Beyond - Legends ~~Paternal Instinct~~ 20 ABY, L/M, some H/L/Solo kids, OCs *DONE! EPILOGUE 12/14*

Yea, Ami's going to have her arm fixed! Luke, stop being so stubborn and just adopt the girl!

Wonderful chapter, JainaSoloYJK!

 

I subscribe to everything Book-Geek said.

More soon, please!

 

I broke my collar bone when I was about two. A sister that was only a few years older than me was giving my a piggy back ride and she dropped me. I slammed into a filing cabinet. My Mom took me to the doctor after several days of just sitting on the couch and whimpering if anyone bumped me the wrong way. Then when I was either second or third grade I went in for a MRI to determine if I had tumors growing on my optic nerves. Teh nurse there was really nice and told me what different things did, I was going to sleep though it since I wouldn't be able to not move. She even showed me my heartbeat on the display. The was wicked cool!

Come one Luke, ask if you can adopt her!

 

Ooh, very happy about the surgery getting the green light.

Hmmm. The talk with Fereen it's great not to uproot Ami and send her to strangers ... but what I hope won't happen is they insist "no family" and then as soon as Luke sets his heart on adopting, someone shows up and says: "I'm her aunt/cousin" and takes her away

 

Book-Geek: Patience! Luke may be an intelligent, awesome Jedi Master but matters of the heart often go right over his handsome head. Thank you!

Hazel: Your wish is my command! *POOF!* There's more coming soon!

Lady_Misty: OUCH!!!! Glad everything worked out for you!

Jade_Eyes:

The next chapter is, amazingly, already finished. It will be up soon!

Only look out, it's pretty long....

 

~13~

Preparing one for surgery, especially a small child, was exceptionally difficult. According to the
information packet Luke had been sent via electronic correspondence, Ami was supposed to go
in fasting, which meant no food within six hours of surgery. The reason for this was, especially
with small children, anesthesia often made humans nauseous. This meant skipping breakfast.
Luke hated to do it, especially to a child who had been starving only two weeks before, but the
alternative was worse.

The medic had also sent over information on what exactly was going to happen. After going
under the anesthetic, a medical droid would surgically open Ami?s wrist, cut the bone where it
had broken before, re-set it and any misplaced tendons, and close it up again. While
unconscious, Ami would then undergo a bacta treatment to help the bones knit and the incision
heal. Once the bacta treatment was complete Ami would be taken to a recovery room to wait for
the effects of the anesthesia to wear off. The entire process would take between six and eight
hours.

But it wouldn?t be over immediately. Ami?s arm and wrist would have to remain in a bone-knitting
cast for another week, and then she would have four to six months of physical therapy to regain
movement and strength in her hand, wrist, and arm.

Even though Luke would only be with her for the first week of therapy, he resolved to help her
as much as he could. He felt guilty putting her through it. At first he thought he might be able to
give Ami someone to relate to, seeing as how he?d had surgery to attach his prosthetic hand,
but when it came to recovery time, that was a picnic; Luke was able to use the new hand as well
as the old one in only two days.

Ami was understandably nervous. No one would tell her what was going to happen, only that
she was going to go to sleep for a little while and when she woke up, her arm would start getting
better. She didn?t understand why she wasn?t allowed to eat that morning, but trusted Luke.

Luke found his stomach knotting as he signed the release forms. With some effort he pushed
back his uncertainties and found peace in the Force.

?Mithter Luke?? came a tiny voice from behind.

Luke turned to see Ami tugging on his tunic and looking at him with wide, frightened eyes. ?Yes,
Ami??

Ami chewed her lip. ?What?th gonna happen to me??

Luke picked the girl up and carried her over to a chair, where he sat down and settled the girl in
his lap. ?The medics are going to fix your arm today, remember??

Ami tilted her head, her braids swinging to one side. ?How??

Luke sighed, thinking of how to explain an operation to a five year old without frightening them.
?Well, do you remember how your wrist was hurt??

Ami nodded reluctantly, unwilling to bring up another bad memory. ?Yeah?I fell and it hurt real
bad and ?den it wouldn?t work right.?

Luke nodded. ?Right. Do you know what bones are??

?Creepy,? shuddered Ami.
Luke almost laughed. Evidently she was thinking of holovid skeletons. ?No. Bones are
something that are inside everyone. Bones are what make arms and legs straight. When you
hurt your arm, one of your bones broke, and it kept your hand and wrist from moving the right
way. 2-1B is going to fix the bone so you can move your arm again.?

?Y?mean da thcary robot?? Ami asked fearfully.

Luke cringed inwardly. So Ami remembered the medical droid, and her memories weren?t
pleasant. ?I know he might look scary, but he?s a good robot. You know, a long time ago, I hurt
my hand, and he was able to fix it for me.?

Ami looked at the Jedi in surprise. ?He did??

Luke nodded. ?He sure did.? He tactfully left out the fact that his hand had been amputated and
the one he had now was a prosthetic?he thought that would just add to the problem rather than
solve it.

The little girl sighed. She trusted Luke, but she couldn?t shake the feelings of fear and unease
that dominated her thoughts. She snuggled against him. ?It?th thtill thcary? she sai

 

yay on the successful surgery

 

This chapter brought back so many memories...

Luke has finally realized he wants to adopt Ami as much as she wants to be adopted. Now he need ot get the courage to ask Mara to marry him and she need to find the courage to accept.

Now I'm worried.



More soon, please!

 

I was nearly in tears by this point.

I'm glad Ami's surgery was a success! And Luke's finally giving into his heart.

 

Jade_Eyes:

Hazel:

Book-Geek: Aw, don't cry!

More mush coming soon!

 

(look out, this one is pretty darned long!)

~14~

Coruscant was experiencing a rare cloudless, clear day. It was a beautiful 24 degrees Celsius
with a light breeze. Any who lived in close proximity to an area with foliage took full advantage
of the beautiful day. The Solo children were no exception, and played for hours in the sunlight in
the private gardens of the Imperial Palace.

In the Medical Center of that same complex, however, there was one who didn?t take notice of
the lovely weather. As a matter of fact he had hardly looked outside all day.

After waiting first one hour in the waiting room with Ami, then four hours for Ami to be out of
surgery, and another two hours for her to complete bacta treatment, Luke could hardly
remember being so tired and concerned in his life. As the minutes dragged on he was actually
beginning to wonder of time itself was slowing down, which was of course ridiculous. During
those hours he had plenty of time to ponder his options.

Ami had asked- no, begged ?to stay with him. He wanted her to stay. His family liked her.
Though she vehemently denied it, even Mara Jade liked her. The girl was completely alone in
the galaxy. By all rights Luke had no excuses left not to adopt her, so even he was confused as
to why he still had an uneasy feeling about it.

Finally, blessedly, sensing the female medic come down the hall, Luke got to his feet before she
even rounded the corner and came into his line of sight. She radiated peace, relief, and fatigue.
Luke suddenly felt sympathy for her. She had probably been awake since early that morning
and would probably not get to sleep until late that evening, if at all.

The medic smiled. ?Don?t even bother asking, Master Skywalker. Ami?s treatment is complete
and she is recuperating in one of the recovery rooms. You may see her now.?

Luke executed a quick bow. ?Thank you.? He followed her down the hall and down several floors
before they came to the recovery area. He had to be careful to guard his senses because the
thoughts, fears, and pains of dosens of different beings came out at him. Often being a Jedi
Master was more difficult than the general public was aware.

Finally the medic stopped at a door and opened it, waving Luke in. ?She?s still unconscious,? the
woman said in a low voice.

As Luke stepped quietly into the room, his nose once against tingled with the smells; clean
sheets and bacta. It wasn?t difficult to find Ami. She occupied the only bed in the room, looking
so small under the blanket, surrounded by machines. The IV and heart monitor were still
connected. Her blond hair was still damp from the bacta and was spread across the pillow in
golden waves. A bone-knitting splint, blinking silently from green to blue, was closed around the
atrophied wrist, extending to wrap around the space between thumb and fingers?which were,
for the first time, straight. Her breathing was deep and normal. Just to be certain, Luke briefly
sent his senses over the girl to check for anything amiss.

There was nothing. By all appearances, and by the forever-honest announcement through the
Force, Ami was just fine.

Again, Luke exhaled slowly with great relief. He approached Ami?s bedside slowly and
cautiously before stopping midway and turning back to the medic, about to ask permission-

?Yes, you can sit with her,? assured the medic. ?Just let her sleep. She?ll wake up in her own
time. I?ll be close if you need anything.? And with that, she exited the room.

Luke turned back to Ami and walked to her bedside. He wanted to speak with her but didn?t
want to wake her up, so his visit was a silent one.

He sat there for a long while with continually conflicting emotions. He was relieved she had
come through the surgery so well but saddened she had to go through it at all. The bacta had
rinsed away her tears but Luke knew there would be more in the coming months. Using muscles
and joints that had not been used in many months would be painful and slow. Even though

 

!!! YAY YAY YAY !!!

I'm SO glad Mara came and she and Luke talked the way they did. I was wondering if she'd come.

Wonderful chapter!

 

SQUEE!

on the decision, on the verbal & countless silent declarations of love.
Woohoo! That particular phrase is melty!



!!!

 

And cue the angels singing "Hallelujah!" Luke has at long last come to his senses!

 

Aw!

Now, propose to Mara Skywalker!

 

Hazel: Hee-hee, glad you like!

Jade_Eyes: Yeah, I decided to delve into my romantic side. So glad it rated a squee!

Book-Geek: It takes him a while, but once he gets going, look out.

Lady_Misty: Patience....

In the meantime, another chapter has been finished and is ready to post! The reason this is going faster than I originally thought is because the entire story has been outlined so I know where it's going and how it gets there. You guys, of course, will have to wait, muwahahahahaha!

I will say this- mush alert!

 

~15~

Even having had the briefing in the Senate, New Republic Security Forces weren?t expecting
what they found on Mynce. It was worse than they thought. Supply vehicles were surrounded
the minute they touched down in the North, and it took exactly fifteen minutes for the first food
riot to break out in the South. NRSF was forced to deploy extra officers to distribute everything
evenly. Within a week the first round of supplies were exhausted and they had to send for more.
Many had not seen desperation this bad since the days of the Empire.

Despite this, Ambassador Fereen proved to be a great help. He was the only one the Mynce
would listen to. He was able to help organize the locals into teams to distribute the food evenly.
Soon temporary shelters for the homeless were set up. Teams were deployed to help round up
the delinquent youth, most of which were indeed orphans. Since the court system on Mynce had
broken down, none of the youth who had committed crimes could be prosecuted, and they were
sent directly to the orphanages. As Fereen had told Luke, the existing orphanages were quickly
filled to double their capacity, with more rolling in all the time. The problem was not fully
exposed until several children were found dead in an alley. This seemed to rally the
Southerners to action and within days of the NRSF?s arrival about 90% of the orphans were
rounded up and in temporary shelters. The rest were hardened teenagers who had been
orphans for most of their lives and stuck together in gangs, plotting how they would be able to
get something out of the new bargain.

The reports of starved children galvanized the New Republic as well and they were more than
willing to send enough supplies for the people to build two new orphanages in the North, four in
the South, and to repair the existing ones.

While the Southerners grew protective of the children that had been rounded up, Fereen was
exceedingly grateful that Ami would be returning to an improved Mynce and didn?t have to see
the worst of the planet again. By all accounts she had gone from a starving, frightened
youngster to a sweet, healthy, active child. He looked forward to seeing the little girl again.

* * * * *

Much to Luke?s annoyance, he couldn?t get ahold of Ambassador Fereen the rest of the day. It
was only a minor inconvenience, however, because everything else was going amazingly well.

Ami?s mood improved drastically once they arrived back at Luke?s apartment. Her hand and
wrist still ached but she was willing to put up with it since her fingers were able to move. Ten
minutes after arriving from the medical center she peered at her fingers and wiggled them
some more. After she was able to make nearly a complete fist, she looked up at Luke with such
a look of gratitude she was nearly crying. ??Fank you.?

Luke looked down pleasantly. ?For what??

?You thaved my life,? said Ami, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

A smile spread across Luke?s face. ?Life is precious, Ami. It should never be wasted or thrown
away. And you-? here he gave Ami?s braid a light tug ?-are very, very special.?

Ami jumped forward and wrapped her arm around Luke?s neck. ?I love you!?

Luke?s assumption of not being able to melt any more was instantly extinguished. He held Ami
close. ?I love you too,? he whispered, kissing the top of her head and smoothing back her hair.
When he let her go, his heart gave a leap.

Ami, for the first time since he?d met her, was smiling. It was just a slight, shy one, but a smile
nonetheless.

Mara shrugged off her own warm feelings and made a face at the pair. ?Oh, no. Don?t get all
mushy on me!?

Ami responded by racing up to Mara and attaching herself to the woman?s thighs.

For a moment Mara just stood there helplessly, annoyed by Luke?s grin and the fact she didn?t
want to push Ami away anymore. Finally, rolling her eyes and sighing, she relented and picked
Ami up, giving her a brief hug bac

 

hahaha! fun cute post. Love Mara trying not to be a softie

!!

 

I knew it! That the drawing was of Luke, Mara and Ami. Didn't know that it was R2 though.

Ami sees it!

Is Ami Force Sensitive?

 

The drawing Ami made was very sweet. I could barely stoop laughing when Mara realized the two tall stick figures were her and Luke kissing!

 

That drawing was just so cute. I'm glad Ami gave it to Mara.

Mara trying to not soften up and Luke trying to hide his amusement was so fun.

 

Jade_Eyes: Glad you like!

Lady_Misty: Ami? Force-Sensitive? To be honest, that option never crossed my mind. Hmm...

Book-Geek: LOL thank you! I was giggling myself as I was writing it.

Hazel: Thank you!

I'm really glad the last chapter was entertaining.It was a lot of fun to write. The next needs some work, but in the meantime, does anyone want to see Ami's drawing?

 

Yes please! *excitedly bouncing in my seat*

 

Yes, I would like to see it too!

 

OK here you go!

[image=http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd279/UndercoverJedi/AmisPicturech15.jpg]

(I know it's done in crayon here but there aren't any markers handy right now)

Living with a 5 year old nephew it's not that hard to emmulate their mentality and scribble.