Jusik seemed hyper-aware of the youngest Obrim. Even when he dropped into the healing trances he picked up on her shifts in mood and space. More than once he smiled at the sound of her laughter while he was deeply concentrating. And it didn't seem a distraction. He regretted that she would be leaving soon to rejoin college life. Her whims and demands had enlivened Fi's sickroom. The girl-woman was determined that the clone would live-and beyond that, that he would live free and for a long, long time. And, as she liked to say, she usually ended up getting her way, so why stop now?
Meek kept her promise. The care droid stayed shut down during her break from her classes at the university. She saw to all of Fi's physical needs-to an extent that embarrassed Jusik at times. She completely ignored him when he was in what she termed "jedi-mind-mold-mode" and went about her business. She only once broke his concentration.
"Shit," she muttered, changing the bag attached to Fi's catheter.
"What?" Jusik complained, turning around. Disconnecting from his trance-like sessions left him wrung out at best. Being wrenched from one awareness to another so abruptly sent him reeling.
"His urine output," she complained. "It's too dark. And there's a ratio discrepancy between volume in and volume out." Jusik watched her frown at the dark yellow liquid in the collection bag. "I need to you to do something else for a minute," she decided, dropping the bag into the biowaste container to be sent to the sanitizer. She foamed her hands clean, then reached to lower Fi's bed. When the man was flat and prone, eyes still showing signs of uncoordinated movement although he was able to grunt in response at times, she rolled him to his side.
"Here," she ordered, placing Jusik's hands as she thought appropriate. "This is where his kidneys are. Kidneys are cleansing organs. He's getting enough fluid. But it's not getting through his bladder. That's why his urine is so dark."
"Can't we just increase fluids?" Jusik asked.
"If his kidneys are not functional at peak capacity we're just adding stress. And I'd rather not blow him up like a water balloon and see where he leaks the most. So this is your job...Smooth, dark pink tissue. No calcifications, no muscle spasms, no pressure. I want him clean and smooth. Got it?" Her hands felt warm over his as he closed his eyes. She undulated her palms lightly and her voice took on a meditative tone, becoming slow and measured. "I need you to envision his bloodstream taking the nutrients to his muscles and bones and sinews. I need each cell to fill with fluid. I need cell walls to be strong and permeable and-"
"I've got it," Jusik whispered. The warmth of his breath stirred her hair.
"Kidney function is important," she argued.
"I know that," he agreed softly.
"It's a simple formula. You'd see it work in yourself. It's a measure of how healthy you-"
"Meek. I've got it. I've got you. I've got him. He's going to be fine. Watch."
Jusik kept Fi on his side, gently spreading his hands and mind to include all the other organs and systems that he'd been ignoring while he functioned on Fi's brain. Meek told him briefly how each worked and from her tones he drew inferences and pictures of the bare minimums required for full function. At the end of two hours the woman was exhausted. She slumped against Jusik as he rolled Fi onto his back again.
Fi's hand twitched toward the girl as Jusik sat him up. She had taken to using the former-RC's hand to hold a cup, straw to his lips, while she used a actually assist him in drinking whatever tea or smoothie she'd concocted.
"Can I help you-" It was as far as he got. The young woman before him melted and it was all he could do to catch her on her way down. "Shab," he muttered, gathering her fairy-tale style to his chest.
"A little help here!" he yelled, stepping into the hall.
Findle stepped out of his bedroom. "Mom! Dad! The jedi killed Meekie!"
Obrim came running. The sound of his wife's heels clattered on floor behind him.
"Shab, son, what happened?"
"She just collapsed," Jusik explained as Obrim felt for pulse.
Telti Obrim burst into tears. "What's she done to herself now?" she cried. Findle stepped toward his mother and his brother finally emerged form his room.
"Shush, now, everyone," Obrim said calmly. "She probably just exhausted herself, what with staying with Fi all the time and then hitting the books, plus God knows what kind of new cleansing ritual she's been practicing. Let's all just take a deep breath and-"
Jusik shifted Meek in his arms and closed his eyes, reaching out in the force toward her. Nothing seemed broken or wrong.
"See, she's already coming around," he heard his host say as if through water. When he opened his eyes the young woman was blinking her own open.
She jerked in his arms, nearly dislodging herself. "What the hell?!"
"You passed out," Jusik grinned. "I think you need to balance your chakras or light some kind of bell candle or-"
"Eat," her brother suggested.
"Quit inhaling vitamin supplements," Fin added.
Obrim reached out to relieve Jusik of his burden.
"Daddy, I can walk," Meek complained.
"Yeah, right," Jusik threw in to be helpful. "A minute ago you couldn't even stand up. You're wearing yourself out."
She peered through the open doorway at the clone whose movement was definitely indicative of his awareness of the situation.
"Are you going to let them talk to me that way, Fi Skirata?"
Jusik glanced over his shoulder. Beamed at the man who he'd absolutely swear winked at them. He hoped the noise was the clone's attempt at a laugh instead of him choking on the vile liquid his savior insisted on feeding the poor man.
"You need real food and my man there needs something in his stomach. Two or three dozen pastries, a roba steak, and six cases of Daruuvian champagne, bare minimum, right, Fi?"