Master Apprentice
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continued from part one of Into the Light
"Master Jinn! Master Jinn!"
The pounding on the door woke me from a sound sleep. Temporarily disoriented, I reached across the bed as I sat up, finding nothing but cold empty space where Obi-Wan should have been. Then I remembered: the cove. Obi-Wan was apparently still out having fun with his friends.
"Master Jinn!" More pounding. "Hurry! Please!"
The desperation of the voices woke me fully and a sick feeling coursed through my body, leaving me cold with sweat. In nothing but my sleep pants, I was immediately at the door, flinging it open. The surprise on the faces of the three young men and women standing on the porch in the white moonlight was nothing compared to the panic in their eyes.
"Master Jinn!"
"It's Obi-Wan!"
"You must hurry! Please! You must come!"
Frantically grabbing my cloak from the hook on the back of the door, I threw it over my arm and stepped outside, slamming the door closed behind me.
"This way!" Jessa waved in the direction of the water. "Hurry!"
We scrambled through the tall grass and over the rocks and I became increasingly aware of my lack of boots. At a slow walk, the rocks were uncomfortable, but bearable. At a run, they cut painfully into my feet and ankles.
"What has happened?" I asked Lendry, catching up with him enough to talk as we made it to the sand and ran along water.
"A terrorist...attack..." he said, panting but picking up speed now that the ground was flat. "...I think..."
"Terrorists?" I shouted back over the spray of the ocean. "At the cove?"
"There was a loud noise, like weapons fire," Adle said, easily sidling up next to Lendry.
"More like...an explosion..." Lendry offered.
"Then the stone cliff surrounding the cove came down like it was nothing more than sand!" Jessa said from behind us, following the conversation.
"But you were not injured?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the curving shoreline even as my mind called out to Obi-Wan. There was no answer.
"I was in the water with Jessa and Cedric," Adle said. "Some of the others were on the shore, sitting, talking. I think Obi-Wan heard something or felt something, because almost before the explosion he jumped up, shouting for all of us to get out of the way."
"A couple of us...were too slow," Lendry said. "Obi-Wan used his mind to...throw us clear of the debris. We would have been...crushed."
Oh, Force...
As Adle hit him on the arm, Lendry fell silent, as if he'd misspoken. My chest tightened more in fear than from exertion. Is that what had happened to Obi-Wan? Had he been crushed in the rock slide, trying to save the others...?
"Here!" Jessa exclaimed suddenly, having pulled ahead and reached the inlet of the cove. "Over here!"
I used my remaining energy to sprint past Lendry and Adle, stopping short at what I saw.
/Obi-Wan!/
Under a rubble pile of red rock, lay Obi-Wan, blood pooling around his head. Beside him, two of the young people I remembered seeing at the Royal Estate banquet knelt.
"Have you sent someone for help?" I asked, throwing my cloak upon the ground to shield my legs and knees from the rocks. I began to dig at the rocks, removing the largest ones from around Obi-Wan's body, careful not to jostle him.
"Cedric ran for the law officers and the midwives," Lendry said. "But I knew Obi-Wan would want you."
"We didn't want to move him," one of the two young men from the ground said. Quickly, he joined me in clearing out the rocks in a space around Obi-Wan.
"You were right not to do so," I commended them. Slowly, methodically, I moved about Obi-Wan. "You might have compounded his injuries."
With all the smallest pieces cleared away I knelt, hands by my sides. Concentrating, I used the Force to lift two large slabs from Obi-Wan's chest and torso, half the size of his body and twice as heavy. A third chunk of rock, which had fallen over his legs, flew to the side next, crashing against what was left of the wall and smashing into small bits.
At last able to take inventory of his entire body, I moved closer. Reaching out with my mind again, I tested, logged, and categorized his vital signs, organs, and injuries. By the time I realized I was hearing more voices behind me, I was too far into my examination to turn or acknowledge them.
Across from me, one of the midwives appeared.
"With what can I assist you?" she asked quietly, as if wanting to be of help but not wishing to break my concentration. When I failed to answer, she tried again. "What have you learned?"
Slowly I pulled my mind back, wondering at my own ability to accept and present such medical facts about the one to whom I was lifebonded.
"His left leg is shattered, his skull is fractured. He has lacerations to his arms, legs, hands and face. And his back is broken...in three places..."
"Oh, Great Mother of all..." the midwife whispered under her breath.
Unable to resist contact any longer, I reached out, laying my hand against Obi-Wan's forehead, running it lightly down his cheek.
/Rest easy, my love,/ I thought to him. /You're safe now. No more harm is going to come to you or.../
My breath caught in my throat as my eyes met the healer's.
"The baby...?" I asked, suddenly overcome with so much fear that it crowded the corners of my visions. Obi-Wan was aware of the small one's presence, but I had not yet felt much more than a soft brush of...something...when I concentrated and meditated upon it.
Gently, the midwife traced her fingers lightly across Obi-Wan's abdomen, bringing a feather-light instrument down upon it. The touch barely grazed his skin but Obi-Wan arched up in pain.
/Easy, Obi-Wan,/ I soothed. /Please. We only want to check on the baby./
The midwife peered at the medical gauge, reading it, then looked up, smiling. "Her heart rate is slightly elevated, as we would expect. The stress is making her restless. Other than that, she seems to be perfectly fine."
I sighed in relief.
Under my hands, Obi-Wan shivered.
"He cannot stay here like this," the midwife said with worry. "The night air is cooling and his clothes are damp from lying on the sand. His injuries will only compound matters and soon we'll have full-blown shock on our hands."
Again, I held my concerns, curbed my panic. Most important now was getting Obi-Wan to safety, where he could receive medical attention.
Both the midwife and I protested as two of the other midwives rushed up with a hard, flat pallet, intending to place Obi-Wan on it.
"Where is the emergency transport?" the midwife who'd examined Obi-Wan asked. "Surely the vehicles are on their way."
"There is a large fire across town," one of the two new midwives answered her. "With at least two casualties and ten injured. All our emergency equipment is being used. We will need to carry the Jedi to the clinic. Luckily it is not far."
"He is not well enough to make a trip like that in a contraption like this!" I exclaimed.
"We regret," the other women said, her lips pressed in a straight line. "That our technology here on Bellaqua is less than what you are used to."
She received a stern look from the healer next to me. "Hush, Cetel," she said. "However adequate we believe our medicine is, there will always be more we can learn. In this case I must agree with Master Jinn. Obi-Wan is not well and a trip of this sort might do irreparable damage. We'll need to think of something else."
"And what do you suggest?" the second midwife asked.
There was another possibility, but I would need to be centered and certain, not restless and unfocussed as I was. I looked at Obi-Wan, then out upon the glittering ocean, taking several moments to gather my thoughts.
"Obi-Wan must receive medical attention quickly," I said. "I do not believe he can wait until emergency transportation becomes available. If this is what we have, then this is what we must use."
Immediately, the first midwife signalled to the other two to place the pallet on the ground and ready it for usage.
"I will protect Obi-Wan as well as I am able," I told them. "If you will settle him and carry him, I will use the Force to keep him as still and immobile as possible. I'm afraid it will slow the pace a bit, but in order to be effective, I must stay close beside him, and concentrate on him."
There were nods all around as the midwives bent to lift Obi-Wan. I closed my eyes, envisioning Obi-Wan whole and well.
"Now," I said.
Slowly, carefully, Obi-Wan was lifted onto the hard-backed stretcher. As it was lifted from the ground, I pulled the Force to me, settling it around Obi-Wan like a blanket. Unless my control wavered, he would not move.
The walk to the medical center was slow but steady. No one spoke, allowing me to devote all my attention to Obi-Wan.
When we arrived, several of the clinic's personnel spilled from the doors, having been told of our arrival by some of the young men and women who had run on ahead. Help was frantically waved off by the lead midwife in our group and the newcomers retreated silently back into the building to wait there.
When Obi-Wan was at last transferred to an operating theatre, my concentration was, if anything, more solid, more complete than ever. I was one with the Force, unaware of those around me, focussed only on the life in my hands and the absence of his presence in my mind.
Although I felt the midwives moving about the pallet, knew that Obi-Wan was now supported by the medical bed and its restraints, I could not release him. As a new set of midwives moved in, examining Obi-Wan, I tightened my grip on him. The Force bent and wrapped around him, deflecting the healers' attempts to touch him.
"Master Jinn!" I heard them exclaim in frustration and fright. "Please, you must leave!
Even when I tried to let up a bit, I found that I could not. I had embraced the Force so thoroughly that it seemed I was now irretrievably caught up in it.
"Master Jinn, please..." The women and hands that reached out to remove me from the room were pushed away with a less-than-gentle Force shove, which I had little to do with.
"Master Jinn...?"
A new voice. I didn't respond. Couldn't.
"Master Jinn? Can you hear me? It's Delia Wren. Master Jinn...Qui-Gon!"
Her tone broke at least part of my concentration. I blinked and turned toward the sound of her voice.
"Yes, Qui-Gon, that's it," she encouraged. "Please, drop the Force shield and let our healers take care of your bonded."
I tipped my head, considering her words, but could not seem to break my mental hold.
"They only want to give him oxygen, warm him," she explained slowly, carefully, as if speaking to a small child. "They will clean and repair the cuts and lacerations, then examine him to determine the best way to proceed with treatment. Will you let them? I know you want what's best for him, and right now that means leaving his care in the able hands of our midwives. Can you do that?"
Her words calmed me, and I found it increasingly easier to disperse the Force, to step away from Obi-Wan and back to her.
"That's it," Delia said. "Why don't you come with me? We'll find you something warm to drink and have someone tend to your hands and feet."
It was only then that I noticed the scraped skin on my palms, the bloody trail my cut feet had painted all across the room.
Stepping forward to put her arm about my waist, the Honoress led me away from Obi-Wan and, in a daze, I followed her.
As we walked through the clinic in search of a vacant examination room, my legs suddenly gave out.
"Oh!" Delia's hand was strong under my forearm, bracing my iminent fall and keeping me upright as she hurried me back to a soft chair we'd just passed in the waiting area.
My knees buckled and I sat down hard. Head thrown back, I panted, not knowing how or when I'd become so winded. Delia reached out and took my hands in her own. Only as I felt her thumbs massaging the backs of my hands did I realize I was shaking.
Silently I fought with myself, trying to obtain some measure of calm. I could not.
"Relax," Delia said, sliding her hands down to grip my elbows. "Why don't you lean back and rest for a moment, while I go find us some hot tea? Do you have a preference?"
I shook my head, closing my eyes and leaning back against the velvety green couch covering. Vaguely, I was aware of the sound of Delia's boots on the tile flooring as she walked away.
For a moment or two, I imagined I might be able to find my center, to obtain some much longed-for peace. Commotion in the hallway put a quick end to it.
"He's not breathing! Get an emergency kit! Now! Tell Elrein to be ready!"
A hospital bed surrounded by eight or ten midwives was wheeled down the corridor, monitors sounding, alarms blaring.
Struggling to my feet with more than a little difficulty, I weaved down the corridor, in pursuit of the med team.
/Obi-Wan!/ my mind cried. /Breathe! Please, breathe! I can't lose you...not now...not after all of this./
My legs were weak, would not cooperate. I stumbled into the wall while navigating a corner, banging my shoulder painfully. Through the stars that danced before my eyes, I saw the midwives push the med bed through a doorway and disappear.
*No!*
Attempting to run after them, I fell, landing hard on my knees. Angry at my body's lack of control, I cursed loudly.
"Qui-Gon?"
/Obi-Wan! I'm sorry. I *will* find you. Please, hold on!/
"Qui-Gon..."
I quieted my mind; I knew the voice, but didn't want to waste the energy to place who it belonged to. There was a hand on my arm.
"Qui-Gon? What's the matter? Can you stand up?"
After three different attempts, I finally managed to get my feet under me enough to rise from the floor. Utterly humiliated, I turned to see the Honoress, looking concerned and sad.
"Qui-Gon, I didn't know where you were. What has happened?"
"Obi-Wan..." I began, my voice unsteady. "They took him...not breathing..." The last word came out as something very close to a sob.
"Not breathing...?" Delia sounded confused. "Qui-Gon, I've just heard from Obi-Wan's attendents. He is as stable as can be expected for now and they wish to talk to you to discuss possible treatments."
Now I was confused. "But I...I saw them..."
"Who?" Delia asked, walking with me now back to the end of the corridor.
"The midwives," I told her. "They were hurrying with the bed through the hallway, shouting to each other, running, saying he had stopped breathing."
The honoress took a deep breath. "I think that you may have misunderstood," she said uncertainly.
"I know what I saw!" I said loudly. "And I saw a bed from Obi-Wan's corridor being pushed upstairs, surrounded by medical personnel."
We were back in the clinic's lobby, back to the soft chairs that suddenly looked very inviting.
"Honoress?" The man behind the desk there stood, calling to Delia. "I have been asked to pass along to you the news that Benhi Renv was rushed into emergency surgery ten minutes ago. He was suffering from smoke inhalation and a collapsed windpipe, but they said to assure you the problem has been taken care of."
"Thank you, Tevvel," Delia told the young man. "I am happy to hear it. Please be sure to notify Benhi's family."
"I have already done so, Honoress," he said, blushing under her intense gaze.
"Then you are to be commended on your foresight," Delia said, causing the man to darken further.
The honoress listened as the desk worker rambled on about the myriad other wonderful things he'd done throughout the day, no doubt seeking further praise and recognition.
Unable to remain still, I levered myself out of the chair. Leaving the cup of tea from Delia sitting on the floor, I made my way to Obi-Wan's room.
Flat on his back, arms strapped by his sides, head held immobile by a band around his brow, Obi-Wan looked small and helpless. My mind cried out to him, but there was no answer.
Reaching out a hand, I let it hover above his face, wanting to touch him but loathe to risk it. His skin was as pale as porcelain, the dark circles under his eyes the only coloring. Unable to stop myself, I placed one hand on his cheek and used the fingers of my other hand to hold first one eyelid open and then the other.
Uneven dialation. A concussion to compound everything else.
"I think you will find, as we did, that your young man has a very serious concussion," a voice said from behind me.
I pulled my hand away as if it were on fire and spun to face the woman in question. Overcome by dizziness at the sudden movement, I was forced to grab hold of the metal bars on the side of the bed to avoid crashing to the ground.
A second woman entered the room just in time to see me falter, sway, and rushed over to assist me.
"Whoa...easy..." she said, grasping my upper arm to steady me. "Here, come over here and sit down."
She guided me to a chair in the corner and I went reluctantly, after a long look at Obi-Wan.
"I am Rosal," the woman said, touching her hand to my shoulder in greeting. She motioned to the midwife tending Obi-Wan. "This is Camill. The Honoress thought you might have come here. She tells me you are extremely difficult to keep track of."
I glanced down guiltily at my still-bloody feet. "I am lifebonded to Obi-Wan. It is impossible for me to not be concerned."
"You are a kind and caring friend to him as well, I think," Rosal said. "He is lucky to have one such as you."
"I must know his condition," I said, avoiding her praise. "Please, tell me what you have found."
Camill turned away from her scans.
"We have cleaned his abrasions and sealed the most superficial wounds. The cut on his head was both deep and wide, but that has finally been patched as well."
"The skull fracture? The breaks?" I asked in concern.
"That is why we wished to speak to you," Rosal said. "Your mate has sustained heavy damage to his leg, back, and skull, as you know. We have tended to the simplest of his injuries, but the others are beyond our care.
"For injuries so severe we would normally perform the 'an-tak', a healing ritual, but I fear that will not work for your Obi-Wan. Returning him to your home Temple and your healers there would benefit him more than remaining here."
"Moving him now could be dangerous," I said, feeling my hard-fought calm beginning to disappear. "The trip home is a long one and his injuries are not conducive to travel."
"Keeping him here would be more harmful to him. We can erect a restraining field around him and you will be there to monitor and support him. He *will* make it back to your Temple. And there he will be in hands much more capable of meeting his needs."
I drew in a shaky breath, feeling trapped. Obi-Wan could not be helped here. But the Temple seemed so very far away now. Healers from Coruscant could be sent here, but it would take time and they would not have the medical tools and technology that were available to them at the Temple.
"I would like to spend some time alone with him," I told both midwives. "If he must be forced to endure this, I would like time to meditate with him in my presence, to open the bond between us again, to form a connection so that I might sustain him in the difficult days ahead. Will you allow it?"
The midwives exchanged glances.
"You will not be involving him?" Camill asked in clarification. "Only meditating on your own within this room?"
"Correct," I told her. "In his condition, I do not believe Obi-Wan could reach a meditative state, even in consciousness. I only wish to spend time in such a state myself, becoming attuned to Obi-Wan's needs and my own. The meditation will serve us both."
"Then I will allow it," Camill said. "We will be able to monitor him from the station down the corridor and will keep watch on him from there. If you encounter trouble or have need of us, you only have to signal by pressing the blue button over the bed. The comm system is also voice activated, so if it becomes necessary, you can simply call out."
I nodded. "I understand. Thank you."
"Is there anything we may do for you while you are in meditation?" Rosal asked, standing up.
"It would be a kindness if you could contact our pilot to tell him we will need to leave this evening. And the Temple should be made aware of what has happened and the fact that we are heading back to Coruscant."
"It will be taken care of," Rosal said.
I nodded gratefully.
When the healers were gone, I removed my cloak, folding it and placing it on the floor beside the bed. Studying the controls on the bed's rail, I pressed a button and lowered the bed until it was only slightly higher than a cot; being closer to Obi-Wan was somehow more focussing, more calming.
Slowly I dropped into the lowest levels of meditation, carefully going deeper as I became able to do so.
"Master Jinn..."
There was a voice in my ears.
"Master Jinn."
A light tapping on my cheek.
With much effort, I surfaced, groggy from having to end my meditation so abruptly.
"Master Jinn..." Rosal's face swam into view. "I regret having to interrupt, but the pilot has signalled that he is ready to leave."
I blinked. "Was he not told we would not be ready until this evening?"
Now it was Rosal's turn to blink. "But it *is* evening," she insisted.
"I began my meditations at second hour," I reminded her.
"You began your meditations at two chimes, day time," Rosal confirmed, translating the time into Bellaquan. "And it is now six and one half chimes, night time."
"What?" I asked, shocked. It was impossible that I could have lost track of time so completely.
"You were in meditation through the afternoon and into the evening," she said. "There was much for you to think about. Does it seem so very hard to believe that it occupied your time for this long?"
It was not impossible to believe-I had meditated far longer on many other occassions. But I could not remember a time recently when I had not been aware of the passage of time during my meditations.
"Thank you for your kindness," I told her. "It is most gracious of you." I stood, shaking the wrinkles from my robe and putting it on. "Please let the pilot know we will be readying for transport."
"I will send in some help to prepare your Obi-Wan for the trip," she said on her way out. "They can help you move him to the safety of the ship."
Four midwife apprentices came in shortly thereafter, disconnecting Obi-Wan from the various tubes and monitors, fitting him with mobile monitors and breathing aparatus for the journey.
"Qui-Gon." Honoress Wren stood in the doorway. "We will miss you."
"And I you, Delia," I told her honestly. "Thank you for all you have done."
"It is I who must thank you, Qui-Gon," she said. "Your presence here has done much for our world."
I bowed my head in acknowledgement. "I'm afraid we must be on our way," I said as the apprentices came up behind me, pushing the medical bed.
"Will you be needing anything from your house?" Delia asked.
The house! I had forgotten all about it in the pandemoneum. There was really nothing there we couldn't do without; whatever we needed could be bought or synthsized back on Coruscant.
"Our lightsabers," I remembered suddenly. "We must have our lightsabers. And our meditation beads. Both are custom-made for individual Jedi and alternate items are not acceptable."
"With your permission, I will send someone over to your house to get the requested items," Delia said.
"Thank you," I told her. "The 'sabers are hanging on a hook at the back of the bedroom door and the beads are draped over the bedposts."
"It is as good as done," the honoress said. "I will have the messanger meet you at the landing as soon as he has recovered your things."
"I regret I will be unable to ready the house for its next tenants," I said, wishing I'd had time to clean and pack everything properly.
"But the house is yours, Qui-Gon," the honoress said matter-of-factly. "There will be no new tenants."
"Delia..." I began, wondering if there had been a misunderstanding somewhere. "We're leaving and will likely never return. The lives of the Jedi are extremely full and busy. Surely the house should be given to someone who has need of it."
Delia smiled. "But you *will* be back someday," she said with certainty. "Perhaps not for many years, but you will be back and then the house will be here for you. It is tradition that once a visitor has been accepted into Bellaquan culture, as you and Obi-Wan have, a house remains vacant to remind the person or persons that they will always have a home on Bellaqua."
"If only the Force would deem it so," I said wistfully. The planet was very beautiful, the Bellaquans kind and friendly. I was truly going to miss the places and the people here.
"Thank you," I told the honoress again, placing my hand on her shoulder in Bellaquan custom. "May the Force bless and keep you."
"May the waters remain forever calm and your sailing always be smooth," she returned.
On the ship, alone save for the pilot, I was so nervous I could barely breathe. Obi-Wan was weathering the trip well; after a sharp spike during take-off, his vital signs had stabilized and now remained in the normal ranges. I, however, could not seem to regulate my own breathing or heartrate.
I was jumpy and anxious. I could not remain either sitting or standing for more than several minutes. Restless, I spent my hours first in meditation, then pacing, then sitting beside Obi-Wan. Mentally, I willed the ship to move faster. More than once, the pilot had come in, saying that he'd put the ship on autopilot and volunteering to watch Obi-Wan if I wanted to sleep. I didn't. I couldn't.
Checking Obi-Wan's feeding tubes and monitors, I walked to the comm unit on the room's wall.
"How far away are we from Coruscant?" I asked the pilot.
"We are a day and a quarter away from Coruscant at our current speed," the pilot responded. "And before you ask, we're already going faster than is either safe or legal in most sectors."
I sighed.
"We'll get him there, Sir," the pilot said.
"I know," I told him. "Thank you."
Ending the communication, I placed a transmission to Coruscant. It was nearly a full minute before my call was answered.
"This had better be damned important!" Mace stood before the screen, robe thrown haphazardly about his shoulders, face clouded with the last shrouds of sleep.
"I'm most sorry, Mace!" I apologized quickly. "I didn't even think to calculate the time. I can contact you at a more convenient..."
"Qui-Gon, no," Mace said firmly as he realized it was me. "Don't give it another thought. You know you can call me anytime. I was just surprised...and asleep." He smiled. "We're expecting you and Obi-Wan tomorrow afternoon," he said. "Tell me how he is."
I swallowed. What had I contacted him for, anyway? Obi-Wan was as well as could be expected, we were just a day away from the Temple...
"Now don't go getting all guilty on me, my friend," Mace warned good-naturedly. "If you felt the need to contact me, then your instincts must have been telling you something."
I shook my head, embarrassed now to be having this conversation. "Believe me, if my instincts were telling me to call a Council member in the middle of the night, waking him from a sound sleep just so I could report that Obi-Wan is stable and we're a day out of Coruscant, then heavy meditation is in order because my instincts need readjusting."
"Not at all!" Mace laughed and just the sound of it made me feel better. "And I'm glad to hear it...all of it. I know the report said that the baby was unaffected by the accident-congratulations on your new creation, by the way-but I'm sure your worries center on that as well."
Serious again, I nodded. "Obi-Wan has been through so much, Mace. His decision to bring another child into the world was cause for much comtemplation and meditation. And while I worry about the child, I..."
"I know," Mace said. "Your first concern is your bonded, which is understandable."
He always seemed to know what I was thinking and feeling.
"Yes," I admitted. "Do I sound like an ogre?"
"Not at all," he answered. "Now stop heaping all of this upon yourself. You're doing what you can and Obi-Wan, on some level, knows that. Take care of yourself so we don't have to pull two medical emergencies off the ship tomorrow."
"Point taken, Mace," I answered. "And Mace...thank you."
"For what?" he asked, mouth twitching at the corners.
"For being there," I said. "As always."
"And where else would I be?" he asked, the smile escaping his lips now. "It's the middle of the Force-blessed night!"
I smiled at his feigned irritation. He always knew how to ease my mind. "Goodnight, Mace," I told him.
"Goodnight, my friend," he said. "Swift journey and safe landing."
The minute the landing gear activated and the doors to the ship were opened, healers of every kind swarmed in. From mind healers to soul healers, and surgeons to rehabilitationists, a steady stream of Jedi flowed in and out of the quarters Obi-Wan and I had occupied during our journey.
"We must take him now, Qui-Gon," one of the lead healers was saying.
Numbly, I nodded. There was a look of understanding on Lazir Horizon's face as she signaled the others to ready Obi-Wan for the move.
"After the initial exploration and minor surgeries, we'll want to speak with you," Lazir said. "You can wash up, find something to eat, but stick close by the Healing Chambers."
Again I nodded. The minor surgeries...mending his leg and a few of the simpler internal tears, I guessed. Perhaps even his skull if it posed no danger to sedate him for it. His back would be left for another discussion.
I stood for long minutes in the empty room, once Obi-Wan was gone. Memories of our trip to Bellaqua, our days spent there, the friends we'd made, the accident, all crowded my mind.
"Qui-Gon?"
I blinked, severing my thoughts, which were growing maudlin.
"Mace..."
"I saw them taking Obi-Wan and thought you might be in need of a little support," he said. "Can I help get your bags back to your quarters? I could prepare a light meal while you shower and change, if you like."
"We have no baggage," I told him. "We left in such a hurry, everything we had, besides our 'sabers and beads, was left on Bellaqua."
"Well, whatever you have need of, and don't have in your quarters, can be ordered," Mace said, not one to allow the unexpected to stop him. "But my offer for lunch still stands. What do you say?"
I only wanted to go immediately to Healing Chambers and remain there until there was news, but I knew Mace wouldn't allow it. He had likely already talked to the healers, assuring them I would be kept out from underfoot temporarily. Sighing, I gave in and allowed him to accompany me to my quarters.
I was in the Healing Chambers, Mace sitting beside me, when the healers emerged from the operating theatre.
"You have a very lucky lifemate, Qui-Gon," Lazir Horizon said, plucking at the fastenings of her surgical gown.
"The Force is most definitely with him," another healer said, coming up behind Lazir.
Lucky? Someone in Obi-Wan's condition?
"How so?" I asked incredulously.
"His leg has been set and is already beginning to heal itself," Lazir said. "And with the swelling in his brain beginning to abate a bit, we were able to start on healing the fracture in his skull."
My shoulders sagged in relief. That was good news.
"There is more," the healer said. "From what we can tell, Obi-Wan's broken back has not caused any injury to his spine. There appears to be no paralysis; his lower extremities react well to stimuli.
"If we can perform the surgery to mend his back, I feel confident that it will heal well and that Obi-Wan will be up and walking within the month, fully rehabilitated within two or three, including the work that will need to be done with his leg."
The talk was frightening, surely, but I had expected it to be much worse. Relief again coursed through my veins. Obi-Wan would not be paralyzed. He would heal.
"We'd like your permission to move ahead with the surgery," the other healer said. "Since Obi-Wan cannot give his consent and you are closest to him."
Love surged in my chest, making my heart race. Mace sensed it, attributed it to panic.
"Qui-Gon..." he began.
"It is all right, Mace," I told him. "Please, continue with the surgery," I told the healers. "Obi-Wan would want it. I will be here when you've finished."
"You may go in and be with him now, Master Jinn."
I heard the words, opened my eyes, only then realizing I had fallen asleep hunched over in the anteroom chair.
"Master Jinn?"
"Yes...yes. Thank you," I said, trying to push the blurriness of my exhaustion away.
"Obi-Wan is out of danger and resting," the healer told me. "The child within him is safe and healthy."
"Force be thanked," I said with relief. "Will you show me where he is?"
"Follow me," the healer said.
No longer attached to the tubes as he had been on our trip home, Obi-Wan looked almost as if he were merely sleeping.
/Obi-love,/ I said into our bond. /I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have you within arm's length once more. Please don't ever give me cause to worry so again./
"I'll leave you to sit with him for a while," the healer said, sensing the mental communication. "Someone will be back to monitor him from time to time."
"Thank you," I told him again. "For everything."
Pulling a chair up next to the bed, I sat down. Slowly, lightly, I allowed my hands to travel down Obi-Wan's body, a touch here, a Force-assisted healing suggestion there. Centimeter by centimeter, I attuned Obi-Wan's damaged cells to the Force, allowing them to more easily accept what they needed to repair.
/The healers assure me that you will be fine, Obi-Wan,/ I thought to him. /Our young one is safe as well. Everything will be as it once was, in a matter of months./
As his body opened to the Force, drinking in my mind voice and the healing rays that naturally surrounded this place, Obi-Wan made a small sound.
/Sleep, my Obi-Wan,/ I suggested, although it thrilled me to hear the reaction. /There will be time for us to reunite later. Now, just rest and concentrate on relaxing your mind and body, allow yourself to heal./
go on to part three of Into the Light