She sat at the edge of her berth, staring at the door, waiting. Her servos clenched and unclenched in her lap, fighting her nerves as a mess of emotions tugged at her heartstrings.
Finally, after a week and a half in the NICU, Hotshot was healthy enough to be transferred to the nursery and meet his carrier for the first time.
The sound of the door sliding open made her jump, and her sparkbeat sped up as a nurse walked over with the newspark swaddled in a blanket. Quickshadow tensed, feeling the small bundle placed in her arms. She held her breath, scared she would drop him if she dared move an inch.
The nurse carefully removed the blanket and taught the new carrier how to hold him properly. The tiny bot squirmed in her arms and sputtered in his sleep, bringing her to tears as she stared at his tiny face.
She instantly noticed that her son primarily inherited Heatwave's traits in both build and color palette. A yellow helm and red frame with hints of her silvery-white finish. But his frame was compact, like hers, and his tiny servos were miniature versions of hers.
"H-Hey, darling." she swallowed the lump in her throat. He briefly froze upon hearing her voice, almost like he recognized it. He likely did, given that she talked and sang to him all throughout her gestation period.
Feeling more at ease with holding him, she carefully held him with one arm and lifted her servo to tickle his chin. Hotshot let out a string of short laughs and tried to wiggle away from the incursion.
She'd never smiled so much in her life, and for a moment, she forgot all her worries and dilemmas. For a moment—as brief as it was—everything was perfect. But despite her overbearing ecstasy, she thought of Heatwave and hated that he was missing out on this moment.
Quickshadow leaned closer and pressed two kisses on his forehelm, silently vowing to protect their sparkling with her life.
She pulled away and was met with sapphire optics, identical to hers, staring up at her. She stared back, temporarily forgetting how to breathe correctly, mesmerized by how well the blue complimented his red frame. It made him that much more perfect in her mind.
The door squeaked open, disturbing the comforting atmosphere that enveloped the two. Hotshot's face scrunched up at the noise, and Quickshadow grinned. He looked just like his sire.
Another nurse walked in holding a piece of paper that turned out to be a birth certificate. "Have you chosen a name yet?" she asked, clicking a pen open.
Quickshadow nodded and shifted on the berth. "Hotshot."
"A lovely choice" The nurse registered the name and had the newspark stamp his servo-prints on either side. "Sign your name here." she pointed at one of the two blank lines at the bottom of the document and extended the pen to her.
Quickshadow hesitated a little and ended up signing her name as Slipchain as a precaution.
"Pardon my asking, but following protocol, I have to ask; is the sire still in the picture?"
Quickshadow tensed her hold on the sparkling, unprepared for such a question. The nurse immediately apologized for making her uncomfortable.
She shook her helm and scrambled for a response. "...He's—". The nurse shook her helm, assuring her she didn't have to answer if she didn't want to. She left shortly after, leaving the birth certificate with Quickshadow.
A medic stopped by that afternoon. "Well, you're set to make a full recovery in a few weeks!" He smiled warmly and went over some ground rules she had to follow as an outpatient. "Take it easy for a few months, no heavy lifting..." she tuned him out, focusing her attention on the sleeping mechling in her arms.
YOU ARE READING
Back To You
FanfictionHer departure affected him greatly. It had been more than a decade, but Heatwave still couldn't bring himself to move on. She was keeping him in the dark, and it was slowly killing her. She prioritized Heatwave's safety but hated that it meant she h...
