A Lost Spark (Transformer fanfic)

Chapter 15 (Epilogue)

It was a dream.

She clutched her hands to her chest, feet rooted in front of the hospital room. An expectant nurse waited, hand on the doorknob.

"You need a moment?" The nurse asked gently. Ana nodded.

She was afraid she would wake up. A gentle squeeze on her shoulder came from Ironhide's holoform behind her. She took a deep breath.

"Ok," she said, "ok, I'm ready."

The nurse opened the door and gently ushered them in.

And there they were.

Her parents sat in the room, chairs pulled together from the edge of the wall, an empty bed rested to their right. They both wore matching loose clothes, the dark blue garments reminded her of baggy pajamas. Her mom, with somewhat unkempt dark hair, looked the most untouched. Only faint traces of bruising adorned her face, but her expression suggested that far more had occurred than just a few bumps. Her eyes were tired, and her face held a few more lines of worry than it perhaps had before. They both wore this expression of weariness. As for her father, the most obvious change was the plastic foot brace, less obvious was the way his right arm seemed far more padded underneath his sleeve. But, the most startling was belied by his hair. Though he wore a cap she could tell his short curly brown hair had been shaved.

"Ana," her mother said, eyes brightening.

She rushed over at once to embrace them. At first, she had planned to show some gentleness, but all was disregarded once greeted by their suffocating bear hugs. A few tearful minutes passed. "I love you" was all she could manage.

Once the tears stopped she sat content in their embrace. They chatted with her, and she listened and spoke with rapt attention. She had forgotten so much. Their voices, their touch. Her mom's fingers through her hair, and her dad's sarcastic little jokes. The way they smiled.

It wasn't long though before attention slipped to their stoic visitor, who had chosen to lean against the empty cot, opting to keep his distance during the reunion.

"Hello," her father greeted, "Are you with Mr. Lennox?"

He nodded.

"Oh! This is Ir- Ron," Ana spoke cheerfully, "Mom, Dad, he's the one who saved me and got me out of the city. He protected me, helped me find you." Taking his cue Ironhide walked over.

Before he could speak, her dad reached out and clasped his hand, "Ron, thank you for taking care of our girl."

The sincerity seemed to take Ironhide by surprise, "Of course," he then quickly added, "I'm alive because of her as well. She's a brave one."

Her dad raised an eyebrow at Ana, "Is that so? Sounds like a story."

"It's a long one," she warned.

"From the start then," her mother said.

She looked at Ironhide with a grin, and with his nod she began.

She could only imagine what they'd think.

end.

(A/N)

PLEASE don't ask why this small little conclusion took literal years to do.

So yeah, this is actually now a complete story. I want to thank all of you for your support. I can't believe how far this little fanfiction has come. Hope you enjoyed the ride, be well.