Hello! I originally had this chapter split in two, but I felt they worked better together- plus it makes the chapter longer too. I am really glad to have Anakin and Padme back together BUT sorry to say they aren't out of the woods just yet. Still some things they need to work out and Padme is still injured so that needs to get better too. Bright side is right now it's all good! So yay!

Enjoy!

-DFD

Chapter 17

Padme's parents left at the end of visiting hours like they had the day before. The list of things they can talk about was already running short and she was already tired of sitting in bed all day. It was boring and for a high-end hospital, it seemed they couldn't be bothered to have a better entertainment system. She was getting tired of watching marathons of Maury and Rachel Ray. Every couple hours during the day one of the nurses stop by to check on her and see how she is healing. More often than not, its Dorme and she is beyond grateful when her parents excuse themselves for the moment. She tells her all about the interesting cases they have and keeps her up to date on the juicy gossip she hears about. Padme has never liked the gossip, but in this case its better than listening to her parents talk about boating and golf- activities she has had no interest in since high school.

When the door opens about ten minutes after her parent's leave she can't help the smile that appears on her face as Anakin walks in with a laptop tucked under his arm. "They're trying to kill me." She said, "Please come during the day."

He raises a brow, "Are we talking about your parents or your friend?"

"Maybe both." She said, "But it's mostly my parents."

He laughs lightly and puts it on the tray table. "As much as I'd like to rescue you from your predicament, I can't."

"Coward."

"For good reasons." He said as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. Her hand comes up to grip his shirt. He pulls back enough to see the furrow in her brow, "What is it?" He asked.

"Ani." She pulls on his shirt lightly and not a moment later his lips are on hers. She's missed this. Missed him. Missed how incredible it feels to have him this close. She knows they have a lot to work out once she is healed. She knows it will take time to rebuild what was broken. But for now, she relishes this moment. It's just them. Just this moment and that is all she wants right now. Her hand releases his shirt to cup his stubbly jaw before sliding along it to reach his hair. Moaning into his mouth, she grips him tightly and wishes she could move her other arm.

Anakin places his hand on her cheek, and strokes it gently with his thumb. He can feel how much she has missed him from how eager her kiss is. He's missed her too. Even when he didn't want to, he did. And having her like this again, tasting her, and feeling her hands in his hair; he prays he never has to go another day without it. Breaking the kiss, he rests his forehead against her, smiling.

She drags her hand back to his jaw, "You need to shave." She said, "I like the stubble, but I don't want you to get a beard like Ben."

He laughs, "First my hair is too short now my beard is too long? There is no pleasing you, woman."

Padme smiles and cranes her head up to catch his lips, "I love you." She said.

"And I love you." He mumbled against her lips. Pulling away from her he grabs the laptop from the table, "I hope you don't mind, I stopped by your place and got your laptop. I figured you'd be getting bored sitting around here watching daytime television."

She raised a brow, "How'd you get in?"

He shrugged, "I asked Dorme if she had a key and she didn't so she went through your bag to get it." He held up a hand in surrender, "Remember, she was the one to go through your stuff, not me."

Padme laughed, "So you went into my apartment and brought me my laptop?"

He smiled, "Netflix has everything from The Walking Dead to Minions. I'm pretty sure that is already better than whatever is on that thing." He said pointing to the TV. Padme rolled her eyes as Anakin slid the tray table closer to her and logged onto her laptop before taking off his jacket and climbed into the bed with her. Padme snuggled as close as she could to him as he pulled up Netflix. He furrowed his brow; "You haven't been on here since I left."

Padme hunched her shoulders, slightly embarrassed at the reason why, "It was always our thing." She said, "I felt bad moving ahead when I had no idea where you were in the series."

He smiles, "Good thing I haven't watched anything either then." He said as he hit play.

She shifted her head to look up at him, "Why not?"

He looks down at her and smirks, "It's our thing." He kisses the top of her head and she smiles as he pulls her close and they direct their attention to the screen, "And I kinda lost my laptop on the highway." Padme shook her head. He was either joking to make her laugh, or it really happened. Either way, imagining his laptop flying off the back of his motorcycle was pretty funny.

[][][][]

By the time Padme woke up, Anakin had already slipped out. The clock read eight in the morning and she smiled. At least today Sola was bringing the girls by for a couple hours. That meant she could avoid using up the ever-shortening list of topic conversations with her parents. A nurse stopped by and delivered breakfast just before the door to her room burst open and her nieces ran in, happily greeting her. Padme smiled at the girls as Sola scolded them for being so loud as their parents walked in behind her.

"Hey little sis," Sola greeted as she gave her a hug, "I'm sorry I couldn't bring them sooner," She said, "I didn't think it was right to pull them out of school when they have testing going on."

Padme shook her head, "Don't worry about it, Sola." She said as she directed her attention to her nieces, "School is very important isn't it?" She asked.

And the girls nodded their heads, "Yes Auntie Padme." They said.

"We're learning about bones in school," Pooja offered, shifting to stand closer to the bed.

"That's always a fun topic." Padme said. She pointed to her forearm, "Have they taught you which bones are in the arm?"

The girl nodded, "Yeah but I don't remember."

Padme laughed, "The radius and the ulna." She said, sliding her hand up she pointed to her bicep, "And this is humerus."

Pooja smiled, "I like that you're a doctor." She said,

"I love being a doctor." Padme responded.

"Can I sign your cast?" Ryoo asked.

She smiled, "You most certainly can." Padme handed the girls several colored markers for them to draw with. They knew she was hurt and they tried to be careful but Padme assured them that the cast was strong enough that she won't feel it. The girls drew several pictures on the casts ranging from hearts to animals. It was sweet and beyond adorable and it brought a large smile to her face.

When it was around lunchtime, Sola suggested that their parents take the girls out for lunch. With the girls practically begging their grandparents to take them to the one restaurant they all loved, they could not refuse. Padme thanked her sister for getting them to leave for a few hours but it was obvious she had ulterior motives. "I saw Anakin in the lobby." She said, "Am I right to assume he's been up to see you?"

Padme nodded, "He comes to see me after mom and dad leave."

"And?" She asked, "Where exactly are you with him?"

She furrowed her brow, "We're still together." She said, "We have some things to work out, but we'll figure it out."

Sola shook her head, "How?" She asked, "How do you plan to fix this? How do you plan to make sure this doesn't happen again?"

"I don't know." Padme said with a sigh, "We're going to talk about it. But after I get out of here."

"I don't like this, Padme," Sola said, "I know he makes you happy but-"

"Sola," She interrupted, "I know. I know you and mom and dad don't like him. But please, I need you on my side when I say that I know what I'm doing. I need you to trust that I am doing everything I can to make sure this can work."

She nodded her head, "I trust you," She said, "And… if it means that much to you, I'll back you up against mom and dad and give him a chance."

Padme smiled, "That's all I want."

Sola took the seat next to the bed and leaned back in it, "When are you going to tell them by the way?" She asked, "They obviously don't know you're dating him."

She groaned, "Well I was planning on telling them before he left… now I think we're back to square one again so… I don't know."

Sola smiled, "Well, just hope they hear it from you and not someone else."

[][][][]

Padme sighed as she fell back into her couch in her apartment. It had taken three weeks for her to be discharged and it was arguably the best day she's ever had. Anakin was there with her and helped to arrange her pillows to keep her leg supported properly. She was still recovering and had a brace on her leg so she wasn't allowed back to work just yet. She still had weeks ahead of physical therapy to get back in working condition. When he finished adjusting the pillows Anakin took the seat next to her outstretched leg and kicked his feet up on her coffee table.

She smiled at him and reached for his hand. He gladly took it and rubbed his thumb on her knuckle. "What's on your mind?" He asked.

She sighed. She promised herself she would start the conversation when she got home. And now that she was, she wished she could postpone it just a little longer. But she can't do that. She can't leave this unresolved. "Ani… we need to talk."

He furrowed his brow and shifted to face her more, "What about?"

She held his hand in both of hers, "What happened with your mother."

Anakin released her hand and leaned back against the arm of the couch, "We don't need to talk about that." He said, "It's in the past."

Padme leans back into the pillow, "Anakin-"

"Padme," He interrupts, "We really don't need to talk about it."

"And I think we do." She said with a knit in her brow, "I don't want this to end up like the last time when we didn't talk about our problems and end things again. I want this to work and this isn't going to unless we talk. Please, just be honest with me."

Anakin scoffs, "You want me to tell you what I think? I think this conversation is pointless. I think it is a waste of time talking about this when nothing said is going to change what has happened."

She furrows her brow, "It might not change what happened but it will help both of us accept it and understand where the other stands."

He scoffs, "I've already accepted it." He argued, "She's dead. What else is there to get?"

"You lied to me." Padme said, "You never said anything about your mother being sick before. We'd been dating for weeks by the time she came in. And not once did you ever think to tell me- your girlfriend- that your mother has a brain tumor. You never even told me you were living in the hospital." She shakes her head, "If you had told me, I would have let you move in with me a long time ago. Or I would have at least forced Ben to let you stay with him. But you didn't. You couldn't trust me."

He shakes his head, "It's not trust, Padme." He said, "It didn't concern you," He said.

The knit in her brow deepened, "There's more to it than that." She said, "Just tell me."

I…" He sighs, "I didn't want to think about it." He admitted, crossing his arms across his chest, "Whenever I was with you, I was… happy- happier than I had been in a long time. I didn't want to ruin that with a horrible reality."

"Anakin…" She understood. While she didn't agree with his course of action, she understood. He had been running even before his mother had died. "You couldn't keep running from it forever." She said.

He nodded, "I know. But I didn't know how to stop."

As long as she's known Anakin, he has always preferred to focus on the good and ignore the bad. He liked to think that problems will fix themselves in time and that they should just enjoy what time they have and not let the bad spoil it. That's exactly how he tried to get out of this talk, and it seemed to be his reasoning behind not telling her anything as well. Padme always found this mindset is contradictory to his profession; but perhaps the reason he can confront those problems is because they aren't necessarily his problem. He has to fix it, but he isn't emotionally involved.

"And when she died, I just… I had to get out of there."

"You did more than that," Padme said, her bitterness over the month he was gone finally rearing its head, "You disappeared. I came back to an empty apartment. No phone call, no note… nothing. I had no idea if you were okay. I waited weeks to hear from you and I got nothing."

Anakin hung his head, "I know."

"You know, but you don't know how difficult that was for me." She said, "I was worried. And I know people grieve in their own way… but if you loved me, like you say you do. Wouldn't you have at least called to tell me you were okay?"

"I should have." He said.

"But you didn't."

"What do you want me to say?" He asked, "If you want me to apologize, I will; everyday for however long it takes to make up for it."

Padme shook her head, "I don't want an apology," She said, "You already said it enough. I want to know why? Why didn't you call? Where did you go?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he let his head fall back to rest on the back of the couch, "Army Medical Center." He said. "At first I was just volunteering to help out on a few surgeries, then the Colonel offered a job and I took it." He sighed and kicked his feet off the table, shifting to rest his elbows on his knees.

"You weren't planning on coming back, were you?" She asked.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, "Not at first, no." He said, "I wasn't sure how I could work at the place my mom died. I wasn't sure how I was suppose to work with the doctors who…" He paused and looked at the ground.

"Killed her." Padme finished.

Anakin shook his head, "That's not-"

"It's what you wanted to say." Padme finished, "You say you don't blame me, and yet-"

"I don't!" He practically shouted, shifting to face her more, "I don't blame you. I don't hate you. I wanted to, but I don't." He takes a moment to calm down, taking a deep breath and looking down with his eyes closed before he looks back at her, "My mom had just died and you and Farr had been the ones to tell me she was gone. It's a hard pill to swallow and I needed time to figure out how to come to terms with it."

Padme shakes her head, "That's what I don't get." She said, "How can you look at me, and not see the doctor who let her die? How can you not be reliving the moment she died over and over again?" Every time she tells someone that their loved one is dead, she knows that her face is the one they will see every time they remember that day. Her face, and her voice is what they will associate with death; how can Anakin not see that?

He smiles, "Because I know you." He said, "All the memories I have of you- the times we spent walking around the city, going drinking, our first kiss, all the dates lattes, bear claws, and everything else in between- out weigh the damage of one terrible moment." He brings his hand to her cheek and strokes it gently with his thumb.

She pulls away from him and crosses her arms over her chest, "It can't be that simple." She said, "You didn't just suddenly decide 'everything is okay' something happened."

He nods, "Yeah." He said as he scratched the back of his neck, "Nejaa Halcyon came in to the center."

Padme furrowed her brow, "Who?"

His gaze fell back to the floor, "He was my… my shrink." He said, "Before I could be deployed, I needed a psych eval done." He said, "Halcyon did mine. He asked me about everything from my childhood to… well, you."

"You told him about us?"

Anakin shrugged, "Well, the divorce was still pretty recent then and apparently it was obvious I wasn't joining for patriotic reasons or delusions of grandeur, so yeah, I told him about us. Anyway, he cleared me to go, but he kept in touch to help with my… anger problems- which actually helped a lot. So when he came to the medical center, he asked how I ended up there, and I told him." He shook his head, "I should have been able to figure it out sooner, but he was the one who told me to just get my head out of my ass and call. So I did. But I had no idea what to say." He turned his head to meet her gaze again, "But you had a lot to say. And I realized I was being such a dick to you. You don't deserve that, not from anyone and least of all me." Padme takes a shaky breath. It was him that called. She's happy he did, but at the same time it worries her, mostly because someone had to tell him to do it. Would he have done it if Nejaa hadn't said anything? She watches as Anakin takes a deep breath, "I should have been better than that." He said, "I realize that. I know I fucked up. And I should have been a better man than that. I'm sorry."

Padme took his hand in hers, "I know." She said, "I know you're sorry. And I know you want to be better. But we have a lot of work ahead of us if we're going to make this work." She reached for his face and cupped his jaw gently, "We can't keep secrets like that from one another." She said, "We have to trust each other. We have to be able to lean on the other when things get bad." Padme let her hand drop from his face, "If we can't do that… this isn't going to work."

"I want this to work." He said, "I want to be with you."

"Then all you have to do is trust me."

Anakin smiles, "I think I can do that." He said as he leaned forward.

"I'm serious, Anakin." She said, leaning away from him, "I love you, but I don't think I can take another incident like this."

He can see that she means it. He can see that if he doesn't hold up his promise this time, its over- for good. He leans towards her again and gives her hand a gentle squeeze, "It won't." He promises, "I trust you. And I won't let this happen again."

Padme nodded, "Good." She said, leaning back into the couch and crossing her arms. Silence spreads out between them as they let the exchange sink in. Their eyes meet every once in a while but for the most part they look away. This was more difficult than either of them anticipated but it was over now. And yet there is still more they need to work out, one of which should probably be a work boundary to prevent either of them working on people they care about. But that is something they can talk about later. They have started the process; and while they fix what was broken in the past months, they can also improve on it as well so this relationship can last.

When their eyes meet, Padme smiles at him and he returns it. Sitting she starts to shift her body so she can sit closer to him. He helps her adjust her pillows again and once she is situated properly with her leg supported by the coffee table, she pulls his arm so he is sitting right next to her before she leans on him. Anakin smiles and moves his arm to wrap around her shoulders and holds her close to him as they relax into the couch, relishing the moment of calm they have now.