Sodor's New Worker (Semi-Hiatus Due to an AO3 rewrite)

Storm Clouds

"Now if I were a giant Class 40..where would I go?" Maddy muttered to herself.

   She hated being as slow as she was. She was in all sorts of pain, daring to put weight on her leg as if her muscles weren't screaming for her to stop. Maddy knew she had to fix what they had done to Travis. She, of all people, knew all too well about that look on his face, the fear he probably felt. While she most likely didn't directly relate to whatever caused him this grief, she understood having horrible memories that did nothing but consume you.

"Baaaad idea.." she grumbled. "I'm not this awful of a person..am I..?"

   As she stumbled and bumbled along the side of the tracks, she couldn't help but notice her surroundings growing dark, and a sudden drop in temperature bringing a shiver down her spine.

"Brr.."

"Little Sapling!" Henry gasped, slamming on his breaks just before he passed her. "What are you doing..!?"

"Looking for Travis. We fucked up, real bad. Have you seen him?"

"No..no I haven't, but you need to get back home..! There's a storm coming! And you're limping! What happened..?"

"Don't worry about it."

"As your father, I am going to worry about it! What did you do..!?"

"It's just a torn muscle-" 

"Maddy!"

"I'll be fiiiine! Travis is what's important to me right now. We pulled a prank and he freaked, big time, and I've got an itch that I know what's wrong.."

"Hh.." he sighed. "Just take shelter someone, please?"

"Deal. Be off now, Papa Hen."

   With a worrying whistle, Henry was off, and so was Maddy.

"How far could you have gotten..?"

   Maddy's heart soon froze as she heard the low, rumbling thunder of the impending storm. Fear struck through her heart, as she had a seething hatred for thunder for reasons that even James didn't know, and she didn't plan on telling him any time soon. She didn't want to seem weak, pathetic even.

"C'moooon..Trav..where'd you go? I'm not loving thiiiiis.."

   In her pocket, she heard her phone start to ring. Annoyed, she took it out of her pocket and answered.

"Hello?"

"You need to get home. Now. There's a-"

"Storm coming. I know, Buzz Butt." she grumbled, still looking around. "I still haven't found Travis, and I'm not going to stop until I find him."

"Travis can wait! There's a nasty storm coming and you're out there all alone..!"

"Travis isn't waiting, damn it. He's somewhere, scared shitless, and I'm not going to turn back around while he's like that. I already told Hen I'd take shelter if I needed to. Don't worry about me."

"You stubborn little-"

"You adore this stubborn little thing. I have a hickey to prove it. Look, I'll be fine...you just...stay safe in the sheds, alright?"

"But-"

"No buts, Jamesy...I'll manage on my own..remember what I said..?"

"...Lay off the worrying.." he sighed. "I know..but..at least tell me where you are..?"

"Somewhere on the mainline. I think."

"That narrows down nothing."

"You never said I had to be specific about it."