Star Wars rebels Abducted

Chapter 34: The Process of Healing

Disclaimer: Star Wars: Rebels, contrary to public opinion, does not in fact belong to a small girl sitting alone on her computer. Instead, it's some guy sitting in front of a computer's.

Ezra was lying down.

Where? He didn't know that. It sure as heck wasn't his cell, this surface was way softer than the strip of metal had ever been. There were soft beeps sounding out at a steady pace, lulling Ezra into a comforting sort of state. Wherever he was, it was a lot more peaceful than anywhere he'd been for the last few weeks.

Ezra was almost tempted to go back to sleep, he was so at ease. But he wouldn't let himself. After all, whenever he was at ease, the Inquisitor was surely planning something diabolical.

Groggily, Ezra opened his eyes, to nearly be blinded by white light. It wasn't violent, it was just really bright, and after having been asleep for who knew how long, his eyes protested to the sudden intrusion. After a few seconds, though, Ezra realized that another reason his eyes were smarting was that he was looking directly into the light above him. Annoying.

He would have sat up, but his entire body was so sore that even the thought of moving hurt. Chip really had done his best. Ezra suspected that he had a few broken ribs, and, of course, his arm and leg. His left arm. Why did it always have to be that arm?

So, instead of sitting up, Ezra was content to simply turn his head to view his surroundings. He was in a bed; a real bed, not just a slab of metal with a sheet thrown over it. To his right and a few feet away was another bed, un-occupied, and a cabinet of some kind. Behind that and to the left was a grey door, but it was closed and Ezra couldn't see anything behind it. There was a white counter on the opposite side of the door, completely empty, which stretched around in front of his bed. And to his left-

Ezra's breath caught in his mutilated throat. Sitting in a chair to the left side of Ezra's legs was Kanan.

Ezra looked at the form of his Master.

He was slumped in his chair, snoring just slightly, his head bobbing on his chest. There was a bandage over his left arm. For all intents and purposes, Kanan Jarrus looked very much so alive. But that was impossible! Ezra had seen it himself, the Inquisitor had run his lightsaber through his Master's heart. Kanan was dead. But he was also right here...

Was Ezra dead? No, the numerous pings of pain from his body told him that he was very much so alive.

How could this be, then? Was he hallucinating? Maybe... but then, the image of Kanan had appeared inside Ezra's cell... was this just a cruel joke of the Inquisitor's? Ezra could see the Pau'an showing him the illusion of his family just to distract him from his mental shields-

His mental shields. They had dropped completely. Like, all the way. If that had happened, then why wasn't he a puppet, to do nothing but the Pau'an's wishes? As a matter of fact, Ezra couldn't sense the Inquisitor anywhere near him... but he wasn't going to drop his shields for a single moment. If this was a trick, a trap, then he wasn't going to fall for it.

But Kanan looked so real...

The Jedi stirred, and his eyes opened blearily. Ezra stared at him, drinking in the sight of his Master living and breathing. Even if it was a mirage, the sight of Kanan alive and well was... precious to him.

As soon as he saw that Ezra was awake, Kanan started in his chair, his eyes suddenly wide open.

"Ezra!" The older man had a smile on his open face, one that mingled with relief and elation, and he was leaning forward in his chair. "Hey, there, buddy. How're you feeling?" Ezra opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He was just gaping at Kanan, opening and closing his mouth silently, slightly shaking his head. After all, what response could he give to a dead- ish - man?