Hi folks!
I was going to start this note with the old saying: "I've got good news and bad news."
But then I thought that maybe not everyone will see any of my news as bad. So now I'll just say that I've got two pieces of news and I'll let you folks label them however you like.
I made my deadline and I'm updating this story today. Yay!
This story still has one more chapter to go.
I'll give more details on why in the note after the chapter, so as not to give any spoilers.
For now, enjoy!
-Moki
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Bo stood outside the door to Din's room, her breath coming fast as she endeavored to remain stationary and silent.
A few minutes ago, the Mandalorian princess had woken from a fitful sleep on the couch and walked down the hall, headed for the fresher. After that, she planned to relieve Med so the medic could rest a bit. But the sound of Din's soft voice had stilled her steps before she reached her destination.
When Bo heard the man who had become one of her best friends beg for someone to care for his son if he died, she felt like she couldn't breathe. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to get away from the sound of weakness in Din's voice and the helpless words he was saying.
Bo managed to stay quiet until she made it outside the cabin and palmed the door closed behind her. A sound escaped her then, a harsh gasp she blamed on the shocking slap of cold air that assaulted her as soon as she was out of the warm home.
She started walking, unsure of where she was going, just knowing that she needed to keep moving. Trembling shudders rolled across her body, her breaths turning to pants as she picked up her pace, shaking her hands to try and hide the tremors. She wanted to forget what she'd just heard, forget what the implications were, to deny the hurt that she and the rest of them were about to feel.
Everywhere she looked there were reminders of better times. The pond where she had laughed while watching Grogu floating frogs. The porch with the chair that she'd often seen Din sitting and watching his son when she landed for her visits. But she couldn't deny what was happening any longer.
Din was dying.
When Bo sat by Din's bedside during her part of the long night watch over the sick man, she hadn't let her thoughts go to such a dark place as contemplating his death. Any time she felt worried for her friend, she reminded herself to be calm, to trust Med's assessment that Din would fight off the effects of the nano-droids.
Now Bo forced herself to look at the severity of the situation. Din was very sick. Grogu, even with his immense powers hadn't been able to help. Bacta was useless against the nano-droids, as they weren't a typical injury or illness. Din's immune system, while powerful compared to most people, was struggling to keep the things at bay as they kept replicating inside of him.
Hearing Din asking for Med to care for his son, Bo knew it was time to make some hard choices. After all, she had fought to get their planet back as the leader of Mandalore, and this was part of what it meant to lead – making tough decisions.
She stopped her frantic pacing, taking a deep breath and standing up straighter as she resolved to be strong. She decided first that if things continued to get worse, if it looked like Din would die - her hands gripped into fists at the thought - Grogu would need to say goodbye. It broke her heart to consider, but Bo would do everything in her power to ensure that it happened, to do what was best for the child. As hard as it would be for him, for all of them, she would not deny him the chance to say farewell to his father.
She felt anguish for the child, but he would be cared for; she and Med would see to it. In fact, now that she'd seen how close the medic was with Din, she wouldn't be surprised if Med adopted the child if Din was gone. Though she couldn't help but think what an awful Life Day memory it would be for them.
Bo wasn't allowing herself to think of what it would mean to her if Din died. She had to concentrate on his son and his clansman. She was just a friend, and her pain would never be the same as theirs. That's what she told herself, anyway. Inside, she found the sadness from even the thought of his death tearing her apart more than she thought it should.
She'd dealt with the loss of other Mandalorians, other friends, other… family. Shouldn't she be smarter by now? Why was she letting herself get so close to this man and his son? Didn't she know better than to make connections to people? Hadn't her past experience taught her that? People she cared for died. That's what happened. That's what always happened.
Din's quiet pleas were still ringing in Bo's ears when her mind drifted into darkness again, making plans for his death ceremony. Din had been instrumental in getting them back to Mandalore, he deserved to be remembered well. His Song would end with what he had done for them, she would make sure of it. Bo kept telling herself that it was better this way, easier if she viewed him as already gone.
Suddenly she felt a wash of guilt, wondering if somehow, she was partially to blame for Din's condition. She had told the man to loosen up at home when he was with his son. What if he'd been less than vigilant in the field because of her advice? What if he was dying because she thought it best he take a step back and not be so rigid?
Bo decided then, that even if by chance he survived, she wouldn't get close or allow herself to visit Din and Grogu again. She couldn't be tempted to make another friend that could then be taken away by an enemy. She also couldn't risk Din and Grogu's lives with her less-than-sage advice. Like telling a man who was a bounty hunter by trade, working with the New Republic to help clean up Imperial remnants and almost constantly surrounded by enemies to let his guard down.
Brilliant, Kryze, just brilliant. If he does survive this, why not go ahead and tell him to take off the helmet and armor and go chase Imperial remnants with nothing but a kitchen knife?
"Bo!"
Bo's reverie was shattered by Med's voice, and she looked up to find him bursting out of the cabin door. She was terrified that the worst had happened while she'd been outside in the cold morning air. Had they lost Din, and she hadn't been able to ensure Grogu got to say goodbye? If so, she'd never forgive herself.
"What's wrong?" she was already walking back toward the cabin, internally erecting steel walls around her heart and feelings, prepared for the worst.
"Nothing," Med assured her. "Well, nothing more than before. His condition hasn't changed but I thought of something. You said that Din had work done on the cabin, in the fresher. Who did it?"
Bo tamped down the immense relief that almost had her reeling from the medic's words. She was confused, but curious where he was going with his line of reasoning.
"The Anzellans," she answered. "Din said they're good mechanics and some of the best droidsmiths he's ever met. He even had them rebuild the IG-11 to make him the marshal."
"That's what I figured. Do you know how to get hold of them?"
"I don't but High Magistrate Karga will. Why?
"What Din has isn't an illness or an injury. It's not even a typical poisoning. All of those things I know how to treat, but this is different."
"Because it's nano-droids," Bo said, starting to catch on to what he was thinking.
"Exactly. And those little things are basically just mini droids, so…"
"Call in the droidsmiths. Med, that's brilliant. I'll contact Karga right now."
Greef came right away with the Anzellans and as Bo had suspected, the High Magistrate wasn't pleased to learn that he hadn't been informed of Din's condition sooner.
"Your Highness, why didn't you tell me what was happening when you called the other day?"
"Because we were nearly here anyway, and I knew you needed to concentrate on your people. I'm sorry I didn't deliver the message then. I thought we had it under control, and I didn't want to trouble you when you had more important matters to attend."
"I appreciate the concern, but this man is a very old friend. No matter what the circumstances please inform me of such things in the future." He said it without anger, just as a man worried about his friend, and Bo nodded.
"Of course, I apologize. You have my word."
"Thank you, I am happy he's had such good help here for him. Now let's see if our little droid experts can assist."
Bo introduced Med as a medic from Din's clan and he told Greef and the Anzellans about Din's condition, its cause, and his ideas about how the Anzellans might be able to help. Greef brought his protocol droid so it could translate, which made things easier. The Anzellans could speak some Basic, but Greef wanted to be sure there was nothing lost while communicating about something this important.
Med showed the Anzellans the images of what he'd found in Din's blood. Through the droid, who helped with more complicated aspects of the conversation, the Anzellans asked to see the nano-droids live. Med pulled out the scanner and let them see the latest sample of Din's blood he had pulled.
Grogu stayed in Din's room, choosing to be with his father while the discussion happened in the living area. Bo checked on him as Med, Greef and the Anzellans went over options with the help of the protocol droid. Greef hadn't asked to see Din, which she felt was for the best. Din might be sleeping, but there was no need to cause stress from having visitors ogle him while he was unwell.
Bo came back into the front room after checking on Din and Grogu. The Anzellans had been chattering away for a while in their native tongue and finally stopped. The leader turned to the protocol droid and spoke a few short sentences.
The droid nodded and turned the rest of them. "Apparently, their plan is to treat Mr. Djarin…"
"Lord Djarin."
Everyone in the room turned to Greef in surprise.
"I beg your pardon, High Magistrate?" the droid queried.
"This man is landed gentry on Nevarro, which comes with a title. Please refer to him as Lord Djarin from this point forward."
"Of course, my apologies, High Magistrate," the droid bowed slightly. "I have updated my internal records to indicate that this Mandalorian is to be known as Lord Djarin."
Bo had known about the landed gentry designation, but this latest information was new. Din hadn't mentioned anything about a title, but she was aware that such an appointment could come with one. The fact Din had never mentioned it could simply mean he had no idea about it, much as the droid hadn't. Greef had probably been waiting until the planet's charter had been updated, and then do something special to inform Din. She knew for a fact he had completed the new charter recently, as they'd just finished their trade agreements between Nevarro and Mandalore.
Lord Djarin, she thought. I don't know how Din will feel about that, but if anyone deserves such an honor, it would be him.
"The Anzellans say that their plan is to create a secondary variant of nano-droid, which will attack and destroy the ones that are currently infecting Lord Djarin," the droid explained.
Bo saw Grogu coming into the room, and she instinctively went to him. He didn't seem to want to be picked up, so she waited and watched as he walked slowly to the Anzellans. She wondered how much of the conversation the little one had heard.
The leader of the Anzellans noticed Grogu and turned toward the child.
Din had told Bo about the "bad baby" story, making her laugh out loud one night after Grogu had gone to sleep. As she watched the Anzellan walk up to Grogu, she had a sudden instinct to stop it from touching the child, afraid it would still be angry about the "squeezy" incident. But something else told her to hold back. There were no signs of malice in the little droid master that she could see.
With tears in his eyes, Grogu looked at the droidsmith as if asking for help. The Anzellan leader spoke in a soft tone to the boy.
"Dad be okay. Promise."
Grogu blinked, looking about as surprised as Bo felt. Then the Anzellan did something even more startling. It reached out and hugged Grogu, patting his back gently.
"Good baby."
The droidsmith turned and called to his comrades, yelling in their own language. Before heading to their ship, the leader turned back to Bo and Med.
"We help Mando. Good man. Make better. Come back soon. Wait."
Bo nodded. "Thank you," she said sincerely.
After asking to see if there was anything else they needed to keep Din comfortable, Greef left with his droid. Once they had all gone, Med looked at Bo. She couldn't see his eyes under the helmet, but she caught the meaning of his glance anyway.
We just need to keep Din alive until the Anzellans return.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Bo went back to putting her attention on Grogu while Med kept his focus on Din. She was still planning on stepping away from Din and his son if the Mandalorian should survive, but with him fighting for his life, she was needed.
Med wasn't sure how long it would take the Anzellans to create their version of an antidote for the nano-droid poison, so he was looking for any other ways he could find to help Din. Med had no doubt that if he were the one who had been infected, he would already be dead. Din's attacker had probably assumed that Din would succumb almost immediately, dying in his ship before even reaching his destination. Which meant they also had no remorse about leaving his son to possibly die alone in a ship with no way to get home.
When this was over, once his brother was well again, Med really hoped they'd get a chance to find the person or persons responsible for all of this. He was usually more of a healer than a fighter, but he was still a Mandalorian and a fully trained one. He had no problem ending the life of anyone who harmed his family.
Luckily Din was strong, much stronger than he was. The medic wasn't degrading himself by saying that his brother was stronger. It was simply a fact. Din had traveled more, had been exposed to a plethora of viruses and other illnesses, building up a natural resistance to many.
But Med also knew that he had talents as well. Din would be dead many times over if not for his skills as a medic. Ones he had honed thanks to having a brother who had often come home early in his career suffering from various injuries and illnesses. Which had challenged the medic to learn new techniques to help his brother heal. Din's strength and Med's knowledge meant they could take on almost anything that tried to attack the bounty hunter. Right now, Din just needed a little bit of help and maybe he could overcome this.
Med's head shot up from where he'd been reading Din's vital signs for the countless time. He suddenly realized there was something he could do.
"Bo?"
She came into the room, Grogu in her arms.
"What is it?"
"I need your help with something. I think I know a way we can give Din an extra boost to fight these things."
"What?"
"My blood. He needs more antibodies, and a fresh supply of healthy blood will do that."
"You have the same blood type?"
"No, but I'm a universal donor. Getting his own type would be ideal, but this is better than nothing."
"Okay, I'll just give Grogu something to eat and come right back."
He nodded. "I'll get everything set up in the meantime."
When Bo came back, Med had a bunch of gear ready. He had also removed his armor from one arm and rolled up the sleeve on his flight jacket.
"I can do nearly all of the procedure myself, but it will be easier to have a second set of hands for some of it," Med said.
"Of course."
Med decided to move into the living area to sit on the couch and utilize the armrest. Having finished his food, Grogu came over to watch curiously as the medic prepped.
Bo nearly asked the child to go sit with his dad, but it seemed like a useless gesture. She knew Grogu had already seen much worse in his travels. At least the blood wasn't going to be coming from an injury, and Med was a medical professional. In fact, she decided it might be good education for the kid, a continuation of the field medicine Din had been teaching Grogu.
Med quickly put a line in his arm, only needing Bo's assistance to set up a few things while his blood flowed into the bag. Once he'd collected a unit, he clipped off the flow.
"I'll give this to him for now and if I need to do another unit, we'll do that later. I want to see what happens first," Med said when he was done.
"All of that pretty much went over my head, but you're the expert so I'm trusting whatever you say," Bo replied.
Med chuckled. "Fair enough. Can you cut off a piece of that tape?"
Bo did as she was asked, already wearing surgical gloves as instructed by the medic. Med pulled the needle from his arm, then used gauze to put pressure on with his other hand, bending his elbow to add more compression.
"Now just take that bit of folded gauze, put it on the wound when I pull my hand away, then tape it down."
Bo got ready and swiftly put the gauze and tape on his arm when Med released his hand. The medic looked down at the wound, noting that it wasn't bleeding much.
"Great job, thanks."
"No problem. I've always wanted to be a nurse."
He gave a quick laugh. "Well, you do make a great assistant if I may say so, Lady Kryze."
"Why, thank you."
Med took the bag of blood to Din's room. He hooked it up to the line in Din and set it to flow into the ailing Mandalorian with a pensive sigh.
"Now what?" Bo asked.
"Now we wait and see if it helps. I'm hoping this at least buys him some more time while the Anzellans do their thing."
"Okay, in the meantime, you're going to sit down in Grogu's room and I'm bringing you something to eat and drink. I will let you know if anything changes with Din."
She could feel Med's mouth opening under the helmet, ready to protest and she held up her hand to him.
"Nope, no complaints. I know you didn't give much blood, but you said yourself you may have to give more so I want you hydrated, fed, and rested if that happens."
Med didn't move, obviously debating whether he should fight her on this, wanting to stay near Din.
"Now, Mandalorian," she pointed to the door and Med shook his head with a laugh. Din hadn't been wrong when he said that no one could resist Bo when she used that tone of voice.
"Yes, my lady," he nodded his head deferentially and headed to the door to go rest in Grogu's room.
"Come on, Grogu, let's get this man something to eat and drink and then we'll come back and hang out with your dad, okay?"
The boy nodded then trailed her into the kitchen.
After following orders and getting some rest, plus a bit of food and water, Med checked on Din and found that the transfusion was working. While it wouldn't heal Din, it did put a temporary halt on the downward spiral his body had been going into.
In the evening, the Anzellans returned with their "little assassins", as Med had started referring to the new nano-droids the droidsmiths had created. Med took the vial of saline teeming with the microscopic fighters and put it into the line in Din.
After that, all they could do was wait again and they settled into another night of keeping watch on Din.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
The next morning, Grogu was sitting with Din while Med and Bo were in the kitchen. They were in for another cold day and Bo was making some hot tea.
"I feel strange not offering any, even though I know you can't drink it right now. I have contact with Children of the Watch on Mandalore but I'm still learning the protocol. Is it rude to offer you something, knowing you can't drink it? Or is it considered more rude not to offer you anything while I have some?"
"It's fine, you can offer or not," Med said with a shrug, but she could hear the gratitude in his voice for having been asked. "I don't think any of us will take offense either way if the offer, or lack thereof, is sincere. Some offer drinks and food snidely, knowing that we can't partake, which is annoying. But most of us are used to that. Especially Din, since he travels so much."
"I can imagine."
"Besides, if I really wanted some, I'd just take it to Grogu's room or go outside – well, if it wasn't so kriffing cold out there. I didn't know Nevarro got this cold. It never did while our covert was here."
Bo sat down and started sipping her tea.
"It's definitely unusual. That's why High Magistrate Karga was extremely busy."
Med looked out the window, then toward the hallway that led to Din's room. He wanted to check on the other man, but they had just seen Din and he was fine. Grogu was napping with him and would undoubtedly tell them if his condition changed.
"Can I ask you something?" Bo said.
"Of course."
"How did you and Din meet? I assume you were foundlings together, but it seems like there's something… I don't know… deeper?... between you two."
"You're right. We were foundlings together, but we were actually found on the same planet, Aq Vetina. Not long after we were rescued, we realized we had lived in two different cities on the same continent."
That surprised Bo. She hadn't realized the two men were that close. It wasn't often that foundlings were taken in from the same place. Sadly, the children were usually found alone.
"So, you have a shared language?"
"Yes. We don't speak it much, though. We both learned Basic in school on our home planet, and then had to learn Mando'a when we were rescued. So, we're fluent in both now, but it took a lot of work. It was nice, having someone else who spoke the same native language. We could help each other as we slogged our way through learning not just one, but basically two new languages. We each knew some Basic, but not a lot, and of course we didn't know any Mando'a at all."
"Wow, that does sound like a lot of work."
"Even more so for Din. With his chosen profession, traveling as he always has, he's learned multiple languages. He's fluent in at least four or five, including the Tusken sign language as you know, and can probably get along fairly well in another couple on top of that. Plus, I think he can make simple requests such as for food, lodging or ship refueling in probably another dozen on top of that."
"I had no idea," Bo said. Her respect for Din, as well as his brother, grew.
They continued to relax and chat. Med asked about how she and Din met and she told him a brief version of the story. Then she remembered something else she'd wanted to ask the medic ever since Din had woken up and said his name.
"Can I ask you another question?"
"You can ask me anything. I liked to think of myself as pretty much an open book."
"Okay, so how is it that a man named Med is also a medic?"
He chuckled. "My full name is Balmed. Balmed Rosca and well, no one ever accused me of being original."
Bo laughed quietly as Med sighed, and Bo heard sadness when he spoke again.
"Din hates that joke. I use it all the time whenever someone says what you just did, and he always groans."
"Well, it is pretty terrible," Bo agreed, smiling at him over her tea.
"Oh, believe me, I'm aware. But how can I stop saying it when it tortures him? Where's the fun in that?"
Such brothers, Bo thought, shaking her head with a huff of amusement.
"Okay, next question. Where have you been? Din seemed very surprised to see you. Plus, the Armorer mentioned that you had just found us on Mandalore and you'd been gone from their ranks a while. What took you away from the covert?"
Med paused before answering, as if he was trying to get his thoughts straight. That didn't surprise Bo. She imagined it must be a long story.
"Has Din told you of the night he swiped the child from the Imperials?" he asked finally.
"A little. We worked together for a while on several missions, and shared stories over a campfire a few times while traveling. He said there was a battle and that many of his people were lost that night."
Din had never once mentioned he'd lost someone who was basically his brother. Bo wondered why but then again; she hadn't yet told him about her sister. She understood, not wanting to talk about a loss, not wanting to open the wounds again.
"That night was a tough one," Med said, leaning forward to rest his arms on the table, clasping his hands together as he started his story.
"After Din got the kid out of there, the mercenaries took off and we thought we were in the clear. But then almost immediately the Imps showed up and the fighting started back up again. It went on for hours."
"Din mentioned it was pretty bad."
"Honestly, I thought it was all over for me a little while there myself. I was trying to help the wounded in the field when I got hit. Next thing I know, I'm waking up on a ship and my wounds are being treated by someone I didn't know."
"It wasn't your clan?" Bo asked, curious.
"No. Apparently a few of the nearby townsfolk stepped in near the end of the fight and took some of us off-world in separate ships to different locations. They figured it would be better not to have a bunch of Mandalorians in one place to keep the Imps from coming after any of us. It was very smart, and I now know that more than a few lives were saved that night because of them."
"I can see that. From what I've seen, the people of Nevarro are good people," Bo agreed.
"I was taken to another planet to recover. The group that found me hadn't been able to save any others when they grabbed me, so I was alone. By the time I recovered, I found out the covert was gone. I didn't know how to find any of our people, or even if anyone had survived. I figured Din had since he got away with the kid. But I didn't have a way to get in touch with him, either. So, I stayed on the planet and made myself useful acting as the small town's doctor."
"Din mentioned that he was surprised everyone came to help him," Bo said quietly. "I know it saddened him to know how many were lost to help him save the child. He never told me that one of the people he lost that night was someone who was essentially his brother. Now I know why he was so shocked to see you. Why he said you were gone because of him."
Med sighed. "It figures he would blame all those losses on himself. I can't wait until he's well so I can throttle some sense into him. It's not his fault. We all knew what we were doing that night. As soon as we figured out what was happening, you couldn't have stopped any of us if you had tried. The Armorer asked for volunteers to help, and you should have seen the rush of people fighting to get out of the sewers and up to the battle. When things started looking serious, the Armorer ordered the foundlings to be taken away and they were immediately flown off-world with the teachers and guardians, but the rest of us wanted to stay and finish it. I got to see Din escape with Grogu, and that made it all worthwhile, believe me."
"I know Din appreciated everything you and the others did for him, for his son," Bo said, and Med nodded.
"Anyway, eventually I heard rumors of Mandalorians returning to Mandalore," Med said. "So, I found a ship willing to take me and I made it back a few days ago. Just in time for the Armorer to send for me to let me know that something was wrong with Din, and I needed to go with our new Mand'alor to help him."
"Not exactly the reunion you'd hoped for, I imagine."
Med shook his head with a light snort. "Not exactly."
"Now he just needs to get well so he can hear all of that from you."
Med nodded in reply.
They looked up at the sound of Grogu's frantic squeaking. Within seconds, both of them were running down the hall, nearly stumbling over each other to get into Din's room.
"What's the matter, buddy?" Bo asked.
"He's trying… to tell you… I'm awake," came the quiet reply from the bed. Din's throat was raspy from lack of use, but he sounded stronger than before.
"Djar?" Med's voice grated with shock and cautious joy. "How do you feel?"
"Like I tried to wrestle with a mudhorn again," Din paused to cough, his head tipping up off the pillow before letting it drop again. "But that's better than I felt earlier."
He was still weak, but Bo knew if Din was making his typical droll comments, then he must feel better. She smiled at him when his head turned to her.
"Thank you for taking care of Grogu," he said softly in gratitude as the boy hopped on the bed and snuggled into his father's side. She tried to ignore the joy she felt when Din's arm automatically hugged the boy closer. Reminding herself that she was only staying until Din was well again.
"Of course," she nodded at him.
Med took some more of Din's blood and confirmed that the original nano-droids were vastly reduced in numbers. The Anzellans' assassin crew were taking out the poisonous variety and Din was on his way to recovery.
"You're looking good, Djar," Med said, sitting up from the scanner. "Once the Anzellans' little slayers get done with their clean-up, they'll all self-destruct and your system will flush everything out."
"How?" Bo asked just as Din started coughing heavily. Med helped the other man sit up.
"Bo, can you…?" Med tipped his head to the boy, and she got his meaning.
"Come on, Grogu. Let's let your dad rest a little more then we'll come back in a bit."
Once they left, Med turned to his brother.
"You know how you're going to get these out, right?"
Din had finished his coughing fit and was laying down on the pillows again.
"Yeah, we've been through this before."
"They'll mostly head out of your bloodstream and exit the usual way all liquids leave but these were also acting like a virus so…"
"I'm in for a lot of coughing over the next day or so. I know the drill, Med."
"All right, I just wanted to be sure you remember. So, when it gets bad let me know and we'll all turn away so you can lift the helmet if you need to spit anything out. Don't hold that in, got it?"
Din nodded.
"Good. I'll go give Bo a heads-up, so she knows what to expect. But this is good, Djar. This is all good. We're on the other side of this."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Din continued to sleep a lot throughout the day, his body worn down from its ongoing battle and now the task of clearing out both versions of nano-droids in his system. Med and Bo kept watch as the day turned into evening and Bo was again at Din's bedside while Med prepped some more fluids for Din. The medic found it helpful to spread all his gear out, so he was currently using the small kitchen table to get everything ready.
Bo turned away again as Din lifted his helmet, coughing hard before spitting into one of the towels they had brought for that purpose. It sounded like Din's lungs were taking a beating with all the coughing and it annoyed her to see him having to deal with the helmet in addition to everything else. She had to fight the urge to tear the thing off his head to help him. But she was aware now of how he felt, knowing that he'd be more uncomfortable without it, at least in front of her.
"Din, do you want me to leave the room and close the door? So, you can take it off and rest?" She nodded at the helmet.
"No…it's fine…," she frowned when she noticed him shivering as he lay back down. "I'm used to being in it even when I'm ill. This isn't anything new. Though it's been a while since I've been this sick."
"Yes, well something tells me you probably haven't been poisoned before."
"I have."
"Really?" Is there anything this man hasn't been through?
"I'm a bounty hunter. I have a lot of enemies. Not that it's happened often."
"No, it was just those two times if I remember correctly," Med said, coming into the room with the fluids he had prepped. "Let's get these hooked up and keep flushing those things out."
Din nodded, coughing hard again. He sat up briefly and Bo helped him stay steady until the coughing ended, then she and Med guided him back to the bed.
Overall, it was an uneventful evening. Din's coughing didn't improve but it didn't get worse either. Med ran additional tests throughout the night and confirmed that the nano-droids were continuing to reduce in number.
When the next morning dawned, Med contacted the Armorer. He'd been providing reports on his patient's condition periodically over the last couple of days and wanted to give her the latest information.
"He's doing well," Med told the leader of his clan. "Once the new bots from the Anzellans were injected, we saw improvement almost immediately. It's going to take time for them to get fully out of his system, but I'm confident now that he's going to make a full recovery."
"That is good to hear," the Armorer said. "I'll make sure the rest of the covert is informed. Many have inquired about his condition."
Behind the Armorer, Med and Bo noticed a flurry of activity on the holovid.
"What's happening?" Bo asked.
"Another small covert has reached out to come here for asylum. They were being hunted and only just made it out of where they'd been hiding. They are limping our way in a ship barely flying, though luckily, they were able send us a distress signal. We are expecting them within a few hours."
"Do you need me to return?" Bo asked worriedly, feeling torn. Med was a competent medic, but she didn't want to leave until she felt sure Din was completely out of danger. Med still needed to keep an eye on Din, and Grogu shouldn't be left alone.
"There's no need for that, Lady Kryze. We have everything well in hand here. You take care of the Mandalorian in your care. We will take care of the ones here."
"Are there injuries?" Med asked, stepping forward.
"Yes," the Armorer answered, but didn't offer any other details.
"How many?" Med pressed.
"Ten to twelve with varying minor, to somewhat major, injuries."
"Any serious injuries?"
Bo's eyebrows raised, noticing the difference in Med. This was not the soft-spoken man who had first come to her ship, nor the good-natured medic helping keep Din alive. This was a different Med, and he was practically grilling the leader of his own clan. It told her something about him. When people were hurt, Med was in charge. End of story.
"Yes," the Armorer replied, again offering no other details.
Someone spoke to the Armorer out of sight of the holovid, she nodded and replied quickly before turning back to Bo and Med.
"Apologies, I am needed. I look forward to the next update. My lady, Med," she nodded goodbye to both of them.
Once the image faded, Bo felt Med's tension and she understood why. He was being pulled in two directions, wanting to stay and take care of Din but also knowing he was needed back home.
"Med, you should go," Bo said, turning to him and putting a hand on his arm. He'd been lost in thought and looked up at her touch. "You can take my ship. I'll stay here with Din and Grogu."
He shook his head. "Bo, I can't ask you to…"
"You aren't asking. I'm offering. Actually, I'm ordering. You are needed there and as you just said, Din is doing better, right?"
"Yes."
"Then I can take care of things here, and you go back and help those people."
"But there are other medics there. They can help them," he protested, though she could feel his heart wasn't in it.
"But none as skilled as you." She took a chance saying it, though something told her it was true.
"No. They're all good field medics but…"
"You're more."
"I've got more experience, that's all."
"Sounds like that's exactly what those people need. Now, are you going to make me turn this into an order?"
He chuckled at that. "No, you're right. Din is doing well now. I can get everything set up for what he'll need over the next day or so. I'll be back by tomorrow afternoon, I'm sure."
"Good. Show me what I need to know."
Within an hour, Med had shown Bo everything she would need to do to continue the basic care he'd been giving Din. Med decided to give the recovering man one more round of immune boosters and fluids and then stop that aspect of treatment. That way Bo would only have to remove the line from Din's arm and not have to set up anything new. Din probably didn't even need the fluids at this point, but Med had always preferred to be safe than sorry when it came to the people in his care.
Med left some supplies, then packed the rest of his bags, and took off on the Gauntlet, promising to take care of the ship like it were one of his patients.
Not long after the medic left, another call came in on the hololink and the High Magistrate's image appeared when Bo answered.
"Lady Kryze, how is our ailing Mandalorian? Did the Anzellans' bots do the trick?"
"Yes, Med confirmed that they killed off the original nano-droids and he's recovering."
"Good. That's very good. I noticed the Gauntlet left our atmosphere earlier today. I had assumed you had returned to Mandalore and that I'd be speaking with the medic."
"Actually, it was the medic who left. There was an emergency on Mandalore and a few wounded that he needed to treat. Din's condition has improved enough that he only requires minimal care, which I'll provide until Med returns."
"I'm sorry for your people but if I can hazard a guess, I'd say they are in good hands with Med. He seems extremely competent. And I'd say Lord Djarin is in good hands with you as well. This is all comforting to hear, considering the news I actually called to deliver."
"What's that?"
"Our weather droids are predicting that tonight this region of Nevarro will see the coldest temperatures to hit this area in decades, if not close to a century. I'm calling to make sure that you are prepared as most homes here don't have centralized heating systems, being that we're a desert planet with lava fields. We're built to deal with heat but not with cold."
"Thanks for the warning. I'll take extra precautions, especially with Din still recovering."
"I wish I could do more to assist, Lady Kryze, but…"
"I understand, High Magistrate. If our positions were reversed and Mandalore was facing an unusual threat like this, nothing would keep me from my people. You need to take care of your city. Please don't worry about us, I've got everything under control here."
"All right, well please call me if you need anything. Good luck, my lady."
"Good luck, High Magistrate."
After the call, Bo started preparing for the long cold night, shaking her head at her luck. Why did it have to be the coldest night in nearly a century when she was left alone with a sick man and no medic? Oh well, she was the leader of Mandalore, she should be able to keep one Mandalorian alive long enough for medical help to return.
First Bo made more soup, wanting to get something warm into all their bellies before the temperatures dropped. It was also good for Din, who was just starting to be able to eat again. She set him up with a mug, then closed the door to his room so he could eat.
Next, she got Grogu into a bath, again trying to generate as much heat as possible within the home and get the boy's body warmed up. She put him in two tunics and a clean robe but skipped putting on his chain mail shirt and rondel – as neither would assist with keeping away the cold.
She also turned up the fireplace in the living area, grateful again that it ran with a gas line. Considering the small number of large trees on Nevarro, and the plethora of natural gases thanks to the active volcanic activity, the gas lines were a smart solution.
As the hours wore on and the sun went down, the temperature continued to drop. Bo was alarmed to note that the small cabin was getting colder, despite all her preparations. She was contemplating putting Grogu to bed - wondering if it would be better to put him in with Din so they could both be warmer - when she heard the boy squeaking for her from Din's room.
Bo charged into the room and saw Din shivering violently. Still weak from the poisoning, he was having a hard time keeping his core temperature up. The man was freezing and Grogu had crawled into the bed to try and help.
The child looked at her with pleading eyes, gesturing to her to get into the bed as well. She was impressed that he had the instinct and knew how to help. The only thing was, as a child he couldn't understand the implications of what he was asking her to do.
"Oh no, Grogu, um…I'll just get another blanket," Bo said. She wasn't sure how Din would feel about her using body heat to warm him up.
Grogu squeaked more loudly and with more authority than she thought possible from a tiny being his size, motioning again for her to lie down. The kid wasn't thinking of the awkwardness of the situation. He just wanted his father's strong shivers to stop, and he wasn't taking no for an answer.
"Come on, kid. You can't make me do this. Let me see if we can get the room warmer." Bo looked around for a heater, forgetting for a moment that the small cabin wasn't outfitted with a heating system. Greef had said Nevarro was built for heat, not for cold and unfortunately, he was right. The only source of heat was the fireplace in the living area. She wouldn't be able to lift Din on her own and it looked like he was pretty much unconscious, his body trembling and further weakened by the frigid air.
Din shivered hard, making Grogu coo at her urgently again. Bo suddenly had more sympathy for the Mandalorian father. No wonder the kid got his way so many times. Dear Maker, how was one supposed to deny those big, pleading eyes anything?
"Okay, okay, just let me think for a second, all right? I'll help but we're going to do this my way."
Grogu calmed down, nodding when he saw she was going to help.
First, Bo turned the heat higher on the fireplace, grateful again that she didn't have to go out and get wood to last them the night.
Next, Bo closed the doors leading to the fresher and Grogu's room. She was trying to direct as much heat as possible from the fireplace into Din's bedroom. Since the kid was obviously staying with his father, there was no need to heat his room. She also went and took the bedding from the child's bed and brought it to Din and the kid.
Bo then got another tiny robe from the child's storage, putting it on Grogu quickly before letting him cuddle back into his father's neck. Once he was settled, she went into the (now cold) fresher and got herself ready for the night ahead. She removed the individual pieces of armor from her clothing first. The metal, while helpful in battle, wouldn't do any good now, and she didn't have the circuitry needed to fully heat her body. Bo had brought in personal items from her ship, including a bag with extra clothing. She pulled out some items, putting them on for additional layers of warmth.
Bo did all these things as quickly as she could. She knew the child was frantic, but he didn't understand that her preparations were necessary. She wasn't just trying to keep Din warm right now, she had the entire night to think about it and it was only going to get colder.
"All right, little one, let's make some adjustments to help your dad. I know this might look strange, but I promise this will help. Trust me, okay?"
Grogu sat up away from Din's neck, nodding at her.
Bo had pulled Din's cloak from his closet and laid it aside. Moving fast, she pulled back all the blankets and sheets and threw the cloak over him. She was grateful Med had already dressed Din warmly after conducting his initial exam to look for the poison entry point.
She rearranged the covers, adding the sheets first and then the blankets. Once she had covered Din with half the blankets they had, she turned to his son.
"Okay, kid, get in there and get cozy."
Grogu immediately snuggled back into his father's neck. The man sighed and dipped his helmeted head down in his sleep, tucking his son close.
Unable to put off the inevitable any longer, Bo took off her boots and sighed.
Here goes nothing.
Despite the many layers of blankets and the fact that both of them were also dressed in multiple layers of clothing, Bo still felt strange crawling into bed with the sleeping man. Biting her lip nervously, she scooched in close to Din's back. She pulled the rest of the blankets over all of them, putting a tentative arm around his shoulders.
Bo was thankful Din was unconscious. She wasn't sure if she would have had the nerve to do what needed to be done if he'd been awake and watching her. Grogu's head popped out of the covers, cooing at her worriedly as his father continued to shiver.
"It's okay buddy, he's going to be fine. We'll get him warmed up. You're doing a good job."
Bo continued to talk to the child, offering assurances until the little one's eyes slid shut and he drifted off to sleep. Din shivered again. The trembles were getting smaller, and she felt some of the rigidity in his limbs dissipating.
"It's okay, Din," she whispered. Feeling the need to do something to keep her mind occupied and off the odd situation, she kept talking. "Your kid is smart. Very smart. He knew what you needed. Talked me into this. Little womp rat. Now I know why he gets his way. Those eyes. We're all powerless against them."
Bo wasn't sure when it started, but at some point, she realized that her hand was moving up and down Din's arm over the blankets that were covering him. It was a soothing motion also meant to provide some warmth.
It didn't take long for Bo to see the results of her work. With her laying at his back providing another layer of heat, along with Grogu at his neck and the pile of blankets, Din's shivers slowly eased. He sighed and unconsciously shifted backwards toward her, his body seeking the warmth it needed to continue to rid itself of the enemy within.
Talking and moving her hand on his arm helped distract Bo from the feelings she was having. Feelings she couldn't put a finger on or understand. It just felt… strange, being in Din's bed, holding onto him. But it shouldn't, she chided herself. She had told Med she could handle medical issues and wouldn't be uncomfortable. And this was just that, a medical emergency that she was handling the best way she knew how.
To ease her qualms about the unusual situation, Bo reminded herself that this wasn't the first time she'd been in close contact with Din. There was the time after the cyborg had tried to kill him, pumping him full of sedatives and then slowly siphoning his blood. After she killed the thing and made sure Grogu was okay, she had wrestled an unconscious Din out of the metal cage he'd been put. Something about that had made her growl as she'd torn the lock off with the Darksaber. Daring to put a Mandalorian in a cage had irked her and if the beast had not already been dead, she would have ended its life then and there.
She had dragged Din out of the metal contraption, pulling him as far away from the thing as she could. She was strong but a fully armored Din Djarin was not a light load. Dead weight and all muscle, she'd been lucky to get him a few yards away.
Then later she'd had to hold him again, this time pulling his frighteningly lifeless form from the depths of the Living Waters. She'd been distracted momentarily by the vision (or had it been the real thing? she still wasn't sure) of the Mythosaur. But she nearly forgot the beast when she and Din burst out of the water. His body had been limp in her arms and she'd wondered for several moments if she'd have to do rescue breathing to get him back.
It was amazing how quickly thoughts had flown through her mind then. In the space of a few panting breaths, she had debated the issue of removing his helmet. It hadn't taken long for her to decide that if he didn't start breathing on his own, she was going to wrench the kriffing thing off and put air into his lungs. She was not willing to let him die, not on her watch and not in front of his son. Luckily Din had taken the choice from her, and she'd collapsed against the stone steps in relief when she heard him cough and take some shaky breaths.
Which had led to the third time she'd held him that day. When she'd dragged him away from the water after he'd passed out from the shock of everything. It hadn't been a great day for any of them, but for Din it had been one hell of a bad day. Drugged, nearly exsanguinated and finally almost drowned, the man had needed a bit to recover. But of course, the moment he'd woken, he had gotten up and walked himself into the Living Waters for his redemption. She'd shaken her head at his tenacity, but secretly admired it.
So why now did it feel strange to be where she was? She was a leader, and she was helping one of her people. She needed to get over these silly feelings of self-consciousness and do her job.
Whatever it took on this winter's night, Bo would ensure that Din Djarin made it through. If anything, it was a privilege to be able to provide something so simple and yet so important. She could feel the trust from him, even in his sleep, while he absorbed the warmth from her and his son.
Din's shivers continued to slow until she saw that he'd fallen into a deeper sleep. Bo breathed her own sigh when she felt Din's body relax. The tension of the last few hours slowly ebbed its way out of her as she saw her plan working. It had been a long day, a long few days if she were getting technical, and she felt herself getting sleepy.
She hadn't thought of what she would do once she got Din warm again. A tiny, foolish part of her might have assumed that she could do this for a little while then get up and go back to watching over him from the chair. But now she knew that was a ridiculous idea. With the temperature continuing to plummet outside, she could not leave Din's side. The boy too needed to be kept warm, and this arrangement was best for all of them. Awkward, but necessary.
As Din and Grogu slept, Bo floated between wakefulness and sleep, fighting to stay awake. She became acutely aware of everything. Din's slow breathing was a steady rhythm against her chest. His breath moved in and out, whispering through the modulator on the helmet. With nothing else to do and not wanting to fall asleep, she studied him. Well, as much as one could study someone completely covered and wearing a beskar helmet.
She couldn't see one speck of skin on the man, nor even his hair, with his cowl tucked tight around his chin under the helmet. Med had even put on Din's gloves, wanting to ensure he was well prepared for the cold. But still she spotted a few things about the other Mandalorian that she had never noticed before. Without the armor Din felt both smaller and larger to her. Smaller as obviously the armor added bulk to his frame. But if one assumed his size was all beskar, they would be mistaken. Without the pauldrons, and even through the layers of blankets and clothes, she could feel the outline of the large muscles in his upper arm and forearm as she continued to rub up and down.
On closer inspection, Bo noted that his helmet dipped farther over his face than she had assumed, making Din's neck look shorter than it was. He had a long strong neck and though it was covered in a cowl, she saw that he had a prominent chin as well. His shoulders were broad, nearly blocking her view as she lay behind him. She felt his big back muscles against her stomach and chest, proving again that he wasn't all armor. From this perspective, she could see that much of Din's mass was from the man himself. She had no doubt that without beskar, he would still be a formidable warrior.
Bo stopped her musings before allowing herself to perceive anything lower than Din's back. Observing his upper body didn't pull on her conscience, but anything more than that would make her feel odd, so she just didn't do it.
Eventually, Bo fell asleep as well. She tried to stay awake and on watch but found it impossible after a while. The slow steady breathing of the man in front of her, combined with the contented little snores from the boy tucked under Din's neck had lulled her. Try as she might, she couldn't stop her eyes from drifting closed and soon the whole group was sound asleep.
Bo woke up to see light streaming through the curtains. They had all slept a long while. She actually couldn't remember the last time she had slept that soundly. The thought made her feel a moment of guilt, worried about her "patient".
She moved with slow and careful motions, raising her head to look at the child and his father. Din's hand was wrapped around the boy's stomach under the blankets, one little claw grasping a gloved thumb. She listened intently and heard slow steady breaths from the modulator. Satisfied that all was well, she carefully extricated herself from under the blankets. The shock of cold told her that their little nest had done its job and she quickly tucked everything back around Din and the child before heading out of the room to check the fire.
She was happy Din hadn't woken. Despite being fully dressed and with layers of blankets between them, it still felt like a compromising position - to wake up in Din Djarin's bed with her arm wrapped around his body. Nothing could have been more chaste about the situation and yet her cheeks felt warm as she stepped away into the hall.
Bo didn't hear the deep sigh that came from under the helmet the moment she was out of the room. The man inside no longer feigned sleep, which he had been since he'd woken up some time before.
Din's eyes blinked slowly as he listened to Bo walk away. He let her think that he slept through it all, but the Mandalorian was fully aware of what she had done and where she had been all night.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Okay folks, so here's what happened and why there's going to be one more chapter to this story. When I started this, I had a general idea that soon kept growing and growing. There were multiple mini stories that I put together into this one – the nano-droid poisoning, Din and Grogu's first Life Day together, the introduction (or re-introduction for any who ready my story Alone in the Darkness) of Med, and Bo having to keep Din warm with her body.
As I kept writing, I realized quickly that this was turning into a bigger beast than I anticipated. If you can believe it, there was actually almost another small bit of storyline thrown in, but I tossed that one and will use it in a future story.
Anyway, one thing I decided after reading my most recent draft a few days ago is that I wanted the last storyline (Bo and Din in bed in the most chaste manner possible) to be a bigger part of this. After all, this is a slow burn series, but at the time that particular storyline was quite small. So, after taking a walk one morning during sunrise a few days ago, I was inspired to add a bit more to the scene in the bed, as well as a lot more to the next morning (which will be in the next chapter).
I apologize for not making my initial deadline of having the entire story done by the holiday. I can tell you that the next chapter is well on its way to being done and I will definitely have it posted before New Year's Eve.
Happy holidays to all!
-Moki