A/N: Happy Easter to everyone that celebrates! Please let me know your thoughts on the story! Thanks for reading!
After Ezra's cough went away, Kanan started to train with Ezra some more.
Ezra loved to train with Kanan. Kanan and Ezra usually meditated in the morning and lifted small items for mental practice. This morning, Kanan wanted to show Ezra some lightsaber training. He hoped Ezra would watch and learn some things so that he could start training him with the lightsaber soon.
"I'm going to train outside for a bit if you want to come, Ezra," Kanan called into the kitchen, where Ezra had just finished his space waffles.
Ezra ran over and reached his arms up to be held. Kanan picked him up and brought him outside.
"I'm going to do some fight training today with my Jedi weapon." He set Ezra down on the ground and walked a safe distance away before putting together his lightsaber and igniting it.
Instantly, Ezra let out a loud scream, confusing Kanan.
"Ezra, what's wrong? Ezra?" Kanan could feel the panic coming off the boy. It was so strong that Kanan's own heart started to beat faster in panic. Ezra was running back to the ship, still screaming. Kanan ran to catch up with him, but Ezra was too fast.
On the ship, Zeb watched Ezra run past him in a flurry of loud screams and tears.
"Mama! Mama!" Kanan followed Ezra in. He saw Ezra reach the cargo bay ladder, but Ezra still wasn't very secure on ladders and in his panic, he slipped and fell. Kanan was there just in time to catch him. Seeing who it was that caught him, Ezra's small body wriggled free from the grasp and backed into the corner. Now Ezra was screaming even harder and couldn't catch his breath. Kanan watched the boy starting to have a full on panic attack.
"Zeb, watch him! I'm getting Hera." As Kanan left, Ezra's sobs died down, but his breathing was still quick. Zeb approached the boy.
"You okay?" Without an answer, Zeb walked up to the boy and did the only thing he could think to do - he took him into his arms and hugged him. Ezra didn't know how to respond to this hug. He was so panicked, he had no concept of who was with him, only that Kanan had left and the person hugging him was not Hera.
"I want mama!" The kid cried into Zeb's fur, gripping him tightly. Mama? Well, Hera was the closest thing to a mother that Ezra had at the moment.
"Kanan's getting Hera for you, kid." At the mention of Kanan, the kid's sobbing strengthened and his breath kept coming in short gasps.
"Calm down or you'll pass out." A new voice came from behind Zeb. Sabine jumped down the ladder and came over to Ezra.
"What's up, buddy?" She asked.
"Kanan…" He broke off with a sob. "I wan mama!"
As the two continued to comfort Ezra, Kanan was looking everywhere for Hera. He checked the cockpit and the common area and her room. She must be fixing up the ship. He looked into the engine room and found Hera.
"Oh, thank goodness. Hera, Ezra's having a panic attack and he's calling for you."
Hera immediately ran off to find the boy. Kanan came at a slower pace, still confused as to why Ezra was freaking out. Hera followed the screams and found Sabine and Zeb with Ezra in between them. He was shaking and screaming for "mama" and gasping for breath. The scene broke Hera's heart.
Zeb saw Hera first. "Hey, bud, mama's here." Hera immediately kneeled down on the ground and took Ezra into her arms. Ezra's screaming stopped, but his sobbing continued. Hera rubbed his back and told him to breathe.
"Match your breathing with mine, Ezra. Everything's gonna be okay. I'm here now. Mama's here to help you." Ezra's breaths started to come slower, and he melted into Hera's arms. Soon, his sobbing turned to hiccups and then he collapsed into Hera's arms. Zeb and Sabine watched the pair, frantically hoping that Ezra was done freaking out now.
"What in the empire's name was that all about?" Zeb asked, looking around for Kanan.
Kanan heard Zeb and came down the ladder. The moment Ezra's eyes landed on Kanan, his breath was hitching again and he cried out, "Mama help!" Hera glanced at Ezra with confusion. Kanan was the person on the crew that Ezra trusted the most. Now, he was terrified at the sight of him.
"Ezra, what happened? It's just Kanan. You know you don't have to be afraid of him." But Ezra's breath was hitching again. Kanan watched the young boy and slowly backed into the hallway so the boy could calm down. He had no idea what he had done wrong.
"He...Ka.." Ezra tried to talk but he couldn't catch his breath.
"It's okay, Ezra. Just breathe. Breathe now, talk later." Ezra slowly regained his breath. Hera was still sitting on the floor with Ezra, hugging him. He looked at Hera with sad blue eyes.
"He was gonna hurt me. I don know what I did wrong." Hera's eyes widened.
"How did he try to hurt you."
"He was training with the Jedi weapon and he's gonna hurt me on my back and arms," Ezra said. Though this made no sense to Hera, she knew she had to speak to Kanan, but she didn't know how to get away without the young boy panicking.
"Hey, I have to go. I'll be right back. Is it okay if you sit with Sabine for a little while? Or Zeb?" Though it was different in his panic state, Ezra was a little shy of Zeb still. He slowly walked over to Sabine and held her hand. Sabine slowly sat down on the floor and allowed Ezra to sit in her lap.
"Have I told you the story about me and my friend Ketsu running from the law?"
Ezra, who had laid down against his "big sister's" chest and was sucking his thumb, shook his head.
"Oh, you're in for a treat." As Sabine started her story, Hera snuck out to talk to Kanan. She found him in the common room, head in hands. Hera sat down and said, "That was really hard to watch." She was shaking slightly after having to comfort the terrified young child. Kanan, sensing that her nerves were on edge, picked his head up and put an arm around her, pulling her into a hug.
"I don't know what's gotten into him. All I was doing was training. Now he can't even look at me without crying," Kanan said with a sigh. Hera picked her head up.
"What happened out there?"
"I was going to show Ezra lightsaber training, but when I put the lightsaber together and ignited it, he started to panic and, well, you know the rest."
"Ezra told me that you were going to hurt him on his back and arms. What does that mean? Kanan, I swear, if you said or did anything to him…" Hera warned.
"No, Hera. I swear. I would never threaten or hurt anyone in this crew. This family. You know that!"
"I know," Hera said, hugging Kanan. "I'm sorry. Of course you wouldn't hurt Ezra."
Kanan hugged her some more.
"Who's he with now?"
"Sabine is taking care of him. The two get along so nicely." Kanan and Hera were silent for a few moments. Then Kanan remembered something.
"Remember the first few days when we cleaned him and fixed his new bruises? When I helped bathe him, there was a long scratch down his back and his arms. Those aren't normal marks made by a knife. They were definitely made by something like a lightsaber." Kanan remembered that he didn't want to ask what they were because he wanted the boy to feel comfortable.
"You're right," Hera said, suddenly thoughtful. "What if he came into contact with another Jedi? One that hurt him?"
"Or a Sith. That is much more likely because there are more of them and no Jedi would be that ruthless. That makes a lot of sense. His force signature is not fresh. He has had some sort of training, but it's not Jedi training. He also seems frightened easily. Remember that time with Chopper? I bet when he was held in captivity with the empire, they used a torture droid. And whoever was trying to train him must have hurt him."
"The poor baby." Hera started to tear up for the young child she had taken in. He was only four and he already had so many bad memories that caused him trauma.
"Should I try to see him now or tomorrow?" Kanan asked. He didn't want Ezra to have another episode, but he already missed the boy's happy smile directed at him.
"It's still early. I think that we should distract him for a few hours and then bring you two back together later."
"Alright, I'm going to meditate. If you need anything just call me." He held up his comlink.
Hera sighed and walked back to the cargo bay, where Ezra was now asleep in Sabine's arms.
"Who knew panic attacks put a kid to sleep?" Zeb said.
"Sorry about that. I had to talk to Kanan. We're going to keep Ezra distracted until dinner, then bring Kanan and Ezra back together to see how Ezra reacts. We should wake him up in about two hours for lunch. Then maybe some of us could distract him until dinner…"
Hearing Hera's voice, Ezra groggily picked his head up from Sabine's shoulder and said, "Mama." The two girls smiled at how cute the little boy was, while Zeb tried to hide his smile. Hera picked him up and brought him to his and Zeb's room. She set him in bed and kissed his forehead before leaving. If Ezra woke up, he would know where to find her.
