Chapter 7

Early the next morning, Jaina was the first in her family to wake up. She gazed at the ceiling, listening to the calm breathing of Jacen and Anakin. That afternoon, according to her parents, was when Uncle Luke's surgery was taking place, and she felt absolutely terrified for him.

She turned over in her small bed, staring at the wall. The Jedi Acadamy was still quiet, which probably meant most of the students were either still asleep, or being politely silent. How Jaina longed to cuddle with her Uncle, wanting to be certain he was going to be fine.

However, strict orders from her mother and father forbade her from seeing him at all until after the operation. She gave a somewhat loud sigh, struggling to sit up, and ran her fingers through her straight brown hair. Blinking her eyes sleepily, she glanced towards the window, and saw that a bright ray of sunlight streamed through the crack in the curtains.

Eventually, she slid out of bed, tiptoeing across the rug. She took her pink robe from the hook in the closet, wrapped it around herself, and peered out into the empty corridor. She turned to the right, and soon saw See Threepio waddling in the opposite direction. Quickly, she shut the door, and hurried after the droid, catching up to and stopping him with her hand.

"Oh!" Threepio turned slightly, staring down at the girl beside him. "Good morning, Mistress Jaina. How might I be of service?" he asked.

"Where were you going, Threepio?" she asked, and the protocol droid cocked his head to one side.

"Why, I was going to make an announcement for Master Luke."

"Is he awake?" she asked, and Threepio raised his mechanical hands.

"If I recall correctly, Mistress Jaina, I do believe he was awake, yes."

"Oh, good. Can you do me a big favor, Threepio?" she pulled the robot into a corner. "I really want to see Uncle Luke. It wouldn't technically be breaking my promise…it's still morning."

"Might I inquire what you mean?" Threepio asked.

"I want to go and visit him, but I don't want my parents or brother's to know. Could you tell them I've gone to get breakfast?"

"But breakfast doesn't begin for another two hours, Mistress Jaina. That would be a fib."

Jaina slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Tell them I went for a walk, then," she told the droid. "If they ask. If they don't, then don't say anything at all. Okay?"

Threepio watched as she scurried away, and raised his arms again in exhasperation as he tottered off towards the control room. "Sometimes I just don't understand human behavior!" he exclaimed.

Jaina reached her Uncle's room, just in time to hear a loud sneeze erupt from behind the door. She pressed the security code on the panel…Luke had given it to his family members only…and watched as the doors slid open. She hurried inside, just as Luke was blowing his nose, and coughing.

"Jaina!" he sniffled, staring at her. "What are you doing up so early?"

She hurried over to the bed. "Bless you, Uncle Luke," she told him with a smile, and he chuckled.

"Thanks. I thought I told your parents not to let you in until after this evening when the surgery is over," he told Jaina, accepting a kiss.

"I know," Jaina replied. "But I'm just so worried. You won't tell them, will you, Uncle Luke?" she asked, and the Jedi-Master stroked her cheek gently.

"I'll let it go this time," he squeezed her hands, allowing her to slide beneath the blankets with him. She cuddled close to his side, surprised at how warm he felt. He held her tightly, placing his lips against her hair in a small kiss, and then rested his cheek against the top of her head. "I'll be just fine," he whispered into her ear. "This time tomorrow, I'll be starting my recovery."

She smiled at him. "I love you, Uncle Luke." She whispered, and he felt his throat choking up with tears.

"Oh my baby girl, I love you," he whispered back, holding her tight. "Now," he added, lifting her chin. "I'll need you to help your mother. I'll need you to be strong for me, all right? Everything is going to be just fine if we all keep our faith."

Jaina nodded. "I'll try," she replied, and he smoothed her hair.

"Good girl. Go back to bed, love. It's still pretty early," Luke added, and, with another quick kiss, he watched as she dashed for the door. He closed his eyes, leaning back against his pillows, and prayed that he would in deed come out of it all right. He only had four hours left until the surgery began, and it felt as though it were happening within minutes. He closed his eyes, trying his best to settle down.

Jaina managed to make it back to her room and into bed, just before Han came to wake them at eight o'clock. She buried herself beneath the blankets just as the door sopened, and cringed when he turned the lights on.

"Up and at 'em, kids," Han announced. Jacen and Anakin reluctantly sat up, yawning and stretching. Jaina rose calmly, accepting a hug from her father.

"Hi Dad," she greeted sleepily.

"Good morning, princess," Han replied, pecking a kiss on her forehead. "Did you sleep okay?"

Jaina shrugged. "I guess so," she replied honestly.

"Uncle Luke gets operated on today, doesn't he?" Jacen asked, and Han nodded.

"Yeah, he does…at eleven. I think it's nine now."

"Can we see him?" asked Anakin, his hair sticking up in every direction.

"I'm afraid not," Han replied. "You heard your mother last night."

"Heard what?"

Everyone turned, to see Leia standing in the doorway. "Mommy!" Anakin exclaimed, and ran to his mother, letting her scoop him up into her arms.

"Nice hair," she teased, running her fingers through it.

"And in response to what," Han began, "we were deciding…who gets to tickle Mommy first!" he laughed heartily at Leia's fake cry of distress, and watched as the twins ran for her. Jaina and Jacen wrapped their small arms around her waist, giggling and jumping up and down.

"Family hug," Han added, joining in.

"Can we see Uncle Luke, Mom?" Jacen begged. "Please?"

"I'm afraid not, love. It was his wish for us not to see him off."

Jaina gulped, hoping her parents couldn't see her red face.

"Awwww," Anakin pouted.

"You'll be able to see him tonight, though. I promise," Leia gave each of them kisses, and then planted one on Han's lips.

"I'm hungry!" Anakin quickly spoke, and Han snorted.

"Well, get dressed, and we'll head to the mess hall."

They suddenly heard Threepio's voice over the main intercom, and everyone looked up at the speaker on the ceiling. Leia urged Han out of the room, so the children could dress, and they continued to listen to the droid's announcement.

"Master Skywalker will be going into extensive surgery as of eleven hundred hours today. Classes will be postponed for approximately twenty two days. Any questions will be answered by myself. See Threepio, Human Cyber Relations. Good day."

La had to laugh, and shook her head. "Honestly," she chuckled. "That droid!"

Han wrapped an arm around his wife, kissing her forehead. "How are you holdin' up?" he asked, noticing how Leia's voice shook a little. She leaned against him, taking a deep breath. "Go and see him, Leia. He won't be upset if you do."

Leia shook her head. "I can't, Han. He begged me not to." She sighed, allowing him to hold her. "Two hours…I don't think I'm going to be able to stand it."

Han rubbed her shoulders. "He'll be just fine, Leia. Luke always bounces back pretty fast."

Leia wiped her eyes, and chewed on her lower lip. "I honestly don't want to leave Yavin 4 until he gets back on his feet," she whispered. "I think I'll want to stay until his main recovery period is over."

Han nodded. "Then we'll do it. We weren't expecting Luke to get this sick while we were here."

Leia held Han tighter. "Oh Han," she sobbed. "I'm going crazy."

He raised his eyes. "Calm down, Leia. Be tough for Luke's sake. Okay?"

Leia nodded, just as Anakin, Jacen and Jaina came out, ready for the day. Jaina had her hair in two braids, which was quite surprising. Usually, she only pulled her hair back into a ribbon, and rarely took the time to fix it up. "You look pretty," Leia complimented, and Jaina beamed.

"Thanks," she replied, and they began their treck to the mess hall.

At ten thirty, the medi droid entered Luke's room, announcing that it was time to bring him to the med center. Luke lay in bed, feeling extremely groggy from the medication he'd taken the night before.

"How are you, sir?" the droid asked, and another entered with a wheel chair.

Luke shrugged, coughing. "Terrified, thanks. How are you?" he hated to be sarcastic at a time like this, but he couldn't help himself. It was almost unrealistic that this was going to happen.

He allowed the droid to help him to his feet, and his head spun as soon as he stood upright. The walk from his bed to the wheel chair left him almost completely out of breath, and he gratefully lowered himself onto the cushioned seat. "Easy, sir," the droid warned, and Luke closed his eyes.

"How long do you think this will take?" he asked, as they began to wheel him out.

"I do believe about three hours, sir," the droid replied. "It is quite a process. The difficult part will be attaching the wires."

Luke felt a pang of fear again in his stomach…three hours. He swallowed, feeling nauseous, but fought it down. As they reached the med center, he took a deep breath, and his eye caught the gleam of the metal operating table. Another droid was finishing cleaning it, and when he was finished, he greeted Luke with a, "Good day, sir," before rolling off.

As instructed, Luke changed out of his pajamas, and put on one of the familiar paper dresses. He felt completely stupid, and even moreso once he was lying flat on the table. It felt cold against his skin, and he shivered a little.

He tried to block everything from his mind, deciding to go into a Force trance. He barely felt the prick of the IV needle, which would administer the anesthetic. Leia, he thought, his mind clouding with darkness. Leia, I love…everything went black.