Sorry it’s taken so long for me to post another fic, I have been so incredibly busy with college. I’ll be super busy until after March 14th, then I’ll have a bit more time to sit down and actually write more and get the other 3 drafts I have fully fleshed out :)
TW: Injuries, Medical Equipment, Medication, Stitches, Blood, Brief Mentions of Death || Happy ending though!! (Please tell me if I missed any)
You felt like your head was being squished by a hydraulic press, it became even more painful when you partially opened your eyes. Only to immediately get blinded by a bright light over you. You groan, trying move your arm to cover your eyes, immediately feeling pain shoot all through your body.
“I would advise against moving too much. You will tear your stitches I so painstakingly had to put in.” A voice says beside you. Ratchet, right. You now remember being caught up in the recent battle, one of the vehicons spotting you and proceeding to try and use you like a human soccer ball. The light above you dims almost entirely out despite him scolding you, now the main sources of lights were some of the glowing machinery around the medbay. “You’re lucky your injuries are only as minor as they are. You could have been killed easily. Decepticons don’t care about human lives.” This wasn’t the teasing Ratchet you have come to know, he sounded mad and simultaneously worried. “I told you that the idea was a bad one. But does anybody ever listen to me? Noooo. Then things like this happen and I have to fix it. I knew it would happen in the first place.” He bends down and examines your leg that he tried to splint to the best of his ability. His large servos were not ideal for working with humans, and the energon it would require to mass shift was not going to happen with their reserves. “Please tell me you at least got the information you snuck in for? Tell me one good thing came from this idiotic mission?” You nodded, very slowly reaching for one of your pockets, the movement ached badly, you knew you probably were sporting some wonderful bruises.
You sighed and laid back down. “My left pocket, the USB should be in there. I’m sorry, I hurt a little too much to bend a lot right now…” Ratchet didn’t say anything, just very gently moved your arm aside so he could awkwardly use a single giant digit to work the USB out of your pocket. “Thank Primus…” He sets it off on a nearby table, and comes back to your side. While you could tell he was upset, he now looked more relieved than anything, though still a bit upset. Troubled, that’s a good word.
“You could have died.” He repeated his prior worry, softer now. “I’m here.” You ignored the pain as you put your hand on the top of his much larger servo, and he looked down. “But you almost weren’t.” He flips his servo over and holds your hand in his now. “But I am here. Don’t dwell on what could have happened…” He vents at your words, pulling over one of the large bot sized chairs beside the medical berth you were laying on.
“So what’s all wrong with me?” You looked down at your banged up body. “Fractured fibula, it wasn’t an awful fracture, so it shouldn’t take too long to heal. Laceration on your right side, I stitched that shut. Nurse Darby gave me some human sized bandages the last time she visited, since I’m accountable for a bunch of humans now. Bruises and open cuts all over your body, and your left shoulder had to be reset.” He lists, still not really looking at you. “You will be confined to bedrest for the foreseeable future with that leg of yours.” He motioned to you as he stood up and began to wipe down some equipment. He was acting kind of strange, unable to sit still for long. You were picking up on his unusually distant, and twitchy, behavior. “Ratchet…?” He hums, but doesn’t look over his shoulder at you. “Is… everything ok?” He glances over this time and nods. “Oh, yes. Everything is alright. I was merely focusing on cleaning my workstation.” You nodded hesitantly, but didn’t push him anymore.
Throughout the day, he was bringing you bottles of water and some food that the kids helped him prepare. Ratchet had to stop the kids (Miko) from giving you only junk food. He also helps you to the bathroom when needed, and helps you back. (Much to your mortification… which he assures you that it is no issue.) He would ask over and over again if you needed anything, or if you wanted him to dim the lights at all. When you had eventually fallen asleep, he didn’t leave your side. Unbeknownst to you, he whispered to you and covered you with one of his cleaning rags he knew was unused. The only time he left the room was to deliver the USB drive to Optimus, informing him that he had a patient and couldn’t leave them for too long. He returned immediately, and sat in the same chair he had earlier.
When you awake a few hours later, the lights were all very dim in the room, and a warm air was hitting you rhythmically. You look over to see Ratchet with his head resting on the berth, still sitting in that chair. He was recharging finally, his servo holding your makeshift blanket, not touching you in case out of fear of causing you pain, but still close to you. You don’t really want to disturb him, he barely sleeps, but you needed something for the pain that was starting to flare up again. You quietly lay back down, deciding not to bother him and to let him finally get some sleep. You can totally deal with a little bit of pain, it’s no big deal.
Until it wasn’t. The pain in your leg and side especially were becoming unbearable. You’re shifting as much as the pain allows, which inevitably wakes up Ratchet. “I didn’t mean to fall into recharge.” He sits up, and immediately clocks your discomfort. At times he seems to know your body better than you do, and he knows all your signs. “Why didn’t you wake me?” He stands up immediately and grabs the medication he’s been giving you. “You were sleeping… I didn’t want to be rude.” He vents, looking at you with obvious annoyance. “You’re doing that leaking thing you’re in so much pain.” He lowers his servo that has several tiny pills in it for you to take. “My recharge isn’t as important as keeping you comfortable. It’s my job…. And my duty as your guardian.” He helps you sit up, taking it very slowly so you don’t rip the stitches. His servo sits behind your back for you to lean against as you take the pills with some water.
This pattern lasted for several days, with him not really leaving your side for much. As much as you loved the medic, it was starting to feel a little overbearing at times. He would argue with the other bots who only wanted to come see you, finally relenting when you spoke up to let him know it was ok. All they wanted to do was talk, it wasn’t like they were trying to involve you in a game of lobbing, or take you racing. He always shoos them out fairly quickly, saying “the patient needs their sleep.” You couldn’t do anything by yourself, if he saw you trying to move he was immediately over at your side trying to help you with whatever it was, even if it was pulling your blanket up over yourself a little more.
Finally, one night he and Optimus got into a bit of a mild disagreement while you were sleeping.
“Optimus, you know I cannot leave my patient to go on an energon scouting mission with Bumblebee. I am needed here. Send Bulkhead instead” Optimus places his servo on Ratchet’s shoulder. “Old friend… Your patient has been recovering remarkably. I believe it is acceptable to leave them under my care for the time being. You require some time outside of the medbay, it has been four whole days.” Ratchet contemplated removing the servo from his shoulder, but didn’t.
“You don’t know what they need like I do. You aren’t a medic. I mean, what if they require new stitches because they rip theirs? What if their splint needs redone? Or, what if their heart stops? Do you know what to do if that happens? I can’t just leave a patient under the care of a bot who isn’t a medic, no matter how much respect I hold for you.” Ratchet is about to come back, when Optimus holds his arm. “You are afraid.” Ratchet scoffs at the statement, but avoids looking at Optimus. “I am merely concerned for those under my care.”
“I have known you for many vorns Ratchet. I am more knowledgeable about you than even you may realize. You are fearful for your human companion’s wellbeing.” When Ratchet doesn’t say anything back, Optimus removes his hand. “What is it that’s bothering you?”
It took a few seconds for Ratchet to gather the will to say what’s been plaguing his mind for days. “I was the one who found them after the fight. They were laying unconscious in their own blood. The Vehicon accountable for hurting them was still there, ready to actually kill them instead of leaving them alive and suffering. Optimus I’ve never felt so angry and worried at the same time. I may be their guardian, but they mean much more to me than even I allowed myself to realize. I’ve felt so guilty these past few days, seeing them laying on the medical berth so helpless… I can’t allow myself to be too far away, I begin to imagine scenarios where I can’t save them, like so many others before... I have to see them to remind myself that they aren’t gone, and I have done good keeping them safe.”
“Ratchet… You have done good. They are recovering rapidly thanks to your skilled hand. I believe you need rest, not a break from the medbay as I had initially believed.” Ratchet shook his head at Optimus’s words. “I won’t be able to rest.”
“What is really bothering you, old friend?” Optimus gently pushes, and for the first time Ratchet meets his optics. “I… care deeply for them.” Optimus smiles a little at Ratchet. “Love?” When Ratchet’s optics leave his, Optimus’s smile grows. “You have no reason to be ashamed Ratchet. This is not something that can be controlled.”
“Ratchet..?” Your small voice calls from the medbay doorway, and Ratchet jerks over towards you. “What are you doing up?! You shouldn’t be moving with your leg and stitches!” He quickly comes over and oh so carefully picks you up. He glances back at Optimus who shoos him away, his still small smile on his face. “How did you even get down off the berth?”
“You left the human sized stairs nearby. I went down them.” You kept the part about just how excruciating it was. But the louder conversation had you worried and you wanted to check on them. “Are you ok?” He stopped and looked down at you when you asked. “You shouldn’t worry about me. You’re the injured one.” He places you back down on the blankets he put on the metal medical berth. “I apologize if we woke you up.”
Sitting there, you wrung your wrists in your lap. You were really contemplating speaking up about what you had overheard. “I… heard what you said.” Ratchet frozen, his back towards you as he put away a bandage wrap, he’s doing that twitchy avoidance thing again. “What part…?” He glances over his shoulder at you. “Uh… the last part.” You scratch the back of your neck, and he vents, shoulders falling. “I apologize… It was out of line. I also apologize if that makes you uncomfortable to be around me now, I fully respect your comfort-“
“Ratch…” You try getting his attention but he continues ranting, something that is quite unlike him. His back is still facing you as he’s now staring at the bandage wrap in his servo. “-If you would like to be driven to a human doctor for the duration of your recovery period, just say the words. I can call Nurse Darby to come and collect you-”
“Would you shut up and listen to me?” You finally spoke up. And he stops. “Turn around.” Hesitantly, he fully turns towards you now. “Please sit down.” You motioned to the chair he had been sitting in near your berth. “Now… Please move a little closer.” The way he was just doing as you were saying would have been humorous under different circumstances. He was now beside the berth, looking just about anywhere but your eyes. “Hey…. Look at me.” You wait for his optics to meet your eyes, and then you slowly push yourself to stand up. His servos immediately jerking to try and sit you back down. “Let me, please. This is important.” He hesitates, but then rests his servo against your back to help support you. Walking towards the edge near him you look up and make a ‘come here’ motion with your finger. He leans down slowly, and you stand on your tippy toe (not putting pressure on the splinted leg) to kiss his faceplate.
“I love you too.” You say in response to his earlier revelation. His face immediately tinted blue, way more blue than you had ever seen him before, it makes you almost want to laugh. Almost. “I don’t want to go to a different doctor, I have a wonderful one right here. Even if you do wear yourself down worrying about others.” He scoops you up and brings you closer to his face plate.
“Please say it again.” He had finally snapped out of his frozen state. You smile, resting a small hand on his cheek. “I love you Ratchet.” A smile, a genuine smile, forms on his face. He gently moved his face to yours and kisses you again. “You do not understand how much that means to this old bot to hear.”
While he was still quite overbearing during your healing process, you couldn’t really ask for a better medic. Ratchet will never admit it out loud, but he’s thankful for Optimus pushing him to say his feelings outloud. And even more thankful you had overheard it (even if it embarrassed and, frankly, frightened him at first.)
