I do not own the TMNT

In case anyone is sensitive to the word; I use the word 'crotch' in this chapter. It's referring to the seam of pants so if anyone finds it offensive please let me know and give me an alternative way to describe it.

Chapter nine; Wakey Wakey

The sludge at the bottom of the tunnels sucked at Kit's bare feet, but she forced herself to pretend it was just like the mud at the bottom of the ditch back home. They both had the same consistency and feel, this mud didn't even come with treacherous broken glass or grouchy biting ducks. So long as she didn't think about why it was sludge and not mud; Kit was sure she'd be okay.

Running over the sludge was ice cold sewer water. The current pulled at her feet and danced around her ankles. Kit fought it, stubbornly insisting on going the way she wanted to go. Despite her traveling uphill the water seemed to get deeper as she walked. Soon Kit had to brace her hand against the wall with each step as the water easily lapped up to her knees, tugging insistently at her legs and soaking her jeans to the crotch in sewer water

Kit took another step and the water gleefully dragged her foot through the sludge at the bottom, nearly dumping her. Quickly Kit scrambled for purchase on the damp sewer wall before barely regaining her balance and pressing onward.

She didn't know where she was going. On part of her mind told her home. More than anything she wanted to go home. But another part of her mind scoffed; she couldn't go home anymore and it had been her choice! If it had been her choice couldn't she change her mind? Her mother had to be worried sick.

By now the water sloshed well over her knees with each step and the bottom of her jacket was beginning to pull water from her pants. Beneath her clothing Kit was mildly aware that she should be feeling the water soaking her fur, especially with how aware she was of her wet clothing. Like a programming skipping over a bad circuit this thought was lost and Kit pressed onward.

The rest stop. That was right; she had to get to the rest stop. Jessica would be waiting for her.

No, that was absurd; Jessica was still in Wyoming, how could she know that Kit was in New York, much less what tunnel to find her in?

Maybe Mikey told her.

The water sloshed up over Kit's waist as she suddenly remembered her promise. She said she would be there, seven o' clock. Promised.

Desperation seized her and she stopped. Looking around the tunnel Kit tried to find a ladder or something so that she could get out, quickly. Her moment's distraction was all that the water had been waiting for and suddenly Kit's feet slid through the sludge, dropping her into the current.

Once her head dropped below the water everything suddenly got quiet. Instead of stinky murky sewer water it was clean and blue with a point of light high overhead. Before she could register the unlikelihood of this or the strangeness of being able to breathe under water Kit woke up.

For a moment she lay still and quiet, gathering as much information on her surroundings as possible.

She lay on a mattress. It smelled faintly of somebody else, not strong enough to actually be theirs though. A thick blanket covered her and helped to ease the discomfort that seemed to lurk in every muscle of her body. Her injured arm throbbed with a pain much deeper than she remembered and her good arm…

… her good arm had a needle in it.

Kit cracked her eyes and looked around to make sure nobody was nearby before sitting up in the bed, barely taking notice of the strange stone walls. She pulled her hand out from under the covers and glared at the tape holding the catheter in her skin. The catheter was attached to a tube that led to an IV stand beside the bed. At first Kit had every intention of pulling the needle right out. This plan was stalled when she found her injured arm required a great deal of effort to move at all.

She was just considering the option of removing the offending tube and needle with her teeth when Donatello walked into the room.

Donatello was surprised to find Kit not only awake, but sitting up and glaring at the tube in her hand like she was about to challenge it to mortal combat. When she looked over to him he was less impressed as he noticed how completely drained she looked. Her ears drooped noticeably and her entire expression looked like she was about two seconds from going back to sleep.

Instead she sat up a little further in the bed. "You should be resting." Donnie told her, she looked like she needed it.

His comment was met with a look that seemed to ask seriously? Are you kidding me? "What am I doing here?" She asked slowly.

"You succumbed to a severe systemic infection. When you didn't show up for Mikey's party he started to worry and Leo went to check on you." Donnie explained carefully. "Do you know what made you get sick so fast?"

Kit blinked, her eyes stayed closed for just a moment longer than necessary and Don was sure he saw her head start to nod before she opened them again. "I fell into some kind of drain." She frowned and shook her head. "But that was this morning, there's no way I slept that late. What time is it?"

It took Donnie a second to realize her confusion. "Kit, I'm not sure you understand. You've been unconscious or asleep for three days."

A moment passed where Kit just stared at him. Finally she frowned and started moving. "No way. I need to get up." She shoved the blanket aside with her good hand and tried to stand up.

Donnie put his hands on her shoulders, "No way, you're still not up to moving around much. You need to rest." He tried to be gentle but that only resulted in his underestimating her strength. With a quiet grunt she stood up, overpowering the light pressure he'd used to restrain her.

Once she had stood up Kit suddenly froze. Her expression went completely blank and a breath later she started to tilt. Don caught her and carefully lowered her back to the bed. After sitting down she managed to shake herself out of her momentary trance-like state and put a hand to her head, ears pinned, eyes closed tightly. "ow." She stated.

Although he smirked slightly, Don couldn't help but feel a little sympathy. "That's why you need to rest." He chastised lightly. The mutant cat didn't reply, only held her head like she was afraid it would explode or float away. She didn't argue or fight as Don carefully lowered her to her back and lifted her legs back onto the mattress before reaching for the covers. Before pulling them back over her he checked to make sure her tail was in a comfortable position.

By the time he had pulled the blankets up over her chest Kit was already asleep again.