The Science of Love
"Donnie?"
The whisper in the darkness felt like a shout to the long time reporter. The red-head stumbled down the hallway, one hand against the cold wall to help guide her way and the other clutching her yellow sundress. The floor was strewn with rubble and discarded scientific equipment that she couldn't make out. She wished she hadn't worn sandals as she gingerly avoided the debris.
April had been through a lot of terrifying things in her 27 years but walking alone through a horror movie inspired laboratory was up there.
"Donnie! I don't think this is a good idea!" Her voice was strained, matching the nervous flutter of her heart.
"Hypothetically? Morally? Ethically?" The slick green head asked her from the white double swing door at the end of the hall. Donnie was big, standing in the doorway, the light coming from behind his shell.
"Er... Locationally?" April carefully made her way to her friend. "I am just wondering if this is the most... hygienic..."
Donatello smirked as April's objections stumbled in her throat as she looked past him into the room. In here the floor was spotless white tile that matched the cabinets that ran the length of the room, the walls were a soft peach colour that matched the upholstery of the observation table.
"Raph & I found this place last week, one of Stockman's research bases, we, uh..." Donnie snorted as he laughed to himself. "... found them other employment opportunities in the penal system."
His brown eyes watched as April pulled off her jaunty yellow raincoat and laid it over a chair. He swallowed hard.
"Are we going to be..." April hesitated, her anticipation of their activities to come causing her to get tongue tied. "...Safe?"
A reassuring smile graced the turtle's features. "Don't worry about that, you should know I'd bring enough protection." He wrapped his long arms around her, pulling her to his plastron. "It's just you, me and my toys...oh, and Angel like we talked about."
"That sounds perfect." She commented as she hugged him back, her fingers tracing the shaped in his shell, a subtle difference with the four brothers. "Thank you... for doing this...with Angel..."
"No problem," Donatello pulled back, turning to his toys laid out on the flawless countertop. He picked up his glasses, clicking them in place. "Just call me The Doctor."
April sat down on the observation table and scooched backwards. "Yes sir, Dr Donnie!"
They exchanged bemused expression for a moment as she held the edge of the table, swinging her legs. Eventually she clasped her hands behind her head and lay back not wanting to disturb his fastidious concentration.
" You know, I think this is going to be really good for the two of us, especially with Angel helping out. And, like you said, you're The Doctor." April looked over to where the turtle was pouring a blue liquid into a beaker, focused through his magnified eyes. "I totally trust you. In fact I trust you both. I think it's gonna really change my outlook on life, you know. How I feel. Who I am."
Donnie spun to face her in the peach office chair. He extended his hand and held in his three fingers was the beaker of blue liquid. It felt as if it hung there for hours before her shaking hand took it from him. "It will be easier on you to just drink it in one."
"Yeah, Red! We'll go gentle on you!" Angel strode through the swing doors, attitude and heartbreaker in one. Her long purple hair was piled high on her head; she was wearing a royal purple PVC nurse's outfit with matching platform boots and seemed amused at their shocked expressions.
"What!? You said we were playing Doctor!" Angel stomped over to her friend who was still holding the glass. "Ah well, Raphael liked it." She smirked and winked at Donnie who dropped a bottle of lubricant.
April laughed. "He would. You saw him?" She took a sip of the liquid.
"Honey. If he could, I think that boy would be watching!" She straightened her little purple nurse hat. "But D has strict rules on who he lets in his playroom."
"He breaks my stuff." Donnie spoke from behind his shell, his attention focused on the final preparations before him. "Actually he's not too bad, Mikey just thinks he is a mad scientist and mixes things like cats and ice cream. The worst is Leo who thinks he's helping but actually he is moving my experiments and mixing my samples. Why don't they let me work in peace?!"
The two girls laughed. "There there, it must be so hard having brothers that love you." Angel teased taking the empty glass from April who yawned and lay back down. The purple playmate returned the beaker to the desk. "Game on Doc."
Donatello flashed Angel a self assured smile. "Well alright then." He slipped on his heavy duty custom made rubber gloves. "I brought you a party favour too." He flirted, passing Angel a bag.
"Awww D, you sure know the way to a girl's heart."Angel cooed as she slipped on the purple gloves and surgical mask. "Our favourite colour..."
"I aim to please" He spoke confidently while shifting his spectacles. A nervous action that the girls both knew well.
Donnie pulled a box shaped device over to where April lay, he connected two wires into the according sockets, the loose ends he handed to angel, she began to apply them to April's breast with adhesive pads as if they had done this many times before.
"How we doin' Red?" Angel brushed a curl from April's forehead. Green eyes fluttered open sleepily, her eyelids resting heavily as she smiled wide.
"Angel! I love red!" There was passion in her slurred words. She reached out and clumsily patted Angel's cheek. "And you know who else I love?!"
"Yes honey, I know who else you love." Angel shared a knowing look with Donatello, he seemed confident in his equipment as he firmly pushed a button and a beat appeared.
"Music to my ears" The mutant quipped, "even though physiologically turtles only have ear holes. I know, sad but true." He commented to Angels smirking pleasure. "Nurse, prep the patient please." Donnie was enjoying issuing orders.
"Yes Doctor." His PVC clad attendant replied saucily. She checked on April who was almost unconscious.
"...mmmgel?..." Words are hard.
Angel stroked her hair a few times before kissing her forehead. "It's okay Baby Girl. Let go. We got you."
April was distantly aware of her legs being moved, raised and opened.
Then she was gone.
A warm feeling of freedom and elation enveloped her as the peaches and cream room was washed from her. She was pirouetting through fields of pink cotton candy sheep that revealed themselves to be soft spun sugar clouds dancing through sleep inducing blue liquid. The sky began to melt and puddle like molasses, falling and dripping in syrupy strands to become the ocean. The sheep-clouds diving from their airy perch with a gloopy splash, surfacing as candy floss whales.
There was salt in the air as she gently swayed back and forth, the ebb and flow, whooshing of waves calling at the shore like a returning suitor filled her with calm.
The sheep-cloud-whales lazily rolled over, becoming green fondant turtles swimming in pistachio buttercream. The sound of the ocean remained, louder now as April experienced a shock of self awareness.
A quiet panic rose in her as if she had forgotten how to be anything but blissful
Her limbs began to feel heavier, more real and actual, as if a wisp of smoke were trying to become tangible. The former sheep-cloud-whales now turtles were slowly urging towards her, buttercream froth in their wake. The weight of her limbs finally dropping her to the floor; through the red tendrils of her hair she watched the wave of peppermint rise over her. She felt no fear as the wave rushed over her and she returned to the world.
It was like falling up the rabbit hole back into her consciousness, her dream disappearing like the Cheshire cat.
April ran a quick system check, a self diagnostic. She hurt. A dull ache in her abdomen, she attempted to raise her head and arms to check the area but her body was still heavy and unresponsive.
Despite this she felt safe, swaddled in warmth. She could still feel the sway of the waves and the sound of the ocean in her ears. This contented her to just rest, be in the moment.
Tentatively she tried to open her eyes, it was a slow fluttering movement of blinding light as she struggled to accustom to her surroundings. The world was blurry, hazy and watery but there was no mistaking that she was being carried by a turtle, rocking back and forth as they held her safe and close like precious cargo.
"Hey there Sleepin' Beauty." The voice was rough with sweetness hidden inside, like a cardboard box carrying caramels to a lover. "Ya don't know how thankful I am ta see them pretty eyes watchin' me again."
April couldn't help a small smile. Raphael was all strength and sadness and smelled of sea salt. He was carrying her through the dark streets of Brooklyn, back to the apartment on 19 & 84th.
They continued on down silent side streets until April struggled to voice a question "...Don...nie...?..."
The hulking reptile embraced her closer for a moment so short it could have been imagined. "Donnie's good. He an' Angel went for pancakes down at Sal's wit' Casey." He saw the question before it even had time to form on her lips. "Donnie told you he brought enough protection didn't he?"
He chucked deeply, April felt it vibrate through her. "Mikey an' Leo were there too wit' me an' Case, keepin' watch for Stockman's goons. They're up ahead right now, makin' sure our way is clear." He finished, traces of brotherly pride in his voice.
He continued talking about the uneventful evening he had endured, with Casey goofing around, Leo insisting on perimeter checks every five minutes and Mikey changing his code name twice as fast.
His soft murmurs combined with the residual drugs in her system slowly lowered her back into slumber.
In what felt like moments later April woke up in her oversized bed, the soft down comforter swaddling her with clumsy love. She guessed she must have fallen asleep somewhere around 47th, but it had been a deep dreamless sleep, no creamy confectionary creatures to be counted.
It was a relief to be able to lift her arms and legs, to no longer feel as if her skin was made of lead weight and her bones felt like iron bars no more.
She blinked her eyes open, finding herself in a large bedroom painted a soft mint green, she had helped paint it a few years ago now. After the Krang invasion of Manhattan and their eventual defeat she had decided to move to Brooklyn, buying the top floor of an aging apartment complex that came complete with roof access with the insurance money from the decimated antique store.
She had been the first to 'move out' of their sewer but she was quickly followed by Casey and Raphael who moved in 2 blocks down. It had been a little awkward with Casey to begin with as their adolescent romance had never really been more than shared experience and convenience.
She pulled herself up into a sitting position enjoying the feel of the soft purple duvet. She found herself thinking of Donatello and Angel and how things had gone last night... and hungry for their pancakes.
There was a soft knock on their door, as it opened it first revealed a Channel 6 News mug of smouldering tea which quickly became the second best thing she had seen since she woke up once she saw the huge turtle who was holding the cup and a covered plate.
"Hey you," She smiled as he sat down on their bed.
Raphael returned the smile as he handed over the tea, placing the plate next to her. "Hey back. How you feelin'? Anymore dreams 'bout desserts?" He finished with a smirk, taking the cover from the plate to reveal a slice of red velvet cake.
April smiled big, picking up the fork that accompanied her dream food. "Have I mentioned that I love you!"
"Eh, I could stand to hear it a little more." The hero in a half shell joked. "So what I miss last night?" The red head asked as she shoveled cake in her cake hole.
"After Donnie sent you off wit' the blue fairy? I spoke wit' him this mornin' and he said looks good. Sample A extracted, combine' wit' sample R then replaced." Raphael shook his head in disbelief. "Can't believe he managed ta humanise my swimmers, plus no trace of mutagen in sight."
"Dr D had a message for you," He placed a three-fingered hand on his wife's stomach. "Only nine months till he is an uncle to a healthy human baby."
He took a moment. "Our baby."
April covered his hand with hers. "Our baby." She repeated as if she couldn't believe her luck.
They sat there, content and intertwined, with the smell of frosting in the air.
~ Hello, I hope you enjoyed 'The Science of Love' as much as I enjoyed writing it. Usually story ideas fizzle out so I am pleased I actually finished this one and it didn't end up in the incomplete folder! Please leave a review! ~