1. Guardians (A TFP Fanfiction Story)

Chapter 24

My eyes opened slowly when I woke, my head throbbing slightly. I sat up with a sigh, rubbing my temples as the pain increased. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I looked around, wincing at the light. I jumped back when I saw the other kids all standing off the to the side of my bed, by the rail. Each of them had their backs to me, all looking up at Optimus, who was at the monitor instead of Ratchet. It took me a minute to realize why, and my eyes immediately started welling up with tears. The other children all heard my sniffling and turned quickly, brightening when they saw me up.

Miko was the first to reach me, running over and quickly pulling me into a tight hug. I closed my eyes as I squeezed her back, sobbing into her shoulder. She was silent, letting me continue for a while. The boys each sat by me on the bed, Jack placing his arm around my shoulders in a little side hug. Raf, sweet as ever, leaned forward and hugged my waist, eyes squeezed shut. I sat there and cried, grateful that they were all there for me. Despite what had happened last night, I somehow knew that they would never abandon me. I was safe with them.

Eventually, Miko let go, her face slightly red, but she was giving me a bit smile. "Fee better?" 

I nodded a little, wringing my hands shyly. "Yeah, actually.."

"That's good," Jack said, pulling away. "We heard about what happened."

Raf must have felt me recoil, because he quickly came to the rescue. "Well, not everything," he assured me as he let go, adjusting his glasses. "We only heard that you were kidnapped by MECH, and that Ratchet somehow got injured rescuing you."

I still flinched, the memory of me stabbing my guardian filling my head. "Oh.."

Miko sat down on the floor, seeing as there was no more room on the bed, looking up to me. "Did they hurt you? You look fine, if it weren't for the scars on your hands and chest.."

I blushed, realizing that I was in my white undershirt. My blue sweater was hanging on the rail of my bed. How had it gotten there?

"My mom came over and checked on you this morning," Jack explained. "She was a little.. confused."

I shuddered. Nurse Darby could probably tell I had been surgically opened and shut. "Um.. could you pass me that?" I asked nervously, pointing to my sweater.

Raf reached over and took it in his hands, giving it to me. "How do you feel?"

I slid the warm material over my head. "Um.. my head hurts.. and my chest a little, and my hands ache."

Their expressions all turned into a mix of worry and confusion. 

I hung my head. "I... I don't think I'm ready to say," I told them in a tiny voice. "It's a lot to process, and I'm scared.."

One by one, they nodded their heads slowly. Miko looked a little disappointed, but didn't push, which I was grateful for. Jack slung his arm over me again with a small smile.

"If you're not ready to tell us, that's okay," he said. "We can wait. You can tell us whenever you feel comfortable."

Miko stood up, dusting herself off, before giving me another quick hug. "This time, I'll be patient," she joked, earning herself a jab in the ribs.

Raf threw me smile. "Do your hands hurt too much to play a video game?"

I gave him a smile of my own, but shook my head. "I... want to see Ratchet." I couldn't see him from over where we were, and desperately wanted to see if he was okay.

They gave each other a look, before nodding and moving out of the way. I got out of bed slowly, feeling the ache in my legs that I'd hoped was gone. I sighed as I realized this meant a longer recovery. Taking a deep breath, I walked away from the bed, glad that I at least had enough strength to go. I jogged down the stairs quickly, running over to the medical area. My heart sank when I saw my guardian laid out on a medical berth, his helm tilted towards me slightly. His optics were closed, but at least he looked a little peaceful. He was hooked up in several places, one of which was his abdomen. I felt myself near crying again as I looked over to the spark monitor, which luckily was showing a steady beat. I wanted to jump up there and hug his faceplate, but I knew I couldn't do that. I couldn't even get up there.

Or could I? I remembered that I had been able to jump pretty high last night.. and had also been a lot faster. 

I took a deep breath, heart beating rapidly. If this didn't work, it was definitely going to hurt. I was okay with that, though. I just wanted to get up there, be with him. Bending my legs, I prayed for strength just before jumping up. I went soaring into the air, a surprised gasp escaping my mouth. I was in the air for a few seconds, before falling and landing on the edge of the berth with my feet. My eyes were wide with shock as I looked down. I had just jumped that high..?

The other kids, who had followed behind me, were looking up, mouths open in pure shock and awe. Miko's quickly turned into one of excitement, jumping up and down. Jack closed his mouth, while Raf just continued staring.

"That was awesome!!" Miko cried. "How did you do that?!"

"I.. I have no idea?" I breathed, looking back to where my feet were planted. I honestly hadn't expected it to work so well.. but either way, I was up on the berth now. 

I took another deep breath of determination as I crawled onto his leg and stood, walking along his body. I carefully avoided his abdomen and where he was hooked up, reaching his chest chassis quickly. I sat down crossed legged, gazing down at his calm faceplate. He looked so tired and drained, but at the same time relaxed. I sighed, leaning over and getting on my stomach, holding my head in my hands.

"I know you can't hear me right now," I whispered, blinking back tears, "but I'm sorry. I feel so guilty.. I know you said it isn't my fault, and I know MECH did this to me, but..." I sighed shakily. "I can't help but feel a little responsible, like I could've tried harder.."

As I had expected, he didn't reply, still unconscious. I gazed down at his chest chassis, feeling a bit sick. 

"But you're not going to hate me, are you?" I said quietly with a smile. "You're not gonna let me blame myself..."

I sighed again, resting my head on his chest chassis and closing my eyes. "And I'm glad.. because you're family."

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Just a cute chapter I thought I'd add. ;P

Also, I noticed that I never described how Taylor looked!! SOO I drew her and put the picture in the book My Own Book of Crazy, Random Scrap. Her description is in there if you're interested!

Bye!

*waves*