Chapter 2

"Han, you just get us to Coruscant. I'll stay back here with Ben." Leia said. She rested a reassuring hand on Han's arm before gently nudging him toward the cockpit. She turned to face her battered nephew and walked toward him. His face was covered in dirt and blood. Leia pulled out her comlink to call Jaina.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Jaina's voice came over the comlink. She didn't sound too worried, but Leia knew her daughter well and picked up on what worry was in her voice.

Leia continued to stare at Ben, feeling his presence in the Force. "It's Ben." she said, her voice nearly cracking. "He's been hurt. Your father and I will be at Mon Mothma Memorial Medical Center in a few hours. Meet us there." Leia knew what the Falcon was capable of speed-wise, but was unsure if it would be quick enough to help Ben.

Jaina didn't bother cover her worry this time. "Mom, what happened? Where's Uncle Luke?"

"Luke's still on Dathomir. He wishes he could be with Ben right now, but…his exile… And, well, Ben's not in good shape. I just hope we get to Coruscant in time…" Her sentence trailed off. She would not let anything happen to her nephew. She'd lost enough people in her life, she wasn't about to lose another.

Leia heard Jaina sigh and say, "Okay. I'll meet you at the medcenter. But you'll tell me everything there," and then the click signaling that she'd ended the call.

"Yes. I will." Leia said to the silent room. She walked over to one of the cabinets and took out a cloth to start washing Ben's face and his smaller cuts. As she examined him more closely, she noticed his shoulder was dislocated and his right ankle was purple and swelling. She carefully cleaned his face with the cloth and felt his Force presence dwindle a little. She reached out to him and gave him strength. "Stay strong, Ben. You're going to be okay."

A few hours later, the Millennium Falcon landed and Leia watched Jaina rush up the boarding ramp to meet her and Han. Her eyes were filled with panic when she saw Ben. While Leia had cleaned his wounds as best she could, the white, blood-stained bandage on his head was quite a sight.

"Mom, what happened to him?" she stepped out of the way of the hovergurney as Han ushered it down the ramp to the waiting med droids.

Leia wrapped an arm around her daughter's waist and walked in step behind Han. "I'll tell you shortly. Right now, we need to know what's going to happen to him." She watched the med droids quickly rush Ben into the building. They spoke to each other quickly and in a softer volume so it was more difficult to make out what they were saying.

"…we will need to conduct several scans. I do not know if he will make it…" one of the droids was saying. Leia decided to tune him out and turn her attention back on Jaina. Before she could say anything to her, Han walked up and pulled her into a surprising hug.

Jaina hugged him back and Leia thought she caught a glimpse of a tear roll down her husband's face. This was going to be a trying day, she felt. Together, the three Solos walked into the medcenter, preparing to face the obstacles they were to encounter.

Taking their seats in the waiting room, Leia, Han, and Jaina began to whisper about Ben's condition. Jaina was the first to speak.

"Guys, please tell me what happened," she begged, worry burning in her brown eyes.

Han sighed and lowered his head, shaking it slowly. "Luke and Ben and their Dathomiri friends were attacked. There was a landslide and Ben got trapped in it. One of the rocks hit him pretty hard on the head and knocked him down the mountain…" he took a steadying breath before continuing. "He's got pieces of bone—"

"—in his brain," a mysterious voice replied behind them. Leia turned to look at the speaker and was surprised to see a young human male dressed in the stark white scrubs of a doctor. He smiled for a brief moment before introducing himself. "Am I to take it you're the Solos? I am Doctor Keedo. We've just finished all the scans and tests on the young man…" he glanced at his chart. "Ben Skywalker." He took a seat across from the Solos. "His shoulder has been set and his ankle is in a bacta cast and should be healed in a few days. Now, onto the main order of business… there are small fragments of bone in his brain. As far as I can tell, they haven't done too much damage, but we'll see when he wakes up. I need to surgically remove the fragments. It's a risky procedure and it takes time. The way it works…"

Doctor Keedo explained the procedure to Han, Leia, and Jaina. Leia glanced over at Han, who, as the man continued to explain, appeared to have zoned out, his eyes glazed over. Turning her attention back to the doctor, she heard him mention something about observing the operation. "I'm sorry, what was that you said about observing?" she asked.

"Oh, we have an observation room above the operating room. It's normally reserved for other doctors and people of that sort, but in this case, you're welcome to watch. I understand the waiting room is not the most comforting place in a situation such as this. Of course, you can stay out here if you wish. I would suggest the waiting room if you have to make calls and such. Comm-silence is required anywhere near the operating room." He looked directly at Leia, who had turned to look at the floor. "Not to worry, ma'am. Witnessing an operation isn't as bad as it sounds," he said, clearly mistaking her reaction.

Han reached out and rested a hand on her knee. "I think we'll stay out here. His dad's gonna want to know what's going on." He then turned to Jaina. "Jaina, do you want to observe the operation? I'm sure if Ben felt a familiar presence, he'd be all right…" he offered quietly.

Jaina seemed to mull over the option for a moment, then nodded. "You're probably right. I'll go and observe," she replied. She sounded somewhat confident in her decision.

Doctor Keedo nodded. "I'll be back shortly," he said, and then got up and left the Solos alone in the waiting room.

Leia turned to Jaina. "That's very brave of you, honey," she said in a sweet tone that suggested she was honestly scared. She sighed. "I'm going to comm Luke…" she said absently. She took out her comlink. "Luke? Are you there?"

Immediately, Luke's voice came over the comm. "Leia! What's going on? Is he going to be okay?" his tone was filled with panic as he practically shouted.

"He's going into surgery shortly. Jaina's going to observe and I'm sure she'll tell you everything when he gets out of surgery. He also had a dislocated shoulder and what I'm pretty sure was a broken ankle. Both of those have been taken care of. Han and I will be in the waiting room if you need to contact us…" Leia explained.

She heard her brother sigh quietly. "Thanks. Do you know the extent of the brain damage yet?"

"No, not yet. We'll know when Ben wakes up after the operation… Luke, there's a strong chance he's going to be in a coma…" she practically whispered the last sentence. When Doctor Keedo was explaining the procedure, he had explained that often, with head injuries such as Ben's, the patient often slipped into a coma. The duration varied from a few days to several months. The longest he'd had experience with was two years.

Luke didn't reply for several seconds. "A…a coma? Did the doctor say for how long?" Leia heard his voice quiver.

Leia explained what Doctor Keedo had said when the doors behind them slid open and the doctor stood, beckoning Jaina to come with him. "The doctor is taking Jaina to the observation room now. We'll know more when the surgery's over…" she informed. She longed to wrap her brother in a hug and hold him. She wished this situation to be over and all their trouble to be behind them.

"Call me as soon as you know anything else." Luke urged and signed off.

Leia put her comlink back in her robes. She turned to Han who had his arms spread wide for her and she sat in his lap, curled into his chest, and let the sobs she'd been holding back take control.