The Diego Diaries: Home (dd7 221)
=0=In a lounge near a private room
Ratchet sat with Hauser, Jetta, Elita, Arcee, Magnus, the rest of the femme team and Partition. He updated them on the condition of Imaldo and Corsair. "Well, we have a pair of mechs that are fit and hardy most of the time, as tall as you, Jetta and Mack but twice as handsome," Ratchet said.
The group grinned as Jetta squeezed Ratchet's arm. "They didn't always look this beat down. They didn't know I got out of prison. Things happened so fast after that, the need to fight, that we were messed up for orns before I could get home and see that the three of them, Mack and the two of them had gone."
"We got split up at the airfield. They were shoved into a ship and I couldn't find them in the mob. Everyone was rioting to get away and we got separated," Mack said solemnly. "We had the ships ready at the yard to leave and were waiting for our families when things got out of hand. It was the one or two worst orns of my life."
Ratchet nodded. "They've been worked hard. I don't know much but it appears that it wasn't voluntary."
It became ice cold in the room as they stared at Ratchet. Then Elita glanced at Mack and Jetta. "I'll find out. I have contacts everywhere. You have to take care of them."
Jetta glanced at her, then nodded almost imperceptibly. He looked at Ratchet. "How are they?"
"Well, they have protoform wasting. That's natural given they show malnutrition. They also bear … we have indications from protoform scanning that they were beaten. I see few other wounds though, Jetta," Ratchet said as he reached out to grip Jetta's servo.
He looked completely blindsided as did his brother and cousin, Hauser.
"They're otherwise surprisingly well and they're utterly exhausted. I'm admitting and will keep them here for a few orns so that we can get them on their peds. I'm going to have Jarro send someone over or come himself to do the initial examination for their emotional and mental health. This was a shock to the system. I have them under sedation and there will be a bunch of lines going into them so it looks scarier than it is but they're going to bounce back from this."
The door opened as more came inside including a pensive Kestrel and Tagg. Jetta stood and they hugged tightly, Mack with Tagg and Jetta with Kestrel. They had lived nearly next door on the same floor in their tenement all of their lives. Imaldo and Corsair were great friends of Prime's family including his grandgenitors who were no longer among the living.
"Jetta, this is so wonderful. Tagg and I will help them. We want to have them find their way forward and live the life they deserved," Kes said.
"I know," Jetta said as his emotions felt like a tidal wave. "I can hardly believe it," he said, then turned to Hauser who stared at him with concern. "We'll find yours. Ja-lee and Myko will come. They will."
Hauser hugged Jetta. "I know. My genitors are tough, just like yours. We will find them. Dai Atlas does miracles."
Ratchet stood up, then sent both Mack and Jetta a slight time release sedative by WIFI. He glanced at Hauser. "Do you need the edge gone?"
He considered that, then nodded. "I might welcome that, Ratchet. Seeing my uncles makes me happy and not, you know?"
Ratchet nodded. "I know. It was awful to get family without the others being that lucky but we are. We're slagging lucky. It will always get better."
Jetta nodded, then glanced at the door. "Can we go see them? Are they awake?"
"They're groggy. I had them eat the right food, they have monitors and transfusions going. Don't think its worrisome because they look like a motherboard. They'll catch up really fast," Ratchet said as he led the way to the room down the hallway.
They entered a large private room with a spectacular view of Aerie Hill in the distance. Two berths contained two mechs who were plugged into quietly beeping machines while lines fed them things they probably hadn't had in eons. They were relaxed into recharge, their faces reflecting their good looks and intelligence.
Jetta and Mack walked to them and took their hands. Sitting on a chair, Jetta stared at his ada, Corsair. "Everything that I ever learned about love, about justice and decency I learned from them. Everything. I would never understand what love was without them."
It was silent in the slightly darkened room as they listened to him.
He looked at them. "They're the embodiment of love and honor … of genuine goodness to me. I would've never had a life without them."
Ratchet glanced at Mack who nodded as he struggled to control his emotions.
Hauser squeezed his shoulder. "They're such good sparks, Ratchet. They're so good. I loved when I could come and spend time with you at your house, Jetta. They were so good and funny."
Jetta nodded, then glanced at a solemn Tagg and emotional Kestrel. "You and them, you were my family. We all grew up together, all of us. We had nothing. Nothing material. We all knew how much you genitors sacrificed for us. That's why we stayed out of trouble, Kes. We did that because we knew you and Tagg, my genitors, Arcee's … Elita's. All of them we knew were at capacity and we didn't want to do anything that would make your life harder. We knew from the time we were born how things were, how hard it was and how much you had to take in your life to raise us." Jetta sat back after tucking his ada's servo under the blanket. "All of us knew. You did, too, right, Ratchet?"
He nodded. "Yes. You do know that my Appa Ratchet and Amma Docker were great friends of your genitors? That's how I knew them. I met them once. They were the nicest, warmest pair of mechs. It's easy to see where you three come from with family and guidance like that."
Jetta nodded. "I hated to see how hard they worked for so little. They did it all for Mack and me. They never begrudged anything around us. They did their best. They were the epitome of honor and integrity to me. No one is ever going to outshine them to me because without them I would never have known love. My life would be totally and completely different. Everything that I do, I do for them. I never thought I would see them again so I was living three lives, mine and theirs. Everything good thing I can do here and in the Empire I did for them, in memory of them. Now they're here."
"I think you need to step down for a while, Jetta, until you assimilate this, you and Mack. When Jarro or someone comes here I'm going to have them help you three as well, Hauser. This is so hard, living long enough to be found. I don't know what they experienced but the best and most important part we should focus upon is that they're here and they get to have the life they always deserved," Ratchet said.
"I want to stay with them. When they wake up I want to be here," Jetta said as he rubbed his optics.
"No problem," Ratchet said. "They'll probably recharge all day and night. By tomorrow morning we can check them out. I suppose you'll get them a house and all of that ready?"
He nodded. "I'll find one next to me or close by. I want to make sure they get back on their peds as easily and well as possible."
"Good," Ratchet said. "They'll be part of Home Healthcare and have a schedule of counseling. I'll also arrange a case worker with Social Services to assist. Something tells me that family counseling is in order."
They chatted a moment, then Ratchet slipped out to do a surgery on Lissie.
Kes and Tagg would sit with everyone talking about the old days when all of the mechs and femmes were children living and playing in the neighborhood. It would be good for all of them.
=0=A joor later
Ratchet watched orderlies wheel Lissie out with a new metallic servo. It matched her other one after Ratchet meticulously measured it, then had it made for her. Soon she would be up and at 'em, her glorious calligraphy returned to her servo. You couldn't keep a good femme down, he thought as he took the elevator to the 49th floor and his inner sanctum. Stepping into his office, he noted a number of individuals sitting and standing around the room eating candy from his cupboards. He grinned. "Slaggers. Leave some for me."
"So, Ma, what's the story on Jetta and his genitors? Rumor has it that they were abused," Springer said with a cold tone. It wasn't going over well with The Boyz apparently.
"Rumor is right, though how I don't know yet. Elita is running it down. I have a case call into Omega Base and hopefully the doctors there can tell me where they're from and what happened to them." He sat down, pulled out a can of candy from a desk drawer, then put up his peds to chomp it down with the punters. It would be a humorous interlude with family and friends.
=0=Nearing the end of the orn before shift change, schools letting out and other busy times
Ironhide walked out of Sparkling Day #1 in Terra early with a hold filled with hysterical infants. He was heading for Metrotitan to get Hero, then Military Daycare Center #10 in Tyger Pax to get Halo. He would then continue back to Centurion to get Sunspot and Spot from Youngling Day #1 and finally, The Pet Stop to get Robby, a place for punters to 'daycare' their pets while everyone worked.
By then, the buses would be picking up the titan kids and by the time he reached the sidewalk in front of their building they would be riding up in their school bus. It would be then that all would go upward including T-Bar, Rambler and Spirit while Prowl got Miracle, Solus and Sojourner from their schools. Possibility was with Miler.
All would be well in their worlds.
Hopefully.
=0=Shortly after all the above came to pass
He sat in his chair listening to the endless stream of hysterical crying, maniacal laughter at the sight of him being there, intricate extensive convoluted explanations of toys that Santa Prime had left for them and all the related hoo-haw that little kids explode with when their genitors come back from wherever they went for more than a few joors in all universes everywhere.
Sitting on the couch watching with great amusement and satisfaction that he was home, nine titanic kids, a cat, a dog and a cow watched. The Prime kids had just been called home by Prowl who went straight up with his crying babies.
"ATAR! I DOING DIS! I GOED TO THIS AND DOING! YOU COMEDED TO ME DERE AND WE DOING?!" You Know Who asked with hopeful, tearful, hysterical optics.
Ironhide glanced at a quivering Hero holding her Baby Yoda dollie who was eerily looking at Ironhide with big dark eyes. "He wants you to play, Atar. He got a new car for his little collection. Appa Ratchet made a track for it to run on." Hero then smiled a billion watt smile around her near tears.
Halo looked up at Hero, then Ironhide. Then she smiled a billion watt smile, too.
Ironhide joined them, trillion watt smile and all.
=0=Prime
Ratchet walked from Lissie's room where she was resting after a therapy session to work out the kinks and calibrate the new servo. She would be going home tomorrow with a schedule of physical therapy and orders to take three orns off.
Reaching Prime's suite, he cracked the door to see Kestrel sitting with him alone. Ratchet walked in quietly, checked things, then sat down next to Kes. "He's looking great."
"Thank you, Ratchet. That relieves my processor," Kes said in his gentle kindly manner. He looked at Ratchet. "It was so wonderful to get Imaldo and Corsair back. They are the best mechs."
"I remember that," Ratchet said. "It's funny how we could live a couple of blocks apart and never know each other then."
Kes nodded. "Too many individuals in a too small space. Jetta is very happy. They were a very close family. Jetta has always been a good mech."
"We all are, Kestrel," Ratchet said with a smile. "Now we get the time and place to remember that. He's right, you know. Without each other we're nothing. Having friends and family, being needed and helping others … that's what makes peace happen. Maybe that slagger will slow down and ..." Ratchet considered that, then grinned at Kestrel. "Nah."
Kestrel laughed.
It was all good.
=0=TBC 2-29-2020 3-2-2020 4-1-2020
Happy Leap Year. I have a friend born on this day. She must be fifty but she probably claims from the calendar to be 15. LOL! HUGS!