"Death Do Us Part"

Ratchet knew when his doctor told him to bring a loved one to hear the results of his tests it was going to be bad. He had no idea how longer he had to live and the chest pain only got worse every day. Grudgingly Ratchet and his conjunx, drift waited in the waiting room to hear the bad news. It was not long before the doctor pulled them into a room he knew far too well, it was a peaceful room lit with candle light and had two comfy looking couches while soft music played in the background. To any medic, this room was THE room, the room they hated bringing people in, the sentencing room. They called it the sentencing room because that's where they tell people they are dying or if a loved one died, A life sentence of grief or a death sentence, and considering it was ratchet's test results he knew that it was going to be really bad.

The orange and white mech motioned for the pair to sit and held the data pad with the results. The pair sat down, ratchet looked like he was ready to break down crying from fear, anxiety and regret then the doctor spoke in the fakest calm voice Ratchet ever heard. "I have your test results, Have you thought about end of life care?" Ratchet shook his helm no as his frame started to shake, prompting drift to wrap an arm around him.

"Your spark is burning out quickly, you have about a year left of your life. Considering how old you are, this should have happened sooner." The doctor commented as he left the room so the two could discuss what to do next. Ratchet came undone when the doctor left, he started to sob as fear took over. It was ironic that he was not afraid to die in a battle but dying during peace and at home scared him. Drift just silently pulled the medic into a hug, trying his best to calm his lover down.

-

About six months after the diagnosis ratchet became wheelchair bound, his spark no longer was strong enough to support him standing or doing anything physical and that drove him crazy. Drift had also started coming home late, saying he was forced to work late to pay the medical bills even though those bills were covered by his military retirement benefits. Ratchet wheeled himself into their room, all his personal belongings were backed up, and there was no physical evidence that he ever lived there except for his prized possession, a large purple crystal that was gifted to him by his late lover, Ironhide who was killed by megatron on his own ship.

Ratchet checked over the room for anything he had missed but found something odd, Clothing. Clothing was mainly used for dressing up, intercourse and mourning and this piece of clothing was not a costume or part of the traditional black cape that cybertronians wear when they lose their conjunx. Ratchet immediately thought the worst, Drift was cheating on him, however there was no real evidence so he just tried to push it out of his mind, still it lingered.

Ratchet noticed the time and decided to wheel himself to the hospice since drift was not coming home any time soon and he had a deadline to check in by. Ratchet frowned a bit, that discovery made him question if drift even loved him now that he was dying? Drift was always upset that they could not have a sparkling because Ratchet's age made him infertile and if drift started to see someone his own age, drift can fulfill that dream of having offspring. The medic sighed and stared off into the sky as he made his way to the hospice.

-
Ratchet groaned as he looked at the ceiling, he was bed bound, sick and in constant pain. It did not help that drift had only visited him once, leaving him as he started life. Alone. The former medic heard the door open softly and was barely capable of turning his head. A nurse walked in with the same friendly smile she always had even as he wasted away "Your attorney is here to finalize your will." she informed him as she sent the tall mech in.

The Black and purple mech sat next to the bed, pulling out a datapad full of legal terms Ratchet still did not fully understand. He read over the documents noting that it said he wanted his parts to be donated to hospitals around Cybertron and that all his possessions and half his money will go to drift while the other half of his money will go to charity. The older mech took the pen and signed off on it, making it legally binding. "I will get this to the court as soon as possible. Enjoy the rest of your day." The tall lawyer informed quietly then left the same way he came leaving Ratchet alone with his thoughts.

Ratchet did not remember falling asleep but he woke up feeling like someone  was standing on the foot of his bed. As he opened his optics he saw a small light in front of him and ratchet was just too tired and in too much pain to really give a damn. "If it's the aliens Whirl was talking about, go away I want to die alone." he grumbled as he tried to flip on his side. The light laughed at him and morphed into a light blue, translucent figure of his late lover, Ironhide. The figure sat on the bed "I ain't here to probe ya. I am here to ease you over." Ratchet wanted to freak out, scream or even run away because this was not possible, yet he had been on his own for far too long and drift was not the supportive lover he had once been. "Fine, fine, do what you must as long as you're quiet, I am too old for this scrap. Say, do you know if drift is coming? Every hour I get weaker and weaker, I think I can't stay awake much longer." he admitted. Ratchet tried his best to not look weak in front of the nurses and doctors so they would not take advantage but he felt his guard slipping around Ironhide.

Ironhide sighed heavily "That's why I am here, Drift is too busy to come. Most people have someone living to bring them peacefully over but sometimes the dead have to step in." RAtchet was not surprised at all to hear that "What has that slagger been doing anyway? I loved him, I thought he would be supportive. We swore death did us part. I thought he was having an affair but he can't be." Ironhide shook his head sadly. "He is having an affair with Rodimus, started after your death sentence."

Ratchet felt betrayed and looked away from his long dead lover "You did the same when I chose drift?" Ironhide shook his helm no "I did not move on, I waited for you. You moved on after my death and I was happy that you were happy but then Drift heard you were dying and tried to ease that pain with Rodimus while you're still alive. Come with me ratchet, I have a nice hot bath ready for you and a quiet night planned, perfect after a long hospital visit." the ghost coaxed gently.

Ratchet looked at the door half expecting someone to walk in but after a moment, nobody came in making him realize that this was real, he was going to die alone which was always his worst fear. Ironhide noticed the other's fear laced EM field and drew the medic's attention back to him "You are not dying alone, You have me, you can have whatever you want whenever you want. You could even become fertile again if that is what you wish. You can also have your spark come back and be someone else if you get tired of the afterlife. I have so many things to show you and lots of time to catch up. I love you always have, always will.

Ratchet thought things over, getting back together with the old weapons specialist sounded nice especially after finding out Drift was not as loyal as he appeared and the promise of a hot oil bath was extremely tempting so he gave in. It was his fate. "You win, I will go with you as long as you carry me like you used to." Ironhide grinned and offered the dying mech his servo who cautiously took it. Ratchet ignored the sound of his spark monitor stopping and noticed he was young again, out of pain and actually felt what others say was true peace. He was dragged out of his thoughts when Ironhide picked him up and they both disappeared from the world of the living until they decide to start new lives when they get bored of the afterlife.

-
Drift came home early, Rodimus had blown him off for a party which he did blame him for. When he came home his comm rang, it was from the hospice. Ratchet most likely wanted to see him but he never had the spark to tell him that he did not want to see him because the way he was now was just too painful to look at. "Hello?" he answered as he stretched out on the couch. A somewhat deep voice came from the other end "This is Nurse Silverway calling from the Prime memorial Hospice to inform you that your conjunx endura passed away today."

Guilt surged through the sword's mech, he had blocked off the bond when he started to feel ratchet's pain so he did not feel it break or knew it broke. "He did? I-I will be there in a few hours." Drift hung up on the nurse and called Rodimus "I'm now fully single now, want to come over?"