Whumptober Day 16 Prompt: Pinned Down
Dooku was dead.
Anakin watched as the lightsabers he held slipped through the Sith Lord’s neck. He watched as Dooku’s head fell to the ground, followed swiftly by the rest of his body.
Anakin barely heard it over the ringing in his ears and the sound of his heart pounding heavily in his chest.
He felt...odd.
He had always thought that killing Dooku would have felt like a moment of triumph, of finally being able to end this war once and for all.
Instead, Anakin felt empty.
That can’t be it, can it?
The sound of a pained wheeze broke him out of his thoughts.
Obi-Wan.
“You did well, Anakin,” the Chancellor said, and Anakin looked up, suddenly feeling extremely torn. “He was too dangerous to be kept alive.”
“I...” Anakin shook his head, lifting up a hand to free Palpatine from his bonds. Then, he spun around and rushed over to Obi-Wan, who lay under a large panel of permacrete, completely pinned down.
“Master?” he asked, kneeling down next to him.
Obi-Wan’s hair was soaked with blood, and his presence in the Force was dimmed, unstable. Anakin suspected that Obi-Wan had a concussion, but that was the least of his worries.
The heavy permacrete had brutally crushed both of Obi-Wan’s legs, and judging by his uneven, wheezing breaths, Anakin suspected that his Master had some broken ribs as well.
Well, that complicated matters.
He would need to get Obi-Wan out of here, and...
“Anakin.”
Anakin blinked, only just remembering that Palpatine was here, that the mission was to rescue him and bring him back to the safety of Coruscant.
But...
“There’s no time,” the Supreme Chancellor continued, eyes narrowed. “We must get off the ship before it’s too late.”
Shaking his head slowly, throat too dry to even speak, Anakin thrust out a hand to lift the permacrete panel off of Obi-Wan, revealing the full extent of his broken legs.
Anakin sucked in a breath, carefully reaching for Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “Master?” he whispered, shaking Obi-Wan’s shoulder gently.
“Leave him, or we’ll never make it,” Palpatine ordered, and Anakin looked up.
“I’m not leaving him,” Anakin replied. “He needs medical attention.”
Obi-Wan wheezed out a pained moan, but he remained unconscious, his presence in the Force flickering unstably.
Carefully, Anakin lifted his Master onto his shoulders, mindful of his injuries, and they rushed out of Grievous’ Quarters.
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It took more time than Anakin had hoped it would to get Obi-Wan to the healers. Throughout their escape and treacherous landing on Coruscant, Obi-Wan remained unconscious.
As soon as they had arrived at the Temple, Obi-Wan was immediately taken to the Healers’ Ward, and Anakin had to give his report to the Council, which took a lot more time than he wished it did.
Dooku’s death hopefully meant that the war would end soon, that the Republic would finally be at peace, but Anakin couldn’t focus on that while giving his report.
After speaking to the Council for about an hour, they dismissed him, and he immediately rushed over to the Ward.
“His injuries are extensive,” Master Che said as soon as she greeted him, eyes bright with worry. “Besides the concussion, he has five broken ribs. Both of his femurs have been broken as well—the right one in two places and the left in three. That is going to take a long time to heal, and that’s only if he manages to make it through the next few days and recover without permanent damage.”
“Permanent damage?” Anakin echoed, voice cracking in his throat.
Master Che sighed, her shoulder slumping slightly.
“It’s likely, given the severity of the breaks,” she replied. She paused in front of a door, turning to face him completely. “He’s not stable enough to put into a bacta tank or to have surgery just yet.”
“Let me see him,” Anakin insisted. “Is he awake?”
Master Che nodded. “Before you see him, you must prepare yourself,” she said, voice quiet. “He’s not doing well at all. We are doing our best to help him heal, but...”
Anakin’s eyes widened.
“He’s...is he dying?”
“Not right now, but it is a possibility, depending on whether he is able to stabilize enough for proper treatment in the next few hours,” Master Che replied.
Closing his eyes, Anakin let out a slow breath. “I want to see him,” he said. “Please.”
Master Che nodded again, and she turned to open the door, leading Anakin into the room.
“I’ll leave you alone for a few minutes,” she murmured. “There is a medical emergency droid inside, if something happens.” Before Anakin could even process that statement, she left the room.
Anakin turned around slowly, heart pounding in his chest.
The sight before him caused his heart to drop to his stomach.
Obi-Wan lay on the cot, eyes half-open and glazed. Both of his legs were wrapped and elevated in slings. He had a mask over his face to help him breathe, but his breaths still seemed to be strained and uneven.
“Master?” Anakin whispered, moving closer to him.
Obi-Wan turned his head towards him, and his eyes widened, right hand reaching out towards Anakin. Anakin sat down on the stool next to the bed and grabbed Obi-Wan’s hand, gripping it tightly.
“I’m here,” Anakin said, looking up at the vitals monitor Obi-Wan was hooked up to. He had been here enough times to know that Obi-Wan wasn’t just unstable, he was extremely unstable.
There was every chance that he wouldn’t make it.
“Did they tell you what happened?” he asked Obi-Wan, who wheezed out a groan, eyes fluttering slightly. “Master?” he asked, gripping Obi-Wan’s hand tighter.
Obi-Wan’s eyes fluttered open, and he looked at Anakin. Tears slipped out of his eyes, and his mouth moved, but nothing came out. The vitals monitor gave a warning beep, and Obi-Wan gasped.
A few terrible moments passed as Obi-Wan struggled to get his breaths back under control, but he eventually managed it. The Force shifted and flickered uncomfortably the whole time, sending ice into Anakin’s veins.
Obi-Wan’s eyes focused on him again, eyes bright.
“Dooku’s dead,” Anakin murmured. “The war is over, Master. Soon, all the fighting will stop and the Republic will be at peace.”
Obi-Wan smiled, and his hand lifted up to pat at Anakin’s cheek.
“You’re gonna have to get better soon, Master,” Anakin continued, voice trembling. “Remember? You said you’d start training a new Padawan when the war is over. Well, it’s over now, and there are so many younglings out there who need a Master.”
Obi-Wan wheezed, and his eyes fluttered again. The Force shuddered.
“Please, Master,” Anakin whispered, and he felt tears rolling down his cheeks. “I can’t lose you, not like this. I...”
“I need you, Obi-Wan. You’re the reason that I’m a Jedi, that the war is ending. You...”
Obi-Wan’s eyes closed, and his hand dropped from Anakin’s face as his Force presence slipped into unconsciousness.
For a terrible moment, Obi-Wan didn’t move, but then he exhaled, features relaxing slightly.
Anakin sighed, leaning back in his chair to wipe his tears away.
“Please,” he murmured.
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Obi-Wan woke up several times over the next few hours, but each time he seemed to be in more pain than before. His breaths were getting more and more uneven, eventually getting to the point that Master Che had to change the mask Obi-Wan wore to a full-face one.
A few hours after Anakin arrived, Obi-Wan’s eyes opened.
“Master?” Anakin asked, keeping his voice quiet.
Obi-Wan’s eyes shifted over to meet Anakin’s, and he smiled one of the brightest smiles Anakin had ever seen. Then, he fell asleep again, eyes slipping closed.
Two hours later, he slipped away in his sleep.
(Pandora’s Whumptober 2019 Masterlist)