Ratchet dumped his carving and mending tools into a large sink filled to the brim with a green, sterilization liquid. The sound of energon sizzling away barely reached his audios, as he was more preoccupied with finding another first aid kit. Five mechs needed to be tended to, so he'd only take time to fish out all the cleaned tools when he had none left to spare; he didn't want to leave anyone in pain while trying to buff out a scalpel. However, that was proving to be difficult, when a soft moan elicited from across the med bay. Trying to keep his temper under control, the medic found another set of tools and quickly came to Sunstreaker's side.

Jazz had been making his rounds through the city, when he picked up a distress call from an oil refinery. A group of Decepticons were attacking the plant, causing the usual kayos and harvesting energon cubes. While on route, the saboteur sent a call of his own, asking any nearby Autobots to come lend a hand. When he finally did reach the destination, the cavalry arrived in Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Cliffjumper, and Bumblebee. The attackers turned out to be the three seekers and Soundwave (cassettes included), and all parties involved put up one heck of a fight. Thankfully, the rag tag team of Autobots emerged victorious, leaving the 'Cons to retreat, empty handed. Unfortunately, our heroes weren't left unscathed, and required a newly arrived Optimus Prime to tow his comrades, in his trailer, back to the Ark.

So here they were; confined to the med bay, and sprawled out on a row of recharge births; toughing it out while their drained physician made the rounds. He attended to Bumblebee first, who was at the end of the row; suffering from a crumpled up chest plate. Cliffjumper was next in line, but different ligaments were torn in his leg, and would require the most attention. Against his better judgment, the ambulance skipped him, wanting to get the quicker fixes out of the way first, before devoting most of his time to the red Minibot. Then, came the twins. Sideswipe's busted arm was repaired soon enough, but Sunstreaker obtained a mending injury, and thus had his wrist and part of his arm wrapped tightly in electrical tape; sort of the robot version of a cast, ensuring a few days off duty. The only damage Jazz suffered was a dislocated shoulder, which was easily popped back into place. However, he'd have to spend med bay time with his friends too, just to give his arm time to get its strength back.

With everyone else taken care of, Ratchet could finally tend to Cliffjumper. Most of the damage was in his kneecap; a very sensitive part of the leg; robot or otherwise…and this sensitivity ensured many loud and painful cries as the doctor welded wires, replaced bolts, and various other poking. He had to sedate the Minibot a few times to spare him the torture, and spare the patients all the yelling. But the medic couldn't dope him up too much, or he'd get sick. So, after about the third tranquillizer, the injured 'Bot was regrettably forced to lie awake and endure the pricks and stinging. Cliff thanked Primus that the bulk of it was over, but still winced as if he were gritting teeth as Ratchet came at him with a spanner. If there was some way to make it stop…

Just then, a voice was heard from the doorway. In the best imitation of Bugs Bunny, the impressionist drawled, "Eeehh, what's up doc?"

The wounded 'Bots made no effort to sit up and see who it was; they didn't have to; they knew that voice anywhere. In unison, they all managed out, "Hi, Kayla."

The teen, who was standing in the doorway, took a few steps forward; cane guiding her; guitar slung on her back; face now contorted in a more serious fashion as she spoke, "Optimus told me what happened; just comin' to check if you guys were alright."

Bumblebee smiled at the girl's concern for their welfare, "Aww, we're fine…little sore, but fine."

"Some, a little more sore than others…" Sunstreaker added in a more annoyed tone after hearing another painful groan from Cliffjumper.

The red head listened to the humming, clanking, and sparking of Ratchet's handy work, and the cries that came along with it; wincing all the while. Obviously, the ambulance was very busy, and she knew better than to cross him, especially when he was still working…maybe she dropped in at a bad time. With a bit of hesitation, she replied, "Um…maybe I better come back later…I don't wanna' be in the way."

The doctor paused to rest his hands for a moment, and turned to see the girl starting to make her way out. He regarded her for a minute, then let out a sigh. He wasn't prone to letting visitors in the med bay while he was operating; he couldn't afford to have any distractions. But in the two months she'd been visiting, the musician quickly proved her mettle amongst the Autobots and their human friends, as well as her care and courtesy. He knew that she knew that there was a time and place for everything, which was enough convincing for him to walk over to her. Besides, he was almost done anyway, and if Spike and Sparkplug were allowed in, why not her?

"Erm…hold on", he said as he approached, making her stop. Before she could turn around, he bent down and carefully scooped her up, "I'm almost finished with repairs, so you might as well come in. Besides, you proved to be one of my better patients."

Kayla giggled, "Thanks, doc. But really, if I'm botherin' ya', just tell me, and I'll go."

At that point, the medic placed her atop a shelf, and explained, "In that case, I've set you on a shelf, so I don't step on you as I make the rounds. But everyone's lying right below you, so they can see you." He then leaned in and whispered, "And I put you right above Jazz; it doesn't take brains to know you came to see him." The girl grinned and thanked him again. With that, the doctor returned to his grueling kneecap escapade.

The red head retracted her cane and stowed it away, then removed her guitar and carefully set it down; humming a random tune all the while. Lying upon his berth, Jazz tilted his head back slightly to see a pair of white sneakers appear off the edge of the shelf above, followed by jean-clad legs which dangled in a playful way. Finally, the face of his best friend appeared when she leaned over a tad; her head basked in a halo thanks to the lights above. The saboteur shifted a little to get comfortable, being mindful of his weak arm, and smiled up at her, "Hey, Kay'; what's happenin'?"

The teen grinned and swayed her feet, "Ahh, ya' know; just hangin' around." On the berth beside the saboteur, she could distinctly hear Sunstreaker try to suppress a groan at the pun. Chin in hands, she continued on a more concerned note, "So…what landed you in the lair of Dr. McCoy's cousin?"

The black and white mech tried not to laugh at her joke, "Popped ma' shoulder, but I'm fine; jus' gotta' let ma' arm rest a bit. Maybe we kin' jam a lil' later."

Kayla chuckled at the proposition, having already come fully prepared. She patted her equally black and white instrument next to her, "Already got my new, Old Reliable tuned up and ready to go."

Just then, the two musicians were interrupted by another painful cry. The red head turned in the general direction of the commotion to hear Ratchet's tinkering, as well as his familiar curses. She then put her head down as far as she could and whispered to the Porsche, "Is that Cliffjumper? Whatever happened, it doesn't sound pretty."

Said mech stole a glance down the row of the wounded, and could only see the bright white of the medic's back; obscuring any view of the red Minibot. Without taking his optics off the limited scene, he answered, "Slaggin' Frenzy blew his kneecap ta' shreds. Poor Cliff's been sufferin' almost da' whole way through."

Another shout of distress made the teen wince; the Minibot's cries just seemed to be begging for help. He needed something; anything to use as an outlet for the agony. That said, one more whine got her to her feet, and had her carefully making her way across the shelf. The injured mechs all peeked up at the footsteps above them; some preparing to catch the girl should she accidentally walk off the edge. But to everyone's relief, she stayed a straight line course as she followed the pained yells, until she was seated directly above the suffering patient. "Hey, Cliff!" she called.

The red mech's gaze was currently on a not-too happy Ratchet and a mangled knee being poked at. However, hearing his name, he turned his optics skyward to see Kayla sitting on the edge of the shelf. Chin in hand, her unseeing eyes were contorted with a mix of pity and concern, while her mouth sported the tiniest prick of a grin. All he could manage was a grunt to let her know he was looking. Seemingly satisfied with the answer, she asked, "Why did the cookie go to the doctor?"

One of Cliffjumper's optics widened; the equivalent of raising an eyebrow. What kind of question was that? "What?" he asked; clearly confused.

"Why did the cookie go to the doctor?" she reiterated.

The mech could've swore he heard Jazz giggling down the row; clearly, the saboteur knew something he didn't. His optics darted around a second, "Umm…"

The teen's grin grew broader at the enigma she placed on him; better give him the punch line before he blew a fuse. With a sigh, she drawled, "Because he felt crummy."

Cliff stared off into space a moment, until he realized it was a joke. "Oohhh…" he said, and then actually smiled; not at the pun, but more at her, for her corny attempt to cheer him up.

The musician suddenly heard the sound of a spanner warming up, but she managed to hold a mischievous grin as she shifted in her perch. Clearing her throat, she replied, "Got another question for ya'."

Ratchet started welding a few more transmission lines, and the Minibot twitched slightly, but he continued to stare at the teen above him, saying, "I'm listenin'."

Kayla kicked her legs back and forth, "Why did the orange go to the doctor?"

Down the line, Sunstreaker mumbled, "To find better puns…?"

The red warrior promptly ignored the Lambo twin, "Don't know; why?"

The teen giggled, "Because he had tangerine."

This time, the mech actually chuckled a bit, making Bumblebee and Jazz laugh. Meanwhile, the medic grabbed one last tool to seal up the wound, but not before taking a quick peek at the girl, then to his patient in a much lighter mood than when he came in. A short pause, and he returned to his work.
The amateur comedian sat back, resting on her hands, as she tried not to chuckle, "Okay, okay; I got one more."

Sparks started to fly as metal was welded together, but all of Cliffjumper's attention was on the red head. Grinning, he said, "Alright, let's hear it."

Kayla sucked in a breath, "Why did the knight go to the doctor?"

"Why?" everyone asked at the same time.

With the physician in mind, Kayla couldn't help but start to giggle. A short pause for dramatic effect, and she answered, "Because he needed an ambulance!"

The Minibot let out another cry, but this time, instead of pain, it was one of laughter. Sure, it was a bad pun, but with an ambulance for a doctor, he couldn't help but find amusement at the irony of the statement. Apparently, neither could the others. All five patients were either laughing or chuckling right along with him. In fact, with all the noise, he almost didn't hear Ratchet say, "All done."

For the first time in the past ten minutes, Cliffjumper turned his head to the doctor, "What?"

The medic shrugged, "You're done."

The 'Bot blinked in surprise, "Really?" He then looked at his previously injured knee, only to find it completely repaired. Only then did a twinge of soreness seep back in, but certainly a lot less severe than before. But how did it get that way? He was in so much pain before; what happened? Optics shifting back to the ambulance, he said in a bit of disbelief, "But…I hardly felt anything…"

To that, Ratchet sighed in relief; glad to not endure the painful yelling anymore. He then actually smirked as he stole a glance at the teenager, "Maybe because you were distracted…"

Cliff continued to stare; completely at a loss for words of what just happened. He followed the doctor's gaze to the shelf above, only to find that Kayla began making her way back across to her previous seat above the saboteur. After a moment, the Minibot smirked at her; both that, and a soft sigh as a silent "thank you".

The teen was above Sunstreaker's birth, when he snickered, "Oh yeah; fight pain with puns-that's helpful." He swung his injured arm slightly for added effect.

The medic grimaced at him and scolded him with his "don't mess with me or else" tone, "You have a mending injury, Sunny; don't make it worse for both of us."

For once, the Lamborghini shut up. However, the girl put her head down to cast a sly grin, "Oh, look; it's Sunny dearest. Still all wrapped up in yourself, huh?" At that, four roars of laughter rippled across the med bay, even the doctor chuckled. Having to mind his arm and his physician's wrath, Sunstreaker merely frowned and grumbled.

Sideswipe continued to giggle at his brother, "Sounds like someone's cranky."

"Yeah, man", Jazz added in, "Can't ya' take a joke?"

"Well you'd be pretty fraggin' tired if Thundercracker did this to ya'," the Lambo twin snapped.
Bumblebee turned to face the group with sympathy, "Come on, we're all tired; fighting five against eight isn't easy."

"Agreed", Ratchet said as he finished cleaning up his tools, "Which is why you're all going to recharge."

The others seemed to be down with that. The five mechs each took comfortable positions on their respective recharge births and attempted to relax. However, for some, it was proving difficult due to slight twinges of pain in the injured areas of their being. So, they were content to just lie there in silence; trying to nod off. Taking full advantage of the quiet, Ratchet plopped down at his nearby desk and started filling out reports, glancing at his comrades every now and then to make sure they weren't causing trouble.

By that time, Kayla had sat back down in her original spot; listening to Sunny's complaints that eventually left the med bay in silence. Every now and then, she'd hear somebody moan softly, cough, or shift in place as they tried to get comfy, but to seemingly no avail. It was then she was struck with an idea, after a long bout of thought. As quietly as she could, she felt around her sitting place, and a hand laid to rest on her prized guitar. With equal silence and grace, she placed the instrument in her lap and did a slight tweak of her earlier tune up. Her unseeing eyes closed, and a grin starting to show, the teen began strumming a tune.

The melody was a simple, instrumental piece, yet unlike most of the songs she played in the past, this one was entirely soft…not only soft, but…serene…like the music itself was sighing in a relieved peace. The girl's fingers danced about the strings with practiced skill, releasing the lulling tune that slowly wafted across the room, like a gentle, afternoon breeze.

Lying on the row of berths in silence; already weary in their present state, the 'Bots couldn't help but gradually become entranced by the beautiful melody. It was just…an air of serenity of which only she could provide, that brought an utter peace into everyone's sparks. Even Sunstreaker had noticeably sighed, and it was understandable. The tune seemed to caress their audios, like a soft whisper washing the pain away; pulling them into a relaxing bliss. Jazz slunk his head back a tad, letting the music happily carry him away.

Bumblebee was the only one to give voice to everyone's opinion. A soft smile caressed his features as his optics slowly powered down; his only sentence being a sleepy slur, "…hhhey…that music's…sssorta'…sssssoothing…"

Down the row, Sideswipe's optics were already powered down and closed, but with a tiny smirk, he managed to answer in agreement with a hum of, "…mm-hmm…"

From his place at his desk, even Ratchet had to stop his writing a moment to exhale a small yawn. The only time the med bay was this quiet was when no one was in it. That said, the doctor peeked up from his work as the last, relaxing notes faded away, only to find the most jaw-dropping sight he'd ever seen.

Every mech was far away in a deep, peaceful sleep.

The medic stared at the cute, little scene, and then at the red head sitting on the shelf above. She had slung her guitar across her back once more, and had her chin resting in her hands; happily listening to the hum of everyone's recharging systems. Every now and then, one of them would sigh and shift a little; some actually smirking a tad in their sleep. Ratchet looked on in amazement, which quickly turned to amusement when he picked up Cliffjumper's gentle snoring. All the while, the musician looked utterly pleased.

A sigh and a smile later, the ambulance rose to his feet and quietly snuck across the room, not wanting to arouse his comrades from the land of nod. With much precision, he carefully lifted the teen into his grasp; stopping only once when Sunstreaker mumbled something incoherent and turned over. The medic then strode over to the exit and set the girl on the floor; kneeling down to get closer to her level. With a smile, he whispered, "I don't even know what to say to that." A pause, and then, "Thank you…for all that."

Kayla grinned and shrugged, "No prob'."

The doctor regarded her a moment; a non-existent eyebrow raised, "Why did you do all that? How?"

The girl tilted her head in his general direction as she explained, "My mom's a nurse at the local hospital. A lotta' times, she helps patients with their physical therapy and stuff." She then cocked her head to one side, "But she learned that pain is actually a thing of the mind, as is with a lotta' recovery. Medicine helps, but so does human contact. Studies have been done; it's been proven that people actually heal faster when they're happy. Similar thing with music; it's proven to help-"

A loud snore from Cliffjumper interrupted her. With a giggle and a roll of the eyes, she finished, "-calm your nerves."

All the while during her explanation, the medic intently stared at her with perked interest. Well this was certainly something he never tried before. And if the aforementioned accounts were true, then not only could he save his medicine supply, but also, his comrades might not be so stubborn when getting repaired. With a look of thought, he smirked, "You know…I have to admit, that's a very spark-warming thing you did. I had never considered those kinds of methods before…and it certainly made things go quicker and easier on everyone…I think you may have found your calling as a morale officer."

The teen's eyebrows went up, "Really?"

"Certainly", he nodded, "It'd make for some welcoming changes around the med bay at least, if I get these results." A pause, and then, "If it isn't too much trouble…is it possible you could come back here again?"

Kayla smiled, "It's a date."

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AN: Mainly a highlight of what goes on AFTER the battles with the Decepticons, as well as the old, "laughter is the best medicine" lesson.
Please excuse the corny jokes.