I shifted around a little, trying to get comfortable. I hate hospitals. Well I guess this is a medical bay, sure isn't Hook's medical bay though. This berth is pretty soft, cushiony, a warm blanket across me even. But I still feel...different. Something is off. I remember getting hurt, then rescued by someone and everything is blank after that.

Swish

The door opened and I froze in my thoughts. "I know you're waking up." A gruff voice said as the footsteps came to a stop next to the berth I was on. "C'mon. Can you power up your systems?" He asked. I can. But it's going to hurt... so I won't. "It won't hurt. You have an IV." He grumbled. Great. I powered up my systems and my optics flickered online. I winced at the bright orange walls and the large red and white mech leaning over me with a scanner. "I'm Ratchet, you're in the Autobot base in my medical bay. Do you remember what happened?" Ratchet asked.

I went to speak and my vocalizer spasmed and a jumble of chirps mixed with words came out. I felt my optics widen and watched Ratchet stand there with an apologetic look on his face. "I thought I fixed that...anyways, You lost a lot of energon. Way too much energon, if you weren't brought to me, you probably would've offlined." He explained, pulling up a chair next to my berth. I stared at him, waiting for him to continue. He sighed heavily and scanned me again. "You lost so much energon, and when you shut down your systems, against my very clear instructions not to shut them down...you put yourself in a coma. You've been in stasis for about a month now. You'll have to do some training and some therapy. So you'll be staying here under my care for a while. To make sure you recover properly. You'll have a room close to the med bay, away from the others. You don't have to be social or anything. You're just staying here for your treatment." He explained. I stared at him in shock. My mouth opening and closing.

The door opened again and my dad and Eclipse walked in, followed by Optimus Prime and another red mech. I felt tears form around my optics and spill down my cheeks as my dad walked over and hugged me. Eclipse hugged me and sat down on my berth. "It's okay. Calm down, don't strain yourself." She said softly. I looked over at my dad who was talking to Ratchet and Optimus.

"I want her to get the best treatment possible. But this war isn't over. We will cut down the raids. But that's all. I don't want her fraternizing with your troops. She stays here and gets her treatment. And that's all. I don't need you brainwashing her. She's a Decepticon, and that's final." My dad growled at Optimus. Optimus just nodded in understanding. My dad walked over to me and smiled softly. "How are you feeling?" He asked quietly. Ratchet, Optimus and the other Mech stepped into the hallway to give us privacy. I opened and closed my mouth, motioning at my throat. "Oh...right...well listen. I'm so glad you're okay. But you still have quite a lot of recovering to do. So you'll have to stay here unfortunately until you're well enough to finish recovering back at our base with hook. I'll come check on you when I can." He said. I felt my spark ache. Of course that means he won't be back here. He's only doing this for show. All he cares about is this stupid war. He couldn't care less about me. Eclipse is heir to the throne of the Decepticons and I'm just here in the way. He just pretends to care in front of others.

~/ I care /~ Eclipse said through our bond. I smiled at her softly and held her hand. "You don't worry about anything except getting better. I'll come visit as often as I can." She said hugging me a little.

"We have to get going now. See you soon." My dad said, kissing my helm and quickly leaving. Eclipse following.

Ratchet walked back and changed my IV bag, and handed me a cube of energon. "There's special vitamins in it to help your systems heal your wounds faster. I'm in the process of getting upgraded armor down here for you. You're due for an upgrade. So I haven't repaired your old armor." He said. I looked down at the blanket curiously. I shifted around and winced at the pain that shot through me. "Be careful. Let me help." Ratchet said as he adjusted the berth so I was sitting up more. Next he slowly pulled the blanket down, exposing my body. My abdomen armor was gone. Energon slightly leaking through the bandages wrapped around my middle. Wires and protoform exposed. The same around my thigh. I reached my hand out. Brushing it across the bandages.

He grabbed some tools and sat down in the chair next to my berth, "let me fix your vocalizer."

I tilted my head back, exposing my neck. I felt him twist some wires, and move some things around, tweaking some parts on my vocalizer. He sat back and scanned me again. "Try talking now."

"H-hello? It works!" I exclaimed happily. He chuckled, "Indeed. Now drink your energon and rest. You have therapy tomorrow."

I stared down at the energon cube as Ratchet stood and headed for his office across the room. "Ratchet?" I called out. He turned and faced me, waiting for me to continue. "Who helped me get out of the base?" I asked, searching his optics. "He's busy on patrol right now, he hopes you recover quickly. But Megatron was clear about you not meeting any bots here on base." He said sternly, turning to walk away. "I want to meet him. I don't care what my dad says. He saved my life." I said getting frustrated. "Swiftstrike..." Ratchet threatened. "I want to meet Sideswipe." I demanded. Ratchets optics widened with shock. He cleared his throat before speaking "Maybe sometime in the future. You need rest." With that he disappeared into his office. I rolled my optics and drank my energon slowly. My scanners on high alert for any approaching mechs.

~Sideswipes POV~

I hope she's okay. She was in surgery forever. But Megtron was here peacefully and left without killing anyone so I assume she's still alive. But she didn't leave. So she's still here. I wonder if she remembers me? Or what happened?

"Would you stop already. She's a Decepticon." Sunstreaker snapped. I rolled my optics. "I'm just wondering if she's okay, she was hurt pretty bad." I grumbled.

"It's more than that Sideswipe. I know you. In case you forgot we're twins. Split spark twins at that. And As hard as you try, those thoughts are still in the back of your processor. You have some sort of connection to her. But she probably has no idea who you are. So just stop putting these ideas in your head. Yeah it's been a while since anyone has seen a femme. But the first one you come into contact with isn't going to fall helm over peds for you. And you also forget I'm here too. What femme is going to want both of us? We're kind of a package deal. You can't have one and not the other. We're in the middle of a war. We don't have time for femmes sideswipe." Sunstreaker snapped again.

"Whatever Sunny." I huffed, changing the channel on the TV when someone knocked on the door.

"What do you want?!" Sunstreaker growled as he opened the door, revealing Ratchet. I joined Sunny at the door, secretly hoping it was some news about Swiftstrike.

"Swiftstrike knows your name. But I don't think she knows what you look like. She's demanding to meet you. I'm here to tell you to stay away from her. No arguments about this. It's serious Sideswipe. She's here to recover then she's leaving." Ratchet told me sternly before walking off.

"Great. There goes my chances of meeting her." I sighed, closing the door back. Or not...

"What are you planning?...you know what? I don't wanna know. It's probably stupid. Don't you dare do it." Sunny growled as he grabbed his wax and cloth and started polishing his paint.

~6:30am the next day, Swiftstrikes POV~

I jumped awake, immediately regretting that as pain seared through my body. "Sorry if i scared you." Ratchet apologized as he stood over me. "It's okay. I'm a deep recharger." I chuckled nervously. Ratchet chuckled, "I noticed. Now we need to run some tests, change your bandages, and get you some energon."

I watched him curiously as he dug around in the drawers, pulling out bandages and some tools. Next he opened a closet door to grab some stuff and I'm pretty sure I saw a wheelchair on there. That might come in handy later.

Ratchet walked back over to me and adjusted my berth so I could sit up. I pushed the blankets off, exposing my body and my wounds. Using his scissors he cut the old bandages off and scanned my wounds. My optics widened a little at the holes. They looked about 6 inches deep, wires hanging and energon leaking slowly. "Believe me, they looked way worse a month ago." Ratchet assured. After rebandaging my wounds, he pulled out a needle. "This is pain medicine, it's strong so it will work shortly." Ratchet said, injecting it into my arm. Something about Ratchet makes me feel safe...like he actually cares about me...

"Ratchet, can I ask you something?" I asked softly. "Of course, is something wrong? Are you in a lot of pain?" He asked worriedly. "No,no. It's not that. I was wondering how many times my dad came to visit me...while I was in stasis?.." I asked slowly. He looked at me, his optics unreadable. "Well, Swiftstrike, to be honest with you...he only showed up yesterday because I notified him you were waking up. Other than that he hasn't been here. I'm sorry." He apologized.

I laughed a little, "Of course. Gotta keep the show rolling." I felt tears well up in my optics. Why am I even acting like this? Opening up to an Autobot? I looked up at the IV bag, must be the meds I'm on. I don't need people in my business...

"Swiftstrike? Is there something you want to talk about? I might be able to help if you tell me? I'm sure living with the Decepticons as a femme isn't easy." Ratchet said softly. "I'm fine." I said wiping away the tears quickly. He looked at me kind of sadly, but he didn't push the conversation anymore. "When can I get out of this room and go out? No offense but I just hate being in hospitals." I said nervously, looking around. "Well, when you can get out of here depends on how you do in therapy." He answered as he rose and walked over to the energon dispenser. He grabbed a cube and handed it to me. "Deal." I said and quickly chugged the energon.

~2 hours later~

"Swiftstrike, be careful. If your body isn't ready, it's not ready. Don't try to force this." Ratchet huffed as i tried yet again to get out of bed. For the past two Hours I've been doing therapy. First I started out reading small articles and solving problems to test my processor, but once Ratchet deemed my processor was fine I had to start physical therapy. Where I am now. Trying to sit up on my own. Ratchet laid the berth down flat and told me to try and get up out of bed on my own. So far, I'm able to sit up on my elbows and then slowly push myself up into an upright position...for about eight seconds before falling.

"Come on Ratchet! It's my first physical therapy session, you can't expect me to just hop out of bed on my own!" I huffed. Ratchet rolled his optics and sighed, "when I tried to help, you were positive you didn't need me and could do it yourself."

"Well that was an hour ago! I'm a changed femme! I need help!" I yelped as I flopped back onto my back. Ratchet chuckled and grabbed my hand, scooping me up from the bed, he placed me on the ground softly, making sure to hold on to me. I held on to him tightly and stood there, my legs shaking like I was a sparkling.

My door wings flickered and I looked towards the door as it flung open. In walked a white and green mech with flashing helm fins and a mask on his face. He had a few dents and scratches on him, but they were nothing compared to the hole in his side. My optics widened as Ratchet growled, "Wheeljack! What did you do?!"

"It's nothin but a scratch doc! I'm fine, really! Hey, who's this?" The mech asked walking towards us. My door wings stiffened and I gripped Ratchet tighter. "Stop walking Wheeljack! You're scaring her! She's the femme that was injured last month. She's still recovering. Do me a favor and grab that wheelchair from the closet." Ratchet instructed. The mech complied and hurried over to the closet, walking over to us slowly with the wheelchair. "Hey there little femme, I won't hurt you! I'm probably one of the most harmless mechs on base!" He exclaimed, his helm fins flashing brightly. I looked up at Ratchet and realized why he called me "little femme". I look tiny compared to them! No fair! Seriously everyone else in my family is huge! And then there's me. Tiny little Swiftstrike. Looks like a sparkling. I literally go up to just under Ratchet's chest. I look like a freakin minibot.

"Wheeljack is anything but harmless. He's in here now because he probably just blew himself up in his lab." Ratchet huffed, taking the wheelchair from Wheeljack. Oh. So he's the Autobot inventor everyone talks about. I've heard rumors he has a tendency to blow up the ark. Some of the Decepticons have said maybe one day he'll blow up the whole Ark and kill all the Autobots. He doesn't look dangerous. In fact he's actually kinda cute.

I giggled a little and flickered my door wings. "Here sit down and maybe practice wheeling yourself around. I can't promise how fast your leg will heal." Ratchet said, helping me sit down in the wheelchair. I grabbed the wheels and rolled back and forth a little as Ratchet went to tend to Wheeljacks injuries.

Now's my chance. I wheeled over and snatched the blanket from my bed, yanking out my IV and wheeling out of the room quietly, draping the blanket over my legs and stomach to cover my wounds.

I wheeled around the hallway slowly, cautiously turning corners and watching my back. I checked my internal clock, it's almost 9am, so most bots should be up and about now, right?

I wheeled around another corner, some mechs walking down the hallway stopped and stared at me curiously as I wheeled by them. I took a left at the next hallway and picked up my pace. I've been seen, they might go tell Ratchet I'm out, and then I'll be in trouble.

I stopped wheeling and looked around the hallway. These look like the Autobot's private quarters. I probably shouldn't be here…

I turned around and headed back out of the hallway. Making a few right turns and two left turns i ended up in what looked like a recreation room. There was a really big TV, a couch, a few tables and chairs around the room, and two energon dispensers. I looked around curiously as i headed over to the enrgon. I picked up an empty cube and held it under the dispenser as it filled it up. I was sipping it slowly before choking when the door opened and the mechs i saw earlier in the hall walked in followed by Ratchet and Optimus Prime.

"There she is! The Decepticon femme here to kill us all!" a red and white mech yelped.

"Oh...hi Ratchet.." i trailed off nervously. Ratched walked over and sighed heavily. He walked behind me and started pushing me towards the door. I sat staring down at my energon cube. Watching the pink liquid slosh around. Just as we exited the room, i looked up and saw two mechs watching me. One was a shiny gold/yellow color and the one next to him was a shiny crimson red. They looked similar but the red one looked so familiar. I opened my mouth to speak to him when they ducked from a wrench and quickly went into the rec room.

"I told you, no socializing." Ratchet grumbled as he picked up his pace. "Who were those two Ratchet?" i asked, turning to look up at him. "Bots you're not supposed to be socializing with." he grumbled next.

I hummed thoughtfully looking back down at the energon. I wonder if that was Sideswipe. I closed my optics and tried my best to think back to what happened. It all played in my processor in one blur. Explosions. Pain. Screaming. Red. Blue sky. Darkness…

My processor is probably trying to repress it. I'll have to try later, when i'm alone, to slow it down.

I jumped from my thoughts to see Ratchet sitting across from me staring at me angrily.

"Huh? Sorry…" i apologized. Ratchet huffed and picked me up, placing me back on my berth. Putting the blanket back over me and reinserting the IV. He then handed me a datapad. "Read these passages and solve these problems. Strengthen your processor some more, because clearly it isn't functioning right. I'm not sure what part of 'no socializing' you didn't understand." he sighed and walked off into his office. I rolled my optics and started scrolling through the datapad.