The Incident (TFP Book 1)

Chapter 18

Bulkhead and Wheeljack were running after two Desepticon drones when Optimus gave them instructions to meet elsewhere. Bulkhead called Arcee to come pick them up.

"Come back here and fight you cowards!" Wheeljack yelled as he ran faster. They turned a corner and he slid as he followed.

"Jackie wait!" Bulkhead yelled. He heard a gun shot and he stopped dead in his tracks.

He felt his heart beat faster and he ran around the corner. Wheeljack was standing over two unconscious cons. He looked over his shoulder at his friend and smirked. Bulkhead sighed in relief. The warrior turned around, fell to his knees and fell forward.

"NO!" Bulkhead yelled. He ran to his friend and turned him over, his shirt was damp with blood.

"I got em." Wheeljack said smirking than he winced in pain, he looked down and touched the blood on his lower abdomen. "Dang... That hurts..." He said calmly.

"Stay with me Jackie." Bulkhead said as the van came around the corner.

"I'm not going anywhere." He said smirking.

Smokescreen and Arcee jumped out of the van and helped the injured man into the vehicle.

"Easy...Easy!" He said through gritted teeth. Once he was in they drove to the base. Smokescreen radioed their leader.

"Optimus, Wheeljacks been shot we're taking him to the base." The young man said.

~~~

Bumblebee looked back at the leader with concern. The scout walked to the back and found some gauze, he pulled the leaders shirt back and put the gauze on. He gently pressed to stop the bleeding, and the other man breathed in sharply through gritted teeth. Bee smiled sadly as he signed telling his leader he was no doctor and the older man smiled weakly. They got the message from the others.

"How bad?" He asked concerned.

"If he doesn't get help now he won't make it." Arcee said. They were quite for a minute.

"We will meet you there." Optimus said through gritted teeth.

"Optimus, is everything okay?" The woman asked concern thick in her voice. He shook his head to clear it, and Bumblebee wished he could communicate with the others.

"Just return to the base." He ordered than looked at the scout. Bee gave him a look of concern. "I'll be fine, just get us back." He said. The scout nodded and jumped into the front seat he sighed heavily and drove to the base.

~~

June got a call from Smokescreen telling her that Wheeljack had been shot. She took a deep calming breath as she waited. Rachet had shown her how to do basic surgery as she taught him basic medical skills. The van came up the tunnel and screeched to a halt. The two men jumped out and carried an unconscious Wheeljack to the table.

The three kids watched from the rail, and Raf stared in shock at the blood. Arcee ran up to them and guided the children into a different room. June quickly started the surgery and Smokescreen did his best to assist her.

When she was almost done she heard another car screech to a halt in the base. Looking up she saw Rachets car and her heart fluttered. Bumblebee jumped out and she saw a nasty cut across his cheek, he motioned frantically for Bulkhead to come help. The two men help Optimus to the other table where he waited for the nurse. Arcee walked over and spoke with Optimus as he told them what happened. June felt a pain in her heart as she listened, but she ignored it as she finished stitching up Wheeljack. She quickly moved to Optimus and put him under, as she worked on him she wished that Rachet was here. She needed him. She needed to know he was alright.

~~

After she finished with Optimus she went to work on Bumblebees cut. The other three had gone to check on the kids. She turned the young mans head and looked at the deep cut, the blood had already dried on his cheek. She sighed softly and he put her hand down. She looked at him confused, he signed that she needed to rest and he would be okay.

"No Bee, you're not playing this game again." She said feeling like she was talking to a little boy. She reached for his cheek again and he put her hands down.

"Bumblebee seriously." She said feeling irritated. He narrowed his eyes and stared at her. She sighed with frustration as she tried to figure out what he was trying to say. He signed that he knew she was upset and she needed to relax a little.

"What am I upset about then?" She said putting her hands on her hips. He just looked at her and simply signed Rachet. She felt her stomach twist as she thought of where he was. She knew the Desepticons had him and that scared her. The nurse looked at the young man and smiled.

"You're a lot more observant than you let on." She said smiling at him. "You also seem to know exactly what others need." He grinned and mock saluted. She smiled and walked off.

A minute later Arcee walked in and he waved at her happily. She saw the tried blood still on his cheek and sighed heavily. She grabbed the first aid kit and grumbled as she walked over to him. He stood up to give her a hug and she pushed him back down. She started cleaning the cut and he tried to push her away.

"Stop acting like a sparkling, Bumblebee!" Arcee grumbled angrily. He glared at her and stopped moving, they were quiet for awhile.

"There." She said gently as she dabbed at the cut. He touched her hand and pressed it against his cheek. She looked at him and stared into his bright blue eyes. She sat next to him without breaking their gaze.

"Bee...I'm sorry I snapped at you." She said quietly. "It's just...you can be so stubborn and careless!" She said angrily. He just stared at her and smiled innocently.

"I-I-I...worry about you. I'm worried one day you'll try and save someone.... and seriously hurt yourself or worse..." She trailed off as she looked at the cut.

She knew it was a bullet that had grazed him, and she shuddered to think about what might have happened if it hadn't missed him. She looked down at her hands.

He smiled again and lifted her head back up. He stared at those beautiful eyes and leaned closer. She hesitated, should she pull away, or move closer? Then she remembered Cliffjumper.

"Bee...I-" the scout gently pressed his lips against hers. Arcee put her hands on his chest and pushed him away. She glared at him, and he looked at her with confusion.

"You know I've only ever loved one bot." She said as she glared at him, and then she walked away in a huff.

Arcee felt bad for pushing him away, she sighed with exasperation and stopped walking. The girl felt a big wave of guilt come over her. Why had she pushed him away? Was it because the memory of Cliff made her feel guilty? Her stomach twisted as she thought of the hurt look Bee had given her. She face palmed for being such an idiot. Then shrugged off the feelings of guilt and heartache. Arcee wasn't sure how she felt about the scout. She didn't know if she saw him as a brother...or something more.

Bumblebee sighed sadly as she disappeared, he felt bad for thinking she liked him. The little scout felt as though his heart had broken in two. He glared at the floor and mentally kicked himself for being stupid. The scout knew she had loved Cliff, and he knew he didn't compare to him. Cliffjumper had been a great strong warrior, who had fought bravely, and hadn't been afraid of anything. The more he thought about it the more he realized he wasn't like Cliff.

Bee sighed heavily and buried his head in his hands. Like she had said...he was just a sparkling.