DISCLAIMER – The last chapter! Next up – the epilogue! Thanks to everyone's patience and not bugging me about taking so long with this. It was truly going to be a short story, but the muses had other ideas! LOL As before, I own nothing but Gabby, Mindy, Jordan, and Marie – oh, and Tricia, too.
BTW, to anyone reading this who have written stories with real song lyrics copied and pasted into them, Fan Fiction is going to be closing any and all accounts in the very near future if said lyrics are not removed promptly. I have a lot of work to do, my friends, but I thought it kind to forward this information on to you. Check the 'home page' of Fan Fiction for more details.
Chapter 15 – Reawakened Memories
Earlier, Leo administered the antidote to the children to revive them from their drug-induced slumber. He was now standing outside their bedroom with everyone else and waiting for Marie's invitation. Per her demands, Marie had insisted on being the only one in the room until Mindy and Jordan were sufficiently awake. Until that happened, she wanted everyone else out of sight and as "quiet as a church mouse".
Considering she was in the company of ninja – although she was clueless about that fact – it was an easy request to honor.
When the children finally did wake up, they were quite startled at first to find themselves in strange surroundings.
However, seeing their caretaker helped to calm them.
"You're going to be fine, children," the woman encouraged softly.
"Wh- where are we?" Mindy asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Her expression was wide and worried, with the girl looking around somewhat fearfully at the subtly lit, yet unfamiliar room. She noticed small round windows along one side of the wall, but because it was still night outside, she was unable to tell where she was exactly. The girl quickly climbed out from underneath the blankets and into Marie's lap, followed by a very quiet, yet equally frightened Jordan.
The young boy looked up into the woman's face, showing a deep insecurity as he grabbed onto her in desperation. His chin trembled a little, and then he finally asked, "Wh-wh-where's my mommy?"
"Your mother is resting right now. She's – not feeling very well," Marie replied softly, "But, you will be able to see her come morning."
"Where – are we, though?" Mindy asked, with her voice small and quiet. She rubbed her face a little and yawned, still feeling the affects of the sleeping powder Thomas had given her.
"You're on a jet!" Marie answered, keeping her voice light and somewhat excited.
With her eyes growing big, the girl asked alarmingly, "IN THE AIR?"
"No, right now it's parked, on the ground. We're at the airport." Marie explained calmly. She was correct in realizing that the children would be frightened, where they had never flown before. At least, based on what Gabriella had told her. "Right now, though," the woman looked over at the opened doorway, "we have visitors. Someone you," Marie looked at Mindy, "might recognize."
"Who?" the young girl asked curiously. She looked over at the same doorway and leaned out from Marie to get a better view. However, all she saw was the shadow of the corridor beyond.
"Do you remember your father?" Marie asked the nine-year old.
Cocking her head a little, Mindy finally nodded slowly, "Kind of; a little." She looked at Jordan and remarked, "He had a tail like Jordie." She giggled as she looked back at her caretaker, "I remember that I always wanted one."
Smiling, Marie remarked, "Yes, he certainly has a tail." Then, more seriously, she asked, "Would you like to see him?"
With her eyes growing wide again, Mindy swallowed nervously, "He's…here?" Her breathing quickened a little as she asked in a strangled voice, "Is…is…is he going to take us away from Mommy?" She looked over at the doorway, shrinking back into the woman and then looking up into Marie's face, "I don't want to leave Mommy, please don't let him take me," she moaned.
Marie wrapped her arms around the children and said, "No, no one's going to take you away, Mindy; not if I have anything to say about it. But, he has missed you very much; I do know that, because he loves you very much." The woman kissed the top of Mindy's head and then Jordan's, saying, "I'll stay here if it will make things easier. Do you want to see him, now?"
At first, Mindy did not respond, staring intently at the opened doorway. After a moment, though, she looked up into Marie's face, "You promise not to leave us?"
"I promise, on my honor and cross my heart…" she began, but then a smaller voice chorused hers, as Jordan grinned, "And hopes to die!"
"Well, I hope not to, but I do promise you that I'll stay right here until you're comfortable." Marie finished, giving her charges a collective squeeze within her arms. Then, turning towards the doorway, the woman declared, "Seth, you may enter, now."
As Seth walked quietly and slowly into the room, he stopped just inside. He then waited as he allowed the children to assess him. He reached out with his senses, to be aware of what they were feeling and using that to guide him with how to react to them next. He saw Jordan's tail wrapped insecurely around his little body, a sure sign to Seth that the boy was afraid. Slowly, he brought his own tail into view, watching his son's reaction to it. He found himself smiling as Jordan's own expression widened in surprise.
It took a moment for Mindy to recognize him, though. At first, she just stared, almost afraid to react. She wrapped one arm around Jordan as he huddled closer to her. He gaped at the creature, wondering who this person was. He had never seen anything like him at all. The only people he was familiar with were humans, and even with that, his exposure was limited to Marie. He watched as the creature brought forth a tail much like his own. His eyes grew slightly large in wonder, watching the appendage as it gently tapped the ground in what he recognized as contentment. His own tail relaxed a little, if only in response to the other.
For Seth, though, it was obvious to him that at least the girl's memory of him was intact. Yet, whatever it was that his wife had told her, it was influencing his daughter's behavior towards him.
Inwardly, Seth bristled. He had heard the child's worried voice from earlier when Mindy asked Marie if he was going to take her away. "How dare Gabby even think that that's what I wanted," he grumped angrily.
Although in reality he was Mindy' stepfather, Seth had always seen her as his daughter and nothing less. He had loved her with a fierceness that had fueled his five-year search to get her back. He knew that she was afraid of him, now, and that this same determination to find her would have to win her to him again.
"Mindy," he said softly, "everything's going to be all right, dear," he cooed.
"Are – are you going to take us from Mommy?" the girl squeaked out. Jordan hunkered closer to the Inuit woman and to his sibling, hearing the fear in his sister's voice and the words she just said.
"No, I'm not, honey. I want all of us to be together again," Seth assured her and then asked, "Including Mommy. Don't you?"
Swallowing a little and then shrugging, she replied, "Yeah, I guess; so long as we can be together."
"I give you my word, Min, you'll never have to worry about that," Seth declared softly. He watched, as relief seemed to play out along her face, observing as she finally relaxed. "Can – I come over there and sit down next to you?" He knew that approaching his daughter would have to come by way of her wanting him to. Just to walk over to her uninvited when she was already anxious would only cause more fear in her.
"I – guess. Yeah, I'd like that." Mindy smiled a little. She truly did miss her father, but her mother's warnings had impressed the girl tremendously.
With Marie still holding the children, Seth walked over to them and gently sat down on the edge of the bed next to them. He looked at the girl and smiled, "You've grown up a lot, Min. I've missed you."
Nodding, Mindy replied softly, "Mommy's missed you a lot, too. She cries sometimes."
"No doubt," her father remarked glumly.
He looked at his son, now, who clung wide-eyed to Marie. Seth remarked, "So, I hear your name is Jordan."
The young boy nodded just a little, unsure about what he was looking at. However, his father did not push the child, but allowed his son to make his own assumptions for the moment. Jordan looked over at his sister and asked, "Is he our dad?"
"Yep," Mindy quipped, "Neat, eh?" she smiled wider again, her fear slowly being replaced by excitement.
Jordan pulled away from Marie and sat on his knees, giving Seth a thoughtful visual check. Smiling a little as he peered over the edge of the bed and down at his father's extra appendage. He then remarked, "You gots a tail, too?"
Seth answered as he gently lashed his extremity, "Yep, and I think when you grow up, yours will be just as long."
"But," the boy commented smugly as he turned a wide grin to his father, "You don'ts have a shell on your back, though."
Laughing, Seth recognized the pride in the boy's tone and said, "Nope, guess you out did me there."
Jordan then boldly stood up on the bed to walk over to his father. "Where's my mom?" he asked determinedly, looking at Seth with a fixed gaze. He was eye level with his father, now, his face full of wonder and expectation.
Reaching gently to stroke the boy's curly blue and white hair, Seth answered softly, "She's – sick. We've taken her to a hospital, but she's feeling better."
"How comes she's sick?" Jordan asked worriedly.
"Hmm…" Seth looked at his son and knew that honesty, now, was necessary, "Well, she had a little accident, with her car. In the morning we can go visit her, though."
Mindy's eyes began to tear up a bit, which prompted her brother to react in the same way. He started to cry a little, as did Mindy, so Seth gently took Jordan in his arms, saying encouragingly to him and his sister, "Your mommy is going to be fine. The doctors are helping her and come morning, she will be thrilled to see the both of you." Soon, the young boy relaxed in his father's arms, resting his head upon Seth's shoulder as he sniffed. .
Then, almost unexpectedly, Mindy asked, "Are we going to go back – home? I wanna see Riahna again. I miss her – a lot."
Seth knew, then, that his daughter had not forgotten her life in California. It was clear to him that she was ready to return home, even with the obvious fearful stories that her mother had told her. Holding his son, in his arms and sensing the boy's acceptance, Seth also knew that Jordan's transition into the clan would go better than they had ever hoped it would.
He smiled and allowed a single tear of relief to trail down his face.
Then, he said, "Yes, we'll be going home, but not until your mommy is better." Stroking Jordan's head, Seth then asked them, "Would you like to meet the rest of your family?"
Looking up at her father, Mindy's eyes grew large and excited, "Is - Granpa Spungbob here, too?"
Seth held onto his wife's hand with a desperate but gentle grip, while his uncle and the doctor talked outside the room. With their voices whisper-soft, it was hard to tell exactly what it was they were saying. He wondered, then, what more could be going on with Gabby that the doctor felt too grave to tell him. After all, only a moment ago, Don had been in the room with him when the physician had shared his findings. He had heard everything that Seth did. Was there worse news?
Seth could only worry and wonder about what else was wrong with his wife.
He desperately wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation, using his ninja skills, but he knew that his uncle would consider it inappropriate. Although Seth trusted him, he knew that it would not be unlike Don to keep some facts to himself.
Especially if his reasons for doing so were to protect his nephew from further grief.
As his eyes brimmed with anxious tears and threatened to spill over, Seth sat there next to the hospital bed. He watched as his wife stared almost catatonically at the far wall. Sighing deeply, he wanted so much to cry for her, yet he was determined to keep himself in check.
For Gabby's sake, it was imperative for him to be strong.
Minutes earlier, when Seth had spoken with the doctor, he had listened as the physician told him of Gabby's test results. When he asked how long recovery would be, he had been greatly disappointed with the doctor's answer.
Now, the best he could do was to sit there and quietly, patiently, support his wife.
Since Gabriella had woken up two days earlier, all she had done since then was to stare off in a daze, as if in her own private world. She would turn towards their voices when talked to, but other than a nod of her head, she either refused or was incapable of giving any verbal response. Yet, no matter who spoke to her, she remained mute and, mostly, unresponsive. It was hard how to react to her, how hard to push for results.
It was as if the trauma of the accident had overwhelmed her conscious mind.
Now, despite his anger over her running away and how she had created fear in their children about him, Seth's anxious worry overshadowed any desire to make Gabby accountable for her actions. Currently, he was more concerned with the quiet discourse between his uncle and the doctor. Slowly, gradually, he began to think about the tests.
Had the MRI shown more damage than just a bruised spinal cord and did Don prep the doctor beforehand, directing him to limit how much he shared with Seth?
Just thinking about it made him rile, the short spines on his neck working up like goose bumps. Maybe he had been under a great deal of stress, but that didn't mean he couldn't handle the truth about his wife.
Later, he was definitely going to have a talk with Don.
Now, as he looked over at Gabby, he tried to smile. He was grateful that she no longer had to wear the neck and head brace. Where she had only suffered a bruised spinal column, the doctor cleared her from wearing such a device. Although her injury was not supposed to be that severe, she would have partial paralysis for a while. According to what the doctor had told them a moment ago, though, Gabby might have full recovery in time; that is if there weren't any complications.
Yet, it was the word complications that seemed to drown him with worry. Seth wondered a great deal more about what it was his uncle and the doctor were discussing.
Just the same, with both her legs and left wrist broken, they were now in casts. Currently, she had her legs secured in a Hamilton Russell traction device, with pillows that positioned her limbs above her heart line, while the traction kept them rigid towards the end of the bed.
Additionally, she had her left arm secured to an overhead arm traction apparatus, the entire limb from the just below the elbow joint to her hand wrapped in a fiberglass cast.
In a word, Gabby was virtually immobile.
Regardless, though, Seth was grateful that at least she was alive, that she was with them again, and – eventually – they would be going home. He was certain that once they were back in Carmel and away from the busyness of the hospital, the quiet of the estate would speed Gabby's healing. Where she had been mute upon reawakening from her near comatose state, he wanted desperately to get her back to California.
Absentmindedly, he noticed her matted auburn hair and reached over to smooth out the curls a little. Seth knew that it would take a bit of work to brush out all the knots, yet he smiled. He looked forward to doing something as mundane as combing her hair. For the moment, a simple task as that seemed rather attractive to him.
Nevertheless, as he watched his wife, it seemed as if Gabby were miles away, her focus on some point on the wall across from them.
Finally, he decided to try once again to get her attention. "You okay, dear?" he asked her softly, hoping she would respond this time, hoping she would say something…anything.
She did not react.
"Gabby, sweetheart, please talk to me." Seth asked patiently, yet insistently. He watched her eyes, hoping for a flicker of recognition.
She broke away from her focus and turned a disinterested face up at her husband. Seth's heart fell; her eyes seemed so hallow, vacant, and devoid of emotion.
"Gabby, I asked if you're going to be all right," Seth repeated determinedly, trying to swallow the giant lump that seemed stubbornly lodged in his throat.
Nodding just a little but saying nothing, Gabby went back staring at the wall, again.
Seth squeezed her hand harder and tried to smile, "We'll get through this together, Gabs. I won't aband…" and then he stopped, realizing his poor choice of words. He sighed deeply as he restated himself, "We'll all help you to get better, my word of honor." He straightened the blanket around her, tucking it in underneath her just a little. He thought about how anxious their children were, how needy Mindy had become after seeing her mother in this state. The family had hoped they would trigger more of a response from Gabby, but, to their disappointment, she remained mute and aloof.
In hindsight, it was probably not good for the children to see their mother as she was, yet they all knew it was a gamble. Just the same, it did benefit Seth where Mindy re-bonded with him, with Jordan seeming to be accepting his father a little more eagerly, if not desperately. It was a welcomed relief for Seth and a hope for the future.
Mindy did recall most of the family, but much to one grandfather's chagrin, she could only remember calling Raph Spungbob. Obviously, the rest of the family thought it uproariously funny. Once Seth told Mindy that Raph was her grandfather, however, she finally remembered who he was to her. Still, she had to pause each time she addressed him, his nickname far too easy for her to say than his official title to her.
Just then, a movement from the doorway broke Seth's train of thought. With Don following behind him, the doctor walked back into the room, clipboard in hand. The physician stood at the foot of the bed and explained to him, "The physical therapist will be paying your wife a visit in the next hour. You may want to be here when she does," and then, nodding towards Don, he left.
Seth mumbled to himself irritably, "And where else does he think I'll be, anyway?"
Don walked over to the side of the bed and looked down at his niece. He studied her, his expression blank as if unmoved by her situation. Taking a deep breath, he turned towards his nephew and asked in a softened voice, "I need a word with your wife, Seth. Do you mind leaving us for a moment - please?"
"First," Seth asked determinedly, "What else is wrong with Gabby?"
Puzzled, Don shook his head, "Nothing. Other than her legs and wrist and her back, she's fine." He cocked an eye ridge and asked, "Why?"
Sighing and closing his eyes for must a moment, Seth opened them again and looked full into his uncle's face as he asked, "It's just that with all the hushed tones a moment ago between you and Doctor Mills, I thought there was more to her than that, is all."
Nodding, as he now understood his nephew's query, Don explained, "I was trying to find out from the doctor what areas around the hospital need tending to. Where he has given us the entire top floor of the hospital for our needs, I was looking at giving the establishment a sizeable donation, as my gratitude." He smiled then as he saw the relief on Seth's face. Don then said, "I assure you, Seth, if there was more to what's wrong with your wife, I would not hold back that information. I respect you too much for that."
"Thank you, that means a lot to me," Seth replied.
"Now, can we exchange places?" Don asked kindly.
"Yeah, ah – sure. But, good luck, she's still out of it, Uncle." Seth remarked. Reluctantly releasing his hold of Gabby's hand, he stood up and, bowing slightly to Don, quickly left the hospital room.
As soon as the chair was vacant and as his nephew departed through the doorway and out into the hospital corridor, Don turned and sat down next to Gabby. He kept silent for a few minutes, watching the girl, as she fixated on the same point at the opposite end of the room. Gently caressing her thoughts with his own, he mentally reached out to her, trying to determine where she was in her mind.
Earlier, he had found that she was somewhere else entirely and not quite aware of things. It was far better than her unconscious state when she had first arrived at the hospital.
Yet, now, Don was surprised to discover that Gabriella was a little more lucid; distracted maybe and a little emotionally detached, but her awareness seemed sharper.
He was pleased. At least there was improvement.
"Gabby," he called out to her, his voice low and quiet. He reached over to take the hand that Seth had held previously a moment earlier, giving it a gentle squeeze. When his niece did not react or respond to his voice, Don said a little sterner, "Gabriella Angelo, please look at me."
Slowly, the girl turned her face towards him, showing the same detachment that she had offered Seth. Yet, a faint light of recognition suddenly illuminated her eyes. Don smiled warmly, pleased with that.
He then took note of the bruising along her forehead and left cheek, where the rolling of the car had banged her around. He knew that it was a miracle she had not broken her neck or back in the accident. It was a blessing that she was even alive.
Inwardly growling, he wondered how anyone could sell a car – privately or not – and neglect to tell the buyer about the lack of airbags. After the inspectors discovered that Gabby's car did not have them when they should have, Don ranted angrily, "There's just no excuse for it, absolutely none. It smacks of total irresponsibility."
He knew that it had become a national problem, though, bedeviling the insurance and automobile industry for many years. Don decided that, once he returned to California, he would set about to promote a legislative act, an act that would fine or imprison anyone selling a used car without first declaring if the vehicle had airbags or not. It would not matter if it were through private party or a car dealer, either. No one should suffer what his niece was going through all because someone neglected to re-install a previously deployed safety measure, or at least make known of that fact.
Now, though, it was beside the fact. Gabby was injured and severely so. Therefore, her recovery was paramount to anything the clan did on her behalf until she was better. After that, Don would do what he had to in order to assure that no one else would suffer as she had.
"Gabby, do you know who I am?" Don asked a little more loudly. He could sense her recognition, but he wanted to hear it from her. It was very important that she snap back to reality; that is if she were to get better.
Nodding a little bit, she attempted to turn back to looking at the wall, but Don gently reached over and cupped his hand along her chin. Tenderly returning her face to look at him again, he asked, "Can you tell me with words that you recognize me?" He focused his mind and his whole being on hers, his eyes losing themselves in her azure, liquid pools. He knew she recognized him, knew that she was there.
Gabby stared blankly at him for a long, pregnant moment. Then, gradually, tears began to form in her eyes and her mouth started to tremble just a bit. She swallowed and slowly parted her lips to speak, straining as if the very act were torturous.
"Y – y – yes," she stammered out breathlessly. She paused then, sighing deeply as she looked at her uncle, her breathe hitching emotionally. Finally, as if something occurred to her in that moment, she suddenly smiled a little and softly remarked, one tear coursing down her right cheek, "You're my – stepfather, now."
Stunned silent for only a moment, Don could only utter "What?" before asking as his eyes widened ever so slowly, "What did you just say?" he whispered out in surprise.
Almost as if she had realized his shock and found some amusement in it, Gabby's smile widened a little more, "You're – my stepfather, now," she repeated and more confidently this time.
If it were not for her comment, Don would have rejoiced in just seeing and hearing the improved change in his niece. However, he was too distracted with what she had said to be concerned with it or to notify the family. He just sat there, stunned to silence.
Nevertheless, it seemed as if that comment alone had sparked a bit of life in the girl's expression. Her eyes now shined brightly as she watched her uncle, now stepfather, sit back in shock against the backrest of the chair.
Finally finding his voice again, he asked in almost total disbelief, "Who - told you this?"
Don knew that Cassie and he had decided to wait on telling Gabby about their marriage. He knew that the family was in concurrence with that idea, forbidding the hospital staff from mentioning it in the girl's presence. They had even decided to keep their union from Mindy and Jordan.
"Why stress her out more than she needs to be" Cassie had told them.
Now, Don was almost speechless. When Gabby did not respond right away to his question, he leaned towards her and asked again, yet more forcibly. "Who – told you this, Gabriella?"
Sighing as she turned away from him and closing her eyes as if too tired to keep them open any longer, she simply said and as if it were common knowledge, "Splinter did."
Don just stared at her, his mouth agape in stunned astonishment. Closing it abruptly, he swallowed deeply. Releasing her hand to let it rest alongside of her, he sat back again in the chair to continue observing her. What she had just said caused him to wonder.
With one arm draped across his chest, he rested the elbow of the other on top of it as he stroked his chin in thoughtful consideration. He knew that, when they first found her after the accident, Gabby had been unconscious. He knew that she almost died in route to the hospital. In fact, Seth recalled quite clearly the sensation of her spirit lifting out of her body.
"It was very different than what I would normally sense from her. She almost seemed – changed, in a way," he recounted wistfully later on. Everyone had accepted his account as what a hopeful and stressed-out husband might feel after watching the near death of his wife.
Yet, now, as Don sat there in the chair and pondered what Gabby had just told him, he wondered that if in that scant bit of time, if she had indeed slipped over to the 'other side'. He had heard of such things happening, but the scientist in him had always dismissed what he termed as 'subconscious hysteria'. He accepted the fact that the workings of the mind was still a mystery, yet his earlier conclusions about such matters expressed a disbelief in the supernatural, especially where it concerned things as spiritually transformative events.
Maybe Leo had his problems years earlier with Saki's corrupt spirit, but that did not necessarily prove anything. Don was obviously impressed at the time, when Seth seemed to have helped Leonardo back towards mental stability. Still, over the years, Don reasoned that his brother's infirmity was a mere case of emotional illness, triggered by his killing Saki decades earlier and the stress of losing Splinter.
However, what Gabby just told him challenged that very belief. Now, determined, he leaned forward again, still holding onto her hand, and asked her, "Gabby, what do you mean that Splinter told you? He has been dead many years. How could he tell you anything?" He hoped that this current moment of lucidity in her was not temporary, but a precursor to Gabby's recovery. Yet a subtle fear for her mental stability crept into his mind, as well.
Taking a deep breath, as if the very act of speaking seemed daunting, Gabby opened her eyes and looked over at Don again.
In obedience, she replied slowly, saying each word with care, as if she would forget them if she did not, "I was dead, too, I guess. He was there, in the meadow, waiting for me, although I – didn't see him right away." She smiled then, "But, he saw me. Later, when he revealed himself to me, he talked to me and told me many things." Gabby looked back at the wall across from her, sighing sadly before continuing, "He showed me – my family." Now, her eyes filled with tears once more, as she glanced back over to her uncle, "He showed me what my actions did to – them." No longer able to contain her tears, they flowed freely down her face as she explained, although her voice trembled in the telling, "He showed me Seth's heart, how it broke; Splinter forced me to listen to Mike and Rahab's arguments and even Riahna's outbursts…" She then laughed just a little through her tears, "He even showed me my name tattooed on Devon's arm."
Finally, with the weight of telling Don of her experience, Gabby began to cry openly, deep wracking sobs working their way up from the very depth of her being. She shook from her emotional outburst, unable to anything but to weep. With a quaking voice, she whimpered, "I'm so sorry, Uncle. I did a terrible thing. I don't deserve forgiveness, but I am very sorry for what I did." She looked up at him with a pleading and very contrite expression as she cried.
Although still numb with surprise from Gabby's verbal account of her experience, Don leaned over and gently embraced her. He was careful with her arm, yet, he held her gently as she sobbed against him, "I'm so sorry. I was so incredibly selfish to take the children. I wanted to come home, many times, but I was – so afraid to. I didn't want to lose them; I was certain that Leo would take Mindy and Jordan from me. I love them both so very, very much."
"You've paid a terrible price for your passion, Gabriella," Don whispered. "You would have been gladly accepted back into the clan, you must know that." He felt her nod against him and, as she continued to cry, Don's mind was in a whirl. As surely as the sun rose, he knew it would have been impossible for Gabby to know about the trials the family had gone through over the course of the past five years. How she was able to recount Seth's heartbreak, the rift in Mike and Rahab's marriage, or even know about Devon's tattoo when the young man had been as bundled up they all were while in Fairbanks, seemed inconceivable. Yet, there was no doubting that she had seen someone in her comatose state resembling his master, his father – Splinter.
Someone who had evidently been watching over the family the whole time Gabby was gone.
Don then chuckled to himself. Despite his attempts to understand everything about the world at large, there were obviously still many more mysteries for him to learn about.
Just the same, Gabby's confession and words of repentance seemed to be the catalyst for her emergence from her stupor. As Don sifted through the turmoil of her mind, he sighed in relief to discover that she was no longer a prisoner of her traumatic experience. In fact, she seemed to have completely snapped out of her near-catatonic state.
The sounds of her weeping, however, attracted Seth's and the others' attention. As he quickly stepped inside the room, followed by Leo, Mike, Raph, and Cassie, and they saw Don comforting Gabriella, Seth asked, "What's wrong with Gabby? Why is she crying, is she all right? "
While Seth and the others watched her, Don turned and glanced over at them, smiling as he said, "She's going to be fine." Looking back at her once more, Don reiterated as he squeezed her hand, "Gabby's going to be just fine."
COMMENTS –
CHIBI ROSE ANGEL – Well, torturing the TMNT's is part of the story-telling process. Without angst and drama, it would be a boring read. Ah, Donnie, how can one be angry for too long with that guy? I mean, he's so nice and sweet and, well, in this story, he's also toast. LOL Yes, I intentionally threw those lines in. I mean, what else would you have Mike and Raph say, all things considered? Updates coming in fast – hopefully finishing this fic before the end of the week! Thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.
LUNAR-NINJA – Hey, the break in writing allowed me to appreciate my muses (hands them milk and cookie offering). As for Raph and Mike, they only followed orders from Don. Leo, too. Don's supposed to be the smart guy, remember? He's also a bit elderly, so I'm sure Cassie will cut him some slack – later, much later. Bwahaha. Who – is – Saesha? Hmm…Okay, must read your Tatsu Morph. I'm sure Saesha is an OC of yours, right? Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.
PACPHYS – Yes, sometimes an angry silent person is far more dangerous than one who just pops off. The pop-offers are just going on rote, doing a knee-jerk reaction action. However, the silent ones are the thinkers, the ones who take their time meting out punishment and thinking of ways to say what needs to be said that will have the greatest impact. Both are bad, in my opinion. Leo was definitely saved by the bell – and in case you didn't catch it, he always seems to get off Scott free, too. Isn't that what usually happens? LOL I should have had Raph comment along those lines, but – alas – I've been suffering from a migraine since early yesterday and just wanted to get the chapter up. Based on your review, I can tell you review as you read. As for Rahab, for the most part I never liked her much; far too flippant with her temper and – considering what the 'guys' know and all – they never really did much to put her in her place, although Mike did on a couple of occasions. I've never rafted, but my daughter did. Almost drowned, in fact, when her boatman decided on a class 4 (rather than the class 2 the others in her group were doing!). The boat capsized and the rapid action forced her to the bottom of the rapids where she was stuck, until a freak pull of water forced her back up again! Needless to say, when she got back home and told me about her experience, I gave the youth pastor heck for even considering a rafting trip for the 100+ high school group. I was against it in the first place, but caved under pressure to let my kid go. With those numbers, it's only a logistics nightmare waiting to happen. Chaos theory, indeed! LOL Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.
TBREADER – Don knows he's a jerk, believe me. He's not called the smart one for nothing. However, that doesn't mean he can't make mistakes, either. He's erred and in a big way, too. Cassie won't let him off the hook that easy, believe me. Hope I finish this before you have to leave.
Thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.
RAMICA – No, I don't blame Mike, either. He has enough to contend with. All one has to do is refer to his struggles with Rahab in the story about her and one can get a pretty good idea how life has been for him. That pull-out bed in the den is getting mighty old news by now! LOL I didn't think I had to go into a lot of dialogue re: Cassie; she pretty much speaks for herself, anyway! LOL Don can grovel very well. Especially with his lady-love! Well, I had a different bent to this end of the story initially, but then changed it. I thought that where Gabby was already unconscious, giving the family visiting time would be a waste of time, unless she was dying. She wasn't so, going home to get rested up for the next day allowed Seth to see the kids – and Don to confront Cassie. Marie can't be angry all the time, no more than Mike has to be a cut-up clown all the time. She does have a reasonable side, yet one has to consider that she woke up in her home to a room full of strangers. Even one would be too many in my book! Now, you're looking forward to the end because (A), you want to see how this resolves, (B) you're tired of the story (C) you want me to finish other ventures? Hmm… LOL Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.