Chapter Text
The Secret Union
The afternoon sun was a vibrant red over the familiar landscape of Naboo as the Senator's ship prepared to land on the planet. Inside, Anakin sat in the pilot's seat wondering what was taking Padme so long. She had retired to her quarters a few hours ago and he hadn't heard from her since. Once they dropped out of hyperspace, he had expected her to rise, but she still hadn't come out yet.
He suspected that the last few days had taken their toll on her, but now he missed her being by his side. On their trips to Tatooine and Geonosis, Padme had insisted on taking the co-pilot's seat when they had traveled together. He had been delightedly surprised to learn that she was actually a decent pilot, even good enough that he could show her a few good tricks. But this trip had been different. When they were on Coruscant days ago, she seemed anxious to get home, and then during the trip she had been unusually quiet and only conversing when necessary.
They were landing now and Anakin wondered what her mood might be like since she was back at home where she was the most comfortable. He knew that she had a lot on her mind with the impending war and her role in the Senate, but what he wanted to figure out the most was what was this thing between them? He wondered if she was now having second thoughts about him.
After all, she had only admitted to being in love with him when she thought they were about to die. She had been clear on her feelings before then...since love was forbidden between them and neither of them wanted to live a lie, and then they just couldn't be together. What if she was planning on sticking to her original decision? He hoped not, but he knew that he would do whatever she wanted. If she wanted to pursue a relationship he was all for it, but if she didn't, he would have to live with that too.
After requesting clearance, they were given permission to land. Anakin still hadn't heard from Padme so he used his comlink to call her. "Padme, we've arrived. The Queen is meeting us at the landing platform shortly." No response still...worried now, Anakin reached out with the force and sensed her presence...she was sleeping. “She’s sleeping, no wonder.” He said, smiling to C-3PO who was sitting behind him.
"Oh, would you like for me to go wake the Senator Master Ani?" C-3PO asked.
"Yes, thank you 3P0," Anakin answered as he sat the ship down on the platform. C-3P0 rose and headed toward the small quarters. R2 chirped questionable beep.
Anakin turned to see R2-D2 behind him. "R2, what are you doing in here? I thought you were in there with Padme." R2-D2 chirped a sad beep this time. "Yeah, didn't feel up to your company either huh?" R2's head turned in a way to express a "no" headshake.
"Oh no, Master Ani!" C-3P0 shouted from her quarters.
"What is it?" Anakin shouted as he jumped out of the seat running to Padme's quarters. When he got there she appeared to be sleeping, lying in the bed with beads of sweat all over her. Anakin touched her face and it was burning up.
"I'm afraid the Senator is not doing well." C-3P0 answered.
Anakin spoke softly to her while gently swiping her hair out of her face, "Padme! Please Padme, wake up." When she didn't respond, he turned to C3PO, "Quick, we're going to need some help."
============
As Anakin carried Padme out of the ship, the Queen Jamilla and her entourage were there to greet them. The Queen looked shocked at the site of Anakin carrying an unconscious Padme, "What has happened to her?"
"I'm not sure,” an out of breath Anakin answered. “She was fine a few hours ago...she has a fever." The Queen promptly called for medical attention and her maidens quickly moved in to help Anakin as he laid Padme down on the steps of the ship. Anakin held her to him wishing that he could somehow will her back into consciousness.
The medics arrived a few minutes later and loaded her onto a stretcher. As they walked toward the palace doors, Padme floating on the stretcher in front on them, the medics threw questions at him left and right. "Was she injured? What did she eat? Could she have been poisoned?"
Anakin gritted his teeth, "No, she was fine...wait...she seemed fine, but she hadn't been herself for the last few days.” Padme still had not regained consciousness when they entered the elevator with Anakin and the Queen among the concerned group following closely. They took the elevator up several stories and Anakin suddenly remembered, "Wait, she was injured days ago on Geonosis by a Nexu...she has some deep scratches on her back."
The medics looked grimly at each other, "A Nexu's claws can carry poison. Was she not treated for her wounds then?"
Anakin felt ashamed, "I don't know. I mean, I was also injured and not in any shape myself after our battle. I had assumed that she had been treated while my wounds were being tended to. She said she was fine."
They stepped out of the elevator, and took a sharp right entering the palace's medical center. One of the medics turned toward Anakin, "We will examine her now...if you could wait outside?"
"Of course," Anakin said, trying to control his emotions. He looked around and found a chair to sit in near the window overlooking the palace gardens. The Queen and one of her handmaidens also sat nearby.
A few minutes later, a Nubian doctor and medical droid emerged from the room walking over to Anakin and Queen Jamilla. They quickly rose meeting him half way. "How is she?" Anakin asked.
The doctor only nodded to the Queen. "Your highness, the Senator is resting...we are bringing down the fever. Once we do that we can attempt to treat her other injuries."
"What other injuries?" Asked a surprised Anakin.
"How long ago did the Nexu attack occur?" The doctor asked the group, no one in particular.
"This Jedi is her assigned protector, he will be able to answer your questions," Queen Jamilla quickly answered. Only then did the doctor finally acknowledge Anakin, nodding again.
"She was injured over five days ago," Anakin answered. "Would it take that long for the poison to get into her system?"
"Only if it wasn't the correct anti-venom serum in the initial treatment. There are several Nexu poisons, some quite rare...the Republic doesn't have access to them all. It looks like they treated her with the standard serum and it did manage to slow down the poison some. But infection has set in now and it seems that she's having a reaction to the serum they gave her. She also has a concussion from a head injury a few days old. She may have known that already though."
Anakin thought to himself, She fell... she must have hit her head then.
"You can you help her right?"
"Yes, but there is no guarantee that our treatment will work either."
Anakin look worriedly at the Queen then and back at the doctor, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, we can bring down her fever, treat her for the infection and with our anti-venom serums and hope it works, but I must warn you…that may only buy her some time. She's very weak and then there's another matter."
Anakin was speechless.
“What is it?” the Queen asked.
“The senator’s isochronic sickness is no longer in remission. All of this is working against her immune system.” The doctor answered. The Queen nodded and looked worried now as well.
Anakin stepped closer to her and asked, “What is isochronic sickness?”
The queen answered him, “Isochroni is a disease that has stricken the Naboo for many centuries. It attacks the immune system and there is no known cure.”
The doctor cut in, “The senator was infected as a child as most are, but she recovered and went into remission. In good health, the disease usually stays in remission for many years although most patients usually eventually succumb to it later in life. The senator was given a clean bill of health and expected to live a normal life. So it is much too early for this reoccurrence of it now. No doubt it was triggered by her current state of health.”
The queen didn’t seem to want to ask the next question so Anakin did it for her, “Will she recover?” The doctor hesitated. “I need to know.” Anakin asked again.
The doctor sighed, “It’s too soon to tell…we will know more in the next few hours. I must go now.”
“Very well, doctor,” the Queen said before the doctor bowed slightly and walked away. Turning to her handmaiden, "We must inform the Naberries of her condition at once,"
“Yes, M’Lady,” the handmaiden answered. Queen Jamilla had been a good friend of Padme and her family for many years now. If they must hear such news, then it should come from me, she thought.
Once they left, Anakin sat down, closed his eyes and began to meditate.
===================
Anakin sat in the medical waiting room meditating. He thought about Padme and all that she meant to him. He remembered when she first came into his life on Tatooine. He had thought she was an angel and somehow knew that he loved her even way back then. Little did he know that she would ever really mean so much to him now.
In his whole life, he had never felt so much love for one person alone. Sure, he had loved his mother, but in a different way. He felt sure now that if given the choice, he would even forsake his own mother for Padme’s love. He felt ashamed, but it was true. He was now willing to do anything for Padme…even give up his dreams of becoming a Jedi if he had to. If Obi-Wan knew his thoughts right now, he would not be happy.
Anakin waited in the same spot as hours went by. Something stirred him out of his meditation and Anakin stood up when he saw Padme’s mother Jobal and her older sister Sola enter the waiting room. They looked like they hadn’t expected to see Anakin but had seemed relieved. “Oh, Anakin! How is she?” Sola asked before they sat next to him.
“I’m sorry, I’m not sure. They haven’t come out in a while. She isn’t conscious yet though…I can sense it.”
Jobal, with tears in her eyes, spoke for the first time, “Queen Jamilla says her condition is serious…that she may die. My poor daughter, I must see her.”
Anakin nodded and touch Jobal shoulder trying to comfort her with the force, wondering where Padme’s father was, “Where is Ruwee?”
Sola answered for her mother, “Off planet with my husband, we have already sent word…they are on their way back home…they should arrive in a few…”
The doctor entering stopped her sentence. They stood anxiously and he approached them, “She is stable now but still very weak,” the doctor said. “We think the serum is working but she hasn’t regained consciousness yet…there’s still a chance she might not.”
“Can we see her now?” Jobal asked the doctor.
“Yes, please follow me.”
=====================
Over a week had passed and there was still no sign of a change in Padme’s condition. The doctors had said that there was nothing else that they could do. Anakin sat beside her bed holding her hand. She was still as beautiful as she had been before all of this. She just looked like she was sleeping to him, but he knew that inside, she must be fighting the hardest battle she had ever fought.
Padme’s family had been back and forth all week but had decided today, after talking to her doctor that they were going to start making plans for her memorial. To Anakin, they had all but given up on her and he was angry at them for that. They had thanked him, urged him to go home and absolved him of his responsibly to her. But he couldn’t leave her.
Anakin knew that everyone thought that he was being irrational, but he was in love and he just couldn’t give up on her yet for many reasons. Padme was important to the Republic and much too young. Besides, they had just found each other again and they had unfinished business. They had fallen in love knowing that it was forbidden and they hadn’t had a chance to talk about what exactly that meant yet. He knew that wanted her in his life though and he needed to tell her. So he sat there day after day holding her hand and, through the force, willing her to come back to him.
==================
Even more days went by and to Anakin’s dismay there had been talk by her family and doctors about discontinuing her care soon. But Anakin did not want to give up. After much meditation, he focused all of his healing thoughts and concentration on Padme. He did not sleep, eat or do much else for days. And one night, while Anakin held her hands, Padme had opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was a very tired looking Anakin smiling down at her. “Ani?” She said very weakly, “What happened, where am I?”
“Shhh, Padme”, he answered. “Just rest, you’re safe on Naboo and you’re going to be ok now.” Then he ran his fingers over her face as Padme let her eyes slip closed again. Anakin buzzed the doctor using the comlink near her bed.
“Yes?” A mechanical voice answered.
“She’s awake…Senator Amidala is awake,” Anakin said as a tear of joy ran down his face.