Secrets and Suspicion (Book 1)

Double the Pain

Anakin lay on his bed in his apartment in Coruscant. It was dark outside, and he was home alone. He attempting getting up, but it resulted in shoots of pain spreading in the whole right side of his stomach.

He yelled in frustration. I'm sick and tired of this already, he thought. He heard the door the apartment open.

"Anakin?" a voice called.

"Yeah?" Anakin called back. He knew it was Padmé's voice. Anyways, who else would it be?

"Anakin," Padmé came into the bedroom, bending over him to kiss his forehead. "Are you alright?" She searched him for any other wounds, other than the one shot in his stomach.

"No," he said flatly. "Whenever I just try to get up, my whole stomach explodes with pain."

"That makes two of us, then," she said.

"What?"

"My stomach, too. Horrible cramps. I don't know why. It's the same pain that I've been having like those other few nights."

"Well, lucky for you, my break begins a day early. Well, because of the injury, of course." He placed both hands behind his head, relaxing a bit. He still had his Jedi robes on, but any of the metal or other armor had been removed. There were bandages wrapped around his lower stomach, and a new pain-reducing vaccination had been placed next to him on his bedside table. A medical droid had dropped him off earlier, and he had refused Obi-Wan's help, secretly not wanting him to know where he lived. If someone came in, there was evidence all around the apartment that he was married. Anakin had only let the droid come as far as the door, shutting him out when he got inside.

Padmé sighed.

"What's wrong?" Anakin asked expectantly. He was predicting another one of her complaints. It was always something.

"Nothing. I'm so happy your break starts now," she said, moving on to another subject.

"Yeah. Answer my question," he said sternly.

"I said, it's nothing. I guess I'm just...happy to be home with you," she kissed him.

Sort of lost in the kiss, he forgot about everything for a second. "I love you," he said.

"I love you, too, Ani," she said, smiling.

She leaned in again, but Anakin's arm pushed her over next to him on the bed. He trapped her in with his arm.

"What did you sigh for? Answer me."

"I - I just - nothing," she sighed again.

"Well, tell me if you need to," Anakin pressed.

"I will. But on the other hand, I have break the same time you do, so, that's good!"

"The whole time I do?" He asked.

"Well, most of it. I have five days instead of two. Now I'm glad you gave me the suggestion to convince the Chancellor for some time off of work."

"I told you," Anakin said, smiling.