A/N: Winding down – yes, almost done. SIGH….I'm going to miss Mindy:0( As before, I do not own any turtles or Cornell University. Neither do I own Don't Give Up. See song at end of this chapter.
I do own Bill - he's still thrilled, Marie – she's giving me the evil look and Bill's cowering behind Mindy, and I own Mindy (rolls eyes). I'll post Chapter 32 right after this one and then the epilogue will come later once I write it.
R&R if you have time.
I watched as Raph went back down into the sewer. I waited for the lid to close completely. However, with one end of it tipped up and opened towards me I soon realized that he was not going to leave until I made it out of the alley. I gave a subtle wave and a smile and then headed for the street.
Looking around furtively I was pleased to discover that there were very few people around. It was nearing noon, but in my neck of the woods there weren't too many businesses that attracted large crowds of people at that time of day. Thankfully, the only residents I saw were the grandmothers that were shaking the dust out of throw rugs or kids running around playing a game of tag or baseball. There was enough noise to remind me that it was more of a family neighborhood than one of commerce.
Taking a deep breath I looked back towards the alley and found the sewer lid had closed completely.
I was now on my own.
Walking the four blocks to the diner ended up putting me in front of the burned out building that had once been Gracie's Grocers. I stood there and just stared at the skeletal remains of her store, mourning her passing once again as the enormity of what happened to her overwhelmed me. I fought back the tears as I remembered past conversations that we had as friends. I wondered how her family was coping.
Finally reacquainting myself with a measure of control, I proceeded on towards the diner. All the tears in the world would not bring Gracie back. But, I would most certainly never forget her that was certain.
Bill was very happy to see me, of course, as I came in through the restaurant door. He nearly leaped over the counter as he rushed around to give me one of his big bear-hugs. I had to laugh as he whirled me around and gave me a wet one on the cheek, exclaiming, "Gosh, girl, thought you'd never git here!"
"You know, Marie might want to be informed that you kiss your waitresses!" I teased him. He only laughed at me.
I looked at the clock above the door and realized I was about twenty minutes late. Had I taken that long in front of Gracie's?
"Didn't know what time it was. I saw Gracie's store while walking up here. Couldn't stop staring, I guess." I explained sheepishly.
"Yeah, sad, huh? She sure was a nice'n, that Gracie! Really too bad. You know, they never did find out who did it." Bill commented soberly, "There were some rumors of Martians runni'n out of 'er door, but it was them druggies down the street that said they sar it. Bunch of weirdoes if ya ask me."
I knew whom he was talking about but I kept my mouth shut. I was just glad the people who saw my friends leave the store had been who they were. I doubted very much the investigators would take a drug addict's word on anything.
"Well, we need to get going, don't we?" I said.
Bill shouted to his assistant cook and the waitresses that he was taking the rest of the afternoon off. He undid his apron, grabbed his jacket off the coat rack, and then the two of us headed out the door. I recognized that most of the waitresses were new. Guess a lot had happened since I had disappeared. I kind of wondered what they thought of Bill 'taking the rest of the day off' with one of his ex-workers. I had to laugh at what they were probably going to be gossiping about once we were out of earshot.
Soon, Bill and I were on our way as we walked the six blocks to the precinct. Once inside I went to the front desk and explained who I was and my story. Before long they had me inside an office where the captain interviewed me. He taped my answers to his questions as well as my comments about how I had been beaten up, rescued by complete strangers, and then cared for by them until my memory returned. I explained how watching Bill's interview on television had triggered my memory. However, I insisted that my friends did not want any publicity or involvement. I felt I owed them that much considering all that they had done for me. Fortunately, though it was not policy, the captain understood and didn't press for details. He bought the story of my concussion induced amnesia and that my benefactor's television had not been working during the time of my disappearance. The captain wanted me evaluated by a doctor and a psychologist to confirm what I told him, which I said I would cooperate with.
While Bill and I were waiting for a ride to the hospital that the captain was arranging for us, I noticed two officers watching me with more than just a casual interest. Leo's warning echoed in my head. Consequently I became suspicious.
The officers would mumble to each other as if discussing what they were looking at. I didn't stare back, but would look around the general area as if curious about the whole idea of being in a police station. Some of that was true; I had never been inside one before. But my personal anxieties went up just knowing that there were known Foot soldiers that had infiltrated the building.
When I locked eyes with my observers, I smiled to distract them from my interest. I received a like response from one of them, but I didn't tarry too long in my observation. I went back to talking with Bill and laughing a little to ease the tension and to play like I wasn't at all concerned.
Just as I was convinced that whatever the two officers were conversing about was harmless, a man came into the room from the front desk area. He was dressed in civvies so I figured him to be just someone from the neighborhood. However, he made a casual point of addressing my two watch dogs. I overheard him say something completely benign, like wanting to know if their investigation into his problem was being followed through. I figured he must have had a crime committed against him and was just trying to see how the police end of things was working out. But the way he had said the word 'problem' piqued my curiosity. Without turning my head I glanced in their direction. They were only about fifteen feet away so it was easy for me to see the man subtly hand something to one of the officers.
"Thanks for taking care of this. My family really appreciates it!" and then the man left the station.
Continuing my own observation I saw the one officer open up a small piece of paper that the man who had just left had obviously given to him. He was trying to be as quiet as possible. But due to my being in the company of ninja for the past several weeks I had learned to sharpen my hearing quite a bit. What I heard him say to his fellow officer brought my heart up into my throat.
"Seems our brothers have found the nest!"
I sucked in my breath at the realization of what 'the nest' might mean. I watched as the officer pocketed the note and then chuckle in amusement, "Seems our problems will soon be taken care of!" he whispered to his compatriot.
I had been in the building for less than two hours, certainly enough time for Raph to have made it back to the lair. Certainly enough time, too, for any one of the Foot to track him if they had been fortunate enough to do so and to call in reinforcements if they had to. What was I going to do now?
I knew that if I used any of the pay phones in the precinct, the police could trace the call. I wasn't too sure how well Don had covered their tracks when he installed the phone in the lair, but I knew I needed to alert them to a possible invasion.
"Ah, Bill…I'd like to call my friends. Think I could use your cell phone? I'll pay for the long distance call." I asked. I deliberately wanted to be over heard about the part of my call being long distance.
"Sure, Min…you owe them that much!" Bill replied. Then he asked, "Would like to meet them sometime, if they're not too uncomfortable about it that is?"
"Hmm…maybe….Thanks!" I said as I took the phone. "I'll just go into the ladies room. Kind of want some privacy, you know!"
I asked a female officer where the restrooms were and she kindly directed me. Once I was inside and confident that I was the only one in there, I dialed up the lair.
"Helloooo. Min, is that you?" It was Mikey.
"Who else would be calling them?" I thought to myself.
"Just listen; don't interrupt. I just overheard a couple of officers say something about 'finding the nest'. A man came into the precinct a moment ago and gave them a note. He wasn't very obvious about it so I think he was one of the Foot!" I said quickly. But I felt a presence of someone standing right outside the bathroom door so I moved farther away and talked softer, "You need to get out of there! I just know…"
But that was when I heard all hell breaking loose at the other end! I heard shouts of surprise and cursing; the clang of metal against metal – swords? Then an angry Raphael growling menacingly and another voice – was it Splinter's? – yelling in Japanese. Don was shouting something about an escape exit – I didn't even know there was another way out - and then Mike was yelling, but it was to me.
"Gotta go! Things are getting kind'a busy right now. Catch ya later!" and then he hung up.
I stood there trembling and terrified for my friends and for Don. What was I going to do? I didn't know how I was going to follow through with going to the hospital. I was between that rock and a hard place I was all too familiar with. I prayed right then that somehow, someway God would protect them. That's all I could do; I was completely powerless.
Finally, the woman who had seen me to the restroom knocked and came in. "You alright?" she asked me.
No, I said to myself, but I knew I couldn't tell her that, "Yeah, just trying to reacquaint myself to being me again, is all." I had hoped my expression was benign enough not to make her suspicious.
"Well, your ride is here. Thought you'd like to know." And then she left.
I didn't have much of a choice. I berated myself for being too stubborn about not giving the Foot situation a chance to calm down. If I hadn't insisted on going to the police when I did, maybe the Foot would still be hunting for the lair rather than currently tearing it apart? At least that's what I thought was happening based on what I heard going on just a moment ago. But what was done was done. I couldn't go back and change a thing. All I could do was pray that my friends survived the invasion.
I pushed back the tears and proceeded out of the restroom. I noted the two officers were no longer there and figured they were informing their boss, who I was sure was not the police captain.
My time at the hospital was a complete blur. I remember being asked questions and I managed to stick to the script. My current mental state actually benefited me in that it mirrored the fallout of reoccurring memories. Basically, I was easily distracted from the queries the doctor would ask me.
Finally, after about four hours of testing both my physical as well as my mental state, the physicians unwittingly validated my story. They gave the police a thumb's up with the paperwork that stated I probably did have amnesia and that my healed wounds indicated that I had been injured.
As a result, no further investigation would be pressed upon me and I was free to go. Of course the police officer that had escorted me to the hospital told me that if I ever did remember who it was that had beaten me up, to not hesitate to call them about it. I smiled and told him I would, but I knew I probably wouldn't.
I was sure that it was Jack who had done the deed, but it would have been a waste of police time and my own to tell them that. He was probably already buried in the plot we had bought for us just before Brandi died. Knowing that he would be lying next to her added just a bit more melancholy to my life that was slowly starting to get back to where it had been before meeting the turtles.
In other words, miserable!
Bill and I walked back to his diner. He wanted me to work a couple of hours after one of his gals called in sick. The other who had taken her shift was already two hours in overtime. I really didn't feel like working but I knew that at the very least it would get my mind off of current events.
I went through the motions of taking orders and delivering them to my customers. I accepted the tips, which were generous since the cliental were regulars that knew me. I was touched by their generosity, of course, but it did nothing to quell my anxieties about what was happening below street level.
After my two hours were up, I excused myself and went to the restroom. Once I was certain that no one was watching I used the payphone that was right by the women's room.
I must have let that phone ring for ten minutes. No answer came, though. I swallowed down my growing anxieties and held at bay the flood of tears that begged release. I had to keep my composure lest Bill become suspicious. Even though he would have accepted my story and my request to keep a lid on it, I didn't dare violate the trust that my friends in the sewer bestowed upon me.
Bill insisted that I return home with him. His wife, Marie, was already preparing their extra bedroom for me so I would have a place to sleep that night. Since I didn't have anywhere else to go, now, I took up his offer.
Their kids were grown and on their own, so they had an extra room for guests – or grandchildren. Being good Catholics Bill and Marie were always inundated with grandchildren from the eight sons and daughters that they had together. They loved people, though, so their home was always opened to whoever needed a bed to sleep in or a meal to fill their stomach with.
Upon entering their home I had to smile at all the photos that graced every conceivable flat surface; a swarm of smiling faces peering out at me in greeting. There were babies and toddlers, some children, and one that looked as if she had been a high school graduate. I knew that Bill and Marie married young, so it was no surprise that at their youthful age they had an almost adult grandchild. I was happy for them, but I was also envious in a small way. I never did get into wishing to have what others had, but where it concerned children, it was something that tore at my heart. I knew at my age I would never experience having babies again. Sometimes life was like that, though.
I waited until they were asleep and then quietly made my way out to their living room. Their phone was in the kitchen and at the other end of the house from where their bedroom was. I knew I wouldn't be heard.
I dialed up the lair. I let the phone ring. I waited there for twenty minutes as the chime on the other end chirped without ceasing. My heart fell as I realized the truth. No one was ever going to answer the phone in that subway station again.
I hung up and completely lost it, slumping to the floor of the kitchen in complete despair. Leaning against the refrigerator, I moaned between sobs, "What have I done? What have I done to them….dear God… please let them be okay!" I begged as tears clouded my vision and drenched my face.
All I could think about was the freedom that had been so close for them and then was whisked away just because I had to go topside. True, my purpose for doing so was to placate Bill and whatever action he would have taken had I not done so. But the whole reason for doing that was because I had called him in the first place. There wouldn't have been any need for me to go to the police if I had just allowed Bill to think and believe that I had just disappeared. Seeking out a safe and remote existence far from people I could have lived the rest of my life with Don and his family. I could have been the one to do the errands and to go into what ever town was closest to us to pick up supplies. Their existence could have remained a secret for a good long time - if only I hadn't had made that stupid call to Bill!
After a while I finally calmed down, as best I could anyway. I had cried myself dry and now sat there on the floor spent and exhausted. I was powerless to do anything about what I feared had happened. The Foot would not leave any trace of them for the authorities to find. Worse was the thought that if my friends were indeed captured, they might be tortured before being killed. That gave me a new reason to cry.
After an hour of sitting on that cold hard floor, I finally stumbled my way back to bed. I heard Bill and Marie both snoring, so I knew I hadn't been heard. The last thing I wanted to do was to explain why I had been crying. I wasn't in the mood for any Q and A, so I quietly closed my door and then slipped under the sheets of my bed. Sleep was long in coming, but eventually it did. My slumber was fitful at best as all I could dream about was flying swords and nunchuks dancing in a maze of colors and weird scenarios. Then a van roared into my dream sequence painted in a wild array of colors. There were four distinctive hues; blue, red, orange, and purple. It was the only part of the dream that stayed with me when I awoke the next morning. I knew exactly what I was going to do.
"Bill, I'd like to go to my garage and I wondered if you wouldn't mind coming with me?" I asked him as he stood in the kitchen.
"Yeah, sure, kiddo. It's right on the way to the diner, so it won't be no probl'm." he replied. "You thinking of getting that old van of yers working, maybe?"
"Ah, something like that. I'm seriously thinking about going back to teaching, but I want to see about a few things first." I explained.
"Oh, really? Golly, Min, I thought you liked wait'n tables!" he laughed.
"I do, but I miss teaching an awful lot. My friends sort of rekindled that interest a little." I said.
"Ah, they must've had little ones, eh?" he commented.
"No. They just made me remember some things I forgot about is all." I mused quietly.
As we approached the garage, the sun was barely peaking over the brownstones and the island of Manhattan. To the west was the fading darkness of the passing night, a few stars still easily discernable. To the east the orange and pink glow of a new day, edged with a few wispy clouds and the icy kiss of winter's last caress. The Bronx would soon be washed in a blaze of sunlight, declaring yet another new beginning. I noticed an errant daisy that had struggled its way up between the cracks in the asphalt alongside the gutter. It now faced the approaching sunlight. I loved daisies. They always had such a strong fortitude to setting down roots; despite any obstacle in their way; such as the asphalt of New York. I always knew when I would spy a daisy or two that spring had finally arrived. I couldn't help but smile. Then a glimmer of hope filled my heart as I next spied my garage. Could it be that the daisy I just saw was a promise to me that a new beginning was at hand?
For right in front of my garage were tire tracks leading out from inside. The rain the night before had muddied the ground with the dirt that had washed out of the un-kept yards just up the street. The muck had provided evidence that someone had taken my van.
"Good grief, Min – did someone steal yer van?" Bill exclaimed in concern as we approached the building.
"I hope so, Bill!" was my anxious response.
I noticed the lock was just hanging off of the latch. I knew that if they had the time, Don and his brothers would have made sure to relock my garage. The fact that they didn't was evidence that they had left in a hurry. At least I had hoped it was them.
Opening the garage door I found to my delight and to my sadness that it was indeed true. The van was gone. Then I heard Bill curse softly under his breath. I ignored him momentarily since something else had distracted me. There in the very back of the garage was my dismantled bed. How in blazes they were able to take it apart and bring it with them when they came for the van? It just floored me. I had given up ever seeing my bed again based on the commotion and the obvious battle that had taken place in the lair. By the sound of things before Mikey had hung up the phone, it didn't look good to me. But, there was my beloved bed! No note was needed to tell me that they had prevailed once again and were now on their way to an uncertain future.
"We need to call the police, Min!" Bill exclaimed excitedly as he whipped out his cell phone.
"No we don't, Bill." I corrected him, gently taking the phone from him.
"But – what about yer van? Someone stole it?" he declared as he looked at me in astonishment.
"HA, nope – I gave it away. I just wanted to make sure they had it is all." I replied back cheerfully.
"But, Mindy….!" Bill complained.
I smiled at him with tears of joy streaming down my face, "I gave it to some friends of mine, Bill. They were the ones who saved me!"
"Oh…I see." was my boss's only response.
With that I closed the garage door and clasped the lock tight on the latch. I knew I would miss my friends; especially Don. But my goal to get them headed out of New York had been accomplished. They were now free!
Then, slipping my arm around Bill's and with a heart so light I thought I would float, I steered him back towards his diner, declaring, "Bill, I need to make a call to Cornell and see if they still have an opening for that professorship! I think it's time for me to get on with my life!"
