When Cody woke again, he felt much better. The weirdness was still there, but the aches that had accompanied it had faded drastically. Instead there was a strange warmth resting on his heart. The warmth was soothing and bright but still undeniably weird. Cody could hear the birds chirping and he could feel warmth drifting lazily down to rest on the side of his faze. When he opened his eyes, he almost panicked at the pervasive darkness that he saw. He opened his mouth to call out and felt something ping within him. Suddenly his vision flickered into bright, painfully vibrant existence. Cody closed his eyes again and waited a few moments before opening them again. The bright colors dimmed, and Cody was left staring at his room.

For a moment, Cody just looked at it peacefully. Being here again felt so nice after everything that had happened. Cody shivered as he remembered the Morbot. That had been terrifying. For a moment Cody had thought that he was really going to die. Cody looked down at the light blue pajamas he had been changed into at some point. Slowly, with trembling fingers, Cody reached to pull the cotton shirt up.

"Cody." The boy blinked and looked around in confusion before his eyes lit on Chase. The Rescue bot was standing beside the open window and held an expression of concern. He blinked for a moment before smiling.

"Chase." He murmured. "Where's dad?" Cody hadn't seen him in his room, and normally Dad would be sitting at his bedside, waiting for him. It was really off-putting to be alone after being so gravely injured.

"There is still a lot of clean up to done for the crashed blimp. You father is organizing the people in clearing the wreckage. I have been charged with watching over you in the interim. Are you well? Do you require medical attention?" Chase peered at him closely, as if trying to discern for himself if Cody was healthy.

"I think I'm okay. I don't feel any pain. I just feel weird." Cody admitted. The boy removed his hands from his shirt and levered himself upright. For a moment he wobbled and could barely stay up right. Then he straightened his arms and felt something lock smoothly into place.

"Define weird." Chase commanded. His bright optics peered at Cody even more concernedly. Cody frowned pensively in return.

"I dunno. Something… doesn't feel like it used to. I feel weird." Cody shrugged uncomfortably. "Especially here." Cody gestured to the center of his chest, right above his heart. The weird warmth on his heart was definitely the weirdest. "I feel warm here."

"Hmm…" Chase seemed to consider his response for a few moments before coming to a conclusion. "But there are no pain signals or system failure?" He questioned.

"No. Nothing hurts. Its just weird." Cody hunched his shoulders and pulled his legs up in dislike. It was true that he wasn't in pain. But something felt really weird. And weird normally wasn't a good thing.

"Very well then. You experienced a shock. Your systems are still adapting and getting used to running properly after… that. Some… 'weird' is likely to be expected. If you are still experiencing such sensations after a few days, please alert someone." Chase assured him. Though he seemed satisfied with Cody's health, he still maintained a watchful eye on the boy.

Cody shifted nervously for a few moments. He was unsure of what to do. Cody didn't feel hurt, but he didn't really feel like getting up and messing around would be the smartest choice either. The wounds from the Morbot had seemed pretty serious. Cody didn't know why he wasn't in pain now, but he wasn't so sure he wanted to push it. And right now… what Cody really wanted was to talk to his family. The Morbot had really shaken him up on the inside. He felt as though he wouldn't be able to relax until he was surrounded by his family.

"When will Dad be getting back?" He asked instead. His gaze turned to his knees and he waited for Chase's response. Maybe he could take a short nap while he waited? Cody was feeling a little sleepy.

"He will be returning shortly. I have notified him of your conscious state and he will be returning within the hour." Surprise sprinkled through Cody's mind.

"Huh? But what about the clean up?" Cody asked. "Doesn't Dad have work?" He didn't need to see his dad that much. Surely, he could wait until the town had been taken care of. The Burn family had always served the town first.

"He has made his excuses to the mayor and his on his way to see you. Is a parental unit not supposed to visit their offspring after a fatal injury?" Chase's faceplate tilted in what Cody had learned to translate as a frown.

"Uhh… they do, normally, but I'm okay and it sounds like he was really busy helping with the clean-up. Its really important to make sure everything is safe down there so no one gets hurt later. We have to make sure there isn't any sharp metal or shards of dangerous debris laying around. Making sure that the buildings aren't structurally damaged is also really important. And that's not even touching on the power lines and electric systems. It's really important to make sure the town in safe before letting civilians back in the area." Cody explained. While he had been talking, he felt his hands begin to itch with the age old need to help others. Cody unfolded his legs and scooted to the edge of the bed. If he couldn't help directly, then surely, he could talk to his family as they helped the town.

"Cody, I would advise against standing. The injuries you sustained from the Morbot and crash were severe. I am not certain that your body has recovered sufficiently." Chase spoke from the window. He sounded oddly strained and Cody looked back over in worry. The Rescue bot was still standing watch at the window and he seemed hyper focused on Cody.

"But nothing hurts." Cody protested. "I don't feel any pain. Can't I just get up and walk around? I wanna check my email, and go down to the control room. I know I can't help with clean up right now, but I want to be in contact with my family. I-I want to talk to them." Cody wrapped his arms around his body as he tried to express the need he felt to see his family. It was as if something inside of him was empty or cracked and the only thing that would help would be his family. Plus… he really did want to listen in on the clean-up.

Chase looked conflicted.

"Please! I promise I'll be careful, but I'm really not in any pain or anything! Can't I just go down to the control room and talk to everyone?" Cody pleaded.

"Well… I suppose that so long as you do nothing to exacerbate your condition you may head down to the main room. I will follow your status from the windows. Should you experience any difficulty I will be right beside you. However, please take care of yourself. Your health is my responsibility." Chase conceded. His voice was grave, and Cody could tell that the Rescue Bot was really worried about him.

"Its really okay, Chase. I'm just going to the control room. I'll be careful." Cody promised. Then, before Chase could change his mind, he quickly pushed himself to his feet. For a moment, Cody felt as though the world was shifting and swaying beneath his feet. He wavered for a moment before bracing himself against the wall.

"Cody, is something wrong?" Chase questioned.

"I'm a l-little dizzy. I'm okay though. I'll just hold on the wall." Cody admitted. His leaned heavily against the wall as his shaky knees wobbled. Looking up, he saw Chase shifting from foot to foot in an unusual act of worry. Normally Chase was the only one to stay cool on missions. And now he was freaking out over a little dizziness? Though heartwarming, Cody felt a bit of unease slip in as he wondered how bad things had to be for Chase of all bots to freak out.

"I believe you should return to the berth, Cody. Your mobility is still compromised, and should you fall your body would receive significant damage. It is still stabilizing and very weak from your… injuries." Cody was shocked to hear so much emotion in Chase's voice. Looking over him, Cody could easily tell that Chase was extremely worried. He bit his lip. Cody really wanted to go talk to his family, but somehow Chase's reaction was just as painful as the separation. He didn't want to worry the bot. It was almost as if Cody's weakness was a physical pain for the bot.

Cody gave a long, breathy sigh before sitting back down on the bed. He lifted his gaze to the Rescue Bot again. Chase had ceased his nervous shuffling and was now sporting a look of absolute relief on his face plate. Cody grimaced for a moment.

"So… what's a berth? Cuz I think that word must mean something entirely different for our two cultures." Cody asked. The Rescue Bot straightened before delivering a textbook definition.

"A berth is the metal panel a Cybertronian rests upon. Of course, there are many different kinds, for example, medical berths which come equipped with medical apparatuses or more luxurious berths with extra finishing's for comfort."

"So, it's a bed. Just for you guys." Cody summarized.

"Essentially, yes."

"Neat!"

That was how Dad found him. When the patriarch of the Burns family stepped through the door, Cody and Chase were deep in a comparison of human and Cybertronian sleeping habits.

"You guys really don't dream?" Cody questioned curiously. He blinked sleepily and rubbed at his eyes a little bit. He hoped his dad came soon. Just talking to Chase was making him really… sleepy…

"No. Dreaming is beyond us. Occasionally, we will re-visit old data and memories in a semi-dormant state, but normally we remain wholly unbothered throughout our recharge." Chase intoned. Turning he greeted his partner.

"Welcome back, Captain Burns. How is clean-up faring?"

Cody's tired head jerked to look at the tired figure standing in his doorway.

"Dad!" He cried. Cody did his best to leap and run to his father. Unfortunately, his legs and body did not quite agree with that plan. Rather than a quick few steps to his father, Cody felt his legs give out from under him. It was as if the intricate muscle system he normally used for walking had decided to find a new profession somewhere else. Cody's legs held no strength. He stumbled and fell forward. He shut his eyes as the floor appeared in his line of sight, but he was surprised when strong arms lifted him instead.

"Cody!" He heard his dad speak in shock. Cody blinked open his eyes and found himself looking into the overjoyed face of his father. "You're awake." The aged chief murmured in relief. Cody smiled in return before yawning. "Though not for long I suppose."

"Huh?" Cody yelped as he was placed once more upon his bed. "But I just woke up! It hasn't even been an hour!" His father gave a soft sigh and carded a hand through Cody's hair. He sat beside Cody on the bed.

"And it still seems to have worn you out. Cody, what Dr. Greene used to save your life was… extremely hit and miss. I know you want to go right back to working with us and the Rescue Bots but that's not going to happen any time soon. You body was injured horribly. It needs time to recover. And that's not the only thing that's going to take some time." Charlie Burns faced his son with a stern and solemn face and Cody felt his stomach drop slightly. The look on Dad's face wasn't just stern. It was disappointed.

"When you led Frankie to sneak into compound, your actions were extremely risky. You put both yourself and Frankie at risk. You could have died."

"But-"

"No, Cody. You really would have died had the Doc been anyone else or had the Rescue Bots not been here. Your injuries were fatal and there wasn't enough time to get you to a hospital. You really would have died, Cody." Dad's voice cracked then and Cody found himself witness to tears glistening in his father's eyes. He couldn't say a word as his dad continued.

"You would have died." He repeated. "Cody, I know that our family has always put others before our selves in everything we do. We show it in our jobs and our actions. Its been the Burns family way for longer than you've been alive. But you can not disregard your own life and safety like you did with the Morbot. There's… there's only one Cody Burns in the world, and I'm afraid your siblings and I value that Cody Burns a lot more than serving a single city. Perhaps its selfish, but I would much rather be Charlie Burns, father to Cody Burns, than Chief Burns of Griffin Rock. And I'm sure that your siblings feel the same. Putting yourself and Frankie in that kind of danger was extremely reckless." The chief gave a long drawn out sigh. By this time, Cody's eyes had watered as well. He hadn't meant to cause any trouble or worry. The thought of his family hurting because of him… going to another funeral because of him… mourning and the having to keep going without him…

"I'm sorry, Dad." He whispered.

"We'll talk about it more in depth when you're feeling a bit better. Right now, I want you to rest. Okay, son?" Charlie pulled Cody's blankets up and eased his son back. Cody nodded and snuggled deeper into his blankets. He really was tired…

Within one blink and the next Cody's consciousness had faded to the dull hum of sleep.


Sooo... been stuck at a farm with no internet for about a week. Otherwise this would have been posted dayssssss ago. Happy New Year!

Please Review if you value my sanity!

-Blitza