It was late afternoon before Ben Solo began to regain consciousness. His head was pounding sharply and there was a sour, acidic taste in his mouth.
He sat up slowly, at first not quite sure where he was. He had no clear memory of returning home from the bar the previous night. The odor of stale vomit wafting up from the trash can by the head of his bed caused him to gag involuntarily.
Han glanced at his son when Ben made his way out to the living room. The boy's face was pallid and tinged with just a hint of green, and there were dark circles beneath his bloodshot eyes.
"You don't look so good," his father observed. "First hangover."
"Hopefully his last hangover," Leia chipped in from the direction of the kitchen.
Ben grunted and walked past Han to sit down on the couch.
"I hope you learned your lesson, Ben," Han stated, following him.
"I don't want to talk, Father. I have a headache." Ben pressed the index and middle fingers of both hands against his throbbing temples, rubbing in a firm circular motion.
"I bet you do. What were you even thinking? What made you think it was a good idea to go out and get wrecked last night? Were you drinking over that girl? You were, weren't you?"
"I said I don't want to talk."
"Don't be so hard on him, Han. He feels lousy enough already." Leia was standing in the kitchen doorway, one hand on her hip.
"You know, she's probably right," Han sighed, giving the miserable teenager a sympathetic half-smile.
"I'll back up off of him," Han promised Leia, joining her in the kitchen. He took a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water. "The poor kid looks like death."
"Here kid, rehydrate yourself."
Ben took the glass of water from Han.
"Thanks."
He drank it down steadily. His troubled stomach gurgled in mild protest when the water hit it, and an expression of discomfort passed briefly across his face.
"You okay?" Han asked him.
Ben burped.
"Excuse me. No, I'm not okay."
"I know. Do you want some more water?"
"Yes, please. I'm dying of thirst."
"I thought you might be. Booze dehydrates your body. That's why your head hurts so bad."
"I'm sorry I got drunk. I know you're disappointed in me," Ben said ruefully between eager gulps of water. "It won't happen again."
"I'm not disappointed in you, Ben. I'm just concerned for you. I'm sorry I got upset. Leia's right, being hungover's enough of a punishment. You've gotta be feeling pretty rough."
"If I knew it was gonna make me feel this sick today I wouldn't have gotten drunk," Ben agreed sincerely. He held out his water glass. "Can I have one more, please?"
"Of course."
"How's he doing?" Leia queried as Han refilled the glass again.
"Not great," Han replied. "He's feeling pretty under the weather. I think he learned his lesson, anyway."
"You want some more?" Han offered once Ben had drained the glass again.
Ben was still thirsty, but his stomach was telling him that if he drank any more water some of it was liable to come back up.
"I don't think I'd better," he answered with a shake of his head.
"Queasy?"
"A little bit."
"Here, lay down and rest." Han tucked a cushion under Ben's head as he stretched out on the couch.
Han returned from the kitchen with a dish towel soaked in cool water. He positioned it over Ben's eyes.
"There, does that feel good?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Dad."
"Is there anything else you need?"
"Yeah, I need to feel better."
Han reached out to give Ben a comforting pat on the arm. "You just take it easy today, kid. Why don't you take a little nap."
"Mmmm," Ben agreed sleepily.
Leia went to answer the door when the doorbell rang.
Jaliyah was standing on the front step with her eyes cast downward, her hands twisting nervously together.
"Ben doesn't want to talk to you," Leia informed her icily.
"Please, Mrs. Solo." Jaliyah glanced past Leia's shoulder into the living room, where Ben lay snoring gently on the couch. "Is...is he all right?"
"No. He's not feeling well today." Leia stepped outside and shut the door behind her, cutting off Jaliyah's view of Ben.
"Please let me talk to him. Just for a minute."
"Ben's already said everything he wants to say to you, Jaliyah. And you've already said everything you need to say to him."
Jaliyah narrowed her eyes to slits, which hardened her entire countenance.
"You can't protect him forever," she said coldly to Leia. "He's not a child anymore. You can't always keep him from getting hurt."
"I'm aware of that," Leia agreed. "But I can keep him from getting hurt by you again. You need to leave my property."
"Please..."
"Just go." Leia walked back into the house, closing the door sharply.
Jaliyah stood on the front step for a second or two longer before walking dejectedly away.
When Han checked on Ben an hour or two later he found the young man sitting up on the couch, pale and shaky. His throat was working convulsively as he swallowed repeatedly.
"Uh-oh," Han said, hurrying over to his son. "Let's get you to the bathroom." He pulled Ben up from the couch and propelled him as quickly as possible down the hall.
"There you go, Ben. Up and out." Han gently rubbed Ben's back in a circular motion while he gagged and heaved miserably.
After several minutes he sat back on his heels and looked up at his father with a pathetic whimper.
"I know," Han commiserated, helping him back to his feet. "Hangovers are no fun. How much did you drink, anyway?"
"I don't know. A lot. I don't really remember."
"Do you remember what you were drinking?"
"Um, gin and tonic, I think. I'm pretty sure that's what Brox said."
A little cringe passed across Han's face as he sat back down on the couch with Ben.
"Gin's pretty hard stuff for a first-timer. No wonder you're not doin' too good."
Ben tucked himself up against his father's side and laid his aching head down on his shoulder just like he had done as a small child.
And just like in those long ago days Han draped an arm over his son's shoulders, tenderly smoothing his hair back from his perspiration-dampened forehead.
"Poor kid," he murmured. "I'm sorry you don't feel well."
"Thanks for taking care of me, Dad."
"Of course. I'll always be here for you, Ben. You're my son."
