Chapter 37
"I haven't been able to see him yet, Mom," Padmé told her mother. "I will let you know when I do. How are Luke and Leia?"
"They don't understand why you're not here," Jobal said. "What do you want me to tell them, Padmé?"
"I wish I knew," Padmé sighed. "I don't want to upset them. Some birthday they're having," she said.
"I'll do my best to distract them," Jobal said. "But I don't know how long I can do that."
"I'll be home after I've seen Anakin," Padmé said. "I will tell them what's going on then."
"Good enough," Jobal said. "I'll see you later, then."
"Bye Mom," Padmé said. As she was saying goodbye to her mother, Padmé saw Dr. Halpern approaching her, Ruwee and Obi-Wan. The two men stood up to meet her.
"If you'd like to come with me, I'll bring you to Anakin now," Dr. Halpern said to Padmé.
"Yes please," Padmé said. She gave her father a quick hug and then left with the doctor.
"Why don't you go help your wife with the twins, Mr. Naberrie," Obi-Wan suggested. "I'll stay here with Padmé."
Ruwee nodded. "Very well," he said. "Have her contact us when she can."
"I will," Obi-Wan said. He waited for Ruwee to depart before sitting down again to meditate on Anakin's condition.
Padmé felt her heart starting to race as they approached the room where Anakin had been brought. Dr. Halpern keyed in the security code for the critical care unit and glanced back at Padmé. "Ready?" she asked.
"Yes," Padmé said, though in truth she wasn't sure that she would ever be ready.
Dr. Halpern continued through the doors and down the corridor, stopping at a room and then entering the room. Padmé followed her, bracing herself for what she would see. She gasped when she saw Anakin. He was lying on a diagnostic bed, with a ventilator over his face. He was hooked up to life support machinery that would keep his heart and lungs working while he was in stasis. The prostheses were gone, and there were bacta bandages wrapping the ends of his truncated arms and legs. Padmé felt her eyes fill with tears as she beheld him.
"He's a very strong young man," Dr. Halpern said as Padmé slowly walked to the bedside. "That's what sustained him."
Padmé nodded. I can't even hold his hand, she thought with a frown. I can't touch him at all... "How long will he be on life support?" she asked, not taking her eyes from him.
"It's impossible to predict, I'm afraid," Dr. Halpern said. "We want to monitor him overnight, and if all goes well, he will be moved to a bacta tank tomorrow."
Padmé nodded, as a wave of fatigue washed over her. Dr. Halpern noticed, and walked over to her.
"Go home and get some sleep," she said. "You need to take care of yourself. He will be in stasis for a while in my estimation."
Padmé looked at her. "Today is our twins' birthday," she said tearfully. "How am I going to tell them that their daddy is lying unconscious fighting for his life?"
The doctor didn't know what to say. "I'm so sorry," she said. "We will do everything we can to get him home again soon."
"Thank you," Padmé whispered. She looked down at Anakin, wishing she could touch him, to let him know even on a subconscious level that she was here. I'll be back soon, she told him. I love you, Ani.
"He's going to be all right," Obi-Wan told Padmé as he flew the shuttle to the lake house. "Anakin knows how to heal himself now, remember? He's going to be just fine."
Padmé nodded, watching numbly as the city gave way to countryside. "What if he isn't mentally aware enough to do that? He's in stasis right now," she explained.
Obi-Wan frowned. "But that won't be for long," he pointed out. "Once he's aware of his situation, he will fight hard to recover. Anakin has been through so much in his young life, Padmé. He's not about to give up now."
"I hope you're right," she said quietly. "The thought of losing him now..." she stopped as her tears overcame her again.
Obi-Wan reached over and took her hand, doing the best that he could to comfort her.
Luke and Leia ran to their mother, sensing her arrival even before she set foot in the door. That wasn't the only thing that they had sensed.
"What happened to Daddy?" Leia cried as she and her brother reached Padmé.
"Is he okay?" Luke asked, his large blue eyes, identical to his father's, full of fear and anguish.
Padmé gathered her children to her, not at all surprised that they had sensed their father's accident. "He needs the doctors to help him feel better," she told them, fighting to keep her composure. "He will be okay, but right now he needs a lot of rest and special care."
"Can we see him?" Leia asked.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Padmé said gently. "He needs special equipment to help him get better, and it's hard to see him right now."
Luke and Leia frowned in an identical manner, not quite understanding.
"I'm sorry your birthday hasn't been very happy," Padmé told them. "But when Daddy comes home, we'll have a great big party to celebrate, okay?"
"Okay," the twins responded sadly. And then, as if on cue, they both burst into tears. Padmé hugged them close as she cried too, wishing she had the words to console her beloved twins. But right now she was as frightened as they were, and just as lost as they were without Anakin.
With the help of her parents, Padmé managed to get the twins to bed at last. It had been a stressful evening for everyone. Luke and Leia were very subdued, each of them worried and scared. They finally gave in to fatigue, having been up very early that morning.
"Poor babies," Padmé said as she stood in the doorway, watching the twins sleep. "What a terrible birthday they've had!"
Jobal put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "They'll be fine," she said. "Like you told them, we'll have a big party for them when their father is home. Children are resilient, Padmé."
"I know," Padmé said as she quietly closed the door to the children's room. "They're so frightened," she said. "I wish I could allay their fears, but I feel the very same way that they do."
Jobal nodded. "You should go to bed too," she said as they walked down the hallway. "You were up very early, and have had a very stressful day."
Padmé sighed. She was exhausted, but wondered how she'd ever sleep with all the worries that occupied her mind. "I will try," she said at last. "But I'm not sure how easy it will be for me to sleep."
"Try," Jobal said. She took her daughter's face in her hands. "I know you're scared," she said. "I know how much you love Anakin. You have to have faith that he will be fine, Padmé. You have to believe that he is strong enough to pull through this."
"I know," Padmé said. "Thank you for being her, Mom," she said, hugging her mother tightly. "I don't know what I'd have done if you and Daddy hadn't been here today!"
Jobal smiled as she returned the hug. "Where else would we be?" she said. "Goodnight love," she said, kissing Padmé on the cheek. "I hope you get some sleep."
"Me too," said Padmé
The next morning
Luke and Leia were cranky when they got up, making it a tense morning for everyone. Padmé desperately wanted to go to the hospital to see Anakin, but didn't feel right about leaving her miserable children with her parents. Finally Ruwee had a marvelous suggestion.
"Why don't we pack a picnic and go to the beach for the morning?" he said to Luke and Leia. "It's a beautiful morning. How would you like that?"
His suggestion worked, and within an hour, Padmé and Jobal had the children ready to go and a picnic lunch packed.
"Thanks again," Padmé said to her parents. "I appreciate all that you're doing."
"Stop thanking us, Padmé," Jobal said. "We're family, this is what families do."
Padmé smiled, gave her children a hug and then they ran off with their grandparents, their foul mood dispelled by the thoughts of sunshine and swimming. Padmé got ready and headed up to the landing platform, where Obi-Wan was waiting for her.
"Good morning, Padmé," Obi-Wan said, giving her a smile.
"Good morning," Padmé said. "Thank you for coming with me."
"No need to thank me," he said. "I'm anxious to see how Anakin is as well."
Padmé nodded. "Let's go, shall we?"
Theed Hospital
"How is he today, Doctor?" Padmé asked as she stood at the foot of Anakin's bed.
"There's been no change since last night," the doctor replied.
"That's a good thing though, isn't it?" Padmé said. "I mean, he's no worse, right?"
"No, he's no worse, no better," he replied. Padmé found the doctor presently on duty to be not nearly as warm as Dr. Halpern.
"Dr. Halpern said that he would be moved to a bacta tank today," Padmé said. "Will that be happening soon?"
The doctor, whose name was Miles Donnovan, looked up from the datapad he was examining. "Yes, within the hour, actually," he said. "You'll have to wait in the family area while we move him, I'm afraid."
"I see," Padmé said. "Please let me know when I can see him."
"You won't be able to see him when he's in the bacta tank," Donnovan told her. "I thought you understood that."
Padmé frowned. "I'm aware of that," she said. "But I still want to know when he's been moved."
She left the room, her anger simmering under the surface. Obi-Wan saw it in her eyes as soon as she rejoined him in the waiting area.
"What's wrong?" Obi-Wan asked.
"An arrogant doctor," Padmé said, sitting down.
Obi-Wan frowned. "Really? Shall I have a word with him?"
"No," Padmé said. She sighed. "I guess I'm just impatient and worried," she said. "He told me they're moving Anakin into a bacta tank. And apparently I'm not allowed to be present while they do this."
"Well that's preposterous," Obi-Wan said, sitting down beside her. "You're his wife!"
Padmé nodded. "I guess that's not good enough," she said.
"Well I suppose all we can do is wait," Obi-Wan said. "I know that's not what you want to hear, Padmé, but I'm afraid that's the truth of the matter."
Padmé sighed. "I know," she said quietly. She felt the tears rise to her eyes. "I just wish this had never happened," she said. "Why, Obi-Wan? Why now? Hasn't he been through enough?"
Obi-Wan took her hand. "He's been through more than anyone I know," he said. "And that's how I know he'll get through this, Padmé. He's tough, Padmé, the toughest person I know. He has too much to live for, and he will fight through this. We have to hold on to that."
Padmé nodded as the tears rolled down her face. I'm doing my best, she thought. That's all I can do.