Author's Note: From this chapter on, nothing relevant will happen as far as the plot of the story is concerned. As a matter of fact, the following chapters will portray eminently "domestic" and familiar scenes, as Luke's recovery continues, and I have no doubt that some of you will consider them unnecessary. That is one of the reasons why this story turned out to be so long. But as as the "Maker" of the story, as Threepio would say, I felt the need to keep on writing in this vein, to fulfill something inside me that needed to come out. Call it "the author's prerogative," if you will. ;-) Therefore, I will understand if I lose some readers along the way, if they consider the remaining chapters (until maybe the last two) to be boring, off character or downright padding.
Remember: TIME is precious and the BACK button is a blessing. :-)
Dr. Vilk visited them right after dinner time, and very pleased to see Luke's healthier colour, began his routine examination. He was almost finished when Luke's friends walked in, eager to know what he had to say.
"Well!" Vilk looked up with a wide grin. "I'm very happy to announce that you have no fever anymore," he reached out and squeezed the thin shoulder. "Congratulations, young man, you're officially disease-free!"
The exultant group stared at one another, finally able to believe that the nightmare was over. Artoo's cheery beeping and tweeting sounded louder than ever.
"As I promised," the good doctor continued, "I'll start you on soft foods tomorrow, and see how your stomach behaves. If everything goes well, it should be a good time to move you back to your own quarters. I imagine you can't wait to be back to 'familiar territory' and continue your recovery there."
The look on the young man's face was the last thing Vilk expected to see. It almost literally fell, and he turned to Vader with an uncertain expression.
"C-Couldn't I just stay here, doctor?" he requested, turning his eyes to him. "I'm sure you can turn this isolation room into a regular room, can't you?"
"Well... Yes, I suppose it's feasible," Vilk said, "although I see no reason to do it. Wouldn't you be more comfortable in your own..."
"I think Luke means it would create a considerable commotion to see Darth Vader walking the corridors of the ship and visiting him in his quarters," Leia butted in. And boy, wasn't that the absolute truth? Surely, Vilk could remember the discretion with which she had conducted Vader's presence on board, and put two and two together.
"Oh." Vilk's eyes opened wide. "Oh, I see!" he looked around at all the nodding heads. "All right, then. We'll take care of it tomorrow," he straightened up. "Now, say your goodnights and let my patient sleep," he patted Luke's shoulder and left the room.
"I love good news!" Han walked over to the bed and mussed Luke's hair. "Well done, kid! See ya tomorrow. Sleep tight."
"Thanks," Luke smiled up at his best friend.
Han's eyes turned to Vader and stared at him with newfound respect.
"Good night," he simply said with a curt nod.
"Good night, Captain Solo," was the polite reply.
Leia approached Luke's bed from the other side, bent down and kissed his cheek, caressing the other with the back of her fingers.
"Good night, Luke. I'll come visit you first thing in the morning."
Luke reached out and fingered one stray lock of hair lovingly.
"All right, but sleep well," he asked her. "You need it."
She just smiled. Typical Luke, to worry about others more than about himself. She gave him a spontaneous one-armed hug and released him.
"See you tomorrow," she raised her gaze to Vader and flashed him the quickest smile. "You're staying the night again?" she stated more than asked.
Vader looked down at his child and for the first time, he seemed to hesitate.
"If you want me to..." he began. "But I'll understand if you'd rather take back your privacy."
Luke's eyes enfolded his father in a mute embrace.
"I'd rather make the most of the time we have left..."
Vader nodded, placing his hand on the nearest shoulder in a gesture that said it all.
Luke's friends shared a fast look. Chewie and Lando said their goodnights and followed Han and Leia out of the room.
"I hope you have a good night's rest, master Luke," Threepio wished the young Jedi.
"Thank you, Threepio," Luke replied formally.
Artoo beeped Luke goodnight, sparing an extra beep for Vader.
"'Night, Artoo," Luke smiled at the departing little droid. It was funny, only now he realized that Artoo's sounds had always made him happy.
So many things he had taken for granted and been so close to losing forever! Including himself.
"Good night, Artoo," Vader said, just before the door closed.
Once alone, Father and Son looked into each other's eyes.
"Are you tired?" Vader asked softly.
"I'm always tired," Luke replied with a grimace. "Can't remember the last time I didn't feel tired."
"You'll be getting your strength back soon," Vader assured him, moving his hand back. "Now, where do you want me?"
"Where are you more comfortable?" Luke asked back.
"I always sleep in a sitting position," Vader shrugged, looking fleetingly at the chair next to his child's bed.
"Be my guest," Luke offered the chair to his father as if he had actually seen him look at it.
Vader took a seat and turned gentle eyes to his offspring.
"It must have been hell for you, leaning against the headboard all those nights you sat with me. I'm sorry," Luke's eyes dropped apologetically.
Vader leaned forward and slid his hand through the blond hair.
"It *was* hell for me", he confirmed. "It was hell not knowing if you would live. It was hell watching you fight for every breath. But thank the Force, it's all in the past now."
Luke smiled bashfully at his father and reached out to him.
Vader drew the chair closer to the bed and held the proffered hand.
The young man turned in the bed until he was facing the Dark Lord.
"Thank you," he whispered to him, staring at their joined hands.
Vader squeezed the long fingers, reaffirming their bond.
"Always," he pledged with all of his being.
'Anakin, all I want is your love.'
'Love won't save you, Padme. Only my new powers can do that.'
'It seems in your anger, you killed her.'
'Now, release your anger. Only your hatred can destroy me.'
'Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.'
'He told me enough. He told me you killed him.'
'No. I am your father.'
'NOOOOOOOO! NO!'
'I have felt an unsettling disturbance in the Force. Do you think young Skywalker is the source of the disturbance?'
'Maybe.'
'You must be patient. He will need time to recover from... your sweet fatherly attentions.'
'Yes, my master.'
'When the time comes, his full blossoming into the Force will make it inevitable. He will learn there is no choice. He will join us in the Dark Side, or die.'
'Come with away me. Help me raise our child.'
'Luke.'
'Father.'
'Our baby is a blessing.'
'Leave everything else behind while we still can!'
Vader's eyes opened. The first thing he saw was his son's sleeping face, still turned to him. Several locks of hair had fallen over his eyes, and at that very moment he looked no older than sixteen. He was curled up in the bed, with his right arm drawn up tight against his body, the end of his stump barely visible.
The sight of it hit Vader with a crushing brutality that sent a rush of bile to his throat.
'I did this. For heaven's sake, *I* did this! *I* mutilated him! I cut off the hand of my own child. Force, oh, Force!'
Releasing the warm hand he'd been holding all night, he sprang to his feet and sought refuge in the small restroom. He leaned on the sink with both hands, fighting the waves of horror and nausea, swallowing convulsively as his stomach turned in utter revulsion.
'Forgive me, little one. Forgive me, for I will never forgive myself. I will never forgive myself! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE MYSELF!'
By blessed luck, his son was still sleeping when he emerged from the small cubicle. Exhausted to the core of his bones, he leaned back against the doorframe, his eyes seeking out the small bundle that constituted his universe.
'So small, so defenseless... How could I defile him so? What pushed me to scar his spirit with the same ugliness that defiled me?'
The translucent eyelids twitched a few times and soon after, the clean, mesmerizing eyes opened, settling on him as if they knew where to find him. A heartbeat later, a slow, contented smile illuminated the angelic features.
It seemed to Vader that his child would happily spend the rest of the day just looking at him. But he was too distraught to face that innocence for much longer.
"Good morning," he said, breaking the spell.
Luke's smile broadened and he wiggled his fingers at his father in a childlike greeting.
"Are you all right?" the boy asked kindly.
"I could be better," Vader shrugged, pushing himself off the doorframe, deciding to bring some levity to the moment instead of wallowing in self-pity, which would be offensive to his son's ordeal. "You know, tall, blond and handsome."
Luke burst out laughing. Those were the last words he would have expected to hear.
Vader walked over to his child's bedside and reclaimed his seat next to it. It was a balm to the heart to hear his son's joyous laughter.
"Is that how you used to be?" the young man inquired when the laughter died down.
Vader shrugged again.
"I suppose. I never cared about that. But yes, I was blond. And had blue eyes."
The lovely eyes lit up.
"Just like me," Luke breathed in awe.
Vader leaned down and yielded to the sweet temptation of moving aside the blond strands.
Force, how could he live over two decades without this? He ached to touch, to feel! He longed to experience everything with all five senses again. The warm sensation of soft skin on his fingertips; the earthy scent of a rainforest; the vibrations of his child's calming voice in his ears. He hadn't missed any of those things... until now.
'No real hands to touch you; trapped inside this suit that keeps me deprived of all human contact. What wouldn't I give to have you *touching* me!'
"Yes," he said, ignoring the burning in his throat. "Just like you."
"What else did I inherit from you?" Luke asked, expectantly.
Taking a long breath, Vader fingered the cleft in the boy's chin.
"This," he smiled deliberately.
A big grin formed on the dry lips.
"Do you want some water?" the words were out of Vader's mouth before his mind had formed them.
Luke nodded.
"Yeah, let's start waking up my stomach," he turned onto his back and struggled a bit to move to a sitting position.
Meanwhile, Vader filled a glass with water and returned to his son's side.
"Do you want to drink it?" he asked.
"Yes," the boy nodded, taking the glass from his father's hand carefully. The glass shook a little in his grasp, but the content didn't spill. He brought it to his lips and drank half of it; then, he handed the glass back to his father. "Thank you."
Vader caressed the top of his head in answer and took the glass back to the table. When he returned, Luke was staring at his lap.
"How do you feel?" he asked, sitting on his son's bed.
The enthralling eyes met his.
"I guess I'm fine. Nothing hurts. But I'm still awfully tired and my joints are a bit stiff."
"That's because you've been lying in bed for a very long time," Vader stated. "I wouldn't be surprised if Dr. Vilk made you rise from bed any day now."
Luke nodded distractedly.
"What's troubling you?" the big hand took hold of the smaller one lying on the bedcover dejectedly.
Luke gnawed at his lower lip worriedly.
"The Force," he mumbled timidly. "I'm... numb somehow. I can feel it, but it's... different. It's all nebulous... undefined."
"Your illness has weakened your ability to channel it," Vader explained. "It requires an extra bit of concentration that your mind can't handle right now."
"It'll come back, won't it?" Luke's anguished eyes tore at his father's heart.
'Of course it will! You can hear me, can't you?'
'Yes, I can,' the relief in Luke's mind-voice was heartrending. 'But how come we can communicate like this? Master Yoda never told me that Jedi were also telepaths.'
'Unique mental abilities are a primary characteristic of all Force sensitives. Telekinesis, precognition... But as far as I know, the ability to communicate mentally like we do, is unheard of.'
'Really?! How so?' Luke asked, dying of curiosity.
'A Jedi can feel the call for help of a fellow companion, but it's more like an S.O.S. signal. You feel the disturbance in the Force and with practice, you can tell to whom that signal belongs and their location. But you don't hear any voices inside your head.'
'Then, what we're doing right now...' sheer wonder pervaded Luke's thoughts.
'It is exclusive of our family. Just between you and me,' Vader smiled roguishly.
Luke's face beamed like a summer sunrise and his emaciated features shone with delight.
'But how can it be? Why? Why us?' he bombarded his father with questions.
The Sith Lord chuckled in amusement at his son's excitement.
'I don't have an answer for that. But I see two possibilities.'
'What possibilities? Tell me!' the child's fingers entwined with his own unconsciously.
Vader looked down at their hands, feeling impossibly self-conscious.
'Well, ah, I just happened to be the greatest Force-sensitive in all the history of the Jedi, so it makes sense that my son has inherited an extreme sensitivity to the Force.'
The boy stared at him with a mixture of surprise, disbelief and absolute stupefaction.
'You... You are the...?' he couldn't bring himself to say the words.
'I *used* to be,' Vader amended Luke's words. 'After the devastating injuries I sustained, my ability to feel and wield the Force diminished considerably. Still, I think my potential helped me to compensate throughout the years.'
Luke's face softened, full of caring and compassion. His gaze turned to their linked hands and he smiled at them.
'Your abilities may have diminished somewhat, but your inner strength more than makes up for the loss. You're extraordinary, Father.'
Vader reached out and covered the pale hand.
'And you are a miracle. My little blessing come alive.'
There was a long, heartfelt silence, filled with emotion.
'And that's the second possibility,' Vader's mind-voice whispered delicately.
'What?' Luke whispered back.
'No Jedi has ever borne offspring. And since I am the first, maybe this is an ability only shared by blood relatives. Who knows?'
Their eyes met and simultaneously, the two men experienced an eerie feeling of homecoming.
'I... I want to believe that both possibilities are correct,' Luke confessed shyly.
'Me too,' Vader's voice sounded equally hopeful.
The long, comfortable silence deepened until Vader looked down at the lone hand he held. He squeezed his eyes shut and giving himself to the feelings he couldn't hold back anymore, he rose from the bed and sank to his knees facing his son.
The young man stared at him in startlement and confusion.
"Father?" he asked out loud, showing to what point the abrupt change in Vader's demeanour had rattled him.
Keeping his eyes on their clasped hands, unable to look anywhere else, the Dark Lord fought with all his might to find the words that wouldn't come, simply because no words could convey the depth of his regret and sorrow.
"There are no words in any language, not even the language of the soul, to tell you... to begin to..." he shook his head in frustration. "I wronged you, my son; I committed the most forbidden, unthinkable act of cruelty that hurt you as much as it soiled me. There can be no forgiveness for what I did, and it makes me want to tear at my own flesh until there is nothing left of me."
"No, Father, please!" Luke exclaimed tremulously through misted eyes.
"Let me finish, I beg you," Vader bent his head over their joined hands, almost touching them. "I want you to know that I will spend the rest of my life trying to be worthy of your example, trying to live up to the lesson you taught me. A lesson in heroism and fortitude, in how to defend your principles and beliefs until the last consequences. That day... The day I mutilated your body and tried to break your spirit, you unintentionally became my master, my good and true master. The master whose teachings I will uphold until my last breath."
"Oh, Force! Oh, my..." Luke choked out in a sob.
"Will you ever find it in your heart to forgive me, my master?" Vader asked humbly.
"Yes," was the broken answer.
The Sith Lord looked up into the wide open, so loving eyes, biting his lips at the tears gathered in them that promptly fell on their hands like raindrops.
Maintaining his composure somehow, Luke extracted his hand from between his father's and put it on top of his helmet, keeping it there as if blessing him - or absolving him. Then, he brought it down to his right shoulder - as if knighting him.
"I forgave you long ago, Father," the boy confessed, not quite daring to meet Vader's eyes. "Long before you got here. There was such conflict in me... I couldn't understand why I wanted to reach out to the person who'd hurt me so much. It infuriated me that just because you're my father, my heart cried out to me that despite everything, there was good in you. I didn't want to believe, I knew it was foolish of me to believe... And my heart still betrayed me... Because it *knew* it was the truth." His hand cupped the side of the black mask, as if cradling his father's cheek in it. "You came to me, you offered me your heart... And I'll take it with me wherever I go... As you will take my heart with you, wherever you go."
Suddenly, the room seemed to grow too small, the air became too thick to breathe, and then it was only them, Father and Son in all their vulnerability, drifting in a haze of tenderness and belonging that would sustain them in this life, the next, and any others that might come after that.
Vader's shaking hand lifted and lay over the bony chest, shuddering at the feel of the strong, resilient heart beating within. Then, he took his son's only hand with the other and placed it beside his chest plate. He waited for his child to feel the soft thudding of his own heart on his palm.
"One and the same, Luke," he sighed out reverently. "One and the same. Forever."
The boy's eyes flickered closed and a slow shiver spread through his small, thin frame. He nodded, soaking up their truth, rejoicing in it.
"One and the same, Father," he whispered back to him like a prayer. Like an oath.
Their hands dropped together and Vader rose, just as the door of the room opened and Dr. Vilk walked in, carrying a bed tray with a small plate on it.
The two men turned their heads to him inquisitively, doing their best to collect themselves.
"Good morning," Vilk greeted them with a smile. "I wanted to be the one to do the honours," he put the tray over Luke's thighs, and the young man just stared at it uncomprehendingly. He was still too shaken by the moment he and his father had shared to concentrate on something as ordinary as a plate of...
"Soup?!" he asked, turning disappointed eyes on the grinning doctor.
"What did you expect? A steak tartare Mimban style?" Vilk retorted.
Vader bit his lips at the doctor's wisecrack, sitting again on his child's bed.
The young man's pout was half-amusing, half-heartbreaking as he took the spoon and began to eat the soup without a word of protest.
"Don't worry," Vilk assured him when he was finished. "If your stomach doesn't rebel, I'll add some more food to your diet gradually. We have to start putting some meat on your bones as soon as possible."
Luke nodded in acquiescence.
"All right, see you later," Vilk smiled kindly at the deflated youth, taking the tray from the bed. "Try to cheer him up!" he told Vader on his way out.
"I will, Doctor," Vader promised, smiling to himself at his son's sulking.
Luke leaned back against the headboard, sighing out loud.
"From one impatient person to another..." Vader said, squeezing the boy's forearm, "...be patient."
"That's really helpful," Luke replied ironically.
The smile reached Vader's lips.
"I know it doesn't help, but that's the way it is. You've been lying down for a long time and now that your body is recovering, you're feeling restless and uncomfortable in bed. It's normal. But you don't have the strength to stand yet, so you must do this step by step," he framed the gloomy face in his hand.
Luke's head turned to him and eventually, his expression melted into a poignant smile.
"I'm sorry, Father. But for a moment, I hoped for..."
"More," Vader said the word for him.
Luke nodded.
"In a few days, you will be surprised at how fast you'll improve," his father assured him. "I cannot believe how far you've come in so little time," he caressed the soft cheek reassuringly.
The young Jedi smiled under his father's hand.
The door opened once more and Princess Leia walked in. She had a smile on her face that grew bigger when she saw them.
"Good morning!" she went directly to Luke's bed and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek and a hug that the young man returned fervently. "You look much better today. Your cheeks are fuller, don't you think?" she turned to Vader.
"Yes," Vader nodded in agreement.
"Dr. Vilk told me you already had breakfast," she shook Luke's hand energetically.
"I guess you could call it that," Luke shrugged.
"And how're you feeling?" Leia asked.
"I feel a bit queasy right now; like a heartburn or something."
Vader and Leia shared a fast look.
"I think that's to be expected, considering he hasn't had any food in his stomach for many days," the Dark Lord said. "Let's wait a few minutes and see what happens."
"All right," Leia turned to Luke again. "The guys are finishing their breakfast. They want to come and visit you afterwards."
"That'll be great!" Luke smiled at her. "Did you sleep well?"
"Just fine," she smiled back. "And you?"
"Fine too. I spend most of the time sleeping anyway..."
"Less and less now," Leia began to smooth the edges of the sheets and fluff his pillows. "And this is usually the point where everything gets boring, when days are endless..."
"No," Luke took her hand. "I'm grateful. Infinitely grateful to you, to Father and everybody. I'm glad to be alive, and even if I'm bedridden with nothing to do... I'm happy just looking at you."
Leia's face softened. She reached out and touched his face with her fingertips, almost in wonder.
"And I'm infinitely grateful for the way things turned out. It was worthwhile," she turned her eyes to Vader now. "All of it."
Vader bowed his head in acknowledgement.
The door opened for the third time that morning and the bulk of the group entered one by one, including the droids.
Luke's smile broadened even more at the sight of his friends and the chorus of greetings he received. This is what it meant to be alive, this was the true meaning of life! Sharing with the people you cared about and that cared about you. Before he knew, they had engaged in a totally irrelevant conversation that included silly stories, outrageous joking and lots of laughter; enjoying their company and strengthening their bond after months of separation.
At some point however, Luke realized that his father wasn't participating and turned his head to him. One look was enough to communicate his message. Vader simply shook his head and took hold of the young man's hand, squeezing it intensely.
'I had forgotten what it was like to relax in the company of people who do not judge you and accept you just the way you are. People you can fool around with to your heart's content. There hasn't been much of that in my life. It's a privilege for me to share in with you all, Luke, even from the sidelines.'
Luke's eyes filled with profound sympathy and he squeezed his father's hand back.
'They're your friends now, even if none of you can admit it,' he smiled softly. 'And by the way, the heartburn is gone.'
'It's so good to hear that, Son,' Vader smiled at him.
"Excuse me, are we intruding on your private conversation?"
Leia's words effectively silenced everybody, even the ones who were talking mind-to-mind. Vader and Luke turned their heads to her as one, and she broke into a mischievous smile.
"Did... Did you feel...?" Luke stammered.
The Princess chuckled impishly and shook her head.
"I saw you looking at each other and I reached out as you taught me," she looked pointedly at Vader. "I felt something connecting you two. Something vibrant and full of light." She smiled just thinking about it. "Like a lifeline."
"I told you that you had great potential," Vader reminded her.
Han coughed uncomfortably a couple times.
"This is getting a bit creepy for me, fellas," he fidgeted a little.
"Really?" Luke was feeling playful all of a sudden. "Watch this." He turned his head to the left and focused his attention on the pitcher on the table by the wall. He had to concentrate a bit harder than usual, but after a few seconds the pitcher rose from the table as if held by an invisible hand, tilted bit by bit and refilled the half-empty glass next to it. Then, it settled slowly back on the table.
A deadly silence followed the young man's display, until Leia broke it.
"That... Was... The coolest thing I've ever seen!" she turned to Luke smiling like a child who'd just witnessed the most awesome magic trick, eyes wide and mouth agape.
Luke turned ecstatic eyes to his father.
'I did it, Father! I did it! It *is* coming back!'
'I felt it,' Vader sounded even happier than his son, if that was possible. 'I felt the Force surging inside you. Welcome back, my gifted one!'
"Hey, you're doing it again!" Leia exclaimed enthusiastically.
This time, her vehemence made Father and Son jump.
"You can see how strong in the Force she is," Vader pointed out to his child needlessly.
Luke nodded emphatically.
"It would be a waste for her to remain untrained."
Luke turned eyes to Leia and then back to his father with a nod. Out of the blue, he seemed to realize what his father was implying and he did a double take.
"Oh, no!" he shook his head from side to side. "No, Father. I couldn't! I still have much to learn."
"But you can teach her to get in touch with the Force, and some basic meditation techniques that will help her get a grip on her abilities. She needs to learn control more than anything."
Luke's eyes searched Leia's and she shrugged in acceptance. But then, she bit her lower lip for a few seconds, as if evaluating something.
"I wouldn't mind getting a few pointers from you either," she blurted out, looking up at her best friend's father.
For once, Vader didn't have the words to express his gratitude for the gift he'd just been given.
"I would be honoured," he finally said, swallowing hard.
Just then, the door opened and Dr. Vilk walked in, followed by two robot nurses.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but we have to dismantle all the life-support machinery as it's no longer necessary. We'll try to turn this room into something that resembles a regular room."
Vader stood.
"Are you going to move him to a different room in the meantime?" he asked.
Vilk shook his head.
"No. We'll just move his bed to the opposite side. All the work that needs to be done, is right here," he looked at them. "But I must ask you to please leave. We need space to operate."
As one, everybody headed for the door. Vader nodded at his child before following Chewie out of the room.
The Sith Lord observed his son's friends as they chatted amicably about everything and nothing. About Luke's miraculous recovery, his fast improvement and the things they intended to do when he was back to his healthy self.
Leia turned her head to him all at once, studying him with a probing gaze that wasn't enhanced by the Force this time.
What was she feeling?, he wondered. What was her intuition telling her?
Her eyes softened for an instant, but they never lost their inquisitiveness, and Vader could almost see the million questions boiling in the brown depths.
The Corellian quickly perceived that her attention was elsewhere and looked at them both, trying to ascertain what they were saying to each other.
Leia broke eye-contact then and turned her head to the man she loved, smiling up at him. Han smiled back and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.
Artoo's soft beeping brought Vader out of his musings and he put one hand on the blue dome.
"I am all right, Artoo. Just in a pensive mood, that's all," he said.
The little droid beeped something back, but he was interrupted by the door sliding open. The two nurses rolled out, pushing all the life-support machinery out of the room. Two more rolled in, carrying seats and a bedside table. Vilk walked out 30 seconds later.
"Well, the room definitely looks more guests friendly now. You may enter. I'll go fetch his lunch."
Everyone hurried back inside and they were greeted by a really warmer looking place. Everything that reminded of a medical room had been reduced to a minimum, with the addition of four nice chairs and a bedside table with a small lamp on it. Even Luke's top sheet had been replaced by another of a light blue colour, and the coverlet was the one from Luke's own bed. The young man looked much more at ease and he smiled at them as they walked in.
"This looks much better!" Han said, looking around.
"It does, doesn't it?" Luke agreed. "You can all sit now instead of standing."
Lando was the first to try out the new chairs and he nodded his approval with a big grin.
"Very comfy!"
Chewie punched him on the shoulder with a chuckle.
Leia felt something in the air and sniffed loudly.
"What's that smell? Gala's roses?"
"Yes," Luke nodded. "I like it. The room doesn't smell like a medcentre anymore."
It was amazing the difference a smell could make. It truly was like being someplace else.
Dr. Vilk entered carrying the bed tray with another plate of soup and a glass of water. He placed it over Luke's thighs with a smile. The young man looked down at the plate and then met the good doctor's eyes pointedly.
"I'll see you later," Vilk bit his lips mirthfully.
Luke's eyes followed him as he left the room.
Han walked up to his friend's bed and made a grimace at the content of the plate.
"Certainly not the tastiest dish around, but give your stomach time, kid," he gave Luke a warm pat on the shoulder.
Sighing in resignation, Luke took the spoon and started stirring the soup with it, looking utterly miserable.
The others traded a subtle amused look and struck up a lighthearted conversation, hoping to lift Luke's spirits as he ate the poorly flavoured food. As the conversation went on in the same vein, Leia was the first to notice that the young man was dozing off. She met Vader's gaze and they nodded at each other. Lifting the bed tray carefully to not awaken him, the Princess and the rest of the gang left the room to let him sleep in peace, and with the privacy he had lacked for far too long.
TO BE CONTINUED...
