DISCLAIMER: Once again, I don't own them.
Well, I feel it's winding down, but where I pursue the natural order of things in my stories, there are at least two more chapters to go before the epilogue. However, I do have my sights firmly focused on the ending. Be assured this story is very close to that goal. Yeah!
As a side-note to the above author's disclaimer – my husband is taking a three-day weekend and my son will have Monday and Tuesday off from work. What this means is, I will have limited time to write during the next five days. Where my family is very important to me, my energies have to be spent with them. However, I do have this story blocked out to the ending, but it needs a lot of tweaking before I can upload the rest. With that said, I will do my darnedest to finish this before the end of the month.
Chapter 13 – It Certainly Does Suck to be Don!
Had he but known, Don would have enlisted Leo and Thomas for back-up and maybe even coerced Cassie to come along, if only for the fact that she was Gabby's mother. He would have had to grovel and beg her forgiveness, of course, given her daughters current state. He considered it his fault, too, blaming the scant bit of time he had allowed Gabby to get to the airport. Still, having Cassie there with them now might have eased the angry spirit now standing before him.
That was the problem with hindsight; one never gained it until after the fact.
Now, Don could only sit there in the chair and listen to Marie, realizing it was too late to call in for reinforcements. He was using a light form of meditation to keep himself calm within the storm, completely helpless as the enraged woman railed against him. His brother and nephew stood behind where Don sat; both equally impressed, if not intimidated with her anger.
They had revived Marie only ten minutes earlier, using the antidote to the drug that had kept her asleep. She was not a petit woman, by any measure of the word. However, her ample physique belied her ability to rouse easily, with her dark eyes gaining focus far more rapidly than any of them would have thought. The more lucid she became, the more she realized that she was not alone in the house. It was bad enough to wake up and see three strange yet oddly familiar creatures sitting across from her. What set Marie off, though, was what they said to her.
As she pushed her black hair away from her face and groggily sat upright on the couch, Don tried to explain to her the reason for their presence. He apologized profusely for intruding and for startling, her. Marie nodded in quiet acceptance, receiving his offerings almost with a hint of embarrassment.
Yet, when Don came to the part of taking the children to the airport and that they desired her presence there, before they could even inform her that Gabby was in the hospital, in an instant Marie was fully awake, exploding in verbal rage like a late summer storm.
"You steal into Gabby's home and take her children? How dare you do this!" she hollered, "And what insane notion do you have to even think you can get me to come with you now?" She then huffed, as she looked them over critically, "You are nothing more than thieves and kidnappers." Shaking her head, she almost moaned, "When Gabby first told me how you wanted to take Mindy from her, I thought she was just over reacting. How many families would do something like that, anyway?" Throwing her head back, she shouted, "Now I believe her. You are exactly what she said you were."
The woman suddenly stood up and began to pace the living room, throwing her hands about in frustration as she continued to rant. She was clearly not at all pleased with the intruders. Nevertheless, considering her formidable width, not one of the three mutants dared to intervene just yet. It wasn't that they feared her, but she would more than likely injure herself due to her size if she became physical and if they had to counteract.
Yet, the way the woman was carrying on, not one of the three was sure she wouldn't take a swing at them, which was why Devon and Mike chose to stand behind Don in the first place.
Where Marie was not expecting Gabby home for another thirty minutes and that she had yet to suspect they were responsible for her being asleep, Don felt his luck was finally holding out.
However, his good fortune did not last for long. With each passing moment that she became more alert, Marie slowly and expediently began to figure things out.
Once she had extinguished her indignation, she finally concluded, "And, I am wondering about something, Mr. Tello. If you have the ability to steal these little children out from under me - and without my knowing - were you also responsible for my falling asleep?" She huffed as she squared her shoulders, "I never go to bed until after Gabby comes home from work. I am always alert in case Mindy or Jordan needs me!"
She then stepped quickly towards Don and glared at him, forcing him to slide deeper against the backrest of the chair he was sitting in. He remained steadfastly passive, however, not showing a bit of trepidation, although he would have to admit to being just a mite concerned.
Pointing an accusing finger at the turtle, she asked angrily, "Did you have me drugged? Did you do something…" Then, her eyes widened as the truth of the matter made itself known, "Wait, I remember now…" she looked away in thought, bringing her hand down and allowing Don to collect his wits. He could see she was starting to piece things together.
Nevertheless, as he raised a finger to protest and before he could say anything in his defense, she turned on him again, "My tea that I had seeping in the kitchen. I heard a noise from the children's room and I went to – go check on them…yes…that was it…my tea!" It was then that she narrowed her eyes threateningly, causing Don to retract his hand and clutch it protectively to his plastron.
She was now thoroughly irate, recalling the event as it unfolded, "I remember the kitchen seemed cooler when I returned after checking on the little ones. It puzzled me at first, but I figured the heating was on the fritz again." Slowly, she raised her head, like a viper ready to strike, finally realizing what had happened, "It was after I had my tea. I felt unusually tired, more so than I should have, in fact. Now I am more than certain." Jabbing a finger in Don's direction again, Marie bellowed, "You doctored my tea while I went to check on the children, didn't you?"
She next spat out what was obviously an expletive, but where Don wasn't fluent in the Inuit language – or any part of it thereof – he was clueless.
Just the same, he pretty well understood the word's intent.
Straightening up and with her hands on her ample hips, she demanded as she lowered her gaze at him, "If you want my help, MR. TELLO, you are going to have to come clean and tell me what I want to know! If you want my trust and my help, that is, AND if you want to avoid getting the authorities involved."
Don worked the inside of his cheek and then swallowed. He had met many a worthy adversary in his time, over the bargaining table as well as on the street. Yet, Marie completely befuddled him. Just the same, he was a bit worried over what Gabby had told this woman, so, he made her an offer, "Tell me everything that Gabby told you about us and I will tell you as much as I know."
"What do you mean, as much as you know? How stupid do you think I am, anyway?" Marie asked indignantly, "You know more than you are telling me, but…" she paused and then, while she looked him over, she smirked as she said, "Okay, I will play your little game, MR. Tello, if that is what you want." She tilted her head to one side and stated, "You are Gabby's uncle and from what she has told me, you seem to be some sort of a leader in the family, what would be a shaman in my culture. Your family wanted to take her daughter away to a school that one of your brothers has in Japan. That is what she told me." She shook her head, "How sad that you did not see what a fine mother she is, how much she loves her children, and how capable she is in teaching them."
Don's expression tightened up just a little, "Gabby – taught her children?" The fact that his niece even said anything about Mindy going to Leo's school caused him to be a little concerned. How much did this woman know, anyway, he wondered anxiously. His displeasure with Gabby was starting to grow a little more, where he was beginning to believe that maybe she had shared her ninjitsu heritage with this outsider.
Smiling proudly, Marie replied, "Yes, and they are worthy students, too. Very smart, especially Mindy. She loves both math and history, by the way. Jordan is still young, but he is accepting his lessons well. Their mother is a very capable instructor, believe me."
Sighing in relief and realizing that Marie meant regular schooling, Don asked, "What else did she tell you about us?"
"Hmm…" the woman studied the mutants in front of her and then she, herself, took a seat on the couch, clasping her hands together in her lap as she settled in. With her voice calming just a little, she answered, "Gabby told me that you have some very strict rules about some things. She never told me about what, exactly, but I assume it has a lot to do with your kind; no offense, but I can only imagine that you have to be careful with whom you socialize."
Seeing Don, and also Mike and Devon, nod in affirmation, Marie went on, "Gabby was very – how do you say it?" she glanced away for a moment in thought, and then, when she had the right word, Marie looked back at Don, "Tight lipped? Yes, she was very tight-lipped about some things." She tilted her head up a bit and scowled as she continued, "Yet, I believed that for someone as unique as herself, to just up and leave the safety of her family, her reasons would have to be very good – and very desperate."
Marie now hardened her expression a bit more, "So, I have told you as much as I know; now it's your turn. Tell me, Mr. Tello, why would Gabby put herself and her children in danger by running away from you?" She then snorted, "I know that you wanted to take the little ones from her, but why was it necessary to do so?"
Don squirmed a bit in his chair and looked over at Mike, who shrugged indecisively. Finally, Don turned back to Marie and said, "Actually, I was out of the country and not part of the decision. My brother, Leonardo, is the one who made that judgment call."
Don, of course, knew the reason why Leo decided to take Mindy to Japan and, although it pained him, he had to agree with his brother's reasoning. However, he, himself, would have worked a little longer with Gabby, to get her to see reason, rather than go to that extreme. After all, there was still a good amount of time before Mindy would be eligible for regular schooling. Even at that, if she were home schooled for the first year to give her more time to adjust to her ninjitsu training, it certainly would not have hurt.
Just the same, he knew his niece and he knew that Gabby could be more like her father than her own father would admit to. Nevertheless, Don did not intend to tell Marie the true reason behind Leo's decision. Hopefully he could distract her enough from demanding the true explanation.
Yet, considering how quickly Marie was figuring things out, Don knew it was a thin hope at best.
Laughing derisively, the woman shook her head and scowled at Don, "You are the leader of this family, correct?" Not waiting for a response, she declared, "As I see it, any decision made by any of your members – regardless of where you are – you are still accountable. In my Inuit culture, Mr. Tello, a decision made by one, is a decision made by the entire community they live in. If one offends, the entire community offends. We share the responsibility, whether we are aware of the act or not." She looked sadly at him as she added, "It is a shame that you think you can pass the blame onto one who isn't even here to defend himself."
Don rolled his eyes and stated, "First, although my brother is the primary leader of my family, I share that responsibility with him whenever he is in Japan, which is often, since that is where he lives. When he made his decision about Mindy, I was incommunicado at the time; I was unaware of anything at all. He could not even contact me to get my vote or my opinion." Shaking his head, Don exclaimed insistently, "Believe me, Marie, I would never shirk any responsibility if I had been so informed." Now, he folded his arms across his plastron and looked pointedly at the woman.
As she studied him, she looked over at the other mutants, quirked her head up, and asked them, "What about you two? Did you have a vote in this decision to take Mindy away from her mother?"
Devon smiled and shook his head, "Nope, I was out of the room at the time, but – ah – Mike, here, he was there." He turned towards his uncle and was quite pleased with Mike's wide-eyed 'you just had to say something' expression.
Rubbing the top of his head, Mike finally sighed and then admitted to Marie, "Once Leo made the decision, it was final. It's just the way it is in our family."
Sniffing disapprovingly, Marie remarked in a huff, "How sad that you are nothing more than puppets to his dictatorship. I don't blame Gabby, then, for leaving." She suddenly had a thought and leaned threateningly towards Don, asking, "Do you plan on taking Gabby in the same way you took her children? She should be home, soon, you know." Smiling almost evilly, she remarked, "If you think that I am mad, I can't wait for you to see her pissed off!"
Clearing his throat, Don licked his lips before commenting, "Actually – ah - Gabby will not be coming home, I'm afraid; not for a while, anyway." He held his breath as he waited for Marie's response.
With her eyes growing wide in concern, the woman asked, "And – why not? What has happened to her?" Marie then looked at Don and the other two standing behind him, asking in worried concern, "What have you done to her?" Now, instead of being angry, she was fearful as her voice took on an almost desperate cry, "Where is my panik?"
"Panik?" Don asked, "What - does that mean?"
"It means 'daughter' in my language." Marie explained tearfully, "Gabby has become like a daughter to me and her children my grandchildren. So, where is she?" the woman asked in worried concern.
Trying to remain calm and anticipating another stormy response from the woman, Don replied, "In attempting to get out to the airport this evening to be with her children, Gabby's car slid off the road. She is currently at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital."
"WHAT?" Marie shot up off the couch like a rocket, her voice tense with suppressed emotion, "She is injured, then?" She began to shake, now, with her eyes wide with distress as they filled with tears, "You will take me to her immediately," she demanded and quickly moved through the living room. As she passed by the three mutants, she complained as she glared at Don, "I wouldn't be surprised if YOU threatened her and made her rush because of it!" Heading towards the hallway that led to the bedrooms, she muttered a few more choice words in her native tongue before spitting out, "Stupid cheechakos!"
Devon shook his head, "Man, it so sucks to be you, uncle!"
"Look, just quit with the comments, Devon, or I'll put you in charge of 'blackwater' maintenance on the jet!" Don growled irritably, "and without your coat!"
Considering his tone of voice, Devon knew his uncle would follow through with his threat. Not wanting anything to do with the jet's bathroom collection tanks, he wasted no time in quelling any more smart remarks. Shivering at the awful thought of purging collected waste, he glanced around the room to get his mind on more pleasant things.
Although it was a small house, he noted that Gabby had kept a rather neat and tidy place. The main room was small, compared to Mike's in Carmel. Standing in one corner, the potbelly stove was going well, now that appliance had heated up. The temperature in the living room was pleasingly warm, especially considering the below- freezing weather outside.
Devon also noticed the worn condition of the plaid blue and red sofa and the surrounding pieces of furniture, such as the end tables and then the chair his uncle was currently sitting in. All were obviously either second hand, or even third hand, purchases. The sofa and chair were both wingback construction, probably Americana in style, with the chair, faded red in color. The carpet was a beige hi-low nap, which had seen better days, based on the stains and the worn spots that were randomly scattered here and there.
Just the same, it did its job to help keep one's feet warm against the cold wooden floors underneath.
Overall, though, Devon felt that Gabby had done all right, considering how she had to make a living. For one so restricted as she was by her very appearance, his sister had proven her ability to survive rather well. In a weird way and despite his own personal anger for her leaving when she did, he was rather proud of Gabby.
"Now, Mr. Tello…" Marie's voice shot through the hallway as she made a hasty return to the living room, "…about those children." Standing now in front of Don, she went on to say, "I believe that since Gabby is in the hospital, I don't think you'll be leaving Fairbanks as quickly as you assumed you would; am I correct?" She waited for his response, slipping her gloves on while Don looked up at her.
However, he did not respond right away, where he was somewhat confused with her statement. With her boots already on, she looked more than ready for the frigid outdoors, but more importantly, with her heavy, hooded coat on, she looked even bigger than before.
She then looked hard at Don to get his attention. "Well, am I correct?" she boomed impatiently.
Nodding and then slowly standing up to assume some physical control, Don found himself almost eye to eye with the woman. Although he was not tall by the true definition of the word, he was taller than most everyone else was in his family, with exception to Raphael. Still, Don found himself evenly matched in the height department with Marie, although lacking in other obvious areas. "Yes, that is correct, Marie," he finally replied confidently.
"Then," she said in a more normal tone, "I will expect the children to be returned to their own beds – tonight – here – in this house. However, I insist on accompanying you to the plane, so that I may be there, in case they wake up. Of course, this is after we swing by the hospital; I do want to insure that my panik is being taken care of and I want to know how badly she is injured, too." Her expression narrowed almost instantly, obviously blaming Don for Gabby's accident.
"Marie," Don entreated as he spread his arms out just a little, "do you really think it would be wise to take the children outside a second time this evening? Considering the outdoor temperatures, maybe it would be better for them to wait until morning. Of course, you are more than welcomed to stay on the jet with us, that way you can be there when they do wake up."
The woman was, for once, hesitant to challenge Don on his point. She studied him for a few moments before finally commenting, "For once, Mr. Tello, you make sense. Yes, I believe waiting until morning might be better for the children and," her voice lowered threateningly, "even if you hadn't offered, I would have insisted on being there regardless."
"Indeed!" Don mused quietly, quirking up an eye-ridge in mild amusement. It was perfectly obvious to him that Marie was the type who had to be right, no matter what the situation, and – so long as he was able to manipulate her into believing it was her idea – he would oblige any request from her.
After Marie had gathered up a few of the children's belongings and her own, she quickly secured the house before joining Don, Mike, and Seth in the suburban. As Don drove the vehicle out of the driveway and guided it down the street, he breathed a sigh of relief. He honestly felt exhausted. It was almost as if he had gone bo staff to bo staff against a skilled opponent. He quipped to himself and almost chuckled aloud, that if Marie had been ninja, he might probably not have survived her challenge!
However, Don's evening for confrontations had only just begun. With Gabby's caretaker more or less on his side, the only other person he had to deal with and worry about now was his wife. He did not even have to imagine how she was going to respond once he told her about Gabby's accident. They had been far too busy getting to the hospital and then getting over to the house to take the time in letting Cassie know. Don was certain that his delay in calling her would only add to the long list of offenses he had already committed that evening.
He groaned inwardly, not at all looking forward to facing his beloved.
Reaching inside his coat pocket, however, he pulled out his cell phone, determined to on with it. Flipping it open to make the dreaded call, Don sighed and then lamented sourly to himself, "It certainly does suck to be me!"
COMMENTS
TBREADER: Don had to learn to be aggressive, although it's not his nature to be so confrontation. Therefore, he's very selective with it. Where his niece is severely injured and he's not one to fill out forms – the need for privacy and anonymity the underlying reason – he's patience is tapped. He's more concerned about getting Gabby the best treatment and providing her and the family with privacy. Yes, I did overstate his position a bit, but then it made for a more interesting conflict. At least it generated your response:0) Don can actually be rather easy going and gentle, that is, when his family's welfare is not at stake. BTW, I am trying to finish this before you leave for duty. Thanks for reading and for reviewing. Be blessed.
RAMICA – Muses are capricious at best, in my opinion. I only hope they are as generous with my other on-going and as yet unfinished stories as they have been with this one! Oh, I just had to have Raph do that; it's what he would do in any universe, methinks. And, the line that Devon shared with Don was one that my son gave me, although not intentionally. A fellow officer at his work found himself in trouble and that was what my son imparted to him, laughing all the way, too. It's a guy thing, I believe. Yes, poor Seth is certainly getting his emotions tossed about, isn't he? LOL As for Gabby, maybe in the next chapter we'll find out what's going on with the girl. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.
PACPHYS – Muses, what would we do without them? It's a love/hate relationship at best. Oh, you'll be sad this story ends? Really? Cool…but it's still going to end. Have to; I need to get back to my other stories. Poor Seth, indeed. As for Gabby, I've already decided on her injury and even have that written out, but the muses wedged this chapter and chapter twelve in-between. Not sure if even chapter 14 will cover her situation. Raph will be Raph, no matter what the universe or how old he gets. In Rahab and the other stories, he's a bit more refined and not as impatient. I've sort of have him OOC here based on that version of him. Plus, he's more concerned with his daughter and hasn't any interest in charming anyone at present. Always a 'Mike' job, anyway. Don is certainly dead and that comment that Dev makes was too good to use just once, if only to finalize his uncles current decline in popularity. LOL Thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.
CHIBI ROSE ANGEL – Eventually, more Butterfly, but not until I finish this. When I know how a story is going to end, I'm motivated. If I'm unsure, it's a sure bet I'll get Writers Block. GAH. Anyway, yeah, I've made Gabby a brat, but there was a time when readers seemed to like her, even love her. weeps sadly Just the same, she has issues and it seems as if the clan hadn't taken the time to address them properly. I just might do a filler short story that would happen in-between YD and RR. Something along the lines where the clan tries to help her sort out what she went through during the battle in the forest in YD. Not sure, though, where I have so many other projects unfinished. Just yesterday, I received a review on my Extreme Lair Makeover. I so want to finish that one! Anyway, as for what Splinter said in the dream sequence, his words did have meaning; you're just going to have to wait before it all comes to fruition. Bwahaha:0) Don is in his early sixties in this story, just a year behind Raph, so – yeah, maybe he needs to consider retirement, but – then again – turtles are known for their longevity. The Philippines probably only aggravated things, too. Yes, it's amazing the ideas that come to us through other stories we do. Sometimes, I think it's cruel. I mean, we get going on a story and then – WHAM – we're hit with an idea that will not leave us alone until we tackle it – like what happened with me when the notion for The Price of Passion came to mind. I needed a break, though, from Butterfly, so maybe in the end it will be a good thing? Who knows. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.
LUNAR-NINJA – Well, in more than one way, it pays to be Don, except where it concerns confronting Cassie. LOL Ah, I was sure every Fan Fic author would relate to being held prisoner! HA! Your little conversation with Seth was cute:0) I like. Mike is the natural born emissary for the TMNT's; he's sort of stuck with the job, so to speak. Considering paperwork and Don, if you only knew how influential and incredibly wealthy he is; just think about Ted Turner or that other rich dude and having to fill out admittance forms at a hospital. I mean, he has lackys to do that right? Well, Don is richer than Ted, believe me. Makes Ted look like a pauper in comparison. In fiction, anything is possible! LOL Seth and Raph were too busy being concerned with Gabby's situation. They were exempt because of the fact that Seth is Gabby's husband and Raph is her father. And, as you've already found out or will, I kind of segued Dev's comment to Don into this chapter as well. It fit and so I included it. Carter is a brand name of pills and I can't remember for what remedy. Maybe it's antiacid or laxative. I think the latter, but it means 'a lot'. So, with that said, thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.
GEMDRIVE – You know, one day, I'm going to do a story on The Muses, with Mike as their victim. Ooooo…plot bunny attack! "No, get away, get away you fuzzy furballs, leavemealone, I've enough work to do, scat, go home, go bug someone else for a change!" takes rolled up newspaper and swats back the plot bunny ideasCoughs Now, where was I? Oh, that's right…my shout-out to you. Yes, Gabby stopped breathing, which was when she had her 'out of body' experience. Remember that when she returned to the flesh and blood world, the first thing she heard was the 'wail of sirens'. Seth and Leo, a definite father and son team! Would anyone not want Leo for dad? Well, maybe not Kira (Waking to a Nightmare)! LOL Some readers saw Don as manipulative, some just saw him as flexing what he was used to flexing. He is what he is and that's all that he is. A paraphrased quote from Popeye, as in the sailor man! HA! This chapter twelve sort of explains Don's surprise. He is not the only person capable of manipulation, it seems! Bwahaha. I can hardly wait to see what Marie does to Leo! Hee hee hee. I'm tempted to re-read Seth, myself, but I have another book – a real, in-your-hands book – to read. It's Frank Peretti's 'Monster'. If you've never heard or read any of Frank's books, you need to. Incredible word pictures and his ability to drag you kicking and screaming into his stories is unparalleled. The Left Behind authors credit him for breaking down the doors of status quo writing for Christian authors, but I guarantee you that, Christian or not, you will thoroughly enjoy his novels. Amazing reading. Anyway, enough of my evangelizing! LOL Thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.