Lovin' the support!

Don't own Transformers!


Chapter 8

To hear his lover's gruff voice was more than Optimus had dreamed he would ever hear again. He had thought that he was never going to see Ratchet again, much less hear his voice. It did more good for Optimus's spark than anything else could have.

Ratchet was looking up at the Prime in shock. The last thing he remembered was being a Decepticon prisoner. He had known that his energy levels were getting dangerously low. He had thought that his systems would have shut down by now with all of the injuries he had had. He knew without a doubt that his self-repair wouldn't have been able to do much because of the low energy levels he had. Ratchet couldn't believe that he was staring up into his lover's optics.

Optimus held Ratchet's hand slightly tighter, making sure that he didn't hurt Ratchet with his grip. "It's all right, Ratchet. You're safe now. You're back home."

"How did you find me?" Ratchet didn't think that the Autobots knew he was alive, so he was sure that it wouldn't have been a rescue attempt.

By some miracle, Optimus managed to keep his wince internal. That was one conversation that he really didn't want to have to have with Ratchet right then.

"Don't worry about it right now, Ratchet. You're here now. That's all that matters right now." Optimus told him.

Ratchet couldn't believe that he was back at the Autobot base. More than that, he couldn't believe that his lover was right there beside him. It made it seem more real.

Ratchet's thoughts then turned to a matter that was rather urgent. "Orion, the sparkling. Is it all right?" He was deathly worried about the sparkling. He wasn't sure if he would be able to deal with it if he had lost the sparkling.

"Don't worry, Ratchet. The sparkling is fine. Wheeljack and Skyfire have been taking good care of both of you." Optimus assured him. Thinking of the two, Optimus realized that he probably needed to contact one of them and let them know. :Wheeljack?:

:Prime, is everything all right?: There was a tinge of worry to Wheeljack's voice.

:I believe so. Ratchet's awake.:

:Awake? I wasn't expecting him to wake up until some time tomorrow. I'll come and see him now.:

Optimus cut the link before turning his attention to Ratchet once more.

Ratchet watched him a moment before he tried to sit up.

Optimus easily forced him to lie back again. "Ratchet, you don't need to try to get up yet. You've been through a lot. Wheeljack's on his way here, and he's going to check you out."

"I can't believe that you let the inventor take care of me. I mean, everything he touches seems to explode." Ratchet pointed out.

Optimus smiled behind his mask. He was glad to hear that because it meant that Ratchet was somewhat normal.

A moment later, Wheeljack entered the room. "Well, glad to see you decide to join the land of the functional, Ratch."

"I'm glad I'm still functional after having your work on me." Ratchet retorted.

Wheeljack snickered. He loved hearing that.

Optimus stepped back to let Wheeljack work.

"Never thought I'd be putting my life in your hands." Ratchet muttered.

"Well, there wasn't anyone else who could have done it. Good thing you insisted that Skyfire and I learn some medical knowledge. Probably the only thing that kept all of us online while you were gone." Wheeljack told him.

"And you said it was useless to teach you."

"I stand corrected."

Optimus smiled. The light banter between the two wasn't uncommon, and it was welcomed.

"Well, you seem to be healing nicely. Still will take a little time, but you should be back on your feet before you're taken off of them again by the sparkling coming." Wheeljack stated.

"Yeah. I figured as much." Ratchet replied.

"You were pretty lucky."

"More like lucky I'm the one who taught you and Skyfire." Ratchet retorted.

"True enough." Wheeljack agreed.

Optimus had remained silent and was glad to hear that Ratchet was doing well.

Ratchet sat up then and Wheeljack didn't stop him.

"As I'm sure you know, you're banned from the infirmary until further notice. Unless you're a patient in it, of course." Wheeljack stated.

"I'd argue with you on that point, but I don't have the strength. Give me a few days and we'll argue that point." Ratchet told him.

"Sure thing. I see no reason why you can't return to your quarters as long as you take it easy and get some rest." Wheeljack then turned to Optimus. "If you'll help him to his quarters, I'll let him go back there."

Optimus nodded. "Of course."

Wheeljack looked to Ratchet. "I'll come and check on you in the morning. Just make sure to get some rest. You need it."

"Sure thing, doc."

Wheeljack smirked behind his mask. He was glad to hear that sarcastic attitude again. Now, when he heard the mech yelling and swearing, he's know that the mech was back to normal.

With a little help from Optimus and Wheeljack, Ratchet got off of the examination table and back onto his feet. He was a little unsteady, but Optimus kept a firm hand on his arm, making sure that he didn't fall. Ratchet figured that it might be a little time before his equilibrium was calibrated. Given his injuries, he knew that would take a while to take effect.

Optimus made sure to keep a firm hand on Ratchet as they left medbay together.

Wheeljack stood and watched them go. He had been expecting it to be a few more days before Ratchet actually woke up, but he was glad that the medic did wake up. That sarcasm was refreshing because it meant that Ratchet was slowly getting back to normal.

Since Wheeljack knew that he wasn't going to be getting back into recharge any time soon, as happy as he was, he figured that he might as well get the infirmary back into the order Ratchet keeps it in. No need in having Ratchet coming after his head once he was back in the infirmary because things weren't the way Ratchet had left them.


Optimus had been walking down the hall by Ratchet, and he had easily noticed that Ratchet was moving a great deal slower than he normally did. Optimus also saw that Ratchet had staggered a few times. Ratchet had tried to hide it, but Optimus saw it. He chose to say nothing at all.

Optimus was fighting the increasing urge to simply pick Ratchet up and carry him to their quarters, but he knew that Ratchet would have been cursing up a storm at him for such a thing. Optimus did wrap his other arm around Ratchet's waist to keep him up and steady and to make sure that he didn't fall on their way back.

If Ratchet had any issues with it, he didn't show it. He simply allowed Optimus to hold his weight up as they walked.

Optimus was grateful that they didn't pass any of the other Autobots on their way. As much as Optimus was glad to have every Autobot on his team, he knew that they would want to stop and talk to Ratchet, but what Ratchet needed was to get off his feet and back into recharge, which was what Optimus was going to make sure that the medic did.

Soon, they arrived at their quarters.

As soon as the doors closed behind them, Ratchet stopped fighting the rising fatigue that he felt and simply allow himself to sag against Optimus, knowing that his lover could easily hold him up.

"I've got you." Optimus assured him. He led Ratchet over to the berth and had him sit down.

"Thanks." Ratchet muttered. He was exhausted despite the hours of recharge that he had spent recovering, but he'd need a lot more to get back to a hundred percent.

"You know that I don't mind, Ratchet. I'd have been more than willing to simply carry you here." Optimus told him.

Ratchet snorted. "Last thing I need is for the Twins or Jazz to see you carrying me down the hall. I'd never hear the end of it. Not to mention the fact that we agreed no showing off the fact that we are bonded in front of the men."

Optimus wrapped his arms around Ratchet before pulling him close. "Truth be told, I honestly couldn't care less what they think now, Ratchet."

Normally, Ratchet would have glared at Optimus for a remark like that if he wasn't so tired. "I'm sure that they could all go through their whole lives without seeing their leader carrying me."

Optimus chuckled. "No one would care. Besides, most would understand given how exhausted you are."

"Yeah. I suppose." Ratchet agreed.

"Besides," Optimus added, resting his chin on Ratchet's helm, "I spent the last four weeks thinking that you were dead. I could hardly care what any of them thought at the moment."

The softly spoken words spoke volumes to Ratchet. The amount of emotion in that deep voice told Ratchet more than enough. He pulled away slightly to look Optimus in the optics. "I'm sorry. I know that it couldn't have been easy on you."

"It doesn't matter. You're here now, and that's what matters. You couldn't have known, anyway. And there's nothing for you to be sorry about." Optimus told him.

"I suppose so." Ratchet could easily see that things had been hard on his lover. He wanted to say something to make it better, but he was too tired to really think of what to say.

"You don't have to say anything." Optimus murmured. He knew Ratchet well enough to know that Ratchet wanted to say something, anything, to make him feel better. But Optimus already felt far better than he had in weeks. "Just having you back here is more than enough for me."

Ratchet looked back up into Optimus's optics.

Optimus reached out and placed a gentle hand on Ratchet's cheek strut, which Ratchet leaned in to. Optimus then leaned down and gently pressed his lips to Ratchet's. Ratchet sighed into the kiss as he started to kiss Optimus back.

Optimus kept the kiss light and gentle, simply conveying how much he loved the medic in his arms in that one action.

Ratchet let out a groan when Optimus pulled away.

Optimus chuckled. "You need to rest, Ratchet. Doctor's orders."

"I am a doctor." Ratchet muttered.

"I'm sorry, but for the time being, Wheeljack is your doctor." Optimus told him.

"For once, I'm not arguing with you about recharge. I need it, and the sparkling needs it." Ratchet glanced at Optimus. "And I get the feeling that you probably do, too."

Optimus winced at that. He knew that he hadn't recharged well since losing Ratchet. He never did recharge well when he didn't have Ratchet in the berth with him. And he hadn't recharged well the night before given the fact that he was so worried about Ratchet and was recharging in the floor by the table Ratchet was on.

"I thought as much." Ratchet stated. He wasn't about to go into doctor mode on Optimus. He didn't have the strength or the will power to. "Just get some rest, too."

"Of course." Optimus wasn't about to deny Ratchet anything at this moment. He'd probably do anything that Ratchet wanted him to. This time, Optimus merely moved them so that they were both lying on the berth so that they could get some rest.

Ratchet rested his head on Optimus's chest and released a contented sigh. He listened to the gentle vibration of Optimus's spark in his chest as he drifted off into recharge.

Optimus hadn't been surprised by how quickly Ratchet slipped into recharge. He had kept an eye on Ratchet vitals with his scanners and found that Ratchet was beyond tired. He knew that Ratchet needed to get some rest, for both his sake and the sparkling. Listening to Ratchet's even venting was settling to Optimus. It let him know that Ratchet was here again.

Optimus ran a hand gently down Ratchet's back. He was just glad to have the medic now.

Optimus knew that things were going to change now. After all, having a sparkling changed things for any bonded pair. One thing that Optimus did know was that there were few on the base who were going to be opposed to having a sparkling around. In fact, many of them would be happy about it once he corrected them on the lineage of the sparkling. Not one of them were going to oppose it once they found out that the sparkling was Optimus's.

Of course, Optimus didn't mind those changes at all. He was looking forward to them. He just hoped that Ratchet got completely back to normal soon.

Optimus found himself slowly drifting into recharge himself with his arms wrapped firmly, but gently around Ratchet's form. For the first time in a while, Optimus had a peaceful recharge, not plagued with the pain he had had to endure for so long.


Wheeljack was in the infirmary the next morning. He had gotten recharge, but had returned to the infirmary. Primus knew that it was going to take forever for him to get the infirmary back into Ratchet's order, but he'd rather get that done before Ratchet got back to the infirmary. After all, Wheeljack would prefer to face Megatron one on one than ever deal with a pissed of Ratchet. And given the fact that carrying a sparkling normally made the mech much more emotional and explosive, Wheeljack didn't want to face that. Ratchet was bad enough on his own without the added effect of carrying to add to that anger.

Skyfire walked into the infirmary and was surprised by the fact that there was no patient in the room. "Wheeljack, where is Ratchet?" He was concerned that something had happened during the night.

"Ratchet woke up last night. Prime contacted me and told me. I checked him over and decided that he was well enough that he could go back to his quarters last night. Primus knows that he would recharge better there." Wheeljack answered.

"How did he seem?" Skyfire asked.

"There were no fits of yelling, if that's what you mean." Wheeljack responded, organizing the tools in the cabinets.

"I'm sure not. We would have all heard it if Ratchet had been yelling." Skyfire replied with a smile.

Wheeljack smiled himself. "Yeah. You can hear Ratchet yelling from anywhere in the base. There was that sarcasm of his last night. That's for sure. I also know that he was beyond exhausted. Since Prime was there, I just had him help Ratchet back to their quarters. Figured it'd do Ratch some good to recharge in his own quarters. I'm going to head over there in a bit to check on him."

"I believe that that's for the best. Ratchet would be back to work already if you didn't get him out of the infirmary." Skyfire stated.

"Honestly, I don't think Ratchet would have started working right away. He was pretty tired. Give him a few days and he'll be arguing with me over being kept out of his infirmary." Wheeljack stated.

Skyfire looked around and noticed something. "Cleaning up?"

"More like fixing things back the way Ratchet had them. Primus knows I don't want to face Ratchet's wrath if he comes in here to find that everything is messed up." Wheeljack asked.

"Talk about an explosion. I'd prefer facing a Decepticon attack over that." Skyfire stated.

"Same here."


Optimus came out of his recharge feeling a great deal better than he had in a while. He was more rested and relaxed than he could remember. He glanced down and noticed that Ratchet was still deep in recharge. It wasn't a surprise given how tired Ratchet had been the night before.

Optimus checked his internal chronometer and found that he still had a little time before his shift was supposed to start. He had the time to just lay here with Ratchet, enjoying the fact that he had his bonded back.

And that's just what he did. He gently ran a finger down Ratchet's back struts. He had always enjoyed doing this before, but now, he savored every moment of it. Knowing how it had nearly destroyed him when he thought that Ratchet had been killed, he had decided that he wasn't going to waste another moment ever again.

Once more, Optimus couldn't help thinking about how beautiful the medic was to him. Ratchet had a frame that often could be admired. Optimus had seen some of the mechs on the base now admiring that frame. He'd be jealous if he wasn't so secure in his relationship with Ratchet. Listening to Ratchet talk tended to send shivers down Optimus's spinal column as well. And Ratchet's temper. Sometimes that temper irked Optimus to no end, but he knew that that was one of the things that he also loved about Ratchet. Ratchet's explosions were his way of showing that he cared about the other mechs on the base. Of course, explosions of Ratchet's temper made their time in the berth more enjoyable as well. Particularly when he had a frustrating day in the medbay. It usually ended in Ratchet being rather rough in the berth, not that Optimus minded at all.

Optimus allowed his hand to drift from Ratchet's back to his chassis as he was once again reminded of the fact that the sparkling was his. He had not thought that he and Ratchet would have a sparkling any time soon, but now they were. It made him glad that the Decepticons had not done any damage to the sparkling while they had had Ratchet.

That caused a frown to cross Optimus's face. He knew that he was going to have to get Ratchet to tell him everything that happened. Not just because they were bonded, and Optimus didn't want them to keep secrets, but because as the Autobot commander, he had to know things like that.

A part of Optimus knew that he probably didn't want to know what had happened, but he knew that he needed to know. Optimus knew Ratchet, and he knew that if he didn't force Ratchet to talk about what happened, it would eat at the medic until he finally either had a complete emotional meltdown or a major temper tantrum.

A knock on the door brought Optimus out of his thoughts. Gently, he moved Ratchet as little as he could so that he could get up.

Ratchet didn't wake up.

Optimus made his way over to the door and opened it.

Wheeljack was outside. "Sorry to disturb you, Prime, but I thought I'd check on Ratchet."

"He's still in recharge." Optimus told him.

"I don't need him awake to check on him." Wheeljack assured him.

Optimus stepped aside and let Wheeljack into the room.

Wheeljack started to run some scans. "Do you know how he rested last night?"

"He recharged fine. No bad dream cycles that I am aware of." Optimus replied.

"Okay. He's doing pretty well, all things considered. Like I said before, his recovery will be slower because he is carrying, but not so much that it's a danger to him." Wheeljack then turned back to face Optimus. "And I wasn't kidding last night when I told him that he's get back on his feet just in time for the coming of the sparkling to take him back off his feet. He'll probably have the sparkling around the time he heals from all this."

"I understand, Wheeljack. Thank you." Optimus realized that he needed to get to his duties, but he didn't particularly want to leave Ratchet alone.

"Go on to your duties, Prime. I'll stay here and keep an eye on Ratchet." Wheeljack told him.

"Are you sure?" Optimus asked.

"Positive. Go on. He'll be fine." Wheeljack assured him.

"Thank you, Wheeljack." Optimus knew that Ratchet would be fine in Wheeljack's hands. He knew that Wheeljack would keep him safe. Which was the only reason that he left to get to his duties.


Slowly, Ratchet came out of recharge. He was a bit groggy, as was usual when he surfaced from recharge, particularly one where he had been completely exhausted.

The first thing that Ratchet became aware of was the fact that Optimus was not with him. That thought sent him into a near panic.

What if it was just a dream cycle? What if the Autobots had never found him? What if he was still a prisoner of Megatron's? What would happen to him? The sparkling?

A hand on his shoulder caused Ratchet to flinch. He was too accustomed to pain coming along with any kind of touch.

"Ratch? Ratch, turn on your optics and looked at me."

The familiar voice of his best friend reached Ratchet's processors, and he tentatively onlined his optics and looked to his right.

Wheeljack looked at his friend, worried. He had noticed Ratchet's vitals spike as if he was having a panic attack. He had also noticed how tense his friend had become. He had been shocked when Ratchet flinched from his touch, but considering all he had been through, Wheeljack couldn't say he was surprised. Now that Ratchet's optics were online, Wheeljack spoke again. "It's okay, pal. You're fine. It's just me." He was trying to calm his friend down. If Ratchet didn't calm down soon, he was going to contact Optimus and ask him to come back.

Ratchet noticed that Wheeljack was beside him, and he noticed that he was in his quarters at the Autobot base. He was home. He was safe. He wasn't in danger. He vented air a few times in an attempt to calm himself down. It worked.

Wheeljack relaxed once Ratchet's vitals started going back to normal. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I guess I just forgot I was home." Ratchet replied.

Wheeljack frowned. He knew Ratchet better than that. He sat down on the berth by his friend. "Now try to whole truth."

Ratchet hesitated before speaking. "I didn't feel Or-Optimus here with me. I guess I started panicking. I was wondering if maybe it was just a dream cycle and I was still trapped."

"I understand that, Ratch. You've been through a great deal. No one would fault you for being jumpy." Wheeljack told him.

Ratchet nodded. His hand ventured to his chest without really thinking about it.

Wheeljack noticed this but said nothing. Given what Ratchet had been through, he knew that protecting the sparkling was going to be foremost in his mind for quite some time.

The two lapsed into quiet for a few moments.

Wheeljack, always unsettled when there was silence, spoke. "Ratch, I hope I'm not dragging up bad memories here, but I need to ask something."

Ratchet glanced over at Wheeljack.

"I just-I need to know if-while you were capture, if you ever-were forced into an interface." It wasn't an easy question to ask, and Wheeljack just wasn't sure if he wanted the answer.

"No. That never happened." Ratchet answered.

"Good." Wheeljack leaned back. "Skyfire and I didn't find any signs of it, so we didn't think that you were injured in that way. We just couldn't be sure."

"I wasn't." Ratchet assured him.

"I'm sure that Prime will be happy to hear that, too." Wheeljack stated.

Ratchet looked at his friend. He knew that he could ask Wheeljack anything and Wheeljack would give him a straight answer. "'Jack, how did Optimus handle it? Thinking I was dead?"

Wheeljack glanced at Ratchet. "Honestly? Not well. He hid it well, but we all knew he was hurting. There was no denying that. We all tried to be careful with what we said, but it didn't take much to remind him of you. It was killing him."

Ratchet nodded. He had thought as much.

"He going to be fine now that he has you back, and knowing that you're carrying his sparkling does him a lot more good." Wheeljack stated.

Ratchet looked at his friend oddly.

Sensing the questioning gaze, Wheeljack continued. "When we first got you back here, Skyfire and I examined you and found out that you were carrying a sparkling. We leapt to conclusions and thought the sparkling was a result of a forced interface."

"'Jack, please tell me you didn't tell him." Ratchet couldn't even begin to imagine what Optimus must be thinking right now.

"We did. Sorry, but it was a logical conclusion. Skyfire and I were doing further tests and scans yesterday when you were stable, and we found that the sparkling was already six weeks into gestation. Since you were trapped for four, we figured out that it was Prime's, and he already knows that tidbit." Wheeljack assured him.

"Good." Ratchet didn't want Optimus thinking that the sparkling wasn't his because it was.

"Prime's going to be fine now, Ratchet. Trust me. He was a lot better off once he knew that you were alive. Even more so once he knew that you were going to survive."

Ratchet nodded.

"The question is are you okay."

"'Jack, I'm fine. I'll recover."

"I meant emotionally." Wheeljack clarified.

Ratchet was silent. He knew how damaging going through Decepticon torture could be. He could feel the effects now. He was fearful, even sitting here with his friend. He wasn't afraid the night before because he knew that Optimus wasn't going to let anything happen to him. He felt safe with Optimus. Now, he was scared. A feeling Ratchet wasn't accustomed to.

But Ratchet had a great deal of pride, and he would never admit to anything like that. He couldn't. He hated seeming weak for any reason. So he gave Wheeljack the answer the scientist expected. "I'll be fine."

Wheeljack wasn't so sure. He could already see the effects of what had happened. "Ratch, that's a boldface lie, and you know it."

Ratchet hesitated.

"But I won't push you. I get why you don't want to talk about it. You're you, and you're not going to burden others with your own pain. You prefer to carry your emotional pain alone. This you can't, though. You're a medic. You know this."

Ratchet did know that. He had counseled many mechs who had gone through something similar. It was so different when it was him having to deal with it. He had a new respect for those that were able to get past it.

"If you don't want to talk to me about it, that's fine. Just don't bury it all inside. Talk to Optimus about it. Of all mechs, he does understand. He's been in your place before. Let him in. You can't keep it buried." Wheeljack received no response. "If not for yourself, then for the sake of the sparkling. The stress won't do either of you any good."

The guilt worked.

"I'll talk to him about it." Ratchet promised him.

"Good. As long as I'm stuck babysitting for the day, how about a game?" Wheeljack asked.

Ratchet smiled. "Sure."


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