| As Long as there is Hope - Part 20 by Jemmiah |
| Whilst he had been relieved to get just as far as the temple infirmary, Qui-Gon knew that in itself was no indication the girl was actually going to make any sort of recovery. Certainly here she would get all the right kind of care and attention, the medical treatment and the observation needed to help her get better, but would it actually be enough to insure her survival? Qui-Gon had witnessed the extraordinary will that had helped her battle through so far but he also knew that Jemmiah would need to maintain that same determination even now that she was safely ensconced within the hospital walls. It was a trying time and an exhausting one at that. Only now did he realize just how tired he was and how much effort he had put into keeping Jemmiah going. The same could be said for his own padawan whose labor had been no less than his own. Vernice's spirits however seemed to pick up on arriving at the infirmary and it was only then that Qui-Gon remembered her Togorian padawan was recuperating in a bed not that far away from the room Jemmiah was currently lying in. "I'm sorry." Qui-Gon apologized profusely. "Stupid of me…in all my anxiety for Jemmiah I completely forgot about padawan Welasa. Give him my best wishes for a speedy recovery." "No problem." Vernice winked at him, observing the tension lines that were still in evidence on his forehead. "I suppose I have the advantage of knowing that Tanni will recover. At least I can escape from this particular nightmare for the time being." She stepped forward and gave him a small but heartfelt embrace. "Keep hoping, Qui. I'll be back to see how she does later on." As she released him she suddenly recollected something equally unpleasant. "The council are going to summon us pretty soon." She murmured. "They can wait." Qui-Gon replied. "For once." "I'd like to see Mace's expression when you tell him that." Vernice grinned at him. "Stick around," Jinn nodded to just behind his shoulder, "because here he is, right on time." Vernice pursed her lips in a silent whistle and started to edge backwards out the door. "Think I'll just, er…get going." She gestured to the door. "I'll drop by later on." "Thank you." Qui-Gon grimaced. "Want to smuggle me out with you?" "Uh-uh. You have to speak to him sooner or later. May as well be now. May the force be with you, Jinny!" she said before edging rapidly past the rather suspicious looking Mace Windu, whose eyebrows were drawn down so far together that they met in the middle. He followed her with his eyes for a moment before turning his attention back to Qui-Gon, his demeanor purposeful rather than aggressive. Qui-Gon however was visibly defensive in his stance and Mace was able to read the man's body language as easily as an open book. "Qui-Gon." The man greeted him formally. "Mace." The grave tone answered him, not giving him any quarter. "You made it back then." "As you can see." Qui-Gon spread his arms out to indicate he was no apparition. "I'm glad." The council member actually broke into a subtle smile. "It can't have been an easy mission by all accounts." Not easy?!? Briefly a small stab of bitterness hit Qui-Gon in the chest but he worked hard to push it away, concentrating on keeping his mind focussed on whatever Mace was here to say. He knew that the man would not have come without a reason. More personal greetings and declarations of relief and joy at his safety would have been done away from the restraints of the infirmary. For him to be here, now, meant that Windu had another agenda entirely - no doubt on the council's bidding. "It was not a pleasant time." Conceded Qui-Gon curtly. "But I believe that I have managed to take something from the experience and learn from it." Mace walked slowly for a moment by his side, the sound of his feet echoing against the highly polished tiles of the infirmary floor. For a moment he said nothing, trying to select his words as carefully as he could, so it seemed to Qui-Gon. Ah-ha. Jinn thought morosely. Here it comes… "You took something else from that mission as well, didn't you?" Windu eventually got round to saying what was on his mind. The face he turned on Qui-Gon was resigned, if somewhat amused. "Good news travels fast in this place." Qui-Gon looked straight ahead. "Qui-Gon," Mace released a long and trailing breath, "Why? Against the express wishes of the council…why did you do it?" "If you had been there you wouldn't have had to ask that." "Well, I wasn't there." Mace said flatly, folding his arms. "And I am asking." Qui-Gon clamped his mouth shut indignantly at the questions Mace was throwing at him. "You always were a stubborn person." Mace shook his head. "Qui-Gon, regardless of the rights and wrongs in this case the council have asked to see you." "I thank the council." Qui-Gon still refused to look him in the face. "I expected to give my report as is usually the case when returning from a mission of this nature." "Now, Qui-Gon." Mace stated firmly. Jinn swiftly turned on his heel and looked at Mace as if the man had suggested he swallow a Hutt whole and in one go. "Now?" he echoed in dismay. "I'm not going anywhere now." "I don't understand." Windu frowned at him. "Qui-Gon, the council have requested your immediate presence in the council chamber. That applies to your padawan as well. No doubt they will wish to speak to Master Ashdal at the first available opportunity…" "No." Qui-Gon refused. "Qui-Gon…" Mace warned him, but his friend was in no mood to be gainsaid. "Give my compliments to the council, and inform them that I am otherwise engaged at present. My padawan is catching up on some well-deserved rest and is not to be disturbed. I will give them my report in due course…" "Qui-Gon!" Mace's voice became sharp, regrettably so, but he knew it was his only chance of getting through to the man. "This is a most inadvisable stance to take! It's not only the council that needs to hear a report of this affair but Chancellor Valorum is most anxious to know exactly how…" "Have you informed the Chancellor of my return?" Qui-Gon asked him pointedly. "No." Mace paused. "Good. Then it's hardly going to matter to him how long I take." "Qui-Gon, the council…" "Mace, right now the council are the last thing on my mind. Please offer my sincerest apologies and tell the council that there is someone who requires my attention more urgently than they do." And with that Qui-Gon gave Mace the merest of bows, and turned and walked away. *** He'd sought out An-Paj to see if he was finally able to shed any light on Jemmiah's condition. The nature of the illness had been obvious to even a non-medical person but the specifics of the wasting condition at first seemed to have confused even the master healer. Junior to Qui-Gon by quite a few years, An-Paj was nonetheless regarded as one of the most experienced persons within the infirmary and there were few that did not respect him. Still, An-Paj had been most disconcerted by what he had managed to decipher from the readouts he had gathered about him. "Ah, Qui-Gon." He indicated the spare seat in the consultant's room. "I was about to summon you." "That would make you the second one today." Qui-Gon pulled a sour face. "Pardon?" "Just forget it, I'm all at odds with the galaxy right now and everyone in it." He admitted mockingly. "I would say I got out of bed the wrong way but I didn't actually get any sleep as such…" "If you're in need of sleeping tablets I'm sure we can help you out." An-Paj grinned brightly at him, antennae twitching in amusement. "I'll pass on that." Qui-Gon smiled back at him. He leaned forward earnestly. "But what I would like is some information on what we're up against here." "Oh, yes." An-Paj looked back at the various pages of writing before him. "The Corellian girl. Not looking terribly promising to be blunt with you Qui-Gon, although now we've managed to get a line into her she has perked up a little. Fluid's no problem now so that will keep her going whilst we hit on the right medication for her. She can't keep down any solids though." He offered Qui-Gon a reassuring look. "We are doing our best for her. I promise you that much." "There was never any real doubt in my mind." Qui-Gon rubbed wearily at his face. "What about the illness she's suffering?" "Yes." An-Paj bit his lip for a moment as if puzzling something out. "I am slightly baffled. Not the disease itself. We checked for variant wasting illnesses and found the specific malady Jemmiah is suffering with almost immediately. The problem is that the cure is rather nasty. The drugs are strong, even in minimal doses. It does defeat the illness but sometimes it can do a lot of damage if you don't judge things correctly. Calculating the right amounts for someone the girl's size is not something I've ever had to do. Simply, I've never had to administer a drug of this potency to anyone that age before. The best results are usually to be had if the illness is caught quickly, whilst this young lady has gone into a rapid decline." He stopped, catching Qui-Gon's eye. "She's underweight because of her illness, but she's also under height for her age. You say she's ten?" "A matter of some weeks ago, I believe." Qui-Gon answered. "Why?" "We found traces of something in her bloodstream. It's a drug called Ulyduril. It occurs naturally in some species of stinging nettles. It's not harmful in itself. Actually it's this drug which is causing us so much in the way of additional problems because it's having some sort of reaction with the medication we're giving her for the wasting disease." "Nettles?" Qui-Gon wondered, remembering his own badly stung hands when he'd fallen off the speeder bike. "Not the most palatable of substances, you'll agree." An-Paj commented as he scanned the readout. "Taken in large doses it acts as a growth inhibitor. I'd say that is why your young lady is possibly about three years behind normal average height for her age. Somebody's been feeding her Ulyduril." "That doesn't make any sense." Qui-Gon remarked uneasily. "Why would somebody want to do that?" An-Paj shrugged. "You say you found her in a brothel? There are a lot of sick people out there who have all kind of depraved notions regarding young…" "Don't say it An-Paj." Qui-Gon cut him off swiftly, not wanting to consider what the healer was saying. "That place is going to haunt me for the rest of my days." "I can imagine." The blue-skinned healer agreed readily. "If either you or your padawan wish to see the soul healers then I can arrange…" "No, that's alright. If Obi-Wan wishes to see them then I will of course let you know." He breathed out, feeling disheartened and sickened. "And your prognosis is…?" "Too early to tell." An-Paj replied, regarding the tall master compassionately. "But she seems determined enough. She asked for you a little while ago but we were busy carrying out the tests on her and so I said I'd pass the message on and take you to see her when everything was ready." He stood up and walked to the door, Qui-Gon following him. "Ready to see her?" "Yes." Qui-Gon agreed. "Although I doubt very much if anyone ever gets used to the sight of a sick child." "Follow me, please." An-Paj stepped through the exit. "But I have to warn you she won't look very pretty right now…" ********* He'd stayed for a few hours by her bedside but it became quite clear to Qui-Gon that she was feeling rather tired and unwell with all the medication she had been administered. It wasn't the first time he'd seen sick children or indeed adults before. He himself had been both patient and 'next of kin' on occasion. Waiting and watching was a horrible thing to have to do, especially when the person lying in the bed was somebody who meant a lot to you… Or had come to mean a lot. An-Paj seemed to make her wary, despite Qui-Gon's best efforts at reassuring her that he was on her side. As far as Jemmiah was concerned the healer = needles = pain, and that was not the sort of thing that she was likely to forget. Somehow Qui-Gon got the impression that Jemmiah had a long memory. For the moment however the man was safe because she was simply too weak to do anything but alternate between baleful stares and glowering. She looked rather vulnerable lying there, with all manner of tubes and wires seemingly coming out of everywhere. Even force healing needed a nudge from practical medicine every now and again. Her face was rather translucent looking and the large, rounded eyes somewhat resigned to her current suffering, yet still managing to convey a certain degree of pleasure at seeing Qui-Gon beside her. He'd talked to her rather than with her and she had occasional croaked out an answer or nodded her head by way of reply. The feint ghost of a smile he'd witnessed on Merdan's ship was nowhere in sight. "I will have to be going shortly." Qui-Gon squeezed her hand, aware of her unhappiness at his statement. "I'm afraid that Obi-Wan will be wondering what has become of us both. And even a jedi master must sleep sometime. I will be back soon though, you have my word. Try to get as much rest as you can between now and then, okay?" "But I don't know anyone…" Jemmiah looked at him anxiously. "You will soon get to know who everyone is." Qui-Gon reassured her. "And in the meantime there is always An-Paj…" Uh-oh. Wrong thing to say, I think! Qui-Gon saw her shrink down into herself at the mention of his name. "He only wants to stick me with needles." Jemmy looked at him hopelessly. "I'm afraid it's his job." Qui-Gon smiled exasperatedly. "I think he likes his job." Jemmiah pouted. "Too much!" "Maybe. But he is an extremely talented healer. If anyone can get you better it's him. So be a good girl and do what he tells you to, please?" Jemmy's face blackened thunderously. "He snitched!" she managed to growl. "Sorry?" "He said he wouldn't snitch and he has! I just knew that he would tell you I'd bitten him when he tried to stick this tube in me!" Jemmy turned her head away. "Snitched? He's never said anything of the sort…wait a minute. What do you mean, you bit him?" he watched as she steadfastly refused to look at him. "Jemmiaaaaaaah!" he said in a warning tone. "Well, it hurt! What was I supposed to do? Stand back and let him murder me?" she wheedled. Qui-Gon decided it wasn't worth arguing the point. It was simple too much of a hassle - and he probably wouldn't even win. He expected he'd best apologize to An-Paj on behalf of Jemmiah though. Clearly the girl was overwrought and acting out of character, not remotely violent in nature…when they'd been together on the ship she'd always been sweetness personified. "An-Paj is used to unwell patients." Qui-Gon mumbled more to himself than Jemmiah. "At least he will know that you didn't mean it." "I did!" Jemmy protested. "Well, don't let him hear that!" He warned her with a twitch of his eyebrow. "Don't let who hear what?" An-Paj suddenly appeared from the doorway, closing it firmly behind him and thus shutting Jemmiah away from the rest of the world. Qui-Gon caught the miserable sigh and felt extremely sorry for her predicament. Corellians could be best described as fractious when left on their own. "I believe that Jemmiah might have inflicted some damage on your person," Qui-Gon sighed, "for which I apologize. And so does she, don't you?" Silence. "Don't you?" Qui-Gon prompted. "I don't feel well." Jemmiah dropped her head back against the pillow with a thud. "You're not getting out of it that easily, sick or otherwise." "I really feel ill." Warned Jemmiah. "Jemmiaaaaahhh!" Qui-Gon used the same tone of voice on her he had earlier and An-Paj, far from being annoyed, seemed rather amused by the whole scene. "You're sorry, remember?" "I AM sorry!" Jemmy managed to stick her chin out belligerently. "Because when you made me bite you one of my teeth came out!" "I can arrange a trip to Healer Inkerson, if you wish." An-Paj rubbed his hands in mock glee. "No." Jemmy sulked. "I've heard him laughing…he sounds like someone hacking through a tree with a rusty saw!" "Jemmiah!" Qui-Gon reproved her. "I feel really sick!" Jemmiah moaned. An-Paj walked forward to stand beside her, straightening her twisted pillow from beneath her head. "Young lady, most of what you are feeling is in the mind. However, I know the medication is somewhat revolting and apt to make you feel queasy, so what I want you to do is reach over and press this buzzer whenever you feel like you're going to be sick…" Jemmiah promptly reached out her hand, grabbed the buzzer and vomited rather violently all over An-Paj's healer garb. The healer paused for a moment, before stretching out a regurgitation-flecked hand. "Why don't we start again." He said in a calm voice. "My name is An-Paj and I'm a healer at the infirmary…" |