"Shelby...Shelby!" Hot Rod shouts.

She continues to pace, ignoring the mech hovering over her. Her eyes stay to the floor, walking back and forth in front of the medical bay. It's been hours since they came stumbling through the ground bridge. Ratchet had been working relentlessly to keep Dreadwing alive. Shelby wanted to be in there with him, but Ratchet wouldn't have it. Now the other bots have been watching her pace the last few hours. 

"SHELBY!!!" Hot Rod's voice booms around the old missile silo. 

"WHAT?!?!" She roars back, her pacing has ceased and she's glaring up at Hot Rod. 

"Can you please stop pacing? It's driving us all nuts."

"Oh really? I'm sorry that I'm fucking worried about my bot who is laying on Ratchets table. Sorry that I just risked my life to save his. Sorry that I'm fucking pacing because I'm fucking nervous. Because I am fucking scared out of my mind. So do any of you have a problem with my pacing?" After raising her voice, the last line was in a sweet tone, one that you don't hear from her. It was more scary than her screaming. 

"No." All the bot in the room said together, even Optimus. 

"Shelby, I know that your worried, but you need rest. You were tortured for who knows how long. You need food and a bed. You know those soft things you humans lay on." Hot Rod continues. 

"I'm not eating, I'm not resting, until Dreadwing is out of there alive." She grumbled up to the red and orange bot. 

They only just met, but Hot Rod grew fond of her fast. Her fierce and strong personality caught him by surprise. It made him intrigued. He only wanted to learn more about her. But this, seeing her so apprehensive and frightful about someone he thought was a con,  made him concerned and he didn't know what to do. The girl had gone back to pacing and Hot Rod felt a strong servo being placed on his shoulder. He looked back to see Optimus giving him a motion to step out. So he followed his leader, not without looking back at her. 

The other bots stayed back and watched Shelby pace.  Each one of them knowing it was better to leave her be. This isn't the first time they have seen her in this position. They never thought they would have to see it again. Then after some time three of them leave to fetch the children. 

"Shelby!!!" The name was screamed as soon as the young female jumped out of Bulkheads passenger side door. Miko raced over to Shelby and jumped into her arms. 

"Hi Miko. Nice to see you again." She says quietly, holding back a grunt of pain. Her hand patting Miko's back. 

"Are you okay? What happened to you?" Miko expressed as she backed away, starting to notice the bruises. 

"Silas happened." That was all she needed to say. 

"I'm just glad your not dead." Jack said coming up to her. Raf right next to him.  

"Yeah. I guess that's a good thing." Shelby didn't look at the three, her eyes back to focusing on the medical bay. 

"Is Dreadwing in there?" Raf asked timidly. 

"Yes." 

"Is he going to be okay?" Raf plays with his hands as he asks. 

"He may become physically fine again, but he will never be mentally fine. Silas did a number on him." Shelby says it to them straight. 

"I'm so sorry, Shelby." Jack whispers, looking towards the ground.  

"Whose that?" Miko piped up. Pointing a finger as Hot Rod as he walked back with Prime. 

"Who are they?" Hot Rod asked pointing back at them. 

"Hot Rod meet Miko, Jack and Raf. They are human children that we protect. Children meet Hot Rod." Optimus introduced. 

"YES!! Another bot! and he has flames." Miko jumped up excitedly. 

Hot Rod takes a step back. Unsure how to react to the child that is screeching in excitement. His optics are wide and staring in slight fear to her. Everyone else around him is trying not to laugh. Bulkhead walks up behind Miko, his steps shaking the room. 

"Miko, please calm down." He bellows down to her. 

She stops jumping and give him a pouty face, but she doesn't continue. This relieves Hot Rod a little. Enough that his optics go back to normal size. Though he choose to stay back. Then the doors to the med bay slid open and Ratchet walked out. His head down, looking tired. Shelby turned towards him, hands going to her chest, clutching them close, waiting for him to speak. Waiting for the verdict. Time seems to slow down for her. Everything closing in on her, the wait killing her. 

"There was a lot of damage...everywhere. I was able to get his body back together. I have him in stasis to let him rest and for his healing process to take over. His mind, unfortunately, is something I can not fix. Everything that was used on him, I was able to take out, but healing the mind is not an easy task. I am honestly not sure if he will even wake up. M.E.C.H. did much harm." Ratchet explains, his gaze avoiding Shelby. 

"Can I see him?" She says quietly. 

"Mhm?" Ratchet looks at her, not hearing what she asked. 

"Can I see him?" Her voice raised, gritting her teeth. 

"I'm not sure you should." Ratchets servos waved in front of him. 

"I need to see him." She growled. 

"Shelby, there is a lot of damage and he is still healing."

"I don't care about that! I will help him heal. I will do whatever it takes to be there for him." Her voice echoes around them. 

Ratchets mouth opens, ready to retort, but closes it after thinking about it. "Fine, but I warned you." 

He steps aside ready to let her in. She slowly makes her way in. Nerves raging on her beating heart. She steps just inside the door and stops, holding her breath. Dreadwing lays on the large medical slab. The only sign that he is alive is the monitor near his head, the one showing  his spark pulse. Showing small waves of life. She slowly releases her breath, her eyes close, then open before making her way over to him. Even from the floor she can see the scars littering his metal body. Where Ratchet had to weld him back together. He looks worse than when she had brought him back to life. Some of those scars had remained, but are now covered with new marks. She climbs up the bed and carefully makes her way to his head. She wants to climb up his chest and lay over his spark, but even as a titian, he is fragile at the moment. She wouldn't risk hurting him again. 

---------------

Days turned to weeks. Shelby has only left his side if she had too. Food wasn't a thing on her mind. Though the others forced her to eat. Hot Rod tried to help get her out of the room or cheer her up. She would give him a glance, but then was back to looking at Dreadwing. The children even came in when they were there. Shelby would spare them a small smile, but it did nothing to ease their spirts. 

"I have a bad feeling about this, Optimus." Ratchet attempted to whisper, but Shelby perked up.

"Ratchet, if anyone can help Dreadwing. It's you." Optimus replied. 

"I have done all that I can. If he doesn't wake up soon, I fear the worse."

Shelby felt them stare over to them. She pretends to ignore them and traces small circles onto Dreadwings amour. 

"Please wake up, Dreadwing. I need you here with me. I can't do this without you." She whispers, holding back tears. "I'm losing hope and you waking is the only thing that can save me."

The floor shakes as an Autobot walks in. She doesn't bother to look, not caring who it is. If its someone trying to get her to leave, she wants none of it. She doesn't want to leave his side. She left it once and look what happened. Her fear of losing him again is only getting more and more real as the days go by. Her heart isn't sure it can take much more of this pain. She rest her forehead against her arm and begins to weep. A large hand rests on her back, she is to busy drowning in her sorrows to jump, to be frightened. Anyone could come and attack her now and she would just let them kill her. 

"Shelby, you need to rest. Proper rest." The baritone voice behind her tells her it's Optimus in his haloform. 

"I can't." She struggles to get out the words. 

He ignores her and picks her up bridle style. She wants to fight, but she has no energy. She's weak from not eating or sleeping properly. He takes her down to the floor and continues to carry her. Her eyes close and she lets her head rest on his strong shoulder. Just as they are about to leave the medical bay, a grunt is heard. Then the old missile silo echoes in screams.