Karai raced through the maze of tunnels beneath the city. Starting from just outside the lair, she would reverse the escape route back towards the warehouse. If they were anywhere on it, she'd catch their scent and be able to track them if they'd gone off course. A good plan, assuming she wasn't too late.
Turning from the abandoned subway tunnels off into the drainage system, she started on the path, almost immediately coming to a halt. Was that...the kids?
Chirps, laughter and sniffling preceded the lot of them trooping out of the gloom together, sharing a cluster of gas masks that they passed between them. And then Yuuta's eye caught sight of her and he squeaked in delight.
"Aunt Karai," Anton called while Alli shrieked "Auntie!"
Karai shifted back to human form, ready to embrace them.
Except it was Ana who ran up to her sobbing. "OMG, save me please. This night has been the worst. I need a bath and a massage now."
Cringing awkwardly as Ana clung to her, Karai craned her neck to see the kids and babies beyond her.
"We made it." Alli cheered.
"Did we do good?" Anton asked.
Karai smiled. "Yeah, you did good. Let's go home."
TSOTCTSOTC
Zoe felt like shit as Raph placed her on the Lazy Boy alongside a scowling Aries. Her brother looked ready to protest, after all there was hardly enough room. Okay, there wasn't any. But he seemed to change his mind as he studied her. She looked her ram brother over then settled against his arm.
"Leg wound?" They asked each other in unison.
Both gave a single nod.
Aries let out a frustrated grunt and Zoe sighed.
It didn't look like they'd fared well in the battle. The couch was occupied by Denim and Mikey, Denim appearing unconscious while a semi-conscious Michelangelo held her. As she looked around, Zoe saw what was clearly a chaotic mess. There were few family members and friends on their feet to handle it, Raph, Leatherhead, Slash, Arcos, a singed Medusa, and Casey. All were awesome at battle, but not the best for crisis management. Well Arcos and Dusa would be her first pic for triage of the lot. Either way, she had to step up, as it was, everyone was holding someone and looking around for space. Battle worn, numb and exhausted, every single one of them. And all of them, despite their feelings about it, were used to having either Mom, Splinter, Leo or in medical situations Donnie yelling at them on what to do. Zoe glanced at her heavily bandaged thigh. Well, she'd have to hobble up to the job, but whatever. It was just a little thing, she'd be fine.
Leatherhead had Pete laid out on the kitchen table, but he stood over him while holding Mondo. Slash had Rockwell. Both reptiles looked around for direction. Arcos held Sappho, Medusa had April.
Casey saw Raph and rushed over. "What do we do?"
"No sign of Mom or Master Splinter?" Raph asked, his face scrunched in concern.
"Nah, we all kind of poured in at the same time. Don and Leo ain't here neither." Casey looked around again. "Where's Karai? Where's the kids?"
"Karai's on her way to get them," Raph scratched his head. "Or on her way back with them." He shrugged. "They're fine, I'm sure. But we got to deal with this."
Zoe rubbed her face, wincing as she pushed to her feet. Aries growled as she jostled him, but put a hand out to steady her nonetheless. "Listen up," her voice came out hoarse.
"Sit down, you." Raph looked away from Casey to refuse her. "That leg ain't a joke. We don't know how deep that puncture is. You get up and start movin' around you might actually bleed out."
Ignoring him, Zoe cleared her throat. "Start sending them up to the apartments. Don't place them in their respective rooms, instead place them worst to least injured, so Mom and Donnie can just work down the line." She took a step toward Raph despite his finger pointing to the chair. "I'll be fine."
"The hell you will! Look at yerself, Z." Raph's thick fingers motioned to various places on her, stopping as he studied the cloth around her leg. "Shit's bleeding again. Sit. The fuck. Down. If anything, elevate that shit." He guided her back a step, but she wouldn't sit. "Z. Don't do this. Not now."
Aries heaved a sigh. "Sit down, Zoe."
Zoe's brow furrowed as she peered behind her. Aries glanced at her bandages then to her face. "Sit."
"But-" She looked around the room, at April's limp body, covered in black ash and dried red-brown that Zoe could smell. Pete, she wasn't even sure was alive. Mondo and Rockwell, unconscious too. "It's bad. I can help."
"And Mom and Donnie ain't here. You can't help by makin' yerself worse." Raph reached out, guided her back beside Aries. "Just stay put for now." Before she could refuse, he turned to face everyone else. "You heard her. She's right. Worst in, first." He looked at April and swallowed hard. "I think that's April, Dus. Arcos take Sappho up next. Leatherhead take Pete. Slash, get Mondo and Rockwell up too."
Medusa nodded, slithering upstairs without argument. Arcos right behind her. Something churned in Raph's gut as Leatherhead and Slash passed by. He was missing something. He thought it might be Zoe, but she was conscious and he was seeing too many of their friends that weren't. But something was wrong. Something - his gaze settled to his left where his usually mouthy little brother's head was tipped back, his skin almost sickly pale. Denim hung loose in his arms, both of them covered in fresh blood. "Mikey! Shit. Case, help me get him to the kitchen table!"
Just then the lair door opened, the room filling with kids, crying babies, and a weeping Ana.
"We're here!" Alli announced.
Karai gaped at the scene around her. She'd thought things were rough earlier with Zoe's and Aries's injuries, but scanning the room now, she realized that they'd gotten off light. Times like this made her long for the days when she'd run into a fight not giving two fucks for consequence. This fallout was the downside of having something to lose.
"Mama! Daddy! Alli shrieked as her eyes fell on her parents.
Karai, burdened with creatively layered child carriers for three babies, barely managed to catch her hand before she ran to them. "Hey, they need to rest right now, ok?"
Alli's eyes welled with tears. "But...but..."
In her periphery, she could see Anton's gaze fixed upon Zoe's leg bandage and Yuuta scanning the room for people who weren't here. "Our family is excellent at taking care of each other, so we have to let the patching up happen."
"I can help." Alli begged.
"Yes, you can."Karai murmured, an idea forming. "We all can. There's nothing like good food to make people feel better. Let's grab some baskets for the babies and see what we have to work with in the kitchen." She gestured for Anton and Yuuta to follow.
"But I hate cooking." Ana sobbed.
"Good because I don't really want you touching our food right now." Karai snapped, wrinkling her nose. "Bathroom is over there if you're interested in washing up."
Ana's eyes latched onto it and she made a beeline for the shower without giving Aries a second glance.
"I don't think we should move him, Raph. We gotta get him upright so the blood isn't just pourin' out of him. If we lay him flat on the table and nobody is ready to take care of whatever is goin' on beneath those bandages - then we just made the problem worse." Casey scooped Denim up to move her to the side so Raph could get Mikey more upright, then he looked down. "Oh shit. I don't know whose bleeding more. Him or her."
"Just, just get her upright too, I guess. We need more of that hemostuff that Leo poured in Zoe's wound." Raph glanced at Zoe's bloodied bandages then back to his brothers soaked through ones. "Not that it seems to be helpin' anymore." He pulled his shirt off, pressing it tight against Mikey's shoulder. "Somebody get us some towels and the first aid kit!"
"Anybody know what happened to them?" Casey looked toward the stairs where Slash was coming back down with towels.
"Shot. Both of'em." Slash handed two towels to Raph and two to Casey.
Casey nodded pressing a towel to Denim's front as he held her upright while tugging his phone out. "Hey, Siri, how do you treat a gunshot wound?"
Raphael's head pivoted around toward his long time friend. He was gonna kill him. "Really, Case?! Now ain't the time to-"
"Here's what I found." The phone answered.
Casey nodded. "See that, Raph. I know what I'm doin'. We got this." Blood soaked Denim's shirt from the back, spilling out over his fingers. Casey's stomach plummeted as he dropped his phone to apply more pressure. "Or maybe not. We need help, like now! Where the shell are Donnie and Phoenix?"
"They need blood," Zoe said dazedly, leaning heavier against Aries side.
"Hang on, my sweet chinchilla. I'm here." Donnie burst into the lair with Leo at his heels. Looking around wildly, he simultaneously processed the absence of April and Phoenix while mentally categorizing the array of injuries before him. His throat constricted in panic.
Leo grabbed the collar of his plastron, pulling him around to force eye contact. "Donnie, breathe. April is..." His eyes darted, scanning the room.
"First room, upstairs." Zoe filled in, speech slurring just enough to cause worry as she limply gestured to the renovated section of the lair they'd expanded along with their family.
"She's upstairs," Leo resumed, focusing back in on Donnie.
"There's too much..." Donnie stammered. "I can't... not by myself. If mom's..."
Leo saw Raph shake his head and quickly interrupted Donnie.
"She isn't here, but you can do this. With us. Give any emergency instructions for anyone you see right now and we will handle it. Then check on April..."
"Leo..." Raph growled.
"He has to see her. How well could you focus if it was Zoe?" Leo snapped and Raph clamped his mouth shut.
Leo turned back to Donnie. "Check on April and anyone else upstairs. Then triage. We will help you."
Donnie swallowed hard and nodded. "Anyone bleeding heavily needs fresh hemostatic bandages. Their wounds probably reopened when they were moved to the lair."
"How do we...?" Raph started but Donnie cut him off.
"Emergency medical kit," he pointed at the box on the wall with a green plus taped to the outside, "the packaging says hemostatic bandages. Follow the instructions on the package and stop the bleeding. I'll be back soon." Then he took the stairs three at a time, grabbing the second floor medical kit off the wall.
Medusa looked up as he barreled into the room, dropping to his knees beside April's bed, eyes scanning her.
"Superficial burns, first and second degree." He listened to her breathing. "Smoke inhalation." Not enough to render her so deeply unconscious. He suspected that had to do with overuse of her powers. The former he could handle, but the latter would require Phoenix.
"What do we do?" Medusa asked, reclaiming his attention.
He took a steadying breath. "Remove all burnt clothing and debris from the burns, yours too. They'll need silver sulphadiazine and loose sterile dressing." Not for the first or last time, he lamented not having the full complement of resources available at a hospital, but the silver sulphadiazine would serve until he could get her to one or Phoenix returned.
"She'll need oxygen. In the old lab..." He started, seeking the best way to instruct where to find everything.
"I know where all of that issss." Medusa interjected. "I can handle thissss."
Stomach churning, he nodded, trusting his sister.
"Sssssappho is next door with Arcosss. Burned too. I'll tell him what to do." She added.
He let out a shakey breath and forced himself away from April's side. She was in good hands and others needed him more. That didn't make it any easier.
He glanced into the neighboring room on his way to the one beyond it. Like a mirror of himself moments before, at Sappho's side, Arcos didn't even look up as he passed.
The next room housed Pete, who gave him a cheerful wave before wincing and grabbing flappily at the wing he'd tried moving. Gunshot wound, but one that could wait. Pete was too annoying to die.
He gave Pete a wan smile and moved on.
Leatherhead turned a sad gaze towards him as he looked into the third room and Donnie winced at the sight of Mondo.
It was bad. Not immediately life threatening, which meant he'd have the move on, but, depending on the damage under those bloody bandages layered over Mondo's head, not something he was sure could be mended either.
Quietly closing the door, he checked on the last room.
Slash stopped pacing when he stuck his head in.
"What happened to him?" Donnie asked, unable to see any damage.
Slash shrugged helplessly.
Rockwell shifted on the bed. "I merely lost my defenses at an inopportune moment. I will be fine." Then he moaned and clutched his head. "As soon as this damned migraine passes."
Slash's shoulders sagged in relief and he followed Donnie back down the stairs as Donnie balanced the relief of one less patient with the disappointment that Rockwell was in no condition to help.
All eyes locked on him as he descended back into the living room, where everyone was padded up with a fresh round of bandages.
Leo leveled his gaze on him and Donnie felt his nerves fade into the background as a running list of what needed doing monopolized his attention.
"Leo, Raph, Slash, Casey. Go to the deep freezer in the lab and start thawing blood for Denim, Zoe, Mikey and Aries." In any other family, regularly drawing and storing blood from everyone in preparation for emergencies, held in multiple locations, would be paranoid nuts, but, as in so many things, they were the exception not the rule. "We'll need to transfuse them as soon as I'm done."
Steady now, he grabbed his suture kit and headed towards Denim.
TSOTC
"Hurry, Aunt Rai, the babies is cryin' again." Alli shouted from the kitchen table.
"What're we gonna make?" Anton asked, opening the fridge. "It's empty, cept for some water."
If it weren't for serpent hearing, Karai might not have heard her niece and nephew, from deep in the back of a storage closet, looking for something to put the babies down in. Her search for Anton's old bassinet, or even some empty baskets, came up empty. Maybe Raph or Zoe had taken the bassinet to their apartment. No matter she'd find something.
She did find a case of canned beans, canned vegetables, a shelf with spices, instant mashed potatoes, and other survival essentials. They wouldn't starve. The kids might not be thrilled. But no super hungry kid ever turned down anything. They'd live.
Oh, what was that? Spying a familiar faded pastel splash pattern behind some old boxes, she moved them to reveal Anton's old pack and play. "Perfect!" She announced, pulling it free.
As she emerged from the kitchen she kind of wanted to go back in the closet. The babies were screaming, Alli having given up trying to console them to cover her ears. Yuuta was still trying, holding Shen as he walked around patting her on the back. Anton was still rooting around in the fridge as though it would manifest contents.
"Yip." Yuuta said to her, his face belying his desire for her to move faster.
"Don't be pushy, Yuuta. We'll figure it out." Karai told him, while opening up their new baby container. It wasn't in bad shape. Not covered in rat or mice shit and not chewed. Donnie must've really sealed that closet off well. Good thing, because it held most of their emergency supplies. Her heart lifted a little more as a pouch of diaper cream, diapers and wipes, bounced free in the bottom. "See that. We've got this."
"Yeah, but we can't eat diaper cream, and I don't think the babies want to neither." Anton closed the fridge and pointed to where Scout was sucking on her hand. Jem had his little fist in his mouth and Shen was pecking around Yuuta screaming like a banshee. Right. Formula. She was pretty sure she didn't see any of that among the supplies.
A glance toward the living room showed Donnie lifting Denim from the couch while yelling at Leo. "Go back in the lab. Clear off a table!"
Nope. She wasn't feeding anybody. Okay.
"Aunt Rai!" Anton and Alli shouted.
She would just feed Shen formula, but they didn't have any. What now?
"There's three of you and three of them. Check diapers then wash your hands. I'll be right back." Karai went back in the cupboard. They did have bottles in the cabinets, sippy cups even. They simply hadn't bothered throwing them out after Anton. She was good there. She knew it. But the formula. Formula. Formula. She went to the shelves of emergency rations, skimming over the labels and options. Milk! Evaporated whole milk. Yes! She grabbed a can. Should she add anything to it? She pulled out her phone and ran a search. Corn syrup? Really? "I thought sugar was bad for kids," she grumbled. "Whatever." A quick shelf check showed all the contents of cookie making. "Thank you, Michelangelo." She grabbed a bottle of Karo and a quart bottle of water, shoving the door shut with her foot on her way out. "Yes. We've got this."