Back at base, Saphira stuck with Optimus like glue. Being with him brought her the comfort she needed, especially with what Ronan told her and the memories that came back to her finally making sense. She actually wondered if her father even loved her, or if that was just a lie as well. She had a lot of trouble calming down ever since they had returned to the base. Miko and Jack returned with them as they were worried for Saphira, even if she was not physically hurt, her father had a very bad judgement.

Saphira sat on the med berth again, she had the oxygen mask on her face at the moment as she had been struggling to breath, and she still has not calmed down. Optimus sat on the berth, keeping his hand around her in a protective, yet gentle way. Ratchet had originally protested this, but Saphira panicked more, and he relented just so she could breathe easier.

She had not been sick thankfully, but all the crying and adrenaline coursing through her veins was straining her body. She was covered in sweat and her hyperventilating did not stop, even with Optimus gently rubbing her back with his thumb. She leaned on his side as she took deep breaths, the oxygen mask was helping her, but Ratchet was worried she was going to cause herself more damage than good.

"I can't believe that man tried something in broad daylight," Jack comments, he was standing on a walkway overlooking the med bay looking down at Saphira with Miko beside him. "He must have been very mad to do that."

"As am I, Jack," Optimus responded in agreement. "This is why rage clouds judgement, no matter who it is. And it clouded his to the point he was foolish, and now people have seen him. Fowler has alerted us that the truck he used to ram Ratchet has been confiscated, but the man was no where to be seen. He is still on the run."

"I have to admit, he almost left a dent in my backside," Ratchet said, he was currently going through some equipment he could use to help Saphira. He had not yet designed medicine that was safe for humans, and he had zero access to any at this time, but he was working on it. "At least she wasn't hurt…but…" He turned slightly to gaze at Saphira. "I hope she won't have a set back."

"She might. I mean…considering how she spoke about her mother, being told it is her fault…well…" Miko shakes her head sadly as she thought about it. "That would be a massive blow, even for me. Of course it is not true."

"Of course it isn't true. But…" Ratchet looked back at his equipment with a frown. "Saphira is now too worked up and hurt to think straight. We can only do what we can." He glanced back at Optimus, Prime was looking at Saphira with a kind, sad expression as he kept trying to comfort her. "At least you are her best medicine at this time, Optimus."

Optimus nodded without looking at Ratchet. Arcee watched curious, glancing between Optimus and Saphira for a moment. "Surely we can do something about her father."

"It is out of the question, Arcee." Prime looked up at the two-wheeler with a gentle smile. "I feel exactly the same way as you do. But revenge has never been a road of answers or making one feel better. Saphira herself said it perfectly. The best revenge is by showing him she's alive and she is still happy."

Saphira glanced up at Optimus for a moment as she heard him, but she said nothing as she kept breathing in the oxygen as deeply as she could. She placed her hand on her chest, her heart was still racing and she was trying to calm it down. She just could not, her mind felt like it was on the very verge of a breakdown and she really just wanted to curl up somewhere and hide away for a long time. She turned slightly to hug Optimus's hand, surprising the autobot with her sudden gesture, but he does not stop her.

"Ratchet, you may need to do something to calm her down." Ratchet looked up at Jack with a frown. "My mother is a nurse, and while I don't have her skills or knowledge, but she needs something like general anaesthesia to make her sleep. It might be the only way to calm her down."

"Isn't that used for surgeries?" Ratchet asked the boy curiously.

"Usually it is, but it could save Saphira from strain, she'll likely pass out anyway from the hyperventilation. But…" Jack paused, glancing at her with a worried expression. "She's struggling to breath. A calm body means she will be able to breath easier."

"I suppose I could do something…" Ratchet lifted a cannister while rubbing his chin. He glanced at the oxygen tank beside Saphira, it was almost empty anyway. He glanced at Optimus who nodded at him. Saphira was not aware of what was being talked about at the moment. "Saphira, the oxygen tank you are using is low and is about to run out. I have another here, with a little extra to help calm you down."

Saphira looked up at Ratchet and released her hold on Optimus's hand, nodding to him weakly. "I will be right here with you, Saphira," Optimus said to her gently. "Just focus on your breathing, everything will be just fine."

She did not respond, watching Ratchet's hands transform and she widened her eyes in surprise to see much smaller hands in front of her. She smiled a little, lifting her hand to the mask to remove it for him. Ratchet did not react, only placing the new cylinder by her and placing the mask connected to it on. He turned on the tank for a very slow release. Saphira breathed in deeply, not noticing anything strange as she felt her lungs breath in the oxygen.

It didn't take long though as her mind began to feel hazy, heavy and her eyes suddenly felt like they were weights. She looked up at Ratchet and Optimus with worry for a moment as her body slumped against Optimus's hand. "Relax, Saphira. Everything will be okay. Don't fight yourself," Ratchet instructed gently as he watched her fight the gas she was breathing in.

Ratchet had made more oxygen tanks, and tanks filled with a gas that had similar effects as anaesthesia. He did not know if it could cause any further affects on her body, but once she is asleep, Ratchet will monitor her closely. He watched her shake her head, trying to fight the affects, but it was clear she was unable to fight it very long.

Saphira's eyes blurred and she found herself gazing up at Optimus again. He smiled back her, his optics full of love in them to let her know she was okay. She didn't feel she had the strength to panic or fight at the moment anyway. She laid her head back and allowed the feeling to take over. Her eyes close slowly and they stay shut.

Ratchet waited a few moments before removing the mask and replacing it with a proper oxygen mask connected with a proper oxygen tank. "Alright, lay her down. I'll move her onto a human med berth once I am satisfied with my scan results."

Optimus gently moved her body to lay on the berth before sliding off it himself now that she was no longer awake. Watching her body relax, her chest rise up and down evenly with no tears falling from her eyes made his spark warm. And yet, he was angry at the same time. Optimus was not showing it, but he was angry. He never expected Ronan to be foolish. However…he doubted the man will show foolishness a second time. Especially since he already declared that it was not over, Optimus just hoped it will not actually happen and that Fowler could catch the criminals.

Ratchet scanned her body, humming softly as he read the readings on his monitor. "Hmm…" He rubbed his chin before he smiled. "It seems the anaesthesia gas I made has worked. No strange affects so far." He intakes heavily and looked at the other autobots and humans. "Saphira is going to be fine. She will probably be hungry and thirsty when she wakes up, but she should be fine."

"Physically at least," Miko comments bluntly. The bots looked at her with a frown. "You know this is going to play on her mind for a while. I just hope it won't be something she even grows to believe."

"I am in agreement, Miko. We must be patient and wait until she has had a good, and proper rest before making that assessment." Optimus looked at Saphira before he looked at Ratchet. "I will leave you to her care, Ratchet. I believe she will be well rested in a few hours."

"Perhaps more." Ratchet could hear in Optimus's voice that he was worried for her, there was also something in his tone he did not fully recognize either. "I will keep everyone updated. For now, we all should just relax and wait for more news." The bots seemed satisfied and turned to leave with Miko and Jack, Optimus lingered a little before he turned to leave. "Optimus, may I have a word with you?"

Optimus clenched his optics shut for a moment before he turned to face the medic. "What is on your mind, old friend?"

Ratchet was silent for a moment as he grabbed a medical gurney and placed it onto the berth so he could move Saphira. "You and Saphira have been on my mind, Optimus." He heard Optimus exhale deeply and Ratchet knew he on the right path. "I have my suspicion the two of you haven't relented your feelings, even though I have implored for you to stop this before it gets worse."

Optimus narrowed his optics slightly before his face softened. "Ratchet, I know you are worried about it. Even Saphira has admitted to me that she is still not even sure about her feelings." The medic glanced at him for a moment before he looked back at Saphira to move her carefully into the gurney and pull the blankets over her body. "I fully understand what has happened. I myself cannot even explain my own feelings…"

"Could it simply be because of her appearance?" Ratchet asked curiously, interrupting Prime as he looked at him. "She does have a beautiful appearance compared to the other female humans I've seen." The comment made Optimus raise an eyebrow at him. "Don't look at me that way, Optimus. I have no interest to have a relationship with a human. Even one who is beautiful. And yet you, a Prime, fell for a human."

"It is not just her appearance, Ratchet. Her personality and the inspiration she already carries on her shoulders…" Optimus glanced at her with a smile. "That is what I have been drawn to. Her appearance is only part of why I am attracted to her." Ratchet groaned and rubbed the bridge between his optics, shaking his head. "Ratchet, all I want is for Saphira to be happy and safe. We don't have to have a physical relationship."

"And I hope it never comes to that," Ratchet said as he moved the gurney carefully to the first-floor platform of the med bay. He looked at the sleeping girl and his face softened. "I will admit, I have taken her under my wing. Saphira's grown on me, and I like having her around as a friend." He turned to face Optimus with a smile. "And I feel I must protect her from things that can hurt her. Even you, Optimus. That is why I have been against this whole relationship. Plus, you already know what could happen if the decepticons find out. We might not have to worry about Megatron, but Starscream is a lot less predictable, as you have said."

Optimus listened to Ratchet and processed his words, he did not know where the medic was going with it, yet it intrigued him. "I am not quite sure of the point you are trying to make, Ratchet. You wish good for Saphira, as do I. And yet you seem to be…"

"Optimus." Ratchet faced Prime as he folded his arms. "While I understand that perhaps stopping your relationship with her might cause damage, in the long term it will be for the best. It will be safer for her to not get so close to you. A friendship is dangerous enough, but anything closer will be worse. If you really care for her, Optimus, you will do what is right."

Prime was saddened Ratchet still has not relented to him and Saphira having feelings for each other. He wasn't sure if he could really stop it from getting any stronger. "I…I am not sure if I can, Ratchet." The medic narrowed his optics at him. "At least…not until Saphira has worked out her own feelings. I will let her go if she decides feeling…" He paused for a moment before speaking. "If she decides it is for the best, we will just remain friends. However…if she decides she wants to proceed…I am not sure if I could hurt her like that, Ratchet. She's already tried taking her life because she felt unworthy and unloved."

Ratchet went silent for a moment, it was hard to forget the moment Saphira made an attempt to jump off the very edge of the mountain the base was underneath. "You had to bring that up…" He softened his expression again and shakes his head slightly. "I suppose…you are right. That is why I was upset in the first place. And I don't even know why Saphira even feels the same for you."

"Perhaps my personality and how I've treated her has been part of the reasons why she feels the way she does," Optimus said with a light shrug. "I cannot say what is on her mind, of course. Saphira is the only one who knows that answer."

The medic knew that only Saphira knew why she felt attracted to Optimus, it still worried him. "I am also concerned by how quickly you both have developed feelings for each other. She's been here for almost four weeks now, an entire month! And both of you believe you have feelings for each other. It is absurd to me!" He grumbled something under his breath and intakes deeply. "I do know some bots have developed feelings quickly and they have been together for years. It is just…you and her are two different races, Optimus. I know I've said it before, and I will keep saying it."

"Both Saphira and I have come to accept that," Optimus said as his face softens into a smile. "And maybe that is also why our feelings have grown. I will not push Saphira into anything she will regret, you know this." He stepped closer to the medic and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know that Saphira and I have much to learn about each other, she has to learn more about me more than I do her. And yet, I am also helping her. You saw how she was when we arrived back at base today. She didn't want me to leave her side. I bring her comfort." Ratchet nodded and rolled his optics as he definitely knew that already. "And she also brings me comfort. The way she treats me has always been different to how she has approached you and the others, even from the start."

"You're not suggesting she fell for you on the first day you met?" Ratchet asked with a frown.

"Perhaps not, but I believe when I opened the door of allowing her to stay here opened her heart. And I know after that day we both began to learn about each other." Prime peered over at Saphira with a smile. "And when she told me to be careful the first time, I knew she realized the stakes of the war against Megatron. It was from there, my spark began to…throb anew."

Ratchet shrugged Optimus's hand from his shoulder and turned away to the console panels to continue typing and figuring out medicinal formulas that could be safe to use for humans. "I still can't believe I am hearing that in my processor, Optimus." He paused for a moment as he thought about everything Optimus has said to him and thought about Saphira. "I will no longer interfere with your relationship with Saphira, Optimus." The autobot widened his eyes in surprise, not expecting Ratchet to allow it. "However, I don't think I will approve of it. Not ever, even if you both are happy. But it will be your job to tell the others when they find out, and they will. It isn't like this is going to be in the shadows forever."

Optimus felt warmth in his spark, yet he somehow did not feel entirely happy. He knew Ratchet was a hard bolt to crack, and it seemed he will always be that. But he has hope Ratchet will someday see that he and Saphira are happy…he would hate to hear Ratchet tell him 'I told you so' down the line.

"And I promise not to rush it with, Saphira," Optimus promised, placing his hand across his chest. "It has been something I intended." He glanced back at Saphira's sleeping form and looked back at Ratchet. "We should show her the surprise when she wakes up, Ratchet. It will probably cheer her up and make her forget about her father."

"That might be a good idea, depending on when she wakes up," The medic said without looking at Optimus. "You are free to leave now, Optimus. I will alert everyone when Saphira is awake. Though if the humans leave before she wakes, I hope we can work out the food side of things for her."

Optimus pondered on that and nodded. "I will talk with Jack and Miko about it, maybe they will assist us with it." He turned to leave the med bay with a small smile on his lips. "If Saphira wakes up upset, feel free to wait to tell us until she is calm or requests my presence. I imagine she could get overwhelmed if all of us are there."

Ratchet said nothing as the doors close behind Optimus. He sighed, shaking his head with a sad expression. He didn't know if he should regret telling Optimus that he would no longer interfere with him and Saphira's relationship or not, but only time will tell on that one. However, there was a bigger issue than that right now. And it was how she would be when she wakes up…and if her father will try again. And when will he try is the next question.