Hey, guys, welcome to chapter 2! I'm happy to finally present this new chapter, and I hope you guys like it as much as I enjoyed writing it (which was a lot, by the way).
Thank you to fashionfantasy, shika93, hollybunch95, Ciana Wolf, lolitathegoddessorca860, and the two mystery guests for reviewing! I am glad you guys liked it. And, in some of my other stories, I started out my stories with a character profile, which proved to be heavily unpopular. So, I took the advice of a few people, and I started this fanfic out fresh, without a character profile. And everyone likes it! I'm so happy!
And as for the question brought up by hollybunch95, Gwen is not going to be a lesbian… but there's a possibility of bisexuality. I'm still thinking about it.
Disclaimer: gothchic6 doesn't own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Chapter Two: Bringing Her Home to the Family:
Leo has woken up to get a glass of water at 1:05 am, only to discover that Raph is missing from his bed. The bastard. This doesn't really surprise the blue-banded turtle since he is used to his brother's hotheadedness and short temper. And it doesn't really surprise him that Raph did the exact thing that he was banned from doing. That doesn't mean it doesn't piss Leo off a little, however.
Leo walks into the combined living room and kitchen. He grabs a glass from one of the cabinets, fills it with water, and starts walking to his room, only to drop the glass in response to hearing a voice from the living room,
"I assume Raphael has taken a leave of absence once again?"
The glass shatters as it impacts with the floor. Leo takes no notice of this, and swiftly turns around to see his sensei, Master Splinter, reclining on the couch, apparently in the middle of a binge soap opera marathon. Leo sighs in both relief and disbelief at the appearance of his sensei. Though, he can't help but feel disappointed in himself; He usually could sense the presence of any living thing around him. He guesses that stress has caused him to become less observant of his surroundings.
"Your observation skills have been declining as of late, Leonardo. What is it that troubles you," Master Splinter questions Leo as he stands up from the couch, and proceeds to put a comforting paw on Leo's shoulder.
Leo sighs, and turns his gaze to the floor, disliking to having to admit any sort of weakness to his sensei. To encourage him, Splinter gently squeezes Leo's shoulder. Leo's cerulean eyes slowly rise to meet Splinter's coal ones.
"I guess it's just," Leo starts hesitantly. "It's just that lately, the four of us haven't been functioning well as a unit. Raph loses his temper almost everyday, and takes his anger out on us. Mikey is completely unfocused, and gets distracted at any given time. Donnie has been more reclusive, and he spends more time in his lab than out of it. Even I have been distancing myself lately, and I'm our leader. I'm supposed to be the one that brings everyone together. In the last few months, it just seems as if there's been something missing. But nothing has changed in those last few months! I just don't understand what's happening to us, Sensei!" Leo nearly ends in a shout.
Splinter's eyes sparkle with wisdom, and he smiles inwardly. He, too, had noticed his sons' lack of function as of late. He is just glad to see that Leonardo has recognized this problem.
"I see. Yes, Leonardo, I have noticed this sudden change in behavior as well. We are all distancing ourselves from each other, and I don't believe it is a good thing. But, the most important question of all, Leonardo, is, 'what actions can we take to reverse this occurrence?'"
Leo tries to think of solutions in his mind, but everything that he comes up with sounds, at best, stupid and/or very unlikely to work.
"It's like my mind is in a fog, Sensei!" Leo exclaims in frustration.
"It is all right, my son. Everyone has his or her moments of cluelessness. I do, however, think that something is pulling our family apart. What it is, I do not know. I only have an idea what to do about it—"
Splinter is swiftly interrupted by the sound of the lair door opening. Both turn to see a bloodstained Raphael enter, and to their surprise and horror, he is carrying an unconscious woman.
Raph quickly closes the lair door. He power-walks towards the living room and kitchen, only to notice the presence of Leo and Splinter.
"Leo! Sensei!" Raph exclaims, both panic and relief evident in his voice.
"Raph! What the heck is going on? What happened!" Leo demands as he and Splinter approach Raph.
"Leonardo, calm down. Now, Raphael, please explain why you are not only covered in blood, but also carrying an unconscious woman into our home," Splinter asks firmly.
Raph, still holding onto the unknown, injured woman, stares at Splinter and Leo in exasperation.
"Sensei, the blood is coming from her! She needs medical attention! Donnie needs to take a look at her!"
At the mention of his name, said turtle comes running out of his lab, while saying,
"I heard the words Donnie, bleeding, and medical supplies. What's going on?"
Donnie walks over to where Raph is holding the woman, and his eyes widen at her condition. He notices that the blood is coming from the back of her head.
"Raph, follow me into the lab. You know I always have beds set up in case one of us gets hurt."
Raph wordlessly follows Donnie. In the lab, Raph meticulously places the woman on the cot. After checking that she's still breathing, Donnie immediately takes a look at the back of her head, and sees how heavily it is bleeding.
"Raph, grab me the gauze pads. She's bleeding like crazy, and she's going to die if we don't stop the blood flow."
Together, Raph and Donnie wrap the woman's head up in gauze; both turtles are relieved when her head finally stops bleeding after five minutes of applying pressure. They then rewrap her head in clean gauze. Donnie inserts IVs in her arms, and gives her fluids so she doesn't get dehydrated.
"Raph, I need to know exactly what happened to her in order to be able to provide the necessary medical treatment. Tell me, in full detail, what happened?" Donnie inquires.
"Wait, can we get Splinter and Leo in here so I don't have to tell the story twice?"
Donnie nods. As soon as Raph leaves the lab, "Raphael!" beckons Splinter in a firm voice from the kitchen. Raph saunters over to them, where Splinter and Leo are sitting at the table. It seems as if neither Splinter nor Leo plan on getting anymore sleep; both have a mug of coffee in their possession. Splinter takes a long sip, as Leo asks,
"How is she doing?"
"Well, Donnie and I stopped the bleeding from the back of her head, and we wrapped her head up tightly. Donnie's just inserted the IVs, and he's just doing an all-around examination. But he needs to know what happened to her so he can help. I really don't what to have to repeat the story twice, so can you and Sensei come into the lab, and listen along with Donnie?" Raph questions them.
Splinter and Leo exchange glances. "What about Mikey," Leo asks Splinter, "shouldn't we wake him up so he knows what's going on?"
"No. Michelangelo is already having trouble sleeping as it is. Waking him up would not only rob him of sleep his body desperately needs, but I believe that his presence will irritate and distract Raphael and Donatello in the worst ways possible. No, Michelangelo stays asleep unless he wakes on his own."
All three exchange glances before nodding simultaneously. All three go back to the infirmary. To Raph's surprise, Donnie has already pretty much stripped the woman bare, and then covered her with an examination gown. Well, Raph's just glad he's not the one having to wear it.
"Hey, Leo, Sensei," Donnie says nonchalantly, his focus still on the unknown woman.
"Hello, Donatello. How is our guest faring?" Queries Splinter.
"She's a lucky one, Sensei. She's fractured one of her vertebrae in her neck, but fortunately, it's low enough that it won't cause paralysis, and it's not crushing any major nerves, veins or arteries. I'm going to keep an eye on it, and make sure that it doesn't pinch anything as it heals.
She hit her head pretty hard, though. Raph and I managed to stem the blood flow. I searched for any signs of a fractured skull, but, to my surprise, I found none. She has a lot of internal bleeding though, and brain damage is likely. Actually, it was her occipital lobe that was hit the hardest, so she'll be lucky if she's ever able to see again."
Leo's cerulean eyes and Raph's amber eyes widen at the woman's prognosis, but Splinter doesn't bat an eyelash.
"What is her estimated survival rate?"
Donnie ponders this for a second or two. "Well, since her skull isn't fractured like I originally thought, I think she'll live. What I'm worried about is her sight and the possibility of brain damage. But while her condition isn't exactly stable, she isn't as bad as she was when we brought her in. Hopefully her condition will improve during the night. But until then, I need to know the exact circumstances of what happened to her."
Raph turns his gaze to all three of them, who all nod in encouragement. Raph commences…
"All right, so I know I wasn't allowed to go topside, but I was just so pissed off that I didn't care what anyone said. So, I went topside. After around an hour of hopping around the city, I spotted her sitting on the railing of her fire escape. She was around 20 feet from the ground, so I was kinda worried that she'd fall. So, I stuck around, just to watch out for her. And I was right. Her cellphone started ringing, and when she went to answer it, she lost her grip on the railing. I couldn't reach her in time to catch her. She hit the pavement. I ran to where she was bleeding on the sidewalk—"
"I hate to interrupt you, Raph, but I need to know: After she fell and hit her head, was she conscious at any point?" Donnie interjects.
"Yeah, I was getting to that. So, as I was picking her up to take her to the hospital, when I notice she's opened her eyes. She starts rambling about how I'm green, and how green is one of her favorite colors. She also called me pretty, and asked me if I was friends with her mom." Raph repeats the last part of the last sentence in bafflement.
Leo steps into the conservation. "Does she look like anyone we know, or anyone who knows April or Casey?"
Raph shakes his head no, and replies, "I don't think so. I think the hit to her head made her a little loopy. And that's not all! When I mentioned that I was gonna take her to the hospital, she practically howled no at me. She was so loud, that I knew it could and would attract the attention of people nearby. She told me that not only did she not have insurance, but her uncle or somebody worked there, and she didn't want him creeping on her. So I was forced to bring her here."
Leo's eyes narrow, and he responds, "You really couldn't of taken her to the hospital?"
Raph frowns at Leo's accusatory tone. With a throaty growl to his voice, Raph replies, "No, Lamenardo, the hospital was too far away. She would of died if I brought her there."
Splinter thrusts his walking stick on the floor, causing a large noise to echo throughout the laboratory. He sends firm glares to both Leo and Raph, who immediately calm down at the sight of an angry Splinter. Splinter sighs exasperatedly, and says,
"There is no need for harsh words and tones, my sons. Raphael did what he thought was in the best interest of the young woman's well being. And while you weren't supposed to go out tonight, Raphael, you may have just saved this young woman's life."
Splinter turns his strict gaze upon all three turtles in the room.
"And now you three are perhaps thinking about how this young woman will impact our lives. And what shall we do about her, as she's clearly seen Raphael. Well, my sons… We just have to hope that she is of the same character of Miss O'Neal or Mr. Jones. Now, with that being said, I am going to return to my chambers for the night, and I highly suggest that you three do the same. Good night."
And with that, Master Splinter leaves the infirmary. All three turtles glance at each other, a bewildered expression on all faces. Leo exhales exhaustedly.
"I'm taking Sensei's advice, and going to bed. Donnie, if anything changes, tell us. Good night."
Leo also exits the room, leaving Raph and Donnie alone in the infirmary.
"Hey, Donnie, did you find anything on her that tells you who she is?" Raph inquires.
Donnie shakes his head, and replies, "Not really. The only thing that has a chance of giving us any idea of her identity is her sweatpants. They have a logo on them. I'm going to stay up to search it, and find out where they came from. Though, even that doesn't tell us much… Wait, you said that she was reaching for her cellphone when she fell! Where is her cellphone?"
Raph shrugs. "I don't know, I was mainly focused on the massive blood flow on the back of her head to notice where her cellphone went."
Donnie nods. "I figured as much. Do you know exactly where she fell?"
"Yeah, her fire escape was in an alley between Main Street and Albany Avenue. Why, you want to go see if you can find her cellphone?"
"Among other things. I was thinking more along the lines of breaking into her apartment, and searching for identification. And I wasn't talking about me. I was talking about you."
Raph's expression instantly changes from one of curiosity to one of surprise.
"You know if I get caught, Leo is gonna be up my ass, right?"
"Yes, but you've snuck out several times before, and you weren't caught. Besides, if we have any chance of finding out who this girl is, we're going to need to do some research. I don't think she'll be waking up for a bit."
"Fine. All right, then I'm going now. If I find anything, I'll call you over the Shell Phone. Be back soon!" Raph declares as he leaves the room, and then, the lair.
*Gwen's POV (1st person)*
I can hear a voice near me, wherever I am, and it sounds like it's talking to itself. My brain and ears are too foggy to determine whether the voice is male or female, though it sounds tired.
Besides my impaired hearing, the only other sense I seem to be able to use is smell. I can't see, feel, or taste anything. It's as if my whole body is numb, and I have no power over it whatsoever. From what my brain can put together, I come to the conclusion that I may be in sleep paralysis. But in sleep paralysis, people can normally see… Did I hit the back of my head or something?
Wait… I remember now! I was sitting on the fire escape railing, when I lost my balance and fell! And then, I faintly remember someone coming to my aid, but for some reason, my mind seems to think that a giant turtle was my savior. Maybe the fall made me insane. Who knows?
I've heard that when someone is in sleep paralysis, his or her body goes into atrophy. So, I'm trying to wink an eye or wiggle a toe to try and communicate. My eyes stay stubbornly shut, but my toes seem a bit looser. I try to move my big toe with all my effort, but it doesn't budge. But that doesn't stop me from trying over and over again.
I breathe in, taking in the nearby scents of my unknown location. It's smells… sterile, like a hospital. Wait, I told the person who saved me specifically not to go the hospital! No, not the hospital…!
*3rd Person POV*
Donnie hears the heart monitor screech, causing him to sprint into the infirmary to find the cause. To his surprise, the woman's heart rate has skyrocketed, despite the fact that she seems to still be comatose. But what could cause a sudden increase in heart rate?
"Hello, can you hear me?" Donnie tries to communicate to her.
*Gwen's POV*
I hear frantic footsteps approaching me, which only increases my anxiety. Oh no, what if it's Uncle Rick? Has he come to, t-to…
But then I hear the voice again, only a lot louder and clearer. To my relief, I know that it's not Uncle Rick, because while the voice is male, Uncle Rick's voice is a few octaves lower than this one.
"Can you hear me?" The voice questions in panic. I want to answer him, but I can't talk. I then remember my toes. I try to move them with everything I have. To my immense surprise, I am able to wiggle my big toe.
*3rd Person POV*
Donnie notices that the woman's big toe is moving. Maybe she can hear him, and is trying to communicate!
"Okay, wiggle your big toe once for yes, and two for no. Can you hear me?"
*Gwen's POV*
"Okay, wiggle your big toe once for yes, and two for no. Can you hear me?"
Happy that the male talking to me noticed my moving toe, I wiggle once for yes. I hear him exhale, perhaps out of relief or maybe exhaustion.
"Okay, I'm going to ask you some yes or no questions. Wiggle once for yes, and twice for no. If you can't answer, don't wiggle at all. All right? Do you understand?"
I wiggle once.
"Good. Now, can you feel anything besides your big toe?"
I wiggle twice.
"Can you see anything?"
I wiggle twice.
"Okay, do you live in New York City?"
I wiggle once.
"Were you born in New York City?"
I wiggle twice. I was actually born in Michigan, but I can't wiggle that.
"Have you been living in New York City for longer than a year?"
I wiggle once.
"More than a decade?"
I wiggle once.
"Okay. Do you know where you are?"
I wiggle twice.
"Do you know what happened for you to be in this condition?"
I wiggle once.
"Did you see the person that saved you?"
I don't know how to wiggle this time. I mean, I thought I saw a giant turtle save me, but I think I was delirious. Well, even if it was a giant turtle that I saw, it could have been a guy wearing a costume or something.
I wiggle once. I hear him inhale sharply.
"Did you hear the voice of the person who saved you?"
Now that I think about it, yes, yes I do. It was a rough, raspy voice that implied toughness. Very unlike the voice questioning me now.
I wiggle once.
"Am I the person who rescued you?"
I wiggle twice. The voice pauses for a minute or two before replying,
"I am glad that you are not only very responsive, but also very observant to your environment. Thank you for that. Now, I'm going to let you get some rest, because you need it. Please try to calm down, and go to sleep. Good night."
The voice leaves, and I'm left alone in the dark once again. I calm my mind, attempting to sleep, as there's nothing else to really do. Soon, I fall into a deep sleep of nothingness…
*3rd Person POV*
Raph, having successfully snuck out of the lair, hops from building to building, finally coming upon the alley he is looking for. Seeing as she fell from about 20 feet, Raph can guess that that means her apartment is on the 3rd floor. Stealthily, he jumps from the roof of another building to the fire escape of the woman's building. Luckily, he makes no sound as his feet impact with the rusty metal. He quickly identifies the said apartment as hers.
He is not surprised to find the window unlocked. Grinning at this, Raph silently opens the window, and climbs into the apartment. He flushes when he realizes that he is in her bedroom.
"Damn, she could do some cleaning up around here," Raph mutters to himself.
He's not wrong. Her bedroom is littered with various dirty clothes on the bed and floor, and her trashcan is overflowing.
He scans the room, looking for a wallet or purse, and quickly finds what he's looking for. He picks up the brown cotton wallet, and opens it, his eyes automatically finding the driver's license.
"Gwendolyn Ziegler. What an interesting name for an interesting girl…" Raph ponders as he grabs her nearby purse, jumps out the window, and out into the urban New York jungle.
So, I decided on a German last name for Gwen… what do you think? And what has Uncle Rick done to Gwen in the past? So questions, and can only be answered in future chapters, which increase in quantity (and quality) along with the number of reviews I have.
So, please review! It brings smiles to the faces of writers like me, who really appreciate the feedback.
Thanks,
gothchic6 :)