Chapter 108 – Watching over You

Phoenix P.O.V

/I can't do this again. I can't lose another friend, another soul I cared about/.

I shifted on my pedes as I stared down at the comatose form of Rachet as he lay on the makeshift medical gurney in our temporary triage facility. His optics were closed, and his frame was battered, dented and scared.

His chassis looked like my spark felt at the moment. /Get used to it Phoenix. Until this Cemetery Wind and Lockdown are dealt with, they will not stop hunting your friends/. A flash of rage rolled over me and I felt my servos clench by my sides. The faintest flicker of flames danced along my frame as they responded to my growing anger and emotions.

Heavy pede falls approached behind me and I felt myself stiffen and quell the flames. Turning on the spot I acknowledged the portly field medic who had worked tirelessly to try and save Rachet. ''Hound,'' I tilted my helm at him and folded my arms across my chest as I leant against a metal pole near the assembly line.

He raised a servo to remove the metal cigar he had in his mouth. Tilting his helm back towards me in a mirrored recognition of my presence, he addressed me in his gruff voice, ''Phoenix.'' His optics flicked over my frame and he made a small ''humph'' noise. I raised an optical ridge towards him in silent question. ''You know, you're a lot taller than I expected you to be.''

I flashed a small grin at him, ''and you're a lot rounder than I expected you to be.''

For a moment I thought he might whip out one of his numerous guns and try and shoot me for my insolence. He simply replaced his cigar back in his mouth and gave a small snort of laughter, ''Point taken. Guilty as charged.'' He walked over towards Rachet's form and examined him.

''So… how is he? Is he going to be okay?'' I had stepped away from the pole and taken a few tentative steps towards Hound. I had wrapped my arms about my waist as I approached, trying hard to contain my concern and worry.

Hound did not reply immediately, he merely continued checking and consulting the scans he took. I was about to inquire again a little more tersely when his gruff voice replied, ''Old Hatchet will live Phoenix – thanks to you.'' He raised his helm and flashed me a genuine smile of thanks. ''And I know I speak for every Autobot when I say how grateful we are for saving him. He's a cranky old bastard but he's the best medic there is.'' He returned his optics to look over Rachet's form.

I gave a small smile and spoke in a whispered voice, ''Best friend too.'' Hound snapped his helm back to look at me, a strange expression on his face. ''And no need to thank me Hound. I was just repaying the favour. Rachet saved my life a few times – I owed him. Besides,'' I fixed my optics on him and shrugged my shoulders, ''he is family. You don't turn your back on family.''

Hound looked at me, that same expression unchanging for a moment as he seemed to be examining me, processing my words and my actions. His optical ridge furrowed as he seemed to be perplexed by something. ''So, if that's the case Phoenix, and you view the Autobots as your family, where have you been these past few years? Why have you only turned up now?'' He had ceased attending to Rachet and had given me his full attention. I could feel his optics boring into me, as if they were trying to burn the answer out of me.

I tensed up at his words and a wave of anger and then shame swept over me in rapid succession. Turning my optics away from him for a moment, I tried to control my emotions.

Belatedly he continued, ''If you don't mind my asking that is.''

I returned my gaze to him, and folded my arms across my chest, physically placing a barrier between us and his line of questioning. I almost activated my mask. /I wonder if Optimus ever felt like doing this?/, the random thought briefly flickered through my processor. ''Actually Hound, I DO mind your asking,'' my voice was low and laced with resent. ''It is… complicated.''

After a moment, he nodded his helm slowly and made that same ''humph'' noise. ''Fair enough, if you don't want to talk, I won't push it. Anyway, glad you're on our side Phoenix.'' He turned his attentions back towards Rachet.

I shifted on my pedes again and nodded my thanks for his kind words and for leaving the topic alone. Unfolding my arms from across my chest I changed the subject, ''So, Hound. How long before he will be able to come out of stasis and be able to move out of here?'' I missed my friend.

''Ahh I'd say about two days give or take..'' Hound looked thoughtful.

''Give or take a few hours?'' I asked hopefully.

''Give or take a few days,'' he replied nonchalantly.

I stared at him for a moment torn between laughing at him and his same deadpan bedside manner that Rachet had endeared himself to me with or spitting some sarcastic reply at him. I went with neither and simply nodded my understanding.

Hound gave a loud sigh, ''Well, there is nothing more I can do for him at the moment. It's a waiting game now.'' Hound looked tired as he stretched and his joints creaked.

''I'll watch over him Hound, you go rest. You've been working tirelessly for the past 48 hours. I'll stand guard over you both – go, rest,'' he opened his dermas to refuse my suggestion. /Bloody obstinate medics!/. I felt the corners of my dermas curve into a wry smile, ''that's an order.''

Hound stared at me incredulously for a moment, ''Not that I don't appreciate the offer Phoenix, but last time I checked you weren't Optimus Prime.''

I stood up to my full height and folded my arms across my chest defiantly. ''No Hound, I am not Optimus Prime,'' his face seemed to glow in triumph and a wicked grin spread across my face in reply. ''My full title is Phoenix Prime,'' I stepped towards him, ''chosen by Primus himself to aid Optimus Prime and help lead the Autobots in times of trouble and crisis.'' I neglected to add, ''and chosen by Optimus himself as a spark mate'' as I honestly didn't know where I stood on that matter.

I stood before Hound, a few feet taller than him, staring down at him, though the corpulent warrior did not seem to be intimated by me. Hound tilted his helm to the side and squinted his optics at me for a moment as if preparing to counter argue, but then he caught sight of the Cybertronian glyphs that were etched into the side of my face and down my neck and shoulder. Similar markings could be seen on Prime.

His dermas parted slightly, almost allowing his cigar to fall from his mouth. With a quick shake of his helm, he backed up slightly and nodded. ''Very Well Phoenix Prime. I shall go and rest and you can take the first watch.'' He began to turn around to walk off before he cast a glance back over his shoulder and muttered, ''thanks.''

I nodded to his retreating form, ''Don't mention it.'' As the sound of his pede falls fading into the distance, I turned to face Rachet and begin my lonely vigil with him. Casting my optics around I found a suitable place to sit where I could keep a watch over him and be somewhat comfortable – I had a few joors ahead of me.

As I lowered myself onto the conveyor belt, I heard myself sigh out loud. /Old habits do die hard!/, I thought to myself with a wry grin. I sat in silence for a few moments, simply staring at Rachet's prone form before me. My optics flickered over the dents and gouges, the scorch marks and the bullet holes that riddled his chassis. While Hound had done a remarkable job in keeping him alive, there had not been the time, or means, to address the less than urgent gouges and wounds. As a result, Rachet looked like he had been to the pits and back. /But he IS alive!/, the comforting thought surged through my processor.

Without warning the sight of him in my arms as we flew to meet Hound came flitting into my thoughts. I closed my optics in painful recollection as I heard his voice, so weak and so filled with hurt echo in my audials, /Sorry Phoenix. Not..not sure I can… systems severely compromised… shut… shutting../.

I got off the conveyor belt and carefully walked towards him. Slowly and tentatively, I reached out a servo and placed it reverently on his chest, as if trying to reassure myself he was indeed still alive. As my servo touched his warm plating, I felt my spark pulse erratically in my chest as I recalled the fear and overwhelming sense of impending loss as he began to slip away. /Stay with me Rachet. PLEASE. I can't lose you too. Fight. Fight like I did all those years ago. Not on my watch Rachet. Not on my BLOODY watch. Now fucking stay with me!/. I removed my servo quickly and shuddered slightly at the snarl I heard in my voice as desperation and fear had rocked me to my core.

Even though I no longer possessed the capacity to cry, I felt a ''lump'' in my throat as the image of his battered and broken face looked up at me and he tried desperately to talk but was unable to. I placed a servo over my dermas and stifled the sob as it tried to work its way out as my own panicked voice flooded my audials and my processor, /HOUND! We're losing him! DO SOMETHING – NOW!/. I removed my servo and feel to my knees beside him, placing both of my arms protectively over his chest and midsection, I felt myself ex-vent deeply as I fought to stay in control of my emotions. My chest rose and fell as I ''breathed'' my pain away. /So close, I came so close to losing another soul I cared so deeply for/. During my time separated from Optimus, Rachet had been my lifeline, my ray of light in the darkness, my compass and my conscience. If I lost him too…

I raised my helm to look at his face. For a moment I thought he may open his optics and peer down at me with those keen sky-blue optics, a bewildered expression on his face. A small laugh escaped my dermas at the image of Rachet looking down at me perplexed and not a little annoyed at finding me crouched beside him with my arms draped over his body. But he did not move. His optics remained closed.

Once again, I sighed out loud and slowly rose to my pedes, extracting my arms from across his chest and stepping back towards my seat on the conveyor belt. As I sat there watching over Rachet, injured, unconscious and, to an extent, very much vulnerable, once again my processor allowed a thought to surface without warning. /I wonder if Optimus has someone watching over him right now? Did he make it somewhere safe and find someone to help him or is he still out there – gravely injured, lost and all alone somewhere in this vast country?/. My spark constricted and felt heavy in my chest. The thought of him all alone, hurt and vulnerable worried me beyond belief.

In the two years since I had arrived back in the USA, I had spent my time between keeping secret tabs on my friends and most importantly, searching for signs of Optimus. So far, I had found nothing. It was as though he had simply disappeared, swallowed up the ground itself. I ''sighed'' out loud yet again and glanced down at Rachet. ''At least I know where you are my friend.''

I settled in to keep watch over Rachet as he lay in stasis and his body worked to repair itself and recover from his ordeal. I felt a small smile spread across my dermas as I thought back to that night years ago on ''the beach'' in Diego Garcia. Rachet and I, after an emotionally draining and exhausting few days as I became a Transformer and we learned of Prime's death and subsequent resurrection, found a few moments of peace gazing up at the stars.

I remember Rachet falling into a deep recharge as he finally succumbed to his weariness and slept. I remembered sitting beside him all night and into the early hours of dawn, keeping watch over him as he had done over me for days on end. I remember sitting beside him and praying to any deity that would care to listen to please spare Optimus' life and bring him back safely to us – to me.

My smile grew as I gazed upon his comatose form and I lay a servo gently on his shoulder, ''always, I will always watch over you my friend.'' I closed my optics and once again, found myself greedily pleading with Primus to grant my two wishes; help restore my dear friend to me and, bring the other half of my soul back to me – once more.