Dr. Kenobi strode down the sterile-scented hospital corridor, down to the room of one of his younger patients, Luke Skywalker. He knocked on the wooden door before being invited in.
"Come in," Luke answered, turning to look at his psychiatrist.
Dr. Kenobi always seemed to dress well enough, Luke thought, even though most of his suits were a shade of dull brown. In the era of far-flung psychedelic colors and patterns, he looked rather ordinary.
"Good morning, Luke," he greeted. "How are you feeling today?"
Luke shrugged, "Well, I feel okay. I'm just waiting for my sister to come pick me up."
The doctor nodded. "Now, your sister is that brown-haired girl that came to see you yesterday, isn't she?"
"Yeah, that's her."
"She's very headstrong. Do you get along with her well?"
Luke nodded. "Yeah, I do. She's one of the few people in my family that seems the most sane. I mean, compared to my father, and everyone else. She's just a little... pushy, sometimes."
"Now, about your father. I don't believe I ever saw his name on your visitation log. Where is he?"
Luke shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me. At home, I guess. Leia and I don't get along with him. Especially when he's drunk."
"I believe you have mentioned that your father is an alcoholic. Are you going to still be living with him when you go home today?"
Luke nodded solemnly.
"Would you like for other arrangements to be made with a social worker, so it's possible you could be placed somewhere else to aid in your recovery process?"
Luke let out a small sigh. "I can't just leave Leia. As much as we dislike living with our father, we help each other out, and I can't leave her alone with him."
Dr. Kenobi took down some notes on his clipboard, and ran a hand through his silver hair.
"I know that it would be hard for you to leave your sister in your father's home, but are you sure that you'll be able to complete your treatment schedule if you go home to your father? I strongly recommend that you continue with our therapy sessions."
He pulled out a small calendar book and it handed it to Luke. Luke opened it to the bookmarked page of the first week of June, to find times for therapy sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Luke closed the book and admitted, "I'm not sure if I'll be able to even make it here twice a week. I'll probably be working on my Uncle Owen's farm, and he doesn't leave much time off for me to do much else in the summer. And I'm not even sure if this will be covered under my father's insurance. If it isn't, we don't have the money to pay for this."
Dr. Kenobi straightened in his chair and met the young man's glance.
"Listen, Luke, you don't need to worry about the money. I've made some arrangements based on your family's situation, and you won't be charged. I'm going to help you get better."
Luke didn't know what to say. He was completely unsure of what the next few months would bring. Just as he was going to continue, Leia walked into the room.
"Hello, Dr. Kenobi," she greeted. "Am I bringing my brother home today?"
"Yes, you are. We were just discussing his treatment plan, if you'd like to have a seat."
Leia pulled up a chair, and immediately began flipping through the appointment book.
"You've scheduled him for... two sessions a week?" She gave Luke an unknowing look. "I don't know how we're going to pay for this."
"Dr. Kenobi said that he's made arrangements for my treatment to be affordable. It's covered," Luke offered, glancing up at the doctor. He nodded in reassurance.
"Yes, everything has been covered. I also discussed possibly getting Luke into a different living situation for the time being, but he says that he's comfortable returning home to your father's residence today."
Leia let out a small, nervous chuckle. "Well, I wouldn't exactly call it comfortable, but we'll make it work. Luke and I are getting out of this town for the summer."
Luke shot a quick glare at his sister, letting her know to shut up. She didn't.
"What?" she asked her brother. "Didn't you tell him where we're going this summer?"
"How could I? I don't even know where we're going for sure."
Dr. Kenobi looked at Luke, then Leia, then back to Luke.
"So, you're not going to be able to do therapy this summer?"
Luke felt his face flush. He didn't want to let the doctor down, as he had come up with an entire treatment plan for him, but Leia was right; they needed to get out of town and see the rest of the world.
"I-I'm going to try it. At least until we leave on this trip," he finally admitted.
"Very good. We'll meet again on Monday, and remember this: if you start feeling depressed when you're traveling, just stop and give me a call. I'm always here, and you have my card."
Luke nodded as he watched Dr. Kenobi stand up and head for the door.
"Good luck, Luke," he said, halfway out into the hallway before adding, "And remember to try and have some fun this summer, and take the medication that was prescribed to you."
"Thank you, Dr. Kenobi. I'll try."
He glanced over at Leia.
"Well, he's a typical doctor. 'Here, just take these pills, and everything will be great?'"
"The pills are helping, I think. I feel better."
She twirled a strand of her dark brown tresses around her index finger. "I'm glad that they are. And I'm sorry for butting in. I thought you would have mentioned your plans for the summer to him."
"It's all right. Now he knows. I didn't have to lie to him about it."
She gave him a plastic bag with clothes inside. "Here. I brought you clean clothes, so let's get out of here. Now the next person we have to convince is Dad."
"Good luck with that."
"Well, let's discuss our escape over lunch. I'm starving, and I doubt that the hospital food was very appealing to you."
Luke smiled for the first time in days. "Now you're talking, sis."
Author's Note: Thanks so much to all that have favorited/followed this story so far! I'd love to hear what you think of this fic, so feel free to review!