Wow sorry for the wait! I'm trying to update all my stories in an acceptable time date. Hopefully, I won't take to long to update. At least not during the next three months.
Oh and to the 'what profession should Optimus have' question.. LOL EVERYBODY said firefighter.... How the hell did I not think of that!?!?!? any way, you all now know what he'll be XD THANKS FOR THE HELP!!! *throws cookies*
Well, here it is!
Oh and as promised..
AGE OF MENTIONED CHARACTERS:
Prowl: 19
Jazz: 25
Ratchet: 46
Optimus: 29
Bluestreak: 16
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!
IT MAKES ME HAPPY!!
AND I NEED THE HAPPINESS!!!
Prowl woke slowly. For a second he was disoriented and couldn't remember where he was. Which made him panic when he felt his right arm restrained. Quickly looking at it, he saw it in a cast and sling. He sat up watching it confused.
It all came back to him then. He remembered that he was in the hospital. He had woken before to Ratchet's tired and worried face.
And he remembered Ratchet's words. "Prowl... the last thing you remember, is two months old."
Two months. He had lost two months of his life. For a moment, he despaired. For one moment he was afraid and inconsolable. Then, he took deep breaths to calm his shivering and swallowed, remembering the calming techniques his Master had taught him. He cleared his mind of any fear, and let himself think clearly.
Two months. It wasn't much. What could happen in two months? "A lot." He thought grimly. "Yes." Said a tiny voice in his head. "But it could have been so much longer."
Prowl pondered that. He had lost two months. He should be thankful. He should be relieved. He knew cases where people had lost years of their lives. Compared to his mere two months. It was nothing.
Exhaling, he finally got control over himself and calmed down. Okay, so he had accepted that he had lost two months of his life. Fine. But, what had happened?
Suddenly, a realization came to him. He had been speaking to Ratchet. He had asked the medic what had happened. He saw the medic shift closer to him. And suddenly, he was asleep.
"That bastard!" He thought. "He sedated me!" He was shocked. He knew Ratchet had done many things like that in the past with his patients, some things were even legally questionable. But to do that to him?! Oh, Prowl was going to kill him!
Too lost in his fantasies of killing his so called 'friend' he jumped when there was a sudden yelp coming from his left and turned just in time to see a blur toss it's self at him.
"Prowl!!"
A sixteen year old boy with short dark blue hair, light blue big eyes, dressed in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt, some how managed to tackle him and hugged him tightly around the waist burying his face in his stomach.
"Bluestreak!?" Gasped Prowl followed by a groan of pain. His whole body ached. He could feel scabs breaking on several parts of his stomach and he could swear his whole back was one enormous scab. His left leg was numb and bandaged but there wasn't a cast around it so Prowl guess it wasn't broken. His ribs also hurt but thankfully seemed to be intact. As he instinctively pushed Bluestreak away from him, he saw that his arm was full of very nasty cuts and burns, some had had to be stitched. He shivered.
"Oh my God Prowl I'm so sorry!" Cried the younger teen. "Did I hurt you? Are you okay? Are you dizzy? Do you wanna throw up? Ratchet!"
"Would you calm down and shut up!" Snapped the medic, coming into view as he walked around the bed to the other side to check the monitors.
"I'm *cough* okay Blue'." Prowl said, his voice still uncomfortably horse.
Prowl started at his younger brother, watching as his eyes locked with his and his worried expression turned to a more deeper concern and sadness, he saw as his face contort until he started to cry, lowering his head and just holding onto his arm, not wanting to hurt him even though it was obvious he just wanted to bury himself in his brothers comforting arms.
"Blue? Blue! What's wrong? Are you okay?" He tried to reach him with both his arms, forgetting one was broken and hissed silently.
"Easy Blue'." Prowl watched Optimus appear and hold Bluestreak who clung to him and kept crying. The nineteen year old watched in anguish the display. He didn't know what was going on. Surely he had not caused this. He looked at Optimus searching some kind of answer.
"I'm so glad to see you awake Prowl." He said softly, hand reaching to pat him in the head, a gesture that always annoyed him to no end, but strangely, he deeply welcomed it now.
"What's going on?" He asked confused and worried. "Blue'? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, don't cry okay?" He started coughing again, but stopped after a few seconds. Would it kill anyone to give him some water?!
As if reading his mind, Optimus handed him a small glass that had been sitting on the nightstand with a jar of water and put his free hand on his shoulder again, desperate for some kind of contact with his charge after so long, if only to make sure that he was truly there. Prowl gulped it down greedily thought he still watched Bluestreak for any sign of distress.
Ratchet watched from the other side, anger and sadness building inside of him. Of course Bluestreak would breakdown. He was so innocent and fragile. The medic's heart had stopped when, while in surgery with Prowl, hands deep inside his body, blood everywhere, he had looked up to see Optimus, Jazz and Bluestreak, pale, looking with expressions of horror from the observation deck. They shouldn't have even been there! No doubt Jazz had had something to do with that. But Optimus and Jazz didn't matter. They could handle it. But why the hell had they let Bluestreak in there dammit! He had yelled and hit Jazz over the head a thousand times sparing Optimus who had his arms full of a very distressed and traumatized Blue'.
What angered him the most was Prowl's reaction. Like hell was it his fault. He had nothing to be sorry for! Who ever did this to Prowl should be the ones to be sorry! And if Ratchet ever got a hand on whoever was responsible, ohhhh he'd make them sorry alright.
"Easy there Prowler." Come a voice from behind Bluestreak, before the medic could speak.
Looking up from his younger brother, the nineteen year old met his best friends eyes. They were full of concern, relief (no doubt at the fact the Prowl was really, finally awake), and was that anger and guilt?
"Jazz." He said smiling, followed by a cough.
"Primus Prowl, ya scared us." He whispered, before coming forward and minding his injuries he hugged Prowl, leaving the mentioned rigid and tense. For some reason, the sudden contact made him afraid. He was puzzled immensely by this. He was going to push away, but the emotion behind the hug, an almost unnoticeable tremble running through his body and the soft, apologizing words the enforcer whispered mid sob made Prowl want to cry with him. Even if he still had no idea what was the big deal.
"I'm so glad yer okay Prowl. I thought we had lost ya. I wouldn't 'ave been able ta forgive myself if ya had -" He choked on the last word and hugged him tighter.
Prowl tentatively hugged him back with his free arm. "Jazz? I'm sorry for making you worry." He said just as softly.
He wasn't prepared for Jazz shooting up and glaring at him. "Ya have nothing ta be sorry for! This ain't yer fault!"
Taken aback by his outburst, he shrank in himself and muttered another 'I'm sorry'. Something about being yelled at made him flinch and feel scared, though he would have never felt like that. He felt strange all of a sudden. He felt trapped.
"Jazz!" Optimus chastised.
"And here you were telling us to act cool so as to not scare him. Great job Mr. Smooth." Ratchet said glaring at the young man.
Bluestreak left Optimus arms and following Jazz's example hugged his brother avoiding the places he knew where full with bandages. He sat on the bed laying half on Prowl's lap and hugging his middle. His cries had reduced to quiet whimpers.
Jazz looked at Optimus's and Ratchet's angry glares and then at Prowl's slumped form and wished he could kick himself. "Shit Prowl. I- I'm sorry. I just. I'm so glad you're safe."
"Safe?"
The occupants in the room shifted uneasily. All of them avoiding eye-contact. Even Bluestreak had gone quiet and still.
Looking at all of them one at a time, he gathered his thoughts and asked with a commanding voice. "What happened?" When the other's refused to look at him, he continued. "This obviously wasn't an accident as I first thought it'd be. You wouldn't be this upset if it were." And then, more pressing, anger behind his words, he asked again. "What. Happened."
Jazz sighed, deep and long. Swallowing, he started pacing around the room, hand running over his face, rubing at his eyes before he stopped in the middle of the room, back to Prowl.
"Yer're right Prowl. It was no accident." Prowl got curious and a little scared despite himself at the anger that tinted his voice.
Turning, he looked straight into his friends eyes before continuing, voice deadly calm. "Prowl, two months ago, ya were kidnapped."
----
It took Prowl a few moments before the meaning of his friends words made sense to him. As realization came to him, his eyes widened. His hold on his younger brother tightening to the point where Bluestreak looked up. Tears still falling down his cheeks.
"You- you mean that I've been in captivity for two months?!" He asked disbelievingly.
"Not exactly." Ratchet spoke form his left. Prowl turned to look at him, eyes demanding an explanations which Ratchet reluctantly gave.
"Your were gone a month. Jazz and his team along with Barricade searched day and night for you. The idiot even forgetting on eating and dare I say taking a bath."
As he paused, Prowl looked at his friend and realized that he was skinnier and paler, black rings under his eyes, which lacked their normal cheerfulness. He frowned at that. Jazz had always been angry at him for working late and forgetting to eat or sleep.
"Hell, even Optimus joined in the search when he had the time."
"So, then you found me?"
Sighing and running a hand over his face Ratchet continued. "No. we didn't find you."
"But then-"
"We don't know who did." Jazz said before Prowl could speak. "Da staff said dat sometime at three in da morning a month ago, a, and I quote 'a very big, muscular and scary looking guy' came in yelling for assistance. Ya were in his arms, bleeding ta death."
After a long moment spent digesting the new information, Prowl looked at Jazz. "Who was it?" He asked. If some stranger had saved him from the hands of people who, Prowl realized were probably the cause for all his injuries, then he wanted to thank him personally.
"We don't know. They said 'e seemed reluctant ta let ya go but when they promised ya were gonna be save he placed you on the stretcher waiting and suddenly vanished before da cops got der ta question 'im."
"I for one would like to know who he was and thank him. "Optimus said.
"But then, I've been unconscious for a month!?" Prowl asked.
The medic sighed. "I wish it were just that. " He said in a very emotionally tired voice. "Prowl, you've been in a coma for a month."
Prowl stared a the medic with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open.
"We were so glad to hear that you woke up. " Optimus said putting both his hand on his shoulder and smiling that tender and gentle smile he always did when worried about someone he loved.
"We, weren't sure when you'd wake up." Could have been months." Ratchet said before turning and walking to the window looking out. His next sentence was but a whisper, though everyone heard it. "It could have been years."
Prowl thought back to the memory loss issue. He had been upset with it. Now, knowing he had been in a coma for a month, he was eternally grateful that it had only bee two months!
"Most of your injuries have healed, but you'll still be in pain for a while. Then you have rehabilitation for your arm, but nothing serious and a for that leg of yours. It's not broken, but it was one big bruise." The medic continued. Everyone knew he rambled when stressed so they didn't say anything, even if they didn't like hearing about how injured he had been.
Prowl thought his next question carefully. He knew he was hurt. But to what extent? He turned to Ratchet.
"Ratch'?"
"Hm?"
"What are my injuries? Why can't I remember anything?" He noticed how every person tensed and looked ready to punch something. "What did- what did they do to me?"
"Prowl, don't." Jazz said steeping closer.
"I want to know!"
"Why?!" This came from Bluestreak, who had sat up suddenly and was looking pleadingly at his big brother. "Why does it matter?! You're safe, that's all that matters!" He yelled, tears falling once again.
Optimus took his hands from Prowl's shoulder and started rubbing them against the young boy's back in an attempt to calm him down.
Looking down at his little brother he gently pushed him off the bed and turned to Jazz, expression serious and determined.
"I want to know."
Bluestreak let out a long, pained whine, tears streaming like rivers, turned and fled the room.
"Bluestreak!" Optimus yelled and ran after him.
Alone with just Jazz and Ratchet he repeated his question more determined.
"Are you sure?" The medic asked.
"Yes. No doubt the wounds of whatever has been done to me are still there. It is best I know exactly what happened. Not knowing and trying to figure out what some of the injuries are can be a very dangerous thing."
Ratchet sighed. He was right of course. Leaving Prowl to try and figure out could make him paranoid, or he could damage himself psychologically coming up with different ideas of what might have happened.
"Alright." He said much to Jazz displeasure. "When you came in, you were a mess. Your body was covered from head to toe in blood. The night shift called me the second they saw your state. Before we could stabilize you though... you flat lined." He finished coldly.
"What!?" Prowl looked shocked at the news. He had been dead!? Literally dead?! Jazz came closer and laid a calming and supportive hand on his shoulder.
"Sacred the hell out of me too. It took five tries to get you back." Ratchet said in a shaky voice haunted by the horrible memory. He had truly thought they wouldn't get him back. He started pacing, right hand rubbing the back of his neck.
"Wha- what happened? I mean, I was that bad?" He couldn't hide the small shiver in his voice.
"Yes and no. Prowl, your body was up to your head in drugs. From Rohypnol to at least five different types of sedatives. You also had traces of some hypnotic and hallucination drugs. You were a mess. All those drugs together and the probably violent drive from your mystery savior was what made your heart stop that first time."
Prowl looked sick. He had those kind of drugs in his system? And, wait-
"First time?" He asked voice filled with dread.
"After we cleaned your systems, we started working on you immediately. Your stomach, legs and arms have several burn marks. From cigarettes to to hot iron and chain burns. Your back..." Ratchet stopped trying to regain his focus. Prowl noticed Jazz's hand had tightened on his shoulder and he could feel a tremor every now and then. Glancing at him for a second, he noticed he was seething! "Your back was raw with whip marks."
Prowl suddenly felt lightheaded. He hadn't just been kidnapped. He had been tortured! He bowed his head but didn't say anything, he knew worse was to come.
"As you noticed, your arm was broken in two places. It'll probably take at least five more months to heal. Some of your ribs were bruised. There was some... internal damage. We had to do an emergency operation. There was far to much water in your lungs and one of them collapsed. It wouldn't have been that bad if the lack of proper oxygen in your body and the recent trauma of the drugs in your systems gone had made your heart stop again. Fortunately we brought you back at the first try. But there was still some- Hey Prowl!"
Prowl had doubled over and was breathing hard. He couldn't believe it. Why had this happened to him? Flashes of scenes he did not remember crossed his mind.
Fire. Endless burning pain in his stomach and legs.
Water. The feeling of drowning. It was to much.
He felt his stomach turn. Trying to get of the bed, he ripped the I.V on his hand along with some other things attached to his head and body.
"Woah Prowl stop! You can't get up, you're not stable enough!" Ratchet yelled trying to restrain him with Jazz's help.
"Prowl calm down!" The enforcer yelled.
Sitting on the edge he managed to somehow lose himself from both of them and stand up, but the vertigo made it worse and true to Ratchet's words, his legs didn't have enough strength to support him. He crashed to the ground, thankfully on his good arm, but it made the rest of his body scream in pain.
He could hear Ratchet yelling for the nurse to bring some kind of sedative ad he felt Jazz's hands holding him, as he heaved and vomited all over the pristine floor.
As he finished, he could feel soothing hands rubbing his back and a sudden sting in his neck before all went black yet once more.
---
When Optimus came back to the room with a sigh, having lost track of his youngest charge, he was surprised to find a group of nurses coming and going from Prowl's room.
Worried, he rushed in, only to be stopped by a seething Jazz who grabbed his arm holding him from going any further.
"Wha-"
"I don't think ya would 'ave liked stepping on that." He simply said, pointing at the ground.
Optimus looked down at a puddle of vomit and looked around for Prowl. He was laying in bed unconscious, two nurses were re-attaching the I.V.
"What happened?!" He demanded running around the vomit to Prowl and grabbing his hand, brushing a hand through his hair.
"Ratchet's been keeping stuff from us. Dat's what 'appened!" Jazz yelled.
The medic that was checking Prowl's temperature, blood pressure among other things, looked up and glared.
"And what, exactly, would you have done with this information. It only concerns Prowl. Not you. Specially when you were drowning yourself with work, not eating and barely getting any sleep. I would expect that from Prowl. Not you!" He yelled back. He hadn't told any of them for a reason. They didn't need the information.
"What are you talking about?" Optimus asked, ignoring Ratchet.
"Apparently, Prowl somehow almost drowned in something. Can't imagine what 'appened! Oh and dey appeared ta whip in ta his bones!"
"What!? You only said that his back was raw, I, I thought maybe he had scraped it or he'd been beaten! Not whipped!" Optimus cried at Ratchet.
"Again, what would you have done!? And-" He froze.
"Wait, Jazz, what did you say?" He asked walking around the bed to grab the enforcer's arms.
"What?"
"You said 'they'." Ratchet whispered darkly.
"I- I did.." Realization came to him. "I said dey cause Prowl said it. We had always thought it was one kidnapper." He looked at Ratchet and Optimus with shocked eyes.
"He remembers." Breathed Optimus.
"No. Not consciously. It's in his sub-conscious."
"What does that mean?"
"It means,"The medics started letting go of Jazz, putting his hands in his doctor's coat pockets and looking at Optimus. "-that he's going to remember sooner or later." He finished grimly.
"No." The older man breathed.
"Shit!" They turned to look at Jazz. His head was lowered, hands clenched into fists and shaking. "He won't evan be allowed a rest, will 'e."
"Jazz-" Started Ratchet.
"No! Ah will find the ones responsible! At least ta give da kid some damn closure! So 'e won't be afraid ta leave home once he remembers everything!" That being said, he fled the room.
"Jazz!"
"Let him go." Ratchet told Optimus who was half way to the door.
The older man sighed and went back to Prowl's side. "What do we do now?" He asked tonelessly.
"First, we let his recover. Once I discharge him, I want him to go live with Jazz. I know he was a spare bedroom."
"With Jazz?" Optimus asked puzzled.
Ratchet sighed. "I know you want to take him back home, but-" He raise a hand to stop the other from talking. " Think about it. Bluestreak is in no mental state to be near his brother. He will only hurt himself and Prowl and you know it. Second, Jazz is worrying me. If he knows he's with you being taken care of, he'll go out there and get himself into trouble, probably killed by looking for the people that did this to him. But if he has Prowl to watch over, he'll start taking care of himself and being home more often."
Optimus nodded. It made perfect sense. Jazz didn't live too far away, so he could always go visit when ever he wanted. And he was sure Barricade wouldn't mind. After he stopped thinking of Prowl as a threat to getting close to Jazz, he had actually started to care for him much like Jazz did.
He sighed. Resigned. "Aright. I'll go talk to him."
"That won't be necessary." They both jumped at the deep voice coming from behind them. Turning, they came face to face with none other then Barricade. It always surprised Ratchet how big he was compared to Jazz who appeared to be somewhat scrawny (even if he actually had an athlete body), and average height. He only reached Barricade's neck. The older enforcer was bulky, muscular arms and legs and... well his whole body was muscular thought it didn't show so much unless he took of his shirt. Even Optimus had gawked when they had visited the apartment and Barricade had answered the door in boxers. Poor Optimus had been traumatized.
He had short black hair, green eyes and his skin was tanned like Jazz. He was wearing jeans, a sleeveless t-shirt and a leather jacket, his badge hanging form the chest pocket.
"Barricade." Greeted Optimus while Ratchet only nodded in his direction.
"I got here as soon as I could." He said looking at Prowl. "He okay?" They both noticed the concern in his voice, even if the tall, muscular man had meant it to come out casual.
"As good as can be after learning all of his injuries and possible causes to them."
Barricade sighed. "I'll go talk to Jazz."
With that he left, the room.
---
Jazz ran, dodging doctors and nurses along the way. He had to get away. A month of worry and near heart attack for the safety of his childhood friend. Then, having him back had been a relief to him, until he saw his state. When Ratchet had told them he had flat lines two times and then gone into a coma, it was all he could do to not breakdown.
All in all, Jazz felt useless. Even with Barricade's help, he hadn't been able to find a single trace. Nothing. They were chasing a ghost. Many in his department had just given up on finding him. In a week, the news reports stopped showing Prowl's picture and offering a reward to any that could give any kind of information. His superiors had almost demanded him to call it a cold case and leave it to rot in a basement. Only Barricade and his personal squad had kept going. Optimus had helped, volunteering for night shifts when he wasn't on duty at the firehouse.
He hadn't even been the one to find him. No, it had been some lucky stranger that had found the broken body of his friend. It wasn't like he wasn't grateful, quite the contrary. If he ever found the guy who managed to bring back his friend he'd probably kiss him and take him out for dinner.
But he hadn't even been allowed to thank the man.
Turning a dark corner that led to the morgue, he stopped running, panting heavily. No one came through here unless there was a dead body to be examined or identified. Jazz shivered at the thought that they could have been visiting the morgue to identify Prowl.
As the bloody images of Prowl on the surgery bed hit him he wailed and turned to punch the wall, tears streaming down his cheeks. It wasn't fair! Prowl didn't deserve this! And now, when they had thought that his memory loss was a blessing, they discovered that he would probably start to remember all the horrible tortures he had gone through.
With one last punch he fell to his knees facing the wall with a pained sob, holding his bleeding knuckles. He didn't move. He just stared at the floor. He didn't move when a shadow covered him. He didn't move when the person above him didn't say anything, only keeping watching him.
"What should ah do 'Cade?" He asked in a defeated whisper.
Barricade sat, back to the wall next to Jazz looking out to the distance.
"If 'ah had paid more attention to him at the party..." He started. That night had always replayed in his mind since Prowl's disappearance.
"Don't Jazz. We've been over this. It. Was. Not. Your. Fault."
Jazz said nothing, tired of this argument. They both went silent again, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Ratchet said that when the kid's discharged, he'll come live with us." he said after a moment.
Jazz lifted his head a little but otherwise didn't move.
"I spoke with Magnus. He said you had the next month off."
That made the enforcer react. "What!? He's suspending me!?" He yelled in a mix of outrage and shock.
Barricade sighed. "No Jazz. He's not suspending you."
"Then what!?"
"First of all, he wants you to get some sleep, second, some food in you and third..."He had started off with a serious and commanding tone, but his next words were uncharacteristically soft. "... he just thought you'd like the time with Prowl."
They both sat in silence. After a few seconds Jazz chuckled and passed a face through his black hair.
"He's right. Best we get dat spare room cleaned up ehy?" He said with a small smile.
You like? Huh? Huh!? HUH!?!? XD Sorry if everyone looks kinda out of character but come on! You really expect Jazz to be cheerful in this kind of situation?!?!? Don't worry, he'll be back to normal.
REVIEW PLEASE!!