My Love, My Bonded

Chapter Eighteen

The smell of stark cleanliness stung Rey's nostrils as she slowly woke up. Her eyes opened but she closed them quickly after the bright light filled her vision. She dared again to open her eyes, slowly adjusting to the overwhelming sensation of being in a hospital. Her fingers splayed out against the cold, white sheets and she forced her body into a sitting position. The baby blue blanket draped over her body was thin and lacked any warmth.

She rubbed her eyes to wake herself up and felt tension in her shoulder. It didn't hurt, it just felt tight. She rolled the joint around a little, groaning when it popped. She sucked in a deep breath as she tried to remember what happened.

A friendly nurse snapped the curtain surrounding her bed away. She walked over to her and smiled warmly. She began to check her vitals on the machines to her side as she spoke, writing down on a clipboard to record the numbers. "Good morning, sweetheart, it's good to see you awake."

Rey nodded and smiled sheepishly. "How long was I out?"

"Oh, about ten or twelve hours." The nurse replied. Rey's eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open. The nurse quickly interjected. "Don't worry, that's normal after getting a severe injury."

Rey's eyebrow arched. "Severe injury?"

The nurse nodded. "Oh yes. I understand you are still a little groggy after waking up, I'll let you adjust for a bit and then we can talk."

"Okay, thank you..?" Rey muttered. She reached out a hand to lightly touch the elbow of the retreating nurse. "What's your name ma'am?"

The lady gave her a kind smile. "Clementine. I'll be with you in a moment."

Rey nodded at the nurse as she scurried away. Clementine wrapped the curtain around her bed so she was staring at the same dull, baby blue color as her blanket.

What had happened last night?

Rey went over the events of the day before. There was the meeting about postponing the Poe trip and then she went to mend Luke's lightsaber. She fixed it and was practicing before the lightsaber acted out. Her face widen in acknowledgement of what had happened to her.

All she could remember was immense pain, a desperate voice calling her name. She slipped into darkness and was getting rather comfortable with it before she felt a change. Rey remembered feeling like she was being put back together, piece by piece. She felt as if her body was being woven into a beautiful pattern as the unimaginable pain in her shoulder drizzled away into a slight tension. She felt content, happy even as she heard a soft plea.

My Rey...

"Ben."

Rey muttered his name carefully, as if she would break it. He was here, that she knew for certain. How she still did not know. Her stomach began to twirl, as it always did when he was near or even mentioned. She swallowed deeply and jumped from her bed. She was eager to talk to anyone about what had happened, desperate for answers. She yanked on the curtain that surrounded her bed, giving her a sense of comfort and peace to see a bustling hospital room.

Droids and humans alike tended to the few sick people in their beds, most covered with the same curtains as she had. When she turned, she saw that a massive, white wall was covered with a large shelf. Medicines of all kinds were placed above them and she watched as a droid extended a long hand to grab one at the very top shelf. When she turned to the other side, a doorway with doors that swung open at contact stood firmly. There were circle windows and she could see the makeshift waiting room the Resistance had scrambled together. Rey's wonder for the room went away quickly after her mind went to the same person it always did, Kylo.