THE BIRTHDAY FROM HELL
Chapter 3
Han and Leia had hoped that the babies would soon be overcome by enough exhaustion that they might sleep.
No such luck.
Jaina, ordinarily easily calmed by her father, was inconsolable, alternating screaming with whining. Han wasn't feeling any better than she was; both were feverish and had shaking chills. He pressed Jaina against him, a blanket tucked over the both of them. He and Leia moved the babies in a round robin fashion. Right now, Anakin was actually dozing next to Han and Jaina; Leia, also wrapped in a blanket, was walking the floor with a very unhappy Jacen.
This scene repeated itself over and over during the night and the next day.
"I can't keep doing this," Leia moaned. Threepio was constantly supplying them with herbal tea, trying to help any way he could. The twins loved him, but Threepio's strengths did not include caring for sick children. He ran for blankets and made soup, and did everything he could, but his repertoire was fairly limited.
Leia sat down next to Han and the babies. Just as she had gotten Jacen comfortable, her comm went off.
"Luke, how are you?" Leia was so hoarse she could barely speak.
"I think about the same as you." Luke sounded terrible. "Mara's better, at least. Anyway, I wanted to wish you a happy birthday."
"Oh my gods, my brain...I'd forgotten. Well, happy birthday to you, Luke."
"I plan to spend it in bed. How're you guys doing?"
"Well, let's see...Han and I are sick, the babies are sick, I think that about covers it."
"That bad, huh? Well, looks like we're gonna have less than happy birthdays. I'm lucky that I can at least stay in bed."
"I think we still have a bed. I dream about it."
"We'll celebrate another time. Hope you can get some sleep."
"No kidding." Jacen was fussing again. Leia held him close. Han lifted Anakin, who really needed a diaper change, and staggered towards the babies' room.
Han came out, clean baby held against his chest. "I think we should all just get into our bed and try to get some sleep."
Leia, by now beyond exhausted, hoped that enough weariness had overtaken the babies that maybe, just maybe, they might enjoy curling up in bed with their parents, or at least not complain as loudly.
It took some settling in, but finally, at long last, the babies were asleep, as were their parents.
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Leia heard and felt rustling next to her. Anakin was waking up, but instead of wailing piteously as he had the past few days, he was simply indicating that at long last, he was hungry.
Leia still felt awful, her muscles aching, her head throbbing, her throat raw. But when she brushed her hand against her baby's forehead and supported his neck as he eagerly began nursing, his skin was cooler. He eagerly suckled at his mother's breast, something he'd been unable to do for a few days. She gazed at her tiny son lovingly.
As Anakin went about his business, Leia smiled as she looked at her husband and twins. Han was still flushed as he slept a bit restlessly, but his snoring was reassuring. He had one twin in the crook of his arm and the other sleeping on his chest.
Leia had to smile. Their lives never were perfect and never would be, but to have her family close to her, for her, was more than enough to make up for the birthday from hell.
It was like, in a sense, how it had been in wartime. She had to admit that while the war had been horrible, far more than she'd ever imagined, but there were perfect moments among the ruins and death.
And this was one of them.
If there was anything she'd learned, things didn't have to be perfect to have a perfect moment.
