Not Quite Gone

Surprise! We're going camping!

Sam's eyes were trained on the sky, watching the clouds. The car hit a bump, and he was snapped out of his daydream. He remembered where he was and sighed. It had only been one day after the events of Mission City. He had been resting at home, trying on some gloves to hide the still painful wounds on his hands, when his parents had burst into his room and told him to pack. They then announced that they were going on a surprise family camping trip, and that he was being forced to go along. Without his phone. He had tried to argue, but in the end his parents had won.

So here he was now, stuck in a car that was not Bumblebee and absolutely miserable.

The car hit another bump, and his right hand whacked into the car door. Sam hissed quietly. The wounds on his hands were still raw and blistered, and they weren't showing any signs of healing. He pulled up the edge of one of his gloves and winced. Blood had soaked through the bandages, and he couldn't change them without risking revealing his injuries. He couldn't risk having to explain to his parents how he got them.

He turned back to the window and laid his head down on his folded arms, looking up at the clouds. One was shaped somewhat like a bumblebee. Sam sighed sadly and closed his eyes, forehead hitting the dusty glass.

Bumblebee paced around the base, antenna flicking absentmindedly. Sam, it seemed, was ignoring him. The boy would not respond to his calls, and didn't seem to be home. He knew that Sam was most likely resting after the Mission City battle, but he figured that Sam would at least talk to him over the phone. He was Sam's guardian now, and he wanted to make sure that his charge was healing properly. The poor human had been tossed around so much the last few days, it was a miracle he wasn't more banged up.

He connected to Sam's phone again, hoping that this time would be different from the 15 previous tries.

... So maybe he was being a little extreme, but he couldn't help it! Sam was part of their family now, small as it was, and Cybertronians were fiercely protective of their families.

The phone rang a few more times, before going to voicemail. Bumblebee vented softly. Why wasn't Sam picking up? Was he sleeping? The ringtone Sam had picked out for him should have woken him up. It was an extremely loud version of the beginning of a human film called "The Bee Movie." Sam had said he would change it to something calmer when he returned to school.

"Bee, are you still pacing? You know the doc said to rest, and pacing isn't going to help anything."

The gruff voice was instantly recognisable.

"Hi Ironhide. I know it isn't helping but i can't help it! He's not responding to any of my calls, and i haven't seen him around his house lately. Im getting worried." he said sadly.

Ironhide rolled his optics. "You sound like a 'clingy girlfriend', as Sam would say. Look, Mikaela is coming to visit in a few days, ask her how Sam is doing. Now come on, Will is here with his new human sparkling. He's going to introduce us." the weapon specialist said, walking out of the room.

Bumblebee perked up a little and followed him, eager to meet the newest member of Will's family.