Look and Listen Book 1

There's a Reason

Chapter 6: Battle Damaged

Rating: PG-13 (mentions of violence, hospitals, physical disabilities, comatose states, minor language)

Major Characters: Spike, Carly, Rocksteady, Daniel. Kup, Blurr, First Aid, Wheelie

POV: Spike (first part). Kup (second part)


Spike was furious with himself more than anyone else. When he was a kid the Decepticons had attacked two races that he'd been participating in. He should've known it would happen again eventually. Now granted the Circuit was a common weekend event that Raoul and Tracks scheduled with anyone who wanted to join in- but still. Carly hadn't been injured- and neither had he. Daniel had been, though. And so had his son's best friend. The human can't help grimacing as he thinks about one of those pile-drivers pounding someone's head in and how easily they'd be able to actually do it. It's a miracle in and of itself that Wheelie'd survived without permanent damage to his processors, First Aid had said the day following the fight while looking over scans of Wheelie's systems.

They had three humans in the hospital and four 'bots under First Aid's watch all because they just wanted to enjoy themselves. It wasn't fair.

The attack on the race had already been a week ago- Spike visited Daniel and Rocksteady on a daily basis. He wanted to see Raoul too; unfortunately, his old friend was comatose and visits didn't do much but add worry and guilt to the man's heart. The same went for Wheelie. The young soldier hadn't woken up since his fight with Rumble ended so gruesomely.

Every time Spike bridged himself to Cybertron to see the juvenile, Kup and Blurr were there- sometimes sleeping, sometimes watching over the much younger 'bot, and sometimes speaking in hushed voices with each other or First Aid, Sideswipe, or Rodimus.

Daniel asked how Wheelie was every day. And every day it was the same answer: 'He's stable.' Then he'd ask about Raoul and Tracks. Spike never answered.

First Aid had a Hell of a time making repairs on Tracks because he wanted to stay with Raoul- or, as close as he could without using his human holoform. Raoul had already been through surgery twice to stabilize him. His heartbeat was always irregular and a nurse had once leaned in to whisper to Spike: "He may not wake up, you know."

"Does Tracks know?"

"We've told the Autobot multiple times. He...refuses to believe it."

How could something so harmless as a good race between friends end with so many injured? Spike runs his fingers through his hair and closes his eyes as he stops in the hospital's hallway directly between Rocksteady and Daniel's rooms.

"Spike?" He feels familiar hands get placed on his shoulders, leading him toward the nearest chairs. Carly pushes him softly into the chair, then he hears her dragging another one over the floor so she can sit directly across from him. He keeps his eyes closed and leans over his knees- but he does look up when his wife takes one hand gently into both of her smaller ones. "You didn't know it would happen. You couldn't have known. And at least no one was killed, right?"

The man nods numbly.

"Then don't blame yourself." Carly sighs and then giggles a little. "You're kinda acting like Sparkplug would have if he was in your place, you know."

Spike gives a light smile at that. "Dad would beat me over the head if he was here."

"Ha! You know he would." She brushes a few stray hairs out of the man's face and kisses his forehead in a reassuring way. "Why don't we go see the others now? Poplock's already in there, so I bet he's talking poor Rocksteady's ear off."

A pause, and then a nod and Spike allows himself to be pulled back to his feet. It's not long at all before they enter Rocksteady's room. They pull the usual routine: Carly walking up beside Poplock so that they can chat with the bedridden man, while Spike looks at the clipboard at the foot of the bed.

Charles Hem. Big, messily scribed letters read the man's actual name that he literally never went by- even now that he was too old to break-dance. The Bop Crew still stuck together, but they were quite a bit older now. But there were some nicknames that just stuck no matter what- Poplock and Rocksteady's being definite inclusions to that.

His left arm had multiple fractures in it, four broken ribs, whiplash, and a broken collar bone- yet he still grins like an idiot.

Spike stands back up from a kneeling position and leaves the clipboard hanging at the end of the bed. He shakes the other man's uninjured hand once and then takes a step back beside Poplock and Carly. "Heeey, Rocky. How ya feeling?"

"Heh. It's the Dancitron all over again. But worse."

Poplock crosses his arms and elbows Spike right the ribs, earning a grimace from the slightly younger man. "Do. Not. Talk 'bout that damn place, Rocky."

"You guys never did tell us the whole story about that place," Spike butts in. "Come on, gotta tell us sometime!"

"The Hell we do!" Poplock snorts, and then both he and Rocksteady start laughing. "But really Spike- that's more a question for Tracks or Ra...aaa...Blaster."

Rocky's grin fades, and so does everyone else's at the near slip-up. "Any'a ya seen Raoul today? S'there progress or...?"

"Poppy can fill you in," Spike answers, "since he saw Raoul this morning. But I think Carly and I need to go check on Danny. See ya, Rocky."

If it was at all possible, the bedridden man deflates more but nods none the less. Carly squeezes his hand gently and then follows Spike out- Poplock decides to stay behind to keep chatting with his lifelong friend.

The couple departs the room and walks the short distance down the hall to Daniel's. They knock, and then open the door to enter.

"...ight, thanks! Talk to ya later."

Spike and Carly both pause in the doorway, but Danny just waves them in after lowering his watch and setting it on the table next to his bed. "Hey! Just finished talking to Blurr, and good news!" He beams up at his parents as they come to the bedside, exchanging glances with each other.

Carly speaks up first, "What's that, Danny?"

"Wheelie started to stir this morning! Blurr said he and Kup were chatting with Sides, and Wheelie vented and fluttered his optics! That's more than he's done since the fight!" Daniel reaches over and picks up his watch again. "I told Blurr to call back if Wheelie does anything else. I...I was so worried about him..."

"We know, dear." Carly says, running her fingers through the young man's hair- careful of his stitches. "Once you're discharged we can go see Wheelie, alright?"

...

Machines beeped and buzzed, and one of the two visitors present vents softly as he recharges on the large couch; but the room is otherwise silent. The other visitor, however, sits next to the stasis-locked Mini-Bot, wringing his hands together in a restless manner. The old mech's blue optics scan Wheelie's frame- watching, hoping, for the young 'bot to move. The old mech lifts a hand and gently rubs the soldier/journalist's forehead, his optics creased with worry and exhaustion. "Come on lad... Pull through." He rubs his thumb in a caring manner between Wheelie's optics; like a sire might do to his recharging sparkling.

"Mhmm?" A soft mumble makes the old vet jump, and his gaze shifts over to Blurr. The head messenger was fast asleep, but was starting to mutter things to himself. Kup chuckles softly for the first time since Bluestreak had run into the medical bay with an unconscious Mini-Bot in his arms, Wheelie leaking fluids from his head. He watches the blue mech shift from how he lays on the couch, the thickset piece of human furniture creaking- the former speedster only manages a yelp when that shifting makes him roll right off the couch.

Kup stands up at that and makes his way over to the younger mech just as Blurr manages to pull himself into a sitting position. The blue mech grumbles a curse, and accepts the help that Kup offers to him to get his crutches and up off the floor.

"Interestin' dream?" the old mech chuckles softly, supporting the other under the arms while he adjusted his crutches.

Blurr just casts him an icy glare before shrugging off Kup's hands and limping over to the berth-side. "Has he- ..."

"No. Nothin' yet lad. Really startin' to worry me."

"Yeah, well, I know you and I were both worried from the start anyway. He hasn't even opened his optics yet or twitched his digits 'sides that little bit this morning. That's really, really not like him even when he's recharging. Ya know? He's always movin' something, and usually that something's his digits. But he's not even moving his digits so I'm not sure when he's gonna wake up. I know he will though. Eventually. I just don't know when. Do you know when, Kup? 'Cause I sure damn don't."

"I'm not sure. But if he's anything like you an' I, he'll come back kickin'."

Blurr only manages a huff and nods his helm.

"Ya called Dan earlier didn't you?"

"Yep. Just before I dozed off. He sounded really, really relieved 'bout the movement earlier. Really hoping it wasn't just some false alarm. Hate gettin' Danny excited for nothing. But what'll ya do? I-..."

"Blurr."

"Yeah?"

"You're rambling."

"Oh."

A knock at the door draws their attention. It's followed immediately by a voice outside the Mini-Bot's room. "I know you two are in there. Quit locking the damn door."

Blurr hobbles toward the door before the old mech can so much as say one thing against it- likely to tell the paralyzed mech to sit his aft down while he went and opened it. Too late though. Even with crutches and his speed programming destroyed, Blurr could move pretty fragging quick if you weren't paying attention to where he was. After a bit of fumbling to key in the lock code so that the door would open while also trying to keep his right crutch under his arm, the former speedster gets the door to open.

The first thing to meet them is a glowering Sideswipe. Directly behind him is First Aid with a small cart that had energon cubes and a few tools on it.

Sides hoists Blurr up and throws him over one shoulder before even a curse could leave the ex-racer. "Frag it. Let me down, let me down! Sideswipe!"

"Shut uuuup." Sides rolls his optics and barely reacts as the smaller, lighter mech pounds his fists against red back-plating. "Aid and Percy need you, but you've refused to leave the room. So ya know what?-"

"Put 'im down, lad." The vet stands with his arms crossed and a stern look on his face-plates.

"But-..."

"Now."

Kup, the Master at Interrupting Others, gets the demolitionist to comply and set down the poor officer.

"Now," the vet adds, "what was that 'bout?"

"Look, I'm just doing what I was told. Perceptor and First Aid need him for something- some sorta therapy if I'm to guess. But we all know he's not going to Percy's lab with Wheelie like this. Rodimus told me to come pick him up to bring him to Percy." Sideswipe rubs the back of his neck. "Not sure Prime meant to literally pick him up, but..."

Sideswipe trails off to a scraping sound. Four gazes shift to the berth. It doesn't look like the Mini-Bot had moved. At least, not until Aid takes a closer look. "Had his left digits been curled before?"

"Eh?" Kup leans over the right side of the berth so he can see Wheelie's left hand. Sure enough, it's balled into a tight fist. "No. They hadn't."

Blurr somewhat shoulders past the red-armored mech and goes to First Aid's side on the left side of the berth. Kup's gaze shifts from Blurr, to Sideswipe, with a raised optical-ridge. He never was certain what their relationship was. Sometimes they could be having a light-sparked conversation that had even Sides chuckling; the next minute, they could be arguing like they couldn't stand each other.

He could worry about that later. He had something else to worry about right now.

Kup brings up a hand and carefully rests it on top of the Mini-Bot's head, leaning forward a little. "Lad? Can ya hear me?"

Hexagonal optics flutter and digits flex. He ex-vents and stiffly reaches for his helm while mouthing something. The Mini-Bot mouths the same words multiple times; 'It hurts'.

"Easy, Wheelie," First Aid murmurs, gently grabbing the young mech's wrists and lowering them back to his sides. "You're coming out of stasis-lock, alright? Take is slow until your systems are booted up."

Dull optics open and try to focus on the medic. "Very good," the Protectobot says softly while reaching behind himself and taking a flashlight off of the cart he'd taken into the room. He turns the light on and brings it in front of Wheelie's optics; they follow the light's movement without problem besides an initial flinch away from the light. "Good."

'Kup, Blurr' the Mini-Bot mouths, optical-ridges furrowing a little.

"We're here, lad." A lazy gaze shifts over to the old mech. "Ya took quite a hit. How're you feelin'?"

'It hurts,' he repeats, hands reaching up to clutch the sides of his helm momentarily, only for First Aid to lower his arms again.

"I'm sure it does. Just listen t' Aid here, ya got it? He'll make ya feel good as new, eh?"

The Mini-Bot's former caretaker wishes he could do more to help Wheelie as he slowly came to- but there is not much he could do. He just had to watch as Wheelie's unfocused gaze tried scanning everyone in the room, like he was having trouble telling who was who. Or...no. He was looking for someone...

It's clear that Kup wasn't the only one to notice as Sideswipe pipes up before the vet could say anything. "Wheelie? What are you looking for?"

Optics move to Sides slowly, and Wheelie blinks slowly while they narrow a little.'Dan.'

Sideswipe looks at Kup somewhat quizzically; he hadn't been around Wheelie enough to red lips as well as Kup, Danny, and Blurr could.

"Danny's alright, lad," the old coot assures, "he's on Earth. From what I've heard, he got off lot better than you did."

First Aid straightens and clears his intake to get the attention of the three fully-conscious mechs present. "Wheelie will be needing a lot of rest; he still has a lot of time to need to fully recover. His processors will be taking it the hardest, so they may lag a bit until they start functioning correctly. If it happens, be patient with him." He looks between Blurr and Kup. "As his medic, I order that one of you two accompany him at all times until he's cleared by me."

"Yes sir," Blurr answers loyally, tilting his helm into a nod considering the difficulty saluting would've given him.

"You got it," Kup says immediately following the blue mech.

"Sideswipe, you're excused," says the medic.

"But..."

"You're excused."

Sides mutters something under a vent and marches out of the room.

"Blurr," Aid adds, "you're to go see Perceptor now. Now excuses."

The former speedster clamps his mouth shut like he had been ready to argue before being told 'no excuses'. He quickly decides to obey the pacifist yet pushy medic and limps out.

"And Kup-..."

"I ain't leavin'."

"I-..."

"Don't try arguin' with me."

"I was saying I want you to stay in here," the Protectobot says hurriedly in a clear attempt to finish before he could be interrupted again.

"Eh?"

"He's barely conscious right now. He'll likely fall back into recharge shortly, but then when he wakes? He'll need a familiar face to explain to him what's going on. There's not much I can do or him now; not until I can see through his actions how his processors took the blow. Until he's fully awake I won't risk running any tests."

The much older mech scratches his chin and nods. "An' if I forget?"

"I'm trusting that the priority of this will make it hard for you to; damaged memory core or not. Please, Kup? This is important. I'm going to work on Blurr since I can't do much here, now; but please just comm me if he wakes up, alright?"

Kup nods. "Ya can count on me, lad."