The next morning, Chloe was released from Ratchet's care. She hadn't said a word since the horrific events that had happened only the day before. Optimus was acting almost as if he was sedated, quiet and unmoving where he had been left by Ratchet. No one had the heart or spark to make him move. Before Jazz took Chloe back to their quarters though, he slipped a cube of Energon into Optimus' hand with a look of sympathy. Optimus merely nodded slightly in appreciation before going back to staring at a patch on the far wall, his aqua-blue optics flickering with a lack of rest.
"Prime, I know ev'ryone else ain't gonna say this but I'm gonna: you gotta get some rest, Prime." Jazz said. He was the first to be able to get a response from his leader. Optimus just sighed depressively.
"Jazz, I know. But-" It shocked Jazz when he heard his leader's voice: raw, gritty and full of exhaustion. He had refused to leave Alexis' side, even when Prowl threatened the brig and Ratchet threatened 'Punishment By Wrench'. "- I want to be here when – if – Alexis wakes." Jazz's shoulders sagged slightly at the Prime's unbelievable stubbornness, but before the recharge-deprived mech could see he quickly straightened, readjusted Chloe's sleeping form in his arms and left Optimus to himself.
A few weeks passed with no signs of improvement. Ratchet, after getting fed up with Optimus just staying around Alexis' dormant form, made a rule for the Prime. Rest on the floor, or get out. Unfortunately for him, Optimus just chose the first option.
"Prime! You cannot just sit there and recharge!" Ratchet raved and ranted, "I NEED the Medbay! For the WOUNDED! NOT the MOURNING or DEPRESSED!"
Optimus didn't say a word, only continued to stare into space as he thought sombrely about what could possibly happen if Alexis didn't wake up. Then it occurred to him: he had never told Alexis he loved her. He was too afraid that she would reject him or that she wasn't ready. But he was Prime, and Primes aren't afraid of anything. Or, at least, they were supposed to be. Optimus then realised that he hadn't bonded to Alexis yet, not since they had first started showing their feelings, however small, for each other. 'It has gone all wrong' Optimus thought sadly as he looked up again at Alexis' limp state.
"Optimus? Are you even listening to me?" Ratchet demanded. The Autobot leader didn't even look at him. The medic threw his hands in the air in defeat and exaspiration as he left the subdued Prime to himself, again. "I give up! I GIVE up!" Ratchet grouched as he stormed from the Medbay, yelping in shock when he nearly stood on Chloe. Ratchet then knelt down to the girl and said quietly to her, "If you want to talk to Optimus, you won't get a response from him." Ratchet advised as he stood up again, his servos and gears whining and screeching in protest.
"Sure thing Ratchet." Chloe replied shakily, still recovering from nearly being stood on again, and continued into the Medbay anyway. Ratchet stared at the techno-organic as she approached Optimus, dumbfounded.
"OH FOR THE LOVE OF PRIMUS! I GIVE UP!" Ratchet shouted as he resumed storming down the corridor. Chloe and Optimus didn't even give him a second glance.
Chloe walked right up to Optimus' hand that rested on the floor and placed a her hand on his. The Prime nearly jumped out of his armour when he felt the soft skin on his hard, battle-worn hand. He looked down and saw Chloe standing by his hand, smiling sadly up at him.
"Hello, Chloe. How are you?" Optimus asked, failing epically to hide the tremor in his voice as he remembered the destruction Chloe, although under Black Charade's control, had done. It hurt to think that she had injuried Alexis when the Xyleon was only trying to help Chloe by keeping the soldiers safe. And she had only gotten hurt because she had gotten away from both of her guardians. Himself included. Chloe was not solely at fault. He was as well. The thought sent a fresh wave of sadness and pain crashing through him.
"I'm... fine. You?" Chloe said in an almost strangled voice. Optimus looked away, unable to lie to her.
"I'm... not as fine as you." Optimus replied in a similar strangled voice as he tried to stop his pain and anger and sadness leak into his voice. Chloe gave a choked sound, something between a laugh and a sob. "Chloe?" Optimus asked; concerns raised at the girl.
"I'm fine, Prime." Chloe said, coughing a bit. Optimus shook his head, but fell silent. The last conversation that had gone along these lines hadn't ended well for him. "Has there been any change in Alexis' condition?" Chloe asked hesitantly, her hand still resting on Prime's.
"No. I'm... afraid for her," Optimus responded. Chloe could only stare at the Cybertronian; in all her time with the Autobots and NEST she had never heard Optimus, not once, say that he was afraid. Not under any circumstances. She felt about a hundred times worse. She leaned on his hand, trying her best to give him the comfort he wasn't getting from anyone else. That had been Alexis' job.
"Optimus, I'm sorry," Chloe said as Optimus shifted himself slightly, "I didn't mean to - I never - I-"
Before either could say anything more, something else dragged their attention away from the conversation. Alexis moved ever so slightly, and it was a sign for the best.
"Did she just-?" Chloe started, Optimus stood up suddenly and took the techno-organic with him, cutting her off mid-sentence. She clutched his hand tightly, fear sneaking into her despite the fact that she knew she was safe. Optimus then brought his hand, which just happened to be the one with Chloe clinging to it, around to Alexis' arm. Chloe scrambled off, choosing to drop the short distance to the berth rather than landing on the damaged blue skin of her friend's arm.
"Alexis?" Optimus said, his baritonal voice full of hope once again. Alexis' hand moved, and her head turned towards the sound of his voice.
"Keep talking," Chloe encouraged.
"Alexis, come on I know you can pull out of this." Optimus said, racking his processor for more things to say to her. "I know you can pull out of this, I believe in you so much." Optimus continued like this for a few minutes before he ran out of things to say. He looked towards Chloe for help, she just shrugged.
"Oh for spark's sake Prime! Just tell her!" Chloe blurted out before she could stop herself. Optimus' optics widened as he eventually realised what she meant.
"Alexis, I love you..." Optimus said.
Alexis' machines gave them warning seconds before her optics opened. The light that came from them was dim and tired, but neither truely cared. She was awake. Both Optimus and Chloe gave a cry of amazement as Alexis' optics flickered to their full blue light once more. She gently reached out until her fingertips brushed against the metal of Optimus' hand. "O-Optimus? C-Chloe?" Alexis croaked, her vocaliser still rebooting.
"We're right here," Optimus whispered, his voice soothing away any pain or fear. Chloe backed away, ashamed of intruding in their touching moment. But there was also shame in knowing that it was her fault for Alexis' going into a coma. Alexis, still half dead to the word, opened her hand as an invitation for Chloe.
"D-don't go," Alexis pleaded.
"I-I don't want - It was all my... f-fault," Chloe choked back a sob.
"No," Alexis responded. Tears were already starting to stream down her own face.
"Y-yes it was! It was my fault!" Chloe said, somehow managing to give herself a processor-ache. The skin on her lower arm started itching badly as the headache got worse. "Alexis, it WAS my fault! It was me that started the fire, it was me that started everything!" Chloe said, slamming her fist into her side, wincing as she did so. The itching on her arm was spreading, not to mention getting worse. She resisted the urge to scratch, but only for a second.
"Ow! Why the-" she stopped short as soon as she rolled up her sleeve. The sleek black metal covered her arm... but only her arm. Chloe moved it experimentally, panicking as if Black Charade would possess her at any given moment or possess her arm to do yet more damage.
But nothing happened.
Chloe gave her arm a confused look before dropping it back to the side.
"Chloe?" Optimus asked cautiously, wary of what could possibly happen.
"I don't know!" Chloe yelped, startled out of her reverie; she had been half panicking and half wondering as to why her arm had suddenly changed back into Black Charade's.
"Optimus," Alexis called. She took his hand with a pleading look. She wanted him to trust Chloe. Optimus looked into Chloe's optics for once, searching desperately for answers. Ones that he knew she wouldn't have. Chloe was forced to look away under Optimus' gaze. She quickly felt uncomfortable. But she did watch when he stepped away from the berth and put a hand to the side of his head. His optics dimmed, and she knew, from experience, that he was comming someone. Probably Ratchet, to let him know that his patient was alive after all.
"Chloe, are you ok?" Alexis asked carefully, hoping not to make her friend even more uncomfortable. Chloe gave her a look that was too hard for Alexis to read. The Xyleon's processor was still swimming.
"I'm f-fine..." Chloe replied nervously as the itching started up again, this time on her back and left leg.
"You're not," Alexis mumbled.
Chloe, with no option but to tell the truth, leaned in to Alexis and said very quietly, "No, I'm not. You're right... that metal is covering my left leg and back." Chloe winced as a slight burning sensation started up on her hand, spreading from her wrist to her entire palm, then joining to the metal on her arm. Alexis only watched on, panic and worry building within her for her friend. The human techno-organic felt another burning on her leg, it was agony and Chloe let out a pained whimper as she collapsed to the berth - trying to ease or ignore the pain. "Ow, ow! Ah... ah! OW!" Chloe whimpered as the pain in her leg worsened.
"O-Optimus. Get Ratchet!" Alexis cried out, placing her hand around the girl, preventing her from falling off the berth; Chloe had accidentally shifted backwards towards the edge of the berth. Chloe gave a harsh scream, and Alexis winced. She gently ran a finger down Chloe's head, trying to keep the young girl calm.
"Shh, shh. It's ok Chloe, I've got you. You're ok," Alexis comforted. She looked into Optimus' optics for a moment, and to her horror, the Autobot leader turned and left the room.
The look on his face had said it all.
Alexis muffled a sob by putting her free hand to her mouth. But her thoughts were stuck on him. Not Chloe, who needed her help, but the expression Optimus had shown her. The anger. The frustration. The fear. All thrust at her at once, suffocating her. She had no choice. She knew what she would do when Chloe was safe again. How could she be so blind? Was she that unaware of what he felt? Did he mean any of what he'd said? She tried to force it back, but her spark was shattering. Something that she couldn't ignore. Why did she even wake up? There was no point.
Chloe's body shuddered violently, bringing Alexis back from her dark thoughts. "Chloe, it's alright, you're safe. I have you," Alexis gently said. Chloe shuddered again, a horrible noise coming from her throat. Alexis quickly identified it. Dry retching. The Xyleon glanced at the door, hoping for it to open to reveal Ratchet. What was taking him so long? The human dry retched again, almost bringing up the contents of her stomach.
"Alexis, I'm gonna... be... sick!" Chloe just managed to get out before she dry retched again. The Xyleon's optics darted around, looking for a bucket or something. Her optics rested on a bucket in the corner... but she couldn't get to it without leaving Chloe. Nor could she walk properly without causing herself pain.
Just then, like Primus had worked a miracle, Ratchet ran into the Medbay. He stopped when he saw Alexis sat up, gently rubbing Chloe's back. "Primus!" slipped from him before he could mute it. Alexis looked up, and he was suprised by the sheer volume of emotions swirling in the beautiful blue optics.
"Get a bucket," she told him.
"Wha-?" Ratchet gawked, puzzled at what the Xyleon was suddenly demanding. Then it clicked when he heard Chloe retch again. He hurried over to a counter, and pulled out a container. He handed it over to Alexis quickly who didn't bother trying to manage a smile. Chloe threw up in the container, reduced to a trembling sick mass while Alexis tried her best to comfort the girl. Ratchet quickly took over, knowing that Alexis would get sick herself soon if she watched Chloe throw up.
"R-Ratchet... I'm-" Chloe was cut off by another wave of nausea and sick escaping from her.
"Ew..." Ratchet muttered as he waited to move Chloe to another berth for scans. "Chloe, I need to move you so I can do internal scans." Ratchet said softly, kneeling down so he was optic-to-optic with the girl. The human said nothing, not even moving her head in fear of getting sick once more. Ratchet waited for Alexis to move back before gently scooping Chloe up in his hands. She was quickly placed on the berth with a new bucket.
"Mmmmm... urgh..." Chloe moaned as Ratchet scooped her up and placed her down again.
Ratchet briefly looked at his first patient while he set up the scans for the newest one. "Alexis, how long has she been like this?" Ratchet asked as he prepped the scanners and began the x-rays.
"Not long. A few minutes at most," Alexis replied. "I'm sorry, I don't come with a built in clock." Ratchet frowned at the answer and turned back to the now-pale form below him. His hard expression softened however when he saw how weak Chloe looked. The veteran medic frowned again when he saw the results of the multiple scans.
"What is it?" Alexis questioned.
"Her internal scan... it's... strange..." Ratchet murmured.
"I guessed that. But strange how?"
"It isn't organic anymore... at least, not entirely," Ratchet answered, printing off a scan for Alexis to look at.
"What?" Alexis asked when he leaned over the berth to hand it to her. For a few minutes, Alexis just stared at the scan without saying a word. Her optics met Ratchet's again, begging for him to explain what was happening. Ratchet could only return her gaze, looking as helpless and naive as she was. The Xyleon looked away quickly in an attempt to hide a wince. Unfortunately for her, she was tied up to monitors that alerted Ratchet. Ratchet looked at the monitors before running a scan. "Alexis, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Alexis told him. She looked up and gave him a small smile.
"Don't you slaggin' lie to me femme," Ratchet snapped. He moved to stand near Alexis, and paused as the scan stopped at her chest. "I have had enough of people lying to me!" Ratchet almost shouted. Alexis recoiled instantly. She winced again, and her hand went to her chest.
"I'm sorry," she whimpered. Things then became complicated for the lone mech; there was something wrong with Alexis and Chloe was becoming more Cybertronian by the second. He dashed between both patients, trying to do multiple things at once, when thankfully Lennox and Epps walked in after hearing the chains of curses erupting from the Medbay.
"Oh thank Primus! Lennox, Epps I need you two to help Chloe. Her body is rejecting the Cybertronian fluids her new systems need. I need to be dealing with Alexis." Ratchet ordered, both soldiers giving him confused looks before complying and dashing to the girl's side.
"Ratchet, what do you mean 'new systems?" Lennox asked as he sat Chloe up for her to be sick into the bucket again. She whimpered when she caught sight of blue patches in the bile. Lennox pulled a face and pulled her closer to him, rubbing her back to comfort her.
"Ratchet."
"What?"
"There's Energon in her sick."
Ratchet stopped dead. He shut his optics for a second before snapping them open and went to the girl's berth. "Chloe?" Ratchet called softly as he knelt down to her again, lifting her bowed head with a finger.
"Ugh... my head," was all she could say before she was sick again.
"Ratchet, what on Earth is going on?" Lennox asked. He looked from Chloe, who was getting sick, to Alexis, who was laying back trying to get her breathing back under control.
"Can one of you go find an Autobot? Any Autobot," Ratchet pleaded.
"I'll go," Epps volunteered. "Anyway bot you want more than another?"
"Don't get Prime or Jazz," Ratchet responded.
"Sure thing Ratch'," Epps darted out of the Medbay and carried out the medic's orders. Chloe couldn't help but be sick again as Lennox continued to comfort the ill girl.
Alexis' breathing became shallower and shallower as she faded in and out of consciousness. Cursing Primus himself, Ratchet moved back to the Xyleon.
"Alexis, can you hear me?" Ratchet said, shining a small light into her optics. Alexis shifted uncomfortably as her optics reacted to the light. The medic glanced towards the door. While he was used to having several patients at a time, he wasn't used to having to be with two patients who need him at the same time any more.
Chloe coughed throatily as traces of blue spilled from her mouth, landing in the bucket with a sickening sound. Lennox looked back up to Ratchet, blind panic in his eyes, when Chloe spoke, "Ratchet... What's h-happening to m-me?" For once, in all the time as a professional medic, Ratchet didn't have an answer.
The innocence and panic in Chloe's optics reminded Ratchet of how young the girl was, and how new she was to all of this. It wasn't her fault that this was happening and she didn't deserve this.
'Out of this "family" we have, Chloe is the youngest.' Ratchet thought, 'This isn't fair.' Ratchet suddenly became protective of the child for a couple of seconds, wanting to demand that Lennox stepped away and wanting desperately to hold Chloe and tell her that it was going to be ok. After all, Chloe almost viewed Ratchet as a parent in many ways than one. But a moan from the berth he was standing closest to kept him where he was. He helplessly looked at Chloe for a few more moments before turning his attention back to Alexis. Alexis' monitors displayed a sudden rise in her core body temperature.. . and it hadn't risen for the better.
"Slag it," Ratchet hissed. Thankfully, it was at that moment that the Medbay doors opened. Bumblebee and Epps entered, the Autobot quickly heading towards Ratchet. "Thank Primus! Could you have taken any longer?"
"Apologies... old friend... What's going on?" Bumblebee said through his usual way of radio clips.
"Chloe's body is changing into a Cybertronian one. And Alexis' spark is giving out. Pick a girl and help me," Ratchet responded.
"..." Bumblebee was silent for a long time, trying to find the right clips to use to reply to the elder mech's answer.
"Bumblebee! Stop worrying about the radio clips and help me already!" Ratchet cried out, impatience setting in quickly. Bumblebee jumped and stepped up to Alexis' side, seeing as Chloe had Epps and Will.
"What do you want... me to... do?"
"Just... keep her awake. I'm going to try and find what's wrong with both of them," Ratchet responded. He moved to Chloe's side, leaving Alexis in Bumblebee's care. Once more, Ratchet became protective again over Chloe. He battled hard to stop him from snapping at Lennox and Epps to get away from her. It pained him to see someone as young as her be in so much pain and discomfort; although he was a medic and was used to seeing things like this in Sparklings and Younglings, those stages of a lifecycle were much older than a human's lifespan. Much older. It pertubed him to see this before his old, war-hardened optics and it pertubed him more when Chloe had been sick again, this time though more Energon had come with the sick.
Thinking quickly, Ratchet searched on of the drawers for human medication. He found what he was looking for and turned back to Chloe. But the girl had slumped against Lennox, her optics shut tight. "Chloe!" Ratchet exclaimed, taking one long stride to the berth. Lennox was stroking Chloe's hair, murmuring comfort into her ears. Ratchet was consumed by blind panic as Chloe didn't stir from what appeared to be stasis or sleep. He forced himself to calm down, slipping back into 'medic mode' since freaking out wouldn't help either girl in this situation.
It was then that he noticed that tears were falling down her cheeks, an obvious sign she was still awake and in pain. Ratchet knelt down to her for the third time and spoke quietly to her,
"Chloe, I need you to sit up." Ratchet said as gently as he could without adding 'sweetspark' on the end, things were already weird as it was and they didn't need Ratchet going into 'fatherly mode' on them. Chloe moaned slightly and made a weak attempt to pry herself from Lennox's warmer body, the girl was so cold now, but failed and slumped against the soldier again.
"Ratch-Ratchet..." she started, but quickly fell silent again.
"Yes, Chloe?" Ratchet replied, his spark nearly melting at the eventual response
"It.. it h-hurts..." the girl's bottom lip trembled as she tried to bite back a whimper, but it just escaped. More tears cascaded down her cheeks as Ratchet handed a small syringe to Lennox. He nodded and brushed back Chloe's hair, then injected the medicine and painkillers into a vein in her neck.
"Ow..." Chloe mumbled as the needle invaded her body. She convulsed sharply as the needle left, a reaction to the medicines, her body trying to reject them like it was rejecting the much-needed Cybertronian fluids. Ratchet lifted the bucket and placed it back in her lap as she was sick again, yet more bright blue Energon spilling into the bucket.
"I know it hurts, Chloe, the best you can do now is let the painkillers and medicine work." Ratchet soothed, surprising Lennox, Epps and Bumblebee with the soft, caring tone of his voice.
"R-Ratchet?"
"Yes?
"I'm s-sorry I ran away f-from y-you that day..."
"It's alright Chloe," Ratchet said, the others in the room staring at him like he had blown a fuse but he ignored their stares, "I should have just allowed Alexis to help you, perhaps then you wouldn't have run off."
"I d-didn't mean to r-run... I was..." there was a long pause until Chloe had enough strength to speak again. "I was... scared..." She relaxed a bit as the medicine finally got to work and the painkillers targeted her stomach, legs and back, the burning sensation on them still going strong... much unlike their host.
"I know, Chloe. Why don't you get some rest. You need to get your strength back up," Ratchet said.
"K..." Chloe mumbled as she slowly slid her optics shut, relaxing completely against Lennox - who seemed to be slightly freaked out at the whole thing. Lennox shook off his surprised face and layed Chloe down onto the berth properly, where she could sleep more comfortably. Ratchet relaxed since his patient was resting happily, and no longer in pain. Then he remembered that Chloe wasn't the only one suffering.
"Frag..." he muttered as he turned to deal with the Xyleon, beginning to feel annoyed at her falling ill so often. Bumblebee moved out of the way, allowing Ratchet access to his patient. She was sweating, and shifting in discomfort, giving an occasional moan. It was clear that she wasn't quite awake, but she wasn't in stasis either. Her spark was beating at a much slower pace than normal, and it had Ratchet concerned.
"Ratchet... what is... going on... with... her?" Bumblebee asked anxiously.
"It seems that the smoke did more damage than I'd thought. Her body is already at a fragile balance when she's healthy," Ratchet responded. Then an idea formed in Ratchet's processor. It was risky, considering neither would go for it, but if it saved another life...
"Where are you going?" Bumblebee asked as Ratchet moved away and started towards the doors at a near jog, suddenly nervous at being left alone with a patient in a near-critical condition, "What are you... planning?"
"With luck," said Ratchet from the doorway, "A miracle." With that said, Ratchet disappeared through the door, leaving three very confused males behind.
"What duh fuuuuuuuuuuu-" Epps started, only to be clanged on the head by an empty bucket by Lennox.