A/N Michaela and her crew belong to FurryFoxFires

One day, Thomas was going along, happy as can be on branch line when he got word of needing to call the other engines to the sheds for a meeting.

"Thomas", Sir Topham Hatt told his number 1 engine. "I need you to notify the others of a meeting of engines at the shed. There's something you engines need to know."

Word spread among the engines as Thomas's message from STH passed through the grapevine. When he got to the sheds, Thomas grew worried as he didn't see his "little sister" there. What's up with Erica?, he thought.

"Engines", they were told. "Thomas's little sister figure, Erica, had a boiler explosion, but she survived because it's not the kind that causes the smokebox to fly off. However, she's been knocked unconscious and we don't know how she shall come out."

Thomas was so sad at that and her other engine friends were sad, too. He began to cry, wailing sobs and great tears came from him. His driver pressed a cloth to his wet with tears eyes as the blue tank engine sniffled. He had shut his eyes in tears.

"There, there," he said to his engine. "Go ahead and cry. Let it all out. You've got the right to cry about your "sister".

"I'd like to visit her in the Steamworks, sometimes", he said in the most broken, choked voice. "Maybe I can wake her up someday, like she woke me up from my coma when I had that accident."

His driver replied as he continued comforting Thomas, "Can't do less of her than she did for you.".

Thomas finished crying after a while and his crew gave him a drink, getting on with their day. Later on, as Thomas was taking a train to the Little Western, he met up with Michaela. The shunting tender engine picked up on his sadness. She pressed her buffers against his and they cried together, comforted by their drivers as they shared sorrow for their comatose friend.

"I'm scared Erica won't wake up", Michaela said, in tears. To Thomas, she said, "What if our friend never wakes up or even dies?"

Kennet said, "There, there Michaela. It's possible to wake up from a coma.", as he softly wiped her tears with a rag.

Thomas said, "Be positive, Michaela. I miss her, but I believe she can wake up. Look at what happened to me. I feel dreadfully sad, but I'm not giving up on her." He sniffled, big tears pouring from his eyes and wetting his face.

His driver said, as he dried Thomas's tears away with a cloth, "Just cry as you need to. I know you feel better when you do, so let the tears get out and I shall comfort you until you feel better."

Michaela kept her buffers pressed against her friend's as long as he cried. They went on with their day after they stopped crying.

Thomas and Rosie went to the Steamworks after they both finished their jobs.

Rosie burst into tears on arrival in there and said, sniffling, "I hope my sister can make it, just like you. It's hard to think positive, but I'm trying. However, I'm still so very sad for my sister.".

There, in the Steamworks, Thomas pressed his buffers against Rosie's, holding her in an engine way, as he sobbed quietly and sniffled. The tank engines were comforted by their drivers, too. Thomas knew there was a chance Erica could still hear them, but they were too sad to suppress their tears. This kind of sadness had to be let out.

Thomas talked to Erica in his quivering, sob-filled voice, saying "Wake up, my "little sister", so I can work and play with you again. We miss you on the rails."

When their visit was over, Thomas and Rosie went to their respective sheds for the night.

The next morning, Sir Topham Hatt came to see Thomas in his shed. Thomas was sad about his "little sister" and began to cry.

"Thomas", he said. "Can you work?"

"Give me coal and water. I might be dreadfully sad about my "little sister", but I still want to be a Really Useful Engine", he said. "Can you dry my tears, sir?"

Sir Topham Hatt climbed on his Number 1's buffers, took out his handkerchief and wiped his engine's cheeks and eyes dry. "I've got a special train for you to take to Knapford.".

Thomas, who had been ready to cry more, smiled a bit and said, "Thank you, sir. That'll be lovely.", though his eyes were still watery.

"That's a good engine", said Sir Topham Hatt, dapping the tears away for his engine.

After the special, Thomas took Annie and Clarabel. They knew how sad he was, so they gave him kindness and empathy. After they got to Knapford, Thomas was left to rest on a siding while his crew took a break.

Lady Hatt was meeting her husband in Knapford and saw Thomas on that siding with the saddest look on his face.

"What's wrong, Thomas?" she asked, looking sympathetic.

Thomas began to cry, sobbing softly and sniffling, as he said, "Erica's in a coma from a boiler explosion and I feel so dreadfully sad because she's my "little sister.".

Lady Hatt climbed on his buffers, pulled out her handkerchief and softly wiped all his tears away, saying, "It's fine to cry, so let yourself go."

Thomas sniffled again, fresh tears filling his eyes and said "I miss her on the rails.". He whistled sadly.

She said, as she continued to wipe his tears away, "Your tears are a sign of love for your "little sister". There, there.".

Slowly, Thomas' crying subsided and she patted his last tears away, then put her sodden hanky in her bag and asked him, "Feel better?".

"I do feel better", he replied as she went to meet her husband. "I've been crying my eyes out so many times, but I'm just dreadfully sad. I feel this which has happened deeply. I can't be happy until my "little sister" opens her eyes. I'm broken-hearted, but hopeful."

Later on, after Thomas's crew came back, he went to Edward's station to visit his old friend. Edward. Edward was sad about his comatose little friend, just like Thomas, so they pressed buffers and cried together, comforted by sharing each other's sorrow and their drivers offered comfort, too.

Thomas had a drink and went back to his branch line. After pulling a train, he noticed Percy was there, sobbing his heart out.

The little green tank engine heard Thomas, but was unable to speak. He sniffled, long and loud and Thomas gave him a buffer press, beginning to cry as well.

"Driver, can you dry my tears?" Thomas asked, barely able to choke out the words. He sobbed and sniffled, his face wet with tears.

His driver pressed a cloth to his engine's streaming eyes and said, "It's fine if you need to cry. I know this is a dreadful time for you. I've comforted you every time you cried with me here and I shall comfort you now."

Thomas cried more. He was sniffling, coughing, choking on his tears and hiccupping. He gasped and gulped, weeping with abandon, like a child, great tears falling without stopping until he could no longer cry. Then, he sighed, feeling relief. The day passed and time went by on Sodor as it did, even though island life wasn't normal.

Thomas visited his "little sister" as he was able and talked to her. One day, her "big brother" saw her eyes flutter as he spoke to his "sister". He wept with joy and his driver dried his eyes so he could see clearly.

Erica saw her "brother" and said, "You woke me up!", her cheeky smile on her face.

He told his "sister", "Just like you did me, after that accident I had awhile back. I shall take you back to the sheds when you're ready to leave this place. Then, you can get back on your wheels and be a Really Useful Engine." He smiled as wide as he could with twinkling black eyes, laughed and gave a happy whistle, full of joy his "sister" was so much better.

After they said Erica was good to go, Thomas helped her back to the sheds.

"I can do light duties tomorrow," she told her "brother" "But it'll take a bit before I can go full workload." She was just as glad as her "brother".

He said, "It just feels lovely to have you back with us."

She agreed, "I'm so glad to be back with all my friends."

Her "big brother" said, "I dreamed I went to The Big Railway In The Sky in my coma. I was reunited with all those I've lost in floods of happy tears on my part."

His "little sister" said, "My coma dream was seeing my life flash before my eyes. I heard you when you visited me and talked to me in tears. Knowing you were sad was hard for me, so I fought as hard as I could to wake up and then one day, you woke me up, just like I did you."

He replied, "My tears were endless when you were in that coma. I was dreadfully sad almost all the time. You felt that way in the time I was in my coma, I guess."

Her reply was, "I shed a great many tears while you were in coma land. But I had friends to dry my tears somehow every time."

He said to her, "I never shed a single tear during your coma that wasn't comforted.".

They parted ways as Erica smiled softly at her "brother". The days and weeks passed and she was cleared to work as usual. She smiled her cheeky smile, dark eyes bright at being able to truly be a Really Useful Engine as before.

A/N Sir Topham Hatt's fatherly side made an appearance. The special train's his way of cheering up Thomas because of how sad he was.