"Stay in vehicle mode," Jayce instructed Bee and Hound, "Cade, take this capsule. I need you to get the ship ready. I'm almost done here. "
Saying nothing, Cade took the capsule and got back into Bee. Bee drove off as fast as he could. Jayce opened a capsule with a stretcher.
Wow, Bulma. Jayce didn't expect to find a stretcher like EMTs use. Jayce lifted Jamie off the metal table, lied her on the stretcher, and buckled the straps. Hound opened the back doors, and the girls put the stretcher in before getting in themselves. Hound closed the door. Crosshairs and Drift Transformed into vehicle mode.
"Let's go," Jayce said as she found the capsules she needed.
:: Cade, we're coming out, you're driving.:: Jayce informed Cade as they drove out of the hideout.
:: I'm ready.::
They left the hideout towards the ship.
"The same ship? How many of the same ship for you have?" J.R asked.
"three, or now two of these, and a smaller single-person ship."
They entered the ship; the Autobots excluding Hound sat on the floor. Hound could position himself so Crosshairs and Drift could watch the girls care for their friend, Bumblebee could if he wanted to. Jayce lowered the stretcher before telling Cade to take off.
"Remind me to thank Bulma for this kit next time we go to that dimension." Jayce smiled as she pulled out another capsule. Jayce questioned the use of the kit Bulma insisted she make for them, but she was right. This one had supplies needed for respiratory care. J.R. hated seeing Jayce pull out What Jayce needed to intubate Jamie. As Jayce continued to prepare for the procedure, J.R. listened to Jamie's heart and breathing.
Fuck, she will not last much longer.
Jayce saw J.R.'s worried expression but said nothing as she worked.
"Need any help?" Cade asks as Jayce finishes putting the tube in place and setting up the bag valve mask. J.R. hated how much oxygen Jamie needed.
That can't be right; The most Jamie has needed is seventy-five percent, not ninety percent.
"Yeah, hold the mask in place while J R squeezes the bag. I need to do an I.V."
"I assume you put the ship on autopilot?" J.R jested.
"Glad you can joke right now. Just do what you're supposed to." Jayce comments.
Silence filled the air for a few minutes.
"Take a break," Cade suggested when Jayce was finished, "we've got it."
Jayce nodded and stood up, "here, this is the portable monitor. "
"I Understand, Jayce, I'll call you if we need you."
Cade knew this was hitting her just as bad as Crosshairs and Drift. J.R.'s anger seemed to hide how she felt. Cade wasn't sure how Bee and Hound felt, but he'd guess they felt the way he felt; disgusted this even happened and anger that they failed to protect Jamie but not as bad as Crosshairs and Drift.
Jayce stepped off of Hound and walked towards where Crosshairs and Drift sat. She knew they'd want to know what's going on. She leaned against the wall and slid down, sighing. Crosshairs and Drift watched as she slid to the floor. They knew just by watching her how bad Jamie is.
Jayce couldn't sit for long. She checked on how Cade and J.R. were doing.
Jayce saw they had everything under control. She headed to the cockpit.
They were twenty minutes from the junkyard. Jayce would let the autopilot land the ship. She felt she needed to be with Jamie.
Screw a break, Jamie would never take a break if a friend was injured.
Jayce went back to the others.
"We'll be back to the junkyard in twenty minutes." She informed them, she couldn't tell them that Jamie was close to dying.
"Then?" Drift asked.
"I will need to put her on the ventilator," Jayce failed to hide how concerned she is.
"She's a fighter, and I know you'll do everything you can. She'll get through this," Drift comforted Jayce. Drift was right. Jamie has suffered countless flare-ups, including several severe ones, but everyone always had the thought; what if it's too much for Jamie's body?
"She will, Jayce. I've only known you three for two years, but I've seen how tough she is in battle." Cade added. Crosshairs remained quiet, and he couldn't look at Jamie. Seeing her like this crushed his spark. It amazed him Drift could but saw the pain in Drift's expression.
When they returned to the junkyard, Jayce and J.R worked as fast as they could to get Jamie proper care, Cade helped the best he could, and most of the Autobots watched; Crosshairs stayed way.
"She'll be ok, Crosshairs," Drift assures as he walks up to the paratrooper.
"That bastard tried to kill her. You heard Jayce; it's never been this bad," Crosshairs was getting angry, "I will find that bastard and-"
"No," Drift interrupted, "you should stay here."
'I can't do anything here. I will not sit around and do nothing knowing that bastard is out there!"
Before Drift could say anything, Crosshairs Transformed and drove out of the junkyard. Drift watched, disappointed with how Crosshairs wants to deal with this.
"He's pissed, isn't he?" Hound asked as he walks up to Drift.
"Yes, he believes revenge is the solution."
Crosshairs had no idea where Jadin was. This drive could just be to blow off steam. He found himself on a road miles from any humans. A ship intercepted him. He transformed as it landed and took out a gun. He knew who it was. The doors opened, and a figure emerged. All Crosshairs saw was a shadow, but he knew.
"Out for revenge, are we?" The shadow said before it walked into the light, "so, I take it my plan was successful?" Jadin smiled.
"No, she will survive-. "
"Oh, and I won't?" Jadin laughed.
Crosshairs did nothing. He wanted to, but now he felt this was Jamie's fight. He shouldn't do anything unless Jamie wanted him to.
"Well, I'm sure we'll meet again," Jadin returned to her ship and ascended to the sky. Crosshairs watched but couldn't believe what he's seeing; Jadin is traveling across dimensions.
"Coward!" He yelled before transforming and heading back to the junkyard.
He found Drift sitting by the entrance of the storage building, meditating, and J.R. sitting on a rusted car nearby. He didn't see the others. He joined J.R.
"Back so soon?" J.R asked. "Couldn't get your revenge?"
Crosshairs just sat on a car next to her, quietly expecting Drift to come and lecture him. Drift didn't seem to notice he returned.
"Oh, there you are," Jayce walked over, "some guardian you are, taking off when the one you're protecting is down," she says as she sits next to him.
So Jayce will lecture me. It annoyed crosshairs.
"Going to lecture me? "He asked, annoyed.
"No, you're great, Crosshairs-."
"Really? "J.R laughed, "cause you said you were disgusted with him-"
"Shut it. I was wrong. I know he takes being Jamie's guardian seriously. "
"I'm still trying to figure how that all works," Cade jumped into the conversation, "The Autobots protect all of us."
"Yeah, but.." Jayce never had to explain this before.
"They're Jamie's best friends, and she is with them most of the time, and with the illness, you know. That about right, Jayce?'
"You forgot some details, but close enough." Jayce wasn't sure how else to explain.
He'll figure out what you forgot. Jayce thought, smiling.
Crosshairs sat with Drift. He hated seeing Jamie the way she was but started feeling like he needed to be close to her. The building's entrance is as close as he wanted to be.
"When did you return?" Drift asked. Crosshairs just sighed, Drift said nothing. There was silence for a few minutes.
"How can you be calm?" Crosshairs broke the silence.
"Anger solves nothing."
Drift's response annoyed Crosshairs.
Four days have passed. Crosshairs and Drift spend most of their time sitting in front of the storage building. Drift spends most of the time meditating, and Crosshairs sits on a car, watching Jayce.
"At least Crosshairs isn't complaining about how bored he is," J.R joked.
"I think I'd rather hear that all day then see this," Jayce replied.
J.R looked at the two bots and frowned, "you're right; I think I'd rather hear Crosshairs say he's bored all day."
"There's nothing I can do. It's just waiting now."
"Which reminds me, when are you going to put in a new monitor chip?"
"Not now, she's still too weak."
"I'm worried, Jayce."
"It's only been four days. You know a severe flare-up takes days to recover from. Though now that I think about it, it seems like two to three weeks is about right, you know you shouldn't take that as for sure."
"I just have this feeling that-."
"Now that's a shitty way of thinking. You know Jamie is a tough fighter." Jayce decided she needed to check on Jamie. She did this at least three times a day. She also had a system to warm her of unwanted changes.
She wasn't surprised to find Crosshairs and Drift were still sitting in front of the storage building several hours later.
"Guys, take a break. Go for a drive," Jayce urged them.
"Come with Hound, Bee, and I. We're going to investigate a signal," Cade suggested. Though Jayce wondered if it was an attempt to distract or did Cade get a signal, she was relieved to see the two take a break.
She held Jamie's hand, "come on, Jamie, the team can't take seeing you like this." Jayce sighed.
A half-hour later, J.R. joins Jayce.
"How is she?" J.R asks.
"Doing a little better, heart rate is as it should be "
Jayce gathered what she needed to draw blood.
"That's good."
"It is, but remember, it's the level of the chemical that determines how long recovery will take. The slow heart rate is an effect of the high level."
"Why are you talking to me like I don't know?"
"To show you, you have nothing to worry about."
"Um... you forget setbacks are possible."
"You can't think positively."
"I'm sorry, but my friend almost died and still could!"
"Hey, what's going on?" Cade walks up to the girls, "come on; we don't need this shit. J.R, come with me."
J.R followed Cade as Jayce resumed what she was doing.
"What's going on?" Cade asked. They were twenty feet from the building. All the Autobots are also around them still in vehicle mode.
"How can you be so calm? How can any of you be calm?! Jamie came close to dying," J.R. let tears go down her face, "and she still could die. You don't see how this is worse than what's in the records."
"We all know what can happen, but it does us no good thinking about that. That doesn't help anyone."
By now, the Autobots transformed.
"Cade's right," Hound reasoned, looking at Crosshairs, "thinking negative or thinking revenge won't help."
Crosshairs looked at him in disgust. J.R. had enough of this and walked away.
"They're both not taking this well," Cade observed.
"That bastard was their friend. She betrayed them and wants Jamie dead. How else are they supposed to take it?" Crosshairs asked, angry.
"Not with anger," Drift answered.
"I take it J.R. is still mad?" Jayce asked.
"And you?" Cade asked.
"No, I'm more concerned."
"J.R. seems to be angry at Jadin for betraying you three, are you?"
"No, I'm more disappointed. We were a team, and she decided because she's not the leader to betray us and wants Jamie dead. She returned to the storage building.
"Do you guys know what happened?" Cade asked the Autobots. They all answered no.
"I think that's something we should wait until they want to talk to us about or show the video records," Drift suggested. The others agreed. They all wanted to help the girls heal, but how could they?
