Sunstreaker's Charge ✔️

Ch. 39 Slow Recovery

Sunstreaker's P.O.V.
"A teen boy was found in a ditch on Dust street. Sources say the boy is severely injured and in critical condition, and authorities have never seen an attack like this."
I smile, hearing the news talk about what I've done.
"Another incident involving three teen boys was reported by the jewelry store on First street. The three were found dead with the stolen jewelry still at the scene."
Four brats taken down. Sideswipe thinks I've been asleep all night. Unaware that I blocked his side of the bond until I returned to base.
"Seems strange, don't you think?" Sideswipe asks.
"If they all robbed the store, then someone was at the right place at the right time."
"Yeah, you!"
"You have no proof. Talk to Prowl if you don't believe me."
I go down to the medbay.

Lily is doing well this morning and asking for food rather than nutrition drink. Drift stayed with her all night to keep up with Lily's pain medication. He knows what he's doing, but I don't like how the plan seems to be Crosshairs and Drift taking turns staying up all night. Ratchet lets me get breakfast from the cafeteria for both Lily and me. 

Lily likes the breakfast I brought for us. She's able to eat before needing to lie down.
"And it's only day two," she sighs, "why can't I stay in my room?"
"I think you'd be bored in there," I point out, "you are on strict rest. No T.V. or phone, and you can't sit up for long. I can talk to Ratchet about doing art or something."
I hope she's not worrying about school. I don't know if Luke or Lily's parents can do anything to keep her from repeating the grade.
While Lily is awake, I continue the sketch she wanted me to start yesterday, but she doesn't last long before going to sleep.

I find Ironhide waiting for me before I can even talk to Ratchet. He forces me to leave the medbay.
"You killed four teens!" Ironhide rages the second we're in the conference room.
"You have no proof," I reply.
"He's right; we're just assuming because of his past behavior," Prowl points out, "bullets found at the scene with the three dead teens don't match ours, and there's no way to identify who owns the weapon used to crush the fourth teen's skull. Early examination of the body at the scene shows a tool legal to own was used."
They will never find out.

"You actually lied to a patient?!" I ask.
"No, she should only need ten days to fully recover. I'm a little concerned about her skull fracture from the attack, and I might have to do things differently while Lily recovers."
"So, she might not recover in ten days?"
"Hard to say. The fracture is repaired, and we might only deal with the concussion. There's a complication called post-conversation syndrome; when concussion symptoms last beyond ten days."
After hearing all this, I'm glad I beat the scrap out of the teen who hurt Lily. Keeping him hostage sounds better, but I need to stay here and take care of Lily. Even if Crosshairs and Drift will help me, she's my girlfriend and charge. Ratchet wants to keep Lily in the medbay, but I can get her sketchbook.

"Luke!" I call out. He stops in his tracks, "are you or your parents going to talk to Lily's teacher?"
"We will after we talk to Ratchet. I know six weeks is a lot to miss, but Lily did well with the makeup work and homework. I hope to arrange a test like they do in high school to show she's not behind and can move on to the seventh grade. Plan B; summer school, but she stays here."
The Jones family lives a half-hour from the base. I could go to their house daily, but Lily staying at the base will make spending more time with her easier. 
Luke tells me he'll visit Lily later and goes back to work.
"You better not blow this," Ironhide scolds from behind me, "I still question how Optimus trusts you won't hurt her. Though she's twelve and you two are together is odd."
"I'm expecting more rules to where Lily and I can't say we're dating."
"That would mean no time alone knowing that you two love each other, and the rule would have been set already. They trust you won't frag her until she's older. Uh, Optimus told me about the meeting, but no one else. He's going to have a meeting with the other Autobots now that you and Lily are together. How is Lily?"
"Bored, and her recovery will likely be slow because of the skull fracture. I don't know the severity of the break, but I worry her recovery will take months, even while she's a hybrid. I hope she's not too far behind in school that she'll repeat sixth grade."
Ironhide knows how the school system works in the city and believes Lily will need to stay back for a year. That was not what I wanted to hear.

I cross paths with Drift on my way to Lily's room and ask him if we can attempt a game night tonight. Though I doubt Ratchet will let us take Lily out of the medbay, I'll ask Ratchet when I get back to the medbay. Drift agrees with this idea. This may last twenty minutes before Lily needs to lie down. I'm hoping I can make Lily happy. As I walk back to the medbay, I get an idea.

"Not yet; I want her resting. Sketching and playing a board or card game are her limits. We'll see how she's feeling Saturday. You know I can't guarantee anything, but you could plan a date for Saturday.
"I will even if she still can't leave the medbay."

Ratchet's P.O.V.
It's interesting seeing how worried Sunstreaker is about Lily. Considering how long he's only cared about Sideswipe, this is a lot of work for him.
I check on Lily every three hours until I go to bed. So far, she's not getting worse; it'll be a few days before she feels better. 
Lily does not like that I want her to stay here even though I add she might leave the medbay Saturday. Even though I said she could play board or card games.
I will wait until Friday to do a C.T. scan unless something requiring a scan to figure out what's going on. I have no research on if Energon can help the brain recover from a concussion, and Jasmine is my only other research subject and has yet to have a concussion. Adding to Lily's complicated case. Lily's unusual path to becoming a hybrid is without complications.