Dreams

Chapter 10.

Anakin's POV

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My eyes opened slowly, and I blinked a few times, trying not to get completely blinded by the white lights and brightness of the room. Someone was moving around in the room, and I thought for a moment that it was Obi-Wan. Then I changed my mind and wondered if it was Ahsoka. Finally, I figured both of my guesses were wrong when I realized it was a doctor, doing something on a cabinet pushed against the wall.

She glanced around when she heard me stirring, then smiled warmly, blowing a strand of her brown hair out of her pretty face. "Hello, sir. How are you feeling?"

I sat up slowly, wincing slightly as sparks of pain shot through my body. "Not too bad, all things considered. How come I haven't broken anything?" I added as I checked myself over, finding mostly only burns, small cuts, and a few bruises.

She went on smiling, but there were hints of confusion hiding behind her hazel eyes. "Do you think you should have?"

I nodded distractedly, flexing my mech hand to make sure it still worked fine. "I fell from pretty high up."

"Were you unconscious before you hit the ground?" When I nodded, she continued slowly. "It's possible, then, that your body was relaxed enough that you didn't hurt yourself excessively."

I shrugged. "Okay. When can I leave?"

She laughed. "When you're better."

I paused, then offered casually, "How about now?"

She stepped back, looking me up and down. "How do you feel?"

"Pretty good."

"How good is pretty good?"

"Pretty good enough," I said hopefully.

She stopped thoughtfully again. "Considering your injuries aren't too severe, I think you'd be able to go now. Just do take it easy."

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. "I wouldn't like to promise." She cocked an eyebrow at me, so I grinned. "Thanks for your services!" Then I stood up and left the room, but she didn't call me back, so I made off with my freedom while I still could.

After dashing into my bedroom and getting into some proper clothes, I emerged, tugging at my tunic and shrugging my Jedi cloak over my shoulders. I hastened through the halls, took the steps leading down to the main hall two at a time, and then stopped when I came to the bomb site that was the front doors. I stood for a second, my eye taking in the devastation and damage, and I was swept away by a memory. The pain, the hurt, the betrayal, the mistrust ... it all tried to drag me down, but I shoved it back. Now wasn't the time for it.

I grabbed one of the clones from my troop who was whisking past, pausing him in his tracks. "What's the report, Jesse?"

He straightened up, clicking his heels together as he saluted me. "It's not good, sir. The destruction is terrible and will be expensive to fix. There have been many injuries, some serious, though there have been no casualties reported. People are worried and disturbed. Some are likening it to the bombing of th—"

"It's okay," I interrupted him quickly, then quietened down. "I'm sorry for interrupting, Jesse, but th-thanks, I understand. Keep going with your work."

He saluted me again, then continued on his way.

Carefully picking my way over the rubble, I started helping the clean-up crew, moving broken pieces of walls, floors, and ceilings. It was hard going, but I threw myself into the work, feeling guilt of the past bearing on my shoulders. If I had been faster, I could have stopped this from happening. If I had been better, maybe I could have stopped her from leaving.