Chapter Two

Sawyer Neal was exhausted. And I don't mean the 'Oh, I worked for eight hours and had to drive home in work traffic' kind of exhausted. No, she was 'Oh, I worked a fourteen-hour shift with an eight-hour surgery to top it all off' kind of tired. As she did her best to scrub all of the blood off of her and her scrubs, she fought to keep her eyes open. Yawning, she dried her hands off absentmindedly. The surgery was a grueling one; a drunk driver had T-boned an older woman and the amount of internal bleeding she had was truly astonishing. Thankfully the ambulance had arrived in time to stabilize her enough for Sawyer to get in and save her life.

"Good job, Dr. Neal," her nurse for the surgery said as he patted her on the shoulder. He was an older man that had been extremely supportive of Sawyer ever since she started at the hospital, and was almost like a second father to her. James was frequently in the operating room with her and he knew how she worked like the back of his hand - she was always very thankful to have him working alongside her.

"Thanks, James," she said with a smile. "I'm just doing my job." He just shook his head in disbelief. Not many people, especially at her age, could pull off the life saving maneuvers that she did. And to be so nonchalant about it!

"It's more than just that, Sawyer," he told her. "Now, go get some rest! Your shift is done." He walked out of the operating room, rubbing his back along the way. Sawyer shook her head as she followed him out. That man needed to retire soon!

"Go rest, he says…" she murmured to herself, making her way towards her office. Brushing her bangs out of her eyes, Sawyer took her hair out of its ponytail in order to fix it. Raking her hands through the shoulder-length brown waves, she piled it high on her head in order to get it out of her face. Adjusting her bangs, she smiled and nodded at everyone she passed on her way to grab her things. Swinging her beat up, brown crossbody bag over her shoulder, she made her way to the nurse's station to let them know that she was heading out.

"What do you think they want with Dr. Neal?" Sawyer heard as she got closer. Her curiosity piqued, she slowed her steps as she eavesdropped on the two nurses manning the desk. Normally, she'd frown upon listening in on others' conversations but I mean...they were talking about her, so...She had the right to know what they were saying, right?

"I don't know," the other nurse said, chewing on her nail. "It's just strange, isn't it? That she's the only doctor they asked about?"

"Well, she is the youngest one in the hospital...Maybe that's why?" the first nurse replied. Sawyer decided it was time to see what they were actually talking about. Walking around the corner, she felt guilty at the immediate fear that came over the two young women.

"Hello, ladies," Sawyer said. "I couldn't help but overhear…"

"Please, Dr. Neal! It was nothing, we swear. These two guys just came in and asked a bunch of questions about you, is all. They had these fancy badges and we didn't see the harm, they weren't personal or anything!" the nurse interrupted.

"It's okay, June," Sawyer said. "I was just curious. It's not every day that you guys gossip about me, after all." She smiled at the two to ease their nerves. Being the youngest trauma surgeon in her hospital, she was kind of a big deal. Not that she flaunted it! But, when you're that popular people tend to try and gather any information they could on you - for good or bad purposes.

"Yeah, we asked Director Smith about it before answering anything and he told us to tell them what they wanted, so…" Lindsey, the second nurse, told her. Sawyer laughed briefly, covering her mouth in another yawn.

"No worries, Lindsey," she said. "No harm done, I was just giving you grief. I'm on my way out now, so I'll see you guys tomorrow!" She waved at the nurses as she walked out of the hospital doors and made her way to her car. Not having been out of medical school for very long, Sawyer was still driving her old, beat up Toyota Corolla. Medical school was damn expensive and she was focused on paying off her debts first and foremost. After all, as long as it drove, she didn't need some fancy car to get her where she needed to go.

Sliding into the driver's seat, Sawyer plopped her head onto her steering wheel. Sighing deeply, she turned the key in the ignition to get the air conditioner started - Texas heat was unforgivable, even in the early hours of the morning. Just as she was about to put her car in reverse and head to her apartment, her phone rang. Grumbling under her breath when she saw it was Director Smith, she reluctantly answered it.

"Hello, what can I do for you Director Smith?" she asked, covering up another yawn.

"Yes, hello Sawyer! I know you just finished your shift, but I wanted to give you a heads up about something," he said.

"Is it about the men who were asking June and Lindsey about me?" she replied.

"Yes, actually!" the director told her, his voice way too upbeat for such an early time in the morning. "Those men were from an off-shore military base that is looking for new doctors to come work with them. Obviously, they came asking about you, what with all the work you do for us and the VA! Ultimately, the decision to leave is yours, of course, if they decide to contact you, but I'll have you know that I put in a glowing recommendation for you!" he said happily. Hearing this, Sawyer woke up a little bit.

"Oh! Is that what it's all about?" she questioned. "They're just recruiting?"

"I assume so," he said. "I don't know all of the details, they were very hush-hush about the whole thing, y'know…" Sawyer hummed in answer. "Well, I'll let you get home! You deserve the rest. Also, great job today, as always!" he said before ending the call. Hanging up her phone, she tossed it into the cup holder of her car.

"Well...that's new," she muttered. She had been given job opportunities that sounded similar to this one since she became a certified physician. Being recognized as one of the youngest, she was a highly sought after prize in the medical community. However, the organization wanting her usually wasn't so secretive about it. It really made her think of what exactly they were wanting her for. Confidentiality was something she was used to, doctor-patient confidentiality was a thing after all. But, confidentiality in her workplace was something that she was a bit hesitant about. "Guess I'll just have to wait and find out, huh?"

x

A week had passed since they made the concrete decision to bring on a new doctor, and Lennox found himself back in the meeting hangar with Optimus Prime, Ratchet, and Dr. Evans. They had sent out officers to observe the three doctors that they were considering for hire, and the reports had just arrived back. Dr. Evans sat heavily in her chair. Sighing, she folded her hands under her chin as she stared at Lennox.

"Okay, here are the reports that we've gathered of the candidates," he said, tossing a stack of files down onto the middle of the table. "There are digital versions being sent to you two," he told the two Autobots. Optimus nodded, quickly absorbing the file that was sent to him and reviewing the new information thoroughly. The decision to bring in another person was huge, and he had to make sure that whoever he brought on to the team was going to be the best fit for everyone involved. When dealing with topics such as aliens, one needed to be careful as to who they let in on the secret.

"Well, all of them are extremely qualified," he said, his deep voice rumbling through the hangar. Ratchet nodded.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that all of them would be a good fit for N.E.S.T." He folded his arms across his chest, the metal grinding together slightly. Dr. Evans nodded, agreeing with him.

"Exactly." She flipped open the folder, skimming the contents quickly. "Looking at all of our candidates, I know which one is my pick." She closed the folder with a snap. Tossing it back to the middle of the table, she leaned back in her chair. "I'll hear your decisions before saying anything, though." Lennox picked up the folder, opening it and thumbing through the files absentmindedly. He had already thoroughly read through all of it, and while he knew who he would pick based on the evidence, he really didn't know all too much about the medical field except the basic first aid he had to do through training. But he knew how to read reports and see who was best for the job. It was kind of his thing. He handled most of the new recruits for N.E.S.T these days anyway; when he wasn't busy out chasing down Decepticons, that is.

"Okay, Prime why don't you go first? What are your thoughts?" Lennox said.

"I believe that Dr. Sawyer Neal would be the best choice to be the new doctor for N.E.S.T.," the Prime said, moving closer to the railing that separated him from his human friends. Ratchet nodded, agreeing with his Prime.

"Yes, I have to agree. While the other two are great doctors in their own right, Dr. Neal is younger, and therefore not as set in her ways. Whoever we bring on to our team will have to be adaptable. Especially if they are to accept Transformers for what they are," he said. "While age brings experience, it also brings prejudice," he said. "And while Sawyer is young, she is obviously an accomplished doctor in her own right."

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't say that old people are prejudiced," Dr. Evans said. "But I also agree, to a point. We old people are pretty set in our ways. And aliens are quite the shock to the system." She looked up at the two Autobots. "No offense," she said with a smile. Ratchet laughed, the sound reverberating through the room.

"None taken, Adelaide," he said. "I'm quite aware of how well most humans handle the news of our existence. What are your thoughts, Lennox?"

"Well, I have to say that I agree with you. While Sawyer Neal is very young, she's also one of the most accomplished people I've ever seen, honestly. Plus like you said, she's young and most likely has a much more open mind than the other options," he said with a smile. "And she won't be wanting to retire anytime soon, which is an added bonus."

"Well, it's decided then?" Adelaide asked. "We'll send out the invitation to Dr. Sawyer Neal?"

"Agreed." Came the unanimous vote. The four of them quickly left the hangar, having a multitude of other duties to attend to. Lennox went to go handle the recruitment of Sawyer, Dr. Adelaide Evans went back to seeing her many patients, and both Optimus and Ratchet went to meet up with Ironhide to discuss the Autobot's training schedules.

X

Sawyer was woken up by the sound of her phone ringing. Groaning, she rolled over and swiped her cell off of her nightstand. It was an unknown number. Answering the call, she grumbled out a greeting. "Sawyer Neal speaking, how may I help you?"

"Hello Dr. Neal, this is Major William Lennox speaking." The voice that spoke to her made her sit up in bed in shock. Someone from the military? Was this the person that the two nurses were speaking about?

"Hello Major Lennox, how may I help you?"

"I am part of a military operation known as N.E.S.T., and we would like to offer you a job opportunity," he told her.

A/N: Look, a second chapter! And not years later too?! I want to thank everyone so much for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows on the first chapter, I'm honestly shocked that people want to read this! I'm going to try my best to update every two weeks but, if for some reason I can't, at least once a month. I'm determined to see the end of this story! Also, I know it's starting off kind of slow but I promise it'll pick up soon! Just give it a chance?

Thank you to iynasan, huntressofthelord, TFSTARFIRE, Gothic-Angel342, WeLoveRappMusic, MayTylers, and JessieBWriting for the lovely reviews! I really, really appreciate it.

Much love,

-ZH.