I do not own Transformers. I only own Lotus. Enjoy...
Lotus mumbled into Drift's neck cables when Ratchet tried to pull her from him. Fortress Maximus had only just finished his slaughter of the two 'Cons.
Lotus's mind was overcome with thoughts that said if Fort Max knew she and Drift were ex-Decepticons, then he would rip them apart just as painfully. She was minorly aware of Drift's arm moving around her, and Ratchet's hands trying to gently pull her away, but all of her hearing was gone.
Ratchet shook his head. He lifted both of them into his arms and balanced carefully, setting them down on a berth together.
Lotus curled up into Drift's arms when he weakly set them over her head and over her body protectively.
Lotus felt her stomach tanks flip-flopping. Dangerously close to throwing up, she felt something she hadn't in hundreds of years-the fear of getting sick. She clenched her stomach muscles and shook, trying to keep from heaving out the meager food in there.
She wondered briefly if this was how others felt when they got sick.
Lotus's vision went black; she felt her limbs go numb, and then didn't feel anything.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...us."
"Lotus."
Lotus heard him first. Then, she felt someone's arms around her. Familiar, and safe.
"Will she be okay?" Fast, worried talk.
"Yes." He answered calmly. "She just needs rest." He rested her helm on his shoulder, and was sure she could hear his spark humming. "Lotus, anzen. Anzen, Lotus."
Lotus opened her optics slowly. She was in the med-bay. Sitting in a chair, head in one hand, was Drift.
Drift's other hand was holding her's gently, rubbing the back of her hand.
Lotus opened her mouth, but couldn't speak. Her throat felt dry. Her whole body felt stiff, and dried up. It was...unpleasant.
Lotus looked up at the ceiling.
She hadn't felt these symptoms in months, having gotten used to the feelings that came with getting sick often and not getting nearly enough food.
Closing her optics tightly, she felt like crying, but couldn't. Her body had no more liquids to spare.
…
She should have been getting some liquids from the IV…
Looking briefly through squinted optics, she found it was gone.
She leaned her head back down quietly.
When she tried to open her optics again, she couldn't. Her body was giving up. She wanted to scream at Ratchet for not hooking her up to liquids, but realized what was happening when she remembered her inability to say anything.
This was her last chance. No one wanted her to go through life living in a med-bay for the rest of her life. They were giving her one last chance to try and live.
Lotus felt awful. Her stomach was screaming, her body was stiff and shaking, her optics burned, and she could barely feel Drift's hand in her's…
"Drift." Rodimus. "She'll come through."
"...If Ratchet believed that, he would not have pulled her IV line out." Drift' voice was scratchy, and rough. It sounded like he had been crying, or yelling, or both.
"Listen, Lotus is tough. Even if she doesn't have the will to keep on going for herself, she'll keep going for you."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Lotus convulsed. It was the slightest of movements, but it felt like running. She heard gasps. She heaved air in and out of her vents, rolling her optics around in her head.
After a good five minutes of twitching, she cracked open her optic lids and opened her mouth. "Sei...katsu…"
Life. I choose life.