Disclaimer: Star wars franchise belongs to many people and companies from Gorge Lucas to Disney, however I'm not among them.

Story summary: Part III of medice, cura te ipsum arc: If not for a simple mistake, Kix would be a different person entirely.

*(latin) doctor, heal thyself

medice, cura te ipsum*

Part III: Background check

"you wanna know about Trix" Kix admitted when Jesse gave him a steaming mug of herbal brew that clones often entreated from Jedi healers.

Initially Jesse didn't want to press. The wounds, both psychological and physical, were still fresh. But Kix was a master at reading people – he was a medic after all.

"yeah" the trooper admitted, taking a sip of his own share of tea – It wasn't a drug nor stimuli… just a mug of hot water with few dry leaves… An anti-caf; for the lack of better term.

"he was part of my squad - him, Chex, Pops, and I. Thanks to those unintentionally themed names rest of the brothers called us the breakfast club" the medic laugher was hollow "and we're the worst… because we were the best"

"what do you mean by that?"

"Chex had some sort of sixth sense, he knew one's vital signs before we even took out scanners from our backpacks, Pops was a master of setting dislocated joints, Trix could trick anyone, from an infant to 99, to take any medication-"

"and you?" Jesse asked hopefully.

Kix's small smile dropped into a scowl.

"anyway, during final test I decided to sew a busted artery in the middle of the testing ground. Blood was gushing out of the dummy like from a fountain, fake blasters were firing, Trix and I did our best to save our dummy brother while Chex and Pops were covering our asses…"

Jesse's eyes widened, he knew Kix was good, otherwise he wouldn't be in 501st, but he didn't suspected his friend to be that good.

"eventually we all 'died'… except for the wounded. Doctor Ko Nowal, who was overseeing medical part of out training, was ecstatic, but bounty hunter Cichy wasn't. Those were one of those tricky tests, you know-"

Jesse knew it all right. Each speciality had those; the tests that were designed not to ground the knowledge but to set the priorities straight.

"if not for doctor Ko Nowal's perseverance we would never stepped out of Kamino for being defective" Kix reached out to fix his own bandages, Jesse slapped his hand "he even wanted to buy us from the long necks"

"what?"

"he wanted to use us to some sort of a relief program, where medical staff traveled all around the galaxy to help people in need and that sort of things. We would be perfect for that cause"

"Why didn't he…?"

"he was so into his pet project that Kaminoans winded up an opportunity for few extra credits, the bar was set too high" Kix admitted "Ko Nowal quit after that and, thanks to some sort of unintentional reverse psychology, the breakfast club, like every medic team, was not scrapped but evenly split between legions"

"would you go with him? If he asked?"

Kix kept quiet, his eyes fixed on his mug.

"Kix?"

"now? maybe if I knew there was a good replacement in my stead, but-"

"I see…"

"but it doesn't matter now. I'm here and Ko Nowal's dead anyway – he died on some remote, piss-poor planet in outer rim, doing what he felt was right." Kix put his mug away. "I'm tired Jesse"

"yeah… you- you need your rest" Jesse murmured.

The medic slumped back on his bed and, with a painful hiss, draped the blanket over his head.

"anyway" Kix's voice was muffled by the thick covers "so far only my squad ever tried to sew a buster artery in the middle of battlefield and… Ahsoka tends to be reckless just like the general Skywalker…"

"is that so?" Jesse asked playfully.

"good night, brother"

"'night"