Staring
at his master, Anakin tried to get the ringing out of his ears as
around him the chaos continued in
the Halls.

The
healers, after doing quick work, had taped Obi-Wan’s eyelids.

Apparently
because Obi-Wan’s eyelids would open on random spastic movements
along with the erratic movement under the lids and they didn’t want
them to dry out while the other continued to have the air tubes
clogged so far down his throa-

Shuddering,
Anakin rubbed his sooty and sore face, ears still ringing.

They
still hadn’t managed to find the evidence they needed but that
hadn’t mattered in the end because Palpatine had confessed
to Anakin of all people, trying to get him on his side and maybe at
one point that would have worked.

Before
the truth, before the attempts on Obi-Wan’s life, before Padme’s
confession that she was pregnant, before being educated to the entire
history of the true Sith’s which still made Anakin horrified.

He
had run right back to the council, to Obi-Wan.

And
now they were all in a state.

The
Rotunda had blown
up.

The
chips in the troopers head was still an issue but they, the council
and Anakin, hadn’t allowed enough time for the man to issue
commands to them and make the troopers do… something.

Anakin
still had no idea what but who knew what orders were lurking in those
chips that needed to be deactivated or removed.

The
half the council was injured, several senators, some aides and a few
visitors to the Rotunda.

Worst
of all was the youngling class on a field trip to the Rotunda,
several of them had been to close to the blast radius.

They
had all been brought to the temple regardless to receive specialized
treatment from worried healers.

Closest
to the blast radius however had been master Windu and Master Yoda,
both of them currently stuck in bacta tubes and somehow the old
master had never seemed as small as in that moment, bobbing in what
was frankly a huge bacta tube.

All
the bacta tubes were occupied, by senator’s, Jedi and one youngling
and at this point, with how close they were, Anakin was grateful that
there was only one.

But
because of how many injured, the healers were spread thin, even with
the clone medics coming rushing in to aid that meant that several
were being treated the old fashioned way.

Like
Obi-Wan.

Laying
on a medbay with his eyes taped shut, oxygen tube down his throat and
bracing for his ribs.

Like
Anakin, half his face bandaged and that blasted ringing in his ears
with no other noise reaching him as he dropped his eyes to the
explanation for all the medical gear attached to Obi-Wan that a medic
had been kind enough to write.

Because
Anakin couldn’t hear.

Because
Anakin had been too close to the blast radius and unlike Kit, who had
managed to cover up his ears, hadn’t been even a little bit
protected.

There
was a great chance that Anakin would never hear a single thing ever
again and he was trying not to think about that.

Trying
not to think about how Obi-Wan eyes might be suffering permanently,
so close to the blast.

Tried
not to think about how Windu had meet Palpatine’s lighting strikes
and Yoda had come up from behind.

Tried
not to think about that enraged echoing scream as the saber cut
through Palpatine before a sickly laughter had echoed and then just
white, white and noise and pain and fire-

Hands
were on his shoulders and Anakin looked up, his breathing hard as he
stared up with wide eyes at his Angel as Padme stood there in front
of him with her slender hands on his shoulders and throwing caution
to the wind, Anakin wrapped his arms around her waist and clung to
his wife.

She
was saying something, her brown eyes wide in return but Anakin still
could only hear the ringing and it all crashed in on him as he shook
and then started sobbing into her bulging stomach as it all crashed
in on him even as he tried to hold on.

He
was just so damn tired and with that thought he allowed himself to
break apart.

Just
one more broken and tired Jedi in the grand scheme really.

And
if Anakin had cared to look, he’d seen he was not the only one
being comforted by someone closer than the council may officially
approve.