She never did get to ask him later.
She had woken up alone. The room they placed her in was clearly the medical wing of whatever building they had taken her to. Cathleen felt her head pounding and her nose was clogged. She attempted to clear her throat only for it to feel like razors shooting up her esophagus. Cringing, Cathleen grit her teeth and sat up.
There were a few things to take note of. Her shoes were placed next to the bed on the floor, but there was no sign of her bags. She looked at her arms seeing a few things attached to her skin, and a few monitors keeping an eye on her. Other than feeling exhausted and unable to speak properly, she assumed she was fine. Continuing her surveillance of the room Cathleen spotted a small call button resting on the side table. She wouldn't get answers sitting alone in this room. She pressed it a few times hoping it would grab someone's attention. She didn't realize that each time she pressed it she was setting off a very loud sound a few rooms away.
"Miss Cauldern!" A petit looking woman rushed into the room quickly looking over the monitors and doing a quick once over to make sure Cathleen wasn't in serious danger. Cathleen on the other hand just smiled to the female and gave a small wave.
"Sorry, I'm awake." She croaked.
"Thank you for alerting us, although for future reference you only need to press the panic button once if it's just to get someone's attention." The nurse reprimanded. Cathleen nodded but the smile remained on her face. "A pleasure to meet you, my name is Suzan. Is there anything I can get for you?"
"Water?" Cathleen rubbed her throat.
"Of course." Suzan quickly set about the task of getting a glass of water. "I'll be giving you another dose of your medication while I'm here." Handing over the glass, Suzan shook her head at Cathleen. "Honestly, getting pneumonia in the dead of summer." The smile on Suzan's face showed that she only meant it as a joke. Cathleen assumed it was to lighten the blow.
"Where's Tanner?" Cathleen asked after a long drink.
"He's a field paramedic. You don't see him much here in the medic wing." Suzan shrugged. "I could get a hold of him if you would-"
"It's fine." Cathleen waved it off. Suzan nodded handing over a vile looking liquid and getting her arm ready for a shot. Once the needle was in, Cathleen downed the contents of the liquid as a distraction.
"That should help coat your throat so speaking will be easier." Suzan rubbed her arm taking care of the needle. "We have a few things to discuss, but first do you have any questions?"
"Where am I?" Cathleen began.
"I believe you were made aware of N.E.S.T from Commander Prime." Suzan still kept it vague but Cathleen was now aware that she was at N.E.S.T.
"How long was I out?" She shifted a bit feeling how sore her body was.
"Two days, this is your third day at the facility and it is almost six am." Suzan was busying herself with a chart. Cathleen's mind stalled. She'd been at this military base for three days? No wonder nobody had been around when she came to. "Now, besides focusing on your pneumonia, we're also going to get your nutrition back on track. You've warn down your immune system." Suzan got quiet for a moment then sat down at the foot of Cathleen's bed.
"I do not want to alarm you, however as your care provider these past three days I've noticed a few things." Suzan's eyes flicked to Cathleen's side. "There are a few places I could contact should you want to press charges or handle any legal matters that should arise. I don't want to pry, but I cannot, in good conscious, send you back to an abuser." Suzan spoke very delicately.
"Who have you told?" Cathleen didn't want this getting back to Optimus. She had made sure to not tell him how physical it had gotten.
"I have not shared any aspect of your physical abuse with anyone as follows patient confidentiality." Suzan grew very serious. "Is there need for a rape kit?"
"No, no that's okay. Besides, I've been gone for a month now." Cathleen played with her fingers in her lap.
"Cathleen, I know you have just met me, but please consider me a friend in this situation. If you ever need to talk I will listen and it will never leave this room." Suzan reached forward gently stopping Cathleen's hands.
"I appreciate that." Her chest felt tight.
"Anything else before I let you get more rest?" Suzan stood from the bed.
"Where are my things?" Cathleen asked quickly.
"Your belongings are over in that closet. You are free to use the facilities behind that door." Suzan gave her another smile. "I'll be back in to check on you later, just press that call button if you run into any trouble. The medicine should start making you drowsy in an hour." Suzan removed the hookups to the machines now that Cathleen was awake and seemed to be in the clear.
"Thank you, Suzan." Cathleen called after the woman's retreating figure. Suzan smiled while she closed the door leaving Cathleen alone once more.
The second the coast was clear Cathleen got out of bed and made her way over to the closet that held her belongings. Pulling open the doors she found both of her bags along with a few extra things. New water battles, her clothes had all been cleaned, but there were also a few pairs of standard issue military pants and a few tang tops and t-shirts that looked like they would fit her. She grabbed the new pants and a tang top and hurried off to the shower.
The hot water had done wonders for her. Not only had it made her sore muscles finally feel relief but it had cleared up her nasal passages as well allowing her to breathe easier. She changed into her fresh clothes feeling better already and ran her finger through her hair. She still had a shroud of sickness around her but not enough to make her look like she was dying. Grabbing her dirty outfit, she returned to her room and tossed them into the corner of the closet to deal with later and pulled out the hoodie she had purchased on the road with Optimus. Shrugging it on, she pulled the hood up and shoved her feet into her boots before making her way to the door. She turned the knob and opened it slowly peeking out to see if there was anyone to notice her quick escape.
She wasn't going to go far, but she knew that if she was stuck in that room all alone then she was going to feel miserable. She needed to do something, and taking a quick walk wouldn't hurt her too much. She didn't see anyone other than the desk down at the other end of the hall. However, the nurse at the station was focused on the computer in front of her, not Cathleen's door. She slipped out silently and hurried down the hall seeing a door for the stairs.
Cathleen made her way down to the main level and there was the choice to go into the next hallway or exit outside. She secured the hood and left the building. She was met with the site of a cloudy over cast sky and the looming presence of downtown D.C. Whatever building she was in was tucked away behind a much larger brick building. She took a few quick steps realizing that there must not be many guards at this time by how quiet everything was. She hid behind a few crates and military vehicles slowly making her way towards the large hanger doors at the back of the larger building. Pressing her back against the building, she glanced in seeing multiple vehicles parked and only one or two soldiers milling about. Their relaxed posture and tired eyes told her that she had caught the building in between shifts. The night crew was getting ready to head out while the morning shift was arriving. In other words, she'd gotten lucky.
Cathleen's eyes widened when she spotted a familiar Peterbilt. She walked in seeing computer stations and a running catwalk along the entire building. This was the most high-tech military base she had ever seen. She ducked down hiding behind one of the stations when a solider turned the corner heading up the steps to the offices located on the second floor. When the glass door closed and he vanished from sight she hurried behind a Topkick and finally stood next to the Peterbilt.
Cathleen couldn't stop the smile from forming while she reached out and ran her hand against the metal of the door. She wondered if she would be able to see Optimus again before she left the base. She did need to properly apologize to him for all the trouble she caused and thank him for everything he'd done. If it wasn't for him she wouldn't be here right now.
"Last I saw you, you turned into a giant robot." Cathleen chuckled to herself quietly. Covering her mouth to stifle a cough she froze up hearing voices coming towards her.
"We'll be sending a few out to do recon in the area. The Decepticons are keeping a low profile, but we'll find them." A male voice spoke softly.
"It ain't like them to just give up." Another male's voice joined him. Cathleen moved behind the Peterbilt and jumped up onto the rig curling up in a ball by the smokestack to look as small as possible. Two soldiers passed right by her not spotting her as they continued their conversation.
"Morning, Hide." One said hitting the Topkick lightly as he passed. The two paused however glancing at the truck as if waiting for something to happen.
"Long trip?" The other asked.
"They're all on edge, what with Optimus so distracted with his precious cargo." There was a teasing voice to the one on the left. Cathleen held onto the smokestack for dear life seeing the two about to glance her way when the horn of the Camaro towards the end of the hanger blared to life. The two soldiers laughed heading in the direction.
"Alright, morning to you too, Bee." Cathleen silently retreated to the other side of the Peterbilt and quickly hid on the other side of the desk in front of it knowing she was completely out of their sightline. She heard their voices fade up to the second level and up into the offices. Cathleen counted to five before glancing over seeing that the coast was once again clear. She reached up onto the desk to help her stand when she slipped from her hand landing on a folder that fell into her lap while she hit the ground hard on her ass.
"Graceful." She chuckled to herself grabbing the folder and a few of the papers that had slipped out. Her eyes widened however when she glanced at what the folder contained. At the top of the first page there was the N.E.S.T logo along with another that she recognized, but hadn't given much thought. Glancing up to the Peterbilt she noticed the symbol on the tip of the grill. Her eyes returned to the page skimming a bit of the information. Terms like Decepticons, Energon detectors, mission briefings, and a lot of things Cathleen realized she should not be seeing. She closed the folder and took a deep breath before putting it neatly back where it was and got up. She was pushing her luck with her little 'walk' and she could feel herself beginning to get tired from her medicine. Running her fingers across the grill she made her way along the side of the truck before pausing.
"See you around, Fancy." She chuckled before lightly hitting the bumper sticker and jogged out of the hanger and back over to the medical building she had exited from. Opening the door she had come out of, she ignored the stairs and entered the main floor. To her right, she could see the corner of the main lobby so she moved her feet left. Cathleen took her time getting to know the layout of the building and where everything was located. She found the small cafeteria, the nurse's lounge, and had bumped into a few other patience. She had been surprised when they had just nodded at her not realizing that she wasn't supposed to be there. Making her way back to her room she made sure to avoid the stairs leading to the desk and snuck back in without anyone higher up being aware of her little escapade. She realized that she was lucky with how early it had been.
Cathleen hung the jacket back up in the closet and pulled off her boots. She took a moment to make sure everything was in place before she crawled underneath the covers and closed her eyes letting the medication do its job.
The next time she awoke it was much darker outside. She groaned at how foggy her mind felt from the amount of sleep she got but regretted it when her throat protested against the action. Pushing herself up into a sitting position she reached over for her glass and took a few sips of water. Slower than she had this morning. Rubbing her eyes from sleep, Cathleen glanced around trying to see if anything had changed from this morning. The curtains on the window had been drawn, but other than that it didn't seem like anyone had touched anything.
Cathleen hauled herself to her feet and moved over to the door. She was surprised when she tried the handle finding it locked.
"Shit." She grumbled to herself. Someone had seen her slip out. Stepping away from the door she made her way into the bathroom to brush her teeth a freshen up. She was just finishing up when she heard the main door unlock and someone step inside.
"Cathleen?" Suzan's voice called out.
"Right here." Cathleen appeared seeing Suzan frowning at her.
"Well, tire yourself out with your little walk?" Suzan's tone wasn't belittling, but it did make Cathleen feel like she was being scolded.
"I wanted to take a look around, you never said I wasn't allowed to leave." She sat back on her bed.
"You're a civilian on a classified military base. You are not permitted to enter the hanger. Lennox hasn't stopped barking out orders that security needs to be tighter if a patient with a fever of one hundred can just waltz right in unnoticed." She was glaring.
"You got in trouble, I take it?" Cathleen asked. From the look she received, it was obvious. "I apologize for that. I honestly just wanted to get a lay of the land and figure out where I am, nothing more." She paused. "Who did notice I was there?"
"What?"
"You mentioned the hanger, but nobody saw me leave this building. So, who was in the hanger that ratted me out?" Cathleen chuckled trying to keep the situation light.
"Commander Prime informed us after you had returned that you had slipped out." Suzan said after a pause.
"Optimus?" Cathleen felt a sting in her chest and she didn't quite know why. "I never saw him. Why wouldn't he have told me to leave while I was there instead of telling you later that I had slipped out?" She muttered to herself.
"He was concerned you would leave." Suzan said quickly. "We locked you in under the impression that once you woke up you would simply take your things and vanish without a proper discharge. The commander was simply preventing that situation."
"You can't keep me here." Cathleen stated simple, suddenly feeling a bit on edge.
"We are keeping you for treatment until you are well enough to be discharged. Letting you wander the streets of D.C. with pneumonia is reckless endangerment." Suzan said again but put on a small smile. "We just want to get you better, then you can be on your way." Cathleen didn't trust something in her tone. She got the feeling she wasn't allowed to leave for another reason other than just her health if Suzan knew about her abuse.
"Now," Suzan started up again, "I'm going to check a few things then escort you down to the cafeteria so we can get some food in you." Cathleen kept her lips sealed not wanting to ruin her chance of getting out of the room.
Her fever had gone down and everything else had checked out that soon she found herself walking side by side with Suzan down to the cafeteria. She had thrown her jacket back on, less for the warmth and more for just the comfort the article of clothing was giving her. She was allowed to get soup and toast, but with a bit of begging she was permitted a grilled cheese with her tomato soup instead of just toast. Cathleen smiled at the comfort food but made sure to take her time and pause if she was beginning to feel ill. Suzan had attempted conversation but realized that all of Cathleen's attention was focused on eating and keeping her food down.
After her trey was clear she stood and Suzan once again escorted her back up to her room.
"If I promise not to run away or leave this building will you keep the door unlocked?" The look Suzan was giving her was answer enough.
"You'll have to take that order up with Commander Prime." She teased helping get Cathleen comfortable before heading back to the door. "Call button if you need anything." And again, Cathleen was alone. She leaned back and closed her eyes letting her mind wander back to sleep.