Rey struggled as she shifted from one side to the other. Nobody warned her how difficult it would be to get a good night's sleep at thirty-five weeks along./p
Absentmindedly, Rey reached out to the side of the bed where Ben used to sleep, but as always she found herself grasping at empty sheets. When they were first married, Rey found it difficult to share a bed. Now that she was alone, however, she missed the security of knowing Ben was resting by her side.
Rey's thoughts drifted back to the day she told Ben she was going to have his child. A giddy grin had instantaneously appeared on his face. He'd kissed Rey over and over, telling her how excited he was to be a father. After the initial shock wore off he'd marveled at her stomach, his hand hovering nearby as if he were afraid to touch it.
"It's okay," Rey laughed as she took her husband's hand and pressed it against her stomach. "You can't hurt us,"
That felt like a lifetime ago.
Rey waited for her crushing feelings of despair to subside, but instead she found them mounting with each passing day. The last update she'd been given was months ago when Ben was taken aboard the prison vessel. Nobody knew a thing since then, and aside from Luke, Poe, Chewbacca, and the Padawans, nobody seemed to care. Ben was just one less criminal the Rebels had to be on the lookout for.
And thus Rey was constantly plagued with 'what ifs', which seemed to grow as her due date drew nearer. This was her current state as she lay in bed that night, until she inexplicably felt like someone switched the light switch of worries into an off position.
Suddenly, Rey and her child were no longer alone. She could feel a presence behind her, strong and soothing. Rey knew whom it was before she even turned around.
"Ben," she whispered into the darkness.
Sure enough, Ben stood at the side of Rey's bed. His image was pale and transparent, but she knew without a doubt it was him. She tried to push herself into a sitting position, but Ben knelt onto one knee and put an invisible hand on her shoulder.
"Rest," he said, giving her a comforting smile as he combed non-physical fingers through her hair.
"How is this even possible?" Rey whispered as she stared at him.
"The Force has a way," Ben simply replied.
"Are you still on the ship?" Rey asked.
"I'm here with you now," Ben answered.
Not wanting to look at him from a sideways glance anymore, Rey sat up. "Stay with me," Rey reached out to touch Ben's face, but her fingers met air as they crossed through Ben's Force-projection.
Ben took a seat on the edge of her bed. "I never left," he said. "You were on my mind every second of every day,"
"As you are on mine,"
"Rey," Ben looked into her eyes. "I need you to promise me something,"
"Anything,"
Ben reached out to hold Rey, but his hand disappeared when he made contact with her shoulder. "Promise you'll be strong for both of us," he said, "Whenever you feel alone, or when our daughter asks about her father. Let her see me in your eyes, and you'll find me in hers,"
"I will," Rey promised. Moving closer so she was almost touching Ben, she asked, "Why now? How is it that I'm suddenly able to see you again?"
"As Luke is fond of saying, the Force connects us all," Ben said. "Though it was only recently I learned it can work in ways I never dreamed possible,"
Rey gave a start when she noticed Ben's image had begun to fade. "I can't stay long," he said, his voice catching. "I just had to see you one more time,"
Rey reached out to take Ben's hand, her own passing through the now almost invisible projection. "I love you," she said, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"And I love you," Ben said. "I always have, and I always will,"