Dropped in a Fanfic

Chapter 40

I was moved to a private room the next day. It was great progress, and the doctors made sure to mention that as they ran through every physical test and blood work option in the book. Their enthusiasm was a flimsy mask to hide their utter bafflement about my 180 turn from impending death to picture of health.

I played the part of meek patient, sitting for every needle and obeying every request to wiggle my toes, raise my arms, and follow the pen light with my eyes. Despite the mild sluggish feeling in my limbs, I was physically okay. The bumps and bruises of the fight were gone. Even Ventress' saber slash had been erased from my skin. I was 100% fine and 1000% aware that I shouldn't be. The poking and prodding was a nice alternative over sitting alone and pondering about how that happened.

But I should have known that even without the doctors' harping attention, there were going to be people coming to visit. Anakin and Ahsoka strode through the doors the moment visiting hours started the next morning. Padme had gotten here before it'd even started. She was perched on the one open chair by the bed, arranging a flower basket on my bedside table when they walked in.

I grinned a little at the sight of them. "Don't they need you on the front line?"

"We wanted to make sure you were okay," Anakin said, his face still flat despite my attempt at a joke. Ahsoka rounded the bed, wrapping her arms around my shoulders without hesitation.

"How do you feel?" She asked, her usually bright eyes filled with concern.

"I'm alright. Once they bring breakfast, I'll be fantastic."

"They haven't given you food?" Anakin's face pitched into a frown. The dark shadows under his eyes made it look more like a scowl.

"I can grab something from the cafeteria if you want," Ahsoka instantly offered.

"It's coming soon," Padme assured. She'd flagged down a nurse the moment my stomach had rumbled in front of her.

I fiddled with an IV tube, feeling sheepish. "It was delayed because of some blood tests. They're still trying to figure this all out."

Everyone went quiet for a moment, the gravity of the situation settling in. Me being alive was a relief as much as it was a shock. I couldn't say that they wouldn't find answers about it. The void was cut off from the boundaries of the fanfic and free from any kind of law or principle that could control it. I was thrown in there because I'd died. It didn't make sense that it would just spit me out. But it did. I didn't know what to make of it.

"What happened after I... knocked out? Did Ventress get away?"

"You don't have to worry about that now," Anakin said. He was thinking what they all seemed to be. That I was vulnerable. Fragile.

"I want to know. You two are leading the investigation right?" I looked between him and Ahsoka. The latter's rapidly blinking gaze was all the affirmation I needed. I crossed my arms. "Come on guys. The best way for me to bounce back is to not think about all of this," I waved an IV-stickered hand around at the monitors and my bed scrubs, "I don't have anything else to do. I already feel cooped up as it is."

The corner of Anakin's mouth faintly twitched. "It hasn't been a day."

"I go stir crazy fast."

That earned a smile from Padme. Ahsoka finally let me off the hook. "They set explosives for their escape so things got crazy pretty quickly. We're investigating the site, but there isn't much we've found so far. We're pretty sure she was working with a high-level Separatist backer," Ahsoka added.

I nodded. "It was someone that wanted to influence the Deregulation bill vote."

Padme's expression had gone carefully blank. I was instantly afraid to ask. "How was the response?"