Part 9
Han Solo watched with horror the blood spreading on the white sheets. For the love of the Goddess, that was Leia's blood!
Before he had time to react though, Kay'leb Canaille was barking orders non stop.
"Princess, I need you to lay down and get as relaxed as you can. If a contraction comes, don't do anything; Toa and I need to see where the blood comes from... Mother, notify the other team, just in case we need a surgery..."
"Surgery?"
"Not now, General, let me work..." the Jedi Healer answered.
"Hey, where're you taking my daughter?" Han shouted anyway, noticing that Kampher had taken the still crying Jaina and was ready walk with her out of the room.
"General, she's upset enough by all this and we need to focus on the Princess... She will well tended to in the nursery..."
The Corellian smuggler hesitated, torn between his two duties. At last, he pulled out his comm unit. "Wait," he ordered Kampher. "Chewie, get your furry behind here, I need you!" He growled.
A louder growl that almost made him jump in the air answered him. *You were saying...?*
To Han's relief, Chewbacca was standing right there in doorway to the suite's waiting room. "How did you...?" He said, pulling both the older Healer and his friend away from the delivery room.
The giant Wookiee shrugged. *You weren't answering your comm. I just walked in and nobody stopped me...*
"I'll have a long conversation with the security chief after this...!" Solo grounded his teeth. "Alright, we have sort of an emergency here..."He cut his friend's further questions with a gesture. "Chewie, Healer Kampher is taking Jaina to the nursery, please go with her... I'll stay here with Leia."
*Jaina?* The mighty Wookiee inspected with interest the tiny bundle in the healer's arms. *Hey, congratulations, pal... *
"Yeah, yeah, save that for later... Now go!"
With a relieved sigh, Han went back and grabbed Leia's pale hand. Her skin felt cold and clammy, something he knew was a sure sign that she was loosing blood too quickly. "Han," she whispered, and her husband felt her tremble with fear. "Jaina..."
"Don't worry, Chewie and Kampher are taking care of her..."
"If I..." Her eyes were flooded with tears. "Don't let anything happen to this baby..."
"I won't, Sweetheart, I promise," he whispered back, kissing her brow. He glanced up to the Jedi Healers. They had their hands spread on Leia's exposed belly and their faces had a look of deep concentration. Kampher had reentered the room and waited respectfully one step behind her son.
"Yes! Good job, Toa, keep it like that..." Kay'leb said suddenly, a small smile twisting his tight lips.
"They're ready when you are, Kay..." her mother briefed him.
"I..." His blind eyes searched for the Princess and her husband's eyes, and seemed to find them. "There's been a disruption in the placenta, that's where the blood comes from. Toa has the hemorrhage under control, for now, but this baby needs to be born now or we risk loosing both of you. Do you understand?"
Both Han and Leia nodded before they remembered the Healer could not see them. "Yes," Han croaked.
"Alright, you have two choices..." He made a small pause. "We can have him out by surgery, and that will be quick but not that quick, or you can trust Toa and myself and let us try something and have this child squealing and safe in less time. I'm afraid the Princess will need some surgery anyway but the risk will be less once the baby is out of the way. What is your choice?"
"What if you fail?"
The question had come from Leia. Her voice had become suddenly cold and firm, cutting the quiet air like a knife. Healer Canaille did not flinch.
"If we don't succeed, we'll have the other team here in less than ten seconds and we'll follow the usual proceeding for these cases. The delay won't affect you or the baby as long as Toa keeps his control... but we can't say for how long. We're loosing precious time -" he pressed.
"Toa?" Han asked in the gentlest of whispers.
"Kaysa and I will do our best not to fail you, General, Milady... Please trust us," Toa whispered back, his eyes closed and his face relaxing somewhat, like Han had seen Luke do when he fell into deep meditation.
The former smuggler and the Princess exchanged a glance that seemed to last forever.
"Do it..." She ordered. Her husband nodded.
"Alright," Kay'leb took the lead again. "Princess, while Toa keeps the bleeding under control, I'm going to help your baby out. His sister has done half of the work all ready and I'm going to do the rest. But I'll need all my concentration to not harm him and I won't be able to help you manage the pain like last time. I want you to get ready for this, because it's going to be rough. Are you with me?"
"I'm ready," Leia Organa Solo answered without faltering. "Do what you need to do."
"Great. Mother, you'll receive the... How are you calling him?" His hands kept roaming Leia's belly, as if he was taking some kind of measurements. "I can't keep calling him baby, he'll consider myself his worse enemy after this..."
"Jacen," Han provided.
"Ok. Mother, I need you to check Jacen as soon as he's out, General, you're with the Princess... Are we ready?"
**
"Ma-mere? Pay-pa? Are you there?" Pemberian's voice echoed from the lift's com. "Did I get it fixed?" A few muttered curses, most of them exclusively Corellian but a few choice Outer Rim, and for a brief moment, Luke absently thought about having a word with 'Uncle Han' about what he was saying around his easily impressionable little girl.
"Pem?" Luke and Aubé chorused together. "We're here, where are you?"
Breathless with excitement now, Pem called back. "I think we're two levels below you, Pay-pa! There a was burny stink coming from the control panel when we got here, and the lift didn't work so we took the stairs but I think I fixed it now! Just one sec!"
A few moments later, the lift doors closed, and the hum of machinery thrummed through the room, and within minutes, Luke found himself with an armful of giggling, happy little girl.
"Pay-pa! I brought a Healer for Ma-mere!" she began, but her voice trailed off as she stared at her mother and the newborn baby suckling at her breast.
Now that he had stepped out of the shadow, Luke took in the visage and 'Healer' that had captivated his little girl. He's smaller than I thought, Luke thought to himself absently Older too, probably… He didn't voice these opinions aloud, however, more intent on getting his wife back down to the Healer's center, and taking in the moment of peace between them.
"Ma-mere," Pem said softly, "It's my brother! What's his name?"
Luke cast his eyes back to Aubé, who was stroking the top of the baby's head. They had discussed several potential names for their unseen son, but now, none of them seemed to fit.
"I don't know," Aubé murmured softly. "I chose your name, and Tam's… Ask your father…"
"What's his name, Pay-pa?" Pemberian whispered. "He needs a name!"
Nico, Pemberian's companion bowed deeply. "I will bring help," and as quietly as a shadow, the boy disappeared back into the turbo lift, barely noticed.
"Pay-pa?" Pem pressed, gently touching the baby's hand with her finger. "Do you know it, yet?"
Luke squatted down, and when he spoke again, it was like a whispered prayer.
"Ben," he murmured. "His name is Ben…"
**
If Han thought that Jaina's birth had been shocking and painful – for both Leia and him – he realized now that he had been sadly mistaken.
The aftermath of it all had left him feeling a bit drowsy, like a bad hangover about to strike. He had found himself suddenly alone in the suite, sinking in one of the couches, his head hanging between his knees and his fingers messing his already messed up hair a bit more.
His mind was still a chaos of images and sounds, sensations and feelings that started to fade and then resurged anew as he tried to recall exactly what he had lived in the past few hours. He wondered if any of it had been real or if it was just some kind of twisted nightmare from which he was about to wake up to find his wife sleeping peacefully and still very pregnant at his side.
A string of faces flew behind his closed eyelids. Kay'leb's mouth alternatively cursing and coaxing, talking softly to Jacen as if he was guiding him through his first flying excercise; Toa's face bathed in sweat; Leia's eyes dilated by terror...What was surely real was the numbness in his hand that was starting to painfully disappear. The hand that Leia had unmercifully squeezed while her white teeth drew blood from her ashen-colored lips, her unnatural self-control keeping her from moving or screaming through the ordeal that was their son's birth.
She had looked so small and frail, so incredible young. So strong.
He now realized that this must have been exactly how she looked during her torture in the Death Star, so many years ago. How the old son of a gundark had failed to recognize her for what she was, who she was in that moment was beyond his understanding. How could he not see. How could he not love her.
At last the baby had been born. Jacen. Probably the ugliest baby he had ever seen, poor little guy, covered in blood from head to toe, his skull frightfully deformed by the strain of the birth. There had been only time for him to kiss his forehead and place him for a few short seconds on Leia's chest before Kampher whisked him away to be further checked on. And then they had taken Leia away too, and he had been left to wait.
Wait. Never his strongest suit.
The door swished open.
He jumped out of the couch and confronted the couple of tired looking Jedi Healers, Toa and Kay'leb.
"My… My son!" Han stammered. "Leia…"
"They are fine, General Solo," Toa said smoothly in his gentle way, reassuring him instantly. "Master Kampher will return both children to their mother to bond soon – she will wake up in a short while. You may join them if you wish…"
If I wish? Some of the old bravado crept back into Han's demeanor. "Nah, I was thinking about running up Luke, and going out for an ale instead," he said bitingly. "Of course I want to see them!"
The other Healer began to laugh. "Of course, General!" Kay'leb replied, merriment dancing in his sightless eyes. "As for Master Skywalker, you may actually get your wish sooner than you think. We've just received another call on the secure com, and I must prepare the other room for our newest guest after all…"
"Aubé? Now?" Solo asked, his eyes going round with surprise.
"Not now, General," Healer Canaille provided. "It seems that we all became uncles again about an hour ago," he shrugged, smiling impishly. "And I'll buy you that ale if you guess where my darling sis chose to give birth!" The Corellian finished, now laughing openly.
Toa shook his head afectionatelly and sighed.
Han Solo tried to imagine what kind of trouble Luke and that wild wife of his could have gotten into, but finally gave up. Anything was possible with the kid.
He released a short laugh himself but then his face sobered again. "Another day, perhaps... I guess I owe you a couple of kegs anyway, Master Canaille, Healer Toa," he said almost formally.
Then, with a quick glance to his companion, he ofered his hand to shake first to the blind Jedi.