ways_infirmary | (no subject)

Mara's dosing softly, her hands folded on her stomach, hooked to an IV...but she already looks ten times better. Mild prodding will awake her.

Ben doesn't dare actually prod her, but he's not quiet as he runs up, only stopping just at the edge of the bed.

He bites his lip for a moment, watching her, then says, "Mom?"

Mara cracks an eye open and stretche, as she blinks. "Hey Ben."

"Mom!"

And his relief when she opens her eyes, talks, is obvious enough even without the Force.

"The doctor guy -- Mr Fawkes -- he said you were here and I didn't know you were sick and I'm sorry, Mom."

"It's okay Ben. My fault for not taking care of myself. Post operation is a dangerous time." Mara scoots over in the bed, and pats next to her. "Sit here. You got the note he left?"

"But I made you stay."

He climbs up on the bed carefully, sitting close to her, and nods.

"Uh huh. Bar gave it to me. Then I met him an' he brought me here," he adds, glancing round.

Mara wraps her arm around him, the one with the IV in her arm, and the pulse thingy on her finger. She nuzzles her nose into his hair. "Not your fault, Ben. Don't even think it."

"Okay." Ben hesitates, then hugs her carefully, making sure not to mess anything up. "But-- but you can go home. If you'll get better."

His eyes are closed, mostly.

"Val can look after me again."

"No, I'm not going to get up from here till I'm well again. At least not for a while. Don't know if I can. 'm so tired, lately." Mara mumbles, leaning her head on Ben's, hugging him back, harder. "You can hug me. I'm not going to break. I promise."

"Well, well..." Ben bites his lip, then hugs her tightly. There doesn't seem to be an in between for him.

"Sleep lots and get better. You gotta. An'... then you can go home. And maybe Bar'll let me go too..."

Mara grins and hugs him just as tight. "Yes, sir. You're getting as bad as you niece. Should I salute too?"

Ben giggles at that and shakes his head, smiling. "Just gotta do it. Jaina knows you're here as well? I-- I told Anakin."

Eh. Millitime. It lives to be abused.

"Yeah, Jaina's who urged me to come here." Mara nods. "Anakin, huh? That's fine. How do you like Anakin?"

"Good... Jaina's smart."

Ben thinks for a moment, wondering how to answer that, then decides--

"It's kinda weird. That he's here. But..." He grins, a little. "He's nice. And he got me a milkshake once."

Clearly this makes him a WINNAR.

"Well I'm glad you like him. He was a child to me, before I had you." Mara says softly, playing with his hair.

Ben bats at his hair, but only a little, and laughs. "That was a loooong time ago, wasn't it?"

Anything over five years is a long time ago. Duh.

"If you think that was a long time ago, I should tell you stories of Mom and Dad before we met. When I worked in the Empire, and Dad was a farmer." Mara laughs.

"Ancient history!" Ben says gleefully, because Luke Skywalker as a farmer? Mara Jade working for the Empire?

Impossible for the baby Skywalker to imagine.

...certainly not helped by the fact that the Empire hasn't properly existed for five years...

Mara grins. "Do you know what Dad harvested? Or what I did publicly? Do they even tell you that in ancient history classes?"

Ben sticks his tongue out, giggling again and shaking his head.

"Water," he says, because he knows that much about Tatooine.

The first nineteen years of Luke Skywalker's life don't really exist in history lessons. Nor, in fact, does most of Mara's.

"Well, I danced publicly. For shows, galas. Balls." Mara sighs, shutting her eyes. "Pop quiz. Who did Dad leave Tatooine with?"

"--yeah, I remember now! Some woman said you were a really good dancer. Don't 'member her name..."

He scrunches his nose up, because this question is clearly patronising. "Uncle Han. And Obi-Wan Kenobi."

On a damn fool idealistic crusade!

"Describe her?" Mara sits up slightly, only wincing a bit.

"And Chewbacca. And two droids." Mara smiles softly.

"Uh. She had blonde hair, and a baby, and I think she used to be a holostar. Wes spoke to her more than I did, though."

He rolls his eyes. "Well, yeah."

He doesn't remember Chewie because of course he's never met him; the droids, well, they're droids, which sums it all up for him.

"Wynssa Starflare." Mara says immediately. "Big, big holostar. Ooh that's what we need to do. Rent all of Wyn's and Garik Loran's old holos and watch them all."

Mara grins. "Alright, you think you're so smart. One time I told you how I met your father. You still remember how?"

"Aw, Mom..." Ben pulls a face. "I don't wanna watch really old vids!"

Terrible, really. Kids today. Don't know they're born.

"...uh." He thinks hard for a moment. Then, a little dubiously: "You were tryin' to kill him?"

"Oh, but you'd like Wyn's holos. She was so nice." Mara smiles. "But she married Baron Fel. Who wasn't the biggest Mara Jade fan for a while."

She pauses. "Good job. I didn't think you'd remember that."

"Well ... she was nice when I met her. I guess I'll watch one..."

He shrugs, grinning a little ruefully. "I dunno. It's kinda funny, really."

Er ... yeah.

"Then we'll watch the one with Garik in it." Mara nods.

She looooks at him, then giggles. "I'm telling your father you said his potential death was funny."

"Uh, okay." Ben has no idea who that is, really.

He stares at her for a moment and then giggles, too. "Yeah, but you couldn't've actually killed him."

He's Luke Skywalker. A Jedi. Nothing can kill a Jedi, to paraphrase the boy's own grandfather.

"Pffft. Yes I could have." Mara rolls her eyes, yawning softly.

"Nuh uh," he argues with a grin. "Couldn't. Was he a Jedi Master back then?"

"Nope. A mere Knight." Mara griiins, tugging him into her arms closer. She yawns again.

Ben thinks about this for a moment. "...well, maybe, then.

"Are you tired?" He might sound a little worried now.

"Yep. I would kill him with my pinky."

Mara stifles the next yawn. "It's the meds. You can stay here if you want...not as comfortable as the bed at Val's...but I'd like it if you stayed."

"I wanna stay," he confirms quietly, looking up at her again and smiling. "I gotta make sure you're all right."

Not that he doesn't trust the doctor. It's just another way of saying he's worried.

Mara reaches for another blanket and tucks it in around him, scooting down in bed, with her arm still around him. She curls him close to her, like when he was a baby, a toddler.

"And I trust you completely to take care of me." Mara murmurs into his hair. "Good night, Ben. I love you."

She waves her fingers, cutting off the lights around them.