"In your visions, see Rako Hardeen, you do?" Master Yoda asks, perched on the end of Ahsoka's bed.
"Yes, Master." She replies, wishing he would hurry up and leave. It's not that she dislikes the Grandmaster, but she didn't enjoy saying goodbye to Kix and Jesse, and Fives is due back on Coruscant any minute. Rex had promised to send the ARC straight to her recovery room.
She frowns, "It doesn't make any sense. I never saw Rako's face, so how do I know what he looks like?"
"Strange, visions are. See things that we never believed we would see, we do." Ahsoka nods as if she understands what Master Yoda is saying.
It's times like this when she wishes she can go back to Mortis for five minutes to figure all this out. Having visions of future events isn't unusual for Jedi but having visions of different outcomes for something that already happened is unheard of.
"Dangerous, I do not think these visions are." Master Yoda says, finally hinting that he's done interrogating her. "Meditate and rest, you must. Tired, you are."
She wholeheartedly agrees with him. Between her insomnia and bouts of anxiety, Ahsoka's exhausted.
Just as he jumps off the bed, the door swings open and Fives strolls inside, extending his arms, "Ahsoka Tano, the only Jedi who can fall from a building and not land on her- ah, General Yoda!"
Immediately, Fives snaps from his usual confident self into a petrified shiny meeting their Sergeant for the first time.
He salutes stiffly, nearly poking himself in the eye with the rose that he's holding in one hand. His cheeks are darkly flushed, and Ahsoka presses her lips together to suppress a smile when his left eye twitches.
"At ease, ARC trooper." Master Yoda says, completely unfazed as he walks towards the door. "At the Citadel, you were."
"Uh, yes, sir?" Fives replies, not sure if it's a question or not.
"Thankful for your service, Fives, I am."
With that, Master Yoda shuts the door behind him.
"Uh, Fives?" Ahsoka raises an eye marking after a few seconds pass and the clone still hasn't moved. "He's gone now, and I believe he gave you an order to stand at ease."
Slowly, Fives exhales. "The Grandmaster of the Jedi Order knows my name."
"Count yourself lucky- sometimes he gets Anakin and I confused." Ahsoka grins. Whenever Fives is around, she's always smiling, even if she's bed bound in a medbay. "Are you just going to stand there?"
He shakes his head and comes to stand by the side of her bed, "What's this I hear about you taking a blaster bolt for Kenobi? I thought that was the General's job."
"I saw the sniper take aim before Anakin did." Ahsoka says, wincing at the memories of that dreadful night- the feeling of blood rushing to her head when she saw Obi-Wan about to be killed.
"Badass." He chuckles, running a thumb down the rail of her bed and then suddenly remembering the rose he's holding. "Can you believe there's not a single florist shop between the landing platform and the Temple? I had to borrow this from a Senator's balcony."
"It wasn't Senator Amidala's, was it?" Ahsoka asks, accepting the flower and laying it on her bedside table next to Padmé's bouquet.
"Eh, maybe." The ARC shrugs, pulling out a marker pen from nowhere, "So, can I sign your cast?"
Before she can stop him, Fives lifts the sheet covering her left leg and immediately pales when he sees nothing but a stump.
Did Rex not tell him?
Ahsoka leans forwards, ignoring the pain in her back to clamp a hand over his open mouth just as he starts to scream. She knows how prone he is to freak out when he sees something gross. Her leg isn't bloody or gory, but it isn't exactly the nicest thing in the universe to look at.
"Fives-"
He grabs her wrist, eyes wide as he pulls her hand away so he can speak, "Rex didn't say you lost a limb."
"You think I'm just sitting in bed because I feel like it?" She asks, raising an eye marking.
"Did the bounty hunter cut your leg off?"
"What?" He's dead serious. "No, I landed badly when I went off the rooftop. They amputated in theatre."
He looks back at her leg, and she watches him swallow. If Hardcase was still alive, Rex probably wouldn't let him visit her because of how fainting prone he was over this type of thing.
ARC's have stronger stomachs, thankfully.
"When will it grow back?" Fives asks, and the small smile on his lips tells her that he's teasing.
"Very funny, Fives."
"Oh, I've missed you, Commander." He looks up, his eyes landing on the door to her fresher, "Do you mind if I dive in your shower?"
She scans him, sees he's come straight from his transport. Dirt and grime stain his armour, and his hair is sticking out at all angles with dried sweat. She sniffs the air and gags.
She gestures him towards the room, "Don't take too long; Anakin's due back within the hour."
He scoffs, "I don't take that long."
She gives him an unimpressed look, knowing him far too well. Fives is one of the most high-maintenance clones she's ever met. "I'll be out in double time, sir."
As he's about to enter the fresher, Ahsoka calls him, "Fives!"
"Yeah?" He looks over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow.
"Thanks for, you know, coming here." She hopes she isn't about to offend him, "I know you don't like medbays."
After Echo's death, Coric kept Fives in the medbay for a number of days to 'monitor' him. Physically he was fine, but he was so emotionally shocked that eating and sleeping become problematic tasks. It only took a week or so until Fives was acting 'normal' again, but ever since, he's hated medbays.
Bad memories, she guesses.
Fives gives her a tight-lipped smile, "Anything for you, Ahsoka."
Obi-Wan holds in a sigh of relief when Anakin's ship docks at the Temple hanger. It's got a few dents, and one of the engines is trailing smoke, but he's thrilled to see Anakin walk out with only a slight limp.
He rushes to embrace him, "Anakin-"
His former student holds up a hand- his face a storm. "Save it, Obi-Wan. I know I cocked up."
Taken aback, Obi-Wan stops suddenly, "That wasn't going to be the first thing I said to you, Anakin."
He steps forwards, takes his brother's shoulders, and looks him dead in the eye, "I'm glad you came back alive."
Anakin stills, and Obi-Wan takes the time to check his friend over for any other injuries. He's immensely relieved to see he's unharmed. When he looks back at Anakin's face, he sees something terrifying.
Tears are brimming in his eyes.
For a moment, he doesn't look like Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, the 'Hero With No Fear'. He's just Ani. A boy from Tatooine who doesn't want to leave his mother behind to fulfil the prophecy and become a Jedi.
"I should be dead. They could've…" Anakin lowers his gaze, swallows. "They let me live."
Obi-Wan carefully guards his mind. He never doubted Windu wouldn't let Anakin be killed.
Oh kriff. His throat constricts; he has to tell Anakin about the Council's plan to hire Hardeen. He needs to tell him today, but right now isn't the time.
Will the time ever be right, wise one?
Right now, Anakin needs him as a friend, not as a member of the Jedi Council.
He pulls Anakin tight to his chest- right in the centre of the landing platform, "You're alive, Anakin. That's all that matters to me."
Two arms- one flesh and one metal- wrap around his back. Anakin sighs, and it sounds choked, which only makes Obi-Wan squeeze tighter.
"I wish Hardeen shot me instead of her." Anakin says, and Obi-Wan feels his heart thud in his ears. "I can handle pain, Obi-Wan; I've lived with pain my entire life."
How bad of a Master is he for Anakin to think like this?
"Just because you can handle pain, doesn't mean you have to take it, young one." He recites something Qui-Gon told him, stroking the back of Anakin's head. "Ahsoka isn't in pain anymore- she's recovering."
"She's disabled." Anakin spits out the word like it's poison. "When I took her on as my Padawan, I swore to myself I would protect her, and I've failed."
What Anakin doesn't know is Obi-Wan made the same promise when Ahsoka met them on Christophsis.
He's failed her too, but significantly more.
"Ahsoka and she said she never would've forgiven herself if she let me be killed by Hardeen." Obi-Wan says, the words bitter in his mouth, "That's why she did what she did, Anakin- she would've done the same if it was you, or Rex, or anyone else."
"Recklessly brave." Anakin murmurs, "Always trying to be the hero."
"She learnt from her Master."
"And her Grandmaster." Anakin stiffens in his arms and Obi-Wan lets him pull away. "The fruit never falls far from the tree, old man."
The Knight keeps his eyes down, "Thanks for that."
"You're welcome." Obi-Wan decides a change in conversation is due, "Have you got much more work to do on Ahsoka's leg?"
He doesn't want to bring Anakin down with the mention of Ahsoka's disability, but fixing things has always cheered him up. Besides, the longer Ahsoka goes without walking, the harder it'll be for her to adjust to the prosthetic.
"It's all set." Anakin puts his hands on his hips and looks up at the sky. "Force, Obi-Wan, Master Che is supposed to review the paralysis in her hand today."
There's obvious exhaustion in Anakin's tone, but he seems to be over his foul mood.
"I'm sure that whatever the news is, you and Ahsoka will conquer anything thrown at you."
Anakin looks back at him, a smirk on his lips and any lingering tears in his eyes gone. "Nice way of calling us stubborn."
"Flattery is my forte." For a moment, there seems to be no tension between them, and Obi-Wan relishes in that.
You have not told him the truth yet, wise one.
On the way to the Halls of Healing, Anakin distracts himself by double-checking all the adjustments he's made to Ahsoka's prosthetic leg.
Tinkering with mechanics has always helped everything else feel numb.
His skills have come into good use. He assumed the Republic could afford to make the best prosthetics- especially for Jedi- but Ahsoka's was a crappy prototype which would probably do more harm than good, had he not altered it.
With old droid scraps and speeder parts found around his quarters, Anakin replaced the standard mechanical knee with a microprocessor so Ahsoka won't have a limp for the rest of her life. He's also added a lot more wiring, allowing seamless changes in speed and even stride length.
Ahsoka won't even notice that her real leg is gone. Well, she will for a while.
The finishing touch? He varnished the entire exterior in a vibrant orange glaze, so it'll match Ahsoka's natural skin tone.
Master Che steps in line with him as he nears Ahsoka's room, "All of the bone fragments have been extracted from her spinal canal and her back seems to be healing quicker than we anticipated."
"That's good to hear." Anakin says, forcing himself to smile. He can forget about Hardeen now, and focus on what matters most, but his failed mission is still dampening his mood.
"Don't get your hopes up, Skywalker." Master Che nods at the prosthetic in his arms. "We haven't put the leg on her yet."
They step into Ahsoka's recovery room without knocking. Master Che freezes in the threshold and when Anakin steps around her, a look of disappointment falls on his face.
"General Skywalker." Fives pauses in his motions of putting on his undersuit. His hair is dripping wet, suggesting he borrowed Ahsoka's fresher.
For kriff's sake.
This does not look great to Master Che.
At least Fives got the undersuit over his hips before they entered. Unlike Anakin and Ahsoka, Master Che has probably never seen a clone trooper in all their naked glory. He can feel the Healer's Force-signature pulse with shock and disgust, and even some embarrassment.
"Fives, good to see you're alive." Anakin says coolly, eyes flitting to Ahsoka who's sat on the bed, her eyes wide at the scene in front of her. "Strip shows weren't really what I had in mind when I asked the men to keep you company, Snips."
"Um." Ahsoka gawks whilst Fives finishes putting on his undersuit, sliding to attention and keeping his eyes dead ahead. "He was changing in the fresher, but we couldn't speak to each other through the door."
"Uh-huh." Anakin nods, turning back to Fives, "You're dismissed."
The ARC snorts, "Gladly, sir."
Everyone's silent as he collects his armour off the floor and exchanges a small smile with Ahsoka before leaving.
As much as the Jedi and General within him wants to be angry that the ARC decided to massively overstep his boundaries, Anakin can't harbour anything other than some mild frustration.
Ahsoka's been thoroughly miserable since she got injured, and somehow, the clones have brought a smile to her face. He can't be mad at that.
Master Che can.
"No more clone visitors." She snaps, striding to the side of Ahsoka's bed to check the monitors as if Fives merely being in the room has somehow tampered with them. "They have no respect for patient welfare, medical equipment or the work Healers do."
Ahsoka opens her mouth to protest but Anakin catches her eyes, draws a line across his throat. She rolls her eyes and mutters, "Yes, Master."
He steps forwards, holding up the prosthetic limb for her to see, "Got something for you, Snips."
Ahsoka's eyes soften as she runs her fingertips down the prosthetic. He feels gratefulness radiate across their bond which makes him swallow hard. He hadn't captured Hardeen; he's possibly the worst Master ever.
Master Che snaps on a pair of gloves and starts prodding at the blaster scar on Ahsoka's shoulder without any warning, making the Togruta wince. Anakin wraps a hand around hers, squeezing gently.
"Tonight, we'll wrap this in bacta for the final time." The Healer says, "The scarring is minimal."
Ahsoka's eyes are on her lightsabers on her bedside table- she's probably wondering when she can get back to sparring.
The Healer snatches Ahsoka's hand from his, "Squeeze my fingers, Padawan."
Anakin gives Ahsoka an exasperated yet humorous look at the Healer's bashfulness. Then, he watches carefully as the Togruta's brow furrows and the fingers on her left hand only twitch ever so slightly around Master Che's blue ones.
He knows by the look on the Healer's face- and on Ahsoka's- that something isn't right.
"Hm." Master Che releases Ahsoka's hand. "That's not good."
Anakin automatically rests his hand on Ahsoka's shoulder, "What is it, Master?"
"The shot to Padawan Tano's shoulder severely damaged the radial nerve which runs from the shoulder down the back of the arm, then to the hand." Master Che starts speaking to him like he's a Junior Healer, "It enables extension of the wrist and fingers. Damage to this nerve can cause weakness and prevent the hand from opening or grasping."
"In Basic?" He asks, feeling his patience nearing its very end.
"She has high radial nerve paralysis, and physiotherapy isn't working. Not even the Force seems to have an effect." Master Che blows out a breath, "In Basic, Skywalker, the paralysis is permanent."
Permanent.
The word echoes around his head as Ahsoka shudders under his hand, "What about a prosthetic?"
Master Che raises a brow, "It's the nerve that's damaged, not her hand. Replacing the nerve is not something that I am not willing to do on patients younger than eighteen years old."
"So, what do we do?" Ahsoka asks, rubbing her limp hand.
"For the foreseeable future, you'll have to make do with a brace. We'll see if more intense physiotherapy makes any noticeable difference. Steroid treatment is an option" Master Che sighs, "When you turn eighteen and your condition hasn't improved, then we'll consider a transplant."
It's going to be a waiting game; great.
Most Jedi are ambidextrous by nature, and the few that aren't can be trained to adapt, but Ahsoka wields two sabers. Anakin isn't sure how she'll react cope with only being able to use one for a while.
Master Che pins Ahsoka with a look of steel, "You need to be doing physiotherapy three times a day, young one."
"I will." Ahsoka bobs her head.
The Healer hums, looks up at him, "Skywalker?"
He squeezes Ahsoka's shoulder, "I'll make sure she follows your orders, Master."
"Good." The Healer pulls off her gloves, tossing them in the trash can. "I have other patients to attend to. Healer Tyson will secure the prosthetic and supervise her first attempt walking on it."
"Thank you, Master." Anakin bows his head, not wanting to get in her bad books.
After she leaves, he looks down at Ahsoka, "Isn't she a ray of sunshine?"
"She intimidated Fives more than Master Yoda did." Ahsoka says with a forced smile, "My arm isn't going to get better, is it?"
"Master Che never said that." Anakin replies, "Remember when I nearly blinded myself from that gas bomb?" She nods, chewing her lip. "You thought I'd never see again, but Master Che healed me, didn't she?"
"It's not the same." Ahsoka sighs, her gaze returning to the prosthetic limb beside her.
"Hey," Anakin ducks his head to make eye contact with her, "I know you're nervous about the new leg, but it's going to be fine, okay? If you're really brave and give it your best shot, I'll take you to Dex's."
At the mention of food that isn't the crap that they serve in the Halls of Healing, Ahsoka perks up. He never used to have to motivated Ahsoka with food- they used to spar for enjoyment, but she won't be training for a while.
"Ahsoka?" They look up at Healer Tyson who's poking his head through the door. "Ah, perfect! You have no idea how many rooms I've been looking for you in. Don't tell Master Che, but she told me the wrong number."
Anakin hears a noise beside him, looks down to see Ahsoka trying to hold back her laughter.
It feels so good to hear her laugh instead of cry.
Unlike Vokara, Tyson is empathetic.
He often works with younglings and Padawans, so he doesn't even feel the slightest sense of intimidation when he enters Ahsoka's room and start preparing her for the procedure to attach her prosthetic leg.
"So, the fancy name for this two-part procedure is a direct skeletal fixation of limb prostheses using intraosseous transcutaneous implants." Tyson says, leaning on the rails of Ahsoka's bed.
He sees Skywalker nod in his peripheral, but he was probably lost at 'fixation'.
"When Master Che first operated on you, she inserted a metal implant into the bottom of your femur." Tyson uses the scanner to show Ahsoka the metal in the bottom of her stump, "This was anchored in with bone knitters whilst you've been on bed rest."
"Now, we're going to connect an abutment to the implant, and this is what the prosthetic will be connected to." He lifts the abutment with gloved fingers, briefly showing it to Ahsoka before returning it to its protective case.
"Whilst I'm awake?" Ahsoka asks, fear flashing through her Force-signature.
"You'll be awake, but you won't feel a thing; I promise." Tyson winks at her before straightening. "I'm going to give you an epidural which will make your legs feel funny and then you'll also be able to self-administer nitrous oxide."
She looks at Skywalker who explains, "Gas and air, Snips. Like what the medics have on the cruiser."
Tyson gratefully nods at the Knight before looking back at Ahsoka. "I'm going to roll you onto your side and take off your brace to give you the epidural. I'm going to need you to stay really still for me, alright?"
Ahsoka nods, and Tyson takes his cue to shift her onto her side. Besides a slight grunt, Ahsoka doesn't protest the new position. He removes the brace and is pleased to see the incision against her spine has healed nicely.
"Slight scratch here." He warns before inserting the epidural catheter through a needle into her spine. The little trooper doesn't even flinch. "Perfect."
"See, Snips? All done." Skywalker praises his Apprentice, holding her hands tightly.
"And here's your fix of gas and air." Tyson passes Ahsoka the demand valve when she's once again laying on her back. He puts on his gloves, "Now, let's get to it."