The next day Rose was sitting on the couch, the small pouch was absently still partially hidden in her lap. She yawned slowly, talking with Optimus had been good for her soul, but she hadn't exactly gotten very much sleep after that. Thankful it was a Saturday and there was no school to worry about. The others were off with their respective 'bots.
Miko and Bulkhead were dune bashing, Jack and Arcee were 'testing some new modifications' which she suspected was code for racing. Raf and 'Bee had left too, also claiming to be "going racing" though she doubted it was the same kind Jack and Arcee had in mind. Optimus was around somewhere, he seemed subdued and distant since their talk. She understood. It was painful to talk about stuff like that. Though she would always be grateful for him sharing his experiences with her.
Ratchet was working as usual, running some sort of maintenance check or some such whatever he did. She really wasn't sure yet. He'd lent her some Data pads on Cybertronian Medicine and Anatomy, knowing the subject was a fascination of hers and she had been absently flipping through the material. Thumbing through a particular data pad she came across a section on sparklings...babies. "
Hey Ratchet?" She called out.
"Yesss?" He answered, still busily working away.
"I never realized that you...reproduce, the same way humans do."
His helm nodded. "Not, exactly the same manner" He answered, still working. "but there are definitely similarities between Human and Cybertronian gestation." He set his work aside, coming over toward her. "There's a Carrier...the mother, and a Mech Creator...or Sire. The father. There are some differences too, naturally. Our gestation periods are shorter than a humans, and Sparkling generally start in our Spark...hence the name, and then later drop into our gestation chamber" Rose nodded, hanging onto each word with interest.
"The differences are fascinating, Ratchet. Stuff like this is what makes me want to become a doctor some day." She mused, a hand absently feeling for the comfort of the pouch.
"I'm sure you'll make an excellent doctor some day Rose, you have the dedication for it. That's for sure." He gave her a soft smile. Tilting his helm as he noticed her hand. "What ya got there?"
Rose looked down, shuffling her feet, pulling whatever it was into her lap. "Promise, No matter what I say...you won't hate me...we'll always be friends." She swallowed hard "I can't lose any friends right now!" tears welled up in her eyes.
"Hey hey hey, it's alright!" The Medic picked her up gently, placing her down on his shoulder. "I could never hate you."
Rose snuggled softly against the warmth of his neck cables "I love you Ratch..."her hand fell softly, protectively over the pouch. Ratchet smiled "So,What've ya got there?" She shifted uncomfortably "This is where it gets...tricky." swallowing hard, and biting her lip "He didn't just...get physical...hit...me."she gulped "He...He..." she looked down, tears falling "...and...when he found out about her...he...beat her out of me." She sucked air, trying to catch her breath "I couldn't...let her... go...she was mine...I couldn't...I couldn't...put her in the cold ground somewhere...she was...a baby!" she swallowed hard again.
Ratchet growled angrily.
"Please don't hate us." Rose begged, one hand clinging to him while the other clutched the small pouch holding her daughter's remains.
The usually stoic 'Bot looks down, shocked. "I don't hate you, nor the child. Who I hate is that glitch who had the nerve to call himself your father."
Rose blushed softly, looking "Her name is Miracle Hope...Mira." sighing softly "I hate him...I'll always hate him, but I do love her."
Ratchet's servo came up, a digit resting on her shoulder."Remember, I'm always here for you if you need me."
She absently strokes at his neck cables "Good, Because I still really need you. She gulps "I'm just more scared...the nightmares are more vivid." Rose sighs softly "I thought with Optimus...understanding, but he's...Optimus 'be strong, it's OK'...what if I just want to wall apart? What if I just NEED to fall apart? My ENTIRE life I've been holding myself together praying for it to stop and now that it has..."she heaved, sobbing against him.
"If you do fall apart, we're all gonna be there to help piece you back together again, even if it takes an eternity." Ratchet reassured her, stroking her back.
"I'm just...broken." she sobbed again. Ratchet held her against him "Hey; isn't it my job to patch up ' bots...and people... when they're broken? That's exactly what I'm gonna do to you, and I don't care how much time I have to put into it. I'm gonna make you happy again."
Rose looks up slowly through tear-stained eyes "All I ever wanted was a real family." the back of her hand reached up to stroke at his cheek "Thank you. If anyone can fix this I have faith in you."
Ratchet Exvented, not entirely sure himself where all this emotion was coming from, suspecting this must be what the other 'Bots felt like toward their charges. It was a new feeling, but not unpleasant.
Rose yawned softly. "You should try and rest." The Medic mused.
She nudged him softly. "Stay with me until I fall asleep?" Ratchet nodded his helm softly "Of course." He set her down gently and she settled onto the couch, snuggling Mira's pouch against her. Ratchet sat beside her, offering a servo which she laid her much smaller hand in.
"Thank you." She whispered.
"Don't worry yourself about it, Rose. You've been though enough already." She nodded against the pillow, yawning again. Thumbing the soft silk bag. "G'night Little One." Rose kissed the bag softly a tear in her eye. The sight tore at the old ' bots spark, squeezing her hand gently. "It kills me Ratch...it kills me that I couldn't protect her." She sniffled
"Ep...Ep...Sleep..." He chided softly, the gears in his neural-net turning. "You did the best you could for her. She knows that."The medic bent down kissing her forehead. "Just sleep, no more worries." She nodded, eventually drifting into slumber. Once Rose was asleep, Ratchet carefully slipped the pouch from her hand, gently placing it in his servo. "You'll be back with your mother soon, Little One." He smiles, heading back toward his lab.
Rose woke the next morning, sensing something...off. Her eyes open slowly, glancing around before it registers. "Oh Scrap...Mira..." She searched the covers frantically. "Please, oh Please! Ratchet!" She called to him, not really sure what help he can give, she crawled off the couch frantically, carefully searching the floor. Wincing as she irritated her shoulder banging it on the couch.
"Rose?" Ratchet called, entering the room.
She turned, not completely registering him. "Mira's gone, she fell or...something! Oh Scrap, Oh Scrap!" She continued searching frantically.
"ROSE!" The Medic barks louder this time. She stands slowly.
"What, Ratchet?" she blinked, finally paying a bit of attention to him. The large 'bot held out a form wrapped in a pink blanket. "Your Daughter."
Rose stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the bundle "OhMyGosh" Taking the baby in her arms gently "Thank you...Thank you Thank you! " She pulled back the blanket to gaze at her tiny daughter's face "Hi baby...Hi precious one...it's Mama."Snuggling her daughter close to her chest "Ratchet" She gazed into his optics in awe "You are...amazing! Thank you!"
She looked up from Mira for a moment, noticing the woman standing besides Ratchet. "Bu...How? Who is that? Why do I have a feeling she has something to do with all of this?" She still snuggled the small babe, who began softly whimpering.
"She's Techo-Organic. Half Human, Half Cybertronian." Ratchet explained. "This this Angel" His servo motioned to a tall girl in her 20's with long, platinum hair, and piercing steel eyes. "Angel is also a Techno-Organic. I though a woman was better for this sort of thing."
Rose smiled hugging Ratchet, careful of the baby. "Thank you again."
He only nodded his helm and smiled. "I'll leave you two." With that he turned and headed back toward his lab.
Rose looked to Angel briefly, unable to keep her eyes off her daughter for long."She's a beauty, Hon. She really is." The woman said as they walked and talked.
"Th...Thank you" Rose blushed, holding Mira against her bosom as the babe whimpered "There, there Mira." She kissed the top of her head tenderly her fingers brushing over the tiny girl's coal-black hair. Before she knew it they were in the make-shift kitchen the Autobots kept for the humans. Rose stood holding her daughter when out of nowhere Angel appeared with a bottle, handing it to the girl.
"She's probably hungry."Angel smiled Rose nodded, feeling stupid as she gently coaxed the bottle into the baby's mouth
"Of course she is."the young girl whispered. Eventually Mira settled taking the bottle eagerly. "So...Techno-Organic?" Rose peeked up, looking side ways. "What is is this? Regular baby milk? Some sort of...baby Energon?"
Angel smirked. "That's just regular baby milk, Darling. She's just like a regular human child. She just has a few...spare parts." She winked. "Just love her and you'll do fine." Rose nodded again slowly snuggling the child close to her. "Thank you again, Angel." The woman nodded slowly. "Excuse me." She said, stepping softly out of the room.
Rose set to work, fashioning a baby sling out of a long strip of cloth, tying it to her and settling the baby inside. She kissed the small girl's head. "Now I don't ever have to be without you again." She set her daughter slowly inside the pouch, adjusting it one last time with a proud smile. Rose walked toward Ratchet's lab area slowly.
"Whatcha Up to Ratchet?" She smiled slowly. The Medic turned from his work with a half-smile.
"Just working on a formula. Did talking with Angel help?"
Rose nodded slowly. "She's really sweet, kind of blunt...but sweet."
The 'Bot chuckled softly. "That sounds about right. I just wanted you to have someone as a ….a guide." Rose came up and hugged him slowly, careful of the baby. "Thank you, Ratchet. Thank you so much again." She tried not to cry, but she couldn't help the stray tear that hung in the corner of her eye.
"I left some Data pads on the table for you, articles on child development and such." He answered, Rose smiled softly, making her way to the table and picking up a pad.
"Thanks, Ratchet. I appreciate everything you've done." He only nodded slowly. "You're welcome Rose." Turning back to his work as she settles down with baby to study the data pads.