Chapter Twenty-Six
When I had finally come to, the van was moving slowly down an old familiar dirt road, and I felt my insides flip with anxiety. I was so excited to see the family again that I had my hand on the door handle ready to fling it open and run into April's arms. The only thing that quelled my overjoyed feeling was the sickness in my stomach. I had felt pain far worse than this before, remembering the night I acquired the scar across my abdomen with a shiver, but this pain was more annoying that it was unbearable now.
Pain was something I knew I was capable of adapting to, but for some reason I felt as if these sharp, knife like cramps were never leaving my side. I sighed, my hand wrapping around the handle even tighter as the O'Neil mailbox came into sight. At least it was daylight out now, and everyone would be up to welcome us back awake. Of course I would have to probably tackle the "Where the hell is Casey?" story first, but hey, at least I was home.
I felt the van slow to a stop and glanced over at Raph, he just nodded back at me with a faint smile on his face. "Home." He said gently, pulling the keys out of the ignition, feeling the growing silence around us. "Home." I repeated with a small smile until the searing pain hit again and I was doubling over in the passenger side seat, grabbing tighter to the handle of the door. "Alex!" Raph yelled, grabbing my shoulder in worry. "Fine" I mumbled back forcing a smirk. Raph just shook his head at me with a scowl "You're so stubborn sometimes Alex." He whispered as he watched me re-gain my composure.
"Ha-ha" I mused, looking to the porch where I had expected April to be standing by now. I only caught sight of a curtain moving from the inside though before the door burst open and a small familiar toddler ran out as fast as she could, followed by a screaming April, who was then followed by another toddler who seemed to be just as wide-eyed and curious as his sister had been. "Wren, get back here! I told you Wren! NO-" Before April could yell anymore at the small child I was already out of the van and standing with my feet planted on the gravel with a grin plastered on my face.
I felt a small forced slam into me and I looked down to see Wren clinging viciously to my calves, "Hey Wren" I whispered as I heard the incoming footsteps slow to a halt right in front of me. "Alex?" April whispered, and I looked at her with a smile. "Hey Ape." I said back and she just stared at me quizzically before I sensed something was off. "April?" I asked with a frown forming on my face.
"Alex, you look like shit."
I'm pretty sure I heard Raphael try and cover up his snickering as he too headed for his brothers standing in the door frame. I watched as Mikey and Don greeted him with small hugs, and he knuckled Mikey's bald head. "April?" I asked again, my eyes just as curious as hers, I panned back to the doorway where the guys had disappeared into the house. "Thanks for the welcome home Ape" I said with a smirk, and she smiled back her eyes full of worry now. "April would you quit it! I'm fine!" I managed, but the pain in my abdomen grew and I could tell she could sense it. Within seconds she had closed the space between us and was holding her hands over my stomach.
"Apr-"
"Shh" She whispered, and I watched her face as it contorted into several different emotions. "Alex how long have you been sick?" She asked and I just stared at her. "What?" I asked, pulling her hands from my stomach. I was beginning to feel concerned for April, was she alright? Normally she would have ran right out an embraced me until I could hardly breathe, but now she was going doctor on me and I didn't know how I felt about that.
"How long Alex?" She asked again and I just sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "Since we left the cabin, look Ape, it looks like it's gonna rain can we get inside?"
"Hold on." She said with a small smirk like she knew something was up. "Alex I've been trying to reach you for at least a month now, and nothing has gone through. "
I stared at her like I could care less. "Yeah, so?"
"You're mind has been preoccupied to say the least, maybe its this sickness" She wondered to herself. "But you said you had been trying to reach me for over a month, I haven't been sick that long?" I asked and she just tried not to laugh. "Alex, you're not your normal type of sick." She mused, taking my hand and slinging my bag over her own shoulder. I could hear her mumbling something to herself but by then I was too exhausted with everything to pry. 'My god I just get home and I've already been bombarded by April, and not even a question as to where Casey is what's up with her' I thought as I followed her inside with Wren on our tails.
Months had made my mind numb to my emotions, and the reason why I had left the farmhouse in the first place. For some reason it all came back to me as I stepped over the threshold, like some unseen wave had hit me. I stumbled back, burned by my own memory of the night I almost perished at the hands of someone I used to call my best friend.
Sensing my fear Raphael was by my side in an instant, hand placed firmly on the small of my back as he looked down into my eyes with his own worry. He knew.
"Alex, It's okay...I promise." Donnie whispered, reaching out his hand to me, and I looked at all their faces, they had gathered in the doorframe, watching me with worried eyes, knowing what I was feeling. "Wh-where is he?" I managed, but my voice choked and I felt my abdomen tightening with pain again. I gasped, grabbing at the pain wanting to rip it out of me.
"I'm here." I heard a voice call from behind the wall of familiar faces and instantly arms were around me, several of them, one pair for my protection, the others for my reassurance, I didn't know which I needed more in that moment. Just hearing his voice brought all our teenage memories rushing down on me, and I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. There was still a part of me that flinched at the sight of him, but other than that his miserable smile made me feel more comfortable, something in my heart told me he was okay, I would not be harmed in his presence, not anymore.
"Alex?" He asked, his voice shaky, expecting to be rejected, instead I looked him dead in the eye. "Leo" I whispered back, and I looked up at Raph to make sure he would stay by my side. Leo seemed to notice this and tensed up a bit as I stepped towards him, my feet crossing over the threshold easily now, my brain pushing away the awful memory of him.
I stood just a foot away from him now, with Raphael and the others behind me. I looked deep into his crystal blue eyes, they were no longer filled with fog, no longer blinded by illness. They were the eyes of a leader, of a kind soul I once knew, and hoped to know again. Without hesitation I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close, tears dotting both of our eyes.
He whispered to me then, words he had muttered thousands of time in our years together, but this time it stuck, this time I listened.
"I'm sorry."
"Me too." I whispered back and in a moment we were both staring at each other again, now both relaxed, less tense.
"It's good to have you guys back!" Mikey beamed at me from behind Donnie, with Oliver on his back. Don just smirked and I caught his hand snaking around April's waist, "We missed you." April said, her eyes brimming with joy now that what I assumed she was worried about was over. I simply smiled back, about to say something back, about to break down in tears because I had missed them so much, until I caught a slight break in April's eye contact and her eyes turned cold for a moment.
Before I could even turn to see what she had been looking at a cool voice spoke from the doorframe of the kitchen.
"Where's my dramatic reunion." The voice was snarky, sarcastic and I could tell there was already a firm Cheshire grin planted on her face. I turned on my heel catching a sight of her I had never seen before. She was dressed in what I assumed was some of April's clothes, with her hands planted on her hips, and her eyes staring me down. There were no words, no logical reaction, I just ran, ran until I felt her body make contact with mine and with somewhat of a yelp I wrapped my arms around her as tight as I could.
It was the kind of reaction I had been saving for April, but after she pulled the psychic thing out in the driveway I decided against it.
Her embrace was familiar, with her scent she brought memories of the clan life, the long nights spent patrolling, hours of the day spent training with her side by side, and talking with her just the same. She was the one who encouraged me to remember who my family was, the one who pushed me to do what was best. I would never be able to thank her enough, but surly enough my brain caught up to my actions and I was asking myself why she was even here.
"Ka-" Before I could even say anything it seemed she had read my mind.
"Alex, there is no clan anymore. Don't ask where everyone else went because I don't know." She spoke with her usual demanding voice but there was a small smile hidden on her face. "I realized I had no one anymore, and I came looking for you."
"Karai!" I cried embracing her once more. I had never been this touchy with her before, and come to think of it I was acting rather emotional today. I brushed it off as just having too much going on at once. I mean my god, I had just reunited with my family, I had the right to cry...right? Burying my face in her neck I felt her hands rubbing my back in slow circles.
"I missed you so much." She confessed in a whisper only meant for my ears, and I only laughed back quietly. "I missed you too."
"Uhh, you guys? Where's Casey?" I quickly turned my gaze to Raphael and he just nodded, knowing already what I had asked of him.
"Ya see Mikey, there were a lot of bears up there, real big ones too, an ya know bears get hungry..." As he wadded off on his tale of woe, I just shot him a glare and he smirked back. Mikey seemed to be the only one believing it, even the kids had looked at Raph with the "are you kidding me" eyes. I just laughed, turning back to Karai who had already turned her attention to someone else.
The blue banded terrapin standing just a few feet away.
...
My eyes were watering as I gripped the edge of the toilet with all my strength. I could feel my eyes burning, along with every other part of my body as I retched up last nights dinner. Lucky for me after dinner had come up my stomach wanted to make sure everything was out and all clean. I sat on the bathroom floor dry heaving for at least a half hour. I would have normally welcomed the bright morning sun, but now with it shining right on my face I could have ripped it right out of the sky. Just one more little annoyance to add to my list.
With tired eyes I looked at April who was kneeling down beside me with her hands on my back, trying to rub away the pain. She was positively beaming with joy but I had no energy, or patients for whatever she had to say right now. I just kept my gaze turned towards the toilet bowl, trying to convince my body I needed a break.
"Doing any better?" Another female voice called form the doorframe and I looked up at Karai who also had a smart look on her face. I just glared, eye contact she never even blinked at.
"Not too much better, I'm getting a little worried, maybe I should call up Don." April replied, and Karai just nodded, her eyes still trained on me and my current stance.
"NO!" I croaked and April jumped at my sudden speech. "Please not Don." I whispered sounding like I was in true pain, but I really didn't need Donnie up here right now. He would probably insist I needed an entire check up, something I was not in the mood for either. I dropped my head back to the bowl and April resumed her rubbing, I was grateful she didn't comment on my outburst, instead just silently agreeing.
All I wanted was silence but of course Karai lived for this kind of stuff, people suffering? She was front row. "Wow, I've never seen it this bad." She sighed, twirling one of her raven locks in between her fingers. "I know, I was never in here this long." April humored Karai by talking back, to which I only knew would spark up a conversation I didn't want to hear. So instead I interrupted.
"What do you mean you were never in here this long?" I asked through half lidded eyes. I could hear Karai snickering in the background as I locked onto April's now very vulnerable looking eyes. "I can't believe you haven't figured it out yet." Karai muttered and I shot her a confused look.
"What?" I spat, my voice coming off angrier than I actually was.
"Alex..." April sighed, her smile faltering as she grabbed my hands before she gained her composure and beamed at me with her happiest face. "What." I mumbled, and I was sure my face was rid of all emotions as I felt my stomach tighten again, read for another round with the toilet.
"You're pregnant!" I'm sure it was meant to be whisper but in my ears it sounded like she was screaming. "Pr-pregnant?" I murmured, and before she could say anymore my head was back in the toilet, retching up whatever was still in my stomach.
...
Hey guys I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Honestly I'm feeling a little bummed out, I'm just not that into this story anymore. I'm sure we (as writers) all have this moment at some point though. I promise I wont give up on this story though, we're so close to the ending! It's just I have so many new ideas for stories and I want nothing more than to post them and work on them but I promised myself I would finish this and my other story first.
So please, let me know what you all think so far, I'm thinking the last chapter will be number thirty, but who knows. Let me know if you have any ideas for further chapters, and thank you if you have contributed to the ideas list this far. I'm especially interested in what you all think of the new news? Let me know, love it? hate it?
I can't beg enough, review review review! I love seeing what you guys have to say and honesty I'm gonna need the continued support through these last few chapters. I love you all so much, and I'll see you next chapter! :)