Hey guys thank you again for those who have reviewed. This chapter took me longer than I thought it would and I'm still not sure if I'm entirely happy with it, but it did get me to the point where I needed it to be. So I hope it was worth the wait. I'll work on the next chapter and have it up as soon as I can. Thanks again for all your support. :D
Juubun - enough
Chapter 9
For Elizabeth the next couple of weeks seemed to drag by. Donatello refused to let her up for anything, which made for some very embarrassing situations that Elizabeth hated to think about. Donatello had stressed to her over and over during these times the seriousness of her injuries and how close she had been to dying. So Elizabeth closed her eyes, bit her lip, and hummed quietly to herself while Donatello did what he needed to.
On the plus side Elizabeth's relationships with the turtles had grown quite a bit over the last couple weeks. Michelangelo was always bringing her stacks of his comic books to try and keep her entertained, Elizabeth had never looked at a comic book before – and while she wasn't very fond of them it was much better than looking at the walls. When not reading his comic books Elizabeth enjoyed hearing Michelangelo spin together wild stories of his favorite super hero the Turtle Titan. Michelangelo always insisted that what he told her was true but the look on Donatello's face, because he was usually on the other side of the infirmary working on his computer, would tell Elizabeth otherwise.
Donatello was much quieter than his brother, he went about the infirmary checking her wounds without saying much and then would go to his computer to work. Elizabeth would watch in fascination for hours as jumbled symbols would flash across the screen that Donatello seemed perfectly capable of decoding. It was fascinating watching him scribble down things and check encyclopedia sized books to check references. Whenever he wasn't working on his computer he seemed to be tinkering with odd gadgets, a constant line between his eye ridges and often times his tongue poked from the corner of his mouth as he concentrated. She'd seen him repair many things over the last couple weeks and had no doubt in her mind that Donatello was definitely the mechanical genius of the family. It seemed strange that his hands, which looked rather large and awkward, could handle and fix something so small.
And then there was Leonardo. He came in almost every night. His demeanor towards her had changed considerably over the past couple weeks and Elizabeth had really come to like him. She enjoyed the conversations that she had with him, enjoyed the way gold specks seemed to light up in his eyes when he told her about their friends April and Casey, or when she asked him what meditation was. He had a spiritual presence about him, as if he were very tuned in with the spirit world beyond this one. His disposition was still just as strong as it had been the first time she'd seen him, but now she was on the opposite side of the wall, no longer was he protecting his brothers from her, but he was protecting her from whatever Graham might try to do to her. Elizabeth didn't know what it was about Leonardo, but he made her feel just as protected as Raphael did. Whenever he was in the room with her she knew she was safe, that anyone trying to hurt her would have to get through him first, and she had a feeling that that would be no easy task even for the most experienced of Graham's thugs.
Raphael on the other hand had spent very little time with Elizabeth, and whenever he was with her he seemed very distant and cold – almost like how Leonardo had treated her at first. She often saw him pass in front of the infirmary, those strange weapons of his clenched in his hands, his face hard and his eyes like flint. He would often scowl at nothing, as if his mind were somewhere else. This side of Raphael frightened her a little. What had made him change so quickly? Why was he avoiding her?
"Well everything looks like it is healing up really well, Elizabeth," Donatello said at the end of two weeks as he redressed the wound underneath her ribcage. He'd taken the stitches out a couple days ago but had insisted on keeping the wound dressed to keep it as clean as possible. Elizabeth's ribs were still sore but Donatello had assured her that they were mending and the swelling and bruises on her face were fading slowly, although the bruises marring her neck were still distinctly defined.
"If things look ok I think we can move you out of here tomorrow," Donatello said with a smile as he began to put away his things.
"Move me out of here?" Elizabeth asked, wondering if Donatello was going to insist that she go see a real doctor.
Donatello paused, looking at her with a puzzled expression. "Aren't you sick of the infirmary? Mikey fixed up the guest room for you – it would be more comfortable for you there."
Relief washed over Elizabeth's face and she grinned.
Donatello grinned back. "I thought so," he chuckled.
His mood abruptly changed when Leonardo stepped into the infirmary, his brown eyes dark and angry behind his blue mask.
"Leo… ?" Donatello asked, concerned.
"Mikey said he'd sit with her tonight," Leonardo said glancing quickly at Elizabeth and softening his tone when he saw her stunned expression. "I'm going to go find Raph."
Donatello's eyes narrowed. "Where is he?"
Leonardo gave him a pointed look and Donatello's jaw bulged a little as he clenched his teeth. He nodded once at his brother and then hurried to his computer. "If he took his shell cell I might be able to give you an idea of where he is, Leo."
Leonardo turned to Elizabeth with a tight lipped smile. "Mikey has the guest room all set up for you, Elizabeth, so if Donny says it's ok we can get you set up in the morning."
"Thanks, Leo," Elizabeth whispered.
"He's on Park Avenue, Leo – he might be heading for Central Park," Donatello called over his shoulder.
"Thanks, Donny." Leonardo turned back to Elizabeth. "See you in the morning, Elizabeth."
"Leo?" Elizabeth reached out and brushed Leonardo's jade colored skin. Leonardo paused, waiting. Elizabeth could feel warmth spreading in her cheeks and bit her lip.
"What is it, Elizabeth?" Leonardo's tone was patient although he shifted his weight impatiently.
"Nothing… never mind," Elizabeth said dropping her gaze to her lap.
Leonardo frowned but didn't press her. Instead he turned away and hurried out of the infirmary.
Donatello shut down his computer and set an encyclopedia sized book of electronics down on his desk and gave Elizabeth a tight smile.
"You want me to stay until Mikey gets here?"
Elizabeth shook her head, still not looking up from her lap.
"Leo wasn't trying to be rude, Elizabeth," Donatello said gently.
"I know that," Elizabeth said simply.
"Then what is it?"
Elizabeth shook her head, biting her lip.
Donatello frowned and moved closer to the cot, he sat next to her hip and gently lifted her chin so she had to look him in the eyes. "Elizabeth, what's bothering you?"
"Raph left?" Elizabeth asked, she stared into Donatello's chocolate brown eyes, her own green eyes unusually bright.
"Raph goes out all the time, Elizabeth. We all do. Going topside is the best way for us to blow off steam and get exercise. Raph's been feeling a little cooped up lately is all. He doesn't like being down here for this long. He'd usually go out with Casey but with Casey still out of town Raph is getting restless. Leo just didn't want him going out tonight because it is supposed to storm is all."
"So he isn't… he's not mad at me?"
Donatello's frown deepened. "Why would you think that?"
Elizabeth shrugged. "I just haven't seen him much is all. And whenever he's in here with me… he seems so… I don't know… "
Donatello's jaw tightened. "That's just Raph being Raph, Elizabeth. It doesn't have anything to do with you. He isn't mad at you."
"But he seems so distant… " Elizabeth protested.
Donatello closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead wearily as if he suddenly had a headache. "Elizabeth, Raph was pretty upset when Leo and Mikey brought you back after… well, after… "
Elizabeth flinched.
"After I came around and was able to help you I was hard pressed to get Raph to leave you. He didn't sleep or eat for four days, it was almost impossible to get him to do anything else but sit here with you. He was really quiet – which scared us more than if he'd started breaking stuff. I've never seen Raph so angry before. If Sensei hadn't told him that revenge wouldn't help you and that he'd do more good by staying here with you… well, I don't think we could have stopped him from going after Graham himself."
"But I'm ok now," Elizabeth pointed out.
Donatello nodded. "Yes that's true, but, Elizabeth, I don't know if realize how close you were to not making it. By the time I came around it was taking all the skills they had for Sensei and Leo to keep you alive. I thought it was best to get you up to a hospital, somewhere that you could have the proper equipment to take care of you but Raph wouldn't have it. He said it wasn't safe for you up there, that the best place for you was here. I told him that if we kept you down here you could die… but he wouldn't budge, and Mikey backed him up."
Elizabeth pondered that for a minute, wondering if she should be angry that Raphael was willing to risk her life by keeping her down here. But there was no anger in her, in fact her heart fluttered at the thought that Raphael had wanted to keep her down here, that he had wanted her close. And she knew that if she had had a choice she would have done the same thing.
"Elizabeth, Raph cares about you. He doesn't always show it, but he doesn't want anything else to happen to you. Leo is worried he's going to go after Graham alone."
Elizabeth's eyes widened in horror. "He wouldn't do that would he, Donny?"
"It wouldn't be the first time Raph's temper has clouded his judgment," Donatello said with a shake of his head. "The real problem is that when Leo and Mikey took you away from Cooper Enterprises there was no proof that Graham had nearly killed you, so he wasn't arrested. With Graham running the company he could easily tamper with the security videos and there would be no proof convicting him."
"What if Graham tries again?" Elizabeth screeched, grabbing Donatello's arm and digging her nails into his soft flesh, Donatello grimaced. "If he's still free and Leo and Raph are up there what's going to stop him from going after them?"
"Leo and Raph can take care of themselves. Graham might take on more than he bargained for if he tried something with them, plus they both have a score to settle with him. Leo might not be looking for a fight but Raph is. And at this point I don't think he cares who it is. When he gets like that it is usually best to stay out of his way."
"And Leo?"
"Leo is just going to try and bring Raph back. We normally don't go topside when it rains, it makes the rooftops slick."
"You guys climb on the rooftops?"
Donatello gave her a slightly sad smile. "Well we have to get around the city somehow and we obviously can't walk among the crowds of people on the street now can we?"
"No I guess not," Elizabeth agreed. "So you just climb up and down the fire escapes?"
"No, not really," Donatello grinned, his eyes dancing with a spark of humor. "We jump from roof to roof."
Elizabeth's jaw dropped and she had to fumble around for a minute before remembering how to close it. "You… you jump?"
Donatello laughed. "We're more agile than the average human, Elizabeth."
"Is that how Mikey and Leo followed me to Cooper Enterprises?"
"Yes, after getting Raph set up in the infirmary Leo came out to discover you were gone. He was really angry and he and Mikey went after you. By the time they reached the surface you were already on the sidewalk. It was too crowded for them to drag you back so they made their way to the rooftops to keep track of you. Leo said you went to the street corner then hailed a cab. They were hard pressed to keep track of you but they were able to follow you to Cooper Enterprises. They saw you enter Graham's office… and well you know the rest."
Elizabeth did know the rest she didn't need to hear it again.
"Leo isn't still mad with me about that is he?"
The ridges over Donatello's eyes furrowed. "No he isn't. When he and Mikey followed you to Cooper Enterprises he thought that maybe you were in on the whole thing, that you were working for one of our enemies and you were leading them into a trap. That is why they didn't act until they saw you go into Graham's office. Leo wanted to have the element of surprise to see what side you were really on. Mikey got to the window first and he saw Graham's hand around your throat and Leo got there just in time to see Graham throw you to the floor. He knew then that you hadn't gone there to betray us. He was so scared you wouldn't even make it back to the lair, but he couldn't leave you there – not with them. So he did what he thought was best."
"I'm just glad they showed up when they did," Elizabeth whispered, a few tears running down her cheeks.
"Elizabeth?"
"Hmm?"
"Why did you go to Cooper Enterprises? You knew Graham would be there… what he would do to you. So why did you risk it?"
Elizabeth pursed her lips and gave him a look that told him that he should have known the answer to this already.
"I couldn't let him hurt you, Donny. I knew he wasn't looking for you or your brothers it was me he was after. He must have had some reason to suspect that I was with you – I knew if I went back he might let you go. I had to try – after everything you'd done for me I couldn't let him kill you."
"Elizabeth, he almost killed you!" Donatello's normally soft voice was suddenly sharp. "Leo and Mikey would have found me… would have gotten me out!"
"Leo wanted to take me in himself, Donny."
Donatello glared at her. "Leo wouldn't have… "
"You didn't hear him that night!" Elizabeth interrupted. "Splinter asked him if he was willing to hand me over to them and he said he would if that was what it took to get you back! He was scared! And he had every right to be! I know what kind of a man Graham is, Donny! You don't have to tell me he's a lunatic and that he's dangerous. I married him, I've lived with him. Don't you think I'd know what kind of men he deals with, how dangerous he can be? This wouldn't be the first "accident" I've had since I've married him! I was the one who put you guys in danger, I knew what he wanted. If I hadn't gone Leo would have taken me! I didn't want it to be that way! I wanted it to be my choice and I wasn't about to let him kill you!"
Donatello's expression had darkened, his normally soft chocolate brown eyes had taken a dangerous edge that looked very foreign on the purple-clad turtle's face. "What do you mean this wasn't your first "accident"? He's done this to you before?"
"I tried to leave him," All the anger had drained from Elizabeth's voice. "He was so angry when he saw my packed bags. I don't really remember anything after the first few blows but I woke up in the hospital a few days later. They told me I'd fallen down the stairs. They said it was an accident. I didn't correct them because I knew Graham would do worse to me when he got me home."
"Why didn't you call the police?"
"Graham has friends in high places. He's paid off a lot of people to keep their silence or to bury things about him. A few pay offs in the right hands often go a long way. My blood isn't the first blood he's spilled. He's come home a couple nights with blood on his clothes and it is never his. I never know what he's done – he doesn't like questions."
"And he's never been caught?" Donatello was incredulous.
"Graham hides his tracks well, I've seen some things on the news that don't make sense. Strange disappearances, familiar faces I've seen come to the penthouse who have just suddenly vanished only to be found a few weeks later the victims of some horrible crime gone wrong. There's never any evidence leading back to Graham. All these crimes happen so far away from Cooper Enterprises and Graham always makes sure no one knows he had a connection with the victim. He's a master of deception. He had me fooled up until we were married and then I saw who he really was behind the mask."
Elizabeth spun her wedding ring on her finger, watching the large diamond glitter in the light. After a moment she slipped it off and held it out to Donatello who took it with a puzzled expression.
"Before you go to bed will you get rid of this, Donny? I can't stand to wear it anymore."
"Sure, Elizabeth," Donatello said securing the ring in his fist. "Do you need anything before I go?"
"No, I'd just like to be alone for a minute if you don't mind."
Donatello rose from the cot and walked away, only pausing briefly at the door. "Good night, Elizabeth."
"Night, Donny." Elizabeth's voice was choked and as Donatello walked away he could have sworn he heard her begin to cry quietly.
Raphael sat on the edge of the apartment building, staring across the street to the dark shadows of Central Park. His legs dangled lazily over the side, he knew he was up high enough that no one on the streets could see him properly and he knew that even the top floor windows were down too low to see his legs here. He also knew he wouldn't have to worry about unexpected company coming to the roof to get some fresh air, not with the way the lightning was flashing across the sky and the rumbling sounds of thunder that were promising rain.
He knew he'd made Leonardo angry by coming up here when he'd told him to stay put because of the storm, but the anger that had been simmering beneath the surface for the last two weeks had finally reached the boiling point and Raphael had lashed out, shoving Leonardo aside and running out into the sewers. He was just happy he hadn't clocked his brother one, Splinter would have made him do flips for that one.
Lightning shot from the clouds and was followed by a sharp crack. Raphael knew he should head back. It wasn't safe to be out here during a storm like this and that bolt had been close. He'd heard Donatello telling Michelangelo once that he could always tell how close a lightning bolt was by how close the thunder followed.
Light travels faster than sound, Mikey. So when the thunder makes that low rumbling sound that takes a few seconds to get to us it means that the lightning isn't as close as you'd think. But if the lightning is followed by a sharp crack almost instantly it was really close.
"I thought I'd find you here."
Raphael dropped his head staring at the sidewalk many stories below them. He heard his brother's faint footsteps getting closer and then suddenly Leonardo was sitting beside him, staring out at the dark trees of Central Park, his eyes narrowed behind his mask.
"Leo, I didn't mean ta… I wasn't tryin' ta… " Raphael stammered not looking at his brother.
"It's ok, Raph," Leonardo sighed. "I guess I can't blame you for wanting to get out."
The brothers sat in silence for several long minutes, not speaking. Finally Leonardo cleared his throat.
"Raph, what's going on with you and Elizabeth?"
Raphael's eyes bulged behind his mask and he turned to Leonardo his expression stunned. "What's dat supposed ta mean?"
Leonardo stared back at him evenly. "Raph, you stay by her side the entire time she's comatose but when she wakes up you avoid being in the same room with her? You really think she wouldn't notice? I heard her asking Donny about it before I left. She sounded really upset."
"Nothin' is goin' on between us, fearless," Raphael snapped.
"Then why are you avoiding her?"
"I ain't doin' no such ting, fearless!"
"Ok, Raph," Leonardo knew better than to push him. "You wouldn't mind taking over tomorrow night's shift for me then would you? Donny is planning on moving her to the guest room tomorrow but someone should still check in on her every couple hours. Master Splinter wanted me to go on a supply run with him."
"So have Mikey or Donny do it."
"Why can't you?"
Raphael glared straight ahead of him, his jaw clenched tight enough to make the muscles twitch.
Leonardo sighed. "What's really bothering you, Raph?"
"Nothin'."
Leonardo raised an eye ridge.
"I… I just keep seein' 'er like dat, Leo. All still and pale."
"She's going to make a full recovery, Raph," Leonardo said gently.
"I know dat!" Raphael snapped angrily. "But dat whole time I was sittin' with 'er I couldn't help but tink dat bringin' 'er down ta da lair coulda cost Donny 'is life. If ya guys hadn't gotten der in time… "
"So you don't think you should have saved her?"
"Dat ain't what I meant!"
"Then what is it, Raph?"
"I don't know – I just… somethin' is still eatin' at me. I can't shake off dis feelin'."
"What do you mean?"
"It's like I gotta… a hole in my gut, Leo. Somethin' just ain't sittin' right here."
"Something about Elizabeth?" Leonardo asked, frowning.
"No it's dat slimeball of 'ers. Graham. We gotta do somethin' about 'im, Leo. It ain't right dat he just gets ta walk around free after what he did."
"We'll take care of Graham, Raph. But right now Elizabeth needs us more."
"We gotta keep 'im away from 'er, Leo. We can't let 'im do dat ta 'er again."
"We will, bro," Leonardo said placing a hand on Raphael's shoulder. Raphael twitched but didn't shrug it off. "But let's take care of Elizabeth first. Get her healed up and find a safe place for her to stay. Somewhere that he won't ever find her again."
Raphael glared out into the dark as another bolt of lightning shot across the sky.
"Come on," Leonardo said standing up and offering a hand to his brother. "We should get back. Donny said this storm was going to be a bad one."
Raphael took his brother's hand and let Leonardo help him up. Leonardo took off at a sprint heading in the direction he'd come. Raphael let his brother get a head start then took off after him, letting his anger fuel his stride. He barely noticed with a silver curtain of rain covered the city.
He knew his brother was right. Right now Elizabeth needed him more. Graham could wait. But he was determined to settle the score with Graham no matter how long it took him.
"Morning, Elizabeth!"
Elizabeth opened up her eyes to see a green and orange blur leaning over her. "Mikey?"
"You hungry? Breakfast is almost ready – then we can get you moved into the guest room."
"Mikey, your pancakes are burning," Donatello said dryly as he entered the room.
"AHHHH… " Michelangelo hurried out of the room.
Donatello chuckled a little. "We thought you'd like to come join us in the kitchen for breakfast this morning, Elizabeth."
"Um," Elizabeth sat up rubbing her eyes and brushing her hair away from her face. She was very aware that she hadn't had a shower since before she'd met these turtles. To have to sit down with them in a close vicinity and eat with them was something she'd prefer to do after she'd had a chance to clean up first.
"Would you prefer to eat in here?" Donatello asked confused.
"No, it's not that, Donny. I just… can I get cleaned up first?" Elizabeth thought longingly of the shower she'd seen in the turtles' bathroom.
"Oh, uh, sure of course… " Donatello's face darkened a little and Elizabeth was surprised to realize that he was blushing. "Raph grabbed some extra clothes from your place for you. Donatello picked up a medium sized bag and offered Elizabeth a hand.
Elizabeth allowed Donatello to help her from the room. The sweet smell of hotcakes was perfuming the lair, and the soft clanking of something banging from within the kitchen echoed around the room. Leonardo was sitting on the couch watching the news and Raphael was slowly walking down the stairs looking as if he'd been up half the night.
Elizabeth blushed when she saw him, but Raphael didn't seem to notice her. Elizabeth wasn't sure if she was happy or upset about that. She decided it was probably best, with her not getting cleaned up for a little over two weeks.
It only took them a few minutes to reach the bathroom, he handed her the bag of clothes and flipped on the light.
"Here, Elizabeth, just yell if you need anything," Donatello's face darkened with embarrassment again and Elizabeth could feel her own face flush.
"I'll… I'll be fine. Thanks, Donny."
Elizabeth closed and locked the door, avoiding her reflection in the mirror. She didn't want to see how hideous she looked after two weeks. She could feel the grease in her hair and how oily her skin had gotten. She didn't even want to think about the fact that she hadn't shaved her legs for so long. She set the bag Donatello had given her on the counter and opened it, wondering what on earth Raphael could have possibly picked out for her.
There were several folded shirts on top of the pile and underneath those were several pairs of jeans. Elizabeth pulled out a dark red shirt and pair of jeans that Raphael had picked out for her, a flash of color underneath the jeans made her pause. Pushing aside a few pairs of jeans Elizabeth felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she realized that Raphael had packed her clean underwear. Just imagining Raphael going through her underwear was enough to make her reconsider going out to join the brothers for breakfast. Not that she wasn't grateful for clean underwear. she was! But it had been Raphael that had gone through her underwear drawer. That would have been embarrassing enough but most of the underwear she owned were thongs.
Elizabeth tied up the bag, deciding not to dwell on it. She had a feeling if she took too long Donatello would come looking for her. She pulled her soiled clothes off and set them on the counter, then stepped into the shower, pulling the shower curtain closed and turned on the water.
The hot water felt good against her bruised skin, she tipped her head back, letting the water run over her face and soaking her hair. She found a small bar of soap on the side of the tub and ran it over her skin, wincing a little when she rubbed it against her neck.
Elizabeth spent as much time as she dared in the shower, just allowing the water to run over her skin, but when the water started to run cold Elizabeth shut off the taps and wrung out her hair. She felt much better, more like her old self and much more civilized.
Grabbing a towel from the towel rack Elizabeth wrapped it around herself and stepped out running her fingers through her clean hair.
"Elizabeth?" Donatello called through the door. "Are you ok?"
Elizabeth flushed. "Yeah, I'm fine, Donny."
"Mikey's got breakfast all ready."
"Ok, I'll uh… I'll be right out."
Elizabeth pulled on the underwear and jeans she'd pulled out of the bag, then realized she hadn't seen a clean bra. She pulled the bag of clothes over again and dug through the piles of clothes until she found a clean bra and to her surprise a small bag of toiletries including a hair brush, rubber bands, razor, and toothbrush.
"He really did think of everything," Elizabeth muttered. She finished getting dressed and ran her hairbrush through her tangled hair until it was perfectly straight. She was pleased to see the bruises on her neck weren't as dark as they had been before and she actually looked halfway decent now that she was in clean clothes and her hair no longer looked like a messy hay stack.
"Elizabeth?" Donatello knocked again.
"Coming," Elizabeth put her things back into the bag and opened the bathroom door.
Donatello smiled at her. "Come on we'd better hurry if you want to eat – Mikey might devour everything before we get there."
Elizabeth laughed. "Ok, Donny."
Raphael, Leonardo, Splinter, and Michelangelo were all at the table when Elizabeth and Donatello joined them. An extra chair had been put next to Michelangelo's place and a plate with three pancakes with bacon and eggs was waiting for her. The brothers, who had been teasing each other casually before they arrived, froze when Donatello and Elizabeth entered the kitchen.
"Wow, you clean up good, Elizabeth," Michelangelo grinned.
Elizabeth blushed and dropped her eyes to the floor.
Raphael smacked Michelangelo upside the head. "Can it, Mikey."
"Please, miss Elizabeth-san, have a seat," Splinter said giving Elizabeth a small smile. He gestured to the seat next to Michelangelo while Donatello took his seat next to Leonardo.
Elizabeth was very aware of Raphael's eyes on her as she walked around the brothers to her seat next to Michelangelo. She sat down and stared at her pile of pancakes. She cut a small piece and put it in her mouth. Her eyes widened. Michelangelo had made her breakfast before but it was usually nothing more than scrambled eggs with toast. She had to admit that Michelangelo was a really good cook, though she still didn't approve of his teasing Leonardo about his culinary skills.
"Hey April and Casey are supposed to be back tonight," Michelangelo said grinning over his own plate of pancakes. He helped himself to more scrambled eggs from the bowl in the middle of the table.
"'Bout time dat bonehead got back here," Raphael growled through a mouthful of pancakes.
"Yeah cause the DVD player hasn't been smashed for almost a month," Michelangelo sniggered.
Raphael elbowed him making Michelangelo choke on his pancakes. "Shell fer brains."
Elizabeth watched with wide eyes as Michelangelo coughed and gasped for a minute before he finally seemed to get his pancake down. The others watched with mixed emotions of amusement and concern as Michelangelo took a big drink which seemed to quiet his coughing fit.
"Raphael, juubun," Splinter said quietly. Although his tone wasn't harsh and his expression didn't really look angry Raphael flinched.
"Sorry, Mikey."
Michelangelo just waved off his brother's apology. Elizabeth wasn't sure if Michelangelo was able to speak yet or not. She helped herself to another bite of pancake, concentrating on her plate, although she didn't feel remotely hungry anymore. What little she had already eaten was sitting in her stomach like a pile of rocks.
"Think we should have them over for a movie night?" Michelangelo asked once he was able to speak without coughing again, although his voice still sounded a little shaky.
"I think it would be wise to let April and Casey have some time alone, my son," Splinter said quietly. "After being away for so long they will enjoy the time of being home alone together."
"We'll invite them over in a few days, Mikey." Donatello said with a grin as he pushed his empty plate away and picked up his cup of coffee. "I need to talk to April about something anyways."
Donatello meet Elizabeth's eyes momentarily, but then she dropped her eyes to her barely touched food again.
"Elizabeth, aren't you hungry?" Leonardo asked quietly.
Elizabeth flushed as every eye turned in her direction. She tapped her pancake with the back of her fork, she was suddenly finding it hard to swallow. Bile rose in her throat and she suddenly knew that what she'd eaten wasn't going to stay down.
"I… " Elizabeth's eyes bulged as her stomach churned violently. "Excuse me."
Elizabeth bolted from the table, her hand clamped firmly over her mouth as she streaked towards the bathroom, slamming the door behind her and barely making it to the toilet before she was violently sick. Tears ran down her cheeks and throat ached as she leaned prayed violently to the porcelain god, gagging at the taste that still lingered in her mouth. Her long dark hair started to fall forward, but a pair of dark green hands pulled it back into a ponytail on her neck, preventing her from getting sick all over it.
Elizabeth was grateful for that, although she was very embarrassed that one of the turtles was in here with her.
"Just take it easy, 'Lizbeth."
Elizabeth heaved again and gasped for air, choking as more tears ran down her cheeks. There was nothing more for her to expel, stomach acid burned her esophagus. Elizabeth choked and let out a soft sob. She just wanted to lie down here on the bathroom floor, to close her eyes and forget about this.
"Ya done?" Raphael asked her quietly.
Elizabeth nodded.
"Come on," Raphael hauled Elizabeth to her feet. She heard the toilet flush and then she was at the sink the cold water tap running. "Wash yer mouth out – it'll help."
Elizabeth did as Raphael said, rinsing out her mouth many times before finally sagging, exhausted against the countertop.
"Come on, Mikey's got da guest room set up fer ya," Raphael said wrapping an arm around her waist to help support her.
"Raph?"
"Yeah, 'Lizbeth?"
"You guys aren't going to make me leave are you?" Elizabeth turned so she could stare into Raphael's strange amber eyes. "Now that April and Casey are back… you aren't going to make me go back are you?"
Raphael's expression darkened although his strange amber eyes softened in understanding. "'Lizbeth, no one is gonna make ya leave until ya feel like yer ready ta leave."
"But I can't stay down here forever can I?" Elizabeth couldn't hold his gaze, she was afraid of his answer.
"'Lizbeth, ya really don't wanna stay down here ferever do ya?" Raphael grabbed her chin forcing her to look at him.
"I don't want to lose you guys," Elizabeth whispered, her eyes focusing on Raphael's plastron. "I finally feel like I've got part of my life back – something I thought I'd never have again after marrying Graham, but you guys gave it back to me. I don't want to lose it."
"Ya know I ain't never gonna let 'im hurt ya again don't ya, Elizabeth?"
"I trust you, Raph. But I don't see how you can protect me if I'm not with you."
"'Lizbeth, we're not gonna let ya go until we're sure dat yer safe. Donny was just thinkin' dat maybe April would know of a good place fer ya when all dis is over. But ya don't have ta go until ya want ta go. We ain't gonna kick ya out. Leavin', well dat's up ta whatever ya decide whenever ya feel yer ready."
"Really?"
"Do ya tink I'd lie?" Raphael growled softly.
Elizabeth looked into Raphael's burning amber eyes for a long moment and felt relief wash through her when she saw nothing but sincerity there. "No, I don't think you would, Raph."
