A/N I read a Thomas coma fic called I Never Forgot Our Alliance and there's elements of it that inspired this chapter. Michaela and her crew belong to FurryFoxFires
One day, Erica was happily going down the track when another engine told her about a meeting and to "Follow me". She was confused but knew this was important. When she got there and saw the look on Sir Topham Hatt's face, her mechanical heart raced with fear. She knew the news was nothing too good. Learning to distinguish feelings was something that was harder for her when she was younger, but with a lot of help, she became able to do so. She was worried something might have happened to one of her friends, so she looked at who was and wasn't there. Uh-oh, she thought. What happened to my "brother"?, realizing he was the one something had happened to.
Sir Topham Hatt said, "I'm afraid to say I've got some bad news about Thomas. He was in a severe accident this morning and though he survived, he's in a coma."
All around, the engine reacted to the news, gasping and many, Erica included, began to cry. Wailing sobs emitted from her and big, fat tears filled her eyes and wet her face. Her driver climbed on her running board and walked to her face with a handkerchief for her to sob into.
"There, there", he said. "It's okay to feel this way. I know you feel terrible for your brother and just need to have a good cry." He knew, under the circumstances, he had to let her weep and wail because he could tell how sad she was over her "brother". I don't know how it works with these sentient engines, he thought. They cry, but I don't know how they do it. I don't know why they cry like us. Must be when they gain life, they get the ability. He just held what he thought of his engine's hanky because he always dried her tears with it to her streaming face, mostly her eyes, while she sniffled and wept as a gesture of comfort. She sobbed and sobbed, her iron heart shattered over her "brother" and his plight. Her driver said she could visit him at the Steamworks when her jobs were done for the day, if she wanted to.
Erica left that place to get a drink. Her eyes were all red and puffy and her face was red. Later on, she met up with Michaela after her friend took some cars to Knapford Yards. The engines hugged and cried together, after Michaela picked up her friend's unhappiness, comforted by their drivers and sharing each other's sorrow over their friend.
"Can you wipe my eyes?" Erica asked her driver tearfully.
Her driver climbed onto her running board, walked to her face, took out a cloth hanky and softly dried her eyes. Then, he wiped her tear streaks, saying, "There, there, Erica. I know it's hard, but you can visit Thomas when you get done here. Cry as much as you need."
"Keep wiping," she said and sniffled loudly, fresh tears wetting her face.
He said, as he continued to wipe her tears away, "I know you're very sad about what happened to your "brother" and I'd be sad if one of my closest friends was injured like that. Anyone who isn't heartless would." He comforted Erica as long as she needed it and when she was done with her cry, took her to get a drink. When work was done, they went to the Steamworks to see Thomas.
Erica stopped beside her comatose "brother" and talked to him. Big tears poured from her eyes as she sniffled and gave small sobs. Her driver held a handkerchief to her streaming eyes, as an act of comfort. When the visit was over, she had a drink and went to her shed for her crew to get her ready for the night.
When Erica woke up the next day, she was asked if she could work. "Give me coal and water. I want to be a Really Useful Engine. My "big brother" told me that's important, so I want to go to Knapford Yards.
When Erica's crew was on break, Sir Topham and Lady Hatt, who was helping with an event, a gala, happening at Knapford that day, were with her. She began to cry, sobbing and sniffling, her eyes wet with tears.
"Can you wipe my eyes?" she said in a shaky voice.
Lady Hatt climbed on Erica's buffers, pulled out her handkerchief and gently wiped the little engine's eyes dry and then rubbed her tear-covered cheeks. "There, there, Erica," she said. "Just let yourself go. I know how you became Thomas's "sister" and get this makes you feel dreadful." She gave a sympathetic look to the unhappy little engine.
"Keep wiping," Erica said with a big sob.
Lady Hatt said, as she continued to wipe the tears away, "I know even the happiest engine can feel other things sometimes. So, nothing to be ashamed of.", referring to the quantity of water that fell down Erica's face.
Her husband then spoke to his engine, "Erica," he said. "They think Thomas can hear, so he probably heard you last night. He hasn't woke up yet, but he seems to be fighting. Probably, he shall wake up. So, unless he takes a bad turn, he should be fine."
Erica's tears slowly subsided and Lady Hatt asked, as she put her sodden hanky in her bag, "Feel better?"
The female tank engine sighed in relief, "I do feel better than I did, but I can't feel all the way better until Thomas is okay. I can't control my emotions. Thank you for wiping my eyes."
Lady Hatt said, "None of Thomas's friends feel too happy now."
When her crew came back, only her red, swollen eyes and red from crying face were evidence. She went on with the rest of her day and when her work was done, "Can I see Rosie?" she asked.
Erica's driver took her to Vicarstown, where her sister was. When Erica got there, Rosie was looking sad. The two sisters pressed buffers and wept together, comforted by having each other to share the pain and by their drivers.
"Can you wipe my eyes?" Erica asked her driver, feeling the tears that filled them.
Her driver climbed on her buffers, took out a handkerchief and gently dabbed her eyes. "There, there", he said. "You've got the right to cry." as he wiped her tears.
"Keep wiping," she sobbed, crying more.
He said, as he continued to wipe her tears away, "It's healthier to cry, so go ahead and cry and I'll comfort you until you feel better."
Erica finished crying and had a drink. Then, her crew got her ready for the night. And the day was over. Time went by on Sodor as ever, except it wasn't quite the same island as it was the other day.
Sometimes, Erica visited the Steamworks and sometimes she didn't. One day, when Thomas was getting a visit from his "little sister", he woke up! Erica saw her "brother's" eyes flutter and she yelled "Wake up!" He slowly blinked his eyes open for the first time in days and his "sister" wept tears of joy.
"Driver", Erica said, "Thomas just came out of his coma! I'm crying for joy." He walked to her face, handkerchief ready to dry her tears.
Thomas heard it all and knew his "little sister" had woke him up. He saw her driver wiping her face. Tears of joy, he thought. Just like me when I first got to my branch line. I began to cry on arrival there and because I was happy as can be, I didn't get why. Driver told me about tears of joy then. He smiled at his "little sister" being so happy he woke.
Erica, done with her joyful tears, whistled and the workers came and saw Thomas awake.
"We shall check him", they said. "And if he's good to go, you can shunt him to the shed."
Erica just smiled and her eyes twinkled. Thomas had his check and was pronounced good to go, so off they went, whistling happily in her case.
Thomas with his cheeky, yet sweet smile, told his "sister", "They said tomorrow I can be back on the rails. I get to be a Really Useful Engine again! Passenger trains and shunting empty cars only for a few weeks, though ". Both engines were just so happy.
"I fought because I didn't like how sad you were, little sister. I heard you talking in that sob-filled voice and sniffling. Everyone else who visited me was sad, too. I said "cars" just for you, though I know you can understand my words. They just don't want me to overdo it until I completely recover from what happened."
Thomas made a full recovery over the following weeks. He was happy to be out of his coma, because his friends were done sobbing and sniffling about him and he could be a Really Useful Engine. Then, the day came he was cleared to pull freight again. It's all over, he thought. I'm better now, truly.
A/N Erica can't control her emotions and is very close to Thomas, so she's very emotional about his coma. When she cried visiting him at the Steamworks, that was like someone crying by the bed of someone in the hospital in a coma. The overdoing thing refers to how someone who's been in a coma's weak at first, so i imagine Thomas's living parts as being weakened. Now, I'm not someone who believes they got internal organs like a real living thing, just a mechanical heart, as real engines seem to have a heartbeat.