Please note -- this story will be going through a title change soon. It will be renamed "Far From Grace" -- I am making the change to avoid confusion, and the new title just happened to reach out and grab me from a song I heard. Anyway, on with the story...
Oyuki opened her eyes and squinted past the blur of sleep, trying to focus on the alarm clock. 11:38, she thought, pulling the blanket over her head. I can sleep in for a little while.
A little while ended a few minutes later, when April walked into the room and yanked the blanket away. "Wake up, sleepyhead," she said cheerfully.
"Unh… go 'way," Oyuki grumbled, rolling over.
"It's almost noon. Time to get up."
"What're you… my mother?"
"Nope, your boss," April said. "And you're late for work."
Oyuki opened one eye. "What?"
"We have editing to do." April grabbed Oyuki by the wrist and pulled her to her feet, then stepped behind her and gently pushed her out of the bedroom. "I'm surprised you're in such a grumpy mood after last night," she said, guiding her into a seat at the kitchen table.
"What about last night?" Oyuki asked, yawning.
"Nothing. It's just that... well, you and Mikey looked like you were getting over your fight pretty well," she chuckled, sitting down and taking a drink of coffee. "I'm sorry… I wasn't trying to be nosy or anything. I just heard the window open and when I looked out you two were…"
Oyuki stood up, knocking her chair over. "I'm going to go take a shower," she announced, wobbling a bit as a wave of vertigo hit her.
April leaned over and righted the chair. "At least have some breakfast first. You haven't eaten since…"
"I'm fine," Oyuki waved her off, then turned and walked out of the kitchen as quickly as she could, grabbing a towel out of the linen closet as she made her way to the bathroom. She shut and locked the door, then leaned against it, letting out a long breath and shaking her head.
Lovely, she thought. Now Ape thinks… oh, boy.
Oyuki threw the towel onto the toilet tank and turned on the shower, then slipped out of her clothes. Her stomach let out a slight growl and she grimaced. She was hungry, there was no doubt about that, but right now she didn't want food as much as she wanted to clear her mind. She stepped into the tub and pulled the curtain shut, letting the cool water run down over her skin and wondering how she had managed to get herself in such a mess.
I should have just told Mikey the truth from the beginning, she scolded herself. Now I have all this extra crap to deal with. And Leo... damn, that'd be just perfect if Mikey found out I kissed him.
She had to admit to herself, though, that it felt good having Leo know what was going on. At least he hadn't thrown a fit like Mike had. In fact, Leo did all those things that Oyuki had hoped that Mike would do when he found out about the baby. He held her in strong arms and talked to her calmly, then carried her to her bed when she started to fall to sleep. He didn't shy away when she placed his hand on her belly, then his soft voice soothed her as she drifted off. She felt his fingers touch her skin when he brushed her hair aside... his breath warmed her forehead as he pressed his lips to it.
Innocent gestures; brotherly concern. But the kiss... the kiss had been a mistake. Such a big mistake. Still when she kissed him, he kissed her back... almost as if he understood that she needed it at that moment. But why Leo? Why couldn't it have been Mike, instead? Leo had done all the things that she wanted… but she could only dream that he had been the person she wanted.
---
Leonardo stood outside April and Oyuki's apartment door and tugged at the belt of his duster, wringing out the rainwater that had soaked into it. The four hours that Leo slept had been more than enough for him, and he woke up to the sound of the others snoring in various spots around the lair at around nine o'clock. The noise was annoying enough to make him want to get out for a while, though he hadn't intended on ending up in front of this door, where the awkwardness of the past evening came rushing back into his memory.
Well, I'm here, he thought. I might as well see how the ladies are doing. He lifted his hand and knocked.
Barely fifteen seconds passed before the latch was pulled and the door swung open.
"Leo, hi," April said, smiling. "C'mon in."
"Hey, April," Leo said. He stepped inside and pulled off his wet coat, tossing it onto the coffee table, then sat down on the couch. "How's it going?"
April shrugged and sat down beside him. "Fine, all things considered."
"Good." He began tapping his finger on the arm of the couch. "How's Oyuki?"
"She's alright. She's taking a shower right now."
Leo nodded. Okay… now that I know how they're doing, I can leave, he thought to himself. He made no move to get up off the couch.
"So, where are the guys?" April asked
"Probably still sleeping," Leo said. "We had… well, we all had kind of a long night."
"I'm surprised Mikey didn't come with you," April smiled.
Leo looked up at her. "I think he's coming around," he said, smiling as he recalled the conversation he had overheard a few hours before.
"I'd say that's a given," April let out a little laugh. "I mean, if last night was any indication..."
Leo sat up straight. "What do you mean?"
She waved her hand at him. "Nothing, never mind," she said, her smile still wide. "It's none of my business."
Before Leo could open his mouth to speak again, a faint yell and a thud came from the bathroom. Leo and April looked at each other for a brief moment, then stood and ran together to the door.
"Oyuki?" April said, trying the doorknob and finding it locked. "Oyuki, are you okay?"
They waited for a response, but none came. Leo lifted a fist and pounded on the door. "Oyuki!" he yelled. "Can you hear me?"
There was still no answer, and April looked at the Turtle, who understood what she wanted with just a glance. He stepped back and pulled into a kick, hitting the wood just to the side of the knob, breaking the jamb and sending the door flying open. The two of them jostled past one another as they rushed into the bathroom, then they stopped suddenly, looking to where Oyuki lay on the bottom of the tub with the shower curtain pulled down on top of her. Leo gathered his senses and leaned under the running water, pulling the shower curtain away.
"Hey…" he said softly, shaking her a bit. "You okay?"
Oyuki opened her eyes slightly and made a little noise. Leo let out a sigh of relief and eased his arms under her, lifting her out the tub.
"Get her warmed up," April said, turning off the shower. She grabbed the towel off the toilet tank and draped it over the young girl's bare skin. "Let me go get her some clothes, then I'll drive her to the hospital."
Leo carried Oyuki into the living room, laying her down on the couch. He sat on the edge of the cushions and brushed the wet hair away from her face, then pulled the towel up over her shoulders. She took a few long breaths, peeking through half-open eyes, then gasped a bit and sat up, dropping the towel to the floor and throwing her arms around Leo's neck.
"Mikey…"
Leo tentatively returned the embrace. "Wrong again," he said, trying to smile.
"I got dizzy," she did not loosen her hold on him. "I slipped."
"Shh… you're okay."
She began to shiver and Leo leaned over to pick up the towel, but Oyuki would not let him go.
"No, don't," she said.
"You're chilly," he let out a nervous breath. "You're naked."
"I don't care..."
Leo cautiously held Oyuki closer, rubbing his hands up and down her back, trying to warm her. Her shivering subsided and she relaxed in his arms, then looked up into his eyes and smiled.
"Better?" he asked softly.
She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, but didn't speak.
"This is all I could find in that messy..." April said, walking into the room with some wrinkly sweatpants and a t-shirt in her hands. She stopped suddenly and her mouth fell open. "Uh, Leo… I think I can handle it from here."
Leo felt himself blushing and let go of Oyuki. She didn't release her own hold, so he reached up, gently taking her hands and pulling them down, then smiled warmly at her before standing and walking to the other side of the room. He folded his arms and stared at the rain outside the window, waiting for the women to finish, but before long he found himself unintentionally glancing over towards the couch. Oyuki was pale and wobbly, yet was struggling against April as she tried to help her put on the shirt. She looked back at Leo, giving him half a grin as she put her arms into her sleeves. He held her gaze for a moment before spinning back around to watch the rain pouring down outside.
Mikey should be here, not me, he thought, stepping closer to the pane.
"Okay, Leo," April spoke up. "You can look now."
Leonardo made his way back to the couch and stood beside it as Oyuki tied her shoes.
"I'm fine, Ape," she said. "Really. I just got dizzy and slipped, that's all."
"Doesn't matter, you're still going in."
"What, you've never gotten dizzy before?"
"That's beside the point. I'm not…" she stopped and looked at Leo as if she had just realized she was about to say something she shouldn't. She returned her attentions to Oyuki. "You're going to the hospital."
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Leo couldn't help but find it funny that April was trying so hard not to tell him a secret that he already knew.
"There's nothing wrong with me," Oyuki said. "I want to stay here."
Leo reached down and took her by the hand, pulling her to her feet. "You should go," he said, leading her to the door. "I'm sure it won't take long."
"It'll take forever," she grumbled. "I hate hospitals."
April grabbed her car keys and an umbrella. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back," she said, opening the door.
Leo held on to Oyuki's hand for a moment longer, then gave her a brotherly smile and let go. The women made their way down the hallway and he shut the door.
She's going to be okay, he told himself, walking back to the couch. He picked up the damp towel and folded it, then set it down on the coffee table. I just hope Mikey will be when he finds out.