Anakin's pushing twenty-six hours without sleep when Ahsoka is moved into a recovery room. He doesn't rest even after she's finally knocked out with sedatives. He can't bear leaving her side.
What if the bounty hunter comes back to finish the job? Or another criminal gets word that Ahsoka's injured and tries to sneak an attack? He can't afford the risk. Besides, he needs to be with her when she wakes up.
He must be the one who tells her the operation to save her leg wasn't successful.
He knew the look on Master Che's face when it dawned that Ahsoka's leg was unsalvageable. Ultimately, as her legal guardian, Anakin had to give permission for Ahsoka's left knee and everything below it to be amputated, and he made that decision with her best interests in mind.
That doesn't mean he can't be upset about it. Kriffing bounty hunter.
The Council may claim it's an obvious sign of attachment, but Ahsoka will need his support when he tells her the bad news. He couldn't care less what they think though. Ahsoka wouldn't even be in this position if they hadn't called an emergency meeting.
Kriffing Council.
"Ani..." He turns towards the door at his wife's call. He didn't sense her enter, but he's been blocking himself from the Force since Ahsoka's pain eventually became too much for him to handle.
"Padmé." Anakin stands from the plastic chair, embracing her beside Ahsoka's sleeping form. He burrows his face into her neck, inhaling the scent of home.
"Thank you for coming." He whispers as they pull back to press their lips together in a short and bittersweet kiss.
"How is she? I came as soon as..." Padmé turns to look at Ahsoka, her breath hitching in her throat, "Oh, poor sweetheart..."
Ahsoka's flat on the bed, still strapped down to ensure her spine heals properly. His Padawan will be none too pleased about having to wear a brace for the next few months, but it's better than being paralysed.
There're bandages around her forehead, using bacta to heal the cut on the back of her head. She narrowly missed getting concussed, but it's still a concerning injury. All head injuries are bad- especially considering she's a Togruta.
The bandages wrapped around her shoulder are just visible under her gown. There's nerve damage there as well- of course, there kriffing is- so her arm is in a sling across her chest.
Her leg- what's left of it- is the part he hates to see the most.
Padmé puts a hand over her mouth when she sees Ahsoka's thigh ending in a stump against the white sheets. The bottom- where her knee used to be- is nothing more than a twisted knot of skin underneath thick bandages.
"Oh, Force, Ani..." He looks at his wife, sees tears brim in her eyes.
"All from a blaster bolt to the shoulder." Anakin says, his eyes turning to Ahsoka's somewhat peaceful expression beneath the bandages and a tube feeding oxygen into her nostrils. "I am going to kill the bounty hunter for doing this to her."
For doing this to his Snips.
Padmé's hand intertwines with his as they look down at the girl who's practically a daughter to them.
"I brought flowers." Padmé raises the bouquet of colourful flora, and Anakin feels himself smile for the first time since the wretched bounty hunter showed up, "Ahsoka's favourites, from Shilli."
"She'll love them." Anakin says as Padmé places the bouquet on the small bedside table.
"I can watch over her for an hour." She smiles gently, "No offense, Ani, but you stink."
