Honour Thy Father - Chapter 4 - Part 2
LJ is a poo and wont let me post chapter 4 in one post. Boo!
Leia, who had limited medical training, took control. “Han, Lando, Chewie, go get help and stay out of the way.” She gave Luke’s hand a squeeze before letting go, getting up, and tending to her father - a man who, just a few minutes ago, she wanted dead.
“Where does it hurt?” she asked as she leaned back her father’s bed.
“My chest,” he groaned weakly.
Nurses started rushing in.
“He’s having a heart seizure,” Leia said quickly. “He needs Diazapin.”
One of the nurses quickly rushed out again.
Leia went to the head of the bed to get out of the nurses’ way. She placed her hands on her father’s cheeks and started to gently rub them. Right now, he was not the monster who she had feared; he was a sick old man who needed to be calmed down.
“It’s going to be alright,” she tried to soothe him.
“No, I deserve this. Leave me to die,” he rasped.
“Are you sorry for what you did?” she asked without malice.
“Yes,” he cried. “More than you will ever know.”
“Then you don’t deserve this. You don’t deserve to die. You deserve to be put on trial for your crimes and I am going to make sure you live to see your trial.”
He weakly smiled at Leia’s tough love. “Alright.”
He then blacked out.
* * *
Leia sat between Anakin’s bed and her brother’s bed. Both were sound asleep. Luke had suffered a small fit from the stress of seeing their father have a heart seizure. Both had been tended to by doctors and were going to recover, but both had been sedated. Leia had been permitted to stay, but Lando, Han, and Chewie had been sent away. Chewie demanded that he and Han take turns standing guard outside the door for some reason Leia didn’t catch. The Wookiee was now sitting outside now.
The room was darkened so both father and son could rest. Leia simply sat, researching as much as she could on the only Queen of Naboo named Padmé. Her mother.
She heard a soft moan from her left. Her father was waking.
“Anakin?” she asked. She couldn’t call him ‘Dad’ as Luke did. Her ‘dad’ had been Bail Organa. But, through thinking, she had accepted the fact that Anakin and Darth Vader had been two separate people. Her father was Anakin, the man that killed the Emperor was Anakin, and the man now at her side was Anakin. Anakin was sorry for the things he had done as Vader.
He slowly opened his eyes and worked his jaw. “What happened?” His speech was a bit slurred from the drugs.
“You had a minor heart seizure. You have to take it a bit easier on yourself.”
He nodded. “May I finish telling you about my fall to the dark side? I want you to know everything before you decide not to just pull the plug on me while Luke sleeps.”
“Okay,” she said simply. “But I would never do something like that to Luke. Remember - take it easy. If you are feeling tired, I need you to rest, for Luke.”
“I will give you the short version. Luke has already heard most of this. After my mother died, the Clone Wars broke out. I secretly married your mother just days after the first battle, although it was forbidden for a Jedi to do such a thing. When it was starting to look like the Republic was going to win, I found out your mother was pregnant with you two. I was so happy. I didn’t care about anything else. I didn’t think of the complications of being a Jedi, forbidden to form attachment, and being a father. Then, I started to have visions of your mother dying in childbirth. I was so worried; I made the stupidest decision in the history of the galaxy. I was told by Palpatine that he knew how to save Padmé from dying. I trusted him. I did his bidding so he would tell me. In the end, my heart turned pure evil. I asked your mother to join me in ruling the galaxy. She refused and I killed her. It was then that I battled with Obi-Wan Kenobi and he gave me what I deserved.”
Leia shook her head. “No.”
Anakin nodded, grimly. “I killed your mother. If you want to kill me now, I won’t fight.”
She shook her head again. “No, what I mean is, you are wrong. You didn’t kill her.”
He looked at her, confused. “No, I strangled her in my madness.”
“I… I was in my dad’s - Bail Organa’s - office one day, bored out of my ten-year-old my mind while I waited for him to come out of a meeting. I was snooping around and found a file marked ‘Leia’s mother’. I knew I was adopted and I was curious, so I read it. A lot was blacked out, but a few things weren’t, including a ‘cause of death’ report. It stated that the woman the file was about died of heart failure during childbirth. My father came into the room. I asked him about it. At first he was furious, but he eventually told me that my mother, my real mother, died when she was in childbirth with me.”
Relief flowed off Anakin. “I didn’t kill her,” he said to himself. “Not directly anyways.”
“No, you didn’t kill her,” Leia said with a slight smile. “As for your other crimes, you will go on trial for them tomorrow if you are feeling up to it. Mon Mothma will be the judge and will decide your fate.”
He solemnly nodded. “I will plead guilty.”
“Alright. I guess that will make your defense lawyer’s job simpler.”
“Who would want to take the job of defending me?”
“Luke.”
Anakin rolled his eyes. “Great. My lawyer is a farm boy as naive as a Ewok with the appetite the size of a Wookiee.”
Leia found herself laughing. It felt good.
Luke started to stir. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” Anakin tried to act innocent.
Luke huffed. “Whatever. I am glad you two are in better humor.” He then added. “Leia. I’m hungry. Can you get me something to eat?”
This made both father and daughter start laughing hysterically.
Leia, who had limited medical training, took control. “Han, Lando, Chewie, go get help and stay out of the way.” She gave Luke’s hand a squeeze before letting go, getting up, and tending to her father - a man who, just a few minutes ago, she wanted dead.
“Where does it hurt?” she asked as she leaned back her father’s bed.
“My chest,” he groaned weakly.
Nurses started rushing in.
“He’s having a heart seizure,” Leia said quickly. “He needs Diazapin.”
One of the nurses quickly rushed out again.
Leia went to the head of the bed to get out of the nurses’ way. She placed her hands on her father’s cheeks and started to gently rub them. Right now, he was not the monster who she had feared; he was a sick old man who needed to be calmed down.
“It’s going to be alright,” she tried to soothe him.
“No, I deserve this. Leave me to die,” he rasped.
“Are you sorry for what you did?” she asked without malice.
“Yes,” he cried. “More than you will ever know.”
“Then you don’t deserve this. You don’t deserve to die. You deserve to be put on trial for your crimes and I am going to make sure you live to see your trial.”
He weakly smiled at Leia’s tough love. “Alright.”
He then blacked out.
* * *
Leia sat between Anakin’s bed and her brother’s bed. Both were sound asleep. Luke had suffered a small fit from the stress of seeing their father have a heart seizure. Both had been tended to by doctors and were going to recover, but both had been sedated. Leia had been permitted to stay, but Lando, Han, and Chewie had been sent away. Chewie demanded that he and Han take turns standing guard outside the door for some reason Leia didn’t catch. The Wookiee was now sitting outside now.
The room was darkened so both father and son could rest. Leia simply sat, researching as much as she could on the only Queen of Naboo named Padmé. Her mother.
She heard a soft moan from her left. Her father was waking.
“Anakin?” she asked. She couldn’t call him ‘Dad’ as Luke did. Her ‘dad’ had been Bail Organa. But, through thinking, she had accepted the fact that Anakin and Darth Vader had been two separate people. Her father was Anakin, the man that killed the Emperor was Anakin, and the man now at her side was Anakin. Anakin was sorry for the things he had done as Vader.
He slowly opened his eyes and worked his jaw. “What happened?” His speech was a bit slurred from the drugs.
“You had a minor heart seizure. You have to take it a bit easier on yourself.”
He nodded. “May I finish telling you about my fall to the dark side? I want you to know everything before you decide not to just pull the plug on me while Luke sleeps.”
“Okay,” she said simply. “But I would never do something like that to Luke. Remember - take it easy. If you are feeling tired, I need you to rest, for Luke.”
“I will give you the short version. Luke has already heard most of this. After my mother died, the Clone Wars broke out. I secretly married your mother just days after the first battle, although it was forbidden for a Jedi to do such a thing. When it was starting to look like the Republic was going to win, I found out your mother was pregnant with you two. I was so happy. I didn’t care about anything else. I didn’t think of the complications of being a Jedi, forbidden to form attachment, and being a father. Then, I started to have visions of your mother dying in childbirth. I was so worried; I made the stupidest decision in the history of the galaxy. I was told by Palpatine that he knew how to save Padmé from dying. I trusted him. I did his bidding so he would tell me. In the end, my heart turned pure evil. I asked your mother to join me in ruling the galaxy. She refused and I killed her. It was then that I battled with Obi-Wan Kenobi and he gave me what I deserved.”
Leia shook her head. “No.”
Anakin nodded, grimly. “I killed your mother. If you want to kill me now, I won’t fight.”
She shook her head again. “No, what I mean is, you are wrong. You didn’t kill her.”
He looked at her, confused. “No, I strangled her in my madness.”
“I… I was in my dad’s - Bail Organa’s - office one day, bored out of my ten-year-old my mind while I waited for him to come out of a meeting. I was snooping around and found a file marked ‘Leia’s mother’. I knew I was adopted and I was curious, so I read it. A lot was blacked out, but a few things weren’t, including a ‘cause of death’ report. It stated that the woman the file was about died of heart failure during childbirth. My father came into the room. I asked him about it. At first he was furious, but he eventually told me that my mother, my real mother, died when she was in childbirth with me.”
Relief flowed off Anakin. “I didn’t kill her,” he said to himself. “Not directly anyways.”
“No, you didn’t kill her,” Leia said with a slight smile. “As for your other crimes, you will go on trial for them tomorrow if you are feeling up to it. Mon Mothma will be the judge and will decide your fate.”
He solemnly nodded. “I will plead guilty.”
“Alright. I guess that will make your defense lawyer’s job simpler.”
“Who would want to take the job of defending me?”
“Luke.”
Anakin rolled his eyes. “Great. My lawyer is a farm boy as naive as a Ewok with the appetite the size of a Wookiee.”
Leia found herself laughing. It felt good.
Luke started to stir. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” Anakin tried to act innocent.
Luke huffed. “Whatever. I am glad you two are in better humor.” He then added. “Leia. I’m hungry. Can you get me something to eat?”
This made both father and daughter start laughing hysterically.