Chapter 2: Nice to Meet You
I walked in the medical ward to find out that tests were being run on Ben. I couldn't help but feel guilty, that I should've been able to save him. I sat in the waiting room for what seemed like hours hoping that Ben's injuries wouldn't have life-long consequences or that he was even alive. After a while, the head doctor came in to talk to me. "He's stable, but his injuries are very severe. He'll have to stay here for about two weeks." I sighed. At least while he was at the hospital, he was safe. That was my main concern. "Is he awake?" I asked. "Yes, he is. But he is very exhausted. Don't stay for too long, he needs his rest to get better." The doctor said. "Thank you so much for doing this. I know it's not easy to help your enemy." I thanked. "I overheard Leia talking to her closest officials about a month ago. Those who knew Ben when he was younger. They had so much faith in his goodness, and they still do. If Leia trusts him, then so do I." the doctor explained. I smiled and then walked to Ben's room.
I knocked softly and then heard a "Come in." That voice wasn't anything like Kylo Ren's. It was soft and warm, not cold and threatening. I hesitantly opened the door just a little bit, afraid of what I might see. I saw Ben laying on the bed looking at me expectantly. He had a few wires hooked up to him, but the image wasn't as vulgar as I had expected. He looked slightly beat up but not disfigured by any means. He seemed normal. I walked inside and shut the door behind me, keeping my distance. I was still nervous around him mainly because this side of him was so foreign to me. I didn't know what to expect. Ben seemed uncomfortable too as he looked around nervously and fidgeted with his hands. "Thank you for saving me." Ben said, finally breaking the silence. His voice shook ever so slightly. I nodded then said, "How are you feeling?" "I've been better, but I've been worse." Ben replied. He continued to fidget nervously. "You can sit if you want to." He added almost awkwardly. I sat down on the sofa next to his bed.
The tension in the room could break glass, but I was determined to make things comfortable between us. "I know things are kind of difficult right now, but I want you to be happy here. I want you to belong." I said. "I've never belonged anywhere, Rey." Ben sighed. "But I will help… however I can." I could tell Ben felt hopeless. I couldn't blame him, his life changed drastically in under twenty-four hours. I was certain he was still in a state of shock. "Well… if you need anything, don't bother asking. We're more than happy to help you." I said. I made sure to sound as if the entire Resistance was happy to help him to make him more comfortable. We could deal with the logistics and drama later when Ben was healed. "Thank you, Rey. It means more than you know." He smiled. That was the second time I had ever seen him smile. Hopefully Ben Solo was more optimistic than Kylo Ren. "If you don't mind, I want to come visit every so often. I wouldn't want you to be lonely, and I'm quite bored myself." I offered. Ben smiled again. His smile hit me straight in my heart. "That would be nice. Thank you." Ben replied.
As I left, I decided to take note of the things I learned about Ben. My first being that Ben was a very grateful person. He seemed genuinely thankful of all the care he was receiving. He didn't feel entitled to it. Though our conversation was brief, I was beginning to like Ben. Unlike our encounters during the war, he was very pleasant to be around. As I walked back to the apartment I was staying at, I saw everyone hugging each other and laughing. Some were even crying tears of joy. The end of the war would mark a new beginning for a lot of people; especially for me and Ben.
"Rey! You're okay!" I was engulfed by two large arms all the sudden. I knew exactly who it was. "Finn! How is everybody?" I asked. "Everyone is ecstatic. I still can't believe we did it." Finn beamed. "Me either. It was a long time coming." I replied. "Where have you been? After the battle, you kind of disappeared." Finn stated. I froze in that moment. How could I explain to Finn what happened? How could I explain to a First Order defector that his old boss had defected too? "I had to help somebody." I said vaguely. "Everybody needs help, especially now that the war is over. You think you made a new friend?" Finn asked. "Sort of… I've known him for a while." I stammered. I didn't want to lie, but I also didn't want to freak Finn out. "Oh, that's cool. When could I meet him?" Finn asked. "He's in the hospital, so not for a while." I replied, trying to divert Finn's attention away from the subject. "Hmmm… okay then." I saw a gleam in Finn's eyes. I knew what he was thinking, and he wasn't wrong. I couldn't reveal my feelings just yet; I had to focus on making people like Ben first.
As I continued on my way, I couldn't help but feel stressed about everything. Yes, the war had ended, but the fighting wasn't over yet. There was still so much to be done. At that moment, I expected me and Ben to connect through the Force. But that never happened; it was like the bond was gone.
Another chapter! I'm having so much fun writing this story! I hope you like the direction I'm taking with these characters. I think Ben is the most fun to write. Even though we don't see much of him yet, I have a lot of things planned for him (some good, some bad), but it's all going to work out in the end. This story has been in its planning stages for over two years which is insane! I've written all of it down over and over again. It's gone through so many rewrites and edits, but I'm finally in a good spot and typing it out. At first, I wrote it on paper. Also, this story is going to stay in Rey's POV because I feel like the sequels are in her POV anyway. I also think that's the best way to keep this story in order and less chaotic, because a lot of things are going to go down. Let me know if you're liking this so far!