Trigger warning beforehand
Chapter 37
"There she goes," Donatello said, as he maneuvered his spy roach to follow Lillian.
"Good idea to use a roach to spy on her," Mikey said, hovering behind Donnie as he directed the roach right behind Lillian so that it was out of her sight. "But don't you think you should have told her about it. You know how she hates bugs. That's why she loves Raph because he's a wuss too."
"Shut up. I'm not scared of bugs anymore and I am not a wuss." Raphael growled.
Donnie rolled his eyes, "I didn't tell anyone but just in case anything happens and audio evidence isn't enough, the video will come in handy. And, I'm staying out of sight because I know she's uncomfortable around bugs and I don't want her to get startled."
Mikey nodded, "Yeah, don't want her to scream and then pop the baby out." He joked playfully, receiving disgusted looks from everyone in the Shell Raiser. "What?"
Raphael shook his head, "Jesus..."
"I'm joking! It's a tense day, excuse me for trying to lighten the mood." Mikey spat.
Donnie shook his head, "Anyways, Lillian is getting to the elevator." He stated, positioning the roach right in the corner of the elevator.
Mikey and Don watched as Lillian rubbed her belly and smiled softly. "Okay baby...we can do it." She whispered to her stomach.
Donnie felt his chest warm at the sight.
"Awe," Michelangelo muttered. "She's going to be such a good mother."
Raphael crossed his arms over his chest and leaned up against the walls of the train cart, shutting his eyes and smiling at the sight of Lillian being a mother in his mind.
"Kinda unbelievable the girl we used to know is now this pregnant woman." Donnie sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Maybe not unbelievable, just amazing."
"Yeah... Can't wait to be an uncle." Mikey chirped with a wide grin.
Donnie scoffed at his comment finding it ridiculous, but still, inside he was bubbling with excitement at the thought of having a little person running around the lair for all of them to take care of. A child was going to be a part of their family... It was almost a sense of comfort.
Leonardo, sitting in the driver's seat, rolled his eyes at Mikey's comment. "So if you're the uncle, what does that make Raph?"
Mikey smirked, "The dada."
Even though Raphael shot his brother a glare, his stomach fluttered with excitement. "Dork."
"Have you talked to Lillian about what's going to happen between the two of you because of this baby?" Leo asked, resting both his hands behind his head. "A baby is a lot of work, you know?"
"No really? I thought you just feed it once a week and wait for it to learn how to pee on its own." Raphael scoffed sarcastically.
"Raph, I'm serious. Are you sure you're ready for a child? You can say no." Leo suggested.
"I'm not saying 'no' to Lillian and this baby." Raphael bit, his eyes narrowed angrily at the question. "Don't go bringing up my problems as a way for me to cop out of this relationship. I'm in it all the way, Leo. Are you?"
"Am I what?" Leo laughed amused yet confused at Raphael's question. "I'm not dating, Lillian. Though, if she asked-"
"Watch it, Fearless," Raphael growled, knowing his brother meant nothing by this empty threat nevertheless still angered by it.
"Yeah," Mikey chimed in. "If things go wrong with Raph, I'm next in line."
Raphael's eyes widened, "You're what!" He yelled.
Leonardo threw his head back and laughed, "You? What makes you think Lillian would go for you?"
Mikey furrowed his brow and frowned, feeling a little hurt by how hard his brother was laughing. "Hey! I'm her best friend. We'd be a great couple."
"Neither of you are dating Lillian. Would you both shut up?" Raphael spat, now fully angry.
Donnie sighed at his brothers in disbelief. The conversation was not only pointless but stupid. "Relax, Raph, these two are all bark no bite. Besides," a smirk suddenly plagued his lips. "By the looks of that hickey Leo's got, I'd say he's already taken."
"Oooh...!" Mikey exclaimed, covering his hand over his mouth.
Raphael could help but snicker at the unexpected comment.
Leonardo stiffened, "I don't know what you're talking about." He stated flatly, his hands going to his neck. "I don't have a hickey."
"Maybe not now," Raphael went up and smacked the back of Leo's head before turning his chair to face him. "But a couple of days ago, you came home pretty late smelling like lady perfume and covered in lipstick. Either you have a part-time job as a Drag Queen, or you officially got a girlfriend?"
Mikey placed a hand on his stomach as he laughed, "Ha! Leo in drag! Could you imagine?"
Leonardo glared at Raphael, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Shouldn't we be worried about Lillian?"
"She's in a meeting room," Donnie stated. "He's making her wait."
Raphael's teasing smile quickly turned into a frown when Donatello mentioned Luis. Man, that guy really knew how to piss him off without even trying, just by existing. He let go of his brother's chair and back over to lean against the wall of the train cart.
"This doesn't feel like a good idea," Raphael muttered to himself. All-day long, there had been a heaviness in his stomach at Lillian confronting Luis alone. He still didn't understand why she had to do this. What could she possibly have to say to this guy? Raphael couldn't help but feel a little betrayed that Lillian insisted on seeing Luis again, after the threats to him and his family's safety... To top it all off, Luis seemed unpredictable and in his gut, Raphael's instincts were telling him this was a bad idea.
Mikey, for the first time in what felt like a long time, nodded in agreement. "I don't like it either. Why couldn't Barry be there with her?"
Donnie gave a small sigh, "If Barry or Ian is in the room, he may not confess anything useful for the investigation or to throw him in jail. If he thinks it's just Lillian, he's more likely to say something incriminating." He shook his head a bit, "Although, I don't like it either."
"Mike," Raphael growled.
Mikey raised his head and blinked.
"I know you hate it when I say shit like this but if something happens to Lillian or that baby..."
Mikey nodded, "I get it, Raph. Me too. The only reason why I lecture you all the time about not beating this guy up is 'cause that will only hurt you and Lillian's relationship, duh. I'm trying to save you."
Though he showed no reaction, Raphael was stunned at this little revelation. Michelangelo didn't ever depict a different story, so hearing this almost made Raphael feel guilty.
Mikey shrugged, "Lillian being happy means a lot to me and she's happiest with you. I don't know why but whatever. Don't mess that up again."
Raphael simply nodded.
"Awe, touching moment." Leonardo teased.
Raph flashed him a cocky grin, "Hey, how's Bell doing?"
Leonardo glared back at him
"She still cute and single?" Mikey added.
Donatello rolled his eyes, "You guys are ridiculous-"
The audio in the small monitor interrupted all of them, the door opened and Lillian was seen jumping in her seat.
Luis came in with a charismatic smile, "Easy, sweetheart, I'm not going to hurt you."
Mikey narrowed his eyes at the screen, "That's not what I thought he'd look like." He muttered. Luis was a well-groomed, handsome man. Square jaw, slick back hair, olive skin and looked to be in good shape physically.
Donatello moved the camera away from Lillian to try and get a better picture of both of them.
"Way to make the mother of your child wait." Lillian growled.
"Well, you cheated on me, the least you can do is wait five minutes." He went up to her, leaning in to kiss her cheek before she moved her way away from him and sat back down in her chair. "Looking a little chunky there."
"It's called pregnancy."
"No excuse for you to eat like a pig."
Everyone clenched their jaw in response to this comment. Raphael being to only one to emit a growled. "I'm going to kill him." He mumbled.
"Me first," Mikey grunted, his hands latching on to the back of Donnie's seat and squeezing until it pained him.
Once Donatello found a good angle to keep the camera at, he let go of the controllers and crossed his arms over his chest in anger.
"So, what have you decided?"
"Well, first I want to know how you got the pictures."
"Why do you need to know that?"
"Because I figured it's the least you could do for me after everything you have put me through. All the lies, all the stress, the abuse both physical and emotional..."
Donnie nodded in silent agreement.
"Abuse?"
"Is there another term to use when your partner puts their hands on you? And this isn't even the first time! You put your child in danger. Do you know how many people want you dead because of what you did to me?"
"Not the first time?" Raphael muttered in confusion. Lilly had told him once before that Luis hadn't touched her... Why did she lie?
A sudden bang caused Raphael to look up at Donatello to see if anything had happened. His brother gave no reaction or indication that she was in danger. That didn't calm him.
"Hey! Don't you threaten me!" Luis's voice boomed through the speakers.
Mikey scoffed, "What did she see in this guy?"
Donatello shushed him, his eyes fixated on Lillian and her demeanor. He's never seen her this calm before, but he knew it was all an act. Though a bit pixilated, Donnie could tell Lillian was attempting to calm herself, to slow her breathing down...
"Where did you get the pictures, Luis?"
After a pause, Luis leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table. "I had a suspicion you were cheating on me which is why you were acting out. At first, I thought it was April you were cheating on me with."
"That's dumb." Mikey laughed softly, receiving a little scowl from Donnie. "What? April's straight."
"So I hired someone to follow you and that's that. What a surprise I had when the guy I hired came to me and told me you were sleeping with an X-Man. You know, you're lucky. Because I should be repulsed by you. I should be disgusted. A mutant? The more I looked, the more I realized that I'm not the only one that hates mutants. So the best revenge for taking something that belongs to me is taking it back and making it better."
Leo looked at his brother, feeling a bit of pride at how well he was holding it together. The anger was radiating off of him like heat, but he was breathing hard to keep himself as calm as possible. Still, Leo knew it was a matter of time before he would explode.
"I do not belong to anyone," Lillian's voice seemed to be the only thing that calmed Raphael for the time being... Until Luis opened his mouth again.
"Yeah well, now you don't have a choice. You're lucky I don't kill the monster."
To this, Raph gave an amused chuckle. "Ha. Lilly didn't tell me this guy was a comedian!"
"I don't want to argue. I don't want to be mean..."
Mikey rolled his eyes, "He literally started this conversation by calling her fat."
"Alright, Donatello. We are heading inside the building." Barry's voice suddenly chimed in the speakers. "I will be outside of the room Lillian is in."
Donatello pressed on his earpiece, "Copy that, Barry."
"Lilly just has to hang in there for a couple more minutes, right Don?" Mikey asked.
He nodded to give his brother a sense of hope but he had no idea. Barry being near Lillian made him relax a little bit but being in the same room as Luis...
"Lillian... Miss high and mighty..."
"When Raphael and I were together, you and I weren't."
Raphael winced at this lie. Though he would've preferred Lillian tell Luis the truth only because it would've hurt him more had she'd been brutally honest, she was probably hiding for her own safety.
Donnie shook his head and groaned, "I'm not sure he's going to say anything incriminating and it's making me worried."
"Where did you get the pictures?" Lillian urged. Donatello let out a puff of air in response. It was like Lillian could hear him.
"If you want me to tell you the company I won't. I promised them that much. And they said they already got rid of any evidence they worked with me so you can't prove I did anything."
To this, everyone's heart fell into their stomach as the blow of his words felt like a painful punch. Michelangelo pressed a hand to his forehead. Donatello cradled his head in his hands thinking of ways to retrieve data that was once deleted. Leonardo couldn't help but glare at Raphael for getting them all in this mess in and first place. Raphael expressed his feelings like he always did, by punching the wall on the van.
Mikey scoffed, "So this was all for nothing?"
Donnie shook his head, "Maybe not. If Lillian could still get him to admit that he put his hands on her, he could still go to jail."
"I wonder what would happen if everyone found out where he lived. You know how humans react to things that are different. I wonder how bad it's going to be for him when everyone finds out who he really is. Is he going to be murdered? Is he going to be tortured? You see, I found out that there are a lot of people that do not like anything that involves mutants. You should see what some of these people think. It's ugly...dangerous even."
Michelangelo felt his stomach turn at this, "Do people really..."
"He's trying to get her to react, Mikey," Donnie explained. "Don't listen."
"I'm not scared for Raphael."
Raphael nodded.
"Does he have a family?"
"I'm not going to tell you anything."
"When did you fall in love with him?"
"I'm not going to tell you-"
Another loud bang was heard. Raphael took a step in his brother's direction but stopped when Michelangelo held out his hand and stopped him. It was better if he did not see the video feed.
"She's fine, dude. He's just being an asshole and trying to scare her." Mikey calmed.
"Stop what? Call you out on how irresponsible that action was? How disgusting it is to even think let alone experience? How much of a whore you've become! Sleeping around before I came into your life is one thing. Hell, I'll be honest, I've strayed away from time to time at the beginning of our relationship but this? You're so lucky I forgive you."
Raphael growled, "That son of a bitch is going to regret the day he ever laid eyes on her once I'm done with him."
"Luis... I came here to see if you still had some good in you. To show me you deserved to be in this child's life after you continuously begged me not to terminate it. Despite our falling out, I've gotten heat from everyone I know because I still thought you deserved to see this child. Be in this child's life. I'm here to see if you deserved to be a father. But you're threats and blackmail tell me all I need to know. It's disheartening, to say the least."
Donnie rolled his shoulders, that was one reason to have come here and met with him face to face...Was it necessary?
Raphael felt guilt boil in his stomach at hearing her explanation. He shouldn't have been as hard as he was on her... He still didn't fully understand why she had to say this alone, so Luis could be himself? Incriminate himself? Probably. Still, it was too dangerous.
"You're not going to distract me from this lie you've told-"
There was another loud bang heard on the speakers. Raphael looked towards Mikey who just shook his head.
Donnie watched, fixing his mic and getting ready for anything as Lillian finally showed some emotion and stood up from her seat.
"Stop it! Stop acting like I never loved you. Stop acting like everything we went through was a fucking lie. I loved you! I was in love with you. I was pealing you off the bathroom floor so you wouldn't choke on your vomit! I waited till after you came out of rehab! I waited! I don't wait for anyone! Especially not someone who beat me because he thought I was sleeping around with my best friends! You made me fall out of love! You made me turn to another for comfort and kindness because you stopped showing me that as soon as you saw I could live without you!"
Mikey rubbed the back of his head but choosing to stay silent but thinking about why Lillian hadn't said anything to them about what she'd gone through with this man.
The same thing was going through Raphael's mind. Lillian hadn't said anything, probably because Raphael didn't want to talk about Luis. She really loved him if she put up with all that.
"This was your last chance to prove to me you could be a father. All you had to do was be nice to me... You couldn't even do that. So now, you will watch another man raise your child. You will hear from my lawyer."
Raph felt his mouth quirk into a small smile.
Donnie felt himself smile a bit as well, but that quickly changed when he saw Luis grab a hold of Lillian's hand before she could exit the room. "Barry. Barry, get to the meeting room now." He ordered.
"What's happening?" Raphael asked, making his way to the small monitor. Pushing Michelangelo out of the way when he tried to stop him from seeing, he narrowed his eyes and focused on the fact Luis had Lillian's hand in his grip.
"If you think for a second I'm just gonna let you leave this room and have my child be near that abomination, you're dead wrong."
To everyone's split-second relief, Lillian snatched her hand out of him. "Don't you touch me," she growled in his face, before turning on her heel and heading out the room.
Everyone gave a heavy sigh when she wrapped her fingers around the doorknob. She was okay, safe...
Donatello was about to call Barry off, to let him know that Lillian was exiting the room and although the attempt to get Luis to divulge any useful information failed miserably, this chapter looked to be closing on Lilly's involvement with him, however, he straightened for a moment when Lillian stopped. He narrowed his eyes in confusion when she doubled over, only when she emitted a restrained cry. His eyes widened in sudden horror, "Leo! Circle around the block and park in front of the building!" Donnie ordered.
Raphael only needed to glance at Donatello's expression to know this wasn't good. "What's going on, Donnie?" He growled, clasping his hand onto Donnie's shoulder and shaking him hoping it would get an answer out of him.
Donatello went back to the screen, muting the audio and blackening the screen just when Luis was heading towards. There was no point in showing Raphael what was happening and when he listened to the next bit of audio, he felt his blood turn cold. Lillian's screams filled his ears, along with an underlying voice that threatened her.
"If anything happens to my baby, I'll kill you." Said the growl. Donnie blinked for a split second, caught completely off guard at the horrific voice that painfully echoed in his ears. His heart sank into his stomach at this, the awful truth haunting over him was that there was nothing anyone could do. He just had to listen to her screams.
"What was he doing?" Raphael demanded through gritted teeth. His hands went to Donnie's chest, slamming him back into the wall of the van. "Donnie,"
"Barry is with her." Donatello attempted to comfort Raphael even just a tiny bit, grabbing his brother's wrists. "Barry is in the room with her right now."
"What did he do!?" Raphael yelled again, pulling Donnie forward by the edge of his plastron before slamming him again against the wall. "Tell me!"
Mikey wrapped his arm around Raphael's shoulders and pulled him off of Donatello. "Raph! Stop!" He pleaded angrily.
"Leo, get ready to pick Barry up. He's coming out with Lillian." Donnie informed his elder brother.
Leonardo was swerving around the cars letting out a sigh of relief when a spot, granted a rather small one, opened up directly in front of the building. It was one or two minutes of horrendous waiting that chilled all four brothers. Despite Michelangelo wrestling Raphael and pleading with him to stay calm even though it seemed impossible, waiting for Barry to run out of the building with Lillian in his arms felt was met with bone-chilling silence and anticipation.
Eventually, Donatello spotted Barry running out of the building and immediately pressed the button that opened the sliding door. "Hurry up, Barry!" He yelled to grab the man's attention.
Without so much as a second thought, Barry ran inside, panting and frantic. "Hospital, quick!" He pleaded, falling to his knees with Lillian in his arms.
Donatello shut the door, "Step on it, Leo!" He ordered before going over to Lillian.
Raphael pushed Michelangelo off of him and went around Barry to cradle Lillian's head in his hands.
Donatello pressed his fingers against her pulse, "Barry, what happened?"
"I don't know. He just handed her to me saying she fell. Did you see him hit her?" Barry panted.
"She just doubled over out of nowhere." Donnie pressed his hands against her stomach very lightly. She let out a scream in anguish. Donnie cupped her face, "Lilly, tell me where it hurts." He said softly. Everyone watched as Lillian's eyes suddenly rolled back into her head and her body went limp. Donnie checked her pupils, "She passed out."
"No shit, brainiac." Raphael bit. "I'm going to kill that son of a bitch. He's to blame!"
Barry shifted Lillian, "He had him arrested." He breathed heavily. "I'm sorry..."
Raphael, although he glared at Barry, knew why he was apologizing. He wanted to be angry at him for letting Lillian do this by herself. He wanted to blame someone for this. But he couldn't because it was Lillian's decision. He gave him a nod, before looking back down at Lillian's face, praying for the first time in a long time that she'd be alright.
"So they arrested him? Good! Finally! Otherwise, I would've killed him." April screamed in frustration, her face flushing with anger. "I have to get to the hospital then." She said, standing up from the couch.
Donnie pressed his lips together and shook his head, "I don't think it matters. Barry called and said she doesn't want to see anyone. She'll only see Barry."
"Not even Ian?" April asked.
"No one but Barry."
Leonardo crossed his arms over his chest, "Raphael was right. She shouldn't have gone in alone."
"Is the baby okay?" April asked.
Leonardo rolled his shoulders, "There was a heartbeat when they arrived but because she's still experiencing pain, they're keeping her for 24 hours."
April sighed, "How's Raph?"
Mikey snickered at the question, "How do you think? He didn't want to leave Lillian. He was pissed that we came back to the lair."
April was done with a busy workday and ready to end it by relaxing with Donnie and hearing the good news about Lillian. However, when she walked into the lair, the dark grey aura that filled the air almost brought tears to her eyes. Donatello explained to her the situation and she fought hard to keep the tears of anger from falling.
"I can't believe this happened," April said, placing a hand on her forehead. "If anything happens...I don't know what I'd do or what Lillian will do. I mean, she was already stressing out so much."
Donnie placed his hands on her waist and took a deep breath, April caught on quickly and breathed with him. "She's awake and okay right now. That's more important."
Leo sighed, "I'm going to check on Raph."
"Where is he?" April asked before Leo could go anywhere.
"Dojo, blowing off steam...or destroying the place. One of the two..." He groaned before leaving.
Donnie watched him leave before he grabbed April's hand and lead her to the kitchen. Without questioning it, April let him take her. He usually asks to speak to her privately before he ushers her off to someone quiet. Once in the kitchen, Donnie sat April down at the table. She just watched him pace and waited patiently as much as she could.
Donatello looked at her, feeling an emotional lump form in his throat. "April," she said breathlessly.
April blinked at his voice, she'd never seen Donatello cry before. Even when he would get very emotional, he'd never get to the point where he'd cry, at least not in front of her. But his eyes, his voice... April pressed a hand to her heart as it sank to her stomach. "What?"
He stopped pacing, sitting across from her. "When everything happened, I muted the audio and shut the video feed off for Raphael. There was no point for him to see it." He swallowed hard, holding out his hand so he could hold hers. "I muted the audio to the sound system in the Shell Raiser. But not to my headset..."
April gasped softly.
"I heard him tell her he'd kill her if anything happened to that baby." he shook his head, shutting his eyes, and concentrated on stopping the sound of Lillian's cries and gasps from flooding his mind. "I'm trying to be optimistic but with the way things have been going...I don't think the baby is going to survive." He breathed.
April held a hand to her mouth, a silent tear fell from her eye but she quickly wiped it. She shook her head, eyes moving back and forth as she thought for a moment. She was scared, terrified of what Lillian was going to do. Mentally, if she were to lose the baby, where would she be? She was just getting used to the idea of having a child and having Raphael be a part of its life. If this chance gets taken away from her...
Donnie pressed both of his palms into his eyes to stop him from shedding any tears. "All I want is for him to feel the pain he's caused her not to be in jail." He felt himself grow angrier. "I want him dead."
April looked at him in shock at his tone. Hearing Donnie angry was something that, in all honesty, got April hot and bothered for the most part. But this tone was new to her, and it scared her... She didn't like hearing him wish death upon another person. That wasn't who she fell in love with. But she understood...
Slowly pushing the chair back and standing up from it, she went to him. Her hands pulled his from off his face, then she gently cradled his head into her stomach. He was too eager to wrap his arms around her frame and bury his face in her. April shook her head, "We can't lose hope, Donnie. We just can't..."
Donnie took a deep breath, her natural scent soothing him. "I'm worried about her. I'm also worried about Raphael... He's already been through so much."
April nodded, "I am too. But they have each other."
Donnie looked up at her, "But they haven't even started healing from their breakup. I mean..." he wiped his eyes once more. "I know they agreed on being husband and wife but...what if this is just too much for the both of them."
April cupped his face, "For better or for worse. I don't think there is any force on earth that can keep those two apart."
Donnie sighed a bit in relief, yet still something stir in him. Anticipation burned his chest. He just hoped, though the journey may be difficult, that everyone came out still together in the end.
Everyone was struggling to keep themselves awake waiting for a phone call from Barry.
Raphael hadn't said a word to anyone. The most anyone got out of him was a 'leave me alone' when Leonardo pleaded with him to talk. Raphael didn't feel like talking...he felt like drinking. His mind kept replaying Lillian's scream... He's never heard her scream like that before. He hoped to never hear it again.
Her face pale with fear, her eyes glazed over, tears falling onto his hands...her sobs, her voice... It pierced his soul. It broke his heart. How could this happen? How could this happen? This was the last time Raphael was not going to be there when Lillian needed someone. Next person to even make her cry he was going to kill. If anything happens to Lillian or the child...
The baby! God, if anything happens to baby!
Raphael was staring at the television but wasn't really paying attention to anything on the screen. Michelangelo was snoring across from him while Leonardo was just starting to doze off. April was asleep on Donatello's shoulder, but he was doing the same thing Raphael was doing, watching the television and replaying Lillian's screams in his mind.
Raphael cleared his throat to get Donnie's attention. "You should take her to your room."
Donnie blinked himself awake before looking down at April who was softly snoring. He shook his head, "She wanted to be here when Barry called." He rubbed his eyes with his hand and yawned.
Raphael nodded.
Donnie took his phone out to check the time, "It's 3 in the morning. You'd think Barry would update us by now."
Raphael sighed, crossing his arms over his chest as his anxiety began to boil. There had to be a reason why Barry wasn't calling. It made him nervous...
"Hey," Donnie said softly, noticing Raphael clenching his jaw. "She's going to be okay."
"I know she is." He grumbled.
Leonardo awoke with a start when his phone began to vibrate. Immediately he began to look for it, his hands patting around the couch before he found it then quickly answered. "Hello?" He answered a little groggy.
Leonardo heard a long sigh on the other side of the phone, "Leonardo, I need to speak with your brother."
"Huh? Who? Oh, okay. Hold on," he said, passing the phone to Raphael next to him. "Here,"
Raphael stared down at the phone, his heart sinking into his stomach as he took it. He leaned forward as if he had been hit in the gut, pressing the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Raphael, it's Barry. I wanted to talk to you because I'm going to get you from your place and drive you the where we're staying, at my father's condo, dressed in your 'biker outfit' is what Lilly calls it. She wants to see you." Barry explained, his voice monotone.
Raphael nodded, "When?"
"In about three hours. I have to drop her off first."
"Fine. How is she?"
Barry's sigh made him swallow hard, "Not so good, Raphael."
Raphael looked around the room, all eyes were on him. Donnie had woken up April and Mikey. God, he wished he was alone.
"First, everything seemed fine, except for the constant pain she was experiencing. But then the doctors wanted to monitor her even closer when the baby's heart rate keeps dropping. After all the tests, about an hour ago was the last ultrasound, they couldn't find a heartbeat. I'm sorry."
Raphael nodded for a moment, letting the words really set in like cement blocks on his heart, dragging him down to the dark depths of his mind he was just coming out of. He felt like he was drowning like he couldn't breathe. He began to shake his head, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "Don't..." he whispered, suddenly not trusting his voice. Barry apologizing only made him angrier.
Everyone watched his reaction with a deafening silence.
"I'm sorry, Raphael, but I can't help but feel a sense of responsibility." Barry's voice began to crack. "My poor daughter..."
Raphael shook his head, standing up from his seat. Everyone watched intensely, anticipating his next move. With every bit of strength he had, all the anger and all the pain, he flung the phone across the room, feeling no sense of satisfaction when he heard it smash somewhere. He let out this animalistic scream, channeling all his sorrow and frustration into his throat while everyone watched in horror.
He fell to his knees, continuing his cries of anguish.
April simply shook her head and covered her ears, drowning out the sound of Raphael's cries with her own sobs.
Raphael suddenly felt the urge to cause pain to something or someone! A build-up of anger waiting to be released surrounded him like a weighted blanket. Since no one who deserved pain was around him... He lifted his fist and began to punch the floor as hard as he could, continuing to let out screams of grief and rage. His frustration grew at his body being so full of adrenaline that he couldn't even feel the pain he was causing himself. So...he punched harder.
"Raph..." Mikey whimpered. "Raph, stop." He cried, his brother's screams tearing him apart from the inside out.
Leonardo grabbed his brother's arm first, "Stop it, this isn't helping anyone." He yelled, before being pushed away by Raphael.
Donatello was about to hug and comfort April when he realized what Raphael was trying to do. "Leo, pin him." He ordered, going over to help Leonardo by grabbing one of Raphael's arms while he grabbed the other, both brothers pushing him to the floor.
Raphael screamed, eyes dark with hatred. "Get off me!"
"Raphael, you have to calm down," Donnie stated as calmly as he could. "We're here. Your family. Your brothers... We are here for you."
Leonardo nodded, "We're with you. We're angry just like you. But you cannot do this to yourself."
Raphael would rather show anger, cause damage, rather than letting himself break in front of everyone. This time, however, felt so much harder to be angry than to just let himself feel sad. An emotion he was known for was suddenly exhausting to show.
"The baby..." He cried, shaking his head. "She lost it!" he groaned, gritting his teeth in agony at the thought of what Lillian must be going through. "He damaged her so much I don't think she'll come back to me."
Mikey kneeled next to his brother's head, placing his hands on Raphael's shoulders. "Are you insane? Lilly loves you more than anyone. You are what will bring her back, no one else. You two belong together. No one, nothing could ever change that. You have to be strong, Raph. Not only for you but for her."
Leonardo nodded, "You have us to fall back on. Lillian has you. She needs you. We mourn with you, brother. Do not shut us out. Do not do this to yourself."
April managed to crawl her way towards everyone, still sobbing. Her heart felt like it was bleeding at the sight of the brothers. She put her hands out, "Let him go." She cried softly, pushing Leonardo off of Raphael's arm. Donatello and Michelangelo soon followed. April held Raphael's battered hand in both of hers, bring it up to her forehead. "You have to be there for her now." She cried. "For better or for worse."
Raphael stared at her in shock, feeling a little embarrassed at her physical act of desperation. She was trying to keep him grounded any way she could. "Cry, scream, kick, punch all today. But please, get it together for Lillian." She pleaded, glaring at him with broken eyes before pulling him towards her and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Break now, but be strong for her." She whispered.
Raphael's eyes widened, slowly filling to the brim with tears. Quickly shutting his eyes to stop them from falling, his arm came around April's waist to return the hug.
Michelangelo let out a small sob before wrapping his arms around both of them. Donatello rested his head on Raphael's shell, his heart breaking for his brother. Leonardo simply placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder.
I'll try and update quickly. Summer classes start in two days and it's gonna be pretty heavy for me.
We're almost done with the story.