Through Ash and Dust (ROTB)

Chapter 28

Saphira slept deeply as she was curled under blankets in the back of the cab. Optimus was thrilled to know that she was extremely comfortable now that she was with the autobots. And she didn't make a peep at all throughout the night and into the early hours of the morning. Optimus continued to drive around, even if he did not need to. Though he didn't want to sit and watch her for the whole night. Although, driving around didn't really stop him from observing Saphira curiously. He's used to the human sleeping within his cab, but he had not really paid a lot of attention. At least, not until recently. And especially now.

With the moonlight beaming through the windows, the light seemed to make Saphira's skin glow. And as she slept, her relaxed expression intrigued him. He saw her lips had a natural pink tinge and her eyelashes were long and curved, giving her a natural, mascara look. And with her black hair around her face and neck, it made her look angelic. Optimus realized he has been fantasizing a little now that he has taken closer notice, and he was a bit embarrassed, but he also could not help but not feel guilty. He should, but he did not.

As the time went on, the sun began to rise and Optimus drove back to the wharf as he knew that she will likely wake up soon. Especially with the sunlight hitting her face. The rising sun was a beautiful sight. Optimus has found himself enjoying the small things, like the sunrises and sunsets, due to the colours in the sky, and seeing it over the water was also very special. Optimus really did enjoy watching them, even though he still missed the sunrises and sunsets on Cybertron.

Once he arrived at the wharf, Optimus stopped as he positioned himself to face the sun, knowing that Saphira would wake from it. All he had to do was wait. And he waited for a few hours, but Saphira did not stir. As the morning began to get away, Optimus became concerned that something was wrong. She could simply be extremely tired, but he was worried there was something more. Especially as the day was getting away, and most humans were awake at this time of day.

He observed the girl more closely, and realized that her face was paler than it should be. Under the moonlight, he had not noticed. But now he had noticed, and he became increasingly concerned that something was wrong, and he had not noticed last night. It made him angry at himself, as he knew she had been sneezing, but she had claimed nothing was wrong. Now he could not help but think she was wrong about herself too.

Forming his holoform in the cab, Optimus stared at the girl quietly before gently placing his hand on her forehead, and he quickly felt her body's temperature was higher than it should be. And he scanned her body to realize her internal temperature had risen, and from what he understood of human illnesses, this was called a fever. And it was a sign that the body was fighting an infection. Optimus silently cursed to himself for not realizing it sooner, as he knew he should have been keeping a closer eye on her.

However, touching Saphira's forehead seemed to have caused her to stir, as Saphira began to murmur and shift with a frown on her face. Optimus removed his hand from her forehead, though the girl flinched as she felt him removing his hand from her forehead, making her open her eyes and blink quickly as though she had been frightened. Optimus realized that Transit must have woken her up suddenly while he held her hostage, and she had reacted fearfully.

However, Saphira quickly realized it was not Transit, even though she was frightened. "Easy, Saphira. You are safe." Saphira clenched her eyes shut for a moment as she sat up, staring at Optimus's holoform on shock as she had not expected to see it. Especially since their holoforms were identical to their full forms. "I am not Transit, but I am sorry for waking you. I was concerned that..." Saphira suddenly started to cough, and it was a bad cough. Optimus widened his optics as she covered her mouth with the blanket while coughing hard, causing tears to fill her eyes. He immediately shifted to sit next to her and rub her back gently. Hearing her have a coughing fit like this made him feel horrible, and she also began to sneeze in the middle of coughing as well. "Seems like you underestimated how you were feeling last night, Saphira. It seems you have gotten sick."