DIN'S POV

The first thing he became aware of was pain. His right leg hurt, more painful than the rest of his body. His eyes slowly cracked open, blurred colors faded away to reveal more crisp images of a medical room. The awful smell of herbs being brewed fills his senses. The sudden awareness of a soft mattress under his body came into his mind. His chest ached whenever he inhaled. The roof over his head was a white concrete with bright fluorescent lighting. On either side of him he sees shelves and cabinets with vials of unknown liquids of various colors lined up in rows, along with a few bacta-shots and some surgical tools.

A faint moan escapes his mouth as he tried to make sense of everything around him. He didn't know where he was, and he was starting to feel anxious. He dug his hand into the bedding below him, carefully scooting himself up. To his surprise, he was completely stripped of his armor, except for his helmet. He only had his white undershirt and boxers on, and a thin white bedsheet was laid on top of him.

He looked down underneath the sheets at his left leg, he saw that it was held stable with splints. He looked to his right and saw his thick flight suit folded up, and his armor neatly piled in the corner, along with his pistol, spear, and jet pack. The memories of the collision floods his mind. He should have died. It would have been better that way. A warrior's death on a crashed ship. He no longer feels like a Mandalorian anymore. Now he's in a strange medical unit on an unfamiliar planet, his armor removed, his kid gone, and his covert missing.

He looked over to his left and saw a doorway, on the door he saw a sign that reads 'exit' in Basic. There were no windows. To his far right he could see another door, which might led to a storage closet or a refresher.

Then all of a sudden ...

The front door slides open with a hiss as an older man with gray hair and a white coat slowly walks in. He stepped inside gently with his hands in the air, and the Mandalorian instantly tensed up.

———————

"Hello, my name is Caid. I'm here to help you."

"I don't need your help!" The Mandalorian gritted between clenched teeth.

"Please, let me change your bandages," the man says softly as she takes a few steps towards him.

Slightly dazed and very confused, Din immediately reacts violently and snarls, "Don't come any closer or I'll kill you!"

The man flinched with terror and immediately ran out of the room. Din hears voices from the other side of the door. He turns on the audio transmitter on his helmet so he can hear better.

———————

NIA'S POV

Nia is usually the one who is responsible for organizing all imports and exports, either entering or leaving the town. Therefore, she has been quite busy all day packing up crates of nysillin herbs onto the back of a cargo ship to be sold for profit. As she carries a crate of the valuable plant from the back room, and handing it to one of the vessel's crewmen, Caid ran out of the clinic looking very startled.

"Asra! That man in the lockdown room, the one with the helmet, he threatened to kill me when I went to change his bandages!"

"Oh, well it looks like our friend is finally awake. Don't worry. I'll handle it," Nia says as she handed a crate to one of the ships crewmen. "How about you take over from here?"

"Asra, I don't know what you think you can do, but that man is dangerous. You shouldn't be in there with him by yourself."

"I appreciate your concern, but I know how to deal with men like him."

"Still, he might hurt you. Please. At least let someone else go with you," Caid pleaded.

"I'm perfectly capable of dealing with this Mandalorian. I just need everyone else to stay away from him," Nia instructed the assistant as she heads back inside the clinic.

As the door to the front of the clinic slid open, Nia walks through the small waiting room to open a side door that leads to the back of the clinic. Once inside the back area, there are five rooms on the right that are used for routine examinations and minor injuries or illnesses. Further back, the office opens up to a larger area, which contains two lockdown rooms on the right, a supply closet, and a work station for the staff to log data into patient records. On the left, there are three urgent care units meant for the most critical patients, as well as an operating room.

Nia approached the room and knocked on the door gently before using her keycard to open it. Once she stepped inside, she sees the Mandalorian sitting on the bed with his silvery beskar helmet. Arms crossed and looking at the wall, the armored man didn't greet her or look at her. Nia locks the door behind her as she takes a few steps forward. She knows there's probably over a hundred different ways this man can kill someone with only the equipment in the room.

———————

"I told your friend, I don't need your help!" The Mandalorian snarled as he continues to look away.

"Fine then. If you can stand up and walk out of here, then you are free to leave," Nia says firmly, it was a bluff of course. His leg is so badly broken and she knows there's no way he could walk or stand up without assistance. "You are not a prisoner here, Mandalorian. However, your ship is badly damaged. So unfortunately, you're stuck here with us for a little while."

The Mandalorian barely made a sound or reaction as he continues to look away from her.

"I am a healer. You may call me Asra," Nia says as she slowly steps forward. "Do you mind if I take a closer look at your injuries?"

"Fine," he huffed out after a moment of silently staring at the wall next to him.

Nia takes a long deep breath and gradually walks closer towards the bed. This is not the first Mandalorian she's ever met in her life. Her experience tells her that they are very secretive, notoriously short-tempered, and usually travel alone, which explains his total lack of etiquette and self-control. However, she is not afraid of him and could easily protect herself. She is reminded of her training. It's best to remain calm yet strong. Let him know she is not his enemy.

Once she gets to the side of his bed, she looks down at the bloody bedsheets, "I need to examine you further. Is that okay?"

The Mandalorian turned his helmeted head towards her and nodded, but made no sound.

DIN'S POV

Din released a faint irritated puff of air as she outstretched her hand. He knows he shouldn't be so aggressive or rough towards those who just wanted to help him. He was simply reacting to seeing himself stripped of his armor in a strange place, and with people he doesn't know. He feels fortunate to still have his helmet to hide his distressed facial expression. He battles a strong need to smash his hands into the nearest hard surface, as a reaction to this frustrating feeling he's experiencing.

She didn't hesitate to approach him, so confident in her movements that makes him a bit confused. He has killed men twice her size just for threatening to remove his armor or helmet. Again, he began thinking it is best that the kid is not here. He should leave this place as soon as he can. To go back to being his old life again. Being alone is better, not necessarily for himself, but for everyone else. His life is dangerous. He is dangerous. As he looks at her, he noticed scars all over her arms, chest, and other exposed areas of her skin. Most are older marks from long ago. Whoever she is, these old wounds painted a picture of her past, a life filled with pain or trauma.

————————

"What planet am I on?" He asked softly.

"Felucia."

"How long have I been here?"

"Two days. The farmers saw you crash. You are very lucky. So what brings a Mandalorian way out here?"

"Bounty hunting."

"Ah. Of course," she says with a nervous smile.

NIA'S POV

She stood next to him beside his bed as she holds a golden crystal tightly in her left hand. She felt his glare, like a heat ray burning a whole through her head as he watches her intently. She never thought she would ever be treating a Mandalorian in her travels. She has met others like him, but that was a very long time ago.

She looks up at him, studying his reactions and gestures. His arms were still crossed, his chest heaving with each deep breath, his whole body is tight and rigid like the indestructible armor that he wears. His dark T-shaped visor is facing her, she sees her reflection staring back at her on his shiny chrome helmet.

In order to have a better connection, physical contact with the injury is best. She swallows a lump in her throat and takes a deep breath before asking him for permission.

"I need to touch you, is that okay?" She says, her voice coming out gentle yet assertive.

He doesn't say anything. He continues staring at her and slightly nods his helmeted head. His entire body remains very firm and stressed to point that he might burst. There's a high level of tension in the air, like a volcano that's about to erupt. Taking his head nod as a yes, she reaches out with her hands slowly, then grips her fingers onto the soft fabric of the thin bedsheet that's covering his injured leg. She paused for a moment and looks up at him, as if silently asking him if it's okay to continue. He doesn't push her away or say anything. In fact, he barely moves at all except for his chest rising and falling. She uses this as an opportunity to resume her work.

She lifts up the sheets and folds over half of it, enough to only reveal his injured leg. Next, she unwraps the bandages to expose the wound. The puncture is closed but the leg is still very flushed and swollen. With one hand gripping her crystal as it gets warm in her palm, she hovers her free hand over the injury but waits. Her hand is trembling, but not due to fear that he might attack, but anxiety about having to touch a man who spends his entire life encased in metal. Once again, this is his chance to protest if he wanted her to stop. But he didn't. He continues to allow it. She gently lowers her hand down onto his leg. He is so warm. Probably because his leg is still quite inflamed. The thick hairs on his leg are a deep brown. He has a muscular figure and multiple scars throughout his body and exposed skin. This is not surprising to see on a Mandalorian warrior. She closes her eyes and starts to concentrate on the leg.

DIN'S POV

Her hand was so soft. He could not put into words how her hand felt against his warm skin. He wants to reach out to her, to lift her chin up so that he can look into her blue shimmering eyes. Her thick wavy blonde hair is tied up on a braid behind her head. She's incredibly beautiful. This burning feeling grew the longer her hand is on his bare leg. No one has ever touched his leg like this before. He's not a virgin or a stranger to sex. Yet he always wore his helmet and armor every time he was with a woman. Wait a second! Why is his mind in the gutter? She's a complete stranger. Just another unlucky recipient of his aggressive nature. She probably hates him. He needs to leave the moment he can walk. He doesn't deserve kindness from anyone.

NIA'S POV

With her eyes closed, she senses the injury on his leg. The blood pumping throughout the wound and his body. His heart rate, strong and loud like a beating drum. His breathing was heavy and intense, it felt like he had just completed a marathon race. There's something else she can feel. A deep hunger. He hasn't eaten in two days and she felt it as clear as a summer day.

His leg is almost completely shattered. It's going to take several days to get these bones to heal and mend together again. He's going to grow impatient with staying here for that long. Yet she made a promise to her master to alway use her abilities for good and to help people. This lone warrior with complete lack of social graces may be rough and harsh, yet he is still in her care for as long as he needs. After several minutes, she was able to partially mend his femur bone as well as reduce the swelling. Now he's less tense and his fists are no longer clenched.

DIN'S POV

This feels...familiar. The pain in his leg is slightly relieved after whatever she just did to him. He remembers the miraculous healing abilities that Grogu had. Is this the same thing? Is she like him? Who is she? Is she a Jedi?

NIA'S POV

She opens her eyes and covers him back up with the blanket. She takes a step back but almost falls over on top of him.

"Sorry, mending bones takes a lot out of me. I'm sure you're very hungry. The food should be ready very soon. Afterwards, I will need to send in my assistant again to clean up these wounds and replace the old bandages with new ones," she says softly as she puts the crystal back in her pocket. "Are you going to threaten him again?"

He shakes his head.

"Good, I really don't want to be forced to tie you down," she says confidently. But as she turns around and begins to walk away, he asks her a question that causes her to stop dead in her tracks.

"Was that a threat?"

"Oh no. Of course not. I don't make threats," she blurts out, sounding quite self-assured.

"You don't know who you're dealing with."

"Sir, you may be used to everyone being terrified by your presence, but you do not scare me. Don't mistake my kindness for weakness," she says firmly as she steps towards the door.

"So what is a Jedi doing out here?"

"Don't be ridiculous. They are all dead," she says, but she knows this Mandalorian is not a fool.

"That's not an answer."

"So, what's the Manda'lore doing collecting bounties in the Outer Rim?" Nia snapped back, remembering the darksaber she discovered on his utility belt.

"It's....complicated," he says after a brief pause.

"You will have to stay here overnight. If you threaten any of the staff here or anyone else in the town, you and I are going to have a problem," Nia explains to him in her strong confidence voice, ending their conversation before exiting out the room.