She had never before seen him so…weak. His normally-steady servos trembled, and his EM field was tightly restrained. A frustrated snarl escaped through his clenched denta, static lacing through it. The plates of his exo-armor were drawn in close – a sign of tension.
It had been too close of a call. They'd nearly lost Raf, and Ratchet blamed himself. In the medic's mind, there was always a way he could have prevented the situation. He could have talked to June earlier about learning human biology. He could have pinged more frequencies – discovered the warlord's signature and warned Bumblebee before he converged upon them. There was always something he could have done.
Arcee approached him and placed a tentative servo on his shoulder. His EM field spiraled in confusion and he jerked suddenly, but then his cerulean optics flicked to hers, searching for reassurance. She gave it to him gladly, leaning in and giving him a light hug before withdrawing and leaving the medi-bay.
Of all of the members of Team Prime, perhaps Ratchet was the strongest, despite his denial of it. It was the least she could do to keep him that way.