To Tend Our Wounds: PART II OF 'TO CURSE THE DARKNESS' (Kylo/OC)

Withdrawal

The next day, the two of them worked in almost total silence, Ren using a welding tool to solder the new circuit board into the comms array while Ryelle monitored the power linkage.

As she glanced over at Ren, she noticed sweat beading up on his lip, which she found odd since it was cold outside; frightfully so. She was bundled within her parka, the scarf that Ren hated around her neck and her hands encased in highly insulated gloves, while Ren was still dressed in the same uniform he'd worn since they'd landed – his padded gambeson, cloak, shirt sleeves and trousers.

"Aren't you cold?" she ventured.

He looked sideways at her, and she thought she saw that the pupils of his eyes were very dilated. Or was that just the deep brown and she couldn't differentiate it?

"It's none of your concern," he brushed her aside brusquely.

"I have another scarf—"

"I said I'm FINE," he snapped at her, his breathing quick and shallow, sounding like he was enraged as he gasped rapidly. She wondered if the physical exertion of the last week was getting to him or he was just very angry, so she decided to leave him be. However, she continued to hear his labored breathing and she knew he wasn't calming – in fact, he was getting worse, his hands trembling as he tried to work. As he continued to wield the welding tool, his twitching increased as the moments passed.

She turned to look at him and saw sweat was now running down both sides of his face, his bangs wet with perspiration and he reached down to undo the fastener on the neck of his jacket.

"Commander, what's wrong?" she asked, true concern in her voice.

He swallowed hard and climbed down from his position at the nose of the ship, trying not to meet her gaze as he stomped off to his quarters. She heard sounds of him banging around the cockpit and cursing until finally, he lost his temper and threw something against a wall. She cringed, afraid he'd come back out and she'd be the next victim of his anger. Instead, she heard him grunting. Had he broken his hand by punching something? She stayed put, not wanting to provoke him further.

He remained in the ship, his vocalizations increasing. Maybe he'd eaten something bad and was having stomach issues, but that wasn't likely – they'd been eating rations, perfectly clean and healthy food, if not bland.

*BANG*

Now, what? Ryelle thought to herself, but then what she heard afterward chilled her to the bone. Kylo Ren, the deadly Commander of the First Order, cried out. Something was very wrong.

She climbed back into the ship and crept to where his bunk was to find him curled up on the floor, clutching his midsection. He was pouring sweat now and his face was contorted in a grimace as he struggled with whatever was plaguing him.

"Commander?" Ryelle called to him in an urgent voice as she knelt by his side, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder.

"Leave me alone!" he spat at her.

"Commander, I can't, something's wrong. What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere!" he cried out, a renewed surge of pain engulfing him as he began hyperventilating.

Ryelle was at a loss until she spied what she suspected had made the loud noise, something he'd thrown against the wall - it had landed on the floor close by. Reaching over, she picked up the small black case.

"No!" he raged at her as she stood up, unclasping the catch on the case. What she saw inside filled her with dread – there, tucked into the lining, lay three empty vials, a light coating of dusty brown staining the insides, along with a well-used hypospray tool. She realized with horror — it was a fix kit.