the mechanic and the jedi [english edition]

an illusion

I had to spend the night in the infirmary until the next morning because the stab wound could only be sutured by a healer. Provisionally, the medidroid had treated my injury with a bacta plaster. The painkillers did the rest and helped me to a deep dreamless sleep. Perhaps this was also due to my exhaustion.
Early in the morning I was woken up by a healer. He asked me directly to take off my shirt so that the injury was better to see.
Now I had been lying on my bed covered in sweat for quite some time trying to relax. I tried not to think about the pain, but I clenched my teeth and fought against the urge to pull my arm which I had pushed under my head back down and punch the healer.
Concentrated, I had closed my eyes. The only sounds in the room were my gasping breath and the occasional jingling of instruments the healer was using.
I was already sure that I would not last a minute longer than a cool hand touched the heated skin on my chest. Before I could control myself or even open my eyes I groaned in relief.
But nothing could have prepared me for this when I finally opened my eyes. Now I was sure I was dreaming.
Ahsoka was standing right next to me looking down at me with her brow furrowed in concern. Her hand, however remained on my chest.
Although she could be nothing more than a mirage of my imagination I was unable to tear myself away from her eyes. The deep blue of her eyes captivated me and made me forget even the pain. It could have been just a moment or maybe half an eternity but finally the healer snapped me out of my stupor as he finally gathered his instruments and placed some blood-soaked swabs in a metal bowl.
"All right, we're done here. We'll get you some more pain meds in a minute but after a few hours of bed rest you should be able to be released in the afternoon", I nodded slowly still acutely aware of the cool hand on my chest. The healer left his seat next to me and to my great surprise nodded to Ahsoka before leaving the room.
If... If the healer could see Ahsoka as well, did that mean...?
"Anakin?", her soft whisper broke the silence between us.
Only now did I realize what that meant.
She was not a figment of my imagination!
"Snips...", I murmured, still stunned.
Her closed gaze softened but then wandered for a moment to the X-ray image on one of the monitors next to my bed. The image clearly showed two broken ribs, something I had already suspected on Lothal.
Ahsoka looked down at me with concern and carefully sat on the edge of my bed.
"I guess you got hit pretty hard. What happened?", the concern in her voice touched me even though I didn't like her seeing me lying here so weak.
On impulse I tried to sit up but winced as a sharp pain went through my side making me groan in pain.
Immediately she tried to push me back into the pillow.
"I'm fine. It's just a scratch", I tried to explain in a pressed voice. Of course she saw through the lie immediately.
"What happened?", she insisted in a hard voice.
Again I was close to the temptation to lie but I decided against it even though she probably wouldn't like the truth.