Optimus struggled to regain consciousness. He felt his chassis heave slowly in attempt to wake. Though his mind was foggy, he was aware of his current condition. He knew that he had been previously injured, and he had faint memories of being rescued. Determined to find out more, he forced his optics to open. They struggled against the dark and blurry outlines. His audio receptors caught slight movement beside him.

"Optimus?"

The voice was strained and gentle. Optimus turned his helm slowly, straining his neck cords to see. His vision was still blurry, but he caught a silhouette and a blue glow. He blinked his optics in hopes of regaining all of his sight. His arms struggled to hold him up.

"Easy, Optimus," the voice said quietly. He felt servos clasp his shoulder plates and hold him still. "You're still recovering."

"Ratchet," Optimus murmured in in realization. He was surprised at how raspy his own voice was. He felt his optics slowly gain focus, but his helm began to ache.

The old medic held his plates firmer and gently forced him back down. "Take it slow. There's no need for you to get up just yet." The blue glow narrowed slightly, and Optimus figured it was his optics.

His optics finally began to adjust to the dark, his vision growing clearer. He turned to his old friend again and gasped.

"Ratchet, you..."

The doctor was in horrible shape. One of his optics was permanently closed, a large gash curled over it. His frame was dented badly, and a large gash on his side was poorly melded. It looked so painful and twisted it nearly made Optimus a bit sick. One of Ratchet's servos was mangled horribly, strained in such a way that Optimus was surprised it still worked. Ratchet was bent over him with worry written all over his faceplate, but hidden there was also pain.

"Please, Optimus," Ratchet pleaded gently. "Rest. You need to gain more strength before you do anything too strenuous."

Optimus felt himself slipping. He tried to wake entirely, but he was pulled into a dreamless oblivion.

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Three days later...

This time, he knew that he could fully awake. He groaned slightly as he forced himself to sit up. It hurt, but not as much as he thought it would. He looked over himself, scanning for the extent of his injuries. His chassis was dented and scarred in several places, but the wounds looked older, and the ones that looked like they had been deep were melded. Everything hurt, but it was a constant throb instead of stabbing pain.

He heard a slight cough and turned his helm towards the sound. Ratchet was at an old console, the screen flickering ever so slightly as he typed. Optimus saw with dismay that the injuries all over Ratchet's body were still there and realized it hadn't been a dream. Ratchet coughed quietly again and glanced away from the computer for a second. His good optic caught Optimus sitting up and he jumped.

"Optimus!" he cried, turning sharply and immediately looking him over. The Prime simply watched as his old friend examined him, watching his stiff movements.

"How do you feel?" Ratchet asked him seriously, taking a light in one servo and turning it on over Optimus' optic. Optimus flinched but let the doctor continue.

"I.. what has happened, old friend?" Optimus asked, looking around. They were underground with random pieces of tech and equipment scrambled all over the room. The main console looked old and was much smaller than the one at base.

Ratchet's optic looked down for a split second. "Answer me first," he sighed.

Optimus hesitated. "I feel slight throbbing, but it does not seem to be serious," he told him. "I'm a bit weak, and confused, but otherwise fine."

Ratchet simply nodded and took Optimus' arm, lifting it and looking over a wound on Optimus' side that he hadn't noticed before. His twisted servo twitched as it held on to Optimus' arm, but he didn't let go.

"It's this gash that worries me the most," he implied, bringing his good servo to the bottom of his faceplate. "It seems to be healing a bit better than I originally anticipated, though."

"Ratchet-"

"Ep ep ep," Ratchet shushed, waving his servo. "I'm not finished." He continued to look him over in silence. Optimus waited anxiously for him to finish.

The medic finally was satisfied. He gave Optimus a small, relieved smile. It looked forced.

"It may take a while, but it looks as though your full strength will return. I wouldn't worry too much," he said, almost to himself. He glanced away again, his faceplate becoming unreadable.

"Ratchet, please, tell me what happened."

Ratchet finally looked back up at him, despair in his optic. Optimus was taken aback. He had never seen such an expression on his friend's faceplate. It worried him tremendously and he lifted his arms to put his servos on Ratchet's shoulder plates. Ratchet tried to look away.

"Surely you remember, Optimus," he whispered, his voice cracking. "You witnessed it all.."

Optimus could tell he was struggling. Worry flowed into him hurriedly. He tried to remember, but only a sense of dread and flashing images filled his helm. He felt his spark sinking as he slowly began to realize.

"I'm so sorry, Optimus," Ratchet muttered, closing his optic. "I'm so sorry."

"I remember.." the Prime whispered in despair. "No.. it can't be.."

Ratchet pulled away from Optimus' grasp, turning his backside to him. "It's been a long time Optimus. You've been in stasis for nearly a year," he said quietly, changing the subject.

Optimus tried to shake the horrible images out of his mind. "Have you been.. here this whole time?"

"Making sure you recover," he told him, turning back with a sudden fury flaming in his optic. "So that you can destroy Megatron and avenge our fallen comrades."

"Bumblebee, the others.." Optimus muttered, lowering his helm.

"They have been one with the Allspark for a long time," Ratchet croaked, once again losing his composure.

Optimus sighed slowly, fighting back against the memories that flowed into him. "Ratchet, what happened to me?" He paused, looking over Ratchet's old wounds again. "To you?"

The medic was silent for a while. "We were captured. You were severely wounded, and I knew you would die if I didn't help you," he muttered. "I was forced to watch as.. Megatron.. he did those things to you.." He stopped, sighing and shaking his helm. "I somehow managed to get you free and escape. But there were.. complications.."

Optimus decided not to press any longer. He had enough on his mind to process, and his old friend was finding it hard to continue. He rested his servo on Ratchet's shoulder plate once more. Ratchet looked away again, his one optic twitching. The sight made Optimus sorrowful over his friend's loss.

"Get some more rest, Optimus," Ratchet whispered, turning away again. "We both need.. time." 

Optimus didn't argue and laid back onto the medical bed. As he drifted off into recharge, he knew that his sleep would be plagued with nightmares.

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I really don't know what inspired this story. But I fell in love with the idea and had to write it. 

I hope you guys like it. It's gonna make me cry.