What's in a Family?

White Walls and a Phoenix Nest

Ezra groaned, trying his best to ignore the aches and pains that plagued his whole body. Last night had been absolutely horrible! His coughing had gotten worse, mucus clogged his nose, sweat plastered his dark, disheveled hair to his forehead, and to top it off, his chest felt tight...like something heavy was sitting on it. 

Thought whatever Hera gave me was supposed to get rid of my symptoms, not make them worse. 

Groggily, the teenager forced his weak muscles to move and sit up. He cradled his head in his hands to massage at the temples.  Everything just hurt.  The whole night had put him through the wringer by tossing, turning, and coughing just to clear an airway to breathe by. Every time one nostril felt clear, he'd have to flip over to clear the other one. 

Cracking his blood shot eyes open halfway, he fumbled with clammy palms for his orange jumpsuit and gear that he eventually kicked off.  Usually the Ghost was pretty cool, as the life-support system was kept low to maintain fuel. However, last night felt like a sauna! 

Maybe it's broken...?

Ezra awkwardly struggled to pull on his clothes. Every motion felt like a chore, and by the time he swung his legs over the top bunk, he had to catch himself from falling off the ladder. Sighing, he rested his hot forehead against one of the cool rungs. 

Nope, not broken. It's me. Definitely me.

Allowing the chilly metal to sit against his warm skin for a moment, the teenager begrudgingly pulled himself away to collect his lightsaber. He secured it to his belt before slowly making his way to the doorway. 

I've got to get it together. Cold or no cold, I've had worse. Keep this up, and Kanan will definitely think I'm slacking! 

The familiar tickle in his already sore throat caused another coughing fit to seize his small frame. He stumbled for the wall of the hallway. Feeling junk rattle in his chest, he wheezed once to catch his breath. 

Abruptly, he heard a clatter behind him before finding a pair of hands guiding him to a sitting position on the floor. 

"Easy there, buddy. Just take it slow."

Kanan. 

Karablast it. 

He didn't want his master to see him like this! It's just a head-cold, nothing to get all excited about. Just give him some space, time, and rest, and he'll be fine.  Ezra attempted weakly to shrug off the helping hands. When they didn't leave, he tried batting them away. 

"Kanan, I got this." The teen whined.  Indignantly, he pulled himself up to wobble on his two feet. The pounding in his head returned with a vengeance, causing the dull ache to throb against the inside of his skull.  He heard a sigh come from next to him. 

"Put your stubborn pride aside for a moment, and hold still." 

At that, Ezra felt something cool and metallic brush against his forehead. 

Kanan held the thermometer for a long pause until it beeped twice, displaying the digital results on the tiny screen. His brows furrowed as he placed his hands firmly on his padawan's shoulders to swiftly direct him down the hallway. He unclipped his comm from his belt.

"Specter 2, I'm going to move ahead with Specter 6, and we'll meet you aboard the Liberator."

The teenager blinked at him sideways in confusion before coughing hard into his hand. 

Wait. What's happening? Did I miss something? Are we on a mission?!

"Copy that, Specter 1. I'll contact you as soon as the briefing is over."