Yay! Another chapter! This is honestly one of the hardest chapters I've had to write since I had to compress all of Anakin's feelings into one set of dialogue whereas Padme had two chapters to explain hers. We're getting close to the final stretch! I've decided on the sequel option so that will come eventually.

Just a quick update on my other stories while I'm here: Worry not, I am working on them and they will come out when they are ready. To stay up to date on everything and to get rough estimates on when those updates will happen, check my tumblr. I give update posts every Sunday and Wednesday.

Enjoy!

-DFD

Chapter 16

Everything hurt. She doesn't even remember it hurting this much before she passed out but now it felt like her limbs had been ripped off and jammed back into place- which probably isn't far from the truth. She could faintly hear the sound of a heart monitor beeping steadily in the background. With a groan she forces her eyes open before squeezing them shut again from the light. Slowly she tries to open them again and has better luck this time. Her vision is blurry for several moments before her eyes focus on her mother sitting in the chair next to her bed. Her mother's eyes rise and widen when she meets Padme's gaze.

"Padme!" She cries as she leans forward and wraps her arms around her. Padme returns the gesture lightly.

"Mom." Her voice is hoarse and her mother sits back, her hand resting lovingly on her cheek.

"Hush," She says, "It's alright." Her mother moves over to the tray table and pours her a cup of water. "Drink. Doctor's orders." Her mother smiles as her daughter drinks slowly.

Her father enters the room, carrying two sandwiches and two drinks. "You're awake," He says, putting the food down and coming to press a kiss to the top of her head, "We were so worried." He said, "What were you thinking?"

"Ruwee, we should let her rest." Her mother said, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

"I will, Jobal." He said, "Just as soon as I know what my daughter was thinking charging into a collapsing building. Why couldn't you have just gone into politics? You're stubborn enough to be one."

Padme furrows her brow, "Mean." She mutters.

Ruwee smiles, "That doesn't matter. What matters is that you're alright."

"Pardon the interruption," Ahsoka says from the door, "I need to check the scaring."

"Of course," Jobal said, taking her husband by the arm, "We'll just be outside."

With her parents gone, Ahsoka went about the process of removing the bandages on her chest and abdomen. Apparently this wasn't the first time she woke up. She had woken up less than twelve hours after surgery but she was still so weak from everything that had transpired that she slipped into unconsciousness again. "Don't worry," Ahsoka said when she noticed the knit in Padme's brow at seeing the scars, "They'll go away soon."

"I know that," Padme said a little harsher than she intended. Her body was still tender, so pressure was still a little painful.

Ahsoka watched Padme intently as she finished up her exam. "We got a really good case in the ER this morning." She said, "Some guy got his penis stuck in a door. Like there is a hole cut out of the middle of the door and the guy is stuck."

Padme raised her brow, "You're kidding."

She shook her head, "I can't make this up. I saw him come in carrying the door while his girlfriend- at least I assume she's his girlfriend- carries a towel to cover his… problem." Ahsoka smiled, "I imagine he was really embarrassed when Mina came to examine him."

Padme shook her head, "Do you ever wonder what guys are thinking when they do stuff like that?"

Ahsoka shrugged, "I gave up trying to understand them years ago." She finished applying the last dressing, "Do you want me to see if you can have more morphine?"

She shook her head, "I'm fine right now." With a nod of her head, Ahsoka left and her parents returned.

They stayed with her until visiting hours ended. They really didn't need to. Padme was still very tired and sore so she spent a lot of the time sleeping and when she wasn't, they engaged in simple small talk that she didn't particularly care about. She loves her parents dearly, but sometimes they just don't get her. Ever since she started her career, there has been a small rift between them. They never understood why she wanted to be a surgeon and they didn't understand her job at all. They wanted her to be successful. They want her to have a career and do more than just give birth to a bunch of kids; but right now her parents seem to think that she is so obsessed with her work that she won't ever have a family.

Safe to say, when her parents finally left, she was a relieved. Leaning back into her pillow she sighed, relishing the hours she has until the morning when they promised to stop by again. A knock on her open door startled her a little as her head turned to see who it was. She had expected it to be Dorme or Bail telling her good night before they left but she was surprised to see Anakin standing in the doorway. He was wearing his scrubs and his hands were shoved deep in the pockets of his white coat. He smiled at her, "Hey," He greeted.

Padme returned his smile, "Hey." She said as he entered the room and moved to sit in the chair next to her bed. They were quiet for several minutes. Neither knowing what to say to the other. It has been over a month since she's seen him and she isn't even sure where they stand. "Ani…" She starts, "I was afraid you weren't going to come back." She said. And it's true, she wasn't sure. She had no idea where he had gone, or for how long he was going to be gone. He left no note, no message… he just left.

Anakin sat back in his chair, "I didn't know I was coming back either," He admitted.

"Anakin, you can blame me for your mother's death; I never should have-"

"I wanted to." He said, his eyes rise to meet hers, "I wanted to blame you. I wanted to hate you even. I wanted to see you as the person who let my mom die." His words cut deep into her but she held back the tears she wanted to shed. He shook his head, "I tried so hard to see you that way. It would have been easier if I could. But I couldn't." He said, "I couldn't see you as that person." He scoffed and looked away, "Every time I tried, every reason I could think of to justify it… I found at least three reasons why you're not that person." Anakin scratched the back of his neck, "Maybe that makes me a masochist for thinking like that;" His eyes meet hers, "But I love you." She can see the sincerity behind his words; can see the depth of his love for her, "I love you," He said again, "And we're surgeons. You were right, I wasn't thinking like one before. Every time we bring bad news like that, we're monsters." He said, "I shouldn't have treated you like one when I've said and done the same thing you did. I shouldn't have left like I did. It was cruel and heartless of me an I don't deserve your forgiveness for putting you through that as long as I did."

Padme reached out and gripped his hand tightly in hers, "Maybe not," She said with a smile, "But you have it anyways."

Anakin met her gaze and smiled wide for her, squeezing her hand in his before leaning over and pressed gentle kisses to each of her knuckles, "I really don't deserve you," He muttered against her hand.

"We can argue over who doesn't deserve whom until the world ends," She said, shifting her hand to cup his jaw which had a light layer of stubble on it, "Doesn't change how much I love you." She said.

He placed his hand over hers on his jaw, turning his head in to kiss her palm, "How do you feel?" He asked.

She groaned, "Like a building fell on me." She said.

He furrowed his brow, "Not funny."

"Sorry." She said, "They still have me on painkillers."

He rolled his eyes, "Why does everyone blame the drugs?"

She laughs, "Because of the side effects proven by the FDA written on the prescription." He smiles at her and she moves her hand to run her fingers gently through his hair. It is much shorter than it had been the last time they were this close. "Why did you cut your hair?" She asked.

He shrugged, "It was getting too long," He said simply.

"I like it long," She said, "Not too long but long enough so I can…" Her fingers tighten their grip on his hair.

He smirks and she smiles back at him, "Well, then I promise not to cut it this short again." He says.

"You'd better not." She threatens.

He laughs, "Is this the drugs talking?"

She shrugs, "Maybe. I guess you'll only figure that out if you cut it short again." She lets out a yawn and glances at the clock in the room. It was already past ten at night.

"Tired?" He asked. She nodded, "You should get some sleep."

She furrows her brow, "Where have you been staying?"

"Here," Anakin said as he leaned back in the chair again, "You're parents have been here everyday. Night seemed to be the only time I could come and see you."

"You could visit during the day like everyone else." She said. "Are you even allowed to visit patients at night?" Padme can't remember the exact rules of doctors visiting patients that aren't theirs but she has a feeling that this case should be bound to the visiting hours rule.

He shrugs, "Probably not." He said, "But I have been taking night shifts ever since Yoda reluctantly gave my job back… though with some temporary restrictions and responsibilities." He shrugs again, "I don't really care though, you're worth it."

"What restrictions?"

"Since I took up night shifts I can only do two surgeries a day, both of which I need to use as learning opportunities for the interns. I also have to teach skill labs to the interns and the residents five days a week."

She raises a brow at him, "So you're more of a teacher than a surgeon now?"

He raises a finger, "Key word is temporarily. And the interns seem to like actually having a role in the surgery."

Padme shakes her head, "I can't believe they let you teach." She mutters.

He leans forward and rests his elbow on her bed, "Makes visiting you without your parents easy."

"You're avoiding them."

"Can you blame me?"

Padme shook her head. She can't really blame him knowing how much her parents don't seem to like him. And that is probably for the best at least until they figure out how to get them to accept what is going on between them. She yawns again.

"You should get some sleep." He said, standing to help adjust her pillows to let her lie down easier.

She takes his hand in hers, running her fingers along his and twining their fingers together. She doesn't want him to leave. There are still a lot of things left unsaid about how much the past month has hurt them both; but they love each other. Neither one of them can deny that. And they have this moment. This small moment where for the first time in a long time, it feels like things are actually going their way.

He pulls away from her grip long enough to take his white coat off and toss it onto the chair before carefully climbing onto the bed with her. He knows what she wants without her even saying it. He wraps his arm around her shoulder and she shifts as best she can to be closer to him. The bed is rather small to fit them both but they manage. Padme rests her head on his chest, lulled by the strong steady beat of his heart and he kisses the top of her head before leaning back and falling asleep with her in his arms.

[][][][]

It was around seven in the morning when Padme woke up to Anakin trying to carefully detangle himself from her. "Sorry," He whispered when he got his arm free.

"Work?" She asked.

"Yeah, I didn't mean to wake you."

Padme leans her head back onto the pillow and adjusted herself to get as comfortable as she can be with two casts and while still recovering from surgery, "It's fine, Ani." She said as she closed her eyes again; she was still very tired.

He smiles at her and leans down to press a kiss to her forehead. "I'll come by after your parents leave." He promised. She mumbled in acknowledgement as she snuggles deeper into her pillow.

Grabbing his jacket from the chair, he folds it over his arm before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. He knows he looks a wreck. He can feel his hair is sticking up oddly on the right side. He tries to run his fingers through it just to give some semblance of decency but it doesn't doo much. He should have gotten up sooner. If he had he would have had time to take a quick shower. But that hadn't happened and now he had to get to his skills lab in fifteen minutes. Today he is supposed to have the residents practice appendectomies on cadavers. Walking though the doors of the lab, he throws his coat over the chair at the front of the room. The cadavers had already been brought up and the faces and genitals covered. He paced the six rows in the room, checking that each station had all the tools they needed before moving to the front of the room to wait for the residents to file in.

He liked teaching. There was something about it that just felt rewarding in the pursuit. But he hated teaching like this. In a classroom setting, with cadavers and models, there was only so much he could teach them. He can't teach them what they should do when a problem occurs. True, there is a set of steps to follow to fix the problem, but sometimes there isn't enough time to go through it all. Sometimes, the surgeon needs to be creative to fix a problem.

As the clock in the back of the room read seven twenty-five, like clockwork the residents start to file in. He still doesn't know them all, but some of them stand out a bit more than others; Lux Bonteri happens to be the son of the head of general surgery- Mina Bonteri; though it seems Lux has a knack for trauma. Barris is obviously favored by the head of OB, Luminara for her calm nature and her ability to work fast. Riyo Chuchi is new from what Anakin can tell. Yoda had told him there were a few new hires in the time he was gone and Chuchi seemed to be one of them. She is obviously aiming for neurosurgery based on how the last skill lab went when he had them cut a brain into strips and label the parts. The last resident he knows is Ahsoka and he is beyond relieved she still wants to learn from him.

The residents take their seats and Anakin folds his arms behind his back, "Sometimes the simplest procedure is the hardest one you can ever do. Any ideas why?" He waits several seconds to see what they think. No one raises their hand so he continues, "It's because the easy surgeries are the ones you are most likely to forget as you advance in your careers. The simplest and most basic one being an appendectomy." Several of the residents groan, "For those of you planning on going into general, think of this as practice since you will do at least one everyday. The rest of you," He smirks, "You all have dreams of going into neuro, cardio, ortho, or whatever specialization you chose and you think it's okay to forget this since it's so easy… think again." He said, "There will come a time when you need this procedure. There will come a time when this procedure sneaks up on you and you have to quickly remember how to do it or your patent dies." He stares down every one of them, "And how stupid will you feel in all your big-shot specialization pride, when you have a patient die because you couldn't do a simple appendectomy?" Anakin walks around the front of the table, "So, who can tell me how to start?"

[][][][]

Anakin sits at the table he normally sits at with Padme for lunch. The class in the morning went about as well as he expected. They knew what to do up until they had to cross clamp the appendix. After that, most of them forgot. He takes a bite of his sandwich and to his surprise another tray is dropped opposite him. Glancing up with the sandwich still in his mouth, he sees Dorme. She takes the seat across from him, folding her arms over her chest.

"Padme's in her room." He said after he swallowed.

"Obviously," Dorme said, "You're the one I want to talk to anyway." He raised a brow and she leaned forward, resting her folded arms on the table, "You're hot, I'll give you that much," She said, "From what Padme told me, you got a great body. You're funny, you care about people, you're a hopeless romantic."

Anakin isn't really sure where this is going and gives her a confused look, "Thank you?" He says.

She holds up a finger, "Not done yet," She said, "You're also the biggest prick I have ever met." She shook her head at him, "Padme was miserable without your sorry ass. She thought something bad happened to you. She blamed herself for it. And I had to sit there and listen to her cry her heart out all because of you."

Anakin hung his head in shame. Despite already feeling guilty over leaving, her words hurt more than he thought they would. Dorme is one of Padme's friends- she isn't one of his and yet he felt like Ben just punched him in the face. "I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say.

Dorme shook her head, "I'm not the one you need to apologize to." She said with a glare, "I can't say I know what she sees in you; but clearly there is something there that is worth giving it another go… but mark my words, Skyrunaway: hurt her again, and I'll make sure you will never have a fully staffed OR again."

He blinked at her. She may only be a nurse, but even he knew nurses had a lot of power in terms of numbers and what they knew about the patients. At the same time, he knew the threat meant nothing, not with what he hoped for. "I wasn't planning to," He said.

Dorme sat back in her chair, "Good." She said, turning her head to look at the rest of the cafeteria. "I was hoping to have a really good exit line," She said, as she looked down at her tray then back up at him. "I'll just… go." She said picking up her tray and walking away.

Anakin shook his head. Dorme has always been… interesting to say the least. But he can't deny that he isn't pleased to know Padme has a friend like her who will fight for her. Picking up his sandwich again, he goes back to eating his lunch.