Chapter Thirty-Seven

Escape

In the back of the Battle Shell, everyone tried to get their breathes back as well as take the pains of their wounds.

"My children..." Splinter said with concern as he walked over.

"Mummy! Daddy!" Pandora wailed, tears streaming from her eyes as she looked at her parents.

Leonardo and Donatello had really nasty gashes from where they had been thrown onto the road as well as cuts and bruises and burns from Cobra's venom.

Raphael as well as many gashes and bruises had many shards of glass sticking out of his face, arms and shoulders, Mona had a slice on her face as well as a deep wound on top of her shoulder as well as gashes and bruises and Michelangelo had several venom burns as well as the slash across his face.

"Are you okay?" asked Karai as she looked at the battered turtles and held the sobbing Pandora close.

"All in a days work Karai..." gasped Leonardo "It's like nothing we're used to..." He then stepped over.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned for Karai, Pandora and the baby.

"We're okay..." said Karai.

"Uncle Leo!" Pandora wept as she threw her arms around the blue masked turtle.

"It's alright sweetheart..." said Leonardo "Everything will be alright..."

"Are you hurted bad?" asked Pandora.

"No little one..." Leonardo soothed though he bite his lip as his wounds throbbed.

"We...We have to stop the Battle-Shell..." said Donatello breathlessly "It needs repair and we need to treat our wounds! Especially Raph and Mona..."

As he spoke he looked at Mona was was starting to look slightly pale due to the heavy bleeding on her shoulder.

"I'm fine Don..." Mona insisted as she leaned again the wall of the Battle-Shell.

"I'll be the judge of that sis!" said Donatello sternly as he picked up a piece of cloth, tore it and wrapped it around Mona's shoulder to stop the blood flow then stood up and walked to the front of the battle-shell.

Pandora seeing her parents instantly went over.

"Mummy! Daddy!" she said "Those nasty reptiles hurted you!"

Mona and Raphael hugged Pandora close, they were worried that their bloodied appearances would scare her but the little reptile didn't seemed fazed, all she wanted was to be close to her parents.

"April!" he called through "Casey, are you okay?"

"Never better Don!" April called back "Though a little shaken..."

"When you find somewhere to pull over make sure we can't be seen!" said Donatello "Can you do it as soon as possible?"

"Sure thing!" Casey called back.

"Great!" said Donatello, wincing as he felt his wounds throb.

After a while, April and Casey pulled over off the road behind some houses outside of New York City.

Mona was starting to show signs of dizziness from the pain.

Michelangelo got scared as he saw Mona slump slightly "Sis needs help!"

As he spoke, the battle shell stopped and Donatello checked out the battered back doors to check the area was isolated.

As soon as he was satisfied, he along with Leonardo's help got the first aid kits and set up a couple of camp beds.

Raphael helped Mona to the camp bed and lay her down, he wanted to sit with her but Donatello pulled him away so he could work on Mona and so he (Raphael) could get his wounds seen to.

"I'll be fine Raph..." said Mona stroking her mate's shoulder despite the glass shards.

Raphael reluctantly agreed and sat on the other camp bed where Splinter walked over with some tweezers and bandages. Michelangelo also joined them holding a cloth to his face to stop the bleeding.

"Anything I can do?" asked Karai as she climbed out of the Battle-Shell, one hand on her belly and holding Pandora's hand with her other.

"You can look after Pandora." said Leonardo as he watched April and Casey walk over with blankets and April began to make everyone some hot drinks "This has been a distressing time for you both...I'm so sorry about what happened...we thought we'd evade the V5...but they must have sniffed us out..."

"It wasn't your fault Leonardo." said Karai as she looked at Leonardo's wounds that looked red and angry.

"At least let me help bind your wounds." she said "I've had my share of wounds and Chaplin...he..." her voice cracked slightly but she swallowed hard "He taught me a few things..."

Leonardo was about to speak again but Karai seemed to have already made up her mind and looked down at Pandora.

"How would you like to help me sweetheart?" she asked "You could be my little nurse?"

Pandora, who was still upset at the fact her parents and Uncles were hurt, hearing Karai's words brought a small smile to her face.

"Yes please!" she said.

Leonardo smiled softly as he saw Pandora look happy after such distress.

"Alright." he said as he sat down on the camp bed with Raphael and Michelangelo.

As Donatello worked on Mona, Splinter gently pulled the shards out of Raphael's face and dabbed the wounds with clean water.

"You are very lucky my son..." said Splinter "That no glass entered your eyes..."

"Bet I look like one ugly turtle though..." Raphael sighed as he tried to feel his face but April pushed his hand away.

"You're still our Raph." said April softly.

"And you're still my handsome turtle..." Mona's voice called from the other camp-bed.

Raphael looked over to Mona and felt relieved that she was okay and talking yet he blushed from her comment.

Meanwhile, Karai washed Leonardo's wounds and began to pick out the gravel and stones from it.

Leonardo hissed his pain but he kept still.

"I never thought I'd see this..." he said as he watched Karai clean the wounds "You and I...like this."

Karai chuckled.

"I know..." she said "It's funny...I can't deny what happened in the past...but now...I'm just glad to help the ones who are protecting me and my unborn child..."

"Kay-ree!" Pandora squeaked as she held up some bandages.

Karai looked down and took the bandages.

"Thank you Little Geisha!" she said "You are a good assistant!"

She wrapped the gauzes and bandages around Leonardo's wounds and ran her hands around the bruises seeing how swollen they were.

"I've been trying to find ways to thank you Leo..." said Karai "I know I don't deserve anything after what I did to you and your family...and even if I can't change what happened...I can only make up for what I did..."

She was shushed as Leonardo placed his hand on hers.

"None of it matters now Karai..." he said "After all I've heard...and seen..." his eyes traveled to Karai's stomach "I know how you wish to change..."

"I do..." said Karai as she picked up some arnica cream and squeezed some of it on Leonardo's bruises before rubbing it in "I know I can't change the past...but it doesn't mean I can change the present...and the future..."

"I know..." Leonardo said then hissed as he felt Pandora rub his leg a little too hard as she was helping with the arnica cream.

"Gently Pandora." Karai said "Rub gently."

"Sorry..." Pandora squeaked chewing her lip then stroking gently on Leonardo's bruises.

Meanwhile, Raphael gritted his teeth in pain as he held the cloth to his bleeding face and looked to Donatello who had finished stitching Mona up.

"You're lucky there sis..." said Donatello "The blades missed the arteries..."

"That's good..." Mona sighed "Can't believe I got stabbed with my own weapon..."

"Happened to us a few times sis." Donatello said "Well Mikey's hit himself with his own nun chucks a couple of times!"

"Hey!" Michelangelo shot over.

"It's true though!" Raphael agreed.

Mona chuckled and tried to sit up but Donatello gently pushed her back.

"You need to rest Mona..." he said.

"And you need to get yourself seen to!" Mona replied gesturing to Donatello's own wounds "You've helped me...now you need to help yourself..."

"Your sister is right, my Son..." said Splinter walking over with the first aid bag "You must look after yourself now..."

Donatello nodded and sat down on the end of Mona's camp bed as she rested and Splinter came over to dress his wounds.

"When I'm patched up..." said Donatello "I'll set to repair the Battle Shell..."

As he spoke he looked at the damage to the roof, the doors and some of the sliced metal.

"We'll help you." April said "We got the tools and everything in case something like this would happen."

"Yeah." Casey added "We need the Battle Shell in good condition to get to the Farmhouse."

"Thanks guys..." said Donatello.

Yeesh! Rather nasty wounds our heroes sustained in battle. But at least they'll be okay, now they just need to get to the farmhouse.