Two Days Later


Calley had actually had about two uninterrupted hours of sleep, when Donatello rose from the desk to stretch his own legs. Leonardo had been insisting on carrying a lot of the load through the overnight hours, but he was exhausting himself at the same time. The purple-banded turtle had wheedled him out of the room around 12:30, and planted himself to keep watch over the young woman through the night.

Her symptoms had far from stopped, but the level of intensity had decreased somewhat every day from their peak level. She was still miserable, still unable to eat or even sleep consistently, but enough of the anxiety had tapered off that everyone felt a little more comfortable breathing in her presence again.

It was almost 6am now, and Donatello had gotten through the night without having any serious issues. He'd only just climbed to his feet when there was a light knock at the door, as if on some kind of cue. He walked silently over to it, and found Luke waiting outside. The turtle motioned to him for quiet, and stepped outside to join him.

"She's been asleep for awhile, and I don't want to do anything to jinx that." Donatello told him. "What's going on Doc?"

"Tim's waking up. His progress has been a little slow, but he started responding to outward stimuli this morning." Luke said, as he couldn't keep a smile off his face.

Donatello pumped one fist along with a deep breath of relief. "God bless America. Do they have any kind of updated prognosis on him yet?"

"It's just a waiting game Donny, that and watching for infection. He's got a lot of healing to do, and he's going to be more susceptible to certain kinds of bacterial issues now that's functioning without his spleen. But I'd rather focus on the positives right now - let's just be happy that he's coming around." Luke tried to sound encouraging, as he rested one hand on the turtle's shell. "Are you ready to get some sleep of your own?"

"I'm getting there Doc. It wasn't that difficult of a night - I'm glad Leo went to bed. I know he feels responsible for her, but he can't shoulder everything independently." Donatello replied.

"No, that's for sure. It's interesting how she's really taken up with the four of you."

"My theory is that we're something new and different, in a world that's probably been the same torture day in and day out, for God only knows how long." Donny mused in return.

"Why don't you trade me spots Donny? I'll sit, and you get some sleep." Luke suggested.

When the turtle hesitated for an instant, Luke knew what he was thinking, and ended up pointing him toward the couch. "Stay close by. That way if she does get upset on me, you won't have very far to come. What do you say?"

"I say...okay. I'll be out here Doc."


Luke took the time he had waiting around in the Lab to go over Donatello's notes on the chemical compound, that had been inserted in their systems a few days earlier. He already had the running tally on components he needed to acquire for the turtle, but now was as good a time as any to perform more analysis on how the individual parts combined together.

His own background in chemistry had come in handy quite a few times through the years. Donatello was the brains behind practically every new formula that they developed together, but Luke also had a strong hand to play in the creation and testing phases as well. He didn't like the chemical make-up that was on the screen in front of him, but Donatello was right. The best defense against it would be a good offense - and they needed to get started on the recreation as soon as was feasible.

So Luke was carefully pouring over what Donatello had written, as well as taking down his own thoughts and notations on another sheet of paper. He'd been at it for nearly forty-five minutes when he heard Calley stirring, and immediately dropped his pen. He tensed slightly as the young woman turned her head, and focused dark brown eyes on him. She didn't say anything at once, but she didn't flip out either. Luke figured that was probably a plus.

"Good morning." He said evenly, resisting the urge to ask her how she felt. That matter might not even be up for discussion as far as she was concerned.

"Luke?" She said questioningly, and sat up just a little further on her side to get a better look at the man.

"You've got me. It's nice to see that you're getting some sleep." He commented.

"Is that what Donatello's doing?" She asked, after looking around for the turtle.

"Yeah, I sent him almost an hour ago. But he's close by, I can grab him, or somebody else if you want." He offered.

She shook her head vaguely. "No, it's okay."

Luke rolled his chair closer, somewhat emboldened by her calm demeanor. "I talked to my friend Marcus awhile ago. He's been at the hospital most of this time, waiting around on your dad. There's good news on that end of things, he's starting to come around." Luke told her.

Tears hit her eyes in an instant, and she exhaled sharply. "He's going to be alright?"

"There shouldn't be any lasting damage. He'll be somewhat inhibited from fighting future infections, but there are things to assist in that matter as well. Coming around is the important thing, and his awareness levels are definitely increasing." He encouraged her.

The young woman turned to face the ceiling. "I've been so distracted, so bogged down in all of this...I still haven't given him nearly the thought that I should have. Could I get any more awful than this?"

"I don't think you're honestly responsible for everything that's gone through your head over the last couple of days Calley. But can you tell me what's going on now?" He decided to try and ask.

"It's not gone." She said bluntly. "But it's not as bad either. When do you think that I can eat?"

"When you feel up to it." He replied. "We'd have to start you off real easy, but it's better than just running you on an IV."

"You were never going to hurt me." She said.

He couldn't tell if she was talking to herself or him, but it didn't stop him from answering. "No Calley, I wasn't."

"I'm sorry." She said weakly. "I know it's been ugly...to put it mildly."

"We all knew it wasn't going to be easy." Luke said. "I'm just relieved that you're feeling any better at all."

"Can I ask you...about the um...the..."

"Turtles?" Luke filled in for her, and she ducked her head a little shyly.

"I don't know if it's rude, or...but I have to ask. What are they? Where did they come from?"

"They underwent a transformation very early on in their lives, which resulted in the physical forms that you see today. Many of their attributes are similar to a human, but they're clearly unique in several others. The differences are mostly outward...on the inside, they're pretty much just like you and I."

"No, they're not." She countered. "There's something very different about all of them. It's been so long since anyone treated me like a person, since I felt...safe. Why do I feel that with them?"

"It could be a number of things," Luke replied to her. "But it likely returns to their own personal character, or their motivation. The turtles are special Calley, and they possess strength and abilities that far outweigh the common person that you run into. They use that power for good, they have their entire lives. People come first - that's the way it is with them. Regardless of who, what, where...if they have the ability to help someone, they will.

It's kind of the sum of their life's work, saving...gosh, probably thousands of people, with no recognition for almost any of it. But that's not why they do it anyway."

"So what you're saying is, they put themselves at risk, and expect nothing in return."

"That's pretty much how it works."

"Yeah, they're definitely not like us." Calley said even more confidently than before. "How does my father know them?"

"Your dad got mixed up in something by accident last year. It was junk that had absolutely nothing to do with him, but it honestly could have gotten him killed. He was kidnapped by a genuine mad-man, who also had a hold of one of the turtles at the time, Raphael. When his brothers came to rescue him, they saved your dad too."

"Raphael...he was talking before like they owed my father something."

"Tim stuck his neck out for them a couple of months back, would have done whatever he had to to help them. But that's kind of a long story, and better told by more than one person."

Calley looked at him as if she were still thinking deeply, and then ventured ahead. "I saw that um...the other woman with Raphael yesterday, briefly." She remarked.

"Karina?" Luke suggested, and the young woman nodded.

"Yeah, I guess that was it. It almost looked, well sort of like...they were really close."

Luke understood what she was trying to ask, without her being forced to voice it. "Yes." He answered. "They're together."

"Then Donatello, and that singer?"

"Jenna." Luke added for her. "And it's a 'yes' on that count too."

What was an actual smile graced Calley's features for the first time that Luke had ever seen it. "I think that's...I think it's amazing. That it doesn't dissuade them, they can look beyond the...the unique exterior."

"If you talk to Jenna or Karina, they'd tell you that they're the lucky ones Calley." Luke commented smoothly. "Someone like these guys...I don't think they come along twice every thousand years."

No, I seriously doubt that, she added inwardly in her own mind. Lucky indeed.

Her brown eyes didn't quite look at him, as she laid her head back down tiredly.