Both Leia and Doctor Kalonia noticed that Ben was rather rigid as he lay on the bed being scanned. The doctor had expected it, but to Leia it was another reminder of how much her son had suffered; how much he was still suffering. Coming back from this would be difficult; they'd both have a lot of work to do. And she'd be lying if she said that seeing him like this didn't scare her. But she'd just gotten him back; she wasn't going to lose him now. Never again. Whatever it took to help him beat this, she'd do it. They all would; Han, Rey, Poe, Chewie, even Luke, once he and Ben were ready to face each other.
Doctor Kalonia had noticed the unusual pattern of broken and mended ribs, yes, but though she wondered about it, it didn't stand out as much as it might. She had little experience with Force-induced injury and broken ribs were a common enough injury for anyone who routinely participated in hand-to-hand combat. As it was, it was only worth a mental and medical footnote compared to the problems at hand.
The comment about snake venom earned only a slight nod to show he'd been heard as she examined the readings; as an attempt at humor, it fell somewhat flat, but she didn't want him to think she was ignoring him. He knew as well as she did that that wasn't the cause of her silence, though as his next and more serious question indicated.
Doctor Kalonia turned to face Ben more directly. Ben might be reluctant to venture the truth in front his mother, but the doctor intended to give them both accurate information, however hard it may be to hear. "You may have some idea what's wrong already," she said to Ben. "But I'll give you the details. For all practical purposes, there's no fat left on your body to burn, so your body's started burning muscle to sustain itself. You're also starting to lose bone density at an alarming rate and are nearing the point where you're risking permanent damage to multiple organs. And your immune system is seriously suppressed as well due to malnutrition, leaving you at risk for secondary infections; something that most people would be able to handle easily, your body might not be able to fight off."
"It's fortunate that you came in when you did," she said. "As it is, the damage can still be undone with time and proper care. If you'd waited even two more weeks, that might have been a different story; I might still have been able to save your life, but you'd have effectively crippled yourself. As it stands, I'm going to have to restrict you from any heavy physical training until further notice; your bones have deteriorated enough that if you try to keep up with anything like the sort of combat training I've seen Rey doing, you're liable to fracture something."
Leia, for her part, could only listen as the doctor read off her findings. If they'd been even a few weeks later... No. She banished that horrifying possibility from her mind. There was still time to fix this, thank the Force. They could still do something. Her earlier determination redoubled itself. They would do something. They would beat this. Because the alternative was unthinkable.
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Doctor Kalonia had noticed the unusual pattern of broken and mended ribs, yes, but though she wondered about it, it didn't stand out as much as it might. She had little experience with Force-induced injury and broken ribs were a common enough injury for anyone who routinely participated in hand-to-hand combat. As it was, it was only worth a mental and medical footnote compared to the problems at hand.
The comment about snake venom earned only a slight nod to show he'd been heard as she examined the readings; as an attempt at humor, it fell somewhat flat, but she didn't want him to think she was ignoring him. He knew as well as she did that that wasn't the cause of her silence, though as his next and more serious question indicated.
Doctor Kalonia turned to face Ben more directly. Ben might be reluctant to venture the truth in front his mother, but the doctor intended to give them both accurate information, however hard it may be to hear. "You may have some idea what's wrong already," she said to Ben. "But I'll give you the details. For all practical purposes, there's no fat left on your body to burn, so your body's started burning muscle to sustain itself. You're also starting to lose bone density at an alarming rate and are nearing the point where you're risking permanent damage to multiple organs. And your immune system is seriously suppressed as well due to malnutrition, leaving you at risk for secondary infections; something that most people would be able to handle easily, your body might not be able to fight off."
"It's fortunate that you came in when you did," she said. "As it is, the damage can still be undone with time and proper care. If you'd waited even two more weeks, that might have been a different story; I might still have been able to save your life, but you'd have effectively crippled yourself. As it stands, I'm going to have to restrict you from any heavy physical training until further notice; your bones have deteriorated enough that if you try to keep up with anything like the sort of combat training I've seen Rey doing, you're liable to fracture something."
Leia, for her part, could only listen as the doctor read off her findings. If they'd been even a few weeks later... No. She banished that horrifying possibility from her mind. There was still time to fix this, thank the Force. They could still do something. Her earlier determination redoubled itself. They would do something. They would beat this. Because the alternative was unthinkable.