Hello! I am so excited for this chapter! I've been writing and rewriting this and I have finally settled on this one! Hope you like it!

-DFD

Chapter 8

It has been about two weeks since their first date. Within that time their dates have gone much better. Anakin had taken her to a more moderately priced restaurant and they had had a great time. Without the setting of a fancy restaurant, it was more acceptable for them to be themselves. He would occasionally steal a bite of her food and she stole from him in turn. It wasn't always easy for them both to schedule a full date between working late and being on call more days than not, but they made do with what time they were afforded. They would occasionally meet up for a morning run before going into work together. They still enjoyed going out for drinks after work as well. They were happy.

Padme walked down the halls of the cardio ward with a paper bag in her hand. She had invited Anakin to come over since they both got off early today. He was in one of the patient's room standing over her unconscious form. "How is she?" Padme asked.

He glanced at her before dropping his eyes to his patient, "Alive… but nothing." He said, "I have tried everything to get her to wake up and nothing." He crossed his arms over his chest, "Can't figure out what I'm missing about this one. I'm running out of time."

"What did CT show?"

"Nothing." Anakin let out a sigh, "I'm gonna have to run a full lab and get another CT, MRI, and maybe an ultrasound to find the cause of it." He rolls his neck and makes his way over to her, "But enough of that," A smirk crosses his face as he wraps his arms around her waist, "I am off the clock tonight, which means- no pages, no patients, no work; just you and me." Padme smiles up at him and holds up the paper bag, which he quickly takes and pulls out the pastry, "You know me so well." He says, wrapping an arm around her and walking with her to retrieve their belongings.

Padme pokes him in the stomach, "Maybe I should stop giving these to you," She says, "You're going to get fat."

He furrows his brow, "I will not." He said, "I am a doctor. I know how to keep myself healthy. I eat well, and exercise– regularly, I'd like to add- I will not get fat." Padme sighed and shook her head. It was such a typical Anakin answer. "If you do, I'll stop brining you coffee." He said.

"You will do no such thing." She argues, "Unless you want to deal with disgruntled morning me, I need my coffee."

He laughs and kisses her temple, "I love disgruntled you." He says, "She's almost as cute as jealous you." Padme rolls her eyes but he just smiles at her.

They walk out to the parking lot together and make their way over to his parking spot. On the nights they get off at the same time it has become a routine for him to give her a ride to and from work. They would spend part of the night curled up together on her couch watching Netflix.

While she hooked up her laptop to the TV Anakin made himself comfortable on the couch with his arms spread along the back of the couch and his legs crossed on her coffee table with a bowl of popcorn in his lap. Padme came to sit next to him as the opening credits started to roll. Curling herself into his side she leaned against him while his arm came to wrap around her rubbing up and down her arm.

It's always nice when they spend time like this. It never lasts long- both are still hesitant to suggest he spend the night, and he is waiting for her to be ready to advance their relationship. Either way, it is always time well spent. It gives them a chance to clear their head of patients they lost, complications, and just work in general. As surgeons, it is difficult to find someone who understands what they do and how they feel when things don't go well. It was one of the reasons Padme rarely talked about work with her family; they just don't understand. While they mean well when they say, "You did everything you could," it is the exact same thing she tells the family and those words mean nothing to her. There is always something more she feels she could have done. And Anakin understands what that feels like. He knows that silence is sometimes more comforting that words and he knows what words to say when he has to.

Anakin glanced at his watch a few hours later. It was a little past midnight and he still had to get some sleep. Padme had fallen asleep against him with her arm wrapped around his waist. He smiles down at her and presses a kiss to her temple and she snuggles closer to him. As much as he would like to leave her as she is and just fall asleep with her, a couch would not be comfortable for either of them. Carefully he unwraps her arm from around him and shifts so he can pick her up. When he has her in his arms he feels her head shift against his shoulder and hears her sigh in contentment.

He walks slowly and quietly to her bedroom, careful as he pulls the covers down for her and placing her in. She quickly turns on her side and snuggles into her pillow. He pulls the covers over her and turns out the lights before closing the doors behind him as he leaves.

[][][][]

Anakin meets Padme at one of the nurse's stations the next morning. As he usually does, he kisses her cheek when he deliver's her morning coffee. Turning in his arms, she surprises him by pulling him by the collar of his coat so she can kiss him. He doesn't complain and simply leans into it. "Thank you," She whispers against his lips when they part.

"I'm glad you appreciate my coffee delivery skills," He jokes.

She smiles "Not the reason I'm thanking you." She says.

"I know," He said, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her for another kiss, "You know you missed an entire episode last night, right?"

Padme rolls her eyes, "I realized that when I woke up this morning. I am quite disappointed in myself."

Anakin is about to open his mouth to respond when their pagers go off. Pulling apart they glance down to see the call down to the ER. They both take off running, dodging other doctors as they run. "What do you think it is?" He asks as they pass Bail and a handful of other surgeons, "Can't be something big if we're the only ones that got paged."

"We're about to find out." She said as they turn the corner into the ER. It does not look like they expect it to look when there is a 911 page. It is relatively calm for an ER. They see the head of trauma by the ER nurse's station. "Dr. Koon." Padme calls, "What is going on?" She asks.

Plo Koon glances between the two of them, "We have a neuro patient in route." He said, "Normally this patient would be directed to Core Medical Center, but the family specifically requested us." He explained.

"If they need neuro, then why am I here?" Anakin asked. The more Koon explained, the more nervous he got. This could not be good.

Plo ran a hand over his head, and was about to answer when his intern, Lux Bonteri ran past, "Ambulance is here." He said. And the surgeons sprang into action.

Opening the doors, the paramedic climbs out, "Fifty-four year old female, had a seizure before pick up lasting three minutes, had another in route lasting five minutes. Given five of lorazapam." He said as he pulled the gurney out.

Anakin is rooted to the spot is barely able to step aside as the gurney is pushed passed him. It's his mother.

[][][][]

Padme is in a similar state of shock. Shmi had two seizures in the span of maybe two hours. She shakes her head as she tries not to dwell on it. Shmi is unconscious for the moment as they get her into a bed. Padme focuses on running her tests for the moment. Plo Koon comes up next to her, "Are you alright doing this?" He asks.

"Of course I am." She responds, "I am more than capable of handling this."

"Because I will understand if you don't want to work on your boyfriend's mother." He said, "It's just that right now, Dr. Farr has not come in yet, and I don't he would trust anyone but Farr or you."

Padme met Plo Koon's eyes, "Page Farr." She said, "I've got it for now, just have him on standby." He nodded and walked away. She turned her attention back to Shmi. From Anakin's reaction, or lack thereof, he knew she was sick, "Ani," She called, but received no response. Turning her head back to see him she saw he was standing several feet away, as if he is afraid to get too close. His eyes are focused on his mother and he looks like he doesn't even register she has said anything, "Anakin," She tries again, louder this time but he is still unresponsive. Stepping away from Shmi she walks over to him and grabs his arm, "Ani," when his eyes meet her he looks so lost, so afraid. She rubs his arm, "It's okay, Ani," She tries.

He shakes his head, "No it isn't." He says simply before his eyes focus on his mother again.

Padme takes his hand and squeezes it tightly, "Whatever you know I need you to tell me." She says, "If I have any chance to help-"

"You don't," He says.

Shmi takes a sharp breath as she regains consciousness and Padme rushes over to treat her, "Shmi, it's me, Padme." She starts, "You're in the hospital. Can you tell me what you remember?"

"Padme?" Shmi asked, her eyes meeting hers, "Padme Naberrie?" Shmi started to laugh, "This is just perfect." She says, "My son's whore ex-wife is trying to play doctor."

Padme's eyes widen at how Shmi spoke. She has never known the woman to talk like that. "Shmi, can you tell me the last thing you remember?" She tried again.

"I heard you the first damn time," She snapped, "Just patch me up and send me home." She demanded.

Padme sighed, "I will just as soon as I know why you seized."

"Some doctor; can't even tell me what's wrong." She complained, "Clearly Ani was more interested in you for your body than that lump on your shoulders you call a head."

"Mom-"

"You stay out of this!" Shmi rounded on her son. His eyes were wide when she started to yell, "You're just like your father." She said. Anakin's eyes fall to the floor at the comparison, "One minute you're here, and the next you're gone. Then you have the audacity to show up again." Anakin closed his eyes as his mother continued, "I never should have listened to that deadbeat. I never should have let him talk me into having you."

Padme watched Anakin the entire time Shmi ranted. From the way he looked at the ground, the furrow in his brow and how he shifted his feet, this clearly was not the first time he has heard this. "Page Farr." Padme ordered. Shmi would not cooperate with her and all of this was too much for her to handle and she knew she could not listen to how she was talking about Anakin. Besides, she would be more help for him than her. She stayed with Shmi until the head of neurosurgery, Onaconda Farr arrived to take over. Padme agreed to get the patient's medical history and moving over to Anakin she took him by the arm and led him away.

In the waiting room, a man around Anakin's age walked up to them, "How is she?" He asked.

Anakin stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Padme this is Owen Lars." He said, "My stepbrother."

She held her hand out to him and shook it politely, "She's fine right now." She said, "Dr. Farr is examining her and we should know more soon." She said, "Could you just excuse us." Owen nodded his head and moved back to where he was sitting with a young blonde woman and an older man in a wheel chair. Taking Anakin's arm again, she took him to sit in a set of chairs far from everyone else. She shifted herself so she was facing towards him but he sat staring straight ahead. Placing a hand on his leg, she waited for him to speak.

Anakin leans back in his seat and crosses his arms across his chest, "Grade IV astrocytoma." He says, "It's inoperable."

"Ani…" Padme starts, "Why didn't you tell me?"

He gives a shrug, "It doesn't concern you." He said.

"It can't be easy going home to this-"

"That's why I don't." He said, his eyes focused on something far away, "I've been staying here," He admitted, "I sleep in the lounge or an on-call room, wake up at 4, drive around for a bit, go for a run and get coffee, then come in to work and leave for drinks after before coming back here to sleep."

"Ani…"

"I couldn't stay there." He said, leaning forward to rub his face in his hands, "Some days, she didn't even know who I was. And for the days she did…"

"She was angry at you." Padme finished, "It's a common side effect of the tumor."

Anakin let out a tired sigh, "I know that. Rapid changes in personality, impaired judgment, seizures- I know." He shakes his head, "That doesn't change the fact that seeing her like that is painful."

Padme notices the subtle shake in his shoulders and she knows he is trying not to cry. He always tries to be strong and tries to act the way he thinks men have to act. But right now, he's a son afraid for his mother. Padme wraps her arms around him and pulls him close, his head drops and she feels the first drop of tears on her arm, "It's okay, Ani." She says, rubbing his back and letting him know it's okay to cry.

"I should have known." He said, "I should have seen it. Noticed when it started." His shoulders shake with his words.

"You couldn't have known," Padme insisted, "It's hard to detect a tumor until something happens."

"I'm a doctor. A surgeon. I should be able to heal her."

She strokes his hair gently, "We can't fix everything." She said. "Maybe Dr. Farr will see something her other doctors have missed. Maybe something can be done."

He shakes his head, "There isn't." He said, "I've seen the scans. We caught it too late." He pulls back and takes a deep breath, wiping his eyes as he tries to compose himself.

Padme takes his hand in both of hers. He is obviously in no condition where he should perform surgeries and she was sure Plo Koon already requested that his surgeries be rescheduled or given to Ben. As for hers, as much as she wanted to stay and wait with him, she had her own patients she had to take care of. "You can go if you have to." He said.

"I can stay."

He shakes his head, "Go, tend to your patients." He said, turning to meet her eyes, "I'll be fine."

Padme looked into his eyes for several moments checking to see if he really would be fine. She sighed, "Fine," She agreed, "But go get your stuff from wherever you've been hiding it." She said moving her hand to stroke his cheek, "You're staying at my place."

"You don-"

"Ani," She cut him off, "I want you to."

He nodded his head once, "Alright."

Padme leaned towards him and pressed her lips to his cheek, "I'll be back," She said.

[][][][]

Ben smiled as he finished talking to his patient, giving her a kurt nod before he turned and walked back into the hallway. He saw Padme was standing by the nurse's station, her head bowed and focused on the chart in front of her. "Morning, Padme." He greeted.

She jumped slightly but turned to give him a small smile, "Hi, Ben." She said.

He came to stand next to her and leaned against the counter, "Do you know why I got stuck with Anakin's patients today?"

"You haven't heard?" Ben raised a brow and shook his head. Padme let out a sigh, "Shmi is here." She said, "She has an inoperable brain tumor."

Ben's eyes widened, "I had no idea it was that serious." He said, "Is he alright?"

She shook her head, "I don't think so. Did you know he's been living here?"

He nodded, "I knew he didn't want to go home. But I figured he would eventually go home to spend what time he has left with her."

Padme let out a sigh, "I'm worried." She admitted, "His mother means everything to him. What will happen when…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"I know." Ben said, "How are you holding up?"

"What do you mean by that?" Padme asked.

He gave a shrug, "He's been hiding this since the two of you got back in contact, it can't be easy knowing he's kept this big secret."

She shakes her head and fiddles with the tablet in front of her, "How could he keep this a secret?" She asks, "Doesn't he trust me?"

Ben placed a hand on her shoulder, "I don't think trusting you is the issue."

"Then what is? And why was he living here? Why didn't he rent an apartment?"

He let his hand drop, "His stepfather is a farmer." He said simply, "Anakin served two tours of duty before he came back and found out his mother was sick. Mos Eisley Medical Center is not equipped to care for his mother's condition so he helped them move here. Bought them a house even. And between that, Shmi's medical bills, and taking care of himself," Ben shook his head, "He can't afford it all. Staying here was the cheapest option for him- had to sneak around a bit, but it was necessary."

Padme let out a sigh. She was still trying to come to grips with Shmi's condition and how Anakin had handled it. It was all a shock to her, but she couldn't bring herself to focus only on how she felt about his lies. She knows none of this is easy to talk about and he has never been someone who talks about problems- it's just a product of where he grew up. Right now, she has to be there for him. He can't go through this alone- she won't let him do this alone anymore.

[][][][]

His stepfamily moved over to him when he returned from changing out of his scrubs and retrieving his stuff. They had tried to be comforting but he wasn't really listening to them. There was nothing they could say to him that he hasn't heard already. When Padme returned with Dr. Farr, he knew they had news. He stood and made his way over to them.

Onaconda Farr was a close friend of Padme's and was one of the best in the field. When Padme had started her neurofellowship, he was her mentor. He was one of the reasons he chose to relocate his mother to the area in the first place- she would have access to him if it was nessesary.

"Well?" Owen asked, gripping the back of his father's wheelchair tightly.

"We've given her medication for her recent seizures." He started, "We've admitted her and would like her to stay for just a few days to ensure she hasn't suffered any more difficulties and to monitor her in case she has another episode." He explained.

Owen glanced at Anakin, waiting to see if he had anything to add but he remained silent, "That's… good." Owen said, "When will she go home?"

"We hope it will only be three days," Padme said, "But it could be longer if she has another seizure. Each one there is a greater risk of brain damage." She focused her attention on Anakin as she spoke.

"Is surgery an option?" Cliegg asked, his arms resting on his lap, "I know everyone says it's inoperable but… is it really? Can't you do something?"

Farr shook his head, "Unfortunately, the location of the tumor makes it nearly impossible to get it all."

"But you can get it, right?" Owen asked, stepping forward slightly, "If you can do something, why-"

"Because it could kill her." Anakin said, staring at his stepbrother out of the corner of his eye, "Even if they got close to it, one false move and she could end up blind, paralyzed, mentally impaired, or dead. There's too much risk."

Padme could see the tension between Anakin and Owen, "Why don't I take you up to see her," She offers, "She's a little drowsy from the medication, but you can come say goodnight."

Owen nods his head immediately, "Please." He asks, moving his hands to the handles on his father's chair.

Anakin shakes his head; "I'll just see her in the morning." He says.

Padme takes Anakin's arm, "Alright, then Dr. Farr can take you to Shmi's room," She says to Owen and his father and girlfriend, "And I just need to grab my things and we can go," She directs the last part to Anakin who merely nods his head and lets her lead him up to the lounge. He leans against the wall while she changes in the bathroom. He meets her eyes when she comes back into the room, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." He says.

Padme folds her jacket over her arm and leans against the wall with him, "That day that you were suppose to go see her. She wasn't acting normally then, was she? That's why you came in to do that surgery." Anakin nodded his head and looked away, "Why did you lie to me?" She asked, "You know I would have listened. You know I would understand-"

"That's not the reason." Anakin said, leaning his head back so his head bumped the wall softly, "If I don't talk about it…" His head drops to his chest and he takes a shaky breath. It takes him a few moments before he lets out a sigh, "If I don't talk about it, I can pretend things are alright." He says, "I came home because she was sick." He said, "I came here because I thought that maybe someone could help her- that someone would tell me they could do something." He shakes his head, "I've gotten the same answer every time, and she is getting worse."

Padme watches him closely and he just looks so… broken. She can tell how hard it is for him to talk. She sees the way his back stiffen and how he pauses and forces himself to speak. She is glad that he is telling her what he is thinking. Ben had told her about how he couldn't even get him to say more than a few sentences about it. Padme wants him to confide in her more. She knows there is more bothering him about his mother than he's already told her. She knows there is tension between him and his stepfamily, but she isn't going to push right now. She nods her head and moves herself so she can wrap her arm around his waist, "Lets go home." She says, stretching up to press a soft kiss to his cheek. He smiles down at her and wraps his arm around her as they leave the hospital.