Chapter 7: The Chest
A/N I want to apologize for not continuing this story for so long due to family crises. I hope to continue on a regular basis now if things go well. Thank you to all my fans for your warm feedback. Please R&R.
Since our last chapter a week has passed. Raph's leg is healing nicely, and he has been doing some stretches each morning to help strengthen his injured muscles. During the week the family and Raph have played games other than Life, taken walks together, talked a lot, enjoyed being out in nature and away from the stress and pressures of everyday life, both for the Mitchell's and life in the big city for Raph.
Mom, May, Marie, Anne and Raph were sitting around the breakfast table enjoying a quick meal of bagels with cream cheese, fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and milk while trying to plan their day. Although it was only seven in the morning, heat was pouring in through the windows. "It's going to be a real scorcher today," Raph declared.
May wiped off her damp forehead with her napkin. "It sure is. I don't even think the shade of the woods is going to be cool enough today."
"There is only one place I can think of to spend a day like today," Marie responded, then looked around the table.
All three girls shouted at the same time, "In the water!"
Raph sighed. "That sounds wonderful. I wish I could go in."
"Poor Raph," May commented. "I know I usually pick on you, but I wish you could go, too."
Mom pulled an empty chair around between her and Raph. She patted the seat. "Put your leg up here."
Raph propped his leg up on the chair. Mom carefully unwrapped the bandages. "That's amazing! You are a very fast healer. Do you think you can handle having the stitches taken out?"
"Don thinks it's something that was in the ooze that mutated us that makes us heal really quickly." May had left the table and now laid some sharp embroidery scissors, tweezers and gauze on the table next to Mom, along with a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Raph looked at the stuff on the table and kind of stumbled over his next words. "Um, is this going to hurt?"
May noticed that his face looked really pale. Although she knew he was worried she just couldn't resist. She walked over to the kitchen counter and pulled a huge butcher knife out of the wooden rack, rinsed it with hot water, then laid it on the table with the other instruments.
Raph turned a funny shade of green. OK, he is already green, but this was not his normal color. "You know, I'm not sure we should be taking the stitches out this soon," he stammered.
Mom looked up at him then. "Oh, Raph. It looks healed to me. You have nothing to be afraid of. This is the easy part. Just a bit of a tug here and there." She looked over at the table to grab the scissors. That is when she noticed the huge knife and looked up at May.
"Wh-what do you need that knife for?" Raph asked.
Before Mom could say anything May answered, "That's just in case the stitches are stuck and we have to open your leg back up to get the thread out."
Mom had her hand on Raph's leg to hold it still and she felt him start shaking. "MAY! That's enough of that! Young lady, put that away!"
May giggled as she picked up the knife. "Are you sure it wouldn't make the job easier?"
Mom just shook her head then turned to Raph. "She's just messing with your head. Don't pay any attention to her."
Raph took a deep breath and sat up taller, crossed his arms and glared at May. He jumped a bit as Mom snipped the first stitch, but looked May right in the eyes and mouthed the words, 'I'll get you back.'
May winked at him then ran to change clothes and get ready to go out. Marie cleared the table and Anne quickly washed the dishes, then they both went to get ready, too.
About ten minutes later Mom wiped off Raph's leg with a bit of gauze. "All done and I don't see any open wound at all. I think you should be fine to go in the water with us."
Raph gulped in a huge breath like he had been holding it for a very long time. "I'm glad that's over," he grinned. "And swimming sounds wonderful."
Everyone headed down the trail to the beach, but as they came out of the woods they stopped and Raph backed up into the trees quickly. The beach had been empty most of the week so they hadn't even thought about this. It wasn't even eight in the morning yet and the beach was packed! Mom made the first comment. "I have really enjoyed the peacefulness of being in the woods and that mob would just ruin it for me."
Anne answered, "Looks like everyone in the state has the same idea as we do as for the best place to spend the day."
Marie made a suggestion. "You know, there is a wide place in the river right up behind our cabin and I have never seen anyone there. We would have to watch out for people canoeing but there aren't any hiking trails up that way. Why don't we check it out?"
"That's a great idea," Anne agreed.
They hiked back up past the cabin and a short ways up the hill they came to the river. Because it got wider and deeper there, the water slowed way down, making it the perfect place to swim. Marie and Anne got in first with their goggles on and checked for rocks, sharp objects and any other dangerous places near the edge. May and Mom spread out the blanket, and then took off their cover-ups. May walked down to the edge of the river, and then turned and glanced over at Raph. "Look, everyone! Raph's naked!"
Anne and Marie had just stood up in the river and both turned and looked that way. Mom looked without thinking when everyone else did. Poor Raph just stood there looking at them. The thing is, May didn't realize how well his leg had healed. The next thing she knew, he raced over, tossed her over his shoulder and stepped in to the water. "I believe I owe you twice just for today," he commented as he dumped her into the cool water.
All she managed to do was shriek before she went under. She popped back up sputtering and splashing. "I can't believe you just did that!"
Raph grinned. "That was just for today. Don't forget, now that I'm able to get around, I owe you for about ten days of harassment."
May formed a halo out of her fingers. "Who, me? I would never." With that, she kicked enough water to douse Raph good and took off across the river.
After an hour of swimming, races and chasing each other around in the water all five of them were ready to rest. The ladies put on sunscreen and lay down on their towels. Anne held the tube out to Raph. "Do you need some of this?"
Raph smiled gently at her. "Thank you, but reptile skin doesn't sunburn very easily. Do you want me put some on your back?"
Anne slid over next to Raph and he smoothed the white lotion across her back. "Thank you," she murmured, and then lay down to soak up some sun.
Everyone was quiet and starting to doze off when May asked, "What do you think your brothers are doing right now, Raph? Will they be looking for you?"
She heard him sigh before he answered. "I bet they are looking for me. At least Splinter will be worried even if the guys aren't. I wish I could get in touch with them."
Meanwhile, in the cartoon dimension in New York City…..
"Okay, we have checked out The Foot headquarters," Leo stated to his brothers. They were sitting around the table marking a map of the city.
"Yes, we've checked every inch of Shredder's building," Don added while marking an X on the map.
"We have searched through every warehouse in the city and the surrounding area, whether they are in use or not," Mikey pointed out, and started to make more marks on the map. Leo noticed that Mikey's hand moved more and more slowly. Then he saw a wet spot on the map. Mikey had started crying.
When he saw his brothers watching him he quickly wiped his tears. "Why did Raph demand to go out on a run by himself?"
Leo put a comforting hand on his brothers back. "It's OK, Mikey. We all miss him."
Don smiled encouragingly. "Think about it. If I know Raph, he probably has women surrounding him, waiting on him hand and foot."
Leo chuckled and nodded as he pictured that.
Even Mikey cheered up. He would never admit it, but Raph was a bit of a hero to him. "So where else can we look for him?"
Leo looked down at the X's on the map. "Well, it looks like we have looked everywhere here in the city. The only place I can think of that any of us would go on purpose is Casey's farmhouse."
Don sighed, "Yes, but what if he didn't go somewhere on purpose? What if he was taken against his will?"
Mikey chuckled. "The only way he could have been forced to go anywhere is if he was unconscious and I can just imagine how mad he would be when he woke up."
The other two nodded and Don added, "Somebody is going to be sorry." A timer rang then and Don got up. "I'll be right back, guys." He walked into his lab.
When he came back he looked pale and worried. "What is it?" Leo asked.
"You know that blood you found under the fire escape in the alley?"
Leo nodded.
"I just finished testing it and can say with 99.9 accuracy that it is Raph's blood." He dropped into his chair and held his head in his hands.
Mikey gasped and Leo shook his head. "He's hurt! We need to find him now!"
Mikey asked, "What if we can't find him anywhere?"
Don stated, "If he isn't anywhere around here we will have to try different dimensions."
Leo thought he was crazy but it was Mikey who spoke up. "Do you know how many there are? There is probably a million or more. This could take forever."
Splinter came out of his dojo then. He gazed upon their forlorn faces. "My sons, we must not give up. Your brother is out there. We just have to have patience and seek wisdom to find Raphael." He put his paw on Mikey's shoulder. "I know you all miss your brother, but we must always have hope."
Mikey sighed. "I know, but it's just so hard. It seems like it has been way too long since he disappeared."
"Master Splinter, it has been ten days since he disappeared," Don pointed out.
Splinter nodded. "Yes, I know. I, too, have been counting the days." Splinter looked sadly at his feet. After a few seconds he lifted his head and looked straight into the eyes of each of them. "My sons, I think it would be best if all three of you rested now. Tonight, when most people up above are asleep, we will go forth and seek your brother." With that, Splinter turned and headed for his own bedroom.
Mikey murmured, "I don't think I can sleep. I have hardly slept a wink since Raph disappeared. How can Splinter love us and still go to sleep?"
"Shhhhh," Leo put his finger to his mouth, but his warning came too late.
Splinter turned with his paw on his doorknob. "Michelangelo, you must learn to channel your thoughts. Your body and your mind need to rest. Perhaps, if you clear your mind, it will show you where we should look next."
"Yes, Master Splinter." And with that they all three obeyed and went to get some much needed rest.
Back in the human world at the swimming hole…….
Everyone was starting to get really hot in the sun. May stood up and stretched. "I'm roasting. It's time to get back in that beautiful water. Anyone care to join me?"
The other four groaned as they got to their feet. "Yeah, it's definitely time to cool off again," Anne reached down and got her goggles off of her towel.
As they started toward the river Raph tapped Anne on the shoulder. "How big can you make those goggles?"
Anne showed him how long the strap was. "Why, do you want to use them?"
Raph nodded. "Yes, there was a deep spot in the river that I would really like to check out. It looked like there was a strange shape in it."
Marie said, "You will be careful, right? We've all heard of people getting trapped in old equipment under water and drowning."
Mom added, "She's right. And if there would be anything sharp you could be severely cut."
"Oh, I promise I'll be careful. I know you did a good job, but I really don't want you to have to stitch me up again." He shuddered.
The four ladies laughed and nodded. "I'd rather not have to either, Raph," Mom stated.
Anne extended the strap on the goggles until they looked like they would fit around Raph's head. "Here, try these." She handed them to him.
Raph put them on and made a couple of adjustments. "They're perfect. Thanks." With that, he walked into the river, and then dove out of site.
The four ladies swam around a bit, but they were all keeping an eye out for Raph to return. After several minutes Anne was getting worried. "I think he's been down there way too long."
May taunted, "You just don't want him out of your sight this long, Annie."
Anne's face turned red but she didn't answer. She just continued to watch where Raph had disappeared.
Marie popped up out of the water right in front of her and made her jump. "Anne, don't forget, he's a turtle, a reptile. I would guess he can hold his breath a lot longer than we can."
Anne sighed. "That's right, Marie. Thank you for reminding me."
Marie watched Anne swim off, but every time she came up she watched where Raph had been. 'I wonder if May is right about Anne?' she thought.
It was only a couple more minutes until Raph's head broke the surface. He seemed to be struggling with something as he kicked his feet toward shore. Marie noticed he was not using his arms to swim.
By the time he got close enough to shore to stand up all four ladies were watching him. He set something out of the water in front of him, and then turned toward them. "Come here, ok? I found something interesting."
The four of them quickly swam over to join Raph. There in front of him was a large, water soaked, wooden chest with brass trim and a lock on it.
They all stared at it. May was the first to speak. "Yo, ho, ho. Me thinks you've found a pirates treasure."
Marie laughed at her. "Wouldn't that change our lives?"
"It sure would," Anne responded.
They all climbed up out of the river. "What are you going to do with that?" Mom asked.
The girls all started talking at once, "We have to take it with us……… We can't leave it here, someone will steal it…………..We have to see what's in it."
Mom looked at Raph and shook her head. "It sounds like this a lot at our house. Everyone has an opinion and wants to be heard first. Raph, you found it. What do you want to do with it?"
Raph grinned at her. "I think we were meant to find it and I'd really like to know what is in it. It's pretty heavy. Do you think we can carry it back to the cabin so we don't get robbed of our treasure?"
Anne, Marie and May dried off quickly and threw their towels to Mom. "We'll help," they all volunteered. Each of them grabbed a corner and Raph grabbed the fourth.
"On my count of three," Raph said. "One, two, three."
They all grunted and groaned, but managed to lift the chest. Mom led the way back to the cabin, unlocked the basement door and held it open for them.
Once it was on the dry floor, they covered the windows and turned on the lights. May picked up the lock and looked at it. "What do we do now?" she asked.
Raph walked over and picked up one of his sais. "Well, here goes nothing." Raph grunted as he forced the end of his sai into the lock and pushed. It finally snapped off and clattered to the floor.
"Well," he asked. "Who is going to do the honors?"
Anne answered, "You found it. I think you should be the one to open it."
The other three nodded, then they all four held their breath. Raph struggled getting a hold of the latch with his large green fingers, but he finally got it. Because it was rusty it made grinding sounds as he pulled it up.
He grasped the lid and was about to lift it when Mom asked, "Are you sure we should be doing this? Do you girls remember the story of Pandora's Box? What if it is something dangerous?"
The other four groaned. "Mom," May responded. "That was mythology. It wasn't fact."
Mom cleared her throat, then said, "Well, to be honest, what are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?"
Raph's mouth dropped open. Then he turned a hurt look on Mom. "Exactly what are you trying to say?"
May patted him on the shoulder. "It's OK, Raph. Mom is just kidding, aren't you, Mom?" She turned back to the chest. "Come on, we really want to see what's in this."
"I'm sorry, Raph. I know you are real," Mom apologized.
Anne reached over and grabbed Raph's sais and posed. "It's ok, Mom. I'll protect you." She nodded at Raph. "We're ready."
Raph winked at her, and then lifted the heavy lid.
They all gasped in shock. "Oh, my gosh!" May exclaimed.
The sais clattered loudly on the floor as Anne stared in shock.
Marie's eyes were huge as she looked from the chest to Raph's face and back down.
Raph took one look at Marie, and then jumped to the side just in time to catch Mom when she passed out.
