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The day was quiet enough that June had a moment to reflect on how life had changed since she met Arcee and the other Autobots. There was so much to learn about these strange beings and she just wanted to learn anything she could

She walked further into the base to see Miko teasing Rafael by holding a computer component just out of his reach, and Jack trying his hardest to stop the Japanese girl.
Ratchet noticed this teasing as well and he was about to step in when something fell out Rafael's pocket. The object confused Ratchet greatly; it was small by human standards and miniscule by Cybertronian standards.

"Miko, stop…!" June ordered and Miko complied, surprised that June yelled at her.

"What is it?" Miko asked then she noticed what was on the floor by Rafael

"What is that…?" Miko asked as she picked up the object and turned it over in her hand

"You have asthma?"

Rafael hesitated, then nodded quietly as Miko handed him the inhaler and the object she was teasing him with earlier.

Later that evening Arcee rolled into the garage. She had several injuries that throbbed with pain at the mere thought of transforming to robot mode but it was sheer pride that kept her from rolling to base and into Ratchet's treatment bay. He had enough on his mind researching asthma. He had learned that Rafael's case was moderately severe but he still felt he needed to know what the condition was and what it could cause and the potential risks to his life that came from the condition.

"Arcee, are you okay?" Jack asked

"I'm fine, Jack" She replied but her voice betrayed her

"Arcee, you're injured, why don't you transform to robot mode and let me look your injuries" Jack suggested

"NO" Arcee snapped "I'm fine, really"

Jack rolled his eyes at his partner's stubbornness and pulled his phone to attempt to contact Optimus, walking out of the garage as he did so.

"Optimus, I'm worried about Arcee" he said

"Jack, what has brought on this concern?"

"Optimus, she's injured, I can tell by the sound of her voice and the way she came in the driveway, but she won't admit it or even transform from vehicle mode to prove me wrong or let me help her" Jack explained and Optimus began to understand Jack's concern

"I will send a ground bridge for Arcee"

"She won't go through it and I can't make her, she'll pull rank on me if I try to make her"

Optimus groaned over the com "Sounds like I'm pulling rank on her if we're to get her to get treatment"

"Optimus, thank you, she's going to be angry at me for doing this but… I care about her… have since I met her. It's like I can't help it" Jack sighed

"Don't worry, Jack, she'll understand"

"Yeah when she stops being furious with me" Jack replied

They disconnected and Jack went back into the garage

"Tell me that wasn't…"

"Arcee, a ground bridge is about to open at your location and you are to come through it, that is an order… no argument, no excuses!" Optimus said

"You had to go to Prime?"

"Yes, you need to take care of yourself and if I have to go to him to insure it I will." Jack sighed

"Arcee, do you acknowledge!"

"Acknowledged, sir" Arcee growled over the com then turned to Jack trying to hide the pain associated with that action

"Don't think I'm not angry with you right now, Jackson Darby, I am"

"I… I'm sorry Arcee, I called Optimus because I care, and I knew that was the only way I could be sure you'd go in for treatment"

Arcee went through the ground bridge and was met by Ratchet and Optimus the latter of whom looked rather irritated.

"Arcee I need you to assume robot mode" Ratchet said as they entered med bay

"I honestly don't know if I can… I'll try" she sighed "what are you going to do if I can't"

"Figure out what is jamming you're transformation joints" Ratchet replied "if that's the problem"

Arcee began to transform and was successful but it was an agonizingly slow process and both mechs knew just by watching that it was excruciating for Arcee. She got to robot mode and couldn't stand, she was in too much pain… she fell to her knees and Optimus was at her side in seconds.

"I don't want to do that again" she declared in pain "That hurt like the pit!"

"Then let me treat you and find out what's causing this" Ratchet said

"Okay" Arcee went to stand so she could walk to the berth for treatment but her leg servos wouldn't hold her

"Slag…! My leg servos won't take my weight"

"For Primus sake… Arcee you really did a number on yourself!" Ratchet said looking at the fem-bot that was currently unable to stand
Optimus walked over to help Arcee

"Arcee sometimes you are too stubborn, you can't be angry at Jack for caring about you" he said softly as he lifted Arcee. The indignant snort from the fem-bot informed him to her injured pride

"I… I know, Optimus" she sighed as he placed her on the berth

Ratchet went to work trying to figure out why she had so much trouble transforming and why her leg servos wouldn't take weight properly all the while cursing about 'ornery bots' and how Optimus shouldn't be lecturing Arcee when he was just as bad as she was about avoiding treatment unless absolutely given no other option.
For Optimus watching Arcee under such treatment for unknown injuries made him think of the uncertainty she went through after they rescued her from Arachnid.

Flashback

"How is she, Ratchet?" Optimus asked as he walked up beside his friend

"Physically or psychologically…?" Ratchet said not looking up at the present prime

"Both" Optimus replied

"She was tortured Optimus, then she watched her partner and spark mate die… how do you think she is?" Ratchet retorted "I had to dissolve the bond or risk losing her as well." He paused looking in on his recent patient "some of the less experienced medics are wondering if it would have been more merciful to have let her die. Allow her to join Tailgate in becoming one with the Allspark"

"She can recover, Ratchet, we have to believe that" Optimus sighed

"Yes, we must have faith that Primus let her continue to live for a reason, but what kind of life she'll have is beyond me… she is so agitated, Optimus, we've taken to alerting her to our presence in the room before we touch her just to make her comfortable"

End flashback

Days past and Arcee recovered from her wounds

"Are you still angry at me, Arcee" Jack asked

"No, I've been thinking about that. You did what you thought you had to do at the time. If you had yelled at me I would have just pulled rank so you called someone who could pulled rank on me" Arcee sighed "You had every right to call Optimus, I'm supposed to be watching out for you as your guardian and sometimes I forget that I can't watch out for you if I'm not functioning properly"

Rafael sighed as he sat in the base, he didn't want to go home. He had thought about coming clean about his family several times but he knew that would only get him pitied by his human friends and would confuse the cybertronians so he kept it to himself.

"Raf, do you want me to drive you home?" June asked

"Sure, Bee's on a mission and Ratchet's busy" Raf sighed and got in the car with June
They arrived at his house and he said goodbye to June then went inside to his family. June sighed and got out of the vehicle, she wanted to meet Raf's parents and complement them on their wonderful son. June got to the door and was greeted by a Hispanic woman that looked like she couldn't possibly be related to Rafael, she noticed how many children there were that were obviously not related to each other and the truth of Rafael's life hit June like a ton of bricks.

Jo Pak sighed as she watched June Darby enter the house escorted by Yelena Garza

"Mrs. Garza… who is this…?" Jo asked

"This is June Darby, June this is Jo Pak, if you really want to know about Rafael, talk with her she's known him years longer than I have. They have been in several foster homes together from the time he came into the system.

Jo and June stepped outside and sat on the bench outside.

"Before we start I need to explain something. I literally don't forget anything… I have a memory condition called Hyperthymesia or Superior Autobiographical Memory"

"So you remember every experience you had with Rafael"

"Yes ma'am, I do, I was eight when I first met Rafael. It was September 13, 2003 so it was a Saturday. I was working on math homework when Ms. Fisher brought Rafael in. Jessica and Jennifer Wyatt both fell in love with him the moment they saw him but as far as I know they could walk up to him on the street and he wouldn't know who they were. Either way there was one thing Ms. Fisher knew for sure, and that Raf would always be taken care of"

"So you don't believe Raf would recognize these girls if he saw them"

"I know he wouldn't Ms. Darby, he was only four years old when they left if he remembered them the memories would be so vague he wouldn't be able to tell if they were real or dreamed up." Jo sighed "I've seen them around town recently and they remember him."
"Something's bothering you, what is it?"

"Rafael… he's been through so much, I've seen him through grieving his parents and several asthma attacks. I've come to terms with my fate that I'm just going to age out of the system. Raf… they try to sugar coat it but Raf knows that he will probably age out of the system and well he hasn't taken it well."

"I don't understand why he wasn't adopted"

"His asthma, it's bad… most families find out about how bad it can get and… they turn around and run."

"Why wouldn't he tell his friends that he was in foster care?" June asked

Jo sighed as she looked at the house "he hates to be pitied, and you learn early that once you tell someone that you're in foster care you get a lot of pity. Some of these kids they like it, but not Raf… he's had it bite him too hard. He had several friends a couple of years ago and he was really happy… then he found out they didn't even like him they just put up with him out of pity." Jo sighed as a tear fell down her cheek, "Ms. Darby, I'd love to see Raf get a family that can really understand him… and what he needs"

June and Jo were unaware that a certain Asian teen had ended up in earshot and heard everything

"Raf lied to us" Miko thought "we're his friends… why would he think he needed to lie to us"

To Be Continued…