Chapter 6

Cassie barely had time to explain about her father to the others. She immediately grabbed her items, including Megatron's device, and was about to bolt out as fast as she could but Tracks jumped in front of her and gently caught her.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy! I'll take you!" He said, now transforming.

"I will go along as well," Optimus said, now transforming too.

Cassie practically lunged inside of Tracks and the two sped off with Optimus in tow. The others could only sadly look at each other.

"I have a bad feeling…," Arcee whispered.

"Me too…," Bumblebee said.

"I really hope that her father will be okay. If he doesn't pull through Cassie will feel lost," Arcee said.

"Why?" Ratchet asked, now walking up.

"What kind of weird question is that?! It's her father, RATCHET," Bumblebee growled.

"I did not mean it like that, young scout. What I mean was that she should not feel lost because we care about her. I do not want her father to die but if anything happens…we will be there," he said softly.

Everyone froze; no one had ever heard Ratchet talk like that.

Meanwhile…

Cassie was racing to the hospital and she was texting Krissa at the same time. Krissa was in just as much horror and pain as Cassie and immediately hoped in a cab and headed for the hospital. Usually Krissa would have been back at the orphanage, but she was in the area this week because a new foster family wanted to look her over.

"I'll be there soon," Krissa texted.

"Please hurry!" Cassie messaged back. Cassie had a sinking feeling in her stomach and was hoping it was just nerves, but she had a feeling it wasn't.

"Cassie? Cassie, it's going to be alright," Tracks said. "Calm down…,"

"I'm alright," she said, now trying to slow down her heart.

"I can feel you panicking…your heart rate is increasing. Take it easy…," Tracks said, now feeling her heart rate increasing. "Whoa, whoa, whoa…easy…,"

And with that, Cassie felt the seat begin to massage her back and massage her thighs. It was like a massage chair that one would find in a beauty parlor or nail shop.

"T-Thanks Tracks…I just feel like…," she started.

"Don't think bad thoughts…it's okay…I've got you…," Tracks said. "No matter what happens you're not alone anymore, Cassie. It's going to be fine."

"But I'm not alone. I have my father…," she said.

"And you also have us. Now you just have to learn to trust us," he whispered as he pulled up to the hospital. Cassie bolted as fast as she could into the hospital and ran up the stairs. She darted past the nurses and doctors and into her father's room. Her face turned pale at what she saw.

He was slowly giving out. He was sickly thin and his eyes were barely open; he saw her and reached a hand out to her.

"Cassie…," he said softly.

"Dad, I'm here…," she said, now tears pouring down her face.

"Cassie…I'm not going to be here much longer," he said now seeing her face start to grow horrified. "I want you to know I love you."

"DAD!" She said, now grasping his hand and holding him as tightly as she could.

"Just remember that there is always a silver lining, my precious," he whispered, now leaning down and weakly kissing her head.

"Dad, please don't go…," she whispered, now her eyes wide in terror.

"I love you…my shooting star…and remember to let those near you love you. They need you just like you need them," he said in a whisper, now closing his eyes and falling back on the pillow. At that moment, his life line went still. Her father was gone.

Cassie's heart started skipping beats and she felt faint and weak. Tears poured down her face and she sunk down on the floor and her eyes were wide in terror. Her last living relative was gone forever.

Meanwhile, Tracks and Optimus activated their hologram forms and were making their way up the stairs. As they did, they heard a lot of bustling and hustling with the nurses and doctors.

"Something's wrong," Tracks said.

"I feel it too; let's move," Optimus ordered now walking faster. As they walked up the stairs and into the room, they saw that Cassie's father was gone.

"No…," Tracks said in grief. "This is terrible…,"

"I know…Cassie must have already seen him." Optimus said, now feeling the man and making sure that there was no pulse. He didn't want doctors making a mistake, so he checked for a lifeline personally but there wasn't one. He was gone.

"Where is she?!" Tracks said now whirling around and looking for Cassie. "Where'd she go?!"

"She must have left before we got here," Optimus said.

"Sir, we have to find her! Cassie is bleeding from her heart and this must have been too much for her; she didn't even wait for us to come up here," Tracks said in terror.

"I know. Outside! Now!" Optimus said, now hurrying back down the stairwell with Tracks in pursuit. As they got outside they noticed that it was beginning to rain again.

"Where is she?! The weather is about to get bad," Tracks said, now feeling even more upset that Cassie was nowhere in sight.

"We'll find her…relax…." Optimus said, now transforming. "Check the east and I have the west."

An hour later…

Cassie was drenched to the bone from the rain, but her large eyes and depressed demeanor didn't change. She had been sitting under a large tree and definitely had caught the flu from being wet and cold.

"This is it…," she said, now letting the rain drench her more. From her bag, Megatron could feel her pain and suffering and he didn't want to say anything at first until he felt her heart slowing down.

"This isn't good…," he said now sending out a high pitch sound that only the Autobots could sense. Cassie then turned and began to vomit, still remembering the last look on her father's face. She was experiencing serious trauma!

As they were searching the city, Tracks could hear the sound and so could Optimus. They followed it and found Cassie laying under a tree, still not blinking and feverish and vomiting.

"No…." Tracks said in horror now driving over, transforming, and picking her up. She felt cold, wet, and stiff and yet her head felt seriously hot.

"She's in terrible shape. Home…now," Optimus ordered, now leading the way and Tracks transformed one more and followed. They had to get Cassie back to the safety.

A few hours later…

Cassie was laying on a soft berth and she felt herself falling asleep. Megatron felt her fatigue and wasn't pleased that she wasn't improving.

"What do you think will happen to her?" Arcee said in concern, now reaching down and kissing Cassie's head.

"She will recover and her friend Krissa will assist us with all that we need as well," Optimus said.

"Bumblebee is picking up Krissa as well and she should be arriving soon," Tracks said. And just like clockwork, Krissa walked in and was placed on the berth next to her friend. She had learned about the Autobots and quickly lost her uncertainty when she heard Cassie was sick.

"How is she?" Krissa asked.

"She's not doing well. She needs all the support that she can get…," Tracks said. "We need to do all we can to prove that we are here for her."

As they were talking, Optimus picked up Cassie's bag and picked up the device that was inside it.

"Megatron, please come out…" Optimus said. With those words, it didn't take long for Megatron to appear in his hologram form. "We are aware that you have been talking to Cassie."

"And?" Came the deep response.

"What did you say to her?" He asked.

"I cannot tell you, Autobot. You are the last being I would ever tell," Megatron hissed.

"Whatever it is that you want Cassie to do, she can't! She's very sick now that her human father is gone," Optimus said sadly.

"I am aware the human is ill…," Megatron hissed angrily.

"Then if you care…you will help us to take care of her right now otherwise she will die…" Optimus said.

"She will survive without me assisting," Megatron said.

"Listen to me, Megatron…or Tronus. Cassie was willing to keep you safe in this form; the least you could do is try and help her when he's in trouble," Optimus said. And with that, Optimus angrily turned and walked away.

Megatron could only sit and think. Cassie could have destroyed him because he wasn't any real threat in this form. He didn't have his full body so he was far from 'dangerous' to her right now. He did owe her in a small way for what she did. Now narrowing his eyes, he let his form disappear so that he could think on some things.

The next day…

Cassie's fever was rising and she wasn't eating. Optimus was becoming somewhat frantic and everyone else was becoming upset as well.

"Cassie…you have to make it through this…," Krissa whispered, now bending over and kissing her friend's head.

"Krissa…it's gonna be okay…," Cassie said.

"What do you mean?!" Krissa said, now startled.

"If I don't make it…at least I'll be with my dad…," she whispered.

"NO!" Krissa shouted, now leaning over her. "You can't just give up! I WON'T LET YOU GIVE UP!"

"None of us will! You're going to make it because we love you!" Tracks said, now coming in because he overheard the conversation.

"And we won't let you go through this alone!" Bumblebee said.

"We are here for you!" Arcee said.

"We will be your family," Optimus said.

"You're one of us now…," Ratchet whispered, now placing a hand on Cassie's chest. And for the first time in days, Cassie slowly began to smile but then she began to cough. She had to decide on whether or not there was truly anything else left to live for.

guestsurprise's words: What will happen, guys?!

Please leave guestsurprise a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418