Disclaimer: Transformers rightfully belongs to Hasbro and Michael Bay. Evelyne is mine to keep.
Rated T: For coarse language (English and Cybertonian), mild violence and some sexually suggestive scenes. If I feel the need to increase the rating, I will give plenty of warning.
Dear Readers,
I am overwhelmed by the positive reviews and support received for my story. It is both exciting and humbling. I am so glad there are many people who are interested in reading a Prowl/OC fic. I apologized for the long wait for chapter 2 but I hope this long chapter made the wait worth it.
Now without further ado.
Chapter 2: Broken Ties
Will hurried through the hospital doors. He had dropped everything and had made his way here the moment he had heard the news. He scanned the crowd of people and stopped when he recognized the familiar face that was there to meet him. A big grin fell on his lips.
Will walked over and embraced his older brother. "I heard the great news! Congrats man!"
Michael Lennox laughed, his green eyes were bright and excited. Then he grabbed Will by the shoulders and rubbed his head in a noogie. "Aren't you still supposed to be in school?" he chastened semi-harshly.
Will groaned and fought to get out of his brother's strong hold. "Come on Mike! There're people around!"
"All the more reason to do it."
After a few failed attempts, the younger brother managed to break free and glared half-heartedly at his laughing sibling. "It was final period and it's almost the holidays, they're not going care or miss me. Besides, meeting my niece is more important."
Michael shook his head but the grin remained on his face. "Usually I will disagree with you but I will have to make an exception this time since you talking about my perfect daughter."
Will rarely remembered a time when his brother was not smiling. Hell, even when Mike was exacting sweet revenge on a prank war, he did it with a smile on his face. Now that Will thought about it carefully, it was actually pretty scary.
"I still can't believe it though," Will commented as his brother led him to the nursery wing of the hospital. "You! A father! How's Tori doing?" he asked, referring to his sister-in-law.
"Victoria is doing fine. She's exhausted and sleeping right now so we can see her later. You know she hates that name, why do you keep calling her that?" Mike asked curiously.
Will's shoulders shrugged evasively. "She calls me Willie, that's worse. You know how embarrassing that name is?" The truth was he never really liked Victoria all that much.
Michael and William Lennox had grown up in a family like many others. The brothers were five years apart and were close as any siblings could be. Their parents were loving people. Their mother, Anna was a baker at a local shop famous for their mouth-watering pies, whereas their father, George was a mechanic with his own auto shop.
Their father had always joked that he and their mother had met when he'd kept visiting their mother's shop daily for pie. He'd gained almost five pounds from eating pie every day before he had summoned the courage to ask their mother out on their first date. She had refused him at first, but he'd been persistent. They had married a year after and then had Michael and not too long after, William. They weren't rich, but they had enough money to keep life comfortable in a farm left by their grandparents.
They were a happy family. It was perfect.
That was until the night when everything had changed and brothers' lives had been turned upside down forever. Will had only been twelve at the time, while Mike had just turned eighteen. A policeman had come to their doorsteps to tell them that their parents had been involved in a terrible car accident. Their father had left home to pick up their mother from the shop, seeing as how terrible that night's storm had been and had not wanted her to drive home by herself. It had been a horrible storm, the visual had been non-existent. George Lennox had died upon impact. Mary had only made it as far as the steps of the hospital before her heart had failed.
Will didn't remember too much of that terrible night. Just a lot of screaming and crying before the sensation of his big brother's arms embraced him tightly. It had seemed like it had been the only thing that kept the brothers from falling apart completely at the time.
Given he'd been legally an adult at eighteen, Michael Lennox had immediately assumed the role as Will's guardian, determined not to have his young brother sent to a foster home. It had been difficult especially the first two years. Michael had given up going to college, he had gone to work at their father's auto shop to earn money to support Will and himself. Will had been a rather bitter and angry pre-adolescent but had luckily straightened afterwards for the sake of his brother. God only knew what would have happened to him if Michael had not made the sacrifices he did in trying to take of care of Will.
At the time, Michael had also been dating a girl he'd known since high school. A girl named Victoria whom Will had never really gotten along with. Call him a bratty younger brother who did not want to share his brother's attention, but Victoria had seemed so high-maintenance. She'd been the head cheerleader and Michael had been pretty smart and popular in high school. They had dated on and off before it'd become steadier after they had graduated. Will hadn't understood how a seemingly stuck-up girl like Victoria had gotten along with his easy-going brother. Nevertheless, they had stuck together and were in love. They were married young at only twenty, but Michael had always wanted to have a bigger family. Perhaps it was to cover the hole that was made when their parents had passed away. Will had never questioned his brother why.
After two years of being married, they were now here in the hospital to welcome a new addition to their family. As Will studied the happiness radiating off of his brother, he had to admit that fatherhood seemed to suit him very well.
"Did you guys finally decided on a name for her?" Will asked. Michael and Victoria had been arguing endlessly on possible baby names for months after ultrasound had revealed that they were going to have a baby girl. Will knew better than to get in between that particular battle. In his personal opinion, any name that wasn't named after a food like Candy, Apple or Tootsie was alright with him (no offense to those people who were).
"It's Evelyne" Michael announced proudly.
Will looked back at him in surprise. "You chose grandma's name."
"It just seemed to fit."
"You know I will have to give her a nickname cause Evelyne will be too old-fashioned for such a little squirt." Will remarked, his face was serious.
"Are you calling me old-fashioned then?"
"You know you are, old man."
"I will show you old!" Michael attempted to grab him again for another noogie but Will had been expecting it and deftly avoided his brother's reach this time around. Seeing as he wasn't going to get his brother this time, Michael rolled his eyes good-naturedly.
"But seriously, I didn't think you remember grandma," Will remarked thoughtfully, he could barely remember her. Just little bits of memories of baked cookies and mischievous brown eyes.
"You were young and probably didn't remember her very well. But I did." His brother responded, his green eyes were distant temporarily lost in memory. "You are actually a lot like her."
"Really?"
"Yeah, stubborn and bossy like hell."
Will scowled, as his brother laughed before a sneaky smile emerged. "You know you are inadvertently describing your own daughter too then," he pointed out.
His brother stopped laughing afterwards. "That's different. My daughter is an angel."
"You met her for less than a day!"
"5 hours to be exact."
"You are hopeless," Will decided, shaking his head.
His brother gave him with a knowing look. "You will know how I feel someday when it's your turn to have a kid. It's life-changing."
Will wasn't too sure about that. He was only seventeen after all, too early to think of such things. He can't imagine himself as being fully responsible for any kid much less his own.
"Here we are!" Michael exclaimed when they finally arrived at the nursery wing.
Behind a glass window of brightly lit room, perfect rows of little beds filled with newborn infants lined before them. "There she is!"
Will looked at the bed near the end of the row pointed out by his brother. Inside the tiny crib was a baby wrapped in a pink blanket, sleeping peacefully. There was a name tag on the bed labelled 'Evelyne Lennox'.
As if sensing her father nearby, the baby started crying as if to call for his attention. Will winced at the sound. "She sure is… loud," he said uncertainly.
"Yes, babies tend to cry a lot." Michael laughed at Will's expression. He signalled over one of the nurses working at the ward.
"Back already Mr. Lennox?" a nurse named Laura came up to them, a smile on her face as she recognized his brother.
Michael grinned sheepishly. "I'm just introducing my brother to his niece."
"Of course you are," Laura answered good-naturedly. She looked over at the crying baby. "Do you want to hold her again?"
The older sibling nodded. Laura went over and lifted the crying baby expertly from her crib, making cooing sounds and gently bouncing her as she made her way over to the two brothers.
Unexpectedly, Will felt himself growing more nervous as little Evelyne came closer. How could such a tiny being cry so loud? What if he made a lousy uncle? He didn't know the first thing about babies. Michael was the caregiver, the rock, the one that people relied on. Not him! He was just a kid!
"Here you go," Laura said and she gently transferred the baby girl into his brother's waiting arms. Michael rocked little Evelyne in his arms and made little funny noises that Will had never heard his brother made before. Slowly, the baby started to calm and began to make little gurgling noises, one of her little fists broke free from under the pink blanket and began to wave around as if searching for something.
Intrigued, Will used a finger and slightly touched the tiny fist, aware that his brother was watching him closely. Instinctively, the baby's hand grabbed hold of his finger tightly. "Whoa, strong grip," Will exclaimed surprised.
"Do you want to try to hold her?"
Will paled at his brother's question. "Me?" he squeaked. "I don't know how? What if I drop her?!" He was horrified at the mental image.
To his dismay, Michael laughed again. "You won't. It's not that hard, just remember to support her body and be careful with her head."
Before Will could protest anymore, his brother started to slowly transfer his precious cargo into Will's arms. Will had little choice but to stand there stiffly with the baby in his arms and followed his brother's advice to be careful with her head.
The baby squirmed a bit but to his relief, she did not cry. In fact, she opened her eyes and seemed to look at Will curiously. Will couldn't look away. "She has blue eyes!" Will noted with awe.
"Actually we're not sure yet. All newborns have blue or grey eyes, their natural eye colour don't show till later."
"Oh," Will whispered softly, he didn't know about that little fact. There was a lot that he didn't know. The baby looked at him a little bit longer before yawning and to his surprise, she fell asleep in his arms. Will was speechless and looked up his brother, only to find Michael looking back at him with a proud expression.
Will looked back down at the tiny being whom had trustingly fell asleep in his arms. He felt oddly humbled. "So you are what all the fuss is about?" Will whispered as he gently rocked the little baby in his arm.
"It's nice to meet you Evie."
Will was jolted back to the present when the truck hit a pothole. He paid no notice when Ironhide grumbled about ruined suspensions. He hadn't realized that he had fallen into a state of half-sleep and half-awareness. He rubbed his face in a fit of exhaustion but refused to let himself doze off again. He looked at the familiar open country road passing by his window. With the windows rolled down he could smell the clean air that often followed after a rain storm. Looking at the familiar landmarks, he knew that he had about an hour left before he would arrive to the hospital that his niece was being treated in.
The minute that he had decided to leave the NEST secret base in Diego Garcia, Will had packed quickly and had been ready to leave within an hour. He had been damn lucky that after pulling a few strings, combined with the Autobot's help, he was able to make the flight trip in just less than six hours instead of the usual eight.
He had called Sarah the minute he had arrived to the local military air base on US soil and received an update that Evelyne had gotten out of surgery in stable condition and was now in the recovery ward. It had settled his frantic heart to hear the good news if only marginally. He had then quickly gotten into Ironhide's truck form to make the two hour car ride to their final destination. It was a combination of Ironhide's strict orders, exhaustion and worry during the six hours flight that had eventually gotten the better of him and Will had succumbed to a brief light nap before waking less than an hour later.
Looking out of Ironhide's side mirror, Will could see a familiar black and white police car tailing them. At the time, Will had been too much in a hurry to care that Prowl had been ordered by Optimus to come along as backup. The SIC had obeyed the Prime's order without much protest which surprised Will now that he was in the mind to think about it. Prowl often preferred to stay in NEST base due to the mountain of paperwork involved in running a secret organization. The tactician often would participate in field work as well but that was not the case now. As important as this matter was to Will, it was still considered a personal matter. It made sense for Ironhide to accompany him seeing as he is the family guardian. But Prowl? Why did Optimus see the need to request the tactician to come along? Was it really as simple as providing backup?
"You should continue to recharge, I can inform you when we arrive," the deep rumbling of his guardian's voice sounded beside him. Will turned from the passenger seat to face Ironhide's holoform on the driver's seat 'driving'. It had been Ironhide's idea to use his holoform to act as driver rather than let Will do so like he had done in the past in order to give the Major an opportunity to rest. It would have been suspicious if a driver happened to drive by to see Will asleep at the wheel.
It was strange seeing his guardian in his holoform, a form in what the Autobots had explained in the past, to be a human representation of their real selves. Strange, but not unfamiliar. The form was that of a muscular Caucasian man close to Will's age at forty and dressed in military pants, a black T-shirt and combat boots. When standing, he would stand at over six feet tall with dark brown hair in a military cut, his expression was stern with vibrant blue eyes and a scar that ran through the right one.
Will sighed and turned away "It's fine, Ironhide. I don't think I can sleep again anyway."
Ironhide didn't answer and Will was grateful for the silence. However, he could tell that the black Autobot was bothered and had wanted to ask him the question that had been plaguing his processor. While answering the question would bring up some rather painful memories, Will knew that his guardian deserved to know at least part of the story.
"Go ahead Ironhide, I know you wanted to ask me." Will sighed.
Ironhide didn't respond right away as if trying to assess if the Major was sincere in his permission or not. Finally, impatience won over his reluctance. "Why was there never any mention of this… niece of yours?"
Will sighed, his hand rubbed the back of his neck. "I had never meant to keep Evelyne a secret from you, Ironhide. I just never mentioned her because I've lost contact with her almost five years ago and it was before you and the other Autobots even arrived to Earth."
"Five years is a long time for humans to lose contact with someone especially when it's family." Ironhide pointed out, although his rough tone was not accusing, it was rather inquisitive.
"It's… complicated," Will paused, as if struggling to find the right words to explain. "Evelyne was a good kid. My brother, Mike… her father adored her to pieces and she was daddy's little girl. I was her Uncle Will, the one who loved to spoil her as any good uncle ought to do."
The expression on Ironhide's human face frowned as he listened to Will's story. There was something else. "You only mentioned her father. What about her mother? Didn't she love her as well?"
Will's face darkened. "Honestly, I wasn't sure."
"How is that possible? I thought all maternal units instinctively bond with their offspring."
Will sneered. "Mike always said that his wife was still adjusting to having a child as part of their small family. That she was a good wife and mother."
"You believe your brother was lying?"
"I think Mike honestly believed it."
"But you don't agree."
Will didn't answer for a while. "You know how there are people out there that are just not meant to be parents? I believe Victoria is just one of them. My brother had always been the glue that had kept the family together. Victoria loved my brother but I think she hated that he shared his love between her and Evelyne."
"How can a mother be jealous of her own child?" Ironhide's voice was filled with bewilderment.
That was a good question. A question that Will had no answer for. "It's pretty twisted." Will admitted. "But it was something that only I saw at the time. Mike wouldn't believe me whenever I've tried to tell him, he thought that I was just being the paranoid uncle or whatever. Mike was like that, forever the optimist and refused to see the bad in other people. Even when it was happening right under his nose."
Will's voice cracked slightly at the mention of his brother. Something that his guardian did not miss. "Will?" Ironhide asked slowly, "What happened to your brother?"
Will closed his eyes to block out the painful memories. "Mike was always the rock in my life and he took care of all of us. But he died in a car crash. It was a dumb accident. Some stupid drunk driver ran a stop light and rammed right into my brother's car. From what they told me, my brother had died instantly. No pain," he scoffed. "As if that was supposed to make me feel better."
Ironhide turned to him and Will was surprised to see the sad and remorseful expression on the usually grumpy guardian's face. "I am sorry. I know all too well of the pain of losing a brother."
Will nodded solemnly. Of course, Ironhide was millenniums of years old who had fought in a civil war for eons in Cybertron, his home planet. Ironhide would know only too well of the pain of losing comrades, friends and brothers from fighting so long.
"It was a long time ago and I made my peace with it too. But Evelyne was only six at the time when her father suddenly died. After that, her mother didn't want to stay anymore. Said that there were too many memories and took Evelyne with her and moved to New York. At the time, I have tried to keep in contact with them especially for Evelyne's sake but it was difficult as I have already enlisted in the army at the time."
Will paused, trying to think of how to continue without making it sound like an excuse. "I have seen Evelyne from time to time but each time I've seen her, something has changed."
"Changed?" his friend inquired.
"I guess you can say she and I became distant. Like I said, Mike had been the one to tie the family together. He was also what tied her to me. After he died, that bond between her and I have had changed. She's grown up and she just wasn't the little girl I've known anymore."
"There was something else about her you are leaving out." Ironhide persisted.
"Yeah," Will admitted with a grimace. "I wasn't sure when it all started but Evelyne got involved doing some illegal activities."
"What do you mean 'illegal activities'?"
"She was only sixteen and she was caught doing street racing of all things." Will said grimly. "I found out because the police called me as her next of kin. God knows where her mother had been at the time." He paused again, his expression was pained. "I was so angry that time. The things that I have said to her…"
Will still recalled that night when he had stormed into the police station and saw her sitting there quietly, her hands were handcuffed together like some common criminal. She had remained silent while the police had reported to him of the news of her misconduct and she'd continued to remain, so when he had bailed her out, he'd just walked out of the station. Her quiet demeanor had only fueled his righteous anger even more and he had demanded to know just what the heck she had been thinking? How could she have gotten mixed into doing something incredibly dangerous as street racing of all things?! Given how her father and grandparents had died, a girl like her would have known better? It wasn't until when Will had furiously told point blank that her father would have been disappointed in her that she had finally reacted.
It had been subtle at first, her hands clenching into fists, body tensing, and a quick intake of breath. They had all been subtle signs that he had missed in his fury. It wasn't until she had stopped following him altogether in the city street that he had stopped as well and finally took the time to really look at her.
Her adolescent body was thin, but there were signs of her developing more womanly curves that she seemed to be trying to hide under the oversized blue hoodie she wore. The tight fitted jeans tucked into some dark boots were worn and shabby. A suspicious dark stain was noted on her right knee. Her knuckles were scrapped and bruised. A dark bruise on her right cheek stood out glaringly obvious against her naturally light complexion. Her dark hair had been cut short and only reached her chin. Overall, she had made a pitiful sight under the artificial street lights and it had tugged at his heart. However, it wasn't until he had met her eyes that he had felt like he had been punched in the gut. Her amber eyes had shone with simmering anger and what had seemed like hurt betrayal. It was like it had been him that had disappointed her instead of the other way around.
"Why did you even come?" her voice was soft but laced with so much raw emotions that Will had barely recognized her tone. "If all you are going to do is judge me for my mistakes then you shouldn't even bother to come."
Will had no answer for that and it seemed like Evelyne wasn't expecting one either because she didn't give him a chance to think of one.
"Just leave. You have done what you came here to do. I won't trouble you anymore." And with that she turned to walk away in the opposite direction. She never looked back.
It was another second before Will gathered his wits to go after her just as she quickly crossed the street. He jumped back just in time to barely dodge an oncoming vehicle. The driver furiously honked his horn and cursed at him as he drove by. Will paid him no mind and looked back at the streets to see where his niece went. But he found the streets empty save for a few strangers out for a late stroll. Evelyne had disappeared from his sight and he had no idea where or even which direction she had gone.
Will felt his heart sank on that terrible night when he realized that because of his careless words, he might have just lost any fragile bond that tied him to the only family he had left in the world.
"I have tried looking for her and went to her home where she lived with her mother. It was only then that I found out even her mother didn't know where she's gone and didn't even seem to care. She was so self-absorbed in her own world that she hasn't even noticed her daughter was missing." Will paused to gain control his emotions again. Thinking about her mother, Tory and the obvious neglect she had given to his niece had always made him burned with fury and wracked with guilt because he had let it happened out of ignorance.
"I've called the police and hired private detectives. There were a few leads but never anything substantial. I went back to New York whenever I was on-leave from the army to search again. But no matter what I did, it's seemed like she's disappeared into thin air."
"You never saw her again after that night?" Ironhide asked, already expecting the Major to give a negative response.
To the Autobot's surprised, Will answered differently. "Actually no. It was another two years before I saw her again." He shook his head with a sarcastic laugh that confused his guardian. "After looking for two damn years with nothing and worrying me to death, she showed up literally on my doorsteps. And the ironic thing was that she came to see me just to say goodbye again."
"Why?" Ironhide frowned.
"Somehow, she found out that I've been looking for her. She came to me to tell me to stop wasting my time and that she was leaving New York."
"Why would she leave New York all of the sudden?"
Will shrugged. "She wouldn't say and she denied that she was in trouble at the time when I've asked her but I could tell that she wanted to run. I tried to stop her and get her to see some sense but she was too stubborn."
"So are you," his guardian pointed out.
Will glared back at him though it was only half-heartedly. "Yeah well it was difficult to get a stubborn girl who has just turned eighteen, to listen to what you say especially when she has the ability to guilt-trip you."
"Guilt-trip?"
"She told me that if I care about what she wanted at all, then I would not stop her and let her live her own life," Will explained. "Which translated to: 'You never cared about me before so you have no right to dictate my life.'"
"That was harsh," Ironhide commented.
The defeated look in Will's expression spoke volumes. "Yes, but no less true. I think that was what made me let her go out on her own in the end. I haven't been there for her when she needed me the most. I've lost that right to protect her as any family should have done. Her dad died too early, her mother let her down and I have been too absorbed with my life in the army to be any type of role model that she needed. It wasn't until I got married to Sarah and we have Annabelle that I finally remembered how fragile and precious family is."
"We all have regrets, Will. I have learned that it is what we choose to do about those regrets is what matters the most. You can either choose to sit back and let regret turn you into rust or you keep going forwards with cannons blazing and learn from your mistakes." Ironhide spoke, determined not to let Will sink into depression and self-pity.
Will chuckled, "That's actually very wise, Ironhide."
Ironhide snorted. "You think it is only Optimus that knows how to give epic speeches?"
"Of course not," Will answered good-naturedly. The brief smile of his dropped again when more troubling thoughts rose within him. "I just wish I knew what has happened to her this time. What if she has actually gotten in more trouble during the five years of being missing and it has led her to where she is now?" He couldn't help the chill that went through him at the terrible thought.
God, Michael must be rolling in his grave right now with how poorly he had looked or not looked after his daughter.
"Is there any reason you could think of that she may have decided to come back after so long."
Will shook his head to Ironhide's question. "Evelyne has always been one to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. I never even knew what made her decided to just pack everything and leave her life in New York. Now showing up out of nowhere without a warning just doesn't surprise me that much anymore when I think about it."
"Can she even be trusted?"
Surprised, Will looked at his guardian, who returned his stare steadily. "What do you mean? She is my niece."
Ironhide frowned. "A niece whom you have lost contact with for a long time and has suddenly decided to return into your life." He pointed out. "You even admitted that you do not know a lot of things about her nor what happened to her for these past few years. This whole thing seems suspicious."
Will couldn't help but feel indignant of the implications his guardian was hinting at. "What are you worried about, Ironhide? That she is going to hurt me?" he couldn't keep the disbelief out of his tone.
"You have a lot more to lose now than when you did five years ago." Ironhide pointed out. "You, Sarah and Annabelle are my charges and it is my sworn duty to keep the three of you safe from any threat."
"Evelyne is not a threat!" Will argued. His stress was getting the better of him and he had to remind himself mentally that Ironhide was only looking out for him and his family. "Look, I know you mean well, Ironhide, and I know you will give your life to keep me and my family safe. God knows, we are thankful to have you as part of our lives." He said reasonably and he watched the hard expression on Ironhide's holoform face soften slightly at his words. "I may not know all that much about Evelyne nor what has happened to her all these years but I believe deep down, she is still a good person and will never hurt me."
Ironhide studied him for a long time and Will had to squash the ridiculous instinct to remind his guardian to keep his 'eyes' on the road instead. After a moment, Ironhide gave a brief grunt before facing forward again. "Very well," he relented. "But I will not hold back to make her accountable if I sense even a slightest threat coming from her towards you, Sarah or Annabelle."
Will's jaw tensed at the veiled threat but pushed down the urge to argue. After spending many years under Ironhide's guardianship, he knew Ironhide had viewed his little family as part of his own and couldn't fault the tough Autobot for being protective. Even if he had felt it to be a bit extreme sometimes, he understood too well that the bond between an Autobot guardian and their charge was nothing to be taken lightly of. "It won't come to that." Will promised.
Sure, he may have not have been clear as to what had happened to Evelyne all those years of so-called self-exile. Nor was he truly clear of how her life had been as a young teen with the exemption of a few unsavoury facts about her difficult childhood, a negligent mother and street-racing activities that she'd gotten arrested for.
But he wasn't going to give up on her now. Not when he was given a rare second chance to see her again and maybe just maybe, he could make things right with his niece once more. He was going to protect her whether she wanted it or not. He was her uncle and the only family left in her life that mattered, he was not going to disappoint her again. If he showed her that he could be someone who she could count on to be there for her when she needed him, then maybe she would let him back into her life.
Right?
It had been the scent that first woke her up. That distinctive smell of disinfectant, soiled linens and other things that she did not care to identify. That combined with an incessant beeping sound was enough to drive anyone mad.
She wasn't fully awake, not yet. Her mind was drawing a blank. What happened? Why couldn't she open her eyes? Why wouldn't her body move?
She took stock. She was lying down, but it was not on the lumpy bed of the motel that she had been staying in temporarily. The linens against her skin felt stiff and scratchy and she felt terribly cold, exposed and vulnerable.
Slight fear started to creep into her mind. 'Just where the hell am I?'
Then she heard voices, mumbling and distant. It felt like she was hearing it through underwater but that didn't make sense. People were around nearby. She wasn't alone as she had previously thought. It put her on the edge even more. She was incapacitated in a strange place with strange people.
Damnit why couldn't she open her eyes?! She needed to see what was happening. To see what was happening to her! Would someone just turn off that stupid beeping?!
"She hasn't woken up yet Dr. Gale," a female voice sounded, it was much closer than the previous ones and she tensed.
"Strange, it's been a few hours after surgery. She should have woken by now. What are her vitals?" responded another voice, male this time.
What were these people talking about? What surgery? Were they talking about her? No why would she need surgery? She was perfectly healthy, just minding her business and getting some food for dinner at a local diner. She had been watching the TV screen listening to local news about some property damage at an old construction site and a witness was being interviewed sprouting nonsense about some giant robots.
She hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings and that had been her first mistake. She was grabbed by a shoulder by a man who leered back at her. It took her a moment before she realized that she recognized him.
"Hello Blaze."
Blind panic took over Evelyne as the rest of the night uncoiled before her. Her memories flooded back to her in waves and it caused her breathing to accelerate.
"Her heart rate and BP are elevating."
All the running and the fighting that she had done. The fear that she'd felt when she had been trapped and surrounded. The beating and kicking that she had endured. The pain_ dear god pain had refused to stop! She remembered every broken bone that she had felt. Then they had left her to die. She had been ready to die.
You got what you deserved.
Evelyne couldn't take it anymore. She opened her mouth to scream.
Will practically leapt out of Ironhide's cabin the minute the Autobot made a full stop and parked in the hospital parking lot.
Ironhide in his holoform was following him close behind.
He had been ready to sprint the rest of the way across the large parking lot towards the hospital's main entrance before he was blocked by another man that seemingly came out of nowhere.
The Caucasian man was about his height at just over six feet. He was younger than him at maybe late twenties or early thirty. Annoyed, Will stepped to the side to get around the strange guy but was blocked again. "Look, I'm in a real hurry." Will started.
"Major."
The familiar voice had Will pausing, he took a moment to study the man before his eyes widened in realization. With short-crop black hair, a square clean shaven jaw and eerily familiar bright blue eyes, Will felt foolish for not figuring out who he was sooner. "Prowl?"
The holoform of the black and white Autobot nodded. A serious expression on his human face that accurately reflected the one that the Cybertronian often wore on his real form.
"What the hell Prowl? I need to get going." Will demanded impatiently, he was so close.
"There is a matter of importance that I believe you should be aware of before going to see your niece."
Will frowned at the severe tone in SIC's voice. "What could be so important that you need to tell me now?"
"While we were travelling, I had been monitoring and downloading multiple local police reports, news and multiple streams of calls within the state and was able to narrow down to a few that are related to your niece."
Will was surprised. It hadn't even occur to him that the SIC could do such a thing. "So did you find out what happened?"
"Police reports were vague and incomplete." The scowl on Prowl's face was prominent as if disturbed by the inefficiency of the local authorities. "But all concluded that she has been assaulted brutally and the assailants have yet to be identified. I was able to gather some video footage of that night but that in itself, will only reveal limited information of what has happened."
Will's eyes raised in disbelief. "How is that possible?"
"Given the poor quality of the footages, the angle the street surveillances were placed, the dim lighting and poor maintenance of the cameras; the only thing that I could conclude with 96.1% certainty from it was that she has been running away from some assailants. She's been chased and cornered into an alley behind a furniture store. It was unfortunate that the store's camera was out of working order and did not capture what has happened to your niece. However, it can be concluded that the alleyway was the place where the assault has taken place before emergency services found her."
Will could only stand there numbly as he listened to the report spoken by the SIC in a grim tone that belied some distaste that the Autobot was feeling. It wasn't long before helpless rage took over his being as he found that his worse fear during his whole trip in getting here, was realized. Some people had purposely targeted his niece and had hurt her so badly to a point that she had been sent to the hospital fighting for her life.
"Damn it!" Will swore vehemently, his fists tightened as he felt the urge to hit something. He settled with pacing as he always did when he wanted to release some pent up stress and frustration. His hand raked across his short hair while the other covered his mouth and shaking his head as if in denial. He vaguely heard the truck form of Ironhide revved in frustration at the injustice of it but he paid it no mind at the moment. "Shit!" he swore again louder. He didn't care if he was making a spectacle of himself before the two Autobots or any passerby in the large parking lot.
"Can't you wait until after he sees his niece first before piling all this on him?" Ironhide growled as he glared at the Praxian beside him.
Prowl returned his glare with a cold stare. "It is only fair that the Major learns what he will be facing upon seeing his kin in there. It will only be crueler for him to find out from other sources."
"How is it hearing this from you any better?!" demanded the angry weapon specialist.
Prowl remained adamant before the raging form of his comrade. "I don't get my facts wrong," he stated simply.
"I still don_"
"No, Prowl is right, Ironhide." Will interrupted, he face severe. From long years of experience, he had managed to get his anger under control during their argument and he stood before them sternly. "If I am not going to hear it from Evelyne herself any time soon, I'd rather hear the facts from you guys than someone else who may know nothing or worse yet, try to sugar-coat it for me."
He turned back to the SIC who regarded him with an unreadable expression. "Is there anything else that I need to know other than what you have told me?" he asked.
He watched the tactician hesitated slightly. It had only been a moment of second pause but Will had caught it. "So there is something else? What is it?" he pressed.
"I've found something in the local news that may be related but I've only calculated about a 51.6% possibility of it being so."
"I don't care if there is only 1% possibility. If there is any chance of it relating to who attacked my family, I want to know about it." Will demanded.
The look that Prowl gave him was calculating. Calculating what, Will wasn't sure but he stood his ground. "Approximately 17.5 hours before the distress call was made in reporting your niece's incident, another call came requesting for authorities due to an attack that was happening in an abandoned construction site. One witness who has made the distress call claimed that the destruction was caused by, and I quote, 'a Satan's robot.'"
"Satan's robot?" Will repeated in confusion.
"Decepticons," Ironhide spat the word like a vile taste.
"Wait!" Will was alarmed when he figured what the tactician was implying. "Are you saying that my niece's attack could very well be related to the Decepticons?! She doesn't even know anything about them."
"The fact that the construction site is located only three miles away from the place where your niece was attacked could unlikely be a coincidence. You said so yourself that you have not had contact with your niece for five years, the fact that she may or may not be aware of the existence of Decepticons is still uncertain."
Will stopped cold as he glared at SIC. "I hope for your sake Commander, that you are not implying that Evelyne is actually associated with Decepticons."
Prowl was undeterred by Will's warning. "I am not implying anything Major, as there are insufficient evidences to support either theory that she is or not. However, the fact that she is your niece is already enough reason in itself that Decepticons would want to target her."
Will felt a migraine emerging and he rubbed the bridge of his nose in an attempt to relieve it. "Great," he muttered sarcastically. "First Ironhide and now you are implying that Evelyne could be a threat to me. Either that or you are saying that there is a chance that our enemies are targeting her because of her relation with me and my ties to the Autobots." Then a terrible thought emerged and he paled. "Which also means Sarah and Annabelle can be in danger too."
"It won't come to that." Ironhide swore darkly, "Those Sparkless Pit-Spawns won't get within a mile of Sarah or Annabelle and even if they do, they will have my cannons to contend with."
"A third possibility is that both cases are unrelated." Prowl pointed out. "The credibility of the witness from the construction site is questionable as he is homeless and has been reported to be under the influence of substance abuse, so local authorities has filed his claim as a result of a hallucination. I will have to take the time to investigate these two cases before I am sure if they are related to the Decepticons or not."
"So you will also be questioning Evelyne about all this?" Will asked, feeling unsure. The thought of Prowl interrogating his niece like she was a suspect in this whole thing made him uneasy and protective.
Prowl expression remained stern. "If your niece is the only credible witness to her own assault then she may be the only one who can reveal the truth of what really happened to her and whether or not it has anything to do with our enemies."
Will frowned. While he understood that Prowl had made some good points, it didn't take away the fact that the SIC was getting on his nerves. Though he hadn't outright said it, the implications that the tactician had made in how Evelyne could be associated with Decepticons was downright insulting. Sure she may have had a sketchy past but to be convoluting with murderous Cybertronians was laughable. "What if she isn't cooperative or even lies about what has happened?" Will challenged. If he knew anything about his niece, she wasn't going to react well in being interrogated for anything.
Prowl was undeterred. "Then it means she has something to hide and if she lies, I will know."
Will had wanted to argue but knew that it would be meaningless at this point. Not when he wasn't even sure of how his niece was doing presently. Sure, she was out of surgery now but things could still go wrong. Complications could still happen.
Relaxing his fist that he hadn't realized he had been tightening, Will wordlessly turned to head towards the hospital again. When he realized two sets of footsteps were following him, he stopped and turned to Ironhide first before facing the tactician with a frown. "You are coming too?" he directed the question to the SIC.
One dark eyebrow arched slightly on Prowl's face. That was closest expression of amusement Will had ever seen on the Autobot tactician thus far. "I thought it would be only logical that I come too Major, if only to find out more about your niece."
"Her name is Evelyne." Will said crisply. "And on that note, you might as well just address me as Will instead of Major. We are not on base anymore and there is no need for formalities, not if you don't want to raise suspicions." Then he realized belatedly of what Prowl was wearing. "And you can't wear that."
The raised eyebrow lowered as the Autobot SIC frowned in confusion. "I have done research though the system and I am currently wearing the appropriate attire to blend in with the local community."
"Yeah if you are a cop," Will pointed out frowning at the neat, well-ironed navy blue uniform that covered the holoform's lean tall physique. "If you are planning to go incognito then that is not going to work. People tend to notice policemen walking around especially in a hospital or anywhere really."
"And what are your suggestions, Will?" Prowl inquired, following his request to address him by his name.
It was an innocent enough question but nevertheless caused Will to choke before hiding it with an awkward cough. Geez, never in a million years he would have thought to be in any position to give fashion advice to anybody, let alone to an autonomous robotic being from outer space.
He really hoped Evelyne would appreciate all the trouble he was going through for her sake.
Will walked through the hospital sliding doors with a vague sense of déjà vu. It was like the day when he had rushed to the hospital on the day that his niece was born. Except this time, his brother was not there to greet him with a smile and he was seeing his niece under much grimmer circumstances.
Squashing down the faint feeling of nostalgia, he approached determinedly towards the front desk with a sign announcing "Information" in bold black letters. Both Ironhide and Prowl followed him closely without saying a word. Behind the work station, a young woman with brown hair in a pixie cut sat there, typing away on her computer and was talking on the desk phone.
When she didn't notice his approach at first, Will spoke to get her attention. "Excuse me," he started but he was cut-off when the woman held up a finger, gesturing him to give her a moment without looking up.
"Yes, I know! What are the chances do you think she is going to get a raise?" she asked excitedly.
Will gritted his teeth in frustration. This woman was wasting his time. He waited another five seconds as the woman continued to talk before he felt like he was going to lose his temper. He was about to open his mouth to yell at the woman when an arm reached out and pressed the button on the desk phone, effectively cutting off the woman's phone call.
Will was surprised to look up to see that the arm belonged to Prowl and judging from the unamused expression on the Autobot's face, he didn't enjoy the woman chattering away as well.
"Hey! What is your_" the indignant woman cried out before her eyes landed on the rude man that had cut off her phone call, her eyes widened in surprise. "_problem?" she finished off with a squeak, still holding the handset against her ear. She slowly placed the handset back on its cradle, a sort of dreamy expression was on her face as she stared at Prowl.
If Will wasn't so impatient he would have laughed at the Autobot tactician, who was frowning confusedly at the starry eyes that the woman was directing his way. He had told the SIC to choose a set of clothes that would allow him to blend with the general crowd.
"Just Google search casual wear for men and go with that," Will had remembered telling the clueless Autobot. And Prowl had succeeded in a sense. Dressed in a crisp white long-sleeve button up shirt, black pants and black shoes. The outfit was simple enough to not stand out but at the same time, it accentuated the dark hair and bright blue eyes that many woman tended to fall under.
"My problem," Prowl said coldly, "is that while you are wasting everyone's time talking meaningless gossip, there are people here that actually required your assistance. Although judging from your display of inattention, it places serious doubt in your ability to perform even that simple task."
Will mentally winced, feeling slightly sorry for the woman. The Autobot tactician may have had a point but even that had seemed a bit harsh.
Ironhide was chuckling quietly beside him. "Take the Autobot out of base but you can't delete his core programming," he commented and Will was inclined to agree.
The woman's mouth fell open in shock. The dreamy expression on her face dropped as her fantasy bubble burst. Her face reddened in embarrassment at being reprimanded like a child. "How dare you!" she cried indignantly.
"Sorry about my friend," Will intervened quickly before things escalated and the hospital ended up calling for security. He stepped in front of Prowl, blocking him from the woman's sight and she blinked in surprise. "We are just in a real hurry. I am here to see my niece. I was told she was admitted to this hospital?" he rushed, his tone conveying the worry he felt.
To the woman's credit, she decided not to make a scene although not without sending a final glare at Prowl, who stood silently behind him. "Her name?"
"Lennox, Evelyne Lennox," he answered and waited as the woman searched for it in the system.
"She's in the post-surgical unit in the 5S wing, you can reach there by taking this elevator to the 5th floor and then take a left turn after you get out. You will see the nursing station once you do."
Will thanked her and quickly headed to the directions she provided.
It was difficult to contain his anxiety now that he had finally arrived. He couldn't get out of the elevator fast enough once he arrived to the 5th floor. When he approached the nursing station, he was sure he had made quite a sight judging from the startled look the nurse behind the desk gave him.
"I'm here to_"
"I need some help in here!" A voice cried out from a room just off to the left of him.
Numerous medical staff responded immediately and headed into the room including the nurse that Will had been speaking to.
With a sudden feeling of dread, Will followed his gut instincts and approached the room as well.
He was met with the sight of a medical team surrounding a bed as they tried to subdue a struggling female patient from hurting herself.
"She's having a panic attack! Hold her still!"
The woman in the bed thrashed so wildly that the medical team could barely hold her. She fought so much that her right arm came free and nearly punched the doctor in the eye before he ducked at the last minute. "No!" she cried out. "Get off!"
Will froze when he recognized the patient. It was Evelyne and it looked like she was fighting for her life. He took a step towards her before he was blocked by a nurse who noticed he was in the room. "Sir please, you will need to step out,"
"What? No!" Will evaded her attempt to direct him out. "I know her! She's my niece!"
"You're her next of kin?"
Will turned to the doctor who approached him, his white coat in disarray from the struggle. The other medical team continued to hold down the struggling woman and she screamed like a wounded animal. Watching her like this really broke Will's heart, and he made an impromptu decision. "I am. Let me try to calm her down."
The doctor looked at him skeptically. "She's not going to recognize you right now," the doctor pointed out. "She's not even aware of what she's doing."
"Let me try," Will insisted.
The doctor looked at him and Will felt like he was being gauged. Just when Will thought that he was going to be refused, the doctor nodded. "Alright, one chance. If it looks like she isn't responding to you, you will step back."
Will nodded in understanding. He turned briefly to the two people who stood behind him. Ironhide's expression was grim while Prowl kept his eyes focused on his niece fighting against the people holding her down. Both stood back to allow him to do what he needed to do but Will knew that they would not hesitate to step in if the need arose.
Will made his way closer to the bed, debating with himself in how he was going to do this. He honestly had no plan, but knew that he couldn't let himself stand back and do nothing while Evelyne continued to struggle in agony.
He had faced many battles and enemies in wars that could have easily killed him, yet he'd stood his ground without so much as batting an eye. Yet here he was standing there and fearing that he was going to fail in trying to calm his niece down. What if he made everything that much worse?
Not knowing what else to do, Will stepped forward and placed both hands on his niece's shoulders and tried to hold her still. He was shocked at the strength she displayed as she renewed her efforts to fight him off when she sensed a new 'attacker'.
"No!" she cried again shaking her head. Her eyes were open but they were unfocused as if seeing an enemy that no one else could see. It was like she was stuck in her own nightmare.
'Or reliving her attack,' Will realized. "Evelyne, snap out of it!" He said firmly in hopes that his voice would reach her.
She continued to fight him, trying to pry his hands from her shoulders despite only having one hand to do so while her left arm was secured in a cast. Her breathing was ragged almost like she was hyperventilating. She started bucking from the bed nearly kicking another staff that had been holding onto one of her legs.
Will continued to speak while holding onto her shoulders firmly. "You're safe, I'm here. Your Uncle Will is here. Listen to my voice, I'm here."
She screamed and Will almost let go because he thought he had unintentionally hurt her. "No more," she cried shaking her head, almost like a sob and Will nearly broke down along with her when he heard the desperation in it.
"No one here is going to hurt you here Evie. I won't let anyone hurt you. Please Evie wake up," he was close to begging now and he didn't really care. He just wanted her pain to stop. "Please."
Slowly as if by a miracle, his niece's struggling began to lessen. He didn't notice it at first but when he saw that the other staffs were beginning to let go of his niece's limbs one by one, he realized that she was responding to him. Encouraged, he continued to coax his niece to relax more. "That's right, I'm here Evie. It's going to be okay. You are going to be okay."
Her good hand took hold of his forearm but didn't try to rip it away like before and instead, she held onto it as if it was her only lifeline. Her breathing started to slow and her amber eyes started to focus. "Uncle… Will," her voice was so quiet and hoarse unlike the screaming she was doing before. It was almost like a whisper, but Will had heard it.
Will chuckled in relief. "Yeah I'm here Evie. It's going to be okay now."
Evelyne's eyes focused and blinked slowly as if trying to orientate herself before they fixed onto him. Will stood still and patiently waited for her to acknowledge him again. It seemed like a long time while she laid there starring at him that Will was beginning to fear that maybe she wasn't completely conscious anymore or worse yet, had sustained some damage to her mind after all.
Then she did something that Will had feared would happen.
Her hand on his forearm tightened before prying it away from her shoulder as if she was determined to use the last of her strength to do so.
"Leave."
It was spoken so softly at first that Will was certain that he had heard wrong. "What?"
"Leave," Evelyne said more firmly, her brows furrowed and eyes were guarded.
Will was disappointed. So she hadn't forgiven him after all. "Evie, it's me," he spoke insistently.
"I know who you are." Evelyne said coldly before turning away from him. "And I don't want to see you. Leave."
~to be continued…~
Author's Note:
Thank you for reading everyone! I hope you have enjoyed it. Please review and let me know what you think. They are my motivation!
So for those who have been curious about Evelyne's past, I hope this had answered some questions but also leave some questions as well. More about her past will be revealed as the story progress. Prowl meets Evelyne for the first time although sadly, she was not in the right frame of mind to reciprocate but don't worry, they will very soon. Please stay tune!
To my reviewers:
Bookwriter123456: I hope you enjoyed chapter 2, I will try not to drag out the plotline too much. I hope my story can inspire more Prowl/OC fics. Provided they don't copy my plot LOL I hope chapter 2 revealed some of the questions you have about Evelyne's past.
Swanna: My fave person. Thank you for your every inspiring support! You have my love!
PathBeater: Thank you for that wonderful image of Prowl you described. Yes it totally made my day thinking about it :D I hope to have your continued support!
SunnySides: I will have more Terror twins and Jazz in upcoming chapters but it may be a little bit further on since I will be focusing of Prowl and Evelyne first. But the world will certainly get bigger.
Misty Legionnaire: I hope chapter 2 revealed just enough of Will and Evelyne's relationship just to answer some questions but also leave you more to get you hooked. If I did that for you then my mission has been accomplished.
Daniel: Not many people mentioned the training scene but it was a scene that I had placed much thought into it and something I had to edit again and again. I am glad you have enjoyed it and it had made all that hard work paid off.
99luftballonsx.o.x: What a cool alias! I am pleased you are giving my story a try. Hope I don't disappoint.
KayleeChiara: Thank you for reading and reviewing and showing your support. Have a cookie and I hope you enjoyed chapter 2!
Guest: Thank you for reviewing! I hope you have enjoyed chapter 2 as much as I have enjoyed writing it!
Jessenia22: No better way to understand about life than a career in nursing and how precious life is. I wish you all the best in your chosen path of healing and patience (cause you will need a lot of it). Just ask Ratchet!
Moonlit Mortal: I am glad you didn't find chapter 1 too slow but I really did try to make it intriguing enough to get readers hooked. I will continue to try my very best! Thank you!
Mysine: Are you a Prowl fan just as much as I? Or just enjoy good stories in general? Either way, I hope I had accomplished in satisfying either or both interests.
JK: You are right, Evelyne does have a lot of demons ahead of her, but she won't face them alone. At least, let's hope she realizes that she won't have to face them alone.