User blog:Spikewitwicky/March 30th, 2015 - Spike's Journal Entry



I'm a medic!

I don't really know what I was before. Some called it "tech", some called it "medical assistant", some called it "level-1 medic." But now, at least on paper (he's far more accomplished - that goes without saying) - I'm the same 'grade' as First Aid. Old journals will detail all of this stuff. How I failed at this exam twice. This was the last time they allowed me to take it.

So, here's the breakdown. For about seven hours, it was your typical test. Lots of identification, lots of 'name this part' type of questions. Then, I had about a 90 minute break. Then, I was presented in front of a medical board. They gave me a 'gumby bot' who had an ailment - and who also had a core that was in the stage of failure. I had 45 minutes to disassemble the patient's core, "contain" the patient's spark,  repair the core, THEN diagnose the patient's problem, THEN reinsert the core in the patient.

... in 45 minutes.

By the end, I was pretty much drenched in sweat. I screwed up on a few of the wires while rebuilding the patient's core. The "main" ailment of the patient was a fall - which was caused by the patient's anti-gravitation engines failing. I was literally working up until the last second. I couldn't even tell if the patient survived, I was ordered to drop everything when the bell rang. But by the slimmest of margins, I managed to unite the core with the patient.

During this time, I didn't know what Ratchet I was going to get. Was I going to get the cantankerous doctor (DOCTOR, not medic. I think I can be a Cybertronian doctor in about 1,300 years), or was I going to get the jovial Ratchet? And while he definitely didn't make this test easy, at the end, I think I saw a smile when he announced that I passed. He was a very hands-off person/bot. But his patience and faith in me definitely has propelled me throughout these 'post test fail' years. I'm a bit groggy this morning. He broke out the 'high grade' energon. And to be honest... I may have brought some scotch. After all, I would have consumed it in either situation. If I failed, I definitely would have nursed a few fingers of scotch to take the sting away. And fortunately, it was now consumed in celebration.

I'm flying back to Autobot City. And to be honest, it's still not sinking in. Will I be regulated to the med bay full-time? Will I still be doing ambassador work? Optimus Prime gave a typical "whichever you can handle, Spike" answer. This is something I've been wanting since I watched dad repair Autobots in the Ark. Now, I'm feeling this type of ambivalence. I keep thinking of that lyric by AC Newman: "You get what you want, and you don't know what to do."

One reason for this is dad. After much prodding, he told me that he's going in for cancer screening. He's had some persistent abdominal pain. (why the hell doesn't he tell Buster and I this shit?!) Thanks to his Helperbot, I was able to find out that his doctor is sending him in to rule-out cancer. We went in for a CT scan last week. And it was... surprise ... inconclusive. So, we're going in for an MRI. He was able enough to travel to Cybertron. But the trip obviously wore him out.

I know this doesn't work like this - but I am so not ready to say goodbye to him yet. These last few years, now that he was healthy enough to leave the nursing home - he's had this wonderful "second act". Yes, he's had some bad days. And a few medical scares. But with his Helperbot, he's in the med bay, not fixing 'bots like his old self, but still doing enough repairs to clear out the backlog. Megan is getting old enough to form memories, and I so want her to be able to know what an amazing grandfather she has. As life has shown me, we oftentimes part with our loved ones far sooner than we want. But I'm so not ready to let him go. Again though... I need to be optimistic about this. We're ruling out cancer. Not confirming it. Spikewitwicky (talk) 14:27, March 30, 2015 (UTC)