Chapter 19
Rey's eyes fluttered open, having slept soundly, resting on Ben's chest. She recalled how happy they were for a larger bed when they first arrived on Chandrila, but as it turns out, years later, they still wanted to be close to each other. She tightened her arms around his waist, feeling him stir beneath her.
"Morning," she said softly, still fighting the urge to surrender back to sleep for just a little longer. Ben wrapped his strong arms around her, breathing her in deep and kissing her hair. That morning ritual never got tiring or old, instead bringing a sense of deep love and familiarity with it.
"Morning," he grumbled, his voice low and thick with sleep. He pulled her close, not quite ready to start the day. As he brought her body close to his he heard her wince quietly, attempting to hide her discomfort.
"Rey," he said slowly, "you need to see the doctor." For almost a week now her implant had been bothering her. It had first started with a slight twinge which was easy to ignore, but now it felt different and more intense.
"I know, I know," she replied slowly, extracting herself from his arms gently. "I guess I was just hoping it would go away, but clearly that's not the case." Ben could feel the discomfort she was in through their bond, almost like a burning sensation under the skin.
"You're going today," he insisted as they both moved to get out of bed. "I'll swing by the gardens on the way to the ship yard. I'll tell Tiana you'll be late for your shift."
"Fine," Rey grumbled, as she pulled on her leggings. As she pulled on her boots she could feel Ben sit beside her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her tenderly.
"I'm not trying to make you miserable sweetheart," Ben said softly, kissing her cheek. He rubbed her back gently, sending his worry and love for her through their shared connection.
"I know," Rey huffed in response. "I'm just annoyed that I have to deal with it." She kissed him softly on the lips in return.
"Do you want me to go with you?" he asked as he tied up his boots.
"No, I'll be okay," she replied. "I'm sure it's nothing anyway."
They walked together, hand in hand, until Rey reached the med bay. Ben kissed her softly on the side of her head, wished her luck and headed towards the greenhouses. Keep me posted sweetheart, he said through the bond, sending his love to her in sweeping waves.
I will, she replied softly, mirroring her devotion and affection for him back. Partly closing the bond, for both ease and privacy Rey rounded the corner into the medical facility to find it empty. This seemed to be the norm these days as conflicts, and therefore injuries, were at an all time low.
Dr. Kalonia came out from her office smiling, caff in hand. "Morning Rey," she said with her usual friendly and warm beside manner. "What can I do for you today?"
"My implant seems to be bothering me," she replied as she sat down in one of the chairs the doctor gestured too. "It started about a week ago. At first it just felt like a twinge of sorts, but this morning it's almost burning."
Dr. Kalonia frowned slightly, her brow wrinkled in thought. "That is a bit odd now isn't it?" she replied. "Your implant is rather old so maybe it's just acting up, but we should take a look just to be sure." She stood up and walked over to one of the examination tables. "Why don't you lie down here, loosen your leggings a bit so I can your implant incision site. We'll get to the bottom of this. I'll be back in a moment."
Rey hopped up on the examination table, her nerves suddenly getting the best of her as she watched Dr. Kalonia walk back into her office. She would have felt better if the doctor had said this was a common occurrence. She loosened her leggings slightly, pulling one side down over her hip where her fertility block was implanted so many years ago.
"Okay let's see what's going on here," Dr. Kalonia murmured as she brought her scanner down to Rey's hip. Her face immediately scrunched up in thought and confusion, as the lines in her forehead became more pronounced. "That can't be right," she murmured, as she examined the data on her scanner.
"What's wrong?" Rey replied, her heart rate increasing slightly, her palms sweaty. Clearly this was not something normal or something that the doctor was used to seeing. "Is the implant malfunctioning?"
"No it's working perfectly," Dr. Kalonia replied with clear confusion in her tone as she continued to look at the data.
"Then what's going on?" Rey said, attempting to hide the panic from her voice. She was suddenly very grateful she thought to partly close the bond with Ben. She didn't want to cause unnecessary worry.
"Honestly, I wouldn't have thought it possible Rey," the doctor murmured, "but I can't argue with what I'm seeing here." She turned the scanner over to Rey, showing her both the imagery and data. Rey stared at the screen, not sure what she was looking for.
"I don't understand," she mumbled, handing the scanner back to the doctor.
"Your body is literally rejecting the implant Rey," she said slowly. "The pain you are feeling is it being pushed out of your body. It's moved over five centimetres from its original position." She shook her head in disbelief as she continued to look at the data. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with the implant itself. It is functioning as intended. It's almost as if…."
"My body doesn't want it in there," Rey said softly, as the understanding of the situation washed over her.
"Exactly," she nodded in agreement, looking back at the scanner for one last look. "I think it would be wise to remove it. It's causing you discomfort and I don't want to see exactly how far this process will go." Dr. Kalonia said softly, her voice filled with understanding. "Unfortunately, I do not see a point in replacing it with a new one as the same thing is likely to happen."
"I think you're right," Rey said softly, lost in her thoughts as the implications of this settled over her.
"There are other options for birth control I can discuss with you if you'd like," Dr. Kalonia said. "But for now we should prep you for surgery and get that implant out. You will have some time to think about things. The implants work by creating minor frequency changes in the body making it essentially inhospitable for implantation to occur. It can take a few months for your body to adjust to the lack of frequency generation so pregnancy is unlikely to occur right away."
Rey's mind was spinning at what was occurring. She has walked in the med bay that morning expecting there to be nothing wrong and suddenly she is being prepped for surgery to have her fertility block removed. She couldn't help but wonder if this was exactly what her and Ben had been waiting for. Once again the Force was intervening in their lives, setting a path before them.
The doctor was busily getting her instruments ready, prepping the table for minor surgery. She walked over to Rey with a needle in hand. "Just a local anaesthetic to numb the area. The implant is closer to the surface than they usually are, so there is no need for a general."
Rey nodded as she felt the needle enter the muscles surrounding her hip, her mind a millions miles away. She lay back on the table, deep in thought.
. . . . .
Thirty minutes later Rey left the medical facility with a small bandage on her hip and a mind filled with contraceptive as well as conception information. Dr. Kalonia was nothing if not thorough. Now that the moment was here, she was uncertain how to proceed. They had agreed to pause on the having children conversation, but the Force had literally unpaused it for them. She could feel her heart flutter in her chest, both excited and anxious about talking to Ben. She could only hope that they were on the same page.
How did it go? She felt Ben ask through their bond as she opened their connection entirely, no longer feeling the need for privacy.
Not as expected, but I'm fine, she replied honestly. We'll talk tonight after our shifts okay?
Okay sweetheart. I love you.
I love you too Ben. She smiled as she headed towards the greenhouse, hoping that her hands in the dirt would help pass the time until she saw her husband.