled Han to sit down beside her.
"So what are your plans for today?" Luke asked. "I'm sorry I'm not being much of a host this time," he added, and Leia kissed his cheek.
"We'll find something to do," she promised. "besides, all of us need a little relaxation for once."
"I take it my little princess is too comfortable to get up," Luke spoke, and Jaina turned over on her back, gazing into his pale blue eyes. "You can cuddle with me if you'd like, sweetheart," he added, and Leia rubbed Anakin's back, who sat in front of her.
"All right, Jacen and Anakin. I think Jaina wants to spend some time alone with Uncle Luke. Jaina, make sure you let him rest, all right?" she added. "He's still not well." She gave her brother a quick kiss on the lips, remembering the time on Hoth, when she'd used that tactic to irritate Han. 'It all seems so long ago,' she thought, as Han helped her off of the bed. 'And indeed it was,' she added to herself with a faint smile.
"I get Uncle Luke next," Anakin announced, as he followed his parents, Jacen, and Chewbacca out of the room. When they were gone, Jaina struggled to sit up straight, and slid beneath the covers.
"I was so frightened, Uncle Luke," she told him. "And I still am. What do you think the healer is going to find out when he does an examination tonight?"
Luke took a deep breath, pausing to cough again. "I'm not sure, sweetheart. I just wish I could get rid of this cough."
Jaina folded her arms, resting her head against his pillows. "Can't they just give you medicine for it?" she asked, and Luke shook his head.
"They've tried to give me medication for it, honey, but it hasn't helped. In fact, the cough continues to get worse every year. I really should have gone to the healer sooner, but I've just been so busy with giving lectures and special individual training, that I haven't given it much thought." He took her hands, and squeezed them gently. "I don't want you to worry over me, Jaina. I need you to be strong."
She felt tears once again glistening in her eyes, and lowered her head so her Uncle couldn't see. "That's what Mom and Dad told us last night," she whispered, biting her lip. "Oh…I shouldn't have said that," she added, and Luke smoothed her cheek.
"They told you, didn't they?" he asked, and Jaina glanced up, frowning.
"I promised I wouldn't say that I knew," she replied. "Oh Uncle Luke, I'm so sorry."
Luke shook his head. "Jaina, it's not your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for." He gave her a big hug, resting his cheek against the top of her head. "I do feel stronger with my family close by," he added.
"But you're not," she sobbed. "Uncle Luke, I don't want you…I don't want you to die…" she broke into tears, clinging to him desparately. "I won't let you die…"
Luke pressed the back of his hand against his mouth, fighting back tears of his own. The medi droid had shown a great deal of conern after listening to his breathing the previous night, and even that morning after the fever broke. "The medicine we gave should have eased your cough," the healer told him in his mechanical drone. "You must come by for an exam tonight. As soon as you are available, sir."
Luke held Jaina tight, allowing her to cry. "It's okay," he whispered into her ear. "I'm not going to die. It's okay." He couldn't hold them back any longer…his own tears spilled from his eyes, dotting the quilt below.
Leia sat in the sun room with a book on her lap, enjoying her segment of quiet time. Han and Chewbacca were with Jacen and Anakin, knowing their mother wanted a bit of the day to herself. She let out a small yawn, gazing through the window, taking in the beautiful jungle scenery before her. She shut the book at last, stretched her arms, and stood.
Her eyes followed one of the many species of birds, as it flew over the tops of the trees. She folded her arms, rocking back and forth on her heels. She'd been hoping to have a pleasant holiday vacation; not one that required worrying over her brother's weak health. She did that on a regular basis on Coruscant, resisting the urge to send him a hologram of herself every five minutes, asking if he were all right.
He'd been through so much after leaving Tatooine, that it amazed her how well he kept himself together. "I love you," she thought out loud. "I love you, Luke." She rested her forehead against the cool window pane, wishing they'd been able to spend their childhood together. She'd always known Bail Organa was not her real father, and she often found herself wondering what her actual parents were like. He'd been close friends with her mother, Padme, and did not hesitate to tell her at all about deceased senator from Naboo. "She was a kind spirit," Leia remembered him telling her. "Kind, but there was always a certain sadness about her."
Kind, but sad. Leia fiddled with the edge of her sleeve, returning to the couch where her book lay, and sat down again. The silence of the enormous Jedi temple rang in her ears; she half wondered what would happen if she completed the training to become a Jedi herself. No doubt Luke had suggested the idea to her, but as chief of state on Coruscant, Leia hardly had the time to spare for lessons. He'd taught her how to use a lightsaber and how to communicate using mind speech, but that was about it.
She reached over for the book once more, propped it open on her knees, and tried her best to concentrate on that for the time being.
Han paced back and forth in front of the Falcon, where Chewie had gone to tweak with it a bit more. He could hear the laughter of Jacen and Anakin as they chased each other about, jumping sideways as they ran past. Chewbacca peeped his head through the hanger, letting out another rawr, followed by several smaller yelps and clicks, as he motioned with his wrench for Han to come inside.
"Yeah, sorry Chewie," he apologized. "I'm just lost in thought here." He grabbed Anakin by the scruff of the neck just as the boy came whizzing past again, and did the same with Jacen. "All right, kids," he announced. "We have some work to do."
"But Dad," Jacen whined. "It's a vacation! Mom said she didn't want us tinkering with the Falcon all day," he added, and Han gave him a gentle nudge up the ramp.
"Well, we won't be working on it all day," he replied. "But Chewie's revamping the heating system, so we wont freeze on our way home next week."
Anakin chewed on the tip of his finger, his eyes staring at his father. "Yeah," he agreed. "It was cold."
Another impatient rawr from Chewbacca broke through the silence, and Han shook his fist at the wookie. "All right!" he shouted. "We'll be there in a minute!" he grumbed something inaudible under his breath, and the younger Solo boys followed their father into the cock pit.
"Luke Skywalker, what are you doing out of bed?" Leia exclaimed, as she watched Jaina aiding her Uncle down the corridor later that afternoon, when it came time for lunch. Luke held tightly onto his niece's arm, his steps very small and slow.
"I was getting a bit chlostrophobic," he told Leia with a small smile. "So I figured I'd join you for lunch." He gave a weak cough as Leia took his other arm, and gazed ahead.
"Luke, I really wish you'd take it easy," Leia told him. "You'll have a relapse if you keep this up." When they reached the cafeteria, Leia rolled her eyes.
"Where is your father?" she asked Jaina, who shrugged. Her eyes still stung from the good cry she and her Uncle shared. "If he and your brothers are working on the Falcon again, I'll whoop their behinds from here to Tatooine!"
Luke chuckled. "Leia, I think Han's idea of relaxation is tinkering with the Falcon," he replied.
"He's going to be a bad influence on those boys," she added. "Jaina, will you go to the landing platform and see if you can't find them, love? I'll sit in here and wait with Uncle Luke." She brought her brother to the nearest booth, easing him down very carefully onto the cushioned seat. Jaina nodded, dashing off through the doorway, and Leia sat across from Luke.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" Luke asked in a very tired voice, clearly the walk from his room to the mess hall having taken its toll.
"Well, somewhat." Leia folded her arms. "I spent some time by myself reading."
Luke glanced down at the table "So the children know," he finally announced, receiving a startled look from Leia.
"What?" she asked, her eyes wide, and he merely smiled.
"Jaina told me. But don't worry, Leia. I am glad you decided to tell them, especially with how bad things are at the moment."
Leia wet her lips. "Luke…"
"Leia," he interrupted. "I don't want any of you to panic. We have an advanced system of medical technology here, and I will be in good hands." He began coughing, having a bit of difficulty catching his breath. Leia scooched out of her seat and joined him, rubbing his back and patting it softly, until the fit ended. He rested his head against her shoulder, just as Han, Jacen, Jaina and Anakin returned.
"I told him not to do it, Mom!" Anakin whined, and Leia glanced up at Han, giving him a somewhat dirty look.
"Falcon, mmm?" she asked, and Han shrugged.
"Chewie needed a hand or two. Hey, Luke, you all right, junior?" Han asked, noticing Luke's weak breathing. When Luke attempted to take a decent gulp of air, he began coughing even harder than before, only this time, his chest started to close up on him. Leia's eyes widened in horror, and she ordered the twins and Anakin to scurry off quickly.
"Kid, breathe," Han encouraged, as the coughing continued. Luke's expression changed from pain to fear, and Leia gripped Han's arm.
"He can't breathe," she gasped. "Han, he can't breathe!"
After a moment of violent coughs, Luke barely managed to gasp, "Le…" before sliding off of her lap into an unconscious heap on the floor.
Leia sat very still, her hands covering her mouth. "I've got him," Han told her. "You go and tell the kids. I'm bringing him to the medical ward."
"Han…" she breathed, and he gave her a stern look.
"Your place is with the children right now, Leia. The healers will be able to care for Luke." He silently added, 'I hope' as he lifted the Jedi master's limp body into his arms. Leia watched as her husband carried her brother away, before covering her face with her hand. Jacen, Jaina and Anakin hurried back over to their mother, and, at the sight of her hunched figure, they immediately knew something was seriously wrong.
"Uncle Luke," Jaina gasped.
Leia opened her arms for her children to come into them, and held them close.
Han carried Luke with slight difficulty down the long, twisty corridors, searhing anxiously for a droid. He had absolutely no idea where the medical ward was located, and felt a bit stupid for not having asked before. He eventually found Threepio, who was waddling around a corner, and stopped the golden robot with a, "Hey goldenrod!"
At that moment, Luke started awake, coughing and wheezing. "Calm down, Luke," Han comforted, easing the younger man's body, so his head was resting against his shoulder.
"Oh dear, oh dear," Threepio muttered. "Is he going to be quite all right?"
"I don't know," Han admitted. "Which way to the medical ward?"
"Straight down the hallway and turn to your left, sir," Threepio replied.
Han rushed Luke as fast as he could to the med center, and just as he reached the doorway, Luke awoke with a gasp of surprise. He squirmed in discomfort as he lay in Han's arms, but the sudden movement sent him coughing again. "Hang on, kid," Han encouraged. "We're going to get you some help." He entered the room, where several droids had gathered. Some were working on some of the academy students, who'd been nicked by practice lightsabers, or worse. One of the free droids immediately rolled over to Han, ordering him to place Luke onto one of the empty operating table.
"They informed me Master Skywalker would be arriving," the droid told Han, who raised his eyes.
"Well, we kind of had to rush here," he explained. "Master Skywalker…" it felt odd calling the younger man that… "is having trouble breathing. We had a bit of an emergency back at the mess hall…he passed out, actually."
The droid pricked Luke's finger with a tiny, silver device. "We will look into the matter," he replied.
"Han," Luke croaked, managing to turn his head towards his friend.
"Don't try talking," Han ordered. "You're too sick, kid. Hey…how long do you think it will be before we find out what's wrong with Master Skywalker?"
The droid raised his head, after covering Luke's shaking body with a thin blanket. "Please give us at least twenty four hours. That is how long it will take for the analysis of his blood to get back to us."
Han raised an eyebrow. "A full day? Are you kidding?"
"We are advanced, sir, but not that advanced. There is only so much we can do."
"Yeah," Han sighed. "Should I stay in here, or do you want me to go?"
"Han…" Luke whispered. "Leia and the children need you. They need…" he broke into another fit of harsh coughing, and Han felt his heart racing. 'Don't let the kid die,' he thought anxiously. 'Don't let him die, dammit.' He awkwardly touched Luke's shoulder, and felt the heat radiating from the jedi knight's skin.
"It would be preferred if you left, sir," the droid told Han, who nodded.
"Take care of my friend, here," he ordered, giving Luke's hand a quick squeeze. He was a bit startled when Luke squeezed it back, and smiled weakly.
"Thank you," he whispered, and Han nodded.
"We have to get you better," he replied. "if it's the last thing we do." He took another look at the medical droid, before leaving the center to find Leia and the kids.