Back in the Game (COMPLETE)

9.12.5

She found herself wishing that Obi-Wan was there. He had known Anakin and Padme for much longer than she had, and probably would have loved to be here for their children's birth. Ahsoka knew he couldn't know about this because of the Council (although Rex had informed her that he knew something was up, Anakin was really terrible at keeping secrets), but she felt bad for him all the same. Obi-Wan would find out one day, for sure, but still. 

With nothing better to do, she meditated and focused on the twins again. It was one of the more calming things to focus on right now. Their spirits were so pure, so small and innocent, and they already reminded Ahsoka so much of Anakin. She almost wanted to keep her distance so she wouldn't corrupt them, but that was silly, she was sure she could do no such thing. 

They weren't very defined yet, though. While they could sense other presences in the Force, they themselves had no control over the Force. They couldn't manipulate it, even as strong as they were. Ahsoka wondered if all children were born this way, but only Force-users ever learned to use the Force and the ones who didn't forget what the Force felt like. It's not like the Jedi would know, or have any record of it since celibacy was (evidently unsuccessfully) enforced by the Jedi Order.

Ahsoka found herself humming her mother's lullaby again. The twins seemed to recognize it from a few months ago and their spirits began to focus on her again. She smiled and sung the lyrics in her mind, wondering if they could hear it too. She didn't know exactly how she remembered the song or if it was even her mother who had sung it to her as a child, but it was a sweet melody and it seemed to make the twins happy, or at least calm. It calmed Ahsoka too, somehow.

At least it did until Padme started screaming from the delivery room. It startled Ahsoka out of her meditation, and she gripped the edge of the bench she was sitting on. No one was giving her updates, so she had no idea if the screaming was normal or if something was wrong. Anakin wasn't panicking that much though, so she hoped that this was childbirth as usual. 

She wished someone could come out, or go in, just to give her a hint of what was happening. It made sense why Anakin had been so on edge before: there was nothing she could do to help. At least he got to be with her during all of this instead of stuck outside in the hallway. Ahsoka knew she would get a chance to go in, she knew she shouldn't be impatient. She forced herself to sit tight for the sake of her friends. 

This time, the screaming seemed to last longer. The breaks lasted shorter than the screams, but a few minutes later they stopped altogether. There was a lot of movement in the room, but everyone seemed to have calmed down. For the first time in an hour, someone came out of the room, a nurse with a tray holding something that Ahsoka didn't recognize. They went back in not long after, holding blankets instead of the tray from before. She hoped that meant the twins had been born, but they didn't bother to tell her and Ahsoka didn't want to bother her by asking. 

Her only insight was with Anakin. She tried to get a sense of his emotions without distracting him, finding exhaustion and a little bit of nervousness, but an overwhelming sense of relief and joy. Ahsoka smiled as she opened her eyes. That wasn't something that happened every day. Clearly, something had gone right.

It was a lot easier to wait now that she was confident that all was well. A few minutes later, the doctor, followed by a couple nurses, walked out of the delivery room, a little tired but very satisfied. The doctor paused long enough to talk to Ahsoka. 

"I'm sorry for the wait," they began, "but you should know that the delivery went smoothly. There were no complications during labor."

Ahsoka grinned and nodded. "Thank you," she told them, but she didn't try to press for more details. They were probably ready to take a break and they deserved it. The doctor walked on to clean themself up, and Ahsoka turned her attention back to the door. More waiting.