A/N: Back with another chapter. Shout out to my beta Ravenshell and to Lydjachan for her kind and listening ear :)
Chapter 28
"Mike, its me." I keep my voice low, but the demanding tone is still there as I wait for him to open the door. I sigh loudly when he doesn't answer. I'm really not in the mood for this… at all. "I'm coming in." And with that three word warning, I turn the knob. It's not locked, which means he's upset and wants to be alone, but still wants somebody to come check on 'im.
"You alright?" I ask, stepping into his room, avoiding the discarded pizza boxes littering the floor. He's lying belly-down on his bed, hugging his pillow to his face. I sit at the foot of his bed and stare at my hands, not exactly sure what to say. After that spiritual escapade into Donnie's psyche, the last thing I want is another chick-flick moment. When he doesn't answer, I try my usual tactic. "Mikey, you've got about ten seconds to start talking or I will leave you in here to brood for the next hour." If he doesn't wanna talk, I ain't gonna force him but brooding's not really his thing so I don't expect him to give me the silent treatment much longer.
"Why didn't he tell me, Raph?" Eight seconds…. that's a new record for him.
"The heck if I know. The same reason he didn't tell the rest of us, I guess."
"Raph, he totally tricked me, dude, for months. He was lying to me when I helped him with the 'retromutagen'." He bends his fingers like imaginary air quotes. "He lied to me about the Kraang files and I went all-out mutiny on Leo's mission for him. I defended him while Leo gave me stitches… stitches, Raph!" He waves his arm in my face to make sure I see his itty-bitty stitches. "He just…. used me." Sniffing, he rubs at his eyes. I don't say anything, not yet. It's best to let him get it all out in one longwinded angst. "Thought he understood me, took me seriously, ya know?" His tone drops and it reminds me of someone dragging their fingers down a window. "I guess he just sees me the same way everyone else does."
"As what? ...A goofball?" I snort, because he clearly walked into that one. He glares at me through those puppy dog eyes of his. Guess my humor was too soon. I roll my eyes with a sigh. "Look, I get it, alright? You're ticked off…. Shell, I'm ticked off. The Brainiac's been mutating into a freakin' monster for the past six weeks and he spills the beans after he made some poor sap his dinner. I wanna strangle him for being so stupid." My biceps tense as I clench my fists in frustration. Before my anger can rise to its full capacity, traces of Donnie's emotions wash over my mind like a tidal wave extinguishing my internal firestorm before it has a chance to fester. As much as I want to ride out these flames of fury, I can't. Whatever happened to me in Don's aura has had me outta whack since we returned to the physical world. I hate feeling like this… like a raw egg smashed into a brick wall, insides splattered and completely exposed for all to see against a gritty wall. Yeah, that's a pretty good analogy.
Something keeps pulling back the colorful language at the tip of my tongue, replacing 'em with softer words and thoughts that make me uncomfortable as I squirm at the foot of Mikey's bed. "Listen, Don made some stupid choices about this whole mutagen crap…. I mean a lot of stupid choices, but idiot or not he's still our brother. He can't change what he did or didn't do any more than I can change the things I did…." My words trail off as Donnie's memories of me come to the forefront of my mind again. I haven't been able to shake his memories or his feelings; it's like a bleach stain in the fabric of my mind. ".…The point is, whatever happens from here, he's gonna need you and you need to be there." I look at Mike as he rolls into a sitting position beside me. He's studying me and I can't help but frown under his visual scrutiny.
"He's gonna need you too, Raph." I blink at my little brother's assumption. His tears are gone, replaced with a smile that looks more natural on his face. How is this the same brother that can reassure me one minute and annoy the crap outta me the next?
"Everything okay in here?" I hear Leo step in the room before he even speaks, but don't look at him right away.
"Just peachy." The sarcasm is there, but much more subdued than I usually serve him.
"Yeah, Leo, it's good, bruh. Thanks, Raph." Mike's smile spreads a little wider.
"Whatever," I acknowledge his gratitude. Absently scratching my head, I look up at Leo. "We miss any more surprises?"
Leo leans against Mikey's desk as he lets out his infamous sigh. "Donatello said he was working on an inhibitor to slow down the mutation, but it won't stop it. I'm going to call April. Her dad may be able to help."
"Yeah, Mr. K does science-y stuff at a college, right? He'll be able to fix Don for sure!" And there's the ball of unfiltered optimism we all know and love.
"Maybe…. We'll have to take whatever help we can get at this point. There isn't time to waste. We don't know how long that healing meditation will last or if it will even hold off his physical mutations."
"Well then, stop yapping and call her already," I gesture in annoyance.
"What do you think? ...Cute, right?" Leaning on a clothing rack, I smirk at the long sleeve velvet shirt Simone is modeling in. It looks cute with the pink belt, black mini skirt, and pink plaid tights she's wearing. Her boots squeak against the tile floor as she spins a full circle pushing out her hip as she faces me again. The shirt has cut-out shoulders and a huge keyhole opening in the front that puts her cleavage crease on full display. She managed to drag me from her house this evening. She said staring at my 'turtle phone' was not going to make Donnie's brother call me any faster. So here we are in the mall. She says we need something 'sexy' for the party she's making me go to tonight.
"I'm sure Tyler won't have any complaints." I tease with a small smile.
"Okay, no….Tyler was two weeks ago. This week's Brandon. Stay with me, April." She teases me in a 'you should obviously know this' attitude.
"My fault." I toss my hands up apologetically. "So Tyler the Tease is old news, got it. So what's Brandon's alliterative name?" Though I keep my sarcasm to a low-key playfulness, I'm a little concerned with how quickly Simone's been blazing through guys this semester.
"Butterfinger Brandon." She wags her brows with a sultry voice.
"Butterfinger?"
"Yep. Rumor has it he's a miracle-worker when it comes to using his fingers; they say his pinky alone can make a girl—"
"Oh my God, Simone!" I shriek and laugh at my friend's perverted antics which only eggs her on.
"Annnd, that's what Brandon will be saying tonight." I laugh again, swatting her arm as she gives me a knowing look.
"Okay, now we have to find something for you to wear," she says as she sashays back into the dressing room to change her top.
I groan. I really don't want to go to this party. "Simone, I'm really not in a partying mood," I tell her for the fifteenth time today.
"You'll feel awesome once you get there, trust me!"
"What if I get a call about Donnie? I won't be able to hear it over the sex-fueled music pulsing through the speakers." I appreciate Simone trying to take my mind off of last night's drama-fest, I really do, but I can't stop thinking about Donnie and how close we were to losing him…. how close I was to losing him. I'm pulled out of my thoughts when Simone bursts out of the dressing room wearing her black t-shirt with a picture of a melting cartoon popsicle and the words 'hot mess' underneath it.
"When his family does call, you can't be all 'Angsty April.' You gotta be positive… upbeat. This party will totally drown out the angst and put you in better mental zone. One hour, April. Just come crash this party with me for one hour. Come on!" She smiles so big her cheeks squish her eyes into tiny slits. "Please?"
I purse my lips, ready to agree to this party when my phone's ringtone jingles from my back pocket. My heart hammers against my chest as I place the phone to my ear with bated breath.
"Hello?"
"Hey, April."
"Leo! How's Donnie doing? Is he awake yet?"
"He woke up about thirty minutes ago…. April, do you think you could bring your dad to the lair tonight? We could really use his help."
"Of… of course, Leo but what's wrong?"
There's a heavy sigh on the other end and it's not Leo's normal sigh; this ones more burdened than usual. "We'll explain everything when you guys get here. Just come as soon as you can."
"Okay, Leo, we're coming." I tap my phone off, stuffing it back into my pocket.
"What's wrong? Is Donnie, okay?" Simone's expression does a 180 as she goes from party-happy to worried friend in a matter of seconds.
"I… I don't know. His brother just called and he wants my dad and me to come over. It sounded serious."
"You want me to come with? ...You know, moral support and all…"
It's times like this I wish I didn't have to lie to my best friend, but I have to keep the truth about Donnie and his family a secret even at the sake of Simone's feelings.
"No, that's okay…. Donnie's family is a bit…. private."
"Oh." I can feel her dejection and it pricks at my conscious like the thorns of a cactus. As she forces a smile, she also forces back her feelings of exclusion. "…Well, you know it's cool and stuff. You go check on your BF and I'll party hard enough for the both of us, okay?"
"Yeah, okay….. wait, he's not my BF!"
"Mm-hm. The way you were groping Mr. Toots last night and moaning Donnie's name tells me otherwise. Mr. Toots is scarred for life."
Laughing out loud, I'm grateful for Simone's humor, despite it being a cover for her true feelings. I grab her into a tight hug. "Thanks, Simone, for everything," I whisper into her ear.
She smiles pushing away from the hug. "Just go see about your man. And…. um…. could you, like, tell him sorry for calling him a spazz-face jerk and a douchebag?"
"You called him a douchebag?"
"No, but I was thinking it." I roll my eyes good naturedly. "Go. Text me later."
"I will." After another quick hug, I sprint from the store and immediately start dialing my father. I hope I can catch him before goes to class this evening.
"And you're sure Leonardo didn't mention what this was about?" I ask April as I step clumsily over a pipe.
"No, Dad. He just said they needed your help and to come ASAP." I can hear the worry and agitation in her tone as she pulls me along by the hand. When April called me about the turtles, I cancelled class for tonight. It's a peculiar thing when ninja mutant turtles need help from an adjunct college instructor. April filled me in on the predicament with Donatello. Pentobarbital….He's such a smart lad. I would never suspect him of suicidal tendencies. Considering he is a mutant living in the sewers, hiding from a world that shuns his existence, I'll have to revoke that previous thought…. It's a wonder this issue hasn't come up sooner. I'll need to change my counseling technique a bit and—
"Are you sure it was this manhole, Ricky?"
I pull April close to me, gesturing my finger to my lips as we hide in the curve of the nearest tunnel. Two shadows come into view as a large circle of light glows on the adjacent wall. We listen as foreign voices echo and serve as a companion to the shadows.
"Course, I'm sure! We were workin' a double shift last night. I grabbed a snack at the corner store and when I came back, I called down to him but he didn't answer. I thought he bailed on me…ya know his wife's been havin' a hard time with the pregnancy, so I thought it was an emergency or somethin'. But when she called the office and said Frank never came home, I knew something was wrong."
"It ain't like Frank to just disappear like this. I just checked the tunnels on the south side. There's some unstable areas over there…easy to get trapped in, but I didn't see any sign of him."
"Yeah, I already checked the closest tunnels and maintenance areas….nothing. I gotta bad feeling about this, Bob. I mean what if Frank got attacked by one those mutant sewer squirrels."
"Aw, gimme a break, Ricky! I'm tired of hearing about your stupid squirrel fetish. This is serious, man!"
"I am being serious! Ain't you been watchin' the news?" The shadow on the right becomes more animated as its arms flap passionately at its sides. "Ten-foot rats, giant acid monsters, and the huge freakin' spaceship that hoverin' over the whole city a few months ago….it ain't no coincidence, Bob."
"Whatever, Rick. I told ya that was probably some kinda Russian terrorist satellite. I'd quicker believe Frank got his butt kicked by robot ninjas than eaten alive by mutant squirrels in the sewers."
The shadows of what I deduce are city maintenance workers gradually shrink down the wall as their voices fade. The clanking of metal vibrates in the tunnel as the workers retreat up the ladder rungs to the world above. April and I share a look, unsure of what to think of the overheard conversation. A couple of years ago, a disappearance in the city could mean something as simple as someone being in a shady neighborhood at an ungodly hour. Nowadays, it could mean alien abductions, unexpected mutation, or worse. We continue in silence until we approach the familiar subway entrance.
"April… Mr. O'Neil. I am grateful you were able to come at such short notice." Mr. Hamato is standing there, awaiting our arrival.
"Master Splinter!" I can't help but feel a tinge of envy as April rushes past the turnstiles and embraces her Sensei. She's grown and matured so much under his guidance. My heart still aches at the accomplishments and milestones I missed when I was abducted by the Kraang… and then mutated by the turtles. I sigh. It's bound to happen when a bunch of teenagers play superheroes. However, the fact that I no longer sleep upside down or have a daily intake of fruit flies speaks volumes of those boys' integrity and reliability. Speaking of the boys, all of them are sitting quietly in the den, minus Donatello. Leonardo is the first to see us and stands to join his father's side. His brothers follow suit.
"I came as soon as April told me. Can you tell me a little more about what's going on with Donatello?"
"I think perhaps it is best to hear it from him." Curious, I follow Mr. Hamato to a metal door which I can only assume is the infamous lab April talks about.
As he pushes the door open, my eyes scan the room. It's dimly lit, but I can still see the blue glow of a computer screen and the silhouette of a rather large figure. At this moment, two things happen. Mr. Hamato flips the light switch and the bottom of his walking stick echoes like a shotgun gun as he hammers it against the concrete floor.
"Donatello!" The paternal tone makes the mutant turtle squeak as he spins around. His hands fumble for purchase as he clutches several files, a notebook, and a clipboard to his chest. "You were instructed to rest. Were my directions not clear?"
He places the stack of items on the corner of his desk. "Yes, Sensei…. I just wanted to get a few notes together for Mr. O'Neil and—"
"Donnie!" My daughter yet again collides with another mutant as she thuds against Donatello's plastron. "I was so scared! I thought you had…. that you were…" He seems a bit taken back by the encirclement but quickly recovers as he places his hand over the small of her back, slightly hunching his body to return the sentiment with a one-armed embrace.
"I'm sorry." A deep remorse trembles from his voice. Seeing April so emotionally bound to this humanoid turtle is slightly unsettling and reminds me of just how little I know about the depth of my daughter's relationships. Have I really been too preoccupied with work to notice this…. development?
"You've hit quite a growth spurt since I last saw you." My heightened voice is enough for them to reluctantly separate. As Donatello straightens his body to his full height, I see he the same height as his Sensei.
"Well, sir, a lot has happened since you last saw me." I don't understand his statement until he reveals his arm from behind his back.
"Oh, my." This definitely is not what I expected. Donatello's left arm is grotesquely disfigured. I find myself intrigued and a little frightened by its very reptilian appearance of enlarged scales and ridged surface. It doesn't even look like a part of his body and from the way he leans slightly to his right, I'm sure it's quite heavy. April steps back, taking in the full view of his appendage and there's an immense amount of worry that ghosts over her face. Something tells me it's going to be a long evening.
TBC...
A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I had fun writing Kirby O'Neil; I thought it would be a nice outside point of view of our currently disjointed Hamato family. You'll see a little more of his POV in the next chapter. Thank you all for your continuous support. I appreciate every review, favorite author/story, and follow. I hope to get to a bit of Apriltello by next chapter, so stay tuned! :)
See you next chapter!
Poetique