I do apologize if there is misspelling during the chapters that I haven't spotted - maybe I should come clean; I am a dyslecsic so spelling actually ain't my forte. But anyways I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 3: Hospital visit.
Jack awoke at the hospital. He felt nausea but tried to push it in the back of his mind. His right knee throbbed with a dull pain. He guessed he was getting medicine for it, since it wasn't as bad as he thought it would feel like. Jack had no idea what the time was, but looking out the window to his left, he could see it was dark outside. In a chair to his eight, his mother sat sleeping her head nodding a little. Jack smiled. It was only a broken knee, and yet she was still going to sleep next to him as if he had almost died. Oh well the circumstance for the broken knee was, admitted, quite dangerous, but still…
Jack tried to sit up a bit and felt a new wave of nausea hit him. He couldn't help to let out a small uncomfortable moan, which of course woke up his mother.
"Jack? Jack, you're awake! How do you feel, honey?" She leaned forward and put a hand on his forehead, probably checking for a fever and then stroke his hair a bit, smiling tiredly.
Jack mumbled trough the nausea, while lying down again: "nausea. How long was I out?"
"The rest of the day and most of the evening. It's almost midnight. The medicine is probably what's making you feel ill. But rather that, than the pain…"
Jack tried to swallow and noticed how dry he felt. He grimaced and looked pleadingly to his mother, who had already guessed his uncomfortable situation and was pouring a glass of water. Jack took it and gulped it all down, making him feel better.
"Mom, shouldn't you be home resting before work tomorrow?"
She smiled and stroked his hair again. "I got tomorrow off thanks to you. I wanted to be here when you woke up. But don't worry, once you go back to sleep I'll head home."
Jack could feel he was tired, but he didn't want to sleep again just yet. He looked out the window again, watching the stars for a moment. His mother followed his gaze and a nice silence filled the room.
"Mom, I'm sorry."
"Sorry?"
Jack turned his head to look at her, and she genuinely looked confused. Jack sighed. Of course his mother didn't blame him for what happened.
"I'm sorry about today. It wasn't Arcees fault… It was me and-"
June hold up a hand to silence him. She gently shook her head. Of course her son would blame himself for the whole incident. In a way he was so like Optimus in that perspective that she couldn't help but smile. Her son was reminding her of the Autobot leader. He was going to become a great man, in fact he was already a great boy.
"Jack honey, I do not blame you or any of the autobots for this incident. The one at fault here is the decepticons and Megatron."
Jack let out a breath he didn't knew he was holding. He thought that maybe she was going to blame it all on Arcee, especially after that look she gave her back at base. Guess they must have talked things through before they left for the hospital. Jack had been in so much pain after the move from the berth to the gurney, that he hadn't been able to hear much of their conversation. He could only hear his pulse pounding in his ears and feel the pain pound in his leg. Thinking of Arcee…
"Mom, about Arcee…"
"She is outside the hospital. No one could keep her away so she insisted to take first watch to make sure you were alright, and that you wouldn't be attacked again."
Jack couldn't help but notice the worried look his mother got. Especially since she was so worried that she bit her lower lip. This whole ordeal was far from over, since Megatron really wanted his hands on Jack. And Jack couldn't still fathom why? Jack tried to change the subject a little.
"So how long until I can ride Arcee again?"
"Really Jack, is that all you can think about?" But nevertheless it brought the smile back to Junes face "You have to stay here for about two weeks before they let you home. During that time they will teach you how to use a wheelchair and crutches. Hopefully by the time you get to go home, the wheelchair will be for when you get tired of walking with the crutches. But at least 16-20 weeks before you can completely lose the crutches."
"Aw man, this is going to take forever. Have you told Arcee?"
"I have, but she will come here shortly in her holoform. I promised her, that I would send her up as I was leaving."
June pour another glass of water, which she sat at the table next to Jacks bed. Then she leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. She strokes his hair one more time before heading to the door.
"I better get down there now and tell her, she has been worried sick about you. Honestly sometimes I have to question which one of us is more motherly towards you. Goodnight Jack, I will visit again tomorrow."
"'Night mom."
Jack leaned over for the glass and took a mouthful of it. The cold water felt good and it kept the nausea away.
When Arcees holoform Sadie walked in, she saw Jack looking out at the night sky with tired eyes, but still looked thoughtful. He was probably, like Optimus, overthinking the whole situation. Arcee couldn't help but stare at the boy. No, he wasn't really a boy at that moment. I looked older, wiser and more tired than she had ever seen him before. Jack looked down at something in his hands. It was the key of Vector Sigma. Yep, Jack was definitely thinking about today. He looked up and spotted Arcee. A smile found its way in that tired face of his, and Arcee couldn't help but smile back to him. She walked up to the bed and sat in the same chair June had been sitting in.
"Hey partner"
"Hi to you too, partner"
After their usual greeting, Jack stroke the key and looked out the window again. "What happened today, Arcee?"
Arcee winced a little. Jack was way to straight forward tonight… to thoughtful. Normally Arcee liked how Jack was so like Optimus, but tonight when she didn't have an answer, she would have preferred some random talk before he went back to sleep. She tried to get him to do just that.
"I hear it will be a while before you can go for a ride again, but the faster you go to sleep the faster you will heal".
"Arcee, I mean it. Something clearly happened today. The key has never done that before."
Arcee sighed; clearly he wasn't going to let this one go. When Arcee made no notice of wanting to answer Jack continued his line of thought.
"Megatron seem to think it has something to do with me… And maybe… Maybe he's right." Arcees optics widened a little and she stared at her partner. Did he know something? Jack still looked out the window, not wanting to face Arcee, while he talked.
"It felt warm to my skin when it started to glow. Not that that is something knew. It felt warm in my hand, when it uploaded Optimus' memories too. But I felt…it felt like… I felt this warm buzzing from inside myself, when it did whatever it did. I felt that too when I was on Cybertron and it uploaded. I thought back then, that maybe it was the machine's doing. Like when you are at a concert, and you can feel the base all the way to your spine. But now I'm not so sure. Unless it is the key that makes that buzzing."
"Jack, the rest of us felt nothing. Maybe it's because we don't work the same way as you humans, so we don't have this… spine feeling, but I don't know Jack. You probably have to tell Optimus sometime."
Jack looked worried, confused and maybe even slightly scared of the fact that it could be because of him and not just the key acting on its own accord. He finally looked up at Arcee again, and Arcee knew he still had a question burning in him that he needed to get off his chest before going to sleep.
"Arcee, how did it feel when… you know…?"
Arcee leaned back in the chair, closing the eyes on her holoform, while thinking back to the sensation again.
"It felt warm. Not in an uncomfortable way, but like a gently caring warm. Like when I was a sparkling and my –what you would call a mother- hold me close, when I was scared. It probably felt like when your mother gives you a hug and stroke your hair, telling you it is going to be okay. It felt like… like the time I got injured out at the spacebridge and Bumblebee carried me back to base. When you hold my hand and your eyes told me I was going to be okay… It felt like that."
Jack eyes had widened at Arcees talk, his mouth a little agape and a slight blush on his face could be noticed. Arcee looked at him amused. It was not often you could catch Jack Darby by surprise. Arcee was about to say something, probably a snide comment about his look, but they both noticed that they were no longer alone. They quickly turned their gaze to the window and saw a cybertronian bird-like creature. It's eyes glow red and there was no doubt that this was a decepticon. Arcees holoform let out a "scrap" before disappearing. Outside Jack heard the transforming noise, which indicated Arcee had left her vehicle mode. The bird-like creature got ready to fly into the room, straight towards Jack. Jack couldn't really move, but considered if the bird came this way, he would take his chance and roll out of the bed, damned be the broken knee.
Just as the bird lifted itself from the windowsill, Arcees servo could be seen from behind the bird, grapping trying to get a grip on it while hissing: "Laserbeak!". Laserbeak shrieked and maneuvered around Arcees servo and out into the night. Arcee turned on her lasers, but Jack stopped her:
"Arcee, stop! It's going to be difficult enough to explain if you show at any of the security cameras, but how would Fowler explain the sound and light from your blasters?! Turn back to vehicle mode now!".
Arcee stared at Jack in disbelief over his sudden authority, but also how much it could have easily come from Optimus himself. She also hated the fact that they had to let Laserbeak leave. He was probably already half way back to Soundwave, its master.
"Jack, I-"
"It's okay Arcee, just turn back." Arcee did as she was commanded, and before she turned her holoform on again in Jacks room, she called base. She didn't think many of the other was up, but if she knew Optimus and Ratchet, one of the two were bound to be at the computer and scanners.
"Arcee to base, do you read?"
"Arcee, what news of Jack?" The calm voice of Optimus echoed through her com link. Arcee thought that the stoic leader was probably anything but calm when it came to Jack, and the urgency in her own voice was certainly not helping. She took a moment to calm down before talking again:
"Long story short, 16-20 weeks until he is fully healed. But that is not why I call, Optimus. Laserbeak was just here, trying to fetch Jack I think."
There was a moment of silence before he answered:
"Was Jack harmed?"
"No, but Laserbeak got away. Jack wouldn't risk exposure over Laserbeaks flight, so I didn't shoot, but whatever information it may have gotten, it is most likely already in the hands of Soundwave."
Another pause.
"Jack was right, Arcee. Good thing you listened to him. Anything else to report?"
"Well it's about Jack and the key to Vector Sigma."
This pause was not as long though all the more strained. Arcee could hear that Optimus struggled to keep his emotions under control, when he talked again:
"Tell me, what you know".