Chapter 4

Leia heard the door behind them whine and slide open to reveal, once again, Dr. Keedo. His face was pale and dark bags hung under his eyes. He looked drained. Leia tested his Force-aura and felt that he was tired and worried. She turned gently so as not to disturb her sleeping husband and daughter. She cleared her throat quietly. "Dr. Keedo…" she acknowledged in a whisper.

He nodded, acknowledging her. "If you could, please wake up your family…" he said, his voice hoarse. He waited while Leia gently nudged Han and Jaina.

Han spoke first, sleep still in his voice. "What's up, Doc?"

Dr. Keedo sat, rubbing his palms against his pant legs. "Well, Mr. Solo, I have some news about Ben."

Han looked to Leia and mouthed 'Mister Solo?' but Leia ignored him and turned back to Dr. Keedo. "What's the news?"

Dr. Keedo nodded. "He's awake and appears very confused. He can't talk because of the ventilator but maybe that Force thing you do will help you communicate…" he said, sounding unsure. "We'll have to monitor him and make sure he remains stable but I'll be back when you can go see him…" He stood slowly and left the waiting room.

Leia turned to Han with a worried look filling her brown eyes. She leaned her head against his shoulder and felt a stray tear escape her control. Han wrapped her in a tight, comforting hug with his free arm and kissed her forehead.

"You should update Luke," Han said quietly. "He'll want to know what's going on…" As Leia nodded and stood, Han leaned his head against Jaina's and pulled her close.

Leia walked through the doors of the waiting room and nearly jumped out of her skin. "Jag!" she yelped, clearly surprised. She composed herself quickly, smoothing her hair. "What are you doing here?" she asked more quietly.

Jag offered a small smile and looked over Leia's shoulder at Jaina through the transparisteel. "Jaina commed me after she was told to come here. I was in a meeting off-world but I came as soon as I could…" he whispered back.

Leia nodded, understanding that Jaina would want him here if for nothing more than support. She laid a hand on his shoulder and let him go into the waiting room. She watched him as he went and sat next to her daughter while she pulled out her comlink. She wished she could use a holographic one but she knew Luke had no way of viewing it. She had to rely on audio alone. Luke's voice came immediately over the unit.

"Leia? What's the news?" he asked. He sounded drained.

"There'll be more to tell after we're allowed to visit him, but the doctor said he's awake but he's very confused. I suppose that's natural, though… He isn't able to talk due to the ventilator, so we can't communicate very effectively with him yet. The Force will be okay, but we can't actually talk to him."

Luke seemed to mull over the information before he asked, "When can you see him?"

"After they make sure he'll stay stable. I'll let you know everything as soon as I can. Oh, and Jag came, too. I thought that was sweet of him…" she added quickly at the end. She wasn't quite sure what to make of Jag's presence.

"Jaina asked him?" Luke asked, though Leia was sure he already knew the answer.

"Of course. Though I don't think he would have come if he didn't honestly care about Ben. A lot of people are concerned for him, Luke."

"So it's gotten out, then. I shouldn't be surprised. Have any press been by?"

Leia glanced around the hall she found herself in and stretched out in the Force to see if she could feel any disturbances. "Not that I know of. And with the Falcon out on the landing platform, it's clear to anyone flying by that there's been some emergency in our family," she replied.

Luke cleared his throat. "I thought about that… I… I really want to be there for him…" His voice was thick as he tried to hold back sobs.

Leia felt tears sting her eyes. "Oh, Luke… I know this is so hard for you. How close can you get to Coruscant?"

"I don't know exactly, but not very close. There's an Academy on a few nearby planets and I have to stay at least a light year away from them… I need to see him, Leia." She could hear the longing in his voice. "Do you have another comlink?"

Leia nodded, though Luke could not see it, and said, "What are you planning?"

"Do you have another comlink, Leia?" Luke urged.

"Yes, Luke, I do. What are you—Oh! The Shadow!" she exclaimed as she understood.

"Yes. The Shadow. I can see him…" he said, sounding hopeful.

"I'll talk to Han about it and get back to you as soon as I can. Can you get back to the Shadow?" Leia asked, noticing a small glitch in the plan.

"I don't have a choice. I need to see Ben. That takes precedence over everything." He was beginning to sound desperate, Leia thought.

"Over your duty there, Luke?"

"My duty as a father is more important than my duty as a Jedi. I need to be there for him, Leia, even if I can't be there," he replied and signed off.

"Oh, Luke, I hope you're not making a mistake." Leia said, and walked back to the waiting room to talk to Han.