AN: Hello dear readers! I'm on a roll this break! This is story I half wrote a long time ago and cleaned up and added to. Hope you enjoy it!
"General we've lost contact with the commander's fighter!" A trooper at the console yelled
"What do you mean by that? Did it go down?" Anakin demanded
"We think so, Sir." the trooper confirmed
"We need to find her now! There's a snowstorm inbound in about an 90 minutes!" Anakin started pacing.
"Sir, her transponder signal dropped around 15 klicks from her." A second trooper announced
"Prep a gunship to leave in ten minutes." the general ordered
"Be advised Sir, you'll be flying towards the storm and there's going to be high winds." the second trooper mentioned
"I'll take my chances." Anakin responded, already striding out the door towards the hangar. "Jesse! Hardcase! Get the medics and meet us in the hangar in ten minutes!" He ordered as he passed them in the hall.
"We're approaching the area where the commander's transponder signal dropped!" Hawk announced from the cockpit.
"Look for any signs of a crash!" Skywalker ordered, his body tense with anxiety
A few minutes passed and Hawk spoke up again "Sir, I see something! It looks like a crash sight!"
"Set us down as close as you can get!"
"Copy that, hope you find the commander safe."
Hawk set the ship down in the snow and the rescue group practically sprinted off towards the downed fighter. The crash looked pretty bad, almost nothing was left of the fighter; a wing missing, engines blown.
Jesse and Rex reached the fighter first and went straight for the cockpit.
"Cockpit is empty! She's not here!" Jesse called out
"She was!" Rex held up a familiar shoto "I think got out after the crash."
"We need to find her. The temperature has been steadily dropping all day and the commander has been out in this weather without proper gear for close to an hour." Coric crossed his arms
"Spread out and search the area for any signs of where Ahsoka might have gone!" Anakin ordered
A few minutes later Hardcase called out that his scanners had pick up on a cave system near by, and everyone converged on that location. Snow already blocked the entrance but Anakin Skywalker solved the problem with a massive force push. Helmet lights swept the cave and landed on a huddled figure against the wall and Anakin and Rex rushed forward, the medics half a step behind them.
The padawan's master placed a hand on her cheek and was appalled at how cold and pale it was. The captain was right there next to him until the medics edged in.
"We need to move her carefully. General and Captain, help me move her away from the wall. Kix when we do, wrap the shock blanket around her." Coric ordered, fingers pressing down on Ahsoka's throat, feeling for a pulse.
They did as they were told and within five minutes, Ahsoka was wrapped in the shock blanket and being transferred to Rex's waiting arms.
"Careful now… gently… we don't want to spike her heart rate." Kix murmured, easing the commander's head against the Captain's shoulder.
"Let's move!" Anakin stood up abruptly. "The storm is almost upon us and we need to get back!"
The group hustled back to the gunship, moving quickly against the howling winds and snow. Aboard the gunship, the medics shot into action while Hawk navigated the heavy winds and storm. Rex sat down on the floor with his girlfriend on his lap; the two medics knelt on either side.
"She's in shock from the hypothermia, I can't get a core temp reading." Kix muttered
"Unresponsive, her body is almost completely shut down." Coric added
"Her hands are so blue and covered in welts that I can't tell if it's burns from the crash, frostbite, or both." Kix said as he held one of the young togruta's arms, trying to start an IV.
"Both as best I can tell." Coric replied
"I still can barely get a pulse. We need to get her warmed up as quickly as possible." Kix interjected
Reaching for the packs, Coric grabbed another shock blanket and started tucking it in around her before wrapping another blanket around her and Rex while the captain pressed the unhelmeted the side of his face against her cold forehead.
"Stay with me Cyar'ika… please." He whispered
"She's so cold and her lips and fingertips are blue. I don't think I've ever seen her so ashen before either." Anakin muttered, torn between pacing and wanting to scoop his padawan into his own arms
"Just keep her wrapped up tight and up against your body and she'll warm up soon." Kix promised, speaking to Rex
"I've started a saline line to help with the dehydration and oxygen to help her breathe. Her body will probably start responding as soon as it takes effect." He added looking towards his general
"Lay her down here, Captain." two medics from another company met the group at the gunship with a stretcher
"She started shuddering a few moments ago. Temp is up another two degrees, pulse and resp both up as well." Coric informed them
"She's still unstable for a bacta tank. We need to get to warmed up more before we treat her wounds from the crash." Kix tacked on
"I'm coming with her." Rex's tone left no room for argument
"As long as you stay out our way." One of the other medics nodded
Once they reached the med bay, the commander started to wake and move about in panic.
"She's starting to thrash. We need to move her quickly." Coric moved to stretcher against an open bio bed.
"Udesii Ahsoka. You're safe now. You're safe now little 'un, you're alright." Rex assured, resting a hand on her head.
Anakin clenched his hand tightly watching his padawan thrash in pain. "Can you give her anything for the pain? She's obviously in distress!"
All four medics were bustling about the young woman and one of them shook his head "Not until her body temp reaches nearly normal levels. We give her anything now and it could seriously harm her."
"Keep talking to her. She calms down with you around, Rex." Kix suggested sympathetically
"She's coming into full consciousness." One of the medics commented from where he was setting up the monitors.
"Ugh…" Ahsoka moaned, clenching her eyes closed and shifting uncomfortably under the blankets piled on top of her.
"Udesii, You're safe now, Ahsoka. You're in the med bay now." Rex gently squeezed her shoulder comfortably, causing Ahsoka to turn towards him.
Ahsoka whined again, briefly opening her eyes. Rex felt his heart clench when he saw how pain filled her eyes were.
"Hold on a little while longer and then we can get you some pain meds." Anakin gently patted his padawans leg and rubbed it soothingly.
Ahsoka continued to shift and jerk around in pain until Anakin placed a hand on her ankle and closed his eyes; she stilled instantly. The young togruta still had her eyes open and her boyfriend leaned down slightly and placed a warm, comforting hand on her forehead.
"Rest now; close your eyes, it'll be better soon."
She nodded briefly and her eyes fluttered closed.
"Core temp is high enough. Vitals have stabilized." the medics announced about ten minutes later and added medicine to the commander's IV line. "Administering sedative and pain reliever now."
"We need you to leave now General, Captain; while we treat her wounds."
Kix and Coric looked up knowing their superiors would try and object. "One of us will com you as soon as the commander can be seen again." Coric promised.
The normally calm and steady captain joined his general in pacing outside the med bay doors until Kix came out and practically ordered the two of them away until they were commed. Approximately 8 hours later, well into the night cycle, Kix commed his two superior officers, knowing that neither one were sleeping. The general was the first one down, disheveled, followed by the captain about ten minutes later who was a little more put together in his fatigues. The captain waited patiently outside her room until the general had seen her and left and then slipped in and sat in the plastic chair next to the bio bed. Ahsoka was half-awake, normally bright blue eyes bleary from the pain medications and sedatives leaving her system.
"I was wondering when you'd come." Ahsoka grinned happily
"Came down as soon as Kix commed us." Rex reached out and slid his hand under the blanket to clasp his girlfriend's. "I'm glad you're okay."
"I knew you guys would find me." Ahsoka squeezed her boyfriend's hand "You always find me, Rexster."
Rex leaned forward and kissed his girlfriend's forehead. "Get some sleep, I'll stay here with you."
Within two minutes, the young woman's breathing had evened out in a steady rhythm. Rex slipped his other hand under the blanket and held Ahsoka's one between his two.
"I couldn't bear to lose you, Ahsoka."
AN: Hope you guys liked this chapter! As usual, I'm always looking for chapter ideas, and please review! Your support and encouragement means a lot to me and helps me stay motivated to update when I can!
Cyar'ika-Sweetheart