AN: Sorry I have been MIA everyone. I have been traveling with limited computer access. I hope this section helps make up for my absence and I hope everyone is still enjoying the story. Thank you for the great reviews! It definitely helps the creative muse. J Please continue to read and review everyone.
The first thing that came to Luke's mind the next morning was Ari. She was going to be okay now. She was still sick, yes, but she was awake and talking coherently. Everything was going to be okay now. All that mattered was that now Ari would be alright. He had been so worried, especially because the last things they had said to each other had been said in anger.
Luke let out a deep sigh, letting himself sink down into the mattress a bit more, eyes still closed. He enjoyed the silence, which only lasted a few moments before his chrono alarm next to him started to beep insistently. He let out another sigh; this time it was an annoyed one. He seemed to always wake up only moments before his alarm would start, no matter what time it was set for. With his eyes still closed, giving a small groan, he reached his hand toward the small bedside table to turn it off. It took until the third wild swing of his hand to turn it off. However, it stopped.
At least, that was what Luke thought until a stream of chirps started, just inches from him.
Luke gave a start, eyes flying open as he sat up with a start, seeing Ari's R4 unit was right beside him. "You scared me!" he exclaimed, hand on his heart before running it up over his face and through his hair, blonde hair now darkened from not having a lot of exposure to the sunlight.
The droid gave a sound that Luke could only interpret as a laugh. Luke tried to scowl in response, but couldn't help but give a small laugh.
"What are you doing here?" he asked the droid, then paused as the droid gave a string of beeps, which Luke was unable to translate. "R4, I didn't catch that," he told the droid, who seemed to give a sigh, if a droid was able to give one.
"Wait, Ari! She's okay, isn't she?" Luke's heart skipped a beat, but was able to let out a small sigh of relief when the R4 gave a droid's version of a nod. "Am I needed in the med bay?" Luke asked, trying to figure out what the droid was sent for. Why else would the droid be here? Ari must have sent a message, or had a reason to send R4 to go to him. Once again, the droid gave an affirmative answer.
Luke quickly got changed, boots included, pulling on a second warm tunic as he started for the door, R4 following.
Luke realized, as he almost ran into three Rebels who were walking by his room at that moment, that it was later than he had thought. He must of set his chrono alarm wrong. He greeted the Rebels he passed with nod and a smile, though his mind was on Ari. Why had she sent R4 to him?
Finally, after a million possibilities had come to him, Luke and R4 reached the medical bay. Letting himself walk through the main area, he came to Ari's room. He noted that the door was shut, so he gave two soft knocks, just in case she was sleeping.
"Come in," a clearly male voice called back, and Luke frowned slightly. He didn't know that voice. Who would be with Ari?
However, Luke's worry faded once he entered the room, seeing that the man who had answered was the base's doctor. The doctor was sitting in a chair beside Ari, who was also sitting, with the support of pillows, like she had been last night. Unlike the previous night, her eyes were shining much like they had before becoming ill, and she seemed more alert. Even her skin seemed to be its normal color, unlike the pale, porcelain features that had graced her before. During that time, Luke had worried more, since it made her look as if she had died.
Now though, she looked much better. In fact, if it hadn't been for memories that he had, Luke would just assume she was tired, not having been on the verge of possible death from exposure.
"Luke," she smiled at him, and he found that her smile was contagious. One of the few things that should be contagious, he decided.
"Hey…I am guessing you sent R4 to come get me," he smiled back, going over to sit beside her on the bed.
"Yes. Oh, I should have sent the translator, but it seems you two worked it out," Ari pat the droid on the domed head, which resulted in a pleased series of chirps before the droid rolled to the power outlet to charge. R4 had been running on low power, having been watching over Ari as much as possible.
"So, what is going on?" Luke asked, glancing from Ari to the doctor, and back again.
"Well, Lieutenant Narabe has made excellent recovery," the doctor, Dr. Farres told him. "In fact, 2-1B, the medical droid has said she should be up and moving in a just another day or so."
Ari sighed at this. "I still have to stay in bed? When can I start patrolling again?" she asked
"I would say a few more days at least, maybe a week, just to be sure you don't relapse."
"But that is a long time," Ari insisted.
"It will be even longer if you push yourself too hard too soon," Farres reminded her. "But that leads me to why I asked you to summon Commander Skywalker."
The young Tatooine native looked over at Farres, then back at Ari, a bit perplexed. Why would the doctor have sent for him?
"I asked that you be here, because I would like to ask something of your, Commander Skywalker. I am aware that you and Lieutenant Narabe are friends from your home world."
"The best," Luke quickly spoke up.
"I have spoken with 2-1B and done tests as well. We feel that it would be best for Lieutenant Narabe to stay in bed and not do anything too strenuous just yet, because she will shortly be getting tired, I am sure."
Luke glanced over at Ari and realized that was true. Up close, she looked ever more tired than she had when he had looked at her from the doorway.
"However, we feel it would be better if she was able to stay in a room outside of the medical bay. We do not think she should be alone though. So, we would like to ask if she could stay in your room. Usually, we would ask someone such Major Toryn Farr or Princess Leia to use their quarters, since they are both females. Due to all the work that needs to be done, they are unavailable, and since you two are so close, I doubted it would be uncomfortable. Would it?"
Luke glanced at Ari, then at Farres. "I do not feel uncomfortable at all. In fact, I would be happy to."
"And Lieutenant?"
Ari nodded. "That sounds good. When will I be going there?"
"As soon you are both ready."
"My room is ready now," Luke offered. "I can get her things while she is resting."
"Get her things, and we will sent another bed to your room," Farres instructed. "I will be informing the Princess about this and any necessary changes that need to be made, can be done so."
Luke nodded, looking over at Ari, who gave him a small smile. She was getting better, but would still need more rest. The difficulty would be to convince her that she did need to sleep and stay in bed.
"I'll be right back," Luke assured her as he got up.
"I'll be right here," Ari joked back, leaning back against the pillows a bit more, hating how tired she always seemed to be.
Luke gave a smile back over his shoulder at her joke, and then hurried from the room, not running, but walking briskly towards Ari's room. He was surprised that Air would be staying with him. They hadn't spent a lot of time together. In fact, their time together since joining the Rebellion was spent in near death experiences and fighting in combat and with each other.
Resolving to change that, he entered her room, feeling a bit strange doing so, since he didn't know what she would need.
Her bed was not made, sheets and blankets still twisted from before. Frowning at this, he pulled them off the bed. He was sure that someone could wash them, and then the bed could be made again.
Setting those in the corner, he went to her closet, and started to look through her clothing. He finally selected a few warm tunics before moving to the small drawers nearby. He quickly grabbed some clothes from there, including some pajamas.
Satisfied, he looked around the room again. She had her belt with her at the med bay, which had the translator, and her lightsaber, so that meant less to worry about. He glanced around the room, and his eye fell on her nightstand. A journal. He thought back, realizing it was her mother's. She hadn't really wanted to discuss it.
He went over to it, picking it up, noting that it had aged, but not poorly. He weighed it in his hands, before slowly opening it. He knew that Ari would kill him if she found out. He was just curious. He flipped the pages carefully, yet quickly, not reading the words, but seeing a few holos posted in it. He stopped, then went back a few pages, seeing a picture. It was hard to tell who or what it was. It showed a man, about Luke's age, with eyes and hair color very similar to Luke's. He had a smile that didn't fully reach his other features. A young woman was with him. She looked so familiar, but he couldn't place why. Looking at the picture again, he shivered and quickly closed it. It left him with more questions, but decided not to ask about it. Not yet at least. It could wait until Ari was much better. Maybe she would even share without him asking.
Putting the journal away and into the bag on the floor, along with the clothes, and he slung it over his shoulder. He turned to leave, and then paused, looking around. The room was much like how he used to have his room back on Tatooine, he remembered with a sad smile. He felt like he had aged years, but he knew it had been only a short time. Probably less than two standard months.
That thought immediately led to another one and he rushed to the com unit, which showed the standard date. A small smile came to Luke's feature. It was Ari's birthday. She was now 19, like him. While they couldn't celebrate, he was sure that they could figure out something. There would be no gifts at this moment, but he hoped that next year, or the year after, he would be able to get her something, and celebrate with her, because they would be free.
With a smile at the thought, he hurried out of the room. He went to his room, and saw that the extra bed had already been brought. He took the clothes, hanging the tunics up, folding the other clothes, putting them in one of his drawers. He also set her journal on the table that was now between himself and Ari's bed.
Now, time to get Ari.