The others let Sandra keep to herself, working quietly on the medical cot. As she got further into biology and medical research, her work grew more and more difficult. Sandra could not find anything that could have possibly triggered her parents into recovery.
Five years of no ability to learn and then one day, they did.
If the man had been alive, Sandra would have hunted Leland Bishop down and demanded to know everything he knew about their condition. She cursed herself for not having asking more all those years ago. She cursed herself for having blown up the younger Bishop; her only possible lead.
Sandra scowled, her brows creased as she typed away.
"Hey, Sandra." June Darby greeted the younger woman with a smile.
"Hello." Sandra replied robotically.
June sat down next to her. "Raf tells me you don't do much of anything anymore. Just sitting here working all the time."
"Mm."
June's smile dipped slightly. "You should get up and go take a break. Maybe a nap if you need it. I talked to Ratchet. He says he hasn't seen you sleep, which is staying something because Ratchet rarely sleeps."
"That's intriguing."
"Sandra." June snapped, using her mom voice. "Pay attention."
Sandra turned her head toward the nurse, eyes still glued to the screen for about a full ten seconds before finally looking at June in annoyance.
"What?"
"As your doctor, I'm ordering you do something other than work for three hours, at least." June stated.
Sandra stared at the nurse for a moment.
"No."
June blinked in surprise before scowling. "Now, listen here, young lady-"
Sandra glowered. "You are not my mom."
"Does your mom know you run around getting yourself shot at?" June demanded. "No. She doesn't. So unless you want me to call her up and let her know, I'm your mom when you're in this base. You do as I say."
"Nobody is my boss." Sandra glared.
June stood up. "Fine. I'll go let her know."
She took a few steps from the bed and pulled out her phone, about to call Fowler and ask for Sandra's mom's number, but right when she turned on her phone, it turned black and green text popped up.
You're not telling my mom.
June whipped around. "You can't just hack into my phone and stop me!"
"I just did." Sandra retorted.
June growled. "Sandra Kayne, you turn my phone back on right now."
"No."
"Clearly you are not responsible enough for the power you have." June glared. "This is immature and foolish of you. If you won't listen to me, you'll find yourself answering to your parents."
Sandra and June found themselves both growing angry at each other and sparks began to fly, attracting Ratchet's attention. It wouldn't be long before their arguement attracted the others as well.
"Enough." Ratchet ordered. "June, just leave Sandra alone."
"Would you leave one of your Autobots alone if they were hurting themselves?" June demanded.
Ratchet frowned.
"Who cares!?" Sandra demanded. "I have other people I need to take care of."
At that, Ratchet immediately went to June's side.
"Alright, fine. Sandra, get up and leave your computer. You need to take a break." The medic ordered.
"You're not my boss either!" Sandra snarled.
Ratchet gave her a wicked glare. "Sandr-"
"No!" She yelled, immediately attracting the others' attention. "No, don't tell me what to do! You don't know anything!"
Tears began to leak from her eyes, which were filled with fury and frustration. "I have work to do. Leave me alone."
Ratchet opened his mouth angrily, but Optimus cut him off.
"What are you working on?" Optimus asked calmly.
Sandra glared at him. "It's none of your business."
"My base." Optimus replied.
"My work." She sneered.
Optimus nodded. "Understood."
He turned around and walked over to the monitor before turning off the internet. Optimus turned back to her with an almost smug look on his face.
"You're grounded."
Sandra sputtered furiously. "You- you can't ground me!"
Optimus crossed his arms.
"Can't I?"
Sandra scowled. "You realize I can just hack in and turn it back on?"
"It might be difficult to do your work if we are constantly turning it back off." Optimus stated.
"Then I'll leave." Sandra glared.
"How are you going to leave?" Optimus asked. "Nobody will take you out."
Sandra's eyes widened in shock and she froze.
The others looked at Optimus in confusion, not understanding what he meant, but Sandra knew.
Movement caught her eye and Sandra looked to the side, where Wheeljack looked down in shame, avoiding eye contact. Then she turned back to Optimus and threw her hands up.
"Fine. You win."
Optimus nodded. "Thank you. Let's go."
Sandra blinked. "What?"
The Prime reached over and scooped her up before transforming and promptly leaving the base without giving an explanation to anyone.
Sandra stared at his dashboard. "What is your problem, Mr. Passive-Aggressive?"
"I'm fighting a war." Optimus replied calmly.
Sandra scoffed. "So why are you bothering me?"
"You cannot be bothered from the outside, but from the inside." Optimus told her.
"So this is my fault?"
"Yes."
Sandra growled and looked out the window, crossing her arms.
"We have trusted you, Sandra, despite your many, many secrets." Optimus stated. "All I ask is that you trust us in return."
"I do trust you."
Optimus sighed. "You didn't tell us about your injury. We could have helped."
"I didn't want anyone to treat me differently." Sandra told him. "I remember what it's like."
There was a moment of silence.
"Wheeljack shouldn't have told you." Sandra said.
"Wheeljack is concerned for your well-being." Optimus stated. "You should not have asked him to carry the burden of your secret alone."
Sandra pursed her lips. She never thought of it like that.
Wheeljack has been through so much pain since meeting her. She was hurting him, even if it was unintentionally.
"Sandra... I understand that you are not intending to hurt anyone, but you should try to be mindful that your habits were created when you were alone. You are not alone anymore." Optimus told her.
"Maybe I should be." Sandra looked out the window. "Seems everyone was better off when I wasn't around."
Optimus slowed down a little. "That's not what I meant."
Sandra leaned against his seat in defeat. "But it's true."
Optimus was quiet for a few moments.
"Don't leave." He told her quietly. "I don't think Wheeljack could take it."
Sandra blinked. "What do you mean?"
"He's lost a lot of friends. Wheeljack tends to go off on his own, doing reckless acts of revenge when he is in pain." Optimus told her. "It happened when Bulkhead got hurt. It happened when Seaspray was killed. It seems to be his go-to for escaping mourning. When we thought you were dead, Wheeljack didn't. He was... he was too numb, but it was only a matter of time. I asked Ultra Magnus to watch him, as Magnus has a knack for helping lost soldiers."
Optimus glanced at her. "If you were to leave him of your own choice... Wheeljack would not be able to stand from the blow. It would only be a matter of time before he would fall apart. Likely be captured by Megatron, who is no doubt already wishing death upon the wrecker more than any of us."
Sandra looked down. "Wheeljack has been alive for eons. He's only known me for a few weeks, I don't think I mean that much to him."
"How much does he mean to you?" Optimus asked.
Sandra paused. "He's my best friend. I trust him more than anyone else in the galaxy."
"I would assume the feeling is mutual."
Optimus paused. "Well. He might not entirely trust you. You are incredibly reckless."
Sandra stared. "I'm not reckless."
"That's what I thought when I had you become Wheeljack's charge. I told myself that you were the most likely to keep him out of trouble." Optimus told her. "But I was very, very wrong."
Sandra rolled her eyes.
Optimus started driving back toward their base. "So what have you been working on these past few days?"
Sandra sighed. "My parents have a... condition. They haven't been able to learn or make new memories since I was eleven. When I went to visit them with Fowler, they kept saying things that deviated from their normal pattern. I think they're recovering."
"That is good."
"I think." Sandra plopped back. "It could actually be a bad sign. I can't figure out why they're healing now, after five years of no progress. It doesn't make any sense."
Optimus thought for a moment. "I didn't realize you were adept in human anatomy."
Was there anything Sandra didn't know?
"I wasn't, not really." Sandra admitted. "But I've been doing research, and I'm a very fast learner."
"Why don't you ask Nurse Darby or Ratchet for assistance? They have both been studying human medical practices for some time now." Optimus suggested.
Sandra tilted her head. "Huh."
"You should take their other advice as well and take a break every so often." He told her. "Less frustration, more productivity. It helps to clear your mind."
Sandra nodded. "Yeah. Maybe you're right."