Wrest Pin | The Mandalorian

Chapter Nineteen: The Fever Night

Note: This is a shorter chapter, just some fluff before we get back into the main plot!

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Mando didn't know what he expected.

A part of him had thought the shot the doctor had given them would be the thing to fix it all. And truthfully, her leg didn't look as inflamed as it had earlier. But the fever was still existent, after hours and hours of wasted time. After her nightmare, he had spent all of that time awake in the night, constantly sliding his hand over her forehead, finding it was still warm. He would shine a light on her wound – knowing it looked better...Less red around the edges and the medicine had obviously worked quickly to attack whatever it was...But her body was taking a bit more time. Something he assumed was normal, but he wasn't a fucking doctor...He didn't know these things, besides the basics of fixing his own wounds.

Mando kept debating on going to get Jubileenen. Debating telling him to get his ass back there and fix her, like he said the shot would. But he just laid beside her instead, stringing her hair through his fingers as she slept, watching her chest rise and fall. She had gone back to sleep after waking up screaming. And he had done his best to hold her and to comfort her. Maybe he had been too blunt...in telling her that it was going to hurt, but he knew it would. He didn't know the kind of pain – but it had to be excruciating to make women born as warriors in the way of the Mandalore to scream the way they seemed to.

He pressed his hand to her forehead again, then her cheek. Her skin was still feverish under his hand. He let out a sigh, pushing himself from the bed before he went into the kitchen, grabbing a rag in the darkness. He ran it under some cold water before returning to the bed and scooting close to her, slowly dabbing the cold rag to her forehead, before pulling down the collar of her shirt to press it against her sternum. Unfortunately, her eyes fluttered open – and she reached out and grabbed his wrist as a surprised sound left her lips.

"Shhh," Mando shushed, "It's just me...I'm trying to cool you down."

Evangeline released his wrist, and her voice croaked, "What time is it?"

"Nearly two," Mando hummed, glancing at the clock. She must have been disoriented by the darkness flooding in from outside, and swallowing around them. But he could see her face dimly. She was blinking at the ceiling, and Mando questioned, "How do you feel?"

Evangeline replied softly, "Tired...I think I was dreaming."

Mando had come to fear her dreams sometimes. They made him nervous, ever since he hadn't believed her on the estuary moon, a guilt that he carried to that very day. Or her waking up...screaming just hours before, and he wondered what she had dreamed of then. From the way she had spoken, he supposed she had dreamed of giving birth, of the pain, and he hoped that it wasn't something like the visions that she had. He hoped that it wouldn't be as horrible and as terrifying as it had sounded from her cries. But he couldn't be sure. Slowly, he unbuttoned her night shirt to get better access to her chest, adjusting the rag...Finally he managed to question...

"What about?"

Where he sat beside her, he could see her eyes finally move over and find him. He watched her open her mouth as if to reply, but she paused...Brows furrowing before she finally answered him, "I can't remember...not much anyway, not like the...the nightmare. I could hear the baby crying."

Mando glanced back at Grogu sleeping in his basket and he questioned, "Grogu?"

There was no verbal response...She only shook her head, and Mando's eyes traveled to her abdomen. Right. Taking a few moments to gather his thoughts, he bit the inside of his cheek. She was staring at the ceiling again, eyes hardly blinking and he figured maybe she was thinking of the nightmare again from the expression on her face. Mando leaned forward, pressed his lips to her temple, trying to pull her away from it. She leaned into him, but he knew his curiosity and concern was going to make the words come out, as he murmured to her, his face near hers, "What was the nightmare about?"