Across The Stars // Star Wars (Sequels)

✰Chapter 56✰

"So, what's the damage?" Poe asks Kali, the nurse tending to me and Ben.

"Both of them have broken ribs and a collection of cuts and bruises. Ben's ankle is broken and Raven has a sprained wrist. But with a lot of rest and a good night of sleep, they'll be perfectly fine," she replies with a kind smile. She adjusts the dosage of painkillers flowing through the IV in my hand. She gently pushes Jazzy aside to stop her from chewing on the wires. I chuckle, stroking the Porg's back. "I think you two need to rest. I'll check in on you in a few hours." She shortly squeezes my shoulder with a warm smile before leaving the room of the med bay.

I inhale deeply, resting my head against the pillow behind me. I'm propped up against the headboard of my medical bed, wearing nothing but a plain shirt and loose pants. Ben was clothed in a pair of medical pants and a medical gown which has been opened at the front so Kali could wrap his broken ribs in bandaging, just like she's done for me, except I got to wear a shirt after. 

"I suppose I'll let you get some rest," Poe spoke up, pushing away from the wall he was leaning against. He walks over to me to press a kiss to my forehead and I close my eyes, focusing on his gentle touch to ignore the pain in my body. The painkillers have yet to start working.

He pulls back, offering me a smile and throwing a quick glance at Ben before leaving the room. 

Silence consumes the air and I close my eyes again. My mind is spinning with a million and one thoughts as I try to process the past few days. Just like that, the fight against Palpatine is over. Most of the First Order is gone too, but we'll have to make sure they stay gone. 

"So," Ben speaks up. "You and the Flyboy." 

I open my eyes only to roll them at him. "You and the Scavenger?" I mimic his tone, grinning as a deep blush creeps up his neck. 

He chuckles to mask his embarrassment. "You really couldn't have picked anyone better?" 

"Hey, you don't get to judge. He happens to make me very happy." I point a warning finger at him, but he knows I'm joking. 

"Luke taught us relationships are forbidden." Ben raises a brow.

I shrug. "Luke's not here, is he?" I smile sadly, a pang shooting through my chest.

He shakes his head. "No, he isn't." He averts his eyes to his lap, twirling the tube of his IV between his hands. "Raven, I wanted to-" 

"Ben, whatever happened with you, I don't need to know. I forgive you," I cut him off. 

He stares at me with widened eyes. "How?" he eventually musters out. "How can you forgive me after everything I've done?"

I release a breath. "I think it's about a year ago that I talked with our grandfather through the Force. He told me a story about his Padawan, Ahsoka. Even though he was far gone, she never gave up on him, until she realised Darth Vader had taken over everything Anakin had once been. I did the same with you. Kylo Ren became everything you swore you wouldn't become, so I decided to stop seeing him as my brother, as you." I exhale shiveringly. "In my head, you died, and didn't return until we met on Exegol." 

He remains silent for a moment and I see him clench his teeth. "I'm so sorry, Raven," he whispers. 

I nod. "I know you are," I say softly. I hide a yawn behind my hand and he chuckles at me. 

"You should get some sleep," he tells me. 

"Yeah, I probably should." I readjust the pillows behind me and curl up under the thin sheet covering me. I turn my back to Ben and close my eyes, just listening to the sounds around me. Two heart monitors, one for me and one for Ben. I hear the Porgs outside, along with the voices of the people. A few voices I recognise, others I don't.