007. AFTERMATH OF UMBARA

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SKID'S EYES FLASHED OPEN AS SEVERAL EMPTY SYRINGES CLANGED AGAINST THE CONCRETE GROUND OF THE INFIRMARY. "I'm awake!"

Burst looked over at him with sympathy and an apologetic glance. "Sorry, Skid. Didn't mean to wake you. The kid and I just wanted to see if Bits was up yet."

Skid rubbed his eyes and shook his head. "I wasn't sleeping. I'm on duty and it would be against regulation to do so."

"You look awful," Arimiya bluntly noted as she looked up at him, "You should really sleep."

Skid scoffed with amusement. "When was the last time that you slept well?"

Her eyes drifted to the ground and her feet shuffled against one another.

"How long has your shift been?"

Skid turned to face Ace who leaned against the doorframe. The captain stood and approached before he crossed his arms and waited expectantly for an answer. Skid hesitated to answer.

"It's been three days since we last saw you," Burst noted, "And you're right where we left you."

"I still have a patient that needs to be tended to—"

"You need sleep," Arimiya corrected, "Bits would agree with me."

Skid chuckled under his breath. "I'm not quite sure that he would."

From the moment that he'd met the younger clone, Bits had clung to his side as if attached at the hip. He'd found it annoying at first, but he'd come to miss his presence whenever they were separated. Now that there was a chance that he might not wake up... He was a realist, but in this moment, he really wished that he possessed Burst's optimism to look beyond the worst-case scenario.

He knew that only days prior he'd scolded Ace about trying to keep the 107th alive, but it only felt real to Skid now that the last remaining member of what once was the Twilight Squadron possibly rest on his death bed. Out of respect for the captain, they'd merged into the Shadow Squadron; however, despite his brain that sought out the logical, a small emotional part of himself would always belong to Twilight.

He didn't realize that he'd closed his eyes until he was nudged awake. He blinked quickly to clear his bleary vision. Arimiya looked at the ground sheepishly and then checked her shoulder before whispering just so that he could hear, "I was told to let you sleep, but I thought you'd want to be there when he woke up."

Skid quickly stood and walked to the back of the room where Bits had been placed. He shot an appreciative glance over his shoulder toward the small girl before approaching the bedside. Despite the high amount of medication running through his veins, Bits still groaned in pain as he woke up.

"How are you feeling, lil' buddy?" Burst asked with a wide smile.

Bits tilted his head and narrowed his eyes as he focused on Skid's face. His voice was a bit hoarse as he mumbled, "Skid's got a caterpillar on his face."

Skid's hand subconsciously drifted to the mustache that he kept neatly groomed on his face. Burst and Arimiya failed to stifle their laughter. Ace also appeared highly amused. "How high of a dosage is he on?"

"You really don't want to know," Skid replied as he lifted the datapad from the bedside table. "Now that he's up, I can get him into a bacta tank."

"He hasn't been in a tank yet?" Ace raised an eyebrow.

Skid shook his head and rolled his eyes. "They wouldn't let a member of the 'unlucky-o-seventh' take up a tank when there was a chance he wouldn't make it."

"The 'unlucky-o-seventh'?" Burst looked around in confusion.

Skid bit his tongue as he realized he'd said something he shouldn't have. Although he may have been averse to the title when he'd first heard it, he'd adjusted as it was constantly brought up around the various infirmaries that he did his rounds in; however, he realized that he was currently in a room filled with individuals that cared far too much about their reputations. "It's a name that we picked up after... well after everything we've been through."

Arimiya frowned. "Who?" Her eyes screamed 'threat'.

"Too many to count," Skid shrugged and again cursed his social bluntness.

Arimiya turned on her heels and began to march toward the door; however, Ace quickly blocked off her path. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To defend our honor."

Burst chuckled. "We'll take care of it later, kid."

Ace shook his head and pointed his finger. "No. We will not."

Burst pouted. "But, Ace—"

"No." Ace pointed again. "We don't need to stir any trouble."

Skid scoffed. "Trouble finds us anyway. Now get out of here and get some rest. Doctor's orders."

"And who tells the doc to sleep?" Ace asked with a smug expression.

As if to emphasize his point, Skid yawned the moment his question was asked. He waved his hand to dismiss the thought before nodding his head in agreement. "Once I finish up with Bits."

"I'll hold you to your word."

"Goodnight, Captain."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I'd just adjusted to you calling me 'Ace'. You can drop the formalities."

"I'm pretty sure the Commander says the same thing to you," Skid noted with amusement.

Ace rolled his eyes but didn't disagree as he left the room. Skid chuckled quietly to himself before walking back over to Bits. It seemed that the lingering side effects of the medication had begun to wear off.

"Hey, Skid."

"You're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid," Skid shook his head, "And I know you're neither, so I'm stumped."

"I guess you'll have to keep guessing then," Bits chuckled but immediately winced and raised a hand to the wound in his side.

"Seriously. What were you thinking?"

The smile on Bits's face dissipated as he noticed the concern in the medic's eyes. He cleared his throat. "That's just it. I wasn't."

"That's not really a valid excuse—"

"I'm serious," Bits protested, "I've been known as the scrawny kid scared of just about everything my entire life. But in that moment, I just... reacted."

"And Devaron?"

Bits nodded his head then looked down at the wound that had started to seep through the bandages. "Guess there's no hiding this one."

"Kriff, you've torn your stitches." Skid forced Bits to lie back down before retrieving some supplies to correct the mistake. "Once the drugs are out of your system, I can get you in a bacta tank to speed up the recovery process."

"How long until I can get back into the range?"

"You're impossible." Skid shook his head with a chuckle. "You've spent weeks trying to enhance your skill, but still can't hit the broadside of a barn. You make a better target than actually being able to hit one."

Bits's eyes fell to his hands that messed with the blanket fibers between his fingers.

Skid softened as he realized that he'd wounded the soldier's already battered ego. "No more than a few days tops... I'm sure Burst would be willing to work with you—"

Bits shook his head. "Aside from the captain, you've got the best shot, Skid."

The medic's brow furrowed. "Burst is far more experienced in the field."

"I mean it," Bits insisted, "Burst is great at blowing stuff up, but your precision is stronger."

Skid was silent; however, his expression quickly turned sly to hide the affectionate look he'd given Bits. "Or... perhaps the Coruscant guard that stopped by earlier would be willing to assist you."

Bits raised an eyebrow. "I had a visitor?"

Skid nodded his head. "I believe he said his name was 'Rigel Kilaeon'. Ring a bell?"

He was certain that he saw Bits's face flush ever so slightly. Perhaps it was just the drugs. Though the stammering that followed didn't support that hypothesis. "Kilaeon stopped by?"

Skid nodded his head. "Seemed pretty concerned."

"Did he... say anything else?"

"He asked about your recovery time," Skid shrugged, "Mentioned that you were a decent sparring partner, and paid you a few other compliments."

Bits rolled his eyes. "I ended half our matches on my face."

"Oh, I know," Skid chuckled, "He mentioned that too."

"Let me know if he stops by?"

Skid nodded his head. "Visiting hours resume in a few hours. I've been given strict instructions to get some rest by both the Commander and the Captain, but I trust Axl to take good care of you until then."

"Axl?"

"The next medic on duty. Now get some rest. And try not to tear open your stitches again."

"Yes, sir," Bits playfully saluted with a light-hearted laugh.

Skid smiled. It was good to hear him laugh. He lingered a moment longer before walking back toward the barracks. The lights had already been dimmed and the bunk beside his own was occupied. Obnoxious snores came from the bottom where Burst slept; however, he knew the captain wasn't asleep no matter how hard he tried to pretend. He may have to resort to drastic measures if he didn't start getting some rest soon enough. He didn't say anything though. They each had their way of coping with their experiences. He'd give the captain a day or two before getting back on his case.

He yawned and slid beneath the covers of the bottom bunk. He half-expected Bits to stick his head over the side and whisper to get his attention. The room remained silent with the exception of Burst's snoring. He sighed and resigned to getting rest. He closed his eyes knowing full-well what nightmares his mind would try to plague him with.

Of course, the first to appear was the Devaron Massacre. Although he'd lost men before, he hadn't lost a number to that extent. He tried not to focus too long on the lifeless forms of what was once the 107th. The paint of 501st blue came next with the dense jungles of Umbara. He wasn't usually opposed to the dark. But after their last mission, he was grateful that some of the lights had been left on in the barracks. Clearly the other two had a similar thought in mind. It was the final image that he couldn't stand. Krell's trap replayed itself over and over in his mind. Each time the scenario occurred differently, but all ended the same way: Bits dying in his arms.

He shot up and hit his head on the bunk above. He released a few profanities and rolled out of his bed onto the cold, hard floor. He slowly stood and rubbed the bump forming on his head. The dread in the pit of his stomach wouldn't go away. He had to see for himself. The next thing he knew, he was back in the infirmary.

Axl stood from the side of the room and approached Skid. Without warning, he slapped a bacta patch over the bruise on his forehead. "He's stable, just as you left him."

"I didn't leave him."

Axl raised his hands defensively. "I didn't mean it like that."

Recognizing that he'd snapped, Skid offered an apologetic look and mumbled, "Sorry... just finished a long shift..."

"I know..." Axl nodded his head and glanced over his shoulder before gesturing for Skid to follow. "Come on."

Skid raised an eyebrow but was far too tired to protest. He followed Axl to the back of the room where Bits's soft breathing could be heard. Axl patted the bed beside the wounded soldier, but Skid shook his head. "There's bound to be someone else that needs it more—"

Axl didn't let him finish. He forced him down onto the bed and cuffed him to prevent him from leaving. "Ten hours of sleep and you can go."

"Axl!"

"Shhh." Axl raised a finger to his lips and pointed to Bits. "Don't wake my patient."

Finished with his warning, Axl returned to his post toward the front of the room. Skid looked at the cuffs and sighed in frustration. He closed his eyes to begrudgingly sleep until disturbed.

"Pssst... pssst." Skid opened his eyes, unable to hide the small smile forming in his face. "Skid. Pssst. Skid, are you awake?"

"Did you need something, Bits?"

"Goodnight, Skid."

"Goodnight, Bits."

Within a matter of weeks, their world had been flipped upside down. At least one thing had returned to the normalcy of its routine. He closed his eyes, the smile remaining on his face, and visions reminding him of a simpler time visited his dreams. For just one night, he'd be optimistic that the world wasn't going to end when he opened his eyes.