When they got to the hospital the girls were taken through one door and Obi was taken to another room. The healers started to work on Obi-Wan immediately. However, before he was put under anaesthetic, he noticed they took a sample of his blood. As he was drifting off he thought (as soon as I wake up I will have to get out of here, when they check my blood they will know I am force sensitive.)
He woke slowly and when he opened his eyes he saw and image of an angel, the girl with the long blonde hair was standing next to his bed smiling at him.
"Hello" How are you feeling," she asked.
Obi blinked several times and said, "I feel groggy, but I think I am alright"
She sat on the edge of the bed "That's good; I wanted to make sure you were ok before I left, my Father is coming to pick me and Sarah up shortly." Obi nodded and smiled.
"What's your name? I would like to thank you properly for saving us, and I don't even know your name."
"My name? What do you want to know my name for" he whispered.
"Because I cannot go around calling you 'Hey you' now can I, besides we live on the other side of Corruscant and I probably wont see you again, and I wanted to thank you before we left" she said.
"Oh" Obi answered. "My name is Obi-wan." He said with a smile.
"Obi-wan, that's a nice name, do you live around here?"
"Yes, I have lived on Corruscant most of my life" he explained.
Just then Sarah hobbled in on crutches accompanied by an older man.
"Hello" Sarah greeted Obi with a smile and the man came over and Thanked Obi for all he did for his girls.
"If there is anything I can do for you young man, you just name it." their Father mentioned, and while they were talking to him, the Healer came in and examined Obi-wan.
"When can I leave?" he asked.
"My, you are in a hurry aren't you? Well perhaps when we find out who your parents are, we will let you go. You have a nasty cut on your head, and several cracked ribs. We need to know that someone will change the bandage and care for you, before we let you go. I will be back in a while with the paperwork and you can tell me your name and where you live so I can contact your family."
Obi-Wan nodded, and the healer left the room.
Marlee and Sarah's Father thanked him once more and then they left.As soon as they had gone Obi-Wan staggered up, and put his clothes on. He peered out into the hall and there was no one about, so he ducked out the door and down the corridor to the stairs. He did not think he would meet anyone on the stairs, but he might get caught in the turbo lift. So even though he felt weak, he took the stairs down to the street. He hurried away from the hospital, and by the time he reached the park he felt quite sick, and he wanted to lie down, so he headed for the gardeners shed. He struggled to jump up to the ledge and climbed through the window, he barely made it to his makeshift bed before he collapsed. He closed his eyes and tried to put himself into a healing trance, but he wasn't experienced enough to succeed. Nevertheless, eventually he did fall asleep.
When he woke up his head was pounding and he felt hot. He ached all over, and he was really thirsty, he tried to stand up, but he felt awful, his legs wobbled and he knew he could not climb or jump down to the ground to get a drink. He leant up against the window trying to calm his breathing, and while he lay there he could hear sounds. Pit, pit, pit, he looked at the window and realised it was raining, and it was dark outside. He struggled to his feet and opened the window. Water was coming out of a broken downpipe, so he crawled out onto the ledge. Obi-Wan knew he had a fever and thought the rainwater would help to keep his temperature down, so he decided to sit under it, keeping his bandaged head away from the water, and cupped his hands collecting water into his mouth, it ran down his tunic and soaked him. The cool water felt wonderful.
Obi-wan sat there for the longest time just letting the water cascade over his shoulders and back. He must have dozed off because he woke some time later and it had stopped raining. He got up unsteadily and climbed back inside closing the window behind him; luckily he had a small bucket and he had filled it with water. Obi-Wan put it close to his bed so he could have a drink when he got thirsty, he lay back down and in a few minutes he was asleep again.
The sun shining in the window woke him up, and he wondered what time it was, because he remembered that it was dark when he woke last time and now the sun was going down again, he thought. I must have slept all day. He sat up feeling slightly better, and had a big drink of water; he knew it would be dark soon, so he couldn't go out. So he settled back down to wait for sleep to take him again. The next morning he felt a lot better, even though his head still hurt, his ribs didn't hurt as much. He climbed down and headed for Dex's Diner, when he got there Dex was just putting some garbage in the bin.
"Hello Sir" he said.
Dex turned around and stared at him. "Where have you been, it has been two days since you said you would do some more jobs for me?" Dex said gruffly.
"Two days" Obi stuttered. "I have been gone for two days?" he whispered.
Dex noticed Obi's hair was matted around a gash in his head. "What happened to your head kid?"
Obi lifted his hand up, he had taken the bandage off before he got to Dex's, and didn't know what it looked like. "I had an accident, and I hit my head on something. But it is alright now, and I can work"
Dex looked at him sceptically. "Mmmm, not before breakfast your not, come in and I'll cook you a meal, and then fix that head of yours"
While Obi-Wan was eating, Dex went and got some bandages and Bacta cream, by the time he had finished cleaning the boys head the diner was just opening for business.
"Now Obi you can tidy up the storeroom for me, don't lift anything heavy just stack the shelves and make it tidy for me." Dex said.
"Yes Sir, Obi answered as he took off to do his job……..
000
Qui-Gon spent his time contacting the authorities, checking every recorded sighting of young boys in Corruscant. However, nothing came up on the database about runaways. Qui-Gon was not impressed with that saying, he didn't believe children were runaways, he felt they were lost and misguided, and if he could help all of them he would. Nevertheless, right now he was concerned about the welfare of Obi-wan and his little brother O'wan. He was about to call the local hospital, when the authorities contacted him again with new information that had just been logged on the database.
It concerned an incident in the Park on the Northern side of Corruscant, a boy fitting the description Qui-Gon had mentioned was involved in a purse snatching, and had been taken to the Hospital. Qui-Gon flinched when the man said he was involved in a purse snatching, he would not believe Obi-Wan would take something that didn't belong to him.
Qui-Gon thought he knew Obi-wan well enough, and even though he had always kept his distance from the boy while he was at the Temple, he had watched Obi-wans progress as he changed from an infant, into a small boy and then into a confident young initiate. Qui-Gon always thought Obi-wan would have been an exceptional Padawan. However, Qui-Gon was a very private man and didn't show his emotions freely, so he had not told anyone of his interest in the boy. It was this mistake that now saw a bright and worthy young Jedi thrown out to fend for himself. If Qui-Gon had of confided his interest in young Obi-wan earlier to Mace or Yoda, none of this would have happened. So Qui-Gon felt just as much to blame as Mace Windu did.
Qui-Gon pulled out his com unit to call Mace to tell him of his find, however, Mace had found something as well, and he came rushing in the room were Qui-Gon was, with his information.
"Qui-Gon I just checked with the Orphanage, The woman in charge told me she took a small boy from his brother, his name is O'wan, and she reported it to her superiors. They do not know where Obi-Wan is, but she said he was concerned about his brother. Nevertheless, before she could ask him to stay he ran off. He told her that O'wan was sick and he could not look after him anymore." "That is good news, at least Obi-wan had the sense to know he couldn't look after a small boy by himself, and I have news. Obi-wan is in the Hospital, apparently there was some incident in the Park"
"An incident in the park! Is he alright Qui?"
"Well I'm not certain, but the report says an injury to the head and several cracked ribs"
"Well what are we waiting for lets go" Mace stated.
They reached the Hospital in record time, and went straight to the counter asking about Obi-wan. The lady at reception couldn't answer their questions so she commed for the Healer on duty. Healer Gaulle, told them about the boy's injuries, and explained that he had helped two sisters who were being robbed in the Park. He had sustained a gash to the head and had cracked several ribs; he also told them that when the Nurse came back with paperwork to be filled in, the boy had disappeared. She thought he had gone to the fresher, and when he did not return the alarm was raised.
"That was several days ago" the Healer said.
"So you don't know where he went or where he lives?" Qui-Gon asked.
"No I'm sorry he didn't tell us anything, the only reason we know his name is Obi-Wan, is because the girls mentioned it." Mace and Qui thanked the Healer, and they went outside. "Where is the Orphanage Mace?"
"It is over there in the next sector" Mace replied.
"And where is the Park?" Qui asked
"The Park is that way" pointing a little off to the right of the Orphanage. "What are you thinking Qui-Gon?" Mace asked.
"Well if you had to give up your brother, but you didn't want to, wouldn't you want to stay close to keep an eye out for him?"
"I suppose I would" he said hesitantly, not ever having a brother, Mace didn't know the feeling of brotherly love.
"I am sure Obi-wan would not venture very far from his brother, come on Mace lets go to the Orphanage"
They arrived at the gates, but Qui-Gon stopped and looked around at the buildings on either side.
"Are we going in?" Mace asked wondering why Qui-Gon stopped.
"No not yet" Qui said. "The force is directing me this way, come on"
After a few minutes of climbing stairs they came out on the roof of a building that overlooked the orphanage. Qui-Gon went to the edge and could see into the play area of the orphanage.
Mace opened himself to the force and could sense Obi-wan's lingering aura all over the place. "He was here" Mace confirmed.
"Yes I felt his aura myself, as soon as I got up here" Qui nodded.
"Let us go and speak with people in the orphanage?" Mace questioned.
They spoke to the woman in charge and she explained what had happened.
"Where is little O'wan now" Mace asked.
"A couple from Alderaan have taken him to foster, and if no one claims the babe within six months they will legally adopt him." She explained.
Qui-Gon and Mace left the orphanage, and headed to the Park, the closer they got the more they could sense Obi-wans force signature. Finally they arrived at the Gardeners shed, and the gardener was still there, just closing up. They explained that they were looking for a young boy, and asked him if they could look inside. He agreed, and went in with them.
"What is up there?" Qui-Gon asked pointing to the loft.
"Nothing now, it used to be a storage area but the ladder broke, and I didn't bother fixing it as I never put anything up there anyway. The last Gardner used it, but he was a bit younger than I am, so he could climb the ladder".
"Do you mind if I take a look?" Qui-Gon asked.
"No go right ahead", he said and Qui-Gon jumped up to the loft using a force assisted leap.
He noticed with a sad expression, the makeshift bed under the window. Qui-Gon could tell the window latch was broken, and so he knew how Obi-wan would get in at night. He didn't want to disturb anything, as he didn't want the boy to be frightened off. Qui jumped back down and thanked the gardener, indicating that there was nothing up there. After the gardener left, Mace questioned Qui-Gon.
"You found something didn't you?"
"Yes I found a bed in the corner." he replied. "Oh Mace it was so depressing to see that makeshift bed, Obi-wan must be so lonely and full of despair. We have to stop doing this Mace!" Qui stated.
"Doing what?" Mace asked.
"Abandoning these children who have been entrusted to our care by loving parents, who are told their babies, will become Jedi. How have we let ourselves fall so low to allow children to be discarded when it suits us"? Qui-Gon stated.
"But Qui we don't abandon them we send them to the Agri Corps where they lead productive lives helping the populous plant the best quality crops, and teach others how to grow nutritious foods".
"But their parents didn't give them to us to become farmers Mace! and I am sure Dag-Mar, Gerlin, and even Arly's parents would rather have them at home with them than killed on a transport heading to the Agri Corps to be farmers. Can you honestly say you don't agree with me Mace?"
Mace lowered his head in thought. "Yes you are right Qui-Gon, and I for one will fight against the Senates ruling in the future, we must find another way to train the initiates otherwise instead of loosing four we may loose hundreds of prospective Jedi, as their parents will stop giving them up, we are already becoming unpopular with parents who heard about the deaths of our young ones, and since the investigation was made public we have had many parents contacting the Temple asking for their children back". Mace admitted.
"I am glad you agree with me, you always thought my ideas were wrong, That I was just a trouble maker"
Mace smiled. "Well you are most of the time my friend, and if we don't hurry up and find your Padawan, I think I will be getting a sample of that trouble thrown at me" he smirked.
"Obi-wan must come here at night after the Gardener goes home, so we will wait for him." Qui-Gon stated. "We will wait over behind the fresher block, and put your shields up Mace, we don't want to scare him off".
tbc...