Honest fact: Youngest kid I've been around with a broken bone is my middle cousin. He'd broken both the radius and ulna (both arm bones closer to the wrist) when he fell out of a tree. It was scary. My oldest cousin thought his arm had broken off! I was the only one there to set her straight.
Anyone who makes Jell-O out of the box instead of buying it ready-made knows that it's going to solidify somewhat on their own, even outside the fridge.
"Normal Talk"
"Bee's Talk"
"Bee's Talk Holoform"
"Other Side Over the Phone (Comms)"
'Thoughts'
~Bond communication~
~Telepathic communication~
Cast Off
Three Weeks Later, July 9, Ratchet's POV
Mariposa starts crying an hour before she usually wakes up. I can't hold back the groan as I stand and shift into my holoform. She's been doing this anywhere from three to five since I got her back. I sigh and cross the room to my daughter. I can't blame her. She's been traumatized. She's wearing a white short sleeved onesie and red footed pants with ladybug faces, because her cast is far too big for long sleeves. Since her rescue, she's been a lot more clingy, and won't let me out of her sight for more than a minute. She doesn't even want to be with Bumblebee. Needless to say, it's exhausting.
"Daddy's here, Mari. It's okay."
"Dada." She nuzzles into my shoulder.
"Does your arm hurt?"
"No."
"Your mouth?"
She whimpers softly, but it's obviously nothing severe right now, or she'd still be crying.
"Okay. Want to go back to sleep?"
"No. Up."
"Mari—"
"Up. Inky."
I sigh and slip a Princess in Training pacifier into her mouth before carrying her over to the changing table. I sit her on it with a heavy sigh. Something has been keeping her from sleeping through the night. "Did you have a bad dream?" She nods. "Oh, Sweetspark…" I sigh. "Well, let's get you dressed." I change her before dressing her in a pink and green camo short sleeved onesie, a pink jumper with a John Deere symbol and name graphic, a pink and green camo sun hat, and pink sandals, then slip her sling on.
"Baba?"
I nod before filling one with milk, and hand it, as well as a strawberry Jell-O popsicle, to her before carrying her out to the main room. She quickly starts in on the cold treat, knowing by now (since I got the mold months ago, and started using them the moment she started teething) that the frozen gelatin will ease the pain. By now, of course, most of her front teeth are in, but I've heard the back teeth are worse. I have noticed that, since they don't melt as fast as regular popsicles, that she sets it aside in favor of a toy or bottle after a minute or two, but only for a few moments. Maybe they're too cold, but you can't really have a warm popsicle.
"Ratchet?"
I sigh before turning toward the voice. "What are you doing up, Optimus?" I glance to where Mariposa is drinking her bottle, then turn back to him. "I hope Mari didn't wake you."
"She did not, and I am certain she would not have meant to if she had." He sighs softly. "How is she doing?"
I set her in the pen, then turn back to Optimus. "I think she's afraid he's going to get her again." I look down slightly. "I don't know what to do for her, Optimus." I sigh. "It was one thing to see PTSD in Bumblebee, Bluestreak, and Silverstreak, but in Mari…" I glance to her. "She's just a baby, Optimus."
"A baby who has been through quite a lot of trauma in a short time, Old Friend. She will recover."
11:00 am
I get Mariposa up and change her before dressing her in a yellow and white striped short sleeved onesie with pink trim, pink shorts overalls with a John Deere tractor graphic, and pink sandals, then slip her sling and tiara on. Once she's dressed, I grab her bag and start for the door with her in my hand.
"Dada?"
"You have to go to the doctor today, Little One."
"No!"
I can't help but laugh. "Mari, it's not for shots. No needles, I promise." I smile at her. "They're just going to check your arm." I hand her to Arcee and transform, then wait for her to get Mariposa settled before starting for the Hospital.
Hospital
I carry Mariposa up the stairs in holoform to the orthopedics office before taking a seat. The waiting room isn't too busy, thankfully, and I know that's a good thing. Mariposa doesn't need to wait out here any longer than necessary. I hope she's healed, so she can get this cast off, otherwise I have to pull her out of the pageant.
A nurse comes to the door. "Marianne?" I stand and carry her back to the room. "I need to get an X-ray. Do you want to come with us?"
I nod and follow her with Mariposa in my arms. I know my daughter won't let me out of her sight. The nurse hands me a lead apron, causing me to raise an eyebrow.
"You have to wear that while we're taking the x-rays." She crosses her arms. "Weren't you with her?"
I sigh before slipping into the apron. "She'd been kidnapped, and abused. I'd just gotten her back, and the doctor wouldn't let me stay with her."
"That's understandable." She sighs before setting Mariposa on the table. "They had to make sure she didn't have any serious injuries."
"That, and because they don't know me like June does."
She finishes with the x-rays before leading us back to the room. I sit on one of the chairs with her in my lap and wait for the doctor.
"Dada? Go bye-bye."
"We can't right now, Mari. We have to wait for the doctor."
"No! Bye-bye."
I look up at a knock, and smile when the door opens. "Marianne?" I nod. He steps over to us. "Good news. We can get that cast off today."
"Go bye-bye?"
The orthopedist nods. "We'll get that stinky thing off, and you can go home."
"Dada! Go bye-bye!"
I nod. "As soon as he's done, Mari."
He pulls out a small saw and turns it on, causing Mariposa to bury her face in my chest. "I'm not going to hurt you, Little One."
I slip her pacifier into her mouth. "It's okay, Mari. Daddy's here." He cuts the cast off carefully. Even so, it seems to me like he's about to cut her arm. Once he pulls it off, I run a gentle hand over her arm. "You're all better now."
"Bye-bye?"
I sigh softly. "Yes, Mari. We can leave now."
12:00 pm
I pull into the base and let Arcee get Mariposa and her bag out before transforming.
"Dada!"
I take her from Arcee and start for my berth room. "I'll take over once she's down for her nap, Optimus."
"I can handle monitor duty, Old Friend. You need to spend some time with Mariposa."
I scoff lightly. "Not when she's napping." I sigh before taking her into my room and tucking her into her crib.
I step out and run into Optimus. "Why not take the chance to do some of the domestic chores you were talking about?"
I roll my eyes. "I'm not going to turn into some stay-at-home Carrier, Optimus! Not when I'm needed as a medic!" I scoff. "Raising Mari is one thing, and I love my daughter, but I will not be pushed aside like scrap."
"I am sure even the human friend you have mentioned has to balance work and responsibilities." Optimus sighs before laying a hand on my shoulder. "We are not trying to push you aside, Old Friend. We are simply giving you the time you need to help Mariposa recover from her ordeal."
"I've been on light duty for three weeks, Optimus. There has to be something other than chores I can do around here."
"Focus on Mariposa, for now. She needs you."
3:00 pm
"Dada?"
I shift into my holoform and step over to the crib before lifting her.
"Up!"
"I can see that." I change her before dressing her in a white tank top onesie with a tractor graphic and "John Deere Farm Baby", a pink skort, and pink sandals. "Violet's here."
"See Vi! See Vi!"
I laugh gently. While it's not surprising she's got PTSD after what she's been through, she's still the same. Her symptoms, while upsetting, aren't life-altering. "We will, Little One."
"Go?"
He smiles slightly. "We'll see."
Main Room
I step over to Violet in holoform with Mariposa on my hip. "Richard?"
Against my better judgment, I'd had her come even when Mariposa was in the cast, just in case she'd still be able to compete. "Right here, Violet." I set Mariposa down, and smile when she toddles to her.
"I see she got her cast off. Have her dresses come in?"
I nod. "They're in her closet."
"Good. What about her stranger anxiety?"
I sigh heavily. "It's getting better, but not very quickly. She still won't spend any time with the rest of the team. Just the sparklings and I."
"That's to be expected, Rick. She's been through a lot."
I knew choosing a government agent to train her was the best way to go. "You have a point. I'm just worried about how it will hurt her chances. You said the judges expect to see the child smile, and she'll be in a room of strangers."
She lays a hand on my shoulder. "She'll have her father beside her." We climb up to the platform, and I set Mariposa into her pen. "Now, we'll run through her routines."
Medical Bay
"What are you doing?"
I scan Mariposa, then turn to her coach with a sigh. "I don't like the idea of faking everything for these pageants."
"Well, Ratchet, that's just how they work, and if Mari wants to do this, then you'll have to cope."
"I've got a better idea, Violet." I sigh softly. "As you know, I designed the holoforms we've used since she first came to us. I was able to modify the program to where it would fill in what is required."
"She won't need most of that until she's eighteen months."
"The technology can wait for a few months, Violet. That's not what I'm doing." I sigh heavily as I hold a color sample looking like corn silk beside her head before switching it out for one closer to honey. "I'm having trouble getting her hair color to register. It has to match exactly."
"You need to make sure your outfits coordinate with hers, because you will be on stage with her."
"I understand."
"And if you're so set on being a different kind of pageant parent, don't give her a lot of sugar. A banana will give her the energy she needs without giving her a sugar rush, and water hydrates just fine." She stands. "I'm available if you need me, of course, and I'll be at the pageant."
I nod. "Thank you."
Bedtime
I set Mariposa in the tub and smile when she splashes and giggles. Even being kidnapped at the beach didn't destroy her love of water. I sigh as I scrub the cheese out of her hair before washing the rest of her. You'd think I know better by now than to feed Macaroni and Cheese to a fifteen month old, but she likes it.
"Dada." She waves a swan toy at me. "Ducky."
I shake my head before smiling at her. "Swan, Mari."
"S'an?" She throws it into the tub. "Dada, S'an!"
I reach down and pull the plug before lifting her out with her princess towel. I dry her off before helping her brush her teeth. Once we're done, I take her back into my berth room.
I change Mariposa and dress her in a pink sleeper with dark pink collar, cuffs, and trim, and a green John Deere tractor graphic before tucking her in with her blanket and teddy bear. I hand her an energon bottle before returning to my normal form and climbing into my own berth. Usually, I'd go back into the main room, but it's been a long day. Hopefully, she will sleep through the night.
