Commander Pillow: Slaves of the Republic: Chapter 3: Pain and Neglect

took a week for Obi-Wan to finally recover from the fever, and another week or so for Stitch to release the general from the medical bay. Of course, the Jedi was given strict instructions to routinely visit the medic for check-ups and to only do light duty assignments until he was stronger, but Cody highly doubted that his general would follow instructions to the letter.

In fact, the commander knew his general wasn't following the instructions.

Cody had seen Obi-Wan skirt around the medical bay several times, dodging Stitch whenever he knew the medic would be showing up (and messages from Stitch about another missed appointment was starting to fill his inbox). Nor was the Jedi taking it easy. He was back to completely commanding the 212th, planning out battles and reviewing over tactics. Cody was pretty sure the General wasn't even sleeping at night if the dark marks constantly under his eyes said anything about it.

Obi-Wan looked like he was about to collapse, completely exhausted and extremely pale, but somehow always pushing through. Barely. Constantly assuring that he was "fine".

The one good outcome of this was that the Jedi Council, when Obi-Wan occasionally spoke to them, seemed to notice the same things the clone did. Suddenly the 212th's duties were lightened considerably, no doubt the other Generals' doing. Cody was relieved, but still worried about Obi-Wan. The duties might have been lessened, but it just wasn't enough to get the Jedi to truly recover and rest.

And Cody was near the end of his patience.

Obi-Wan was already waiting for Cody in the briefing room. The Jedi gave a small tired smile. "Cody." The clone flinched the tiniest bit. The general sounded much too vulnerable and it made the commander wanted to wrap him up in blankets and drag him to the medical bay.

But the clone knew this would only aggravate the situation, so he simply saluted, biding his time. "General." Obi-Wan's smile widened a fraction, then faded, far too fast and fleeting. He turned back to the console as Cody drew closer to him. The clone watched the Jedi carefully in his peripheral vision as he looked over the holo projections. Obi-Wan began to talk in a soft voice.

"The Separatist forces will most likely use a direct approach to attack. It would be most difficult to take the more rough way through the terrain, and if they do, they risk losing droids and equipment."

Cody nodded, squinting at the holos as a line traced the likely route of the Seppies.

"This gives us the advantage of surprise. If we position men and cannons along the north, west and east ridges, we can block in the Separatists. Anakin will lead an attack from behind, and that way we can completely box them in."

The commander nodded again, shifting to place a hand on his chin, a position he had adopted from his general. He lifted his hand and pointed towards the holo. "If we split the men up into task forces and place them several feet apart, we can easily take the droids from every direction. That is if the Seppies don't bring in extra forces and don't take us by surprise."

Obi-Wan was silent but nodded slightly. Cody noticed the way he tiredly ran a hand over his beard but didn't say anything.

The Jedi began to softly speak again. "Splitting the men into groups is a good idea. And if the Separatists do happen to bring extra droids, we can always have a backup further away, just for precaution. Though I believe that-"

He stopped mid-sentence.

Cody frowned, turning his attention on the Jedi. He felt a spike of fear at the dazed look on his General's face. "Sir?"

Obi-Wan furrowed his brows and closed his eyes, opening them with several more dazed blinks after a second. "Co-"

The Jedi didn't finish his sentence, suddenly listing to the side.

The clone quickly grabbed the general's arm, just catching the man as he completely passed out. "Sir!"

No response. Obi-Wan was limp under Cody's hands and was white as a sheet of paper.

The clone made a quick decision and gently shifted the unconscious Jedi into his arms more securely. He lifted the general, arms firmly holding the Jedi under his legs and around his back.

Cody wasn't prepared for how light Obi-Wan was. He grunted in surprise as he easily carried the Jedi in his arms, the man's weight barely amounting for nothing. He was about as heavy as a small tooka, and Cody didn't like the way he could feel the general's ribs so easily. In fact, all of the Jedi's bones were protruding way too much for Cody's comfort. The clone took a breath and hurriedly left the room, walking as fast as he could without jostling the unconscious general too much down the hall.

The commander soon made it to the medical bay and he walked in, calling out for the medic loudly. "Stitch!" The fear and panic were barely contained in the cry.

The medic appeared from behind a cabinet, hearing the strain in his batchmate's voice. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the commander and who he was carrying. The hazel eyes instantly lit up as he began to curse in strings. He paused long enough to order, "Follow me," before going back to his curses.

Cody followed Stitch to one of the beds in the back. Trying to keep his emotions under control.

"Lay him down here." The medic motioned to a medical bed, rushing around to get the needed supplies and calling out for another medic.

Cody gently shifted Obi-Wan onto the bed, moving out of the way as Stitch took his place.

The medic quickly hooked the Jedi up to monitors and the IV. He checked over the man with a stethoscope and scanners, asking the commander questions. "When did this happen?"

"About five minutes ago. I was in a planning session with General Kenobi and…"

"He just collapsed?"

The older clone nodded.

Stitch frowned, turning back to his scanners as they beeped. Another string of curses filled the air as the medic began to scribble things down.

Cody instantly moved forward, trying to see what had made the medic worried. "What?"

Stitch took a breath. "Has the General been eating? Sleeping? Resting?"

The commander shook his head to each question. "Not that I'm aware of. I've been trying to convince him to rest more but…"

The medic cussed up another storm under his breath. "Why does he always make things more complicated?"

Cody raised a brow in question. Stitch began to elaborate. "To put it simply, he's...worse than he was when he first came back from Kadavo. He's sleep-deprived, is practically just skin and bones and malnourished."

Cody sucked in a breath. "I...I knew that the general was getting pretty bad, but I never thought it would be this...bad…"

Stitch grimly agreed with a short nod. "I'm going to give him a sedative and keep him asleep for the next twenty-four hours. We'll feed him nutrients and try and improve his health while he's asleep. And," Stitch's eyes narrowed and he growled under his breath, "When he wakes up, I'm going to give him a talking to.

Cody raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think he's been punished enough?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Stitch motioned at the unconscious man on the bed, "He's too stubborn to listen to my advice before. So when he wakes up, he's getting a piece of my mind!"

The commander reached out and placed a firm hand on the medic's shoulder. "I know that the general can be frustrating sometimes-"

The medic raised an eyebrow at Cody, "That's an understatement."

The older clone ignored it and continued. "But right now I don't think General Kenobi needs any more stress put on him."

Stitch pinched his nose, the anger dying. "I know, I know… I just-I don't want to be a hovering gunship. But if I'm not, the General is going to be dead by the end of the cycle."

Cody took a breath, "We may not have a choice on that."

Stitch sighed, "Hooray. We get to assign someone to hold the General's hand and make him eat, sleep, etc." He did a few slow claps, hanging his head in defeat.

Cody didn't say anything, putting a comforting arm around his brother.

The medic turned back to the monitors, carefully watching them. "We're going to have a kriffing time getting him well again…" He muttered.

Cody sighed. "Yeah. What...what exactly needs to happen when he wakes up?"

"Well," Stitch pulled out his datapad, skimming a few notes, "He will need to be put on a special diet for a while until he's not practically starved anymore. His body can only handle small amounts of soft food right now. He's also going to need to come to the medical bay each day for checkups and medication- and actually come this time around."

Cody shook his head. "He's going to hate this…" He said fondly exasperated.

Stitch smiled, "It's his own fault. This needs to be a priority of all the vods. They need to keep an eye on him and make sure he actually follows doctor's orders."

Cody nodded. "I'm sure no one will object to coddling the general. We'll have volunteers every day."

The medic's smiled fondly. "I don't doubt it."

The two shared a smile. Cody's smile faded quickly, however, collapsing into a chair. He buried his face in his hands, moaning, "How could I let this happen? I knew something was wrong. I should have-"

"Hey, don't you blame yourself," Stitch dropped into the chair next to him. "The General is just stubborn. Besides, I knew he wasn't coming in for his check-ups. It's also my fault." He leaned forward, pressing his hands together. "I think… we just wanted him to be okay. He is our General. A Jedi. If he said he was okay, then he was okay… and we wanted to believe it." Stitch sighed, sitting straight again. "We'll do better this time around."

Cody sighed in defeat. "You're right. I'm...I'm going to go brief the others about this. They need to know what's going on."

Stitch nodded his approval. "I'll type out instructions and send them out to all personnel. Vods unite!" He punched his fist in the air, a hint of sorrow shining in his eyes.

Cody smiled, slowly raising a fist in the air, "Vods unite."

There was a silence that stretched between the two for a moment, standing with a fist in the air. The air filled with the whispers of ghosts and if Cody closed his eyes he could almost believe there were three more in the room, all in a similar position.

As quickly as it came, the moment passed. Cody shook his head, clearing his mind of such thoughts. "Comm me if anything happens."

Stitch nodded, a sad smile gracing his face. "Of course… Pillow." The smile slid into a smirk.

"Stitch!"

Briefing the 212th hadn't gone exactly as Cody thought it would, but he still got the outcome he was expecting. Every clone was outraged at the Zygerrians, and extremely concerned for their Jedi. Several had instantly began making plans to hunt down the slavers, only stopping when Cody assured them most of the Zygerrians were already dead or had suffered for their mistake. (General Skywalker was scary when someone he cared about was wronged or injured. And the more people, the angrier he was.)

The next hour had consisted of Waxer (of course it was his idea) and most of the 212th finding every spare pillow on the ship and meeting in a training room. Anyone who wasn't required in a station then participated in one of the largest pillow fights in the history of the galaxy, before they passed out on the pillow covered floor.

The commander allowed the distraction with little concern. The vods were just as shaken as he was about the General. Cody didn't blame them. Sometimes, more than ever, all he wanted to do was to fall back into the regular routine he had on Kamino, surrounded by brothers and not having to worry about a real war and keeping others alive another day.

With that thought in mind, it was little surprise when his shift ended he filed his reports then headed in the opposite direction of the barracks. The floor was rather packed with sleeping brothers, but Wooley must have been expecting him because the brother was sitting, eyes open. He patted the empty spot next to him and Cody rolled his eyes. Softly crawling around the brothers, Cody laid down next to Wooley, "Let me guess: You want the pillow?"

Wooley shrugged, "I thought you'd want to know you're needed."

"M-mh." Cody gave Wooley a look of 'I don't believe you and you know it but I'll go along with it.'

Wooley smirked, hugging Cody like he was some kind of stuffed animal and falling asleep in record time. Cody sighed softly but fell asleep quickly.

Cody woke early the next morning, pried himself out of Wooley's death grip, and quietly exited the room. He headed into the mess hall, grabbed some breakfast, headed towards the Command Center. Halfway there his comm buzzed.

"Commander Cody here."

"Morning, Pillow."

The clone blinked, surprised. "Stitch? Is something wrong?"

The medic sighed, breathing heavily on his mic. "No, nothing's wrong. Just… The General is awake."

Cody frowned. "I thought you said he would be under for a full 24 hours."

"I thought so too, but the sedative didn't work right or…" Stitch sighed again. "Just get down here." With that, he signed off.

Cody clipped the comm to his belt and hurried in the opposite direction towards the med bay. He easily located Stitch, who was gently lecturing General Kenobi. "Do you have any idea what could have happened if you continued like this, General? Do you know what would have happened if you weren't brought in when you were?" Stitch pinched his nose, breathing out slowly, "You could have died. Do you really want to do that to your men? To Cody and I?"

Obi-Wan had the decency to look ashamed of himself. His eyes were locked on the floor, taking the lecture in silence.

Cody winced at the defeated look but restrained himself from interfering. Stitch could punch hard when he wanted too, and the Jedi needed to hear this.

"We care about you General. You just need to let us help you. You can tell us what's wrong. Then maybe stuff like this wouldn't happen. You're not bothering me, or Cody, or anyone else by telling us when you need help. We are more than happy to lend a hand." Stitch's voice grew harder, "Got it?"

At this, the Jedi flinched and his head bowed even further down. Cody decided it would be okay to interfere now. He put a hand on Stitch's shoulder, a silent conversation transpiring between the two. Stitch stepped back, allowing Cody through.

"Stitch is right, sir," Cody assured gently. "We want you to tell us when things like this happen. It doesn't help you or us when you try to handle it on your own, General."

Obi-Wan was silent, but he raised his eyes slightly to meet his commander's. He stared at the clone with grey eyes, then dropped his gaze again, taking a shaky breath. "I… I suppose I need to work on my communication. With you. All of you. Jedi are… easier to communicate with."

It was Cody's turn to wince now. He still didn't like how his general sounded so...vulnerable. The Jedi was always so strong and steady, seemingly unbreakable. But Cody was quickly learning that his general was just as human as he and his brothers, contrary to what he appeared to be with his Jedi mask.

Stitch nodded, glad he had finally knocked some sense into his general. "Good. So we're going to assign a buddy to you. To make sure your eating, resting, and not stretching yourself out too far. This includes daily check-ins here. Got it?"

Obi-Wan nodded, a bit hesitant. The medic sighed, glancing at Cody with a look that said 'We'll work on this'. He moved forward and with gentle hands, examined the still Jedi.

Cody watched, carefully taking note of how the Jedi behaved. The man was quiet and didn't make too much eye contact. He flinched ever so slightly whenever Stitch touched a tender cut or when a comment was said that caught him off guard. He would twist his hands together slightly seeming a little nervous or scared. It was plainly seen through his body language and face.

Finally, the medic stepped back, not before gently running a hand over the general's thin shoulder. "Ok, General. You are free to go, but you have to stay close to Cody for the rest of the day. One of the vods will take over tomorrow, and this will continue until I say so. Doctor's orders. You have to come in every day for checkups and medication, and here's a list of the types of food you'll need to eat for a while. I am also consulting the Jedi temple about other treatments and they are working on getting a "Mind Healer" out here as soon as they can. Does that sound alright, General?

The Jedi nodded, but still didn't say anything or protest.

Cody glanced at Stitch, who smiled gently at the general. "Is there anything else you need?"

Obi-Wan immediately shook his head, hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Yes."

The two waited patiently for the request. It took a moment for the Jedi to find the words, "I… I would like to see Rex. At some point."

Both clones blinked sharing a look of surprise. Rex? Why Rex?

Stitch recovered quicker than Cody, keeping his tone light and reassuring. "Of course. I'll call General Skywalker. I'm sure he can spare Rex for a few days."

Obi-Wan nodded again, a relieved expression falling onto his face. He looked up to Cody with anticipation in his eyes. "Can I leave this horrid place now?" He asked to no one in particular.

Cody and Stitch shared a laugh and their General cracked a smile. Stitch nodded, "Yes, you can leave. Just give me a second to talk to Cody."

The medic pulled the clone in question over to the side and began to speak in a low tone. "Remember to be gentle with him, Cody. He's still recovering and anything could cause him to get upset with what his mental state appears to be. If he looks like he's going to panic or something, get him out of the room. Try and make a list of what 'sets him off'. Knowing the ticks could help with recovery."

The commander nodded. "Of course." He started to turn away, but Stitch pulled him back around, his voice lowered even more.

"Cody, I'm going to try and get Rex here by the end of the week. It might help. People who experience trauma together generally feel safer with each other by their sides."

"It might help Rex as well if Rex is… anything like this." He squeezed the medic's shoulder before breaking off and walking towards Obi-Wan again.

The Jedi looked up from his lap as the commander approached.

Cody put on the most reassuring smile he could and said, "Ready to go, General?"

Obi-Wan nodded, humming quietly. Stitch came up behind the other clone and moved forward to help the general stand. Cody slipped a steady arm around the Jedi's waist when he wavered slightly.

"Don't worry sir, I got you."

Obi-Wan gave a small smile to his commander. Although he didn't say anything, Cody could see the gratitude in the man's grey eyes.

Hey all! Happy New Year! Cannot believe it is 2020! So I'm hoping to finish posting this by the end of January and it is almost done. I think I have a chapter and a half left to type and then I'll be done! Still have four to five to post still so... Reviews are appreciated because I'm getting low on motivation to finish this. So... if you want the ending, please do say something. I can make time to type but if no one is interested then I'm just going to call it. I've got a few other things I need to finish before January ends.

May the Force be With You!

P.S.- I know the internet hated Rise of Skywalker but... I liked it. Not my favorite and there were a few moments that made me go, "Ugh," but overall... I liked it. But hey, everyone has their own opinion so whatever.