Chapter Ten
It was thanks to April that Cherise had a new set of clothing, which she was ecstatic about. It had been a while since the young girl had a decent set of clothes and she showed it while putting them on. Once the white turtleneck over her head, Cherise left the collar over her nose for a bit so that she smelled its newness. After putting on the gray t-shirt the young girl lightly stroke its sleeves across her cheeks so that she could feel the softness of the fabric. When she put on the dark blue sweatpants, Cherise glided her hands over them so that they could feel how smooth they were. And she admired the black sneakers that she gleefully put on her feet.
When Cherise was finished dressing she was practically pulled in four different directions by the turtles. It seemed that her presences there sparked some kind of competition for attention and sisterly approval. They all wanted to show the young girl how much they've changed, how much they've improved, since they were last together.
Michelangelo was the first to actually get a hold of Cherise's arm and he started to lead her towards his room so that he could show her his collection of toys. But he couldn't really go anywhere with Donatello holding onto the girl's other arm. He wanted to show the young girl all the stuff that he invented.
From there it was a bit of a tug-o-war with Cherise over who was going to show her what. "I have actual toys to show, where as you have things you call toys." Michelangelo said while pulling the young girl towards him.
"Oh please, she's fifteen years old. That means she's not a child anymore." Donatello snorted as he pushed Michelangelo off Cherise. "So she's not going to be interested in childish things." The purple clad turtle moved the young girl out of his brother's reach so he couldn't grab hold of her again.
"Hey I'm fifteen years old too." Michelangelo countered as he made a snatch for Cherise.
Donatello put the young girl behind him. "You really don't want me to reply to that." He warned. "My point is that she's old enough to appreciate some of the things I built."
"Aw you'll just put her to sleep with all your techno babble." Michelangelo tried to get around his brother.
Cherise was about to voice her opinion when she was seized by Leonardo. "Why don't you leave the 'children' to argue among themselves shall we?" He suggested while semi carrying the young girl towards the dojo area of the lair.
"Hey, I had her first." Donatello and Michelangelo said in unison. Then the two glared each other. "No, I had her first."
Leonardo continued with carry Cherise off with him. "Anyway, you can come see something even better than a bunch of 'toys'."
"Yeah, me show ya my muscular strengths." Raphael stated while taking the young girl from his blue clad brother. "Did ya know dat I could bench press…Hey!" Leonardo snatched Cherise back, but Raphael wouldn't let go of her.
Cherise was now suspend in the air between the two squabbling brothers. "Um…" She tried to say something to get their attention. "Guys…look I'd…" But they to busy arguing with each other to hear her.
"Anyone can lift a bunch of weights. What I'm talking about showing her takes skills and practice to learn." Leonardo retorted while pulling the young girl out of his brother's hand. "I'm talking about showing Cherise ninjitsu." The young turtle pulled so hard that he ended up stumbling backwards with the girl.
Luckily Michelangelo happened to appear behind the blue clad turtle and was ready to pluck Cherise out of his brother's hands as he fell. "Ninjitsu." The orange clad turtle razzed. "Don't tell me you want to bore her too Leo." He was about to walk towards his room with Cherise when she was taken from his hands.
"Why thank you Mikey." Donatello said with a satisfied grin on his face.
"And thank you." Raphael stated while taking Cherise from his purple clad brother.
At this point Cherise was getting tired of being passed around like some kind of object. "Put me down!" She ordered and all the turtles looked at her with surprise. "Now!"
"Uh…here you go." Raphael said as he set the girl gently down on the ground.
"Look, I know we've hadn't see each other in over six years and I would love to see what you guys have become." Cherise said sternly. "And I'm impressed with how you guys live. I mean I've never seen sewers look so nice. But I really want to find my dad or what happened to him." She started to wave an index finger at them. "Now you all said that you'd help, so please help me."
All four turtles felt a little ashamed for briefly ignoring Cherise's present problem. "I guess I'm speaking for everyone when I say, 'sorry'." Leonardo told the girl. "We'll start helping you out right now."
Cherise's stern expression relaxed into a happy one. "Thank you."
"But where do we start?" Michelangelo questioned. "What can we do that the police and Cherise haven't do yet?"
"Have you checked any of the local hospitals?" Donatello questioned. "Have the police dug up any accident reports or anything?"
Cherise shyly rubbed the back of her head. "I didn't think to check the hospitals." The young girl answered timidly. "I didn't think anything bad had happen to him." She also gave a shrug of her shoulders. "And the police made no mention of pulling up any accident reports."
"Then that's where we'll start." Donatello announced as he headed for his computer.
"Police put their accident reports up online?" Cherise asked with surprise. "I didn't know they did that."
"They don't." Michelangelo replied. "Donnie's going to hack into their files."
Cherise's eyes grew wide. "You can't do that." She practically exclaimed. "You'll get in really big trouble and get yourself arrested."
"Please." Donatello razzed. "I'm so good that they wouldn't even know I was there." He sat down in front of his computer and started typing away. "Now let's see how many accidents we've had in the past year here…."
An extra long list flooded the computer. "Wow, dat's a lot of accidents." Raphael commented.
"You and Casey have been busy." Donatello replied with a bit of a smirk. "About good half of these guys are Purple Dragons."
"Just keepin' da streets clean." Raphael answered.
Donatello rolled his eyes. "Ok now I need to minimize the search." He said as he continued to type. "We're looking for a man, somewhere between thirties and forties, fair skinned, and is not a Purple Dragon." A good chunk of the accident reports went away. "Now to do a search for a guy name Marcus…um…" Donatello turned to look at the girl. "What is your last name?"
"Bard." Cherise answered.
Donatello typed the name in and scrolled down the reports that were left. "Let's see…Marcus Bard…Marcus Bard…nope, nothing."
"How about looking up just Marcus?" Leonardo suggested. "Sure it'll give us a lot of men, but it could also give us a better start than what we have now."
"…or not." Donatello said with nothing came up on the screen.
"You'd think a least one person would be named Marcus in that whole list." Michelangelo commented.
"Not with the specifics we gave." Donatello replied. "Hmmm…Let's go with John Doe."
"How is lookin' up John Doe gonna find Cherise's father?" Raphael questioned.
"John Doe is what the police name men who are found, but have not proof of identity." Donatello answered. "Ok, now we're getting somewhere." The purple clad turtle stated when a list of people came up. "There's a bit, but I think I can shrink it down a little more."
"How?" Cherise asked.
"By putting in the address your father's work place is at and all the possible streets he might have taken to get home." Donatello told her. "It wouldn't help to go check on someone if they had an accident in another city, would it?"
"I suppose not." Cherise replied.
After the girl gave him the address of the building her father worked at Donatello typed in all the possible routes Marcus might have gone to get home. "Alright, we got a bunch of people at different hospitals, but it's at least a manageable size."
"Well let's get April and Casey on the cell." Leonardo ordered. "They can take Cherise around."
A handful of hospitals later….
"Do you know how many people we have going through here in year?" The ER receptionist asked irritability.
"Do ya know how many times we've been asked dat?" Casey countered just as heatedly.
"Look, you're asking if I remember seeing some guy being brought in here over a year ago." The receptionist snapped. "Now I don't how to tell you this in a way that you'd understand, but I don't know how to help you."
April pushed her way between Casey and the receptionist. "I know how busy you can get." She said calmly. "But were talking about this young girl's father who's missing."
"We're an ER. Thousands of people are rushed through here." The receptionist nearly got into the red-haired woman's face. "You're asking me to identify a man who could have been nothing more than a blur."
"Please." Cherise said politely while holding out a picture of her father. "Just a look…a glimpse. Maybe…maybe it might make you think up of a patient that had come through here."
The receptionist went to turn her glare at the young girl, but it softens when she saw the plea in Cherise's eyes. With a deep sigh the woman takes the picture and looks at it. "No…wait…yes. I think I remember this John Doe." The receptionist pointed to something Marcus was wearing in the picture. "I was just thinking about how ridiculous that tie was and that he had guts to wear it outside the house."
Cherise blushed with embarrassment while smiling brightly at the same time. "So…do you know what happen to him?" She asked eagerly.
"I'll pull up his record." The receptionist replied. "Ok, he came in about a year ago…no proof of identity…and…um…" The woman looked at up tensely. "Are all of you family?" She asked April and Casey.
The two adults looked at each other nervously, but Cherise answered. "Yes. They are my aunt and uncle." She pointed to Casey. "He's my daddy's little brother."
"Ok, well Miss, why don't you take your niece for a drink or something while I take to her uncle." The receptionist suggested to April.
"Why do you need to talk to Uncle Casey?" Cherise questioned. "I should be allowed to know what's wrong with my daddy."
The receptionist looked at Casey pleadingly. "Um…sweetheart, why don't ya take Chrissie for candy or something ta eat?" The young man pulled a couple bucks out of his pocket.
April raised a slight eyebrow at Casey. "Sweetheart?" The dark haired motioned his head for them to go. "Well if Uncle Casey is buying, let's go get something." April took the money and started to usher the girl along.
Cherise crossed her arms. "I don't like being called Chrissie and I don't like being treated like a child." The young girl frumped while going with the red haired woman.
"Alright, da kid's gone." Casey stated. "What is it ya wanna talk about?"
"It's about your brother sir." The receptionist answered. "He was a victim of a vicious hit and run. The police assumed that he was targeted, but they have yet to know who did it or why. Anyway we have him in our permanent care unit."
Casey was already shocked when he heard 'vicious hit and run', but he put a hand to his forehead when he heard 'permanent care'. "Ya mean he's…"
"He's been in a comma all this time." The receptionist answered. "I only have what is on the computer, so if you want to know more you're going to have to talk to the current doctor in charge."
"Alright." Casey said with a nod. "Let's talk with him."
The receptionist called someone to take Casey to Marcus's doctor's office. "I can tell you this much, you brother's body is fine. He won't be paralyzed or anything." The doctor told Casey. "But as for his brain…it's been undetermined if he's weaving between being in a permanent vegetative state or not. I can't even tell you when he's going to walk up or if he'll able to."
"Aw geez." Casey bowed his head and rubbed it vigorously with both hands. "I don't know which is worse fer Cherise, not know where her dad was or finding him like dis."
"Maybe this is a good thing Mr. Jones." The doctor replied. "There have be evidence showing that comma patient can hear their loved ones talking to them. Sometime it's their voice that brings them around."
Casey looked up at the doctor. "I suppose." He sighed. "But all depends on how she's going to handle dis."
"Well I can take you, your wife, and your niece to seem him if you'd like." The doctor offered.
"Wait, I want to see my…uh…brother before letting my…um…niece does." Casey replied.
The doctor nodded. "Alright, if that's the way you want it." He led the dark haired man from the office to the room that Marcus was in. "Here you go. I have to make my rounds, so if you need anything I'm sure a nurse can help." The doctor was about to leave, but stopped. "Since he's got a name, I'd like to know what it is for the record."
"Marcus Bard." Casey answered while stand at the door.
"Bard?" The doctor questioned. "His last name is Bard…Mr. Jones?"
Casey continued to stare through the door, he didn't seem to want to enter the room. "Uh...yeah. He changed his last name he got married."
"I see." The doctor replied, somewhat skeptically. "Well I guess I'll be seeing you later."
"…yeah." Casey took a deep breath before entering the room and a second later he came back out looking pale. "Der's no way I'm lettin' her see dat." He went back down to the waiting room ER to find Cherise and April.
"So what's wrong with my father?" Cherise questioned.
"Let's get outta here." Casey answered.
"I want to know what happen to daddy." Cherise said with persistence in her voice.
"I'll tell ya when we get back ta da guys." Casey replied while pushing the young girl out the door.
"Why can't you tell me now?" Cherise demanded. "Why can't I see him?"
"Because ya just can't." Casey retort. "I…I just can't let ya see him like dat."
Outside the hospital Cherise used her heels to stop from being pushed. She turned around to face Casey and bounced an index finger off of his chest. "And just who do you think you are to tell me what to do? He is my father and I have a right to see him no matter what."
April put a hand on Casey's shoulder and turned him towards her a little. "Why can't she see her father? It's been a year."
"Trust me, I'm doin' dis fer her own good." Casey told April before turning to Cherise. "Ya don't want to see him in da condition he's in." In reply Cherise turned her back to the dark haired man and refused to move another step. "Well if dat's da way ya gonna be…" Casey picked the young girl up over his shoulder.
"Put me down!" Cherise ordered while beating on his back. "You can't do this to me!"
"I can and I will." Casey said as he carried her to the car they drove in. "We're goin' back ta da guys and dat's final."
Realizing that she wasn't going to win this fight, Cherise stop hitting Casey's back and crossed her arms. "You jerk." She grumbled under her breath.
Back at the lair…
Everyone was doing their own thing when they heard the elevator called up to the garage. Michelangelo was sorting is comic book collection, Donatello was working in his lab, Raphael was lifting weight, Leonardo was practicing his katas, and Master Splinter was watching television. They didn't exactly stop where they were doing, but they did keep an eye on the elevator. When the double doors on the alien lift opened Cherise came storming out. "Get me away from him!"
Michelangelo put down the comic he had and walks over to the angry young girl. "What happen?"
"That…that…" Cherise was so mad, she was having a hard time trying to talk. "We found my dad, but that…creep over there won't let me see him. He won't even tell me what's wrong."
Leonardo watched as April and Casey came out of the elevator before going over to them. "What is she talking about Casey?"
"Her dad was a targeted hit and run victim." Casey told everyone. "And now he's in a comma."
"Why couldn't you have told me that back at the hospital?" Cherise exclaimed. "And why couldn't you have let me see my dad?"
"Because no child should have ta see their parent like dat." Casey retorted. "I oughta know, because I had to see my dad like that after the Purple Dragons were done with him. It was freaky seein' him all banged up and tubes come from everywhere on his body." He let out a frustrated sigh. "My dad looked so different after a time bein' like dat. He looked so…"
Cherise's cheeks suddenly felt hot with embarrassment. "I…I didn't know." The young girl said timidly. "I'm sorry about your dad." Casey gave a grunt in reply. "But…" She wanted to say something else. "…nevermind."
Michelangelo tried to point out the silver lining. "Well at least you know where he is and how he's doing for now."
"I suppose…"Cherise gave right arm a scratch with her left hand. "But if he's in a comma, there's no way of telling when he'll wake up." She moved her left hand to the back of her head. "That means you're going to be stuck with me for who knows how long."
"Don't say that." Michelangelo countered. "We're not stuck with you, we're happy to have around. If it makes you feel better, think of yourself as the sister we never had. " He put an arm around the young girl's shoulders. "Now that you need to get your mind off your current trouble and since I have your attention…how about I show you my comic book collection? I have a good feeling that you've never seen anything like it."
"Here we go again." Cherise muttered with a small smile when she saw the other turtles come around to 'help cheer her up'.
A/N: Hokay, well now we know what happen to Marcus. Next is when or if he'll wake up. I have feel you'll all know which way I'm leaning. ;D
Edit: I realize that I somehow have this facination with putting people in the hosptial...can't figure out why though.
