Kissed by Fire: Cal Kestis

Chapter 27

Y/n awoke the next day, her eyes blinking open as she took in a deep breath. There was still pain in her side as she did, but it was much less than the day before. She remembered all that had happened on Dathomir. She remembered Cal and the pain she had felt in him. Y/n sat up quickly. Too quickly. She let out a pained groan as she held the spot where the lightsaber dug into her as she put a new shirt on. She wished they had a bacta tank on board. It would make healing much faster.

The door opened suddenly, and she looked to see Greez standing there with hidden concern in his eyes. He held a tray in his hand with some blue milk and some of his lovely meals he always made them on hard days. "You okay, kid?" he asked her softly as he entered.

"As okay as one can be after getting stabbed with a lightsaber," she commented with a light-hearted huff. She winced slightly at her words, saying, "Don't tell Cal I said that."

"You're secret's safe with me," he said as he approached the bed, setting down the tray. His voice lacked its usual spunk, something Y/n noticed immediately.

"Greez, I'm okay. I promise," Y/n told the Latero, and he closed his eyes. "Don't blame Cal for what happened. He didn't-"

"I'm not blaming the kid. He's in bad enough shape as is," Greez eased her, but Y/n's face fell at the mention of Cal's own mental state. Greez sighed, saying, "I don't know what happened, but I do know Cal cares way too much about you to let this kind of thing happen on purpose. Whatever it was was out of his control."

"Then why are you so upset?" she asked, pulling the tray towards her. If she was being honest, the thought of food almost made her want to vomit, but she knew without it she would be in a worse shape than before.

"Because you got hurt, Y/n!" Greez let out, raising two of his arms. "You know I hate seeing you hurt. Emotionally and physically. Both count." Y/n managed a smile, one he mimicked as best he could. "I just... Do you really think you should keep going out there?"

"What do you mean?" Y/n questioned, her brow furrowing.

"I mean you're not a Jedi. You're a seventeen year old girl," Greez pointed out to her. "You're a doctor. You're not supposed to be going out and beating up stormtroopers in your spare time."

"Greez, I'm perfectly capable of handling myself," she told him firmly. "Just because I'm a doctor doesn't mean I can't help those in need in a different way."

"Yeah, but..." Greez paused, his eyes focused only on her. "I don't like that you've gotta. That shouldn't be your job. And this is the exact reason why! What if Cere didn't know what to do? You're our only doctor, Y/n, and you can't operate on yourself. We would've lost you, kid, and my old conscience can't handle that."

"Greez," she eased him, putting hands on his shoulders to stop him. "I'll be okay. You won't lose me anytime soon. I promise, okay?"

"Now, don't go promising a thing like that," Greez shook his head. "You'll end up jinxing it, and then you'll have gone and broken it."

"I'm sorry, Greez, but I can't stop," Y/n shook her head with a sigh. "Not if Cal's gonna keep going."

"You kids shouldn't have this much on your shoulders," Greez grumbled with a shake of his head. "It ain't right. The Empire's ruined everything, even the lives of regular kids like you."

"We were never regular. Not even I was," Y/n spoke, playing with the blanket in her hands. "It was never in the cards for either of us to lead those kinds of lives. That's probably why we work so well together." She smiled down gently at the blanket. "Maybe its why we care about each other so much."

Greez's eyes lifted up slightly at her words. He knew she cared deeply for Cal, as he did with her, but she was so hesitant to admit it. Now, she knew what she was feeling. "Oh, yeah?" Greez genuinely asked, hopping up to sit beside her on the other side of the tray. She picked at the food with the fork he gave her. "Is that it?"