The Hunt (TFP Book 2)

Chapter 3

Bulkhead felt like someone was watching him, but when he turned around he didn't see anyone. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he scanned the area. He glared at all the cars that were parked and that passed. The kids said 'goodbye' to Jinx and hoped into the car. He glared one more time at a black car around the corner and got in to his. As he drove he relaxed a little as he realized no one was following them.

Jack remained quiet as they drove to the base. He realized he needed to talk to Rachet when he got there. He hadn't spoken to the doctor ever since his mom broke up with the man. To be honest the thought scared him. The boy was worried about how the doctor would react, and he sighed heavily as they pulled into the base.

He went straight to the couch and thought about what to tell him. Ever since his mom had broken up with the doctor, Jack had felt guiltier as the days progressed. His mom hardly ate and she wasn't as happy. When she went out with friends they would send her on blind dates to cheer her up. Those never seemed to end well. When he asked her about it she would just give him a blank look and wander off.

That made him feel worse. He was becoming sick with guilt and figured the only solution, would be to apologize to his mom and Rachet. It had been easy to talk to his mom, sort of. He spoke to her the night before, and he felt a little better. But talking to the doctor...felt like a death sentence.

He looked over at Rachet and felt the knot again. He had become used to the feeling by now, and wanted it to go away. One of the only problems he had with talking to the doctor, was he felt the last thing he would see in this life was a wrench flying towards him.

He shuddered and slowly stood up. He walked down the stairs towards the doctor, his heart beat faster in his chest. As he walked over he stopped in his tracks as he noticed Rachet was talking to Smokescreen. He did not seem happy. Jack guessed that the speedster had broken something. He turned around and walked away as he stared at the ground. He bumped into someone and looked up to see Optimus staring down at him.

"Jackson Darby, is everything alright?" The leader asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Not really...." The boy mumbled as he looked over his shoulder towards the doctor. Optimus followed his gaze.

"Optimus... have you ever done something wrong... that ended up hurting one or more person?" He asked looking at the ground.

"Yes." He said simply still watching Rachet. He knew what the boy was attempting to do.

"What did you do to fix it?" He asked looking up. The leader set a hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes. He stared at him for a moment, and Jack felt as though he was peering into his soul.

"I do everything I can to make amends with those involved." He said seriously. Jack looked over his shoulder and saw Smokescreen walk off. He looked back at Optimus.

"Could you go talk to him for me?" He asked, thinking of the wrench again.

"No." He said and strained up. He gripped his shoulder. "This is a task only you can accomplish." He said and walked away. Jack watched him go, sighed heavily, and walked over to the doctor.

The doctor was grumbling to himself about something, and Jack stopped a few feet away.

"Rachet... Can I talk to you?" Jack asked trying to sound serious.

"What? I'm busy." He growled without looking up.

"I need to talk to you." Jack said firmly. The doctor looked up and raised an eyebrow. He was not in the mood.

"Alright, but make it quick." He growled as he shifted to face him. The boy took a deep breath and looked the older man in the eyes.

"Rachet, I'm sorry for what I did." He said, the doctor gave him a blank look. "I'm sorry I persuaded my mother.... to stop seeing you." He tensed as he watched the older mans mouth twitch slightly. He figured he should hurry before he grabbed a wrench.

"Ever since she stopped seeing you, she's been depressed and sad. Nothing I seem to do has helped, and the guilt has been eating me up inside ever since." Jack paused as he waited. He couldn't read his expression, and that scared him.

"Rachet, I'm really sorry for hurting you. I truly am sorry for what I did." He said quietly.

The doctor looked at him for what seemed like an eternity, he couldn't read his face at all. After a moment, he turned back to his work. Jack waited for him to say something but he never did.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Jack asked. The doctor looked back at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Like what?" He asked. The boy felt a little angry, but at least the knot was going away.

"I don't know. Yell at me for being stupid, lecture me, tell me I was being selfish. Anything." Jack said feeling frustrated, as the doctor stared at him.

"I'm not your father." He said and turned back to the computer.

Jack stood there for a moment and turned to leave.

"Besides." He looked back at the doctor. "Why should I have to tell you something you already know?" He said giving him a stern look.