Chapter 7
Leo's Pov
The drive to Vern's home was long and silent, save for Matty's wheezing. She didn't move at all, and Raph held her close. As we were driving down an empty country road, we saw Vern leaning on his car at the edge of a two track lane. He pushed off of his car as we pulled over.
"Figured I'd wait here for you in case the GPS didn't get you all the way there. Sometimes this road doesn't like to show up." He said. He glanced quickly at the back of the van, then back at me, his face fraught with concern. "How is she?" He whispered. I shook my head.
"It's bad. Can't tell how bad yet, but first glance says very bad." I told him. He shook his head sadly.
"All right. Just go down this road here. It's a private driveway. Only leads to the house. April and Splinter are waiting." He said, backing away. I nodded.
"Thanks." I said. It took nearly ten more minutes to get to the house. When he said private, he meant it. There was nothing but woods all around, of coarse that was a good thing for us.
When we reached the house, both April and Master Splinter were waiting on the porch. As we parked April ran to the van.
"Leo!" She shouted. I climbed out of the van.
"Hey April."
April threw her arms around me.
"I was so worried about you guys! I can't believe this is happening." She said. She let go of me and stepped back. She had tears in her eyes.
"So…" She began, not really wanting the answer to her question.
I made my way to the back of the van, April followed me. Donnie and Mikey went to Master Splinter.
I opened the doors, and April gasped.
"Oh Matty." She whispered.
Raphael set her down in front of him, slid out of the van, then picked her up once more. Vern walked over to us.
"Come on, there's a room ready for her. April show him where." He said. She nodded, and led Raph into the house. I made a move to follow, but Vern caught my arm.
"I'm going to tell you now, and I already cleared it with Splinter. I have someone coming here to look at Matty." He said.
"What? Who?" I asked.
"She's a doctor. Well actually, technically she's a vet, but Matty is gonna need to be checked out. Not just for the injuries, but the, uh, baby too. You know?" He said.
"And a vet is going to help her?"
"She has access to medical equipment. It all works the same, she just usually uses it on animals. It's the best I could do. She's an old friend of mine. We went to school together for a bit."
"What did you tell her?" I asked.
"I told her I had some friends coming up here, and that one of them was injured, and we couldn't take her to a hospital. I didn't tell her about, you know, what you are or nothing. But, you can trust her, Leo, I promise. You guys will like her even. She should be here soon too." He said.
I sighed. I guess we didn't really have a choice. He was right. Matty needed to be looked at, and none of us had any type of knowledge when it came to this kind of thing.
We went into the house, and I followed Vern to a room near the back of the house on the first floor. April stood in front of us before we entered. She looked exasperated.
"He is going to be a problem." She said.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"He is being way over protective of her, and he won't move so I can clean her up." She said. Vern shook his head.
"Sonny is gonna rip him a new one if he doesn't cooperate. When she's got something to do, she's all business. I've seen her chew out too many people. She isn't gonna care how big he is or how scary he tries to be." he said. Right then, there was a knock on the door.
Donnie and Mikey poked their heads out of the kitchen.
"Who is that?" They asked. I looked at them.
"A doctor for Matilda." I told them. "You two stay in there for right now. I think it's best if she only sees one of us at first."
Master Splinter stood next to me, nodding.
"I think this is a wise choice my son. You and I will greet her with Vernon." He said. I nodded.
We followed Vern out towards the front room, but stayed just out of sight. Vern opened the door and let his guest in.
A woman, who looked to be in her thirties, entered. Shiny blonde hair, brown eyes, and not very tall. She also didn't look very happy.
"Vernon Fenwick, what the hell is going on? Why are you being so secretive?" She asked immediately. Vern was right, she was all business. Vern smiled at her.
"Sonny, the friends I have here, they're, um, a little different." He said. I rolled my eyes. A little different? Yeah.
She huffed.
"Dammit Vern. Cut to the chase here please, you said someone needed help." She said hotly. Vern nodded.
"Ok, Ok. Come on out guys." He said.
Master Splinter and I came out from the hall. The woman's eyes widened, but she made no sound. Master Splinter bowed, I followed.
"Good afternoon. My name is Splinter. This is my son, Leonardo." Master Splinter said.
The woman seemed to regain herself. She stepped forward, offering Master Splinter her hand.
"I'm Sonny Connors." She said. "Vern said you were different, though I usually take whatever he says with a grain of salt. He tends to exaggerate." She smiled. Vern frowned, but said nothing.
"How many of you are there?" She asked
"My four sons, and myself. Donatello, Michelangelo come out and meet our guest." Splinter said, calling to my brothers. Both came from the kitchen. They bowed.
"Hello, I'm sonny." she said. She looked to Splinter. "And what of the injured?"
"She is in the back room, with my son Raphael." He said. Sonny looked confused.
"She?"
Vern stepped forward.
"Her name is Matilda" He said.
"Is she…" Sonny began to ask.
"No. She is human." I said.
"Well, I better get back there then. Can't leave her waiting." She said. She started towards the back room. I stopped her in the hall.
"There's something you should know. My brother, he's very, um, emotional right now. He might not be cooperative with you." I said. She just smiled.
"Oh, I think he'll be just fine" She said.
"Leonardo, Michelangelo. You two come help out here. Donatello, please assist Dr. Connors." Splinter said.
Donnie nodded and followed Dr. Connors down the hall.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Sonny's Pov
These people were unbelievable. Four giant turtles and a rat.
When we reached the door, Donatello went to open it, I stopped him.
"I'll go in first." I said. He looked hesitant. "I'll be fine."
He nodded and moved aside.
I opened the door and stepped inside. In the bed was a young woman. Bruises and cuts covered her. Her breathing was shallow and raspy. She was in very bad shape. Another turtle, who seemed bigger than the others, sat at the side of the bed. He was stroking her hair and whispering to her. He looked up at me. I squared my shoulders and put my business face on.
"My name is Dr. Connors. And you have two options. You can either leave, or help me." I said. He stared at me, then stood up.
"What do you want me to do?" He asked. I walked over to the bed, took off my jacket and put it on a chair.
"First off, I need you to strip her down to her underclothes." I said. I turned to Donatello. "Donnie, I need you to clear this little table off here and start setting out my tools. I'm going to the bathroom to scrub up."
They both set to work. I went into the bathroom. I opened the cabinet and looked around in it. I grabbed the bottle of alcohol, a pack of gauze, and the aspirin that was in there. I washed my hands as well as I could then went back out into the room. Both the brothers were finished with their tasks.
"Now, I want you to sit there quietly until I give you something else to do, understand?" I said. He looked a little deflated but nodded.
I began my work. First cleaning up the dried blood, then using the rubbing alcohol. I began examining the cuts. None of them were deep, so that meant no stitches, which was good. Looking at all the needle punctures, I wondered what they had been injecting into her.
"How did this happen?" I asked as I worked.
"She was abducted. A group called The Purple Dragons." Raphael said.
"Purple Dragons? I've never heard of them. Kind of a silly name." I said. "Do you know why?"
Donnie stepped forward.
"We think they were after information her mother might have known." He said.
"Where's her mother?"
"She was killed, a long time ago, when Matty was still a kid. The dragons set their apartment on fire."
Raphael looked from Matilda to me.
"Is there any way to….to find out if the…baby is o-ok?" He asked. I looked up at him.
"Baby? She's pregnant?" I asked. He nodded. "Vern didn't tell me that." I said. I looked down at the unconscious girl.
"I don't have that equipment with me. I wouldn't have had it anyhow. It's out with my assistant on a job." I said.
I finished what I could, and set up an IV drip. I looked at Raphael.
"Who is the father?" I asked, though I was pretty sure I knew the answer. He looked at me, then back at Matilda.
"We didn't think it could happen. The night she was taken is the night she found out." He said, not looking at me. "She called me, sounding scared about something, but didn't tell what it was. When I got to her apartment, she was gone. There were pregnancy tests in the bathroom. That's how I found out."
Wow. That has to be the worst way to find out something like this. He looked lost, and completely unsure. I gathered my things, and grabbed my jacket. Donatello opened the door and we went back out into the front room.
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Leo's Pov
We heard the bedroom door open. Donnie and Dr. Connors came out into the front room.
"For the most part, she seems stable. None of the cuts required stitching. I won't be able to tell about the baby, which you completely forgot to mention Vernon, until tomorrow. The equipment for that is being used today. I set up a fluid drip as well. That's all I can do for now." She said. Master Splinter stood and bowed. Donnie, Mikey, and I followed suit.
"Thank you, Dr. Connors. We owe you a great debt." He said.
"I am glad I was able to at least something for her today. Like I said, I'll be back tomorrow with the equipment. Then we can see about the baby, and any possible internal injuries." she replied. She turned to Vern.
"I should be here around 7 or 8." she said. Vern nodded.
"Ok. Thanks Sonny. Let me walk you out." He said. He opened the front door for her and they went outside.
I looked over to Donnie.
"How was he?" I asked. Donnie shrugged.
"He didn't cause problems. She was pretty commanding though. Didn't waste any time letting him know she was in charge." He said.
"Good." I said. April stood then.
"Well, come on guys. Let's get some of these other bedrooms set up."
So the rest of the evening we spent opening windows to air the house out, making beds and things. No one went into that first room. Not even Master Splinter.
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Raph's Pov
After the doctor left I grabbed the bag April brought in. There was a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt in it. I put them on Matty. She still looked so frail, but at least she wasn't covered in dry blood anymore.
I wondered how long it would be before she woke. She'd been unconscious for hours. My mind was racing and I could feel my anxiety beginning to get the better of me. I tried to slow myself down, tried to think of other things but it just wasn't working. Then I had a thought. Any time I was pissed off about something, usually Leo, Matty would sing. Something, she said, she learned from her mom. Her mom would sing whenever she was upset, that it let her clear her mind and refocus.
I took her hand in mine, and thought about all her favorite songs. I closed my eyes and sang to her.
"I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life and I thought
"Hey, you know, this could be something"
'Cause everything you do and words you say
You know that it all takes my breath away
And now I'm left with nothing
So maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
And maybe two is better than one
There's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
And you've already got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two is better than one
I remember every look upon your face
The way you roll your eyes
The way you taste
You make it hard for breathing
'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away
I think of you and everything's okay
I'm finally now believing
That maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
And maybe two is better than one
There's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
And you thought that it got me coming undone
And I'm thinking two is better than one
I remember what you wore on the first day
You came into my life and I thought, "Hey,"
Maybe it's true
That I can't live without you
Maybe two is better than one
There's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
And you thought that it got me coming undone
And I'm thinking
Ooh, ooh,
I can't live without you
'Cause, baby, two is better than one
There's so much time
To figure out the rest of my life
But I'll figure it out
When all is said and done
Two is better than one
Two is better than one"
Tears fell again as I opened my eyes, and she was still as stone.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"Matty, it's time to wake up."
I heard a voice, her voice. But that was impossible. There's no way.
"Oh, it's me baby girl, I promise."
My eyes popped open then. Though there was nothing but a great white expanse before me. I wiggled my fingers and stretched my legs, and was surprised. All the pain was gone. I sat up. There were no cuts or bruises either.
"There is nothing like that in this place. You can stand too, if you want."
I stood.
"Mom…is…is that you?" I asked, my eyes threatening tears. A hand fell on my shoulder from behind me. I spun around.
There I found that familiar smiling face. Those unbelievable green eyes, and perfect teeth. Her blond hair was shining in her usual messy bun. I launched myself at her, sobbing.
"Oh mom!" I choked. She wrapped her arms around me and we stood there, not saying a word. She finally let go and took a step back, still smiling.
"My baby girl. Look at you. More beautiful than I could have ever imagined." She said.
"Good genes I guess." I said. She laughed. Then she placed a hand over my belly.
"And now you get to pass them on." She said, eyes twinkling with happiness. I blushed.
"You know everything, don't you?" I asked. She laughed, and nodded.
"Yes, I do. He's an incredible person. And a lucky one at that. You both are." She said.
"Where are we? What is this place?" I asked.
"The in-between. At least that's what I call it. It's kind of like a dream space, I suppose." She said looking around. I frowned.
"So, what? Does that mean this isn't really happening?" I said. Mom shrugged.
"Who knows? And at this point, does it matter? I know I am me. And you know you are you." She said. "Now, I imagine you have questions."
"Too many I think." I said. She smiled at me.
"Probably." She said. She lifted her hand and caressed my cheek. I closed my eyes and leaned into it, sighing.
"I've missed you so much. There's so much that's happened that I've wanted to tell you. Especially in the last year. Mom, these guys, they are amazing. All of them." I said.
Mom's eyes filled with tears.
"I know baby girl. But right now, I need you to wake up." She said.
"Wait, what?"
"I need you to wake up. He's calling you, baby. He needs you."
Another voice whispered in the air, his voice.
"Wake up, baby. I need you to wake up." Mom said, backing away from me.
"Mom wait, no! Don't go!" I yelled reaching for her.
"Wake up baby."
Mom began to fade, and I began to get woozy.
"Mom, don't leave me again! Please!"
I stumbled forward.
"I need you to wake up baby. Come back to me."
"Raph? Wha-" I tripped and fell forward, but I never hit the ground.
Suddenly I felt like I was lying on something soft. Someone was touching my head, and stroking my hand. I willed myself to open my eyes. The room I was in was bright, and blurry. A dark figure sat next to me. Slowly my vision began to focus.
"Raphael?" I said. My voice raspy and harsh. Raph's head snapped up, wide eyed.
"Matty!? Baby, I'm right here! You're ok, you're ok!" He shouted, tears in his eyes. He leaned over and scooped me up into his arms, squeezing me. I winced. The pain was back.
"Ouch. Easy, babe. I'm still a little bit busted up here." I said teasingly. He let go quickly, his face full of concern.
"Shit, I'm sorry! I didn't think-"
"Calm down, hero. I'm just kidding…mostly. I mean I'm not gonna fall apart from a hug, but maybe not so hard." I said smiling. He smiled back.
"I love you, Green Machine." I said. He reached over and touched my face, I put my hand over his and closed my eyes.
"I love you too."
We sat that way for a minute. I opened my eyes and looked towards the door.
"Maybe you should let everyone else know I'm awake?" I said. He nodded.
"Sounds like a good idea. Dr. Connors will want to talk to you." He said.
"Dr. Connors?" I asked.
"She's a friend of Vern's. She's technically a vet, I guess. But we needed someone to look at you and…." He said, not finishing the sentence.
"The baby." I said. We both looked away for a moment. Finally I spoke.
"Boy, we really put our foot in it, didn't we? Went from worrying about telling them we were dating to this." I said joking. Raph frowned.
"This isn't funny Matty." He said.
"No it's not really. But what can we do?" I said. He thought about it for a moment, then shrugged.
"Not a damn thing."
We both laughed, which hurt me slightly and I winced.
"Ouch, dammit." I hissed.
"You ok?" Raph asked. I nodded.
Just then, the door opened, and Mikey's face peeked in. when he saw me and he started beaming from ear to ear.
"You're awake! You're awake!" He squealed, nearly throwing himself on me. He landed on the side of the bed opposite of Raphael, who looked ominous.
"Easy Green Machine, you know how he gets." I said, trying to calm him. He looked at me, then at Mikey, then back at me. "I'm fine."
"Hey guys! Matty's awake! She's awake! Get in here!" Mikey shouted. "Man, dudette! You had us freaked out!" He said.
The rest of my rowdy bunch filed in, including April and Vern. Behind them all I could only assume was Dr. Connors. I looked at Raph.
"Help me fix these pillows so I can sit right." I said, leaning forward. Raph situated the pillows for me and I leaned back again. I waved at everyone.
"Hey guys, how's it going?" I said smiling.
There were smiles and tears, and laughter all around. There might have also been a stern lecture from Master Splinter, well warranted of coarse.
I soon felt my eyes getting droopy, and it was then that everyone was ushered out of the room by Dr. Connors. All except Raphael. When Dr. Connors closed the door, Raphael switched off the light, and crawled into the bed with me. The moment he settled down next to me, I drifted away into sleep. I barely heard him whisper 'I love you'. I was out before I could reply.
