Chapter 25 - Storms Brewing

Raphael sat on the log, still trying to figure out what to say. The thoughts that had nagged at him had finally been confirmed. But now he had more questions… And he wasn't sure that he liked being the only person to know something like this.

After another moment, he stood, and walked towards Casey. "Feel better?" He asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Casey jumped, as if surprised that Raph was still there, then nodded. "Yeah, a bit, I guess." Casey said, then stood.

Raph looked around. The moon shone brightly overhead. "I think we should head back." He said. "We've been gone for awhile. I bet we even missed supper." Raph grinned. "And you know Mikey won't let us forget it if we did."

Casey smiled a little at that. "Yeah." He said. "Maybe there's even some food left."

Raph laughed at that, and patted his friend on the back, as they made their way back home.

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A dull ringing slowly made it's way into Leo's head. He groaned, sitting up more. The ringing noise got louder, and he sat up quickly, realizing that he'd dozed off. He heard footsteps, and the ringing stopped. He heard Don's voice softly carrying in from the other room. Suddenly the noise stopped, and there was silence.

Leo looked over at Mike, who was still reading with Lindy. Mike looked at him over the top of the book, his brow beginning to furrow.

Then they could hear Don begin talking quickly, his voice still low and unintelligible.

Leo sat up more. Mike stopped reading, and looked out towards the hallway. Mike looked back over to Leo and shrugged. Suddenly, Don came into the living room, his face pale.

"Don…?" Leo sat up more.


"Where's Casey?" His brother blurted out. Leo stopped, surprised. After the day before, Casey was the last person Leo would have thought that Don would be looking for.

"What's wrong?" Mike asked, gripping the book tightly in his hands.

"There… there's been an accident." Don said and Mike gasped. "I need… We need to get to a car." Don grumbled.

"Accident?" Leo stood. "What're you…" He began, then stopped. "Oh God." He said, as it struck him. "April…"

Don nodded curtly, then went to grab his coat. "That was the hospital. They wouldn't tell me much over the phone, but…"

Don stopped as the door opened and Casey and Raph walked in. Raph took one look at Don, then looked to Leo. "What happened?"

"April was in an accident." Don said. Raph's eyes opened wide, but he said nothing.

"And you were gonna go down there?" Casey asked, looking at the coat in Don's hand.

"Well, I was thinking of…"

"You weren't gonna 'borrow' my car and go without telling me, were yo-…"

"I think maybe Casey should drive and the rest of you can go." Raph broke in. "I'll stay here with Lindy."

Leo looked at his brother, and he shrugged.

Casey scowled slightly. "I'm leavin' now. Get yer coats."

Leo nodded, and Mike jumped up, handing Lindy to Raph. Casey walked out the door briskly, and the other three turtles followed quickly. Leo threw Raph one more glance before they left, but Raph merely shook his head slightly.

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The ride to the hospital was silent, a tense feeling in the air. Leo had a feeling it was about more than where they were going…

When they got there, however, things didn't get any easier.

"I'm sorry, but unless you're family I cannot give you any information." The nurse said firmly.

Casey growled in frustration.

"Ma'am, the thing is, she has no family." Don said, looking at the young nurse. "Now, we've been her friends for years, and…"

"I'm sorry." She said, and the girl did truly look sorry. "But, I'll have to check with my supervisor on this." She looked at Don. "And, you know, you can leave your coat at the rack in the lobby, if you want." She said, then walked away.

Don bent his head, sighing.

They resigned themselves to sitting in the lobby again. Leo looked around warily. He hoped the nurse came back soon. He didn't like this place. Not just because of what it was, but because there were so many people around, and it was so brightly lit. They were covered up well, but they were still too exposed for his liking.

"What in the world was she doing out this time?" Leo could hear Casey mutter to Mike, who was looking at the ground miserably.

"At least she was doing something useful." Don, who was sitting on the other side of Leo, mumbled.

Leo sighed.

Thankfully, another nurse approached them, and they stood.

"Is she OK?" Mike blurted.

The nurse smiled. "She's doing well." She said, and they all visibly relaxed. "The doctor would like to speak with you now." She continued, motioning for them to follow her. "Oh." She said over her shoulder. "You can leave your coats here in the lobby, if you like…"

"We get cold easy." Don said, and Leo could hear an edge of bitterness not usually found in his brother's tone.

They walked back to a room, and the nurse motioned them inside. "Now, you must be quiet. She's sleeping." The nurse shook her head. "You all shouldn't be in there, anyway, but I'll let it slide. For once." She said. "If I hear of any racket…" She trailed off, and they all nodded their understanding of what she meant.

The nurse left the room, leaving them with a sleeping April. The room was silent, save for the machines that hummed as they worked. They all stood around, silently, none looking at each other or April.

Finally, Mike looked over at April and gasped. Leo's eyes shot towards the bed, and his heart sank at what he saw.

April was sleeping peacefully, probably thanks to medication, but she was sporting some bruises that Leo knew were going to hurt in the morning.

Neither Casey or Don made any indication that they'd been bothered by this, and Leo looked over at them. Casey was staring at the bed, not moving. Don's eyes flickered from April to Mike.

"Do you think she's in pain?" Mike whispered, and it was the quietest that any of them had ever heard him speak.

"I doubt it." Don said finally, moving forward, towards the bed. "I'm positive they have her on medication of some sort." He leaned down towards April, and Leo saw his expression change slightly, softening.

It was a moment before Leo shifted uncomfortably and spoke. "Um, I wonder when that doctor is getting here." He said, looking around. "I'd like to know how long she's going to be here."

Don looked at the bandages again. "It doesn't look too very bad." He said, and his expression changed again, going back to a more serious, calm look. "I mean, it looks bad, but I don't think she'll need to be here any longer than a few days…"

"That was a very good assessment."

They all jumped, and Don straightened up quickly at the voice that had suddenly come forward.

The doctor stood in the doorway, looking at them. After a moment he walked into the room fully, and brought his clipboard up.

He read for a moment, then cleared his throat. "Ms O'Neil will be fine. She'll be plenty sore for awhile, though. The crash bruised two ribs, and dislocated her right shoulder" He looked back at them. "She must have put her arm up to shield her face." He said, then looked back down at his clipboard. "Lets see… additional bruising on the face, and on her left leg. Her knee on that side was twisted a little in the crash, so she should favor that one a bit, for a while."

They all nodded, and the doctor smiled. "But, like I said, nothing a little rest and relaxation can't cure. And a lot of TLC couldn't hurt, either. But," He added. "With all of you here to see her, I doubt that will be a problem."

"When can she come home?" Leo asked.

"Well," The doctor began. "I'd like to keep her overnight, just for observation. She should be home by tomorrow, possibly the next day."

"Good…" Mike muttered.

"I'll go over all the rest of the things she'll need to do when one of you picks her up when she gets released." The doctor said.

"Thank you." Leo said, gratefully. The doctor nodded, then glanced at his watch. "Visiting hours are just about over, so I'd ask you all to please vacate the room soon." With that, he left them alone again.

Mike looked over at April, and shook his head sadly. "Poor April." He said sadly.

Leo nodded. "I think, that if the doctor says she needs her rest, then we should go." He said softly. He didn't want to draw any more attention than they already had.

They all nodded, aware that the longer they remained, the better chance they stood of being discovered. After a moment of whispered goodbyes to April, they left.

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"I just don't know, kid." Raphael aimlessly bounced the small ball he held in his hands. He looked over at the room's other occupant. Lindy was reaching for something on the table. "Uh uh." Raph reprimanded, shaking his head. "C'mere." He said, and Lindy obeyed, toddling over to him. He grabbed her, and sat her in his lap. She reached for the ball, which he held out of her reach.

"I just don't know what to think." He continued. "I always figured, but… Hearing Casey say it like that…" Lindy looked up at him thoughtfully. He sighed. "I shouldn't be layin' this all on you, should I?" He looked down at Lindy. "I should be talkin' to Casey or…" He stopped as he heard a car door slam. Raph stood as the door opened and his brothers and Casey trooped in.

Leo looked over at Raph as they walked in, and Raphael's brow arched in a silent question. Leo nodded back curtly, knowing what that meant. Kitchen.

Leo headed to the kitchen silently, and Raph handed Lindy to Don. He then made his way to the kitchen, closing the door softly behind him.

Leo sat at the table, head in his hands. He looked up, though, when Raph came in.

"Is she OK?" Raph asked, suddenly very worried at his brother's tired demeanor.

Leo nodded slowly. "She will be." He said, and Raph sighed, relieved, then sank into a kitchen chair beside his brother.

"The doctor wants to keep her for another night, or two, just for observations." Leo continued. "She's pretty banged up, but… No broken bones, no real bad damage. Nothing time can't fix."

Raph nodded. "Good." He said, and a moment of silence passed before he spoke again. "So, then what's up?"

Leo looked over at him. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Raph grimaced. "C'mon, Leo. I know as well as you do that something's up with you. You look… tired, man. Like crap."

"Well, thanks." Leo stated wryly. Raph grinned.

"I'm just…" Leo began, rubbing his hands over his face. "Tired. I'm tired…" He looked over at Raph and grinned. "You didn't have to ride in the car up there…" He trailed off, but Raph knew what he meant.

"You talk to him." Leo continued. "Do you have any idea what's up?"

Raph stopped for a moment, then shook his head.

Leo sighed. "Alright." He said, standing. "But if you do hear of anything…"

Raph nodded, and stood also. They walked to the door and pushed it open, entering the living room.

The room was silent, an uncommon occurrence for them. Don had taken Lindy to bed, and Mike was sitting in the chair. Casey sat on the couch, his foot tapping consistently, and almost impatiently.

"C'mon guys." Raph said after a moment, and Leo jumped, startled by his voice.

"I mean, we just got some pretty good news, by my thinking. April's gonna be fine, right? So let's not be so down."

Leo looked over at his brother and smiled. "Raph's right." Leo said. His brother looked over at him, grinning broadly. How often to I actually tell him that? Leo wondered.

Mike was looking at them. Leo looked back at him and continued. "We've got lots to do tomorrow, especially if April's coming home."

Mike grinned. "Yeah…"

"Tomorrow's gonna be a busy day." Leo continued. "We're also going to need groceries, so Casey, if you could run out for us we'd really appreciate it."

Casey grunted in response to that, and Leo's grin faded momentarily. "So," He continued, looking back over to Mike. "We should all get to bed. We need to be well rested, and prepared."

"Right." Raph agreed, causing Leo's head to snap over and look at him. Raph was looking at Casey, though.

Mike nodded and stood. "Yeah, I'm pretty beat." He said, and stretched. Leo nodded, and watched as Mike ascended the stairs. Don hadn't come back down yet, not that Leo had seen. Maybe he was waiting to talk to Mikey, Leo thought. With that in mind, he bid his brother and Casey goodnight, and followed Mike up the stairs.

Leo expected to hear the hushed voices of his brothers, but the only sounds he heard were the soft breathing of Lindy, and Mike's deeper breathing, telling him that both were already asleep. He was always amazed at his brother's ability to sleep (and sleep deeply) as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Shaking his head, Leo went into his own room, and shut the door quietly, but not all the way. For some reason, he wanted to be able to hear if anything happened. What he was listening for, he wasn't sure… Just a feeling he got.

He turned over and shut off the light next to his bed.

To be continued…

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A/N - Thanks to everyone who voted for me in the FanFic Awards. 'What The Heart Wants' won for 'Best Drama' and "Most Accurate Portrayal of TMNT or Supporting Characters'! What an honor. Thank you all!

Also,to my readers and reviewers: Thank you for your continued support of my fics. You don't know how good it makes me feel. You're all awesome.

Next chapter: Homecoming (and not the dance kind, either ;))