Yeah, you're right, the question was how would you write it, not how would you write it for kids. So Han's hanging there dead, and Luke, Chewie, Leia go to rescue him, see him hanging there and just say 'oh well, too late, let's get back to fighting the empire instead of hanging around on Tatooine..."
Like I said, I always figured that the rescue of Han would go as in the movie, giving him the chance to tell Leia he loves her instead of just 'I know', then he dies during the battle of Endor.