Chapter Text
Protective Instincts
Chapter 1 - Sudden Illness
A soft whimpering reached the optics of one Heatwave who was resting down in the bunker with the other 3 rescue bots. He sat up with protective worry piercing his brain, something wasn't right. The whimper cut through the silent air again and Heatwave knew exactly what had set him off. He would know that voice anywhere, it was Cody.
"Chief Burns!" He yelled through the comlink hoping the chief still had his with him.
"Yeah Heatwave what is it? Is something wrong?" The chief sounded exhausted and Heatwave hated to wake him, but he felt that this was important.
"I'm sorry to wake you Chief, but I think you need to check on Cody. I heard him whimper, just something doesn't feel right." Heatwave hoped he wasn't making something out of nothing, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
"No need to be sorry. If you're worried it's worth looking into. I'm on my way to check him now. I'll let you know if there's an issue. Thank you Heatwave." The old chief had come to depend a lot on the bots that sat down below. He knew that their instincts were rarely wrong and he trusted them. It was with that in mind that he made his way through the dark hall to his youngest son's room.
Where he neared the door he could hear the quiet whimpers and the sound of retching. He hurried through the door to find his young son curled in his bathroom throwing up. He kneeled beside the boy rubbing his back and whispering soothing words to him.
It wasn't often that Cody was sick anymore, but when he was younger Cody had been sick a lot. So now when he did get sick it was always bad and his family worried themselves into exhaustion to make sure he was ok. None of them ever wanted to revisit the time they nearly lost him and spent weeks in the hospital. That had been the worst Cody had ever been.
Already the boy was much too hot and it worried the aging father. When Cody finished dry heaving Charlie helped him get to his feet and clean his mouth out. Cody was very limp in his father's grip and was soaked in sweat. He helped his son change his clothes and set him in the comfy chair that Dani had found for her little brother. She used to read him bedtime stories there.
"Dani! Kade! Graham! Wake up and come down to your brother's room!" He called down the hall as he grabbed new sheets and blankets for the bed. He set about making the bed as he waited for his older three to join him. It was Dani who stumbled in first with the boys not far behind her. They all looked exhausted and he knew how busy they had all been, but he knew he needed some help.
"What's up dad?" Dani asked more awake than the two boys. He merely motioned to her brother who lay nearly asleep in the chair, as he finished making up the bed. She felt his forehead and worry creased her face. Kade and Graham followed suit and the atmosphere tensed. "I'll go get my bag, it's down with Blades. I'll let them know what's going on." With that, she disappeared out the door.
"I'll go get an ice pack and something easy for his stomach," Graham mumbled and followed his sister's steps.
"What do you need me to do dad?" Kade asked as he brushed the hair from Cody's face, grimacing at the heat there.
"Bring him over to the bed. Let's get him as comfortable as possible." Kade lifted his brother who felt tiny in his arms. How could someone, who was so tough on a daily basis, be so fragile? How had he not seen this sickness cropping up just a few hours ago? He should have noticed as the older brother.
"Is he going to be ok Dad?" Kade asked softly.
"I'm sure he will be Kade. He just needs rest and care. It was your partner who reacted first. Heatwave heard his whimpers." Kade looked up surprised at those words.
"I'll have to thank him later. Make sure he gets a good washing after this is all over. Cody could have been so bad in the morning if he hadn't heard." Kade didn't normally cry, but he remembered. He remembered how useless he felt as he watched his baby brother so close to death and not being able to do anything for him. It was Kade's job to protect him. How could he do that if he couldn't fight off what was hurting Cody?
"It'll be ok Kade. Your partner is just as protective as you. That's why you make a good pair. Cody will pull through, he always does." The chief laid a gentle hand on Kade's shoulder. He knew how much Kade beat himself up when he couldn't protect someone. It had caused him so much heartache over the years. So many times Charlie had to help his protective son through a hard time when he was unable to help someone, especially if that person died. Kade was good-hearted even if he didn't show it most of the time.
Dani exited the doors of the elevators to find the four bots talking. She felt older in her years at that moment and was glad she didn't have to hide her terror or exhaustion from the bots. She trusted them completely, especially her partner Blades whom she was making her way to.
"Hey, blades I need my bag." Blades didn't ask any unnecessary questions and just transformed to make it easy for her to retrieve. She usually left it with him so she didn't have to worry about forgetting it in an emergency. She wished she had grabbed it that night. She hated having to be away from Cody for any length of time. She grabbed the bag and then moved away so Blades could change back.
"How is he, Dani?" Heatwave asked. She could tell Heatwave and the rest of the bots were worried.
"He's sick. Hopefully, we caught it in time to keep it from getting worse. Thank you Heatwave for alerting us. I hate to run like this, but I really need to get back." They waved her on with well wishes and she was gone in the elevator within a matter of seconds.
"I do hope he will be ok." Heatwave said as he punched a mannequin.
"You caught it, Heatwave. I'm sure he will be fine with the attentions of his family." Chase patted his metal shoulder.
"Yeah, hopefully." Heatwave replied. With that, all the bots looked to the roof of the bunker as if they could see the family beyond, all of their thoughts occupied with the youngest member of their team.