28The Heart of Destiny
Author: Laura Kenobi
Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, I don't own Star Wars. I do, however, own any original characters, planets, etcetera that I created for this story.
Archive: Please contact me first!
Comments/Reviews: You can email me through my profile, and you can always leave a review!
Author's Notes: ((italics)) represents thoughts and / italics / represents communication through the Force.
This story was first published in its original version beginning on June 21, 2001. In July 2005, I decided that since four years had passed and my skills as a writer had undoubtedly improved since this story was first written and posted, it might be refreshing to return to this story and give it a fresh look and an update. For the most part the overall story remains the same - my goal has been to improve on and expand on the original, so I hope the result will prove enjoyable to all of you who are wonderful enough to read and review. The version of this story below is the updated version. Call it the "Special Edition" version of this story.
My knowledge of medicine and medical procedures is non-existent. I apologize in advance for any medical inaccuracies.
Summary: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn start out on a mission, and a lifetime of memories follow.
Chapter Fourteen
Gwen felt it the moment her husband's ship docked in the temple hanger. Agony and physical pain rippled through the Force. The boarding ramp lowered, and she waited for Obi-Wan to come striding out to greet her.
Nobody came.
Her heart clenched forcefully with alarm. She made sure her comlink was working, and crept cautiously into the ship.
"Obi-Wan? Anakin?" her voice echoed through the eerily quiet ship. Her hand rested lightly on her lightsaber.
Still nothing.
She walked along silently, wondering if someone had pirated the ship and done something to Obi-Wan and Anakin. Suddenly, her foot landed in something slippery. She looked down.
Blood.
Gwen gasped. Looking up, she realized it was a trail of blood. She raced up the hall and into the cockpit.
There, lying on the floor, in a pool of his own blood and barely alive, was her husband, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Snatching her comlink off her belt, she switched it on.
"Jedi Temp–"
"Listen, this is Knight Gwen A'mour. I need a team of healers to the hanger, immediately! I'm on board Master Kenobi's ship."
"Right away."
Gwen switched the dumb thing off. She dropped to her knees beside her husband. ((Oh, Force, Obi-Wan! What did you do this time?))
She wondered briefly where Anakin was, but she saw no trace of him.
"Obi-Wan,please wake up..." she looked down at his right arm. It was twisted at an impossible angle, definitely broken. There was a giant gash on his forehead, and blood leaked slowly out of the corner of his mouth. She resisted the urge to cry. Panicking would do no good now.
The healers rushed into the ship, carrying a stretcher. Gwen got out of their way, and they placed Obi-Wan carefully onto the stretcher. She moved to walk beside it. Once they reached the medi-center, they put Obi-Wan, still on his stretcher, into a temporary room while they got another room ready.
The healers agreed to let Gwen stay alone with Obi-Wan, but they made her promise to contact them at once if even the slightest thing went wrong. Gwen thought the entire ordeal was wrong; she felt totally hopeless as she gazed at the bloody face of her husband. Blood was still leaking out of the corners of his mouth, and she was scared. Scared for Obi-Wan.
The room was deathly quiet, and Gwen jumped when Obi-Wan moaned softly. Her heart leapt into her throat. He was waking up!
"G – Gwen?"
"Obi-Wan! I'm right here. Don't try to speak."
He ignored her. "Wh...where are we?"
"Shhhh... we're in the Temple medi-center. I found you unconscious on your ship. Do you remember putting it on autopilot?"
"Yes."
"That was good thinking. Don't talk anymore."
He nodded gently, and then shifted uncomfortably. He tried to muffle his cry of pain at the movement of his broken body, but was unsuccessful. Tears came to his eyes, and Gwen could practically touch his pain. The waves through the Force were intense.
"Oh, Obi-Wan..." her eyes were wet with tears as well. She sent him a wave of comfort and love through the Force.
/ Thank you, love. /
/ Force, Obi-Wan! What happened? /
/ I – Anakin... betrayed... /
He trailed off as his entire body began to shake violently. Gwen shouted for the healers, and jumped out of the way as they came rushing in. They rushed Obi-Wan into the emergency center, and told her to wait outside. She sank weakly into a chair.
She felt like she waited there for an eternity. Finally, after about an hour, a healer stepped out of the room. Gwen was on her feet in an instant.
"Knight A'mour?"
"Yes. How is he doing?"
The healer shook his head. "Not well. He suffered massive internal damage, and we're going to need to do surgery on him. I wanted to have your permission, as he is, in my opinion, too upset to make the decision for himself. This can go two ways. He could pull through and make a complete recovery. Or..." the healer trailed off.
"Can I see him alone for a moment before I give you my permission?"
"Yes, he is conscious, but barely. He did call out for you a few times while we were working on him. Please be quick. We don't have much time."
Gwen nodded, and entered Obi-Wan's room. He looked a little better without all the blood on his face, but she could tell he was still in a lot of pain. His right arm was in a hard cast. His eyes fixed on her, and he smiled weakly.
"Gwen." It was little more than a breath.
"Did they tell you?"
His voice strengthened only slightly. "About the surgery? Yes." There was something in his eyes. Something she couldn't quite pick out.
"They said they want my permission..."
"I'll be fine, Love. I think..." he began to cough violently, and blood trickled from his mouth again. Gwen quickly wiped it off his face.
"Obi-Wan?"
"...I think I really need this surgery.
Fear. That was what she saw in his eyes. He was afraid. Her heart leapt into her throat.
"Obi-Wan, this will be okay. I love you."
"I know. Surgery is just not one of my favorite things." He looked like he was about to pass out again, and Gwen leaned over so he could see her better.
"I'll be right outside the door. And when they're all done I'll bring Mara in to see you."
That pleased him. He seemed to relax. "Okay. I love you."
"I love you too."
She leaned over and kissed him quickly, then turned and hurried out of the room. She told the healer that he could go ahead with the surgery, and the healer smiled at her.
"We'll do everything in our power to help him."
"Thank you. I know you will."
Practically running to Master L'arel's quarters, she picked Mara up and was back to the medi-center within five minutes. Mara was sleeping, and Gwen could barely sit still.
Hours passed, and just when she thought she could wait no more, the healers exited Obi-Wan's room. She stood, careful not to wake her six-month-old daughter, and walked over to the healer she had spoken with earlier.
"May I see him?"
"Yes. With a little extra attention, we're predicting a full recovery. That was one of the most uneventful surgeries I've ever done. He's a lucky man."
"I know. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"I'm glad I could help. He's right in there. He's conscious, but very weak. He lost a lot of blood."
Thanking him again, she entered Obi-Wan's room. His eyes were closed, but she could tell he was still awake.
"Obi-Wan?"
His eyes opened and he smiled weakly at her. His eyes were a bit glazed and he looked a little pale, but she could tell he was okay. She pulled a chair up beside his bed.
"How do you feel?"
"Weak, but very glad to be alive. Is Mara asleep?" Obi-Wan glanced at their daughter. He couldn't see clearly.
"Yes," Gwen handed her to Obi-Wan, and he held her close with his uninjured arm, "she slept practically the entire time. I'm glad someone got some rest!" she laughed softly.
At that moment Mara opened her green eyes and took in her surroundings. Her eyes landed on her father's face, and she smiled. Obi-Wan chuckled gently.
"You're such a miracle, my little one. And I need you now more than ever..." his voice trailed off and a haunted look appeared in his eyes. Gwen leaded over to get closer to him. She had seen that look before. He had lost Anakin.
"Love, what's wrong? What happened?"
"Anakin." Obi-Wan closed his eyes briefly. "Anakin betrayed me. I lost him, Gwen. I had such a bad feeling, and yet I dismissed it as normal worry. And now he's gone... I killed him."
"What? What do you mean you killed him?"
Mara sighed and closed her eyes again.
"We were at the top of the volcano. He turned on me with a red lightsaber, declaring himself a Sith. He tried to kill me," Obi-Wan sighed, "and almost succeeded. When I leapt out of the way... he plunged into the lava pit below." Obi-Wan's breath came in short gasps, "I failed him. I failed Anakin, and... and I failed Qui-Gon. I gave him my word..."
"No! You must never think that! He loved you like a son. He was always so proud of you. This isn't your fault. He knows that."
"I wish you were right," Obi-Wan's pain-filled eyes looked down at Mara, "I just hope our daughter can grow up in a world better than this one. We've got to put an end to this."
"It will end in time, Obi-Wan. Now you need your rest. I love you so much..."
"I love you too. Goodbye Mara." He kissed his daughter on the forehead, and then kissed Gwen gently on the lips. As Gwen carried Mara out of the room, she couldn't get her husband's haunted eyes out of her mind.
"Obi-Wan, what am I supposed to do now? I'm going to have two babies in a few months, and now we have to hide them from Darth Vader?"
Obi-Wan sighed. Padmé was pregnant with twins. And Anakin – Darth Vader – was not dead after all. The man in black from his sparring vision was what Anakin had become. Obi-Wan knew he must keep Anakin's wife and her children safe. He owed them at least that much.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine. After you give birth to the twins, I will take one of them to live with my brother, Owen, on Tatooine, and you will take the other to Alderaan to be raised as the son or daughter of Bail Organa. You can stay on Alderaan, but you must never reveal to your child that you are his or her mother. I know this is far from the ideal situation..."
Padmé had been vehemently against this at first, but had come to accept it. "It is necessary. I know I won't be happy when the time comes, but I will do anything to keep my children safe from that monster."
She spoke of Anakin as a monster now. Anakin Skywalker was truly dead. Obi-Wan sighed.
"I'll keep in touch."
"Thank You Obi-Wan. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Nodding briefly to her, he ended the transmission.
((Now all we can do is wait.))
- A few weeks later -
Obi-Wan was in an unusually good mood. The Republic had just won a battle against the Empire. Although a small victory, it was something. He strode into his quarters in the Jedi Temple and swept his wife off her feet.
"Goodness! Hello, love." Gwen looked pleasantly surprised.
His response was a passionate kiss that sent chills of desire up her spine.
/ What put you in such a... good mood? /
/ Everything. The Republic just won a battle against the Empire. /
/ That's wonderful! /
She pulled out of his kiss, and looked deep into his eyes. He smiled at her.
"Is Mara asleep?"
"Yes..."
He carried her over to their bedroom and placed her on the bed. They shared a night of passion and love, unaware of the danger that awaited them in the morning...
End Chapter 14.
I apologize for the dreadful cliffhanger! I believe I have two chapters to go. Thanks so much to those of you who have been reading/reviewing! I really appreciate it! More to come soon. - Laura