Hey you guys! Wow, I've been holding my promise for 3 weeks now! A update every week. Sorry for the delay last week, thought I had updated it already, but I apparently forgot. But, I have decided that it will go in this order. Courage and Fear, Sisterhood, and then The Meaning update. I don't hope any of you mind – but this is how it will go for quite some time. I think you are spoiled rotten!
I don't own Transformers. R & R!
"What do you mean Sarah, that is ridiculous. There is nothing wrong with her beside… the usual." Ratchet stated. "Please, do not bring us bad news in the midst of joy."
"I'm sorry Ratch, but this really can't wait." Sarah said with trembling voice, and looked around to make sure that nobody heard her. No one was in sight, so she walked back to Claire's room, and eyed her through the window.
She looked as if she was in no pain, but everybody knew it was a secret not very well kept. They said that laughter is the best medicine, but to most of the Autobot family, mostly Optimus Prime, it is also the best disguise. None but he knew the true pain she was in, as she never, ever let her smile fade.
Sarah was sure though, that the smile faded when around her love.
She turned around and leaned her aching body on the glass, and took a deep sigh, ignoring how Ratchet said her name over and over.
"She forgot Optimus…"
Ratchet immediately ceased his talking, and went silent for longest amount of time Sarah had ever heard him be.
"Ratch?"
"This will crush him more than her death. You know that."
"How can't I? The thought of her simply forgetting her love, and he, just merely watching as he desperately holds on to what is slipping out of his hands… is devastating to us all."
"But most devastating to the memory in front of her."
Although knowing that he could not see her, Sarah nodded in agreement.
"When are you home?"
"We will hurry as much as we ca-"
"How long Ratchet?" Sara hissed.
"Don't get that tone with me human. You know it took us seven earth days."
Sarah rubbed her temples in fake annoyance.
"Yes, I remember now… I forgot, for a second. But then, I must urge the lot of you to hurry. Alzheimer's is no joke."
"I never said it was Sarah. Should we tell him?"
Sarah pondered over this for long, and she rubbed her temples again.
"I need to think about that. Whether yes or no, I need time to think."
"You know you have seven days."
With that, the conversation ended, and Sarah knew where to go.
Her aged fingers pressed the cellular phone, which gratefully had been modified so, that she could text any Autobot she liked, as one of the communication links they all had.
Bee, urgent.
What's the matter?
Sara rolled her eyes, and pressed the buttons a little harder.
I will tell you whenever you get your aft over here!
You've gotten mean on your older days. Where?
She ignored the comment, and wondered where it would be best for them to meet, and discuss the issue at hand.
In the conference room.
That was the only place that Sarah could recall was where they could discuss this undisturbed.
When?
Race?
You're on!
Although an old woman, Sarah was still one to fool around whenever she got the chance. This little race was a perfect example of this, and she rushed through all of the halls to get there first. But, when she get there, with her breath uneven, a triumphant and minimized Bumblebee stood before her.
"This is surely not like the old days. You used to beat me countless time."
Sarah huffed loudly as she stood bend over to regain her breath, before she looked to him and smiled widely.
"Well, I don't suppose that Optimus will slow down, even when he is so old as he is. Different with us, and you know that, silly."
"I do, I do. How awful it must be, to grow old and slow." He responded, and politely held the door, which Sarah entered, giving a nod as a thank you.
"Oh hush, you make it sound so bad." Sarah said, and sat down on a chair. She gestured towards the chair in front of her, separated by a large table. Fondly, Bumblebee ran his hand over the table, staring at the symbol that represented the organization of N.E.S.T.
"Why did you call me here?" He asked, his hand never leaving the symbol he fought for.
Sarah sighed heavily, and reached out for Bumblebee's hand.
"Listen. Claire forgot Optimus today. I had to explain her, not much though, before she remembered who he is."
"Sarah, you cannot mean this. You know, as well as I, that those two will only forget each other, when they have passed." Bumblebee laughed nervously. "What, do you think that Megatron wiped her memory?"
"Bumblebee, this is no time to joke! This is serious, and can only be one thing."
"What?"
Sarah took a sigh, and stood up, facing the wall. Bumblebee stood aswell, and placed himself next to her.
"Alzheimers."
He didn't hesitate to look it up on the world wide web, a thing that he had grown fondly of every since arriving at Earth more than 5 decades ago.
"'Alzheimer's is a brain disease that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.'"
"I know."
"I don't think we've ever encountered such thing on Cybertron. How dreadful, to lose one's memory."
Sarah nodded, and crossed her arms.
"To forget the one you love the most, and the life you've lived. The friends you've had. The things you have achieved. Everything is just… gone."
"Awful…" he mumbled, and gently pulled her arms apart, as he had noticed she had begun pinching herself. "But why are you telling me?"
She turned to him with a sigh.
"This will hurt one of us more than we can imagine, and I need to ask you, what you think would be the right thing to do."
"I believe, that we need to discuss this besides you and I. This is not a decision to take without all of us."
"Bumbles, I think it's best to keep it a secret to most of us. I might tell William, but that is all."
"Sarah, you can't be serious. This affects everybody, and we can't keep it a secret to the entire base. If Will was on a mission, and you received this horrible disease, would you rather him go without knowing?"
She thought about this for a second, before she was sure about her answer.
"I would, but I would wait till one of my trusted ones told him, whenever he got home. This is not something that the entire base should know of, but only Claire and Optimus himself. Not something to be shared, but to be kept secret until Optimus returns. Then, he will be the one to decide to share it with the others."
Bumblebee shook his head in annoyance.
"Sarah, you can't mean this! What about Will, Ironhide, the twins and the others? Do they not deserve to know that everybody's' 'grandmother', is dying? This is not your decis-"
"But Bumbl-"
"Let me finish please," he spat, and turned his back on her, before continuing in a softer and lower voice, "This is not your decision to take. We can't fool the others, making them believe that it's the cancer eating her up, when it's one more thing. How will they found out? One day when she suddenly forgets which one is Skids, and which one is Mudflap? Or who is Sideswipe, or Sunstreaker? Or thinks that you are her daughter, when you are actually older? We got to let the others know."
"But, what would Optimus feel about being tricked? To know, that his friends knew that his love was forgetting him, but he was the last one to know?"
Sarah calmly asked, and stood next to him, feeling slightly smug. She had him cornered, and they both knew. He shook his head.
"I don't like this. Not one bit."
"Me neither, but it's necessary."
"Will you go tell Will then?"
"No. It's only you, I and Ratchet that knows. Perhaps her doctor too, I need to speak with him too."
"Please do. I would like to know how he have not noticed this earlier." Bumblebee venomously said.
"Likewise. Thank you for discussing this with me Bumblebee."
"Anytime love."
They quickly embraced, before going their own separate ways. Bumblebee was heading towards whatever, while Sarah intended to search out Claire's doctor immediately.
"Yes, mrs. Lennox, how can I help you?"
Dr. Michael Barreto was a kind man, but he was young. So young, and perhaps so inexperienced that it was nearly impossible for him to recognize the symptoms of the disease. Sarah however, tried not to blame him as much, although she wished that he had a proper reason, for missing the symptoms.
"Doctor, I'm afraid I bring bad news."
His young face quickly frowned, as it often did whenever someone brought him bad news. Then again, she thought, who ever liked getting bad news?
"A couple of hours ago, Claire forgot about Optimus Prime. I'm sure you know of this situation, and it is indeed rather odd to me. You do not simply forget about the ones you love, and especially not a giant robot from an alien planet."
Barreto's frown only got deeper, but there was also a blush coming on his cheeks. Sarah was no fool, and the older woman quickly observed it.
"Why are you blushing?"
The young man took a deep breath, before speaking.
"Well… ehm… you see, um… This has been going on for quite some time, but apparently have gotten worse. I thought, at first it was just bad memory. I still took some brain scannings, and this is the result."
At first, Sarah couldn't believe his nerve, but she took her time to look at the pictures presented before her. She squinted her eyes to see the pictures better, and noticed how pieces of the brain had shrunk, and some had enlarged. Infuriated, Sarah turned to the doctor.
"How can you have missed such a vital thing?"
The young doctor stuttered wildly, and knew not what to say.
"Answer me you incompetent youngster! How! Did you miss this?" she yelled.
"I don't know! Okay! I didn't know! I was just thinking it was her own bad memory."
"If you knew Claire well, you would know she never forgets. I have never heard her say 'I don't remember', or anything of the like." She hissed, and paced around the room.
The doctor stood there, dumbfounded and fiddling with his fingers.
"Just, go. Find another base to kill someone, and you better not mention a word of what you have seen here." She whispered, and felt the tears coming along. They began falling down her cheeks, as if buckets of water needed to be released from her eyes.
As the doctor didn't move, Sarah stepped towards him, inches from his face.
"GO!" she yelled so loudly that her voice bounces off the walls. Michael said nothing, only flinched and stormed out of his office.
Tears of sadness and fury rolled down her cheeks, and enraged, she pushed all of the doctor's papers aside, and the ones she was able to grab as they flew through the air, she viciously tore apart. Although an elder lady, Sarah was young at heart, full of energy, and thus, nothing held her back. When his entire office was a mess, with papers flying everywhere, she sat down, and cried.