Chapter 11: A Familar Face
Never before had the medics in Coursant's MedWard ever seen such a perturbed Jedi run through their halls, ignoring their warnings and urgings for quiet. Behind him strode an obviously distressed Obi-Wan and a solemn Chancellor. Despite the desperateness of the air, Palpatine calmly walked next to Obi-Wan, his politician aura never leaving him in a crisis such as this.
By then, all of Corusant knew the horrible news- their beloved Senator from Naboo had been in a deadly speeder wreck.
That was all they knew, including for the two Masters and Palpatine.
Without warning, Anakin shoved through the two swinging doors at the far end of the corridor, panic written over his normally emotion-concealed face. Tears, ones that he had so desperately tried to not shed, matted his eyelashes together, thus making it hard for him to see.
Anakin didn't care- he had to see Padmé.
Once inside the sterile room that had "Caution" written all over the door in Basic, Anakin stopped dead in his tracks, his face falling.
Lying on the bed with her eyes closed and her hands on top of her bare stomach was Padmé. Many cords and other instruments were attached to her bruised stomach while a faint whirring sound came from the many machines steadily working in the corner.
Behind him, the doors swung open once more as Obi-Wan and the Chancellor finally caught up with him.
Tears began to run down Anakin's face as he saw the numerous angry cuts and bruises that covered not only the swell of her stomach but also her face and hands. Her hair, the same curls that he had enjoyed running his hands through the night of his return, was tangled and charred. One limp hand resting at her side twitched as her face twisted in pain.
"Padmé," he whispered, suddenly feeling weak.
As a warning to Anakin that he wasn't the only one present, Obi-Wan placed a firm hand on Anakin's shoulder.
His red eyes roved up to the wall on which the inside of Padmé's womb was displayed on a screen. Mouth hanging open in incredulousness, Anakin watched as their child moved within her.
Thank the Force he all but wept.
"Chancellor, do you mind if we have a moment alone- I think it would be best if Anakin and I tended to her a little," Obi-Wan suggested gently.
Slowly, the Chancellor nodded. "Give her my best regards." Without saying anything more, he turned and left.
Only then did Anakin blink and slowly make his way over to the stretcher. Still, Padmé had not blinked nor moved, something which increasingly frightened Anakin. With his gloved hand, he gently brushed his fingers up her womb and eventually rested them on her cheek. "My love…" he whispered, his tears falling onto her bruised face.
"Anakin?" a broken voice whispered.
Gasping, he looked down to find Padmé blinking up at him.
"Padmé," he whispered as he bent down and kissed an unblemished part of her face.
Even in her serious condition, Padmé did not loose the caution which had kept their relationship a secret for so long. Her troubled brown eyes momentarily flitted from Anakin's to Obi-Wan's before giving her husband a slight look.
"He knows," Anakin said weakly.
Nodding, Padmé absentmindedly rubbed her stomach with her fingers. "Is… Luke… alright?"
"Yes, do not worry about him- he is safe in the crèche," Anakin soothed her as he sat down on the bed beside Padmé and sadly touched her hair. "I don't think anyone in a normal state of mind would dare try to get past all those younglings."
A small smile formed on her lips.
Unfortunately for Anakin's temper, Palo chose that moment to step into the room. Seemingly unharmed though quite depressed, he hadn't noticed the visitors yet for he was busy buttoning the cuffs of his shirt.
That is, until Anakin, with a primal roar, shoved the man against the wall with such a force that made the room seem to shake and Palo's eyes roll.
"You filthy son of a Sith!" Anakin screamed, continuing to slam the man against the wall, his hands clutching at the front of Palo's shirt.
"Let go of me!" Palo yelled, struggling to get away from the angry Jedi.
"Anakin!" Obi-Wan called out, trying to pull Anakin away. "Please stop it- you're scaring her."
Even as he smashed his fist against Palo's face, Anakin could hear weeping sounds from over on the bed.
"No, Mi'Lady no!" Obi-Wan cried out.
What was going on, Anakin knew not as he brought his livid face within inches of Palo's bloody one as he hissed, "I am going to kill you for this."
Suddenly, he stopped.
A soft hand touched his back.
"Anakin, please stop it," Padmé begged. When he turned around, he found that she was standing behind him, crying and struggling to remain standing with the numerous cords attached to her.
He let his grip on Palo loosen and the curly-headed man fell to the floor.
"Padmé, please get back in bed," Anakin stammered, guiding her over to it with his bloody hands on her back. Numbly, she did as he requested but the look she gave him as she laid back down was so lost that he almost lost himself in his humility.
"Great Anakin, always thinking about the moment," Obi-Wan muttered, his lips pursed. "How many other people, besides the Chancellor, did you want to convince that the Chosen One is on a bloody rampage."
"It wasn't his fault," Padmé said sorrowfully, her eyes compassionately watching Palo struggle to stand.
"I'm sure it wasn't," Anakin said tersely.
Although he probably wouldn't have resumed his punishing of Palo, Anakin didn't know what he was going to do next with Obi-Wan and his wife just staring at him.
It soon happened that he needn't have worried.
At that precise moment, the door flew open to reveal a brown-haired woman. Also quite tattered and bruised, her large blue eyes were full of tears as she gasped and covered her mouth with her shaking hands.
"Oh, Force, help me!" she moaned, swooning on the spot.
Dumbstruck, Anakin stared at the familiar woman.
He had seen her before in a dream…
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Spoiler from the next chapter: Padmé's Nemesis
"Is there something I do not know?" Obi-Wan asked suspiciously and, although his fingers remained in a healing position on the woman's forehead, his gaze shifted between the couple.
"My… dream," Anakin whispered in a haunted way, his voice catching on the last word.
Gasping, Padmé cradled her stomach with her bruised hands.
"I see…" Obi-Wan said slowly as he stood up. His brow furrowed as he thought the situation through, his eyes clouded over with conflict. "So, what should we do? Throw her outside?"
Even Anakin seemed unsure about what to do with her. Feeling Padmé's gaze on him, Anakin looked up to find his wife mournfully watching him.
"Anakin, you must do what is right," she said in a broken voice.
Looking at her fragile and battered form, Anakin felt fury fries within him. "No!" he cried out, "I will not let anyone come between us!"
