Donatello didn't share the entirety of the drawn out ordeal with them, purposefully skipping over Raphael's portion of the dreadful spar that had changed his life, as well as the fact that reconstructive surgery had almost taken his life. He'd decided to only share the details that would satisfy him for now, and if it was actually necessary, the rest could come out later.
As Raphael and Karina were leaving his room a few minutes later, the woman stole an inconspicuous glance of red-banded turtle. His amber gaze was trained in the direction of the floor, obviously troubled.
"Raph?" She said softly. "I know what I said the other day...but he's right y'know. If it wasn't for Stolle, this wouldn't have happened again."
He glanced up at her, seeming to truly focus on her light green eyes for the first time. "I don't know." He murmured, with an extremely weary sigh. "This whole thing is weird. No one should need to hear a narrative on their own history. But I hope he'll be alright...sounds like he's been through plenty already."
As Raphael attempted to take another step, he literally felt his knees buckling. "Karina--"
Karina reacted in a split second, catching him firmly under both arms, and bracing her own legs against the floor to help keep him upright. Being held that way produced the strangest sensation Raphael could ever remember feeling before, as he was suddenly transfixed by the woman's eyes now widened in anxiety. The turtle shuddered slightly in her grasp, as he remembered to breathe again.
"I...I think I'm alright." He said, his voice still containing a shaky quality.
The woman didn't let go of him entirely, immediately tugging his left arm over her shoulder. "We're going to take this nice and slow Raph. If you need to stop just speak up, and go ahead and lean on me partially...yeah, like that. We'll make it."
He merely nodded at her, as he commanded his limbs to function again.
Shell, what the heck was that about?
He gave Karina a sidelong glance as they shuffled back down the hallway.
She's a lot stronger than she looks. I never woulda figured she could handle that.
As they came back around the corner toward the living area, Leonardo and Michelangelo nearly walked right into them.
"What in the world?" Leonardo demanded. "What's going on here?"
"He wasn't escaping or something, he just needed to talk to Donnie." Karina answered quickly. "Now we're heading back to the Lab - and you two didn't see anything, right?"
The two turtles exchanged a mute glance.
"I 'spose we don't have to rat you out, as long as it was for a good reason." Leo said evenly.
"It was." Raphael said stoically.
"Well, can we give you a hand here at least?" Mike suggested.
Raphael actually felt a sense of disappointment tugging at his mind as the woman released him to his brothers, but begrudgingly allowed them to support him more easily back into the Lab.
What's all this about? Get ahold of yourself moron - the chick's been nothin' but a pain in the neck.
He still could hardly keep from smiling slightly as she fussed over him back in the Lab, making certain he hadn't ripped out of his IV entirely during the jaunt. His brothers had only stayed long enough to help get him back into bed, and then left with the promise of silence. Raphael liked the sensation of her long fingers probing his wrist, though he tried very hard not to make eye contact with her while she did it.
Satisfied that he was still properly attached, she released his arm with a light pat, and glanced over in the direction of the computers. Somehow browsing through apartment listings wasn't at the forefront of her thoughts right now.
"Do you need to work?" Raphael asked when he noticed the glance.
"No, not really. I'm just in the middle of trying to find an apartment. I'm a transplant, I've only been here a couple of weeks."
"Right - you know my brothers, but not me. How does that work exactly?"
"Luke is married to my sister Katherine..."
"Who...we met at the UN?" Raphael filled in, from what Luke had explained to him earlier that day.
"Yup. And the morning after you were...taken...Luke was supposed to be picking me up from the airport. When he didn't show, I got a cab to bring me to the house in Chelsea. Your brothers had already come up looking for you, when I arrived myself."
"That must have been interesting." Raphael laughed, and then seemed to think for a moment longer. "People aren't supposed to see us, are they?"
"I think all of you avoid that as much as possible."
"Why would they come up in the daytime that way?"
"Because they were worried when you never came home."
The turtle rested his head against the bed with a painful grunt. "I don't have it too shabby here, do I? I sure wish I could make sense of any of it."
"It can still come back to you," Karina encouraged him. "In the meantime, maybe you could try a little harder to keep your mouth under control."
He snorted quietly. "No promises sweetheart."
(A couple of hours later)
"Jen, are you sure this is the right thing to do? I mean, I hate seeing Mike walk around this way as much as anybody - this just feels a little extreme." Greg was hesitating now.
"Trust me Greg, it isn't." She answered with a smile. "Not for him anyway. It's exactly what he needs to loosen up already."
"I'll trust you, but if he gets mad...I ain't taking the heat for it kid."
"Heff, if you call me a kid one more time, the only one you'll be taking heat from is me. Now shut up, and get in the corner. I'll call him."
The turtle was presently resting his chin in one hand, and seemed to be looking through the TV, rather than actually watching it.
"Mikey!" Jenna's lilting accent rose from the kitchen. "Can you c'mere? I need an experts' opinion on something."
"Yeah, just a sec." He called back half-heartedly, and rose from the couch.
The turtle headed through the kitchen door, cut off in his stride almost instantly when a chocolate cream pie exploded in his face. While he couldn't see a darn thing, he felt at least four additional hits from two different directions. Once over the initial shock, his own laughter was immediately mingling with the humans.
"Aw man...I never saw that comin'. May I inquire as to the occasion?"
"I wasn't aware that we needed one." Greg said sardonically, pressing a towel into the turtle's hands.
"Oh, you don't have to have one Heff, it's just nice to." Mike replied, shaking his head at the human. "Welcome to the club. I hope you fully understand what you've just enrolled yourself in."
"Whoa, wait a second - this was all her idea!" Greg objected.
"All willing participants are equal partners...I think that's how the rules go." Mikey grinned.
"There are rules?"
"Jen, didn't you teach this boy anything?" Mike snickered.
"I figured he could learn all that retaliation junk on the fly Mikey. Speaking of which - I did happen to save one for your own pleasure."
"Atta girl Jen."
"Saved one for what?" Greg spoke up, clearly confused as the woman placed the remaining missile in the turtle's hands.
"It's just a little something we provide from time to time during the commission of pranks Heff." Mike explained. "A beautiful concept called instant retaliation. The question is, who's gonna get it?"
As if on cue, Leonardo came into the kitchen, stopping in his tracks when he saw Michelangelo from behind.
"Aw, you guys! Why didn't you tell me you were going down on him? I would have wanted a piece of the action!" Leonardo laughed openly.
Michelangelo smiled deviously at the two humans. "Ya still can Fearless."
He spun around in his older brother's direction, and promptly shoved the pie in his face.
"Is that a big enough piece for you Leo?" He chortled.
"That is so not fair." Leonardo complained as he rubbed his eyes fiercely, but then actually laughed at Michelangelo again. "Are you back now Mikey?"
The turtle punched him lightly in the shoulder. "I never left. I was just hibernating." Then he shot another sly look in Greg's direction. "Don't worry Heff, you'll learn all about the finer points of retaliation at a time and place of my choosing."
"What does that mean exactly?" The man had to ask.
"It means you should sleep with your eyes open." Leonardo chuckled. "You mean to say you didn't know what you were getting into?"
"Jenna was a little vague on details." Greg said somewhat darkly.
"It was on a need to know basis." She said with a giggle of her own. "Don't be a scaredy cat Heff - they never hurt each other. That would take away from the whole point of it."
"I think I'm too old for this." Greg groaned.
"Fun doesn't have an expiration date - you shoulda learned that much from us by now." Mike informed him.
* Absolutely couldn't resist - I do love giving Greg a hard time.