Star Wars the Clone Wars - One shots

Fever

Anakin learns a little more than he wants toknow about a certain Separatist Senator's son whilst Ahsoka is sick with afever.

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Anakin pushed the BARC speeder to its limit. He didn't care about the enemy or the mission anymore, he only cared about reaching his Padawan's location. The fact that she had become ill on a mission made him uneasy. The fact that he wasn't with her made his stomach churn.

It wasn't the first time Ahsoka had got sick. He'd dealt with food poisoning, flu and even viruses from bug bites. A quick trip to the Jedi Healers, a bit of rest and some medicine made the entire ordeal so straightforward that he didn't even panic when Ahsoka got a runny nose or a stomach-ache.

Now, it was slightly different. They were due to engage the Separatists in less than eight hours and he was currently five klicks away from her.

Anxiety gnawed in his gut, forcing him to activate his wrist comm, "Talk to me, Rex."

"No improvement so far, sir." The Captain replied promptly, not quite as calm as Anakin hoped he would sound. "Kix is keeping her comfortable."

He hated that phrase. To Anakin, keeping someone comfortable meant administering painkillers whilst they died. He shook his head, trying to keep his speeder going in a straight line. It was just a fever; it's not like it was life-threatening. But what if it was a life-threatening illness hidden behind flu-like symptoms, like meningitis or sepsis or-

Somehow, he managed to make the speeder go even faster. "I'm almost back at camp," he told Rex, "Skywalker out."

He wanted to ask to speak to Ahsoka, but he doubted if that would calm his fears. When people have fevers, they tended to speak a hot load of garbage anyways.

He remembered a time in his childhood when a virus broke out on Tatooine and his mother fell ill. He must've been four years old, caring for her by heating up soups that she had stored for emergencies and dabbing her face with a wet cloth. The fear of losing her was so strong that he had stolen medicine from the only apothecary in the town. Kix was a medic, and Anakin had complete faith in his abilities, but he wanted to be the one caring for Ahsoka- that was his job.

Their base camp finally came into view and Anakin didn't bother slowing down. He skidded the speeder to a stop and leapt off, using the Force to propel him towards the tent that Rex was waiting outside.

"She fell ill just as we finished setting up, General." The clone told him, hardly noticing the way Anakin was bouncing on his feet to be next to his Padawan, "I noticed that she was getting confused and had a fever, but she's deteriorated since then."

"Thanks, Rex." Anakin hit him on the shoulder before ducking inside the tent, his stomach clenching at the sight before him.

Ahsoka was lying on a bedroll, tossing and turning in a semi-conscious state. Her teeth were chattering, and her entire body was trembling despite the thick layer of sweat that covered her skin. Her shirt had been rolled up to her ribs, and Anakin felt a hint of irritation to see her leggings had also been removed, but he remembered Obi-Wan stripping him down to nothing when he had a fever in his Apprenticeship.

"How is she?" Anakin knelt beside Kix, taking Ahsoka's clammy hand in his. She seemed to stir as she recognised his touch and blinked half-lidded eyes at him. He could feel the heat of her palm through his glove, and that was concerning. Togrutas were always cooler than humans.

"Her fever isn't going down, sir. None of my meds are making a huge difference." The medic scratched his head, sighing, "I suppose we could try an IV."