Complex Robotics

Chapter Nineteen: Guilty

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(Charlie's POV)

My eyes fluttered open to the sound of a dull, monotonous, steady beeping. It was so bright in the room that I winced, before slowly opening my eyes again, and peering around the room curiously.

I was in the Med Bay.

How I got here, I still wasn't sure, even as I wracked my brain for some kind of previous memory. Nothing surfaced, and that made me worried, and very terrified. Did I just start sleepwalking here? Do I have short-term memory, now? I flinched when the door squeaked open, only to relax slightly as Ratchet's holoform walked into the room. Once he made eye contact with me, a small, almost-smile pulled at the corner of his lips as he strode over to me.

"Good, you're awake."

Awake? I blinked, staring up at him with wide eyes. I didn't even remember going to sleep, much less falling asleep in the Med Bay. "H-How did I get here?"

"Sideswipe and Jenna found you in a hallway. They've been looking for you, and said you were in bad shape when they found you. You were shaking, and kept murmuring something about his twin brother." The doctor explained, "And then you fainted from a panic attack on your way here."

I took in the information, filling in the missing pieces of my memory, before laying my head back down on the pillow. "Thank you Ratchet."

Ratchet's rose one optic ridge in surprise, but just nodded. He pulled away from me and walked back towards the counter, scribbling something down on his clipboard, "I trust you recovered from whatever was causing you to go into attack?"

I winced at the word. "S-Somewhat."

"May I ask what happened?"

I cringed, as the events played in my mind over again. The pure anger and fear in Sunstreaker's voice, and the menacing look in his cobalt optics was enough to make my blood turn cold. Involuntarily, I felt a shiver run up my spine. 

"I don't want to talk about it." I muttered quietly, staring down at my hands on my stomach.

Ratchet nodded, "I won't push you. But do know, if you ever need anyone to confide in, you can trust me. I am a doctor after all, everything is confidential."

Somehow, I doubt that if I told Ratchet what was really going on that it would stay confidential. In fact, it word got out, it'd be the only thing people would be talking about. And as much as Sunstreaker bullied me, I couldn't let it get-

My eyes suddenly widened, and I pulled the covers off of me, turning to the side so that my feet were hovering over the surface of the gloss floor just barely touching the ground. "Ratchet, I need to go talk to someone."

He turned around instantly, a frown already on his lips as he shook his head, "I don't think that's such a good idea. Your stress levels are still high and the best thing you need right now is rest."

 I shook my head as I tried to push myself off the bed, nearly tripping in the process, and before my face could make contact with the ground, Ratchet's hand reached out and grasped around my arm firmly, holding me until I could balance myself. Faint pain surged from my arm at the way he grabbed me, reminding me that my arms were still sore from Sunstreaker's grip. But no matter how afraid I was, I couldn't let it stop me from causing something far worse.

Ratchet lead me back to the bed, with me fighting him every step, until he forced me to sit down. Finally, he let go of my hands, and I crossed my arms, giving Ratchet a pointed glare.