(pointless random sentence to take up enough space to center the chapter title below…because I HAVE TO!) ;-)
Chapter Ten
'An Unexpected Turn'
Hunger pangs drove Padmé from her suite, forcing her to enter the common area, where she found Anakin and Dormé fondling upon the sofa. Hadn't they just been screaming obscenities at one another just a few minutes ago? Amazing.
She cleared her throat loudly as she passed, not wishing to embarrass either of them, although it took a few seconds to detangle their limbs.
"How's my Master?" Anakin asked once his tongue had been freed.
"Still sleeping," the senator answered, entering the kitchen, which opened directly into the common room, allowing their conversation to continue uninterrupted.
"How long does that stuff take to work? I thought it would've by now."
"What I want to know," Padmé replied as she rummaged through the cooling unit in search of the leftovers from their dinner the other night, "is how you got it here? We are under quarantine."
"She had it all along," the young man answered.
How very thorough of her, thought Padmé. When it came to her duties as a personal assistant, Dormé had always been a stickler for details. "Then why didn't you give it to Obi-Wan earlier?" She popped the remaining soufflé into the oven and set the reheating controls.
"Because," the young woman paused. "I misplaced it."
Padmé didn't even bother looking up, and continued to stare at the dish rotating inside the oven, which was beginning to bubble as it warmed. There was nothing Dormé could say at this point which would surprise her.
"It took me a little while to remember where I put it."
"Which was….where?" Padmé prompted, grabbing a padded mitt to remove her dinner.
"Inside your speeder, which I parked outside next to the portico the last time we used it."
"Don't tell me you went out…"
"No, I certainly did not!" Dormé insisted as she stepped up to the kitchen doorway while defending herself. "Anakin used that Force trick thingy he does and hovered it over to the door. All I did was reach out and grab it."
Padmé shook her head and plopped down in a chair at the table, although the food no longer seemed very appetizing. She toyed with the crust, flicking it around the plate with her fork. The more she learned about this mess Dormé had put them in, the less pleased she was about it. And she couldn't imagine what Obi-Wan was going to say when he found out what Dormé had done to him! How was she ever going to explain?
"Mi'Lady? Are you all right?"
There was deep concern in her aid's voice, creating a chink in Padmé's armor, and causing her to lift her gaze. Dormé may be the most conniving and sneaky assistant to ever inhabit the system, but she was still her friend, and she loved her dearly, regardless of her many faults.
"I'm fine, just worried."
"Don't worry, Senator," the young woman grinned, though her face also exhibited shadows of stress and fatigue. "I'm sure the Gattis root will take effect soon and he'll begin to feel better."
Stars, she hoped so, although Padmé was sure there would be hell to pay.
She managed to finish half of her meal in peace, washed the dishes she had used and had put them away when Dormé hailed her from the common area.
"What now?" the Senator muttered as she dried her hands and joined her.
The expression Dormé wore though, caused the young woman to pause. The girl almost appeared fearful.
"What is it?"
"There's someone on the comm for you, Mi'Lady," she announced. "It's Master Windu!" she added with a conspiratorial whisper.
Padmé fixed the wayward strands of her hairstyle and straightened her gown before she sat down at the comm station. In past dealings with this particular Jedi, she had done her best not to appear intimidated, even though she often felt that was exactly what Master Windu wanted her to be. She answered the comm, managing to smile confidently, although her insides were beginning to churn.
"Greetings, Master Windu. I assume you are contacting us with regards to Master Kenobi?"
"Good afternoon, Senator Amidala. Your assumptions are correct. Healer Erin has informed the Council of Master Kenobi's unfortunate exposure to a rare virus. I hope that his presence has not inconvenienced you."
Padmé glanced over the top of the comm to catch Anakin's eye. The young man couldn't understand the Council member's attitude either. Had Healer Erin intentionally withheld information? However unlikely that seemed, apparently Master Windu was not aware of her employee's sabotage.
"We are under quarantine for another three weeks."
"Yes, I have been informed of that. An inconvenience indeed. My apologies if Master Kenobi is causing you any trouble. I'm afraid he has quite the reputation in the Healer's Ward for being a rather…reluctant patient."
Padmé barely refrained from grinning like an idiot. She could see Obi-Wan stubbornly refusing assistance of any type – for the simple reason he didn't wish to inconvenience anyone. In that way, they were very much alike.
"Actually, he's doing quite well," she lied, though she felt it was a minor infraction.
She wasn't sure if Master Windu was trying to bait her into revealing some information or if he really didn't know what had happened. However, if the older man was going to play games, she could do the same. Padmé was pretty sure this was something she was better at anyway.
"Plyridian Fever is quite rare. The Council has made inquiries with the delegates he and his Padawan have come in contact with during their most recent missions, and not one case has been reported. Neither the Healer nor the Council have any idea how Master Kenobi could've been exposed to a host."
Padmé had the strongest urge to bite her fingernails, and promptly placed her hands beneath her thighs. Windu was fishing. That, she was certain of. Well, he wasn't going to catch anything today!
"I'll be sure to contact the Council in regards to Obi-Wan's condition and recovery at regular intervals. Thank you for contacting us. Amidala out."
Before even offering the man a chance to respond, Padmé ended the transmission, her present company appearing as bewildered as she felt.
"This is going better than I anticipated," Dormé declared smugly, a comment which Padmé ignored. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Instead, she addressed Anakin.
"Is it possible, Healer Erin didn't inform the Council that Obi-Wan was intentionally exposed to the virus?"
The young man pondered the explanation for Master Windu's strange line of questioning, his arms crossing over his chest. "I admit I don't know Healer Erin all that well, but apparently she and my Master were very close friends during their Academy years. I believe they've known each other since the creche."
If that were true, thought Padmé - if this healer named Bant, had actually withheld information during a Council interrogation simply to protect Obi-Wan in some way, Padmé's opinion of her just improved dramatically.
When all this was over, she would like to get to know Bant Erin better, Padmé decided.