"This sucks."
I was huddled in blankets on Raphs bed. I was sick with some sort of cold and I felt like crap. Raph made me stay at the lair while I was sick. I was grateful because I didn't want to get anyone at home sick. Maggie seemed a little worried, but when I explained to her that I was "going to be at April's", she seemed fine with the idea. She even packed a duffel bag with some clothes, pajamas and things for me to do. April retrieved the bag and brought it to the lair.
The door to the room opened and Raph walked in. He was carrying a tray of soup. April told me that warm soup was good to eat when you were sick. I was cold all the time and the soup helped warm me up. I would have used my fire, but it didn't work. I smiled at Raph as he set the tray down on the table next to the bed.
"Here you go. A bowl of tomato soup, a grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of orange juice. You can thank April for saving your stomach. Mikey was gonna make you his famous pizza noodle soup."
"I smiled at Raph as he started to feed me. I was perfectly capable of feeding myself, but I was too cold to come out of the blankets. The soup was warm and it felt good going down my throat.
"Thanks, Raph. This is really nice of you."
"No problem. I don't mind taking care of you."
"Hey, April."
A few days had passed since I got sick. April came in, taking over the duties of caring for me. Raph had returned to training, even though it meant training with Leo. Master Splinter, knowing that I would worry about the safety of Raph and the babies, told me that even though the training was still the same pace, no one could hit Raph in the stomach.
"Hi, Raven. Feeling better?"
"A little. Is Leo in the living room?"
April looked at me, confused about why I would ask about Leo.
"Yes. Why do you ask."
"I want to watch tv. It's getting boring in here."
April chuckled. "I know it's boring in here, but that's all part of getting better. You'll just have to try and live with it."
I grumbled in annoyance. April giggled again as she went about her duty. I looked around the room, trying to think of something I could do. The thinking made me tired, so I snuggled my way into the blankets and fell asleep. I heard the door open and close as I drifted into sleep. April had left me to sleep in peace. As I slept, a strange dream entered my mind. It was like the one I had when I spent the night in the lair, but different.
I was surrounded by complete darkness. I looked around and saw two children. They were the same children from my first dream. I started to walk over to them, eager to hold them knowing they were mine. But as I got closer, the children faded, leaving two eggs. To my horror, the eggs were cracked, broken in a pool of blood. I backed away in fear and ran. Then I heard Raph, screaming in pain and fear. I ran in the direction of the scream. I finally found Raph but froze at what I saw. Raph fell to his knees, holding his stomach. From where I stood, I could see that Raph's stomach was a small bump. I tried to run to him, but I was frozen in place. Raph looked at me, fear and tears in his eyes. But I could also see grief and the realization that he was going to die. I started to cry as I watched, unable to look away, Then, Raph fell to the ground, gone forever. I looked at the person responsible for killing him and saw a man in spiked armor. He had a threatening look in his eyes that sent chills down my spine. He laughed maniacally. I turned to run from him only to run into a katana. I was impaled, shocked and in pain. I trembled and coughed up blood. I looked at the blade and followed it with my eyes, looking at the wielder. It was Leo. He smiled at me in the way a predator smiles when they catch their prey. I tried to speak but my words were drowned out by blood. I started to choke and then everything faded out into nothing.
I shot up, breathing heavily and shaking in fear.
"RAPHAEL!"
Within seconds, the door swung open and Raph ran in. I jumped out of bed and ran to him. i instantly hugged him tight as soon as he was close. By then I was shaking more. Raph held me close. I could hear his heart pounding beneath his shell. He was scared for me.
"It's ok. You're safe now. I'm here."
I started to cry, mostly with relief that Raph was still alive. Raph stroked my hair and made soothing noises to calm me down.
"It's ok, Raven. It was only a bad dream."
I started to calm down but my shaking didn't. I was shaking more with cold than fear. Raph seemed to know and picked me up bridal style. He carried me to the bed and gently placed me down, covering me with blankets. I was still shaky from my dream.
"Raphie? Will you stay with me? I don't want to be alone anymore."
He smiled when I used his nickname. I only used it when I really wanted something. He walked over after closing the door and climbed in. He held me close to his chest and I was grateful for the warmth he provided. I soon fell asleep again, feeling better and safe in the arms of Raph.