Authoress's notes: The following story takes place soon after the
Fate of the Jedi
series. Please read and enjoy all my stories, and feel free to leave me feedback, public or private.
Imperial Hospital Visit
"Hello, Mrs. Fel-Solo," the perky young receptionist greeted her as Jaina stepped off the turbolift. "Colonel Fel is still in room seven-oh-four," she added, gesturing towards the corridor on her left. "May I bring you a caf or anything?"
"No thank you, Aimee," Jaina replied with a friendly nod, her stiletto heels tapping on the floor.
The Moff Kentor Sarne Hospital was
the
premiere medical facility in the entire Empire. It was also the most exclusive. The first three floors were the main hospital and various departments. The top four each had twelve deluxe suites for patients.
Her husband, Jag Fel, had been here nearly six months, starting a couple of weeks after the speeder crash that put him in the coma. Since he was their former Head-of-State, the Empire had insisted on moving him here. They even provided her a luxury apartment nearby to stay in, and a generous spending allowance when she came to visit.
Jaina passed a cleaning droid in the corridor, then came to the nurse's station. She stopped and exchanged greetings with the nurses there. They told her that Melinda was in the room, checking in on Colonel Fel. They also asked her if she wanted a caf or anything else. Jaina declined the offer, thanked them, and continued on her way.
A few meters or so later, she arrived at the entrance to Jag's suite—seven-oh-four. She paused in the small foyer, ran through a quick Jedi calming exercise, and went in.
Melinda Maiyes was one of Jaina's favorites of Jag's nurses. Today she was wearing a standard nurse's uniform of comfortable light-blue pants and a short-sleeved top with the hospital logo over her left breast. She also had a long-sleeved white shirt underneath the top, probably for warmth.
"Hello Mrs. Fel-Solo," Nurse Maiyes said with a cheerful smile from the far side of Jag's bed. "Doctor Draco will be here in a few minutes," she added as she made a minor adjustment to one of the tubes going into Jag's arm.
"Hi Melinda," Jaina replied with a friendly smile. "How is he?" she asked, looking over Jag. The bed rail on the near side of the bed was lowered. Melinda must have done it before going around to the back side.
Nurse Maiyes glanced at the monitors a moment before replying. "Stable." She hesitated a moment, then added, "As always."
"Good," Jaina responded with a tight smile.
"I love your coat," Melinda commented.
"Thanks," Jaina answered appreciatively.
Jaina's coat was stylish calf-length black synthhide, mostly covered with a subtle diamond pattern. A trio of wide straps kept it very tight around her mid-section. Another trio of slightly narrower straps were tightened around each forearm. The top of the coat was closed tightly around her neck with another strap. Above the top of the collar, a second layer of black synthhide was visible around her neck, extending up a couple of centimeters from inside the coat. All of the straps had gleaming silver durasteel buckles.
A centimeter or so of her clear transparisteel wrist comm was peeking out from under her left sleeve, with a bit of a matching cuff underneath her right sleeve. Below her coat Jaina had on a pair of black synthhide boots with towering fifteen-centimeter stiletto heels. The heels and outside edges of the soles of the boots were gleaming silver durasteel, matching the buckles of her coat.
Her wedding band—a five millimeter wide circle of silver—was on her finger. Jaina's hair hung loosely nearly down to her ass. Ever since the thing on Duro during the Vong war she hadn't been able to keep it any shorter.
Every room in the hospital had a dedicated medical droid. The one in this room was in the corner out of the way, in stand-by mode. It had been like that the last two times she'd visited as well. It was a bit odd—a medical droid was supposed to be with the patient monitoring them at all times.
Jaina and Melinda chatted across the bed while the later tended to Jag. Then Jaina heard someone in the foyer. She glanced back to see that Doctor Draco had arrived.
"Good afternoon Mrs. Fel-Solo, Nurse Maiyes," he greeted each of them with a nod as he closed the door behind himself. "Nice to see you again."
"Doctor Draco," Jaina replied with a nod. "And you."
Doctor Draco—Jaina hadn't learned his first name—was about one-seventy-five centimeters or so tall, and well built, with dark hair, and a goatee. He stopped next to Jaina, and Jag's bed, and observed the patient and monitors a few moments.
"As you can see, we are still taking excellent care of your husband, Mrs. Fel-Solo," Doctor Draco informed her matter-of-factly.
"Thank you," Jaina answered somewhat unnecessarily. "I had no doubt."
Then she glanced across the bed at Melinda. "Perhaps Nurse Maiyes should step out so we can discuss my husband's condition in private?"
"I believe she should stay," Doctor Draco replied, glancing over towards the Nurse. "She's probably spent as much time taking care of Colonel Fel as I have anyway."