A/N getting close to the end you guys. Maybe after this there can be quite the interesting sequel. After my last chapter and all my story editing, let me know if you guys wanna see a sequel. :D
Chapter fifty two
It was ruthlessly cold.
Before I had any time to move, or even react at all, I was swallowed into the freezing water below and the ice chunks closed above me. I was trapped with hardly a breath of air in my lungs and the water already seeped through my jacket and was stinging the exposed skin on my face and hands. I frantically paddled against the dead weight of my snow gear, which continued its advance on pulling me downward. It was impossible to stay near the broken ice surface where very little light was shining through and my only chance to breathe again. My exhausted body couldn't take it as the freezing water began to assault my body, making harder to move. My heart raced, sucking up all my oxygen as I became terrified that there was no way for me to get out of this, I panicked. I began beating my arms and legs against the water as fast and hard as I could to reach the surface, making a very small advance towards the ice.
I was exhausting myself, I could feel every where and the more scared I was becoming from the panic, the worse it became, the harder it was to move, the harder to see, to think.
This can't be how I go. After all this? I was now to die under a sheet of ice. I'd never see any of them again, never have the chance to see my brothers- I swam faster to the surface.
-Wait my brothers. Brady.
I remembered one of Brady's life lessons: never panic, ever, a panicked person is a dead person. His words echoed in my mind, they'd saved me countless times. I stopped struggling to attempt to assess my options with very little time. I wasn't getting anywhere this way, I was too weak, I'd drown myself trying to swim upwards any farther, I need to get closer to shore where I could have enough backing to break the ice and get to the surface.
I looked up once more, at the ice, the colors of the sunset illuminating it like stained glass. If weren't drowning, I'd say it was beautiful.
I was slowly sinking. The only real option was to get close to shore underwater, the ice here won't allow me to stay on it again and Raph couldn't get to me even if I managed.
I swam towards the shore under the ice, I felt my limbs going numb from the cold and my lungs beginning to scream for air. I could hear Raph's muffled voice calling my name, I swam towards it. It was my only guidance. I struggled to move through the glass shard feeling water in the darkness. I was so stiff and weak that I wanted to stop, I couldn't tell if I was paddling anymore, but I was moving, so I must be.
I felt sand beneath me, I turned on my back and began pounding my feet against the ice, hearing it crack immediately. But it wasn't enough. With the memory I had of where it was, I numbly reached for my hunting knife. I could hardly tell it was in my grasp, but nonetheless I pulled it up hoping it was there. Gripping it with both my hands I began smashing the butt of the knife into the ice.
My head was beginning to hurt, my insides felt like solid ice at this point and I was running out of oxygen to work with. My arms began to stop working, I could no longer feel them at all and they had no oxygen supply. My pounding on the ice grew softer as I lost the ability to move. My lungs burned as my vision started getting spotty and blurry, I started to panic again, then I saw a shadow over the ice- Raph. I lost all feeling and my body started going limp, I couldn't strike the ice anymore, I had no strength left to move. Then it all went black in an instant.
Suddenly there was a hard slap on my back and I felt icy water come up my throat. Another hard slap and I puked up a bunch of water, coughed it up and struggled to breathe. I began coughing violently and uncontrollably, I couldn't feel much, but I knew I was shivering.
"There you go kid. Easy." I heard Raph's voice, which sounded wavy to me as if I were drunk, I heard more patting on my back. I - I had never been so cold, I couldn't move...my hands, they were stiff, it scared me but the thought was gone with a violent chill. I opened my eyes to very distorted vision which made me nauseous so I shut them, leaning into whatever I was on and taking in all the sharp cold air I could. "Koda I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Come on I need to get you back, now." I heard him say. From what I could feel, he wrapped his jacket around me and picked me up, holding me close, his body felt really hot against mine, and I tried to hang on to him, the only warmth I felt.
"Stay with me okay Koda? You're gonna be fine, we'll getcha all warmed up okay? I won't let anything happen to you sister." I hardly understood what he said, but I could hear something in his voice I rarely hear from him- fear. Fear?
"It-s-s-o-okay Raph-ph." I tried to utter but I couldn't even feel my lips. I felt a violent shiver rack my body that now hurt every muscle I had. I suddenly became overwhelmed with a tiredness unlike any other as a cold ache ran through my core. But I was petrified to sleep- what if I didn't wake up? So I tried to fight it.
I started to feel colder as Raph ran through the woods for a very long time with me in his arms, I was beginning to regain my senses but losing consciousness at the same time. All I could think was cold and hard to breathe, that's all that was on my mind, that's all there was to feel.
"I-I'm c-c-cold." I shivered.
"I know. We're almost there. I can see the farmhouse." He said reassuringly, yet nervously. I looked in front of us, my vision dizzying as ever, but I could pick out the farmhouse, among the spots and waves plaguing my vision. I saw the smoke from the chimney and all I thought about was getting warm. I was dazed, every thought was laced with cold, shivering and coughing. My lungs burned, my muscles ached, everything was cold and and stiff.
Raph ran up the steps and threw open the door and ran me inside, we were quickly greeted by Leo who ran over to us.
"She... fell... through the ice." Raph said gasping for air as he'd just run well over a mile. Leo took me into his arms.
"Oh my God Raph she's freezing. Donnie! Master Splinter!" Leo shouted frantically as he looked down at me and brushed the icy hair out of my face. "Koda can you hear me?"
"C-c-cold." I smiled before falling into a painful coughing fit. Donnie and Splinter ran in, along with the others who I could barely register who they were.
"What happened?!" Donnie asked rushing up to me and feeling my skin.
"She fell through the ice." Raph replied less out of breath.
"We need to move quick. Sensei make some tea, Leo get her out of those wet clothes, Mikey put logs on the fire, I'm gonna go get my medical supplies." Donnie said as everyone rushed around and Leo ran me up the stairs to my room. He must be using Donnie's brace I thought, but that thought like the others was swiped away with chills and a grogginess I couldn't control. Leo brought me to the room April, Karai and I shared and shut the door. He gently sat me on the bed against the foot board and quickly rifled through my drawers, pulling out pajamas and underwear. I shivered violently to the point where the bed was shaking.
"Koda I won't look okay, but we need to get you into dry clothes." He put the clothes next to me and started taking off Raph's jacket which was wrapped around me. "Jesus's shell its frozen to your sweater." He said yanking on it to break the the thin ice in between. "We're gonna get you warmed up Koda don't worry." Leo then took off my frozen boots and socks and sweater. "I'm not gonna look, but you need to try and help me get the wet clothes off." Leo said taking his mask and spinning it around so the eye holes were in back. I wanted to laugh more than anything, but suddenly the cold drowned out the emotion.
"L-leo, j-j-u-ust g-get the-e-se f-f-f-reezing c-c-lothes o-off." I croaked and shivered, I was hardly able to move, I would'n't be able to do anything, the faster they were off the faster I could be warm "I-I d-don't c-ca-are." I said shaking uncontrollably. I trusted Leo to the fullest, to the point where him seeing me with no clothes would not embarrass me, although not a preferable situation.
"Alright if you say so." Leo said skeptically after his pause to my response, spinning his mask back around, he began taking off my clothes while keeping his eyes adverted. It wasn't long before I was finally in warm dry clothing and the whole scene was fading behind me like everything else. Leo rushed me back down stairs where a nice fire, big blankets and tea awaited me. Warmth.
It was hard to see the scenes playing out in front of me as I could barely keep my eyes open and what ever I could see was blurry.
Leo placed me on the chair by the fire and covered me with the blankets, Splinter handed Leo the tea and he held it up to my numb lips for me to take sips.
In comparison to my body temperature, the tea was so hot it burned so I backed my head away from the cup Leo held. Seemingly able to understand, Leo set the cup down on a little nearby table while Donnie came over and stuck a thermometer in my mouth.
"How long was she under that ice?" Donnie asked waiting for the thermometer to beep, keeping a warm strong hand on my shaking shoulder.
"Almost an entire minute, maybe longer." Raph replied patting my head. Donnie took the thermometer from my mouth almost immediately as it beeped.
After a second of glancing at it, he tucked the blankets over my shoulder. "Her temperature's a little low. She definitely has mild hypothermia. We just need to keep her warm and a close eye on her." He said standing.
"I'll watch over her for the night." Leo said softly as he took a seat by the fire. Suddenly I was struck with uncontrollable coughing, Raph pat my back. Everyone I could see tensed up and Leo stood back up.
Donnie leaned back over, taking his stethoscope out and listening to my my lungs. "She swallow any water?" He asked, moving the stethoscope around my chest as my coughing died down.
"Yeah she coughed up a bunch of it. It took me a couple seconds to get her breathing again." Raph answered with a waver in his voice.
"Alright well keep an eye out for pneumonia. She has a lot of fluid in her lungs already." Donnie said worriedly. I still shook, unable to stop. Now that I was safe and warm, my eyes felt so heavy.
"I-I'm t-tired." I said to Donnie.
He nodded. "Alright get some rest. We'll wake you up periodically okay?"
I nodded my in response as I sunk my head into the pillow Raph was setting down for me against the chair arm. I was immediately drifting off the second I closed my eyes.
I don't remember much from my confused sleep; a mix between imagination and reality. But I startled awake to a crackling noise that sounding the ice breaking in my dream. I stiffly looked up to see Leo poking the fire and Raph standing across the way.
"Alright, just let me know how she turns out in the morning." He said leaving the living room. I wondered what conversation I'd just missed.
Leo nodded in reply, still watching the weak fire. "Come on you son of shell. Don't die on me." He said annoyed as he tried poking it some more with the fire stick.
"Ya you gotta flip... That smaller log... Over the big burning one." I said, my voice sounding awful. He did so then turned around to face me with a warm smile.
"You're up." He said coming over and placing and on my cheek and kneeling down to be eye level with me. "How are feeling now?" He asked.
"Better but still cold... Everything hurts." I squeaked, wincing as I adjusted my position. My muscles burned somethin' terrible, and even the little shivers sent pain through all of them.
"Yeah I bet." He said quietly, rubbing my sore shoulder. "Want anything? Need anything?" He asked, gently pulling the covers up a little higher and letting his hand linger on them.
"I want to be warm." I coughed with a shiver.
He smiled. "There's one thing I can try to do about that." He said leaning over, picking me up gently, sat on the chair, then he put me in his lap and wrapped the blankets around both of us as he held me securely. His body felt like a heating pack and I snuggled into him.
"This solve your problem?" He chuckled I nodded in content and rested my head against his shoulder. "You get some more rest, alright." He said massaging my shoulder which helped the aching I felt. I drifted off once more despite the pain I felt and the shivering that still occasionally took over me. But at least now I felt warmer finally.
Once again I woke from my delusional sleep, but now instead of being cold I was sweating hot. I opened my still tired eyes to find Leo still holding me, he was asleep with his head resting against the back of the chair.
"Leo?" I said with a strained voice. He snapped awake and looked down at me.
He yawned. "Good afternoon sleeping beauty." He joked so I playfully smacked his chest, which was more or less my hand just falling against him. I felt so weak I could barely lift my arm. He chuckled at the action. "How are you feeling?" He asked feeling my forehead.
"I'm warm now... Too warm." I said trying to push myself up to sitting position.
"Alright then I guess its time to move you to the couch, away from the fire." He said standing and carrying me over there. He laid me gently on the couch and took all the blankets off except for one. The coolness felt nice for once against my overheated body. Leo sighed in relief, "finally I can go pee I've been holding it for hours." He said running off. I laughed which turned into coughing.
Leo came back shortly and sat next to me. "Holy heck you have no idea how good that felt." He chuckled then looked down at me. "Are you hungry or anything? Donnie said to make you drink some water."
I shook my head. "I'd rather sleep." I said closing my eyes.
"Alright well hold on there, Donnie said you need to get some liquid in your system. You can sleep afer you've had some water, you're very dehydrated." Leo said going to grab a glass of water that sat on the table next to chair I slept on. Leo came back and helped me drink half of it before setting it down and letting me fall asleep.
I hazily remember in between dreams being woken up and forced to drink water by a different turtle each time, Raph mostly. But this time I woke up, my vision was clear and I didn't feel as exhausted. I actually wanted to wake up this time, so I did. I looked around hoping to find one of the turtles, I saw Leo not too far away, standing in the kitchen entry way, talking to one of the others quietly. It wasn't long before he turned around and met my gaze.
"Look who's decided to join the living." Leo laughed coming over to the couch. I smiled sleepily and sat up as he came over and plopped a spot next to me on the couch.
"How long was I out for?" I asked stretching my sore, sleep stiffened body.
"Only a day. You feel okay? Ready to eat anything? Raph and Mikey made soup for you." He said rubbing my back.
"I'm okay, chest hurts a little though." I said coughing which hurt more.
"Yeah, well according to Raph you had a lot of water in those lungs and you've been coughing a lot since you've been out." He said patting my shoulder. I smiled then looked to the kitchen.
"I'm up for food." I glanced back at him. "Am I allowed to walk by myself to the kitchen or do you gotta bring the soup to me?" I asked sarcastically.
"If you think you can do it then go ahead." He grinned getting up to lend me hand.
"I'm tired... not broken." I joked. Taking his outreached hand I tugged him to off balance him with what strength I had. He caught himself on his right leg and I smiled.
"Donnie's brace working good yeah?" I asked standing as he stood for me to lean on. I felt dizzy at the action but pushed it off.
He chuckled, "he told you about that huh?" I nodded as we began head for the kitchen with Leo's arm wrapped around me in support which I was thankful for, otherwise I'd fall over. "It works great actually took a lot of pain and pressure off it, I can at least walk now. He gave it to me after you ran off so I could help look for you." Leo smiled down at me as we entered the kitchen, where Mikey, James and Vance sat playing go fish.
Vance looked up at me as I walked in. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah, much." I said sitting down in the chair Leo pulled out for me. Mikey handed me seven cards inviting me to play so I did while Leo heated up some of the soup.
"Got any fours, Mike?" James asked.
"Nah go fish brah." He replied and James irritatingly took a card from the deck.
"I can never get any cards off you. You cheatin'?" James asked.
Mikey glanced at his arms. "No sleeves to put the cards in." He stated and we all chuckled. But we all jumped a bit when Leo cursed. Looking over we found that he somehow... burned the soup. The boy really can't cook!
