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The halls echoed our hurries footsteps as Obi-Wan led me through the temple to the med bay. My heart was pounding. As soon as I heard the words med bay my mind jumped to the worst possible scenario.

If something bad happened to him...

Shaking my head, I didn't allow my mind to wander down that path. I swallowed my worry and tried to keep my breathing steady. I noticed Obi-Wan glance at me from the corner of his eye. I'm sure my growing concern was obvious.

"He will be okay, Kels." He said gently.

"What happened?" I asked.

"He very narrowly missed being the target of a spider droid." Obi-Wan began calmly. I winced at the thought. "He wasn't hit directly, but the impact of the blast was severe."

Without realizing, I picked up the pace. I needed to see him.

"So why do you need me?" I asked.

"In order for Anakin to be put into a bacta tank to heal his injuries, he needs to be unconscious. And despite the multiple rounds of sedatives, he is resisting." Obi- Wan explained. I remained silent, still waiting to see how I fit into all of this as fear licked at the back of my mind. If a bacta tank was needed, this must be serious. "As soon as we think he may be out, he fights back to consciousness. And in those far from lucid moments, he keeps calling out your name."

My breath hitched in my throat. I was at a loss for words.

"I do not pretend to be unaware of the connection you two share." Obi-Wan said softly, watching my face carefully. "Even if I hadn't seen it right in front of me, I would have been able to feel it."

"I...um-" I began, feeling the need to tell Obi-Wan he was wrong. But he held up his hand to stop me.

"That is a conversation for a later time." He said firmly. "Right now, the focus is getting Anakin into that bacta tank before..." He didn't complete his sentence. But the dark shadow that fell over his expression told me that Anakin's life was at stake.

I put aside the fear that my feelings for him and whatever semblance of attachment between us would be revealed. The last thing I wanted to do was to expose him for almost breaking Jedi code. But more than anything, I wanted Anakin alive.

"I can get him to sleep." I whispered.

"I had hoped you would say that." Obi-Wan said with a deep sigh.

We had reached the medical wing of the temple and I followed Obi-Wan through the outpatient bay and towards the intensive care unit. We made our way quickly down the hallway lined with doors before Obi-Wan stopped in front of one. He gave me one last appreciative look before waving his hand over the sensor as the door slid open.

The room was small and stark white. The sound of medical droids hummed through the air and I cringed at the sight of one that looked suspiciously like a ventilator, pumping oxygen into the battered Jedi who lay on the bed. He was still wearing his soot-covered pants and combat boots, but his upper half was stripped completely bare, with wires and tubes protruding from his scraped-up skin. He thrashed uncomfortably to the side; his eyes were closed but he grit his teeth so hard I was worried he might break a tooth. He was fighting the sedation.

"Just hit him with another round!" I heard Ahsoka call out as she pressed down onto Anakin's shoulder, keeping him from tearing out the IVs in his arm.

"He has already surpassed the maximum dosage of sedative recommended for a human." A droid called out in a smooth voice.

"Well than let's just throw him into the bacta tank." She rebounded.

"He will drown if he is not unconscious when the bacta process begins." The droid explained.

"Ani, please...just stop fighting it." Another voice said softly. Padme crossed the room from where she was previously standing and grabbed Anakin's hand. I couldn't deny that small twinge of satisfaction when I saw him immediately rip his hand from her hold.

"Gods Anakin...why do you have to be so damn stubborn." Ahsoka said in an exasperated tone, bringing another hand up to press Anakin down forcefully into the bed.

"Ahsoka." Obi-Wan said in a scolding tone. Her head snapped in our direction and her eyes went wide with relief when she saw me.

"Oh, thank the force you're here." She said, shooting me a tense smile. I saw Padme also look up at me and when we briefly made eye contact, she was assessing at me with a curious expression.

"Kels." I then heard Anakin say in a hoarse voice. Everyone's head snapped in his direction. He attempted to lift his hand towards me, but Ahsoka pressed it back in place before he tangled the multiple tubes anchored in the crook of his elbow.

My heart stopped when I finally allowed myself to hold his heavy-lidded gaze. His beautiful golden skin was covered in scratches with an angry looking burn creeping up his neck towards his jaw. The hollows of his cheeks made the sharp planes of his bone structure even more pronounced and the shadows under his eyes were impossibly dark. But what concerned me the most was the raspy, pained breaths he took with great effort.

Before I could control myself, my vision went blurry with tears. It physically hurt to see him like this. Ahsoka stepped aside as I beelined towards him, like two magnets being drawn to each other.

"Hey pretty girl." He whispered in a slurred voice when I was finally by his side. It caused my heart to ache.

"Anakin..." I said, my voice cracking softly as I carefully reached through the tubes for his hand. As soon as I wrapped my fingers around his, he closed his eyes and let out a deep, rough sigh. He finally stopped fidgeting and was still. Now it was Padme who shifted uncomfortably in her seat from the other side of Anakin. I tore my eyes away from Anakin and searched the room for the medic droid.

"What are his injuries?" I asked when my gaze landed on the 2-1B droid that stood still in the corner of the room.

"The right side of his body bore the brunt of the impact. So, we have identified multiple burns and abrasions, severe concussion, a dislocated right shoulder, broken right collar bone, three broken ribs, and a severely punctured right lung." The droid recited. I nodded and swallowed hard at the long list of injuries.

"The ventilator can only keep him breathing for so long. He needs to get into that bacta tank as soon as possible." Ahsoka chimed in with a panicked tone. 

I looked up at her and felt my stomach twist at the sight of her wide, glossy blue eyes. With a shallow exhale, I reached up with my free hand to gently squeeze her hand too. Her jaw tensed at the contact, but she squeezed back with a soft nod of her head. A silent exchange promising I would do whatever I can to help her beloved master.

Turning my attention back to Anakin, I saw he was looking at me with a small, lopsided smile as he fought to keep his eyes open. "Anakin, you need to let them heal you." I said softly as I ran my thumb gently over his knuckles.

"I miss you" he said in a strained voice, ignoring my request. I felt my chest tighten, and just like that, all the work I had done to convince myself I was moving on crumbled.

"Go to sleep, Anakin." I said gently, blinking quickly to keep the tears at bay. Taking a deep breath, I began to gather as much calm and serenity in my mind as I could before beginning to project the warm, glowing feeling towards him. I saw Obi-Wan and Ahsoka exchange a glance in my peripheral vision.

"No...please." Anakin begged, wincing as he drew in another breath.

"I'll be here when you wake up." I promised, continuing to gently pour the calm over him. He took another ragged breath as his cobalt gaze bore into mine. He didn't need words to tell me he was going to hold me to that promise. He nodded ever so slightly and allowed his shoulders to relax.

"I lov-" He began to whisper in a barely audible voice. I froze, every nerve in my body suddenly ignited.

"When you wake up." I had to cut him off. I wouldn't allow him to make a drug-induced confession he might not mean in front of his master, his padawan, and his ex-girlfriend.

He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out as his eyes finally fluttered shut and his head rolled softly to the side. He finally stopped fighting the sedative. I kept a hold of his hand, continuing to stroke the calloused skin with my thumb.

His body finally fully relaxed into the hospital bed and his hand grew heavy in my grip. I remained still for moment, ensuring that he was sleep. When his soft breaths began to even out and the angry beeps of the medical machines began to quiet, I closed the barrier in my brain. He was finally in a deep sleep.

The room was quiet. No one dared to say anything for a few moments. Likely due to not wanting to disturb the sleeping Jedi. I watched him closely, marveling at how peaceful he looked despite his battered body. He is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

However, the medical droid whizzed into my field of vision, yanking me out of my thoughts.

"Prepare the bacta tank." The droid ordered and I saw smaller droids whir to life and jet out of the room. Before I knew what was happening, Anakin was being wheeled out of the room with the ventilator in tow. Leaving behind the rest of us to just...wait.

"What just happened?" Ahsoka eventually broke the heavy silence. I looked down at my now empty hand and felt three sets of eyes on me.

I was nervous to explain it. I didn't know how to explain it.

Luckily, Obi-Wan spoke before I could.

"Whatever happened here, stays in this room." He said in a soft, yet firm voice. I looked up at him and he gave me a knowing look. I let out a deep breath, grateful he wasn't going to reveal Anakin and I's obvious connection to the council.

"Are you force sensitive?" Ahsoka then asked in a hesitant voice. My eyes flicked over to her, her gaze held a hint of understanding. Padme shifted towards me, also clearly interested to hear my response. I glanced over to Obi-Wan who nodded his head gently.

"Um...a little, I guess." I replied, fidgeting nervously with my fingers. "I can do this thing with emotions and feelings."

"Force empathy." Obi-Wan confirmed. I nodded and a small smile tugged at the corners of Ahsoka's lips.

"I knew it." She muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. "But how were you able to get through to Anakin? That guy's mind is like a beskar vault."

"I don't know." I admitted truthfully.

"What is the nature of your relationship with Anakin?" Padme then asked quickly in a tight voice before she took a deep breath and added, "if it's not too personal of me to ask."

I met her gaze and she looked at me with equal amounts of hurt and intrigue. I couldn't help but feel for her. I knew what it was like to be heartbroken by Anakin Skywalker.

"That I also don't know...truthfully." I said as gently as I could. Her shoulder sank, clearly that wasn't the answer she was hoping for.

"Anakin and Kels are friends. Anakin is dedicated to the Jedi code." Obi-Wan interjected with a careful tone. We all knew this was veering into dangerous territory. A small part of me wanted to correct Obi-Wan, to finally profess my love out loud for his former padawan. To claim him as mine. But I knew I couldn't do that. So, I simply nodded and kept my mouth shut. We all wanted to protect Anakin.

"How long will it take for the bacta to heal him?" Ahsoka asked softly, thankfully changing the subject.

"It could take up to a couple days." Obi-Wan answered, allowing some of the tension in his features to drop.

"Will you let me know? When he's awake?" I asked, looking up at the older Jedi.

I still wasn't sure what I'd do once Anakin came out of the bacta tank. If I were smart, I'd maintain my distance and continue trying to move on. But I am weak when it comes to him, and I wasn't so sure I'd be able resist the urge to be by his side like I promised.

"Of course, you will be informed." Obi-Wan promised.

"Thank you." I replied softly and stood from my seat. "I-uh, I have to get back to work." I lied. It was my day off, but I needed to get out of this room before I say something rash. As I walked towards the door, Ahsoka caught hold of my forearm, halting me in my tracks.

"Thank you, Kels. For helping him." She said with genuine gratitude.

"Of course." I replied with a soft smile. Little did she know I would go to the ends of the universe for Anakin. Ahsoka returned my smile and released me from her grip.

And with that, I left the room with questions and unspoken conversations hanging in the air.

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I spent the next day in a haze, unable to keep my mind off of Anakin.

There were a few moments I had almost convinced myself it would be a good idea to go check on him. But I quickly pushed that thought away, not wanting to draw any more attention to my feelings for him.

I tried to keep myself busy with work and with Rala who had just returned from a weekend trip with Fellan. She had a lot to catch me up on and I was more than happy for the distraction. We were currently sitting at the table for a pre-shift breakfast, both nursing a cup of tea.

"And that's when he asked me!" She said with a bright grin. She had just given me the play-by-play of the romantic picnic Fellan had taken her on to officially ask her to be his girlfriend.

"Oh, Rala, that's great!" I said with enthusiasm, reaching across the table to give her hand a squeeze. I was happy for her. I knew how much she liked him. And they do make a great couple.

"I'm just so happy...it could not have been more perfect." She said with a dreamy sigh, clearly reliving the moment.

"Well, he is very lucky." I said, bringing my mug up to gently blow on the scalding liquid. A pink crept across her cheeks as she waved away my comment.

"So, what about you? How's Blake?" She asked, hiding a smirk behind her mug.

I felt a twist in my gut. Considering recent events with Anakin, I felt even more conflicted about Blake. And I was starting to worry I was leading him on with my indecisiveness.

"Blake is fine." I said, shooting Rala a knowing look.

"Whatever you say," she said with a laugh. "That boy is smitten with you."

A lump of guilt rose to my throat. I know.

"We're just friends." I said firmly.

"Yep." She said popping the "p."

"Are you coming to the race tomorrow?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"I don't know, Kels...you know you can get in trouble attending those, right?" She said hesitantly. Rala didn't love the idea of Blake's illegal activities, and she definitely didn't love that he had brought me into it.

"We won't get in trouble. It's very easy to feign ignorance." I said and bit my lip. "Oh, please don't arrest me, I had no idea what was happening. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." I said in an overly innocent tone, holding up my hands in surrender to further the point.

Rala rolled her eyes but let out a laugh. "Well, yes, we could get away with that. But I doubt Blake could."

I considered her point and shrugged. She was right. Blake doesn't pull off ignorance as easily as Rala and I do.

"He can handle himself." I said, repeating the numerous amounts of times he said the same thing to me when I voiced concern about his activities.

Kels, I can handle myself. It wouldn't be my first brush with the law. He'd always say with his trademark cocky grin.

"Him handling himself is what I worry about." Rala said with a groan, causing me to chuckle and bring my mug up to my lips for another sip. I had recently become a tea convert. Rala had taught me how to make it the traditional Mirialan way and I have been hooked ever since.

I began to open my mouth to change the subject but was cut off by a youngling who suddenly appeared next to me. The small boy looked up at me with deep green eyes.

"Kels Remlik?" He asked in a small voice. I threw a confused glance at Rala who mirrored my expression before returning my gaze to the boy.

"Um...yes?" I confirmed gently.

"This is for you." He said, extending a small fist towards me. I felt my eyebrows scrunch together and held out my hand. The boy dropped a crumbled piece of parchment into my palm before scurrying away.

"Uh- thanks!?" I called after him as he disappeared into the hallway.

"What was that all about?" Rala asked.

"Not sure..." I muttered, carefully unfolding the piece of paper. My heart jumped when
I read the clear writing.

He's awake.