From The Ashes//anidala

23

FROM THE ASHES

Chapter 23

When Anakin returned to Coruscant, he couldn't wait to get out of that hot, uncomfortable suit! He was sweating inside and felt stuck to it. His hair was still stiff with dried sweat from when his head was trapped inside the mask and helmet. .The armour was so cumbersome and restrictive to the movements he was used to. It was good to get his agility back. Taking off that suit was like lifting a load of stone from his shoulders! He left it in a heap on the floor as he took a shower and washed his hair, then changed back into his Jedi outfit and stuffed his suit into a big shopping bag.He carried it back into the med center,.swinging the bag back and forth on its twine handles as he walked. The mask was sticking out the opening at the top, face up.

"Here," he told the droid who had given it to him, "I'm returning this suit now. It worked very well but I won't be needing it anymore." The droid did not take the bag.

"We have no use for it at this time, Master Skywalker. On the unlikely event that someone does require just this particular suit, there isn't much chance it will fit him perfectly as it does you. You may keep it, there may be other missions you need it for in the future." Anakin looked down at the mask looking up at him and smiled. This made him even more certain the suit had been constructed especially for him, and he had escaped his fate of being in it for life.

"Will do. I appreciate it." He carried his burden as he went to visit Padme.

She was lying in the bed, eyes bandaged, wounds treated. Her pretty face and neck were bruised and battered. Her long hair had been so tangled and matted the droids had to cut some of it off, but it was still past her shoulders, smooth and pulled back behind her in a ponytail. Her arms had been sprained in the last struggle with Gerapaline, and they had been tightly bandaged all the way down to her hands, which had cuts all over them. Anakin was saddened by the site of this beautiful, classy lady lying there in such a condition. Though he had force choked her in his dark side rage, he felt he could never cause her any harm and was upset that anyone could, especially when all she had tried to do was to help others by stopping Gerapaline. He quietly sat down next to her and spoke to her gently as not to frighten her, since she couldn't see, or even sense his presence.

"Hello beautiful."

She jerked her body and turned her head toward him. "Oh stop it Anakin, you know I'm not."

"Yes you are. How long before I can take you out of here?"

"Go back to the temple, Anakin. I won't have you burdening yourself with me."

"Seems I remember saying something like that to someone not so long ago, and she said, if it were her lying here, wouldn't I take care of her? The answer was and still is yes." Her lips came together in a sad scowl and she looked like she was going to cry. She was deeply emotionally touched by his undying love. He put her to shame, and she felt so guilty about some of the things she'd said to him when she was mad. He could sense this, and tried to reassure her. "Now, you have to stop that, you need to keep the medicine in your eyes."

"Anakin, did my eyes look as bad as yours did when you were blind?"

Anakin couldn't help but spit out a little bit of laugh. "Well, I wouldn't know that, would I? How can I compare when I never got to see my eyes when I was blind?"

She gave a half smile. "And I can't see mine to know if they are as bad as the way yours looked!"

"I was worse off than you in a lot of ways and look at me now...um, well, I mean, I'm all right now, so you will be too."

"Anakin, is Luke all right?"

"Yes! I wanted to tell you, I checked on him and he's fine and healthy."