Han & Leia | Galaxy of Us

Chapter 6

"She doesn't look too good."

"Neither would you, kid, if you were the one who got shot at."

"I don't get it, though. She's so tough. Even after she was tortured by Vader..."

Leia listened to Luke and Han converse in quiet, concerned tones. She knew she was in the sick bay, she recognized the sharp scent of disinfectant, the coarse linen bedsheets and the sound of hushed voices hovering around an invalid. Nothing would induce her to open her eyes, however. She wanted to be alone.

Chewbacca growled something indiscernible.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Han said gruffly.

"What'd he say?" asked Luke with curiosity.

"Chewie's just a little worried about the man that got away. The one who pulled the blaster on me."

"The General said by the descriptions you gave of his appearance, he's a bounty hunter. Lal Inquor. Works a lot with the Empire."

"Never met him before in my life. And that's saying a lot. I've met shadier looking characters."

A pause, then Luke said, "You were going to leave, weren't you? To follow him?"

"Yeah. Now that the Empire knows I've been working with you, it's gonna be a lot harder to stay low."

"You didn't, though. I mean, you didn't leave."

"Her Worship made it pretty clear that I was to follow orders and stick to the plan."

Luke made a skeptical sound. "She was hurt and you-"

"Don't make me out to be some goddamned hero," Han warned, "I'm not. The sooner I'm outta this place, the better."

"That's what you say every time," Luke mumbled.

Someone entered the room, one of the rebels, requesting for Luke to see the General immediately. "You're a good friend, Han, even if you won't admit it," Luke told the smuggler on his way out.

Han merely grunted in response.

There was a moment of silence before Chewbacca said something about fixing up the Falcon and Han replied, "Yeah, I'll be there. I just wanna check up with the nurse about something..."

The sound of the doors sliding was all Leia heard, before a deep silence settled in the room.

"You're a pretty good actress, Princess, but I can tell when a person's faking unconsciousness. Believe me, I've been in quite a few of those situations myself."

Leia suppressed a groan and blinked up at him balefully.

"How ya feeling?"

"I probably feel the way I look."

"Like hell," he agreed succinctly.

She sighed, "What happened after I passed out?"

Han settled on the edge of the bed comfortably, "Well, we got done what we went there to do. The place is rubble. I got the Falcon back to Yavin and said you were unconscious and needed to get to the sickbay. You've been out for a day, half-conscious, tossing and turning. Your wound isn't deep, the shot just grazed you, so the medics aren't sure why you've been in a fit. And the General's in a mood."

"He didn't want me to go," Leia said quietly, "Wanted me to stay back on the base for at least a month."

"So, why didn't you?" Han inquired.

"I've had enough of enclosed spaces." She recalled the dank cold of her tiny cell on the Death Star.

Han nodded, running a hand through his unkempt locks, "I've never been keen on them myself...Luke's been in a right state, worried about you."