General Hux gave communications from the medbay priority in anticipation of news immediately after he left it as he had promised Lucilla he would. Her compatibility for the procedure had already been established some years ago; before Starkiller blew, in fact. So now, it was a case of waiting which was made significantly easier by the abundance of self-taught patience the redhead possessed. He had not seen his beloved since they parted ways on Yavin 4 almost a week previous; he had heard nothing from her, nor did he know about the confrontation with her cousin but perhaps silence was better if their new relationship was to go undetected and therefore, undisturbed.

Every minute of every hour of every day after his meeting with the medical staff had been dogged by apprehension; what if something had changed in Lucilla that meant she was no longer suitable? What if her body rejected it? What if the chosen womb didn't settle and caused problems? If it didn't harm her, it would set them back and maybe discourage her from the venture altogether; not that Orion had a selfish dependency on it. If they conceived and a successful birth became of it, he would of course be delighted; however, if they didn't, it wouldn't be the end of the galaxy. His relationship and upcoming marriage to Lucilla did not hinge on offspring as most Imperial marriages did; quite the opposite at the beginning when she was incapable but he loved her regardless.

His focus would be his wife. Would he ever get used to that wonderful word? If the (almost) worst should happen, Lucilla would take precedence. Her comfort would be paramount and she would receive the utmost support, be it physical or psychological, to ease and heal her until she was ready to try again. If it did not go as planned and Lucilla opted not to put herself through the trauma again, he would support that decision and love her just the same. So it was really only the beginning when that fateful com call buzzed in his pocket on the bridge one morning, summoning him to the medbay.

"Judging by the data we have for Ms. Bey from previous examinations….," His head medic, (as if he would discuss such a sensitive matter with anyone of a lower stature) Dr Audin, explained with his data pad with the data in question projected above the desk. "She is perfectly compatible with a transplant. Provided nothing has changed, she should still be compatible." Hux shifted in his seat with his eyes trained on the projection; plenty had changed but were those the changes the medic referred to?

"Do we have a uterus to transplant?" The question was hesitant, almost afraid of the answer. He had promised her everything; anything she wanted he would give it to her without reluctance. She could have asked for jewels, a luxurious home, expensive clothes but she wanted none of those things; she wanted the thing that had been cruelly taken from her in her teens. Any of those other comforts would cost him but otherwise, would have been easy to obtain; however, the one thing she did want had complications. Said complications that he couldn't have fathomed when he set out giving her what she craved.

"We are monitoring a woman on life-support in the Coronet City Hospital." Audin (a middle-aged man with greying hair from the responsibility of his post) responded, tired from research before changing the data to represent that of the other woman. "From the dossier we sent out, she came back as an almost perfect match; the closest by far. I haven't seen her myself but I have been in close communication with the medic of her charge and her condition is rapidly deteriorating; organ harvesting will happen within the hour of death." The General soaked in the new information; she was a similar age to Lucilla but looked nothing like her, not that that would make a difference since his beloved still had the essentials to produce a child that was biologically hers. "She's not married, no known partner." The medic answered his next question as he thought it. "And the resident team were meticulous; she is definitely not already pregnant."

"What caused her current condition?" A reasonable enquiry but unnecessary; Audin and his hand-picked associates would have diligently investigated that first to ensure it was not something organic that would affect the organ in question.

"A head injury from a ship crash." Dr Audin was reassuring but watchful of his employer's reactions; it meant a great deal to perform well on this task and he expected to be rewarded accordingly for stretching beyond his professional norm. "Her brain is too badly damaged to survive but the uterus is completely unharmed and will be sent to us the moment it is harvested."

"So what is the delay?!" It may have sounded brutal; this woman's life was hanging by a thread and inevitably ending but Hux wasn't concerned with her, her faint grip on life was not inspirational or thought provoking but little more than a hindrance. Pointed and direct, the General's interrogation mode targeted at the medic though Audin was undeserving of such a challenge; he was merely a messenger with little control of the events. "I promised my fiancé a uterus as soon as possible and it has been nearly a week!" Lucilla knew nothing of a womb being located nor had she demanded any extreme lengths to ensure she got it as soon as possible; she was far too docile for that. Her husband-to-be, however, still overcome with guilt and desperate to reverse his wrongdoings would do anything to please her with as little respite as possible.

"Her family are in denial, sir." Audin's patience (like the General's) was immaculate but it seemed his superiour had crossed into emotional territory that overruled reason and blinkered him to practicality. "But I have it from a reliable source that that denial is beginning to waver; with a little more persuasion, they should soon consent to turn off the machine." That was all he needed.

"Good." Curt, the redhead rose with long legs and dwindling sympathy before crossing to the door of Audin's office which opened at the silent command of the access sensors in his uniform. "I wish to know the very moment she takes her last breath, Doctor." Orion's callousness continued as he turned on his heel to face the medic one last time before he left. "I will need time to inform Lucilla and have her brought here before the surgery. Thank you for your time and your efforts." Negotiations consequently ceased.

As if that poor, unfortunate woman had been listening to the conversation and opted not to be a burden any longer; the General was informed less than a day cycle later that she had passed without the machine being turned off. Whether those circumstances were considered suspicious or it was proof of the female's condition, Audin couldn't be sure but he did as he was bid and contacted the head of the flagship with the additional information of the organ being en route already. It had been harvested first for their convenience and routine security protocol of delivery inspections and vessel searches would be suspended for that one item.

It had barely been a week and one lot of promised payment from a name she didn't recognize found its way into the orphanage account; a substantial donation that provided the children with dessert (a rare treat) that evening and more. Poe had made it his business to avoid her lest she attack him again but while he wasn't speaking to her, he was certainly speaking to others; judging by the looks and sudden stoppages in conversation when she passed, she could only assume she was the reason. Those who had once spoken openly and friendly to Lucilla now only delivered the bare messages but excused themselves before conversation of any personal nature could be broached. Needless to say, her knowledge regarding Resistance activity also became more and more restricted though subtly so as not to draw attention to it, should she feel the need to inform her fiancé.

Naturally, she began to feel isolated; it didn't help that the children began to feel it too when some of the older siblings started to echo the rumours to their younger brothers and sisters, despite everything she'd done for them. When her com buzzed that evening, she was slow to answer it; no doubt it was General Organa suspending her from her post until she had time to re-evaluate what she was doing and who she was marrying. But she answered it anyway, better to get it over with.

"Yes?"

"Darling, it's me." That voice….. How welcome it was. Lucilla sank onto her bed and restrained the urge to suddenly crumble; the separation continued to take its toll, the brevity of it irrelevant with everything else piled on top of it.

"I miss you…."

"I miss you too, my love." With the edge of the bed gripped, she resisted the temptation to unravel and tell him everything; if she knew Orion (and she did), there would most likely have been repercussions that would strike the entire Resistance. "Are you well? Has the restoration team finished to your satisfaction?"

"Yes, they were wonderful….." Perhaps they had been a bone of contention in the orphanage among the constant traffic of Resistance agents but they were there as a perceived apology, an apology accepted by General Organa. "I am just….. frustrated. I feel like a pariah; Poe has told everyone about our engagement, no one will speak to me…." It seemed the timing was perfect.

"You sound like you need a break." Face cradled helplessly in an ivory hand, a breakhadn't occurred to her but maybe he was right; just until everything simmered down, at least.

"Maybe…. Maybe that's not such a bad idea…."

"It just so happens, little dove…." The tell-tale squeak of his chair as he leaned back suggested that he was in his office and at ease. "That your wedding present will be arriving shortly." Only stunned silence so he continued. "If you are ready and require some time away from the orphanage, which it sounds like you do, have your hospital bag ready and I will collect you within the hour myself." How could she refuse? It was everything she had wanted for so long and being delivered at just the right time; she would have been mad to put it off.

"I'll be ready." She replied with the resolution she had learned from watching and listening to her General; those three words made him ready his position to depart for Yavin 4 as soon as the com call ended. "There are plenty who can take over from me and are probably preferred at the moment so come as soon as you can."

"I will do just that, my rose." On his feet and already at the door of his office, the last thing he needed to do was terminate the call lest a lowly Stormtrooper overhear the private conversation. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Are you alright?! Are you comfortable?! Are you warm enough?!" Sapphire eyes rolled at the excessive concern and how he insisted on marching alongside the gurney with her hand clasped in his; a romantic but cumbersome gesture. "Do you need anything?! An extra pillow?! Perhaps a-"

"Orion, I'm fine." Assumingly, the tranquillity came from the abundance of anaesthetic that Audin deemed necessary for the procedure. "I'm just…. tired." It wasn't long after that before he was devastatingly forced to relinquish her hand as she was swept away beyond the double doors and into the only part of the ship where (at that moment and for the next few hours) he was not permitted to be – the operating theatre.

The subsequent hours dragged. With no way of being close to her for assurance (for her or for him), the most effective and useful place for him to be was the bridge; well, it should have been. With so many uncertainties, potential risks and his paranoid mind, Orion was distracted and lax; more so than he had been in a long time and it did not go unnoticed. Lost in his own expansive mind and oblivious to the goings on around him, there was no question that he would have been useless in the event of an emergency but thankfully, one didn't occur in the depths of his fragility. So enrobed in the fraught blanking of his mind, the buzzing of his com seemed louder and more insistent than it usually did; causing him to jump and much to the curiosity of the surrounding staff.

"Well…..?" He inquired, terror-stricken, with legs like jelly after the seemingly endless walk to the med bay where Dr Audin was washing his hands. "Was it successful? Is she alright? Are there-?"

"Everything is fine." Audin replied, tired but pleased as the droid dried his hands with billows of hot air; Hux did everything in his power not faint out of sheer relief. "Everything went as well as we could have hoped; she's in recovery now and will be for a while."

"May I see her?" The General asked meekly, almost pleading while the medic noted the effect this young woman had on a usually stern, rigid and emotionless man. "It's imperative I see her…."

"She's asleep at the moment; the anaesthetic still hasn't worn off." Gown discarded and cap removed, he clearly needed rest. "But if you'd like to sit with her, I'm sure her nurse won't mind." Of course, a nurse had been set aside for Lucilla and Lucilla only; only the best care for the General's fiancé and future mother of his line. "I've set out a meal plan and before she's discharged, I will speak to the two of you regarding care going forward." Shifting from side to side, Audin waited but could not voice his need and waited on the General's mercy to grant it.

"Thank you, Doctor." The redhead uttered, inattentive, as he glanced down the ward and peered around the corner to where he was sure he would find her. "We both appreciate your efforts. You're dismissed until tomorrow until such time as you are fully rested; we will have plenty need of you, I'm sure." With murmurs of thanks, the medic disappeared and Hux wasted no time in finding his dark-haired darling.

"It's done, little dove." His hand found hers once more from his perch at the side of the bed as elated whispers regaled her of their success. Peaceful and resting, he could almost swear a little smile pulled at those sallow cheeks; despite the medical equipment attached to and surrounding her to ensure her stability and initiate recovery. The kiss to her head served as a grounding for his excitement; if only she was awake to share it with him. "Now all we need to do, my love; is wait."