Notes:

Hey all, I regret to inform you that I'm going to be pretty busy over the next couple weeks (I'm sure many of you will be also.) We have a Thanksgiving party, my birthday is the week after, and I'm a part-time assistant teacher now. I'm hoping I'll get the motivation/time to write, but I can't guarantee anything. In light of everything, this is the first of three shorter chapters that I will write before Thanksgiving (each one being 1000-1500 words instead of 2000+) I think I will post again on Saturday, December 5th. Enjoy, and have a great Thanksgiving!

Disclaimer: I do not own or make profit from any content within the Star Wars universe. I merely write for the entertainment of myself and others. All things Star Wars belong (unfortunately) to Disney now.

CHAPTER FIVE:

"Why is it cold? Why can't I see anything? How long have I been… gone?"

As she regained consciousness, Sabine felt as if she was steadily rising the from the depths of the sea. She was not yet able to move, but aware of the frigid room and the fact she had been asleep for quite some time. "What happened?" She vaguely recalled something hot burrowing into her back before she lost consciousness, but the more crisp memories were out of reach. Sabine painstakingly opened her eyes to one of the most bland ceilings she had seen for a while. It, like the rest of the room, was a crisp white. The only objects contrasting it were various shades of gray, including her hospital bed, a sink, and a counter top with a few medical supplies neatly organized off to the side. It wasn't Imperial, that much was certain. If it were, there would be a metal bench instead of a hospital bed, and probably shackles in place of the blanket that was spread neatly over her.

"I need to move… Must find the others."

Sabine felt like she had enough energy to stand, but as soon as she tried, a shock wave of pain pulsated through the right side of her back. She grimaced, aborted her attempt at movement and relaxed her muscles. The mattress seemed to engulf her. It was bliss sinking into it, and hurt as she was, she didn't mind staying here a while longer, regardless of who put her here.

The door hissed softly and Sabine heard light footsteps; obviously the owner was making an effort to be as silent as possible. Sabine lethargically turned her head in the direction of the footsteps, and her lips formed a weak smile. Ezra stood there, looking as if he hadn't slept for days. All the same, a smile crept onto his face, contrasting the troubled appearance of his eyes. Those eyes… Warm, and gracious, while at the same time communicating anxiety. After several long moments of gazing hopefully into Sabine's eyes, Ezra took the seat beside her bed.

"How are you feeling, Sabine? I know things have been tough the past few days." He said with a grin, using the same words Sabine had spoken before giving him the holodisk on his birthday. Sabine understood, and managed a laugh, which was more of an exhale through the nose.

"It hasn't been a few days. You wouldn't have survived without me. I bet-"

"Sixty-one hours and twenty minutes." Ezra cut her off. Sabine's eyebrow rose questioningly.

"Two and a half days, since..." He stopped and looked at the floor before closing his eyes.

"What happened, Ezra?"

Silence.

"Ezra, I need to know what happened."

"A lucky shot." He finally stated.

"Don't be like that. it's not your fault… but what happened?" She asked again with more longing in her voice.

"I was a coward. I should have been out there with you, protecting you and Kanan."

"No, we were in an ally with two dozen bucket heads on our tail. There was no way you could stop them all." The images began to come into focus now.

"But I could have tried, maybe then you wouldn't be lying here with a hole in your back." Ezra countered with a tinge of harshness. As the images became clearer, Sabine's mind raced with the events up until she blacked out.

"It was you." Sabine breathed, barely audible. "You came back for me." her eyes widened.

"I bet it was that son of a bitch, Kallus. We all know stormtroopers can't hit the side of a freighter from ten yards." Ezra vented.

"Please, I don't care about Agent Kallus. What matters is that you came back for me."

"I'm sorry… I'm still shaken up a bit, but you're alive and that's what matters."

"Thank you. Things could have been a lot worse… Do you think I could see the others?"

"I'm sure they would be thrilled, but they're asleep right now."

"Well, how come you aren't?"

Another lull in conversation dragged out before Ezra answered. "I wasn't tired," he lied, "I was just sitting in my cabin and noticed you were awake." Sabine noted the small data pad Ezra had brought in with him. It appeared to be monitoring her vital signs and a number of other things.

"Of course you're tired. Don't even pretend those aren't bags under your bloodshot eyes."

Ezra quickly changed the subject. "Wanna take a look around? You aren't allowed to leave the medical wing of the cruiser, but a medical droid told me you're stable enough to walk."

"Is this a date? How very thoughtful of you. Now show me around this mysterious cruiser." Sabine said with a chuckle. Ezra flushed ever so slightly, but regained control. "Since when does a loner like you go on dates?" Ezra teased back.

"I don't care what you call it, just get me out of this boring white closet." Sabine snorted in mock disgust as she attempted to get up. She winced and grit her teeth as another stab of pain hit her back.

"Hey, don't go too fast… Let me help." Ezra stood and gently slid an arm under Sabine's lower back.

"Grab my shoulder." He instructed. Sabine did as she was told and let him raise her to a sitting position. She felt safe with his strong, but tender arm supporting her.

They slowly meandered down the main corridor of the medical wing, Sabine's arm linked with Ezra's for balance. Luckily, the large windows along the corridor provided them with a view of the distant stars and the planet they were orbiting. "Correllia," Ezra broke the silence. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It's one of the few systems that has so far remained outside the Empire's grasp."

Correllia was a very habitable planet with a diverse ecosystem. It's three lush green continents were surrounded by vast ocean, and the entire planet was scattered with light clouds. A very peaceful looking planet indeed, and it was quite the opposite of Lothal and its dusty surface.

"so Ezra, who's ship is this anyway?"

"Honestly, I don't know. All Hera and Kanan would tell me is that they're sympathetic to our cause."

"What? That's all they said? How can they expect us to just be ok with this?"

"Hey, chill out. You're room looked better than a prison cell."

"It's boring as hell in there." Sabine muttered.

"As soon as you get clearance from Nurse Margrotta, I can show you the lounge and dining hall."

"I'm assuming I need permission to get my armor back too." She said coldly, desperately wishing to be rid of the gown forcibly provided to her.

"I should probably get some sleep. In a few hours, we might get to meet whoever runs this place."

"It's about time. I feel like I've wasted so much time just laying on a bed doing nothing." Sabine sighed.

"Oh, it's not nothing. You're getting your energy back. Just a little more rest and you can come back to m- us." Ezra hoped Sabine hadn't noticed his slip-up, but she had the faintest of smiles.

"Ok, kid, go to bed. You're probably needed for something big tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am." Ezra turned and gave a casual salute before walking off.

"Umm, Ezra?"

He turned back. "Yeah?"

"Could you… walk me back?"

"Oh yeah, sorry, I completely forgot."

Sabine looked at the floor, a hint of a scowl on her face. Ezra saw her expression, and knew the general idea of what she was thinking. Sabine hated being dependent on anyone besides herself, but it was nice to have him reinforce her because she was still recovering. Under normal circumstances, she would never have envisioned Ezra helping her along at a snail's pace. On the contrary, She had to keep in mind that getting blasted in the back and taking lung damage wasn't even remotely close to 'normal'.

"Hopefully I'm not a complete cripple tomorrow." Sabine thought as she got back in bed, surprisingly tired after such a short walk.