heat and electric
Part eight of 212th Medic Skull Has Had Enough on ao3
Part one | Part two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part 6 | Part 7
Summary:
Eventually, Obi-Wan looked up, eyes bloodshot, and offered what Cody assumed to be a meager attempt at a smile. “I’m– I am alright.” His voice was weak, coated in a thick grumbling tone, unconvincing at best. Cody grimaced.
“It’s– you don’t have to be.” Cody reminded him, stoking a thumb over the small bruises along his jaw hating the way Obi-Wan flinched slightly under his touch. “You had a seizure, that must be–”
“It’s not the first time.”
(Or, the aftermath of Obi-Wan's seizure. Later, heat stroke.)
Word Count: 5,781
“Everyone out, besides Cody and Oxy. Get out.”
Cody could barely hear Skull’s words.
Seizure.
The word stuck in his brain, but he could barely think. Whatever focus he had was far gone, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of Obi-Wan.
Seizure.
He had heard of them, sure, but Cody didn’t know what they entailed, didn’t know that he would ever witness one. Yet, he had watched Obi-Wan, already bruised and covered in electric burns, fall victim to one. It still didn’t feel like reality.
Cody couldn’t move, frozen in place and time.
The remaining medics and Quinlan shuffled out of the room leaving the stale silence of the room, save for Obi-Wan’s whistling breaths where he lay facing away from Cody. Skull had arranged him into a position on his side– he’d called it a recovery position. Cody just watched numbly, unspeaking.
“Cody?” Someone– not Obi-Wan– asked eventually, and the Commander glanced upward, trying to stop the trembling in his fingers where they gripped at the sides of his chair. Skull had finally helped Obi-Wan into a sitting position, and was now staring in Cody’s direction expectantly.
How long had it been?
“Cody?” Skull asked again, worry evident on his face, “It’s been ten minutes, he’s going to be okay, just unwell for… awhile.”
Cody blinked. Ten minutes? He swallowed, and grasped the edges of the chair.
Without his express permission, Cody’s body moved, and he walked around the outside of the bed.
Numb. His entire form felt numb.
Obi-Wan’s back was covered in blood stained bandages, which was already alarming, but when Cody caught a look at his front, he could barely stand the obvious discomfort written on Obi-Wan’s face.
He was pale, eyes shut tightly as he shivered in place.
“Just a second, General. Just going to apply pressure to these…” Oxy worked quickly, pulling back the bandages trying to stop the reopened wounds from bleeding anymore than they already had.
“Obi-Wan…” Cody said softly, tentatively sitting down on the medical bed by Obi-Wan’s side, ignoring the way that Skull hovered inches away, almost like he was waiting for him to keel over.
Obi-Wan failed to respond, his trembling hands pulling towards his face to press over his eyes. He shuddered once, opening his mouth like he might say something, then shut it abruptly.
“It’s okay, I’m right here.” Cody whispered, moving closer so he could gently press up against Obi-Wan’s arm. He wished he could hug him, pull him into an embrace like he wanted to, but the burns were everywhere, a distinct reminder of all the impending questions Cody needed to ask.
Not now. Obi-Wan didn’t need that now.
“...I don’t–” Obi-Wan spoke softly, then gently shook his head once.
“Do you feel sick, General?” Skull asked, leaning down a little to take a proper look at Obi-Wan’s face. He seemed less concerned now, but it did little to ease Cody’s own nerves.
“Mhm.” Was all Obi-Wan said, voice muffled by his hands. He paused for a few seconds, “I just– I want to go to my quarters.” He spoke the words unnaturally quickly, “Please.”
Cody glanced up to Skull, who looked somehow horrified and skeptical all at once. He pursed his lips, arms crossed over his chest. Cody already knew the medic wouldn’t want to allow it, not now, not with unexpected seizures and open wounds, and blood everywhere. Cody wished he could protest, demanding that he be allowed to take Obi-Wan home and tuck him in bed, safe from all the reminders of pain and suffering that the medbay seemed to elicit.
Yet, Skull wasn’t stupid, and Cody wasn’t a doctor.
He needed to find a compromise.
“Skull,” Cody started, “Give me time alone with the General, only a few minutes.” Cody said, hoping his tone sounded as commanding as he meant it to.
Skull looked no less skeptical, and reached for a datapad sitting on the table by the medical bed. “I have tests to run, Cody. There’s a poss–”
“Can it wait ten minutes?” Cody cut in, noticing the way that Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably by his side, sucking in a pained breath as Oxy pressed another bandage against his back.
“Yes– fine. You will alert me if anything– anything at all – seems off.” Skull said, tone clipped but somehow still empathetic. He looked between Cody and Obi-Wan and sighed. “Almost done, Oxy?” He asked, impatient as ever.
“All set, General.” Oxy said, and rounded the bed, “Try and stay still; don’t lay on your back.”
Cody nodded when Obi-Wan didn’t, then pulled the curtain around the bed when the two medics walked away, Skull heading for his storage closet, and Oxy toward the lab.
When he returned to the bed, Obi-Wan had lowered his hands to his lap and the trembling had been reduced to a few odd shakes every few seconds. Cody pulled the chair in front of him, sitting down and leaning forward, pressing the palms of his hands on Obi-Wan’s jaw gently.
He wanted to ask about Kadavo, about the thousands of little wounds that littered Obi-Wan’s body. Who hurt you? Where do I find them?
Cody resisted the urge, knowing it would do little to smooth out the already existent tension that filled the space between them
Eventually, Obi-Wan looked up, eyes bloodshot, and offered what Cody assumed to be a meager attempt at a smile. “I’m– I am alright.” His voice was weak, coated in a thick grumbling tone, unconvincing at best. Cody grimaced.
“It’s– you don’t have to be.” Cody reminded him, stoking a thumb over the small bruises along his jaw hating the way Obi-Wan flinched slightly under his touch. “You had a seizure, that must be–”
“It’s not the first time.” Obi-Wan cut him off, then suddenly clamped a hand over his mouth, skin seemingly becoming a shade lighter in the matter of seconds.
Cody reached for the bin left by the side of the bed and managed to push it into Obi-Wan’s arms just in time. Obi-Wan emptied his stomach of whatever liquid still remained and breathed heavily, lips red. I’m sorry, Cody wanted to say, but the words didn’t quite make it out.
Not the first time .
The prospect of it made Cody’s skin crawl. Had he missed something? “Not the first time?” He asked, placing the bin aside and wiping Obi-Wan’s lips with a tissue he’d found on the table by the bed.
“When I was young– a padawan. Triggered by… electricity, among other things. It has been… a very long time.”
Cody didn’t want to ask why, as a padawan, he had any exposure to raw electricity on more than one occasion, but he kept his mouth shut.
“I– they beat me, constantly, for days with electro-staffs on Kadavo.” Obi-Wan said after a momentary pause, then looked up, searching Cody’s eyes as if he wanted approval, like he wanted to know if the admission would offend the Commander.
Cody was left with nothing to say, nothing productive at least. I’ll kill them all. Fury spread through his veins, but he was level-headed enough to know that Obi-Wan wouldn’t want him to say that. Cody was too empathetic to even allow the thought to simmer for more than a few seconds before he wiped it away.
“You need to tell, Skull.” He murmured after a few minutes. He had pressed his forehead against Obi-Wan’s.
Obi-Wan leaned back, eyebrows raised. “I need to?” He asked.
“Yes– he needs to know. What if this happens again? What if it happens again when you aren’t in the medbay? There has to be some sort of medication or–” Cody caught himself rambling, then shook his head, eyes trained on a tiny fleck of dirt left on the floor next to Obi-Wan’s soiled clothes. “I can’t lose you.”
Obi-Wan sighed, tipping his face into his hands again. “I– I don’t feel well.” He said quietly, and Cody caught him as he swayed. Fuck. They were going to have to talk about it, but Cody knew he had pushed too far. Obi-Wan looked exhausted, he was hurting, body barely keeping him upright.
Suddenly, Skull’s head poked into the enclosed space, his eyebrows raised as he observed Cody’s position between Obi-Wan’s legs. “Oh– am I interrupting something?” He asked, in that tone that made Cody’s blood boil.
Sure, Skull knew things now, but Cody thought the admission would at least keep him quiet. No– that didn’t seem to be Skull’s style at all. It was almost as if Skull liked to push his buttons even more now.
“No.” Cody answered bluntly. It certainly hadn’t been five minutes, much less ten.
“General, I brought you some new briefs– thought you might appreciate Cody’s help putting them on instead.” Fuck . Cody cursed internally, already imagining all the ways he could throw Skull up against the nearest wall, but Skull only threw the clean set of briefs at him and closed the curtains before leaving.
Karking Skull .
Cody eyed the wet patch on Obi-Wan’s groin, grimacing as he saw the red that had spread across Obi-Wan’s cheeks.
“I-I’m sorry– that just happens.” Obi-Wan whispered the words.
“Oh, Ob’ika, it’s okay. Let me help.”
Cody made quick work of slipping off Obi-Wan’s old briefs and getting the new ones on him, only cringing once when Obi-Wan winced in pain as the fabric brushed against his ankle.
They sat quietly for a few more minutes, Cody hoping the momentary freedom from medical attention would be enough to keep Obi-Wan calm. Then Skull returned, Oxy behind him rolling a mobilized tank of bacta, the strong medicinal smell already causing Cody’s toes to curl.
“Alright, General, let’s get that leg fixed.”
Skull had endured two days more of Obi-Wan in the medbay.
And really, Cody as well. The Commander had only left once, just to return with a new set of tunics discreetly tucked away in his pack.
Obi-Wan felt ill for a day, his post-seizure state keeping him pinned to the bed. In some ways, that was a good thing. Typically, Skull would have fought him to keep him laying down, but Kenobi had barely protested.
Cody was truly to be blamed for the General’s strangely cooperative behavior. He was a beacon of consistency and reason and care. He slept in the uncomfortable chair by the medical bed without a question or complaint, even convincing the usually stubborn General to agree to a short stint in the bacta tank to get his electrical burns healed up faster.
It was both fascinating, and horrifying watching them interact.
Skull watched the General closely for both days, watching for the prolonged stares and signs of an aura. It almost worried him more when none of those symptoms presented. While a single seizure could have been an isolated event, Kenobi had seemed… relatively unphased. Sure, he was sick, suffering from a number of other injuries, but he hadn’t tried to deny the fact he had a seizure at all.
Out of character. Stange.
So Skull discharged him, albeit with some reluctance, but with a firm look sent in Cody’s direction, and his famed command to, “Keep the physical activity to a minimum, Sir, even if Cody insists.”
That earned him a glare from Cody, and a reminder that his face would look better not smashed into a wall. Cody loved to bluff, and Skull really liked to call him on it.
Days later, Skull began his in depth research.
“I find it hard to believe that this was his first seizure.” Skull murmured, eyes scanning over the General’s documents, yet again. It seemed to have become a trend these days.
“He never explicitly said it was his first– but I think you’re right, he was… too calm.” Oxy had taken half of the stack of flimsies and had kicked his legs up onto his desk as he scanned over them.
“There’s nothing– not since he was an adult, at least.” Skull shook his head, rubbing over his eyes before he arranged the last of the flimsi that pertained to Obi-Wan’s twentieth to twenty-fifth years. He reached for the next stack, “Onto fifteen-to-nineteen.” He said, mostly to himself.
“Don’t you think he would have mentioned it?” Oxy said, forcing Skull to glare at him. How many times had he complained to Oxy about the General withholding information? Hundreds? Thousands of times?
Skull scoffed, “Of course not– he probably would try and explain it away with some Force-osik.”
Skull scanned through another page, then another, then–
His eyes caught on something notable.
– triggers include excessive alcohol consumption, prolonged malnutrition, prolonged exposure to extreme heat, and/or dehydration, contact with electrical current–
Skull stopped reading– it was textbook, completely obvious to his trained eye as a medic, but apparently diagnosed as something called, “Trigger-Based Vision Events (TBVE).”
Really, it was banthashit, some kriffing made-up Jedi idiocy for an easily diagnosable issue.
Epilepsy.
He ripped the page out of the file folder and held it up to Oxy. “No wonder I missed it– guess they’re blaming the Force. Typical.”
Oxy took the flimsi into his hands and read it quickly, mouth drawn into a hard line. “Fucking Jedi. Doesn’t explain why there isn’t anything in his more recent files.”
It was a good point; Skull struggled to believe that there hadn’t been a single event noted since the General was a teenager, but if the triggers listed were true to his condition, it was entirely a possibility that Kenobi had managed to avoid seizures for years. Skull was sure he wasn’t medicated either, it wasn’t something he would miss in all the time knowing the General.
Then, an idea came to mind– Quinlan.
Quinlan was a Jedi, and from what Skull had collected, he and the General had grown up together, and had remained rather close. Of anyone, including Cody, he was probably the one with the most information.
If he asked Kenobi, of course he would downplay things. Cody would be honest, but he had very little material to work with, given he had never reported a similar event to Skull.
A third party seemed like an obvious choice… and perhaps a good excuse to see Quinlan.
Quinlan.
Skull loathed himself and the stupid, endlessly irritating way his brain kept conjuring up his image whenever his thoughts were clear. Truthfully, Skull hadn’t been around many natborns, most of his time spent with Kenobi, Skywalker, and Ahsoka. Sure, he had seen others beyond the three Jedi he worked with, but none of them quite as distracting as Quinlan.
“I have an idea.” He said to Oxy, hoping he wouldn’t catch on, “What if I talk to Quin? Kenobi’s old Jedi friend. He probably knows something.”
Oxy had stopped flipping through Kenobi’s file and snorted as he dropped his feet onto the floor. “Oh the tall pretty Jedi you had your eye on? Whatever you want, Cody.”
Fuck, Oxy was observant.
“Whatever Ox, you’re the one who called him pretty, not me.”
Skull figured Quinlan would come alone, but much to Skull’s surprise, then immense dread, Cody followed not far behind.
Kriff. Cody, to his credit, at least looked on edge enough that he would hopefully miss any of Skull’s lingering signs of attraction. Hopefully.
“Skull! Great to see you when Obes isn’t halfway dead.” Quinlan said, his whole face smiling as he held out his hand for Skull to shake.
Unexpectedly, Skull was pulled in for some strange natborn pseudo-hug that started with a handshake and ended with a slap on the back. “Erm– hello Quin.”
He tried, and failed to keep the warmth from creeping into his cheeks, but Quinlan’s smile, a thunderous laugh did little to help. “Cody.” Skull said after a moment, noticing the way that Cody stood off to the side, something like curiosity painted across his face.
“Skull. You wanted to speak with Vos about the General, and I thought I should be present.” Of course, how could Skull forget that Cody was now the General’s partner; they were so kriffing domestic.
Skull led the pair of men over to his desk, motioning to the two seats across from him as he sat heavily in his chair.
“Well, if you need a full rundown of all the shitty things Obes has let himself go through, I can name about one-hundred and thirty-seven events– just off the top of my head.” Quinlan leaned back in his chair, getting comfortable, and offered Skull another warm smile.
Skull returned it, his cheeks still burning despite his best efforts. “Oh well– I had something a little more specific in mind.”
“Kriff it– I’ve been itching to tell someone. You look like you enjoy a good story.” Quinlan said, earning him a glare from the Commander.
“C’mon Vos, we don’t have all day.” Cody said, eyes still on Skull, now just a hint, a horrifying hint, of a smirk on his face.
Skull was going to have to do better at schooling his face.
He cleared his throat, looking down at his notes. “I’ll start with this: the General has epilepsy.”
Neither of the men blinked, or said anything. Cody, however, didn’t look particularly surprised. Skull made an educated guess that the General had told him since the seizure had happened. Knowing Cody, he would have had more to say if that wasn’t true.
“The Jedi called it ‘Trigger-Based Vision Events,’ which frankly, is stupid.” Skull continued, earning a chuckle from Quinlan.
“Agreed.” Quin said. “Go on.”
“Quin, I specifically need to know what you can remember about these seizures? They started when he was a teenager– caused by triggers– but they didn’t seem to continue into his twenties.” Skull tried not to make the question sound too accusatory, not wanting to imply that the General wasn’t taking care of himself. Cody would have his head if he did make such an accusation.
Quinlan thought for a moment, giving Skull a chance to observe the curve of his jawline, and the way his full lips curled downward as he thought.
Cody’s eyebrows rose as Skull glanced in his direction, now a fully smug look spread across his features. Shit. Shit shit shit.
“I don’t remember it happening often, but sometimes on a mission, he would have these small… blanks. He would be gone for a few seconds– then back to his old boring self. He called those visions, but they weren’t. Haven’t seen one of those in five years.”
Skull considered that for a moment. Of course they hadn’t been reported, it sounded like most of his seizures had been absence seizures, barely noticeable when compared to the tonic-clonic. “Any like the one you saw the other day?” He asked Quin.
“No– unless you want to count the time–”
“No, that doesn’t count.” Cody cut in, voice deep and gruff. Quin held back a laugh, clutching his stomach, bicep flexing as he did so. Skull ignored said flexing as best as he was able to.
Skull glanced between them before turning to Cody, “And Cody? Seen anything?”
“No– neither.” He answered, to the point like always, “I just found out about them myself. I asked him to tell you, but I figured you would figure it out anyway.”
Idiots, the both of them, wasting his time like that. Nevertheless, Skull continued, getting to the point just like Cody liked to.
“Anything since the seizure the other day?” Skull asked, just to make sure, if anything; he hadn’t received much of an update since the General left the medbay.
“Yes Cody, anything you noticed in your shared quarters?” Quinlan chimed in, echoing exactly what Skull thought he might say. Damnit, he was perfect.
“...no.” Cody answered as evenly as possible.
There was more discussion, more questions, more banter, and Skull could feel his own fondness creeping into his tone, Cody still watching with wide, observant eyes.
Quin stood, hands on his hips, some time later and grabbed his lightsaber from his side. “Well boys, duty calls, and I should have been out of here three hours ago.” Quinlan turned to face Skull, offering another warm smile, “Skull, might need to schedule a check-up with you next time I’m on the Negotiator, you’re much nicer than Vokara Che.”
“Oh– of course… Quin. It was nice to see you.” Skull hated how the awkwardness layered his tone, and the way that he could feel Cody’s burning gaze on his face even as Quinlan walked toward the exit with a wave.
“Oh this is unbelievable.” Cody’s voice cut into Skull’s consciousness.
“What?” Skull said, standing abruptly and rounding the desk, trying to lead Cody toward the door as quickly as possible.
“Oh, you know what.” Cody said and Skull could hear his stupid smile in his voice. “Wonder what he needs checked, Skull– bet I can guess.” Skull could have never predicted this, would never live it down. Fuck, he needed more blackmail material on Cody.
“You’re full of shit, Cody.” Skull shot back, “Now get out of my medbay, or I’m gonna give you a reason to be here.”
For the first time ever, Skull saw Cody laugh.
One week and one day after Obi-Wan’s seizure, they were assigned a mission on Jakku, one of Obi-Wan’s least favorite planets, he’d told Cody.
While bacta had closed the open wounds, their ache had continued long afterward. Not that Obi-Wan would admit that, it was mostly Cody’s observation.
But the thing was, there wasn’t time. There never was really time to heal, or rest, or even sit in silence for an hour or two; Cody understood, he was as much a member of the GAR as anyone else. Extra rest had a high cost, and no one soldier, especially the Jedi, wanted to be responsible for that.
But the General, Obi-Wan, hadn’t even allowed himself a minute of rest it seemed. Did he really ever, though?
His skin was pale under the Jakku sun, sweat reflecting the bright light and lips cracked and dry. Cody could see the sweat stains across Obi-Wan’s back that had been slowly curling around his sides in the past hour they had been stalking through the desert just outside of Reestkii. They had been waiting for an informant, now an overly late informant, who seemed to be unbothered by keeping them waiting in the blazing heat.
There were few times Cody was thankful to wear full armor, but the cooling mechanism, though it barely made an effect on the blazing heat of Jakku, offered some mild relief.
Obi-Wan was not so lucky, his tunics made of thick material.
Cody had watched him switch from pacing, to standing arms crossed and brow furrowed, to head hanging and shoulders sagging where he stood.
Skull glanced at him from where he stood with a number of the vode, conversing about something unimportant. Their resolve to wait in formation had since gone to the wayside and Cody could hardly bring himself to care, not when Obi-Wan looked like he was finally letting the heat get to him.
General alright?
Skull signed to Cody quickly and discreetly, eyes glancing to where Obi-Wan had sunk to a crouch, one hand planted in the sand, the other held over his brow like he was searching the horizon for something.
Standby .
Cody signed back to him, not bothering to wait for a response before approaching Obi-Wan.
“Obi-Wan? Cyar’ika?” Cody spoke the words low as he approached, not wanting the surrounding troopers to hear his lack of formality. He crouched next to Obi-Wan, who startled, jumping lightly and looking at Cody with wide eyes. He licked his chapped lips and offered an unconvincing smile.
“Oh! Cody– hello.” Obi-Wan said back, voice unusually coarse. Cody eyed the waterbottle sitting in front of him in the sand, then reached out to shake it.
Kriff. It was empty. He could have sworn he saw Obi-Wan pick it up and drink from it moments earlier. Cody wondered how long it had been since he had gotten water into his system.
“You doing alright?” He asked, trying to keep the concern in his voice at bay.
“Of course– just is… rather warm.” Obi-Wan said, breaths coming in quicker than Cody thought they should. He swayed on his feet, Cody catching his arm, then he stood, wiping off the front of his tunic like that might eliminate the sand that was stuck to the sweat stains that now seemed to trail around the majority of his upper body and behind his knees.
“Maybe it’s time we head back into town? The informant should have come by now.” Cody realized it was a longshot, and maybe too obvious of a ploy to get Obi-Wan out of the direct heat, but to Cody’s surprise, the General took the bait.
“You’re right, I suppose. No use waiting any longer.” Obi-Wan glanced around, squinting in the bright daylight, then blinking profusely, “Can you tell the men?” He asked politely, but Cody could see the weariness reflected in his stare.
“Of course.” Cody answered.
And so he did. The men were relieved, all except for Skull, who sidled up next to Cody, a short distance behind the General who led the group with a slow, unsteady trudge alongside Waxer.
“The heat is getting to him– did he have water?” Skull asked, then answered himself, “Bet you he doesn’t… di’kut.”
“Hey–” Cody tried to come to Obi-Wan’s defense, which wasn’t exactly justified, but it was Obi-Wan; he would defend in any case.
“Oh come on, Cody, you know it’s true.” Skull said, scoffing and shaking his head. “The minute we get back into town, you are corralling him into bed and he is drinking at least three water bottles. It’s– that’s one of his triggers, dehydration.” Nevermind the heat, which Skull had also mentioned as a possible trigger.
Cody sucked in a breath, remembering what Skull was referring to. Right, epilepsy . Even a week wasn’t enough time for Cody to fully process the information, the sudden reappearance of a forgotten health issue that Obi-Wan seemed to take less seriously than he should.
“I will.” Cody said, nodding in affirmation.
He and Skull watched Obi-Wan from behind, observing how his gait became more labored the closer they got to town. Then– he stopped.
“Kriff.” Cody heard from beside himself as he rushed forward, watching Obi-Wan bend at the waist, knees buckling into the sand before Cody or Skull could reach him.
Kriff was right.
Skull hadn’t gotten to him fast enough, and Obi-Wan’s palms dug into the hot sand. “Help me get him sitting.” The medic said to someone, but probably Cody. Waxer stepped back from Obi-Wan and Cody took his place, kneeling heavily in the dirt, now noticing the droplets of sweat curling down from Obi-Wan’s forehead to his neck.
Together, he and Skull got Obi-Wan sitting down, but it didn’t make much of a difference in Obi-Wan’s appearance.
“Obi-Wan?” Cody called softly, trying to use his fingers to wipe away the beads of sweat that were close to falling into his eyes. Obi-Wan ignored him, eyes trained on something in the distance.
There was movement, sounds of yelling right by his ear, then Cody turned to find that Skull had scanned Obi-Wan’s temperature. It was high– far to high. Skull offered him another water bottle, and Obi-Wan sipped at it greedily before setting it aside.
“He’s overheating– we need to get into town, need to find shade. Now, Cody.” Skull looked at him, uncompromising, unwilling to wait for Cody to be ready.
The Commander swallowed, thirsty and tired himself, but nodded, taking Obi-Wan’s arm and hoisting him to his feet. Obi-Wan swayed, feet barely holding him prone.
“Sorry. Sorry.” Obi-Wan whispered, trying to regain his footing, but failing. Cody clung to his arm, Skull holding him up with the other. Skull eyed him, waiting for something.
Right, Cody needed to say something. “Obi– General,” He corrected himself, noticing the group of his men who had formed a circle around them, “We have to move. It’s just a short way.”
Skull nodded in affirmation, and they moved, slowly.
They were hardly more than a klick away from the outskirts of the city, but the walk took twice the time it should have. Obi-Wan made attempts to walk, but that almost made the walk worse. Cody’s heart thumped heavily in his chest with each bead of sweat that dropped off of Obi-Wan’s face and landed on his armour.
Is he supposed to be sweating this much? Cody wished he could ask Skull, but they were approaching the edge of the city, and the medic was already barking out orders. “Waxer, go ahead and see if anyone has cold water– or ice. Priority on the ice.” Skull looked in the other direction, “Clip, find somewhere for us to take him, we need shade.”
Both troopers saluted, then ran in the direction of the first groupings of tents and old metal buildings.
“The rest of you go ahead and see if you can clear the way for us.” Skull said to the remaining troopers, and Cody nodded when a few of them looked in his direction for approval.
“I’m not–” Obi-Wan stopped between them, digging his heels into the ground. His eyes had gone wide, lips stuck half open.
“What’s wrong? Do you need to sit? Water?” Cody asked as Skull held up the bottle once again. Obi-Wan pushed it aside, bending at the waist to throw up what little water he had consumed before.
Kark it all.
“Shit, Cody– we need to move, just– pick him up.” Cody blinked at him, then nodded hesitantly like he was a shiny in training, unsure of his objective.
Cody nearly ran, Obi-Wan whimpering in his arms, Skull just a hair in front of him.
Cody hoped, practically prayed to the fucking Force, that someone had found shade and water and ice. He couldn’t take it, the way Obi-Wan’s pained moans rang out, and the way his hair and clothes were too damp.
When they reached the outer limits of the city, eyes of locals all trained toward the three of them, Waxer was standing underneath a tent.
“We’ve found a location– follow me.” Thank the kriffing Force.
They followed closely behind Waxer, and Cody’s arms began to burn, Obi-Wan’s weight becoming heavier by the second.
“Heat stroke– that’s what it is.” Skull said abruptly from behind him as they weaved through a few alleyways. Cody noted that several of his men had been posted at the entrances of the alleys, keeping the path clear for them, “When we get there, we need to get his clothes off and get him cooled down. Got it?”
“Yes.” Cody answered, holding back the tears that threatened to well in his eyes.
It was all too much– the electric burns, the seizure, the epilepsy, and now, heat stroke. Cody needed Obi-Wan to be fine, to be himself, but the Jedi had only gotten a few days to breathe. Cody had only gotten a few days to breathe. They needed time, but there wasn’t any time to spare.
They reached the entrance of an old, metal building when Waxer stopped, motioning toward the open door where two troopers were posted.
Cody nodded his thanks, and walked in, immediately overtaken by sight before him. While there was no bed, a large wooden table had been cleared in someone’s rickety old kitchen. Someone threw a blanket over the table and Cody gently lowered Obi-Wan onto the table.
One look at him revealed just how bad the situation was. Obi-Wan’s neck had become red and swollen, a rash curling up the sides. His hair was completely soaked through, and clothes nearly in the same condition.
“Everyone out who doesn’t need to be here. Water?” Skull’s voice was commanding, capturing the attention of the surrounding troopers.
“Right there, Skull.” Someone said, then they were gone, all of them in a split second. Or maybe Cody had frozen again.
Cody assumed the latter when he looked up to find Skull staring at him, “Cody– c’mon, this isn’t the time to space out– help me get these off.” Then Skull was pulling at Obi-Wan’s belt. Cody followed suit, pulling at Obi-Wan’s boots and then pants.
“General, we’re going to cool you down, hold tight.” Skull said, offering a weak smile as he ripped the undershirt from Obi-Wan’s torso.
“Don’t feel so… Cody?” Obi-Wan looked at him hazily, fever blazing in his half-lidded eyes.
“Right here, always right here.” Cody answered as he pressed a hand on Obi-Wan’s head for a moment. He wished he had something better to say, something that could fix everything.
Skull brought over a soaked rag, and placed it on Obi-Wan’s neck over the heat rash which had steadily crept down his torso.
Obi-Wan exhaled with the cool contact on his blistering skin. Skull handed Cody a few soaked rags, “Put these under his armpits.” Cody followed instructions and noted the way Skull had pressed more rags around Obi-Wan’s head and shoulders. Skull handed him more, “And around…” He pointed down toward Obi-Wan’s groin. No wonder he’d put Cody in charge of that.
Cody did as instructed, and watched Obi-Wan begin to shiver. The water was barely cold, maybe even lukewarm.
“Alright– alright.” Skull said, stepping back and pulling his scanner from his utility belt, “We will give it five minutes, then I’ll check his temperature– it should go down by then.”
Cody nodded, numbly, and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He crouched by Obi-Wan’s head as Skull rummaged through his medical kit for something, “Obi-Wan?” He asked– his eyes were shut as his shivering slowed.
Obi-Wan blinked open his eyes. He looked confused, disoriented almost, like he could barely remember the events of the last hours, “Hmm…?” It was phrased as a question.
“Feeling better at all? Cooler?” The rash hadn’t disappeared, his flesh still red and irritated. Warmth still radiated from his skin, almost burning the tips of Cody’s fingers when he reached to stroke across the outside of Obi-Wan’s ribs.
“...no.” Obi-Wan answered eventually. Hesitantly.
No. Something wasn’t right– Obi-Wan wouldn’t say no unless–
Cody looked up to find Skull staring at him. Dehydration, extreme heat, both were listed as triggers.
“Sir– do you think you’re going to have a seizure?” Skull asked tentatively, crouching opposite of Cody, grimacing when Obi-Wan didn’t answer for several long moments.
“I think–”
There wasn’t time for Obi-Wan to think, much less warn them–
It happened again, equally as shocking as it had been only a week earlier–
“Fuck– fuck!”
Skull swore, and Cody could only watch helplessly as Obi-Wan’s body convulsed.
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