On the rare occasion (he could count the instances on one hand) that General Orion Hux took personal time, he always spent it off-ship. The most notable of those times was when he swept his beloved to Naboo and while the most recent occurrence was too spent with her, it was also spent on the ship.
"And how long do I have you for before I have to relinquish you to the bridge?" Awake, (barely) alert and resting, Lucilla was still serene but that was put down to the effect of the painkillers. He was there when she awoke from surgery and since then, the stream of kisses, adoring nuzzles and devoted mumbles had been constant. Orion didn't answer immediately; too enveloped in the current stroking of his nose up and down her cheek.
"I will maintain my presence on the bridge while you rest." He replied in a reverent murmur, keeping his voice low out of consideration. "While you are wakeful, I will not leave your side until you are well enough to return to the orphanage, at least." He paused. "Even at that, I would rather you did not." Internally, Lucilla uneasily wondered how welcome she would be in the midst of the Resistance after this. The atmosphere had been tainted after her confrontation with Poe but with some level of loyalty (even if it was merely personal) to the General confirmed, she could only assume the situation would deteriorate. To voice that to Orion though….. He would be relentless in persuasion and punishment, until she remained on Finalizer and the Resistance felt the burn for upsetting his little dove.
"Hopefully in the next day or so-" He continued, stirring her from the dread of the Resistance. "You will be discharged from here and they will move you to our quarters where you can rest properly; if you decide to have a nurse at your disposal whilst there, is entirely up to you."
"Dr Audin has said he's pleased with my recovery already." There wasn't much of a basis of recovery just yet but if it was something to encourage her, he would let her have it. "I might not need a nurse; I would feel terrible if there was one needed down here but she was wasted at my beck and call instead." Trust his darling Lucilla to be so considerate. "The refresher is only a few steps from the bed, I'm sure I could manage…."
"You have had rather serious surgery, my love." He countered, noticing her eyelids started to falter again like they had done under the anaesthetic; his cue to return to the bridge until his com would alert him to her wakefulness once more. "But you know best. We can speak to Dr Audin when he comes around. Rest now; I'll return as soon as you rouse again." With another tender peck to her forehead, the General departed to let her sleep.
The Knight and the General had not discussed Lucilla in the two years of her absence; in fact, the redhead had made a conscious effort to avoid any mention of her at all costs. When he and Ren were (grudgingly) reunited after Starkiller, the prospective conversation had vexed him but alas, it never came. Perhaps Ren knew the outcome of Tatooine and (for some unfathomable reason) decided not to torture his reluctant colleague with it. When Orion arrived on the bridge, Ren was there. Sedate and staring ahead to the bay viewport as he had a new habit of doing (he couldn't help but ponder what the Knight's 'final training' had entailed to produce this result), the General sidled nearby to resume his command.
"How is she?" It came from nowhere, that unentitled question; but rather than react with outrage and enflame the situation like he had done before, he decided to be civil. After all, Lucilla might have had a very different fate if not for Ren. He had indirectly saved her life, not directly but contributed massively to the feat nonetheless, even if it was only by uttering a single word.
"She is well, mercifully." He responded, curt but mild and monitored the side of the pale face a few feet from his for a tell-tale reaction. "Resting now after successful surgery." Ren showed nothing; no relief, no joy, no sadness or anger. Emotionless, he stared ahead to the endless galaxy and Orion resigned himself to not receiving an answer until...
"Good news, indeed." The General bit the inside of his cheek; it would be a lie to declare he had never scrutinized the Knight's motives all those years ago before he was handed over to the Supreme Leader and still come up short of an explanation. The charity had grated at him; not the act itself, he was more than grateful for that but the reasoning tormented him.
"Why?" The first peek at anything other than deadpan rustled in Ren's features: Curiosity. Rather than disguise it or even try to, he embraced it openly and turned to face his military counterpart where he was met with defiance.
"Why?"
"Tatooine." Hux clarified staunchly as he managed not to spit and clinging to his civil demeanour, no matter how it threatened to slip. "I know how you did it, you have imparted that before but what I do not know is why."
"Does it matter why?" Ren inquired smoothly, almost boldly, as he marked the man who so desperately (and understandably) wanted to give his beloved everything. "I would have thought having her back would have been enough for you, why do you need to know why?"
"Is it guilt, Ren?" The General hissed, keeping his voice low and his surroundings in mind; not for the Knight's sake but his constant striving to keep Lucilla as private as possible. "Are you familiar with that concept? Guilt?"
"I am aware of guilt." The black-clad male swept closer until they were almost nose to nose, as many times before; challenging and volatile. "My actions were not born of guilt, they were born of pity. That pathetic creature would have died for sure either in the compound in the heat or at the hands of her master if I hadn't done what I did." Conscious of how close he'd become to both the General and a raw nerve in his own family history, Ren retreated. "I did it neither for you or for her." Hux had to question that but the (slightly) taller of the two would have the last word before he departed the bridge with his usual dramatics and the redhead would have Lucilla's security upgraded. "I have a clear conscience, General; but you do not."
"Dr Audin has stressed that protein and iron are essential." Orion had taken the tray from Lieutenant Mitaka at the door and brought it to the bedroom himself; overly protective and almost paranoid now over his delicate mate. The desk in the living area served as a base for him to do the basic preparations; removing the covers from the dishes, allocating her medication and so on while she listened from the open door to the bedroom.
"He has instructed folic acid once a day." Perhaps he had applied some extra pressure in having her discharged from the medbay but it was important that he be able to spend as much time with her as possible before she returned to the orphanage. Naturally apprehensive of the medbay and the potential infections it could breed (despite the rigorous cleaning regime), he would never forgive himself if she contracted something or he did and passed it onto her when she was at her most vulnerable. With that argument won, she was released into the care of her General.
Settled in the very centre of the bed, Lucilla's docile features dropped when her dinner was placed on the bed-tray before her; the sheer volume of food while still heavily medicated made the dark haired darling uncomfortable.
"Orion….." Plicto steak, Corellian potatoes, gravy and a selection of vegetables imposed on her and while it was not in her nature to be (or even seem) ungrateful; there was too much for the General's fiancé to stomach. "I don't think I can eat all this…."
"Eat what you can, little dove." He encouraged, easing his feet and perching himself at her side. "If it is not to your liking, I will send for something else but whatever you do not eat, will not go to waste." Too kind and generous, he knew that to be her concern; that someone else would go without while she left food on her plate. Uncertainly, she picked up the knife and fork and began to saw at the plicto steak while ignorant of the value of the delicacy. In the few times that she'd had such a dish, there was always a little block of pink in the middle but not this time. Raw meat, of any description, was not an option.
"He said you need to be kept warm, clean and comfortable." Orion sat back to maximize the closeness with his future wife, keen to be as near as possible for as long as possible to sate the ache of being separated when she left. "And your stitches should be checked twice daily; any weeping or excessive redness should be reported." Fortified milk waited in a tall glass before a dainty hand partially encircled and lifted it to wash down the first bite of steak and the accompanying pill.
"I'm in excellent hands." She remarked with gentility with the soft smile he loved so much to match as she poked apart a large potato to make it easier to spear. "It's delicious." Such attentiveness did not come naturally to the General; standoffishness and selfishness had been bred into him as an Imperial man but she had already dismantled that stereotype in Orion Hux even if it had taken sacrifices on her part. With that in mind (and Ren had been correct in his accusation of guilt), he had willingly and gladly taken on the role of rehabilitator to ensure she was cared for to his standard. His methodical mind was adept at time keeping, ideal for timing medication. His standard first aid training meant he knew how to tend to a wound, even if it was surgical and not sustained in battle. His borderline OCD for cleanliness promised their quarters were more hygienic than the medbay and the lack of traffic stemmed any risk of afflictions to the mother of his children.
The custody was enhanced, of course, by the genuine feelings and devoted love he held for the little creature in the bed. Without complaint, he helped her intimately like relieving herself and did the various things that would have disgusted other Imperial men who would turn their wife's charge to a nurse. Not Orion. When pried from his commanding duties, Orion was the ultimate nurse.
"Eat what you want, little dove." He reminded her placidly with little more than a few inches between them while she satisfied herself in the plate's variety. "But do save room for dessert."
The day of parting, nearly three weeks after her surgery, eventually came; much to the General's disappointment. He would never admit to the extra steps taken to keep her on Finalizer a little bit longer than necessary; like insisting on time-consuming stitches instead of laser healing or bacta patches or quietly intimidating Dr Audin to keep putting off discharge. Unfortunately, when she could move freely without pain or hesitance, he had no choice but to release her to the orphanage. As when he'd collected her, he used another chunk of personal time to bring her to the orphanage himself though dared not venture too close to the premises and bade her goodbye in the same place as after her arrest. In those almost three weeks, their engagement and subsequent marriage had been discussed and it had been decided that it was better to wait until the new organ adapted to its new environment in case of an accidental and premature pregnancy; no contraception was 100% reliable, after all.
His post-separation demeanour was the same as before; distant and out of touch with everything going on around him while submerged in his longing pining. He had all the more reason to be perturbed now; even though she had recovered exceptionally well, he still feared her to be too fragile. The silent but demanding vibrating of his com device in his breast pocket (he made a habit of keeping it on his person since their engagement) and went unnoticed for a moment or so. However, when he did manage to drag himself from his melancholic wallowing and lift the device from its confines, his heart skipped a beat. Why was she coming him only an hour after he'd returned her home?
"Lucilla?" Out in the privacy of some cranny in the corridor, Orion answered the call and while he had already been worried, it was about to double.
"Orion!" The wail from the com receiver made his stomach drop and immediately, his anxious, frantic pacing began.
"Little dove?! What's the matter?!"
"They've turned me away! They told me…. I'm not welcome anymore! They won't let me…. say goodbye to the children! They-!"
"Lucilla, calm down, my love!" It was all well and good to tell her to "calm down" but with the panic bubbling within him as well, Orion was tossed into disarray.
"I'm outside! They won't let me back in!"
"Alright, darling….." With a calming breath taken and automatically soothing himself in the process, he took charge of the situation. "Stay there, do not move and I will be with you as soon as I can."
"Please hurry, Orion; I'm cold, it's starting to rain!"
"Find shelter, my rose; I'll be with you soon!" With the com hung up in a hurry, he didn't waste time by handing over command; rather, he darted straight for his shuttle.
"They just…. Ejected me!" The heart wrenching sob tore at him as he clung her to his chest in the bedroom of the ship. With her wet clothes tossed aside, her frail form bundled instead in a blanket and her hair wrapped in a towel; she was a miserable sight. "After everything I've done! After all the sacrifices I've made! And the children!"
"I know, little dove…." He agreed gently, cradling her and placing supportive kisses at every opportunity; anything to make her feel better. "It's inexcusable, it's unforgiveable."
"Take me home…. I can't stand to even be in the same system as them!"
"Home….." He repeated, hoping for clarification but she seemed too devastated to give it. "As in Finalizer, little dove?"
"Yes, I'd like a bath…. And something sweet…."
"If you give me a moment in the cockpit, my darling, I will organize just that." He managed to detach himself from her but promised himself that the severance would be minimal until the task was completed. A bath to be run and a selection of desserts to be delivered to their quarters and all before they even touched down in the landing bay.
"Come, darling." He helped her over the threshold to the place she wanted most to be; where she had felt so safe and loved for the last three weeks or so. Ever so carefully, he helped her into the bath and rather than leaving her, he put down the lid of the toilet and seated himself for company as she gratefully soaked. "You're home at last, my love. You needn't fret now, you will always be appreciated here."