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“Are you feeling all right, Commander?” Padme asked, looking up from her datapad.
Bail followed her gaze across the room to where Fox was leaning against the wall, keeping watch over their impromptu meeting.
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Skywalker said dismissively, leaning over Padme’s shoulder. “Probably just wants this meeting to be finished already.”
Skywalker probably wasn’t wrong, but Bail was pretty certain something more was going on. Fox was very, very good at hiding his emotions, and even the slight slouch to his posture was enough to set off alarms in Bail’s mind.
“I’m quite all right, Senator,” Fox said, shifting to fall back into a proper parade rest again, “but thank you for your concern.”
Skywalker shot Padme a smug look, and she rolled her eyes in return, focusing her attention back to the budget reports they had been looking over - which gave Bail the opportunity to focus his attention entirely on Fox.
He was clenching and unclenching his fists at his side, seemingly unaware that Bail was watching him. Even if it wasn’t Fox under the helmet at the moment - although Bail liked to think he’d gotten pretty good at figuring out which Fox was his and which were his brothers covering for him - none of the Coruscant Guard would let themselves be caught unaware like this.
Bail knew better to ask, especially in front of the others, but that wasn’t going to stop him from hurrying the rest of the meeting along as best he could.
“What do you think, Bail?” Padme asked, handing him the datapad. “I don’t like it, but I think it’s the best option we have with the resources available.”
Bail nodded, skimming the report. It certainly wasn’t ideal, but the recent Separatist victories had left them a little strapped for resources.
“Hey, Fox, can you go grab us some more caf?” Skywalker asked, yawning loudly.
Bail didn’t miss the way Fox bristled at the way Skywalker had addressed him, and he was finding it hard to suppress his own irritation. Skywalker wasn’t even supposed to be here, and yet here he was, ordering Marshal Commander Fox around as though he were a page.
Fox said nothing, just nodded his head in acknowledgment of the order - which also had Bail worried. If Fox wasn’t feeling well enough for sass…
“Actually,” Bail said abruptly, “I’m afraid I need to cut this short. Breha sent me some documents I need to review as well, and-“
“Of course,” Skywalker interrupted, grinning. “Don’t let us keep you.”
“Thank you for your time, Senator,” Bail said, inclining his head towards Padme. “Commander, if I could have a moment more of your time, I’d appreciate you accompanying me back to my office.”
“Right away, Senator,” Fox said, relief flooding his voice.
“I’ll send you the final version tonight,” Padme said, only half paying attention as Skywalker nudged her impatiently.
“Take your time,” Bail replied, resisting the urge to forcibly drag Fox out of Padme’s office.
They made it about ten steps into the corridor before Fox stumbled, barely catching himself on the wall before he fell.
Bail was at his side in an instant, offering his arm for Fox to lean on instead.
“Can you make it to my office?” He whispered, positioning himself to shield Fox from any wandering eyes as best he could.
Fox nodded minutely, shifting his weight to lean more on Bail instead of the wall. “Give me a minute.”
Bail didn’t particularly like the sound of that, but he would have plenty of time to interrogate Fox in private later.
“So,” he said instead, “do you think Skywalker and Amidala actually believe they’re being subtle, or are they just seeing how long they can get away with it?”
“I don’t think even Skywalker is that dense,” Fox muttered, slowly straightening up again, “but he has proven me wrong before.”
“That sounds like a story,” Bail said, watching Fox carefully.
Fox shook his head, starting down the corridor again. “Not really.”
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Bail asked, falling into step beside his partner.
“I’ll make it,” Fox replied, more to himself than to Bail. “It’s not much farther.”
“What do you need from me?” Bail asked, carefully helping Fox into the sofa in the corner of his office. “Are you bleeding? Anything broken?”
“No blood,” Fox said, setting his helmet aside. He looked terrible, a thin sheen of sweat sticking his curls to his brow and dark circles under his eyes, and Bail couldn’t help but notice the way his hands shook as he fumbled with the seals on his armour. “Just need to rest.”
“Let me help,” Bail said softly.
“So eager to get me out of my armour, Senator?” Fox replied, giving Bail a weak smile.
“Well I have been practicing,” Bail replied, gingerly setting each piece of plastoid beside the helmet. “Although admittedly I would prefer to see it scattered across my bedroom floor.”
“Can’t argue with you there,” Fox said, rubbing absently at his chest. “Next time Breha visits.”
“It’s a date,” Bail agreed, pulling off Fox’s boots and tucking them with the rest of his kit. “But first you have a date with a medic.”
Fox looked like he wanted to say something, but then changed his mind.
“Don’t make that face,” Bail chided gently. “We talked about this.”
“I know,” Fox said softly, “but Delta had a run-in with the Black Sun yesterday, and we still have a few out from that fight last week… I just need a few hours of sleep. That’s all.”
Bail sighed, taking Fox’s hands in his own. “Do you trust me, my love?”
“Why do I get the sense I’m not going to enjoy what you’re going to say next?”
“I have a friend who’s a doctor,” Bail started, “and she could come by, look you over, and then you can rest as much as you want.”
“Do I really have a choice?”
“You always have a choice,” Bail said firmly. “And if you really aren’t comfortable, then we’ll figure something else out. I would just feel much better knowing that there’s nothing serious going on.”
Fox let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. “Fine. On one condition.”
Bail nodded, unsure of whether to be pleased or concerned that Fox had agreed so quickly. “Name it.”
“You have to call Thorn first,” Fox said. “He’ll need my armour.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Bail said, giving Fox’s hand a squeeze. “Just don’t fall asleep on me until Eadie gets here, okay?”
“If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s not sleeping,” Fox replied with a tired smile.
Bail rolled his eyes, kissing Fox on the cheek. “One of these days I’m going to fix that.”
“One of these days you’re going to try.”
“Thank you for coming,” Bail said, stepping aside so Eadie could move into his office. “Especially on such short notice.”
“I’m happy to help,” she replied, “and I admit, I am rather excited to meet Marshal Commander Fox, even if it’s under unfortunate circumstances.”
“I hadn’t realized I was that exciting,” Fox grumbled, not bothering to get up from the couch.
“Doctor Eadie Lann is one of Breha’s dearest friends,” Bail explained, moving to sit beside Fox. “I trust her.”
Fox nodded, although he was still eyeing her warily.
“What’s troubling you, Commander?” Eadie asked, pulling out her scanner. “Bail said you often get migraines, but that this seemed like something else.”
“A better question might be ‘what isn’t troubling me,’” Fox replied, pointedly ignoring the look Bail was giving him.
“I’m going to need you to be-“ Eadie stopped herself, frowning down at the scanner in her hands. “Do you have any history of cardiac arrhythmia or other heart problems?”
Bail was suddenly very, very glad he had listened to his instincts and had insisted on Fox seeing a medic.
“Artery tells me I drink so much caf my heart will explode one day, but I’m pretty sure that doesn’t count,” Fox said, his expression unreadable.
“A high caffeine intake probably isn’t helping, but I doubt it would be the sole cause…” Eadie sighed, putting the scanner away again. “I’ll need you to take off your shirt, please. My scanner is picking up some irregularities in your heartbeat, and I would like to do some more thorough testing.”
“What would cause something like that?” Bail asked, moving to help Fox with his clothes.
“Lots of things,” Eadie replied, pulling out a bundle of wires from her bag, “although admittedly fewer that would affect an otherwise reasonably healthy young man, especially because I assume any genetic predisposition towards heart disease would have been eliminated.”
“What about electrical shocks?” Fox asked quietly, carefully folding his blacks and setting them aside.
On some level, Bail had known Fox had been shocked by something. The thin lines of electricity were written up his neck and across his face, but they had been there for as long as Bail had known him-
Except there were more.
It wasn’t unusual for Fox to have a new scar or two that Bail didn’t recognize, but this was more than that. There were angry red burns radiating outwards from his heart, fresh and inflamed. If it had been anything else, the delicate lightning bolts might have been almost beautiful, but as it was, all Bail felt was dread. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”
“You’d have questions,” Fox said, avoiding Bail’s gaze. “Questions I can’t answer.”
“Depends on how recently you were shocked,” Eadie said, turning back to face the couch, “typically you’d start having symptoms almost- oh. Dear. That’s… quite extensive.”
“It’s not that bad,” Fox said dismissively, although the tension in his shoulders seemed to say otherwise. “I’ve had worse.”
“I see,” Eadie said, shooting a look towards Bail, who could only shrug helplessly in return. “Can you tell me what happened? Was it a power conduit? Some sort of shock grenade?”
“Something like that,” Fox replied evasively, flinching as Eadie stuck the sensors to his chest. “The dizziness and the pain usually don’t last this long.”
“… How many times has this happened?” Eadie asked, sounding more than a little concerned. “And do you usually wait this long to see someone afterwards?”
Fox shrugged, looking helplessly at Bail as though he had the answer. “It’s always been fine before.”
“That’s not a real answer,” Eadie said, frowning. “I understand you’d rather I wasn’t here, but it looks like you’ve picked up an atrial flutter, and I’d very much like to know why.”
“Bail,” Fox breathed, “please. I can’t-“
Bail felt his stomach drop through the floor. There were many secrets held by the Coruscant Guard that he was privileged enough to know - the rotating commanders, the back door channels, the private comm frequencies - but there were many more that Fox had been either unable or unwilling to share, including the way that he often could not explain where or when he’d gotten injured.
“It’s classified, isn’t it?” Bail said, realizing abruptly that Eadie was waiting for an answer. “Your assignment from this afternoon?”
Fox nodded, relaxing ever so slightly. “Yeah. Classified.”
“Well,” Eadie said, pulling out a hypo, “classified or not, it’s a pretty significant issue. Atrial flutters can pretty rapidly develop into life-threatening issues, and if it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer not to spend my evening doing CPR if I can help it.”
“But you can fix it?” Bail asked, trying not to sound too optimistic.
“It’s not that simple,” Eadie said, sighing. “I’m going to try some medication and see if that’s sufficient, but if it isn’t, we’ll have to do a cardiovert. And if that’s the case, it’s really not a procedure we should be doing here.”
“Why not?” Bail asked, taking Fox’s hand again. “What’s involved with that?”
“It would be a planned shock of the heart,” Eadie said, pressing the hypo to Fox’s neck. “The patient needs to be monitored and sedated in a way I just can’t manage here.”
“Not an option,” Fox said, shaking his head. “I… there can’t be a record of this.”
“This could kill you, Commander,” Eadie said, crossing her arms.
“I know,” Fox said, sighing. “But it’s not worth you getting hurt over. Or Bail, if he’s found helping me.”
“What?” Bail asked, frowning. “Why?”
Fox shook his head. “I’m sorry. Better my heart than yours.”
“Who did this to you, Fox?” Bail asked, anger simmering in his chest. “Who keeps hurting you?”
Fox shook his head. “You know I can’t tell you that.”
“Excuse me,” Eadie said, “forgive me if this is out of line, but aren’t you the Chancellor’s bodyguard? What does that have to do with electric shocks?”
“The two are more closely related than one might expect,” Fox said, shrugging. “Is the drug working?”
“Wait,” Bail said, his blood running cold. “You were with the Chancellor today, weren’t you? Does he know about this?”
“You could say that,” Fox said. His voice was flat, but the look he gave Bail was something else altogether, as though he were begging Bail to-
Oh.
Oh Gods.
“It’s the Chancellor, isn’t it?” Bail breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. “But why?”
Fox nodded, ever so slightly. “I can’t tell you.”
“Because it will put me in danger?” Bail said, frowning. “I appreciate your concern, my love, but I know how to look after myself.”
“No,” Fox said, his grip tightening on Bail’s wrists. “I can’t tell you.”
“Did he do something to you?” Eadie asked, whipping out her scanner again. “Like a control chip that keeps you from telling anyone?”
Fox nodded again, his eyes still locked onto Bail. “Something like that.”
“The Guard?” Bail asked, almost dreading the answer.
“Thorn and the other Commanders know. I… take the watch, so they don’t have to.”
“So what do we do now?” Eadie asked. To her credit, she looked as strong and determined as ever, despite the bombshell of information she’d just had dropped on her. “I understand the need for secrecy, but-“
“Can you shock me now?” Fox asked. “With one of the emergency kits? Would that fix it?”
“I could probably wire the AED into my datapad to sync with your heart rhythm,” Eadie said, “but it would be dreadfully painful.”
“But it will fix me,” Fox said, a grim expression on his face.
“I’d want to monitor you over the next few days, and we might need a more permanent solution like a pacer, but yes, it would fix you.”
“Fox…”
“He can’t know, Bail,” Fox said softly, pressing his forehead against Bail’s. “Not yet. Not until there’s a plan.”
Bail let out a long sigh. Fox was right, of course, but that didn’t make the pit in Bail’s stomach feel any better.
“For the record,” Eadie said, double checking that she had set everything up correctly, “this is absolutely not my recommendation as a physician.”
“If it helps,” Fox said, grinning up at her from the floor, “I’m not legally a person, so I can’t sue you for malpractice later.”
“It doesn’t at all, actually,” Bail replied, running a hand through Fox’s curls. “Especially since I could still sue for damage to Republic property.”
“I hope you two don’t think you’re actually being helpful,” Eadie said, sighing. “Are you sure about this?”
Fox nodded. “I’m sure. It’ll be a nice change to be shocked by someone who likes me for once.”