Ashes

4: Old Feelings

LUX BONTERI

Lux paced in the hallway outside Ahsoka's operating room. Was she going to be okay? Her injuries had been more severe than he'd been led to believe by the man that sold her to him: concussion, three broken ribs, a cracked collar bone, and a ruptured spleen. He'd gotten her back to Onderon as fast as possible for an emergency surgery, but had he been fast enough?

Koyi placed a hand on his shoulder. "Lux, you need to calm down. She's going to be fine." She rubbed his back while he took a deep breath. 

"What if we were too late?" He thought he lost her once already, and now that he knew she was alive, he couldn't bear to lose her again. 

"We were as quick as possible, babe. If she doesn't make it, it's not our fault. We did everything we could."

Still, if Ahsoka died on his watch, he'd never forgive himself.

"So, how do you know her, anyway?" 

Lux wrapped Koyi in his arms and rested his chin on top of her head. "We met during the Clone Wars. She saved me from Death Watch and fought by my side during the battle of Onderon. We were good friends." There had been a time when Lux desperately wanted to be more than just friends, but she was a Jedi. It wasn't allowed for her to feel that way about someone. Whatever feelings he had for her were in the past. 

"You two were close, then?"

Lux couldn't tell if the slight edge to her voice was a product of jealousy or disgust that Lux had ever been friends with a slave. "Yeah, we were. That's all in the past now, though. I just want to make sure she's okay."

"Mkay, baby," she muttered against his chest. "If you say so. I trust you."

"I know you do," he said as one of the doctors came out of the room. 

Lux immediately let go of Koyi and walked over to the door to Ahsoka's room. 

"Any news, doctor? How is she?" he asked, his voice full of worry. 

"The surgery was a success. It's going to take a while to heal, but she'll survive," the doctor said, glancing down at the holotablet in her hand. 

Lux breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. That's excellent news. Can I see her?"

"She's going to be under for a little while longer. It's probably best to come back in a few hours."

Koyi laced her fingers in his. "Maybe a quick stop in the market for lunch while we wait?"

"Yeah, yeah okay. Lunch." To be honest, Lux wasn't hungry. He had so many questions for Ahsoka, and he wanted to make absolute certain that she was going to be safe. She was a Jedi, after all. If someone found out, he'd be executed alongside her. 

Should he tell Koyi about her Jedi past? It's not like she would say anything; she wouldn't do that to him. Unable to make a decision, he said nothing. It could wait until Ahsoka woke up, then she could tell her herself. 

"Can I have a minute with her before we leave?" he asked. Maybe if he saw her with his own eyes, he'd believe that she was still alive. 

The doctor nodded, and Lux took a few tentative steps toward the door.

Inside, Ahsoka was asleep on a bed in the middle of the room. She looked so peaceful like that, like nothing was wrong in the world. Her heartbeat was visible on the monitor next to her bed, and from what Lux could tell, it seemed normal.