"I don't want to talk about it," Optimus said with more force. Ratchet frowned from where he was seated on the berth with little Sapphire, who had been afraid of leaving the grip of her adopted Sire. Ratchet had been pressing the issue of what was clearly bothering Optimus. But the medic had received nothing for his efforts. Not even a description of the battle. And yet, Optimus had looked almost haunted when he had returned to the base and he was pacing the length of their quarters. Sapphire chirped up at the large mech when he passed her, and Optimus gently lifted her into his arms. She nuzzled his chest as he took a seat beside Ratchet. "I'm sorry. I just need to let it drop." Against what he wanted, he let the issue go if only to avoid fighting with Optimus. He nodded and moved over, wrapping an arm around Optimus as he did so.

"Let's recharge. After all the excitement, I'm sure you need it," Ratchet said. Optimus gave him a slight smile and stood with Sapphire still tucked happily in his arms. He laid her down on the padded berth, only for her to begin to cry. Her light blue servos reached for him as tears spilled down her face. Optimus was about to move away when Ratchet grabbed his mate's shoulder. The shorter mech reached into the crib and scooped up the wailing sparkling. He then motioned for Optimus to get onto the berth. "No point in distressing her. She can rest with us tonight. We just need to be careful not to squish her."

"If that's what you wish," Optimus said. He settled on the berth and took Sapphire when Ratchet offered her to him so the other could lay down. Once they were both comfortable, Optimus allowed Sapphire to crawl into the space between them. The sparkling pressed her back against Ratchet's arm, but wrapped her own around Optimus'. Her systems evened in recharge quickly. Ratchet rubbed his daughter's helm for a moment and locked optics with Optimus.

"I'm glad you found her. Even if you did go against my orders," Ratchet told his mate. Optimus smiled and watched Ratchet slip into recharge. Optimus sighed and tried to settle his mind, knowing that if with his line of thought, he'd never get any rest. It didn't take long for his exhaustion to win out, and recharge to over take his troubled mind.

Pain. Dull and echoing. That was what Ratchet woke up to. Sapphire whining was the next thing Ratchet noticed as he brought his optics online and sat up. "Optimus?" he called.

"Ratchet," his name was a moan laced with pain, and it only served to hike up his concern. He stood and walked around the berth to find Optimus crouched and holding his side.

"Optimus, what's wrong?" Ratchet questioned instantly. He didn't received a response from the taller Autobot as the ache flooding the bond only increased. Ratchet eased himself under Optimus side and helped Optimus stand. The Autobot leader winced and barely managed to stay upright. Swearing softly, Ratchet commed Bulkhead. He helped Optimus sit on the berth to wait for Bulkhead. The medic himself waited at the door.

Within minutes Bulkhead arrived and assisted in getting Optimus to Med bay, stopping when the carrying mech needed to. He was gentle even as Optimus' grip on his arm tightened almost painfully while they got him to lay down. "Thank you, Bulkhead," Optimus said weakly. Bulkhead offered his leader a smile before backing away to allow Ratchet room to work.

The three kids each arrived at the base a few hours later with their respective guardians laughing and carrying on. They were less than surprised when they were hushed by the resident medic. "Dude, lighten up. We were only laughing," Miko complained. Ratchet put his servos on his hips and glared at the girl. The three humans climbed the steps to the platform.

"Do you ever be quiet?" Ratchet snapped. He walked around to the Med bay part of the base and as the children watched, he went to check Optimus' vitals, as well as the unborn sparkling's.

"What happened?" Jack asked immediately. Ratchet looked up at them briefly.

"There was a complication, and Optimus was in pain," he replied easily.

"Are they okay?" Raf inquired.

"They are."

"What was the problem?" Miko asked in confusion.

This time, Ratchet didn't even look up as he answered, "An Energon line in his chassis disconnected, causing both his spark and the sparkling to be distress. Unfortunately, it caused Optimus to be in a lot of pain. But the sparkling is fine, and Optimus will just need some time to recover. It was actually quite common with carriers back on Cybertron. As the sparkling grows, the frame of the carrier needs to change to give the sparkling room. This can lead to lines being clipped or disconnected entirely. As long as the issue is caught quickly, it isn't fatal." The kids nodded and Miko moved off, challenging Jack to a race on the video game console. Raf lingered near the railing, his gaze locked on the Autobot resting on the berth nearby. "Scrap. Arcee, could you get Sapphire for me? She's in Optimus' quarters," Ratchet asked. Arcee gave a nod even as she moved off to fetch the sparkling for Ratchet.

The sparkling's wail reached them long before Arcee and Sapphire came into view. Sapphire had developed a fear of being held by anyone but Ratchet and Optimus. So it didn't surprise Ratchet when Sapphire struggled in Arcee's arms as they entered the main room. Ratchet approached Arcee and took his adopted daughter. The tiny blue femme instantly settled with her helm against Ratchet's chest, her audio pressed to where his spark was nestled under several layers of armour. Her cries died down to whimpers as she grabbed onto him. Her cyan blue optics were wide and still filled with unshed tears. Ratchet rubbed her helm gently to reassure her that she was safe in his arms.

"Why do always cradle her to your chest like that?" Raf asked quietly, as if worried that speaking any louder would upset Sapphire or wake Optimus. It surprised both Ratchet and Raf when Arcee spoke up.

"He's letting her hear his spark. At that age, sparklings only take real comfort from hearing their guardian's spark. They know what the bot looks like, but don't care. They base a mech or femme off what they sound like," Arcee replied, setting a servo over her spark at the end for a moment before letting it fall.

"It's most important when the sparkling doesn't have a bond to their creators. Like Sapphire," Ratchet said. He tickled the sparkling and managed to get her giggling, a sound that made him smile. He moved back over to Optimus, but didn't stop giving his daughter the attention she craved. He kept her cradled to his spark as he pulled up a stool and took a seat beside his mate. His family. His entire world.