When Thomas opened his eyes, he found himself at the works.
'That's funny.' He thought to himself. 'How did I ended up here?'
"Thomas!" Came some voices.
Thomas was surprised to see all his friends were there, and Victor and Kevin were with him.
"Victor, what happened?"
"You passed out, my friend. It is very unusual for engines to pass out, not to mention one of your side tanks is damaged. Don't worry, Thomas; we'll get your tanks fixed up in no time."
"Thank you, Victor."
Then, Victor turned to the other engines.
"Okay, my friends; visiting time is over now, but rest assured, that Thomas will be in good hands."
"Thank you, Victor. Hope Thomas gets better soon."
As the other engines left, Thomas looked over at Victor.
"Victor, can I tell you something?"
"Of course, my friend. I'm always all ears to hear what's on your mind."
Thomas took a deep breath, and told Victor his secret; Victor listened carefully.
"Don't worry, my friend. Your secret is safe with me, but I don't know about sharing it with Kevin, though."
(CRASH!!)
"Sorry, boss!"
A few days later, Thomas was as good as new! He was happy to return to his branch line. Annie and Clarabel were pleased to see him again.
"Thomas, where have you been?"
"We were worried sick about you!"
"I'm sorry, you two; I'll make it up to you if I get the chance."
Most of the morning was uneventful. It seemed as though only those some of the diesels knew about Thomas. Or, if anyone else did know, they weren't doing anything about it. Thomas hope no one else knows. The last thing he want is to have to deal with harassment for the rest of his life.
That afternoon, Thomas was taking a train of scrap to the Smelters, where Diesel, Arry, and Bert worked! Thomas never liked going to the Smelters, but he knew what it meant to be a really useful engine.
"Oh look, it's that experimental fraud!" Oiled Diesel. " The problem with working with steamies is that they are much too stinky."
"And Thomas is the most stinky steamy ever." Added Arry.
"I'll bet a skunk smells better than him!" Finished Bert.
Diesel, Arry and Bert laughed and laughed.
"It's not steamies who are stinky." Thomas puffed crossly. "It's the diesels."