Junk Yard Dog
"Michael! Help me!"
"Kitt!" Michael skid to a halt just inside the garage. There were no techs or mechanics present in the room. Not even Bonnie was in there. Michael had seen the hopelessness in her eyes w hen she called for a break. It was all he could do not to scream at her, to beg her to keep working. His own powerlessness washed over him, and his legs almost gave out. He hadn't been able to save Kitt. If it hadn't been for the reporter clinging to his arm, he would have jumped in and died as well.
Sometimes Michael wished he was invulnerable as well.
"Kitt, what's wrong?" He approached the car slowly, giving Kitt the chance to recognize he was there. Kitt didn't respond, but Michael thought he understood. He pulled up a chair and sat in front of the car, ignoring the tubes and wires that clung to his partner like a life-support system. "You know, nightmares are nothing to be ashamed of." he said quietly.
His partner didn't respond. Michael felt his eyes sting. This time, he didn't try to blink away the tears. Bonnie was right. Kitt was hiding.
"I think Bonnie's giving up on us, buddy." Michael whispered. He reached out and trailed his fingers across the prow of the car. Kitt's scanner flickered on, and Michael smiled a little. "I wish I knew how to do this stuff. Then it wouldn't matter if she stopped. I could finish it." slowly, the scanner began to track.
He held his breath.
"Don't cry."
If it wasn't for the slight tremor in Kitt's voice, something only his driver could have detected, Michael would never have realized just how scared Kitt was. "I'm entitled. My best friend is hurt, and there's nothing I can do about it. I couldn't even stop it." Michael said bitterly.
The scanner began to track a bit faster. "This isn't your fault." Kitt said firmly, his voice a little stronger. "Once the forklift had me, there wasn't anything either of us could do." Kitt fell silent again, but only for a moment. "Please, don't cry."
Michael seemed to smile at that. He'd gotten Kitt to talk. It wasn't much, but it was progress, and Michael would take whatever he could get. He wanted his partner back. He wiped at his eyes, trying to stem the tears that had been threatening to fall since he watched Kitt get dumped in the pit. "It won't happen again, Kitt. I promise you, no one will hurt you like that again. Not if I can help it."
Kitt hesitated, but his voice was warm with affection when he spoke. "I believe you."
And Michael took solace in that.
