*)O(*
She screamed when Mikey went from bowed to crumpled, rolling over on his side. Modesty shoved away, she scrambled over to him. "No! No! Mikey! Come back, stay with me, please!" She yelled, shaking him. He was a disaster. Blood covered his body, dribbling from various injuries. There were so many she couldn't count them. Then the door to the security room opened and Bea poked her head out. Becca looked at her, wondering what she was going to do.
The other woman's eyes swelled, taking in the sight. "Help me, help him, please, please!" She screamed, not able to lower her volume. She held Mikey's head in her lap, scared. A faint smile seemed to try to play across his face and she started to sob again. Things couldn't just end like this. The bad guy was gone, Mikey was the hero, the hero didn't just die. "Stay with me, please, stay with me Mikey." She croaked, begging for him to be okay. Then something was shoved in front of her face. A shirt, green, still folded. Becca reached for it, looking up at the person extending it to her. Bea, who looked like she'd walked into an episode of the Twilight Zone. Remembering her nudity, Becca quickly pulled the shirt over herself.
"H-How, how can I help?" Bea jumped away from Mikey when he coughed. The sound was strained and Becca held a hand over her mouth as she sobbed for a moment. "His brothers, Donnie, I need you to get Donnie." Becca picked pieces of glass out of his skull with her fingernails. Irrationally, she was angry at the shards for being inside of him. "B-Brothers?"
"Yes, they are four-super-hero-mutant-turtle-brothers and right now I need you to get Donnie!" She snapped. Bea seemed to resolve that what Becca said was true. "M-Mikey, right, that's his name?"
"Yes. Donnie, Mikey needs him." She prayed with everything she had that Donnie could get here in time. The color was fading from the places of his skin that weren't covered in blood. His shoulder resembled hamburger, glass glittered in the faint light from the emergency lights from the disgusting wound. His arms were covered in various cuts and slices of different sizes. His plastron even had new scuffs and ridges from attacks he'd bore to save her. She noticed that her tears were falling onto his face. She venomously wiped her eyes then went back to picking glass out of his head.
He was so stupid, so brave, so fierce, so kind. Hysterical she started to laugh as his bowing and apologizing flashed in her mind's eye. Hun's slumped body finally rolled to the side, laying him down and startling her at the same time. She'd been scared, she would admit it, but when Mikey had turned on her, she'd only seen love and worry. She didn't see him as a murderer, or an evil person, and she never would.
Someone burst through the swinging door and she nearly dropped Mikey's head from her lap. She'd started to move to shield him, but then noticed that it was Donnie. Bea was on his heals and Raph and Leo were on hers. The poor girl looked like she was going to pass out. Donnie crouched and looked over Mikey critically. "Donnie, what can I do?" If there was anything, she'd do it. Even if it was giving her own blood, like Sara had. "Don't let him move, keep him still while I check him some more. After that, I'll need you to take this lady right here back to her place before you come home. Raph and Leo will explain things to her." Donnie instructed as he started looking at Mikey with a pen light.
"Becca?" Bea's shrill pitch made her pay attention to the other female again. Raph and Leo were herding her towards a wall. "It's fine, they won't hurt you." She reassured her.
"We just need you to understand, you can't tell anyone-"
"I won't!" The shout made Raph and Leo grimace, mainly Leo who had been interrupted. "I swear it!"
"Bea!" Becca scolded. "Listen to them."
"I thank you for the assurance, but truly, you must not tell anyone. If you need to talk to someone about any of this, Becca will be able to help you. Our family has been a secret so far, we wish to continue to be one." Leo asserted. Bea just kept nodding. "We will clean up the shop. You can file a report, if you want, but we will also pay for any damages and anything else you deem necessary." Still, Bea nodded. If she didn't stop, her head would fall off.
Mikey groaned. Hope sparked within her. When she shot her eyes back to him, she found it was only because Donnie was yanking a large piece of glass out of his leg. More precious red fluid fell from the opening. Her stomach turned. "Take her home." Donnie ordered. "Raph, Leo, pick him up, we need to get home, ASAP." She wanted to rebel. She wanted to declare that she wouldn't leave him. Yet, she knew she was the only one who would be able to do what was being asked of her. "Bea, let's go. I'll explain some more on the way, but it's gonna have to be quick." Bea leapt away from Leo and Raph.
It made her miserable, but she had no other options. She moved away from Mikey. She looked back again and again, even after Leo and Raph had disappeared with him as she escorted Bea. The only thing worse than this would be losing him and this being her last memory of him.
*)O(*
Bits of random song passed by him. One was the opening to his newest favorite anime. Another was an old song that he didn't really care for, but used it to annoy Raph with all the time. The big lout would hold onto the repetitive chorus for days sometimes, causing him to lose his cool when someone pointed out him singing it under his breath. Then it was like little movies played around and around. It was kind of fun. Except the part where he couldn't move. That was a little annoying. Nothing worked. He tried, but his body wouldn't do anything.
He shrugged in his newest dream world and let the thought drift away again. The current movie was nice. He was in the rainforest and sitting by a giant waterfall. He was sure he'd seen it in a movie before. He must have, for it to be here, and so stunning. Surely even he couldn't make up the details he saw. He frowned. Static invaded the birds chirping, muffled the crashing sound of water. He groaned. Not this again...
It filled everything until he floated on it, drowned in it. He couldn't escape it. He'd learned to just deal with it until it passed. This one was persistent though. It didn't let up. If he could just make it stop, he grumbled as he floated through the very thing that was driving him mad. Then something came out of the static. Pitch. It started small and low then grew to a keening level that made him want to dig it out of his brain. It was like an old steam whistle. Persistent, driving, and deliberate and it wouldn't ease.
Then light blinded him. For a moment he felt fear. He'd heard time and time again about the white light that many people saw as they started to die, when they were on an edge that they might not have a choice of crossing. Then a shadow blurred in front of him. He blinked. It took a couple tries but eventually the blinding light in the back ground was moved and a face came into view. Becca.
His heart fluttered faintly and he tried to smile. His everything felt stiff and heavy. He wasn't even sure if he was getting a smirk out. Usually the first thing he thought of when he saw her was of how perfect she was, or how beautiful, or funny, or something else nice. Right now he was shocked to think anything different. She looked, sad, awful even. Her shimmering eyes were bloodshot. Her nose was beet red from being chapped. Splotches took up her cheeks. Tear stains marked clear lines down her face. He struggled to lift his hand to brush away anything that wasn't her smile.
"Mikey?" She questioned. Her smile cracked along with her voice. A desert had more water in it than his mouth did. He couldn't get his tongue to move so he tried to nod. His arm was getting closer. All of this was way too difficult. Becca must of noticed it. She reached for it. Her small hand held his up. "Oh, god, Mikey." She wept. His hand was bandaged up. Some blood poked through in different areas, mostly just around his knuckles though. He couldn't get his other arm to move at all. This was enough though. It hurt, but he kept smiling and nodding as Becca kissed his hand then forehead.
Then she pulled away. She jumped off the bed he was on. He realized he was in the lab. He chuckled internally. It wasn't the first time any of them had been here, wouldn't be the last. Heck, he should be used to this by now. His head was still a little foggy, but he was starting to realize that the static in his dreams was caused by some pretty heavy painkillers, courtesy of his geeky brother. He heard footsteps and shouts. His family was on the way. Like sardines packing themselves into a tin, they flooded the room.
The first face he saw next was Donnie. He flinched as a pen light was flickered into his eyes. He wished that that was the worst of it. As delicate as Donnie tried to be, Mikey couldn't suppress the groan of pain that engulfed his shoulder. At least he thought that his brother was trying to be gentle. Then someone was pressing something into his hand. He looked down at it. Mik held a glass of water there for him. "Can you hold onto that, Mikey?" Donnie asked. It was a weird question. Mikey gripped the glass. Mik let go. Donnie caught it as it fell.
"You broke both of your hands in different area's. Everything looks like it's healing right, but I'm worried you might have damaged some of the tendons. Don't even get me started on your other arm. Becca, would you help him?" Donnie handed over the cup. It was embarrassing, but he was parched. He drank the whole cup. Everyone took their turn coming to his side. Once Donnie was done Splinter was the first to sit beside him. As the line dwindled, he started to notice that he was getting uncomfortable. Pain was returning. He didn't know if he was lucky or not, more pain brought more control over his limbs. The last in the long line was Raph who for some reason looked proud.
"You did great, lil bro." It was probably one of the best compliments the lug head had ever given him. No wonder it was done when almost everyone had already left. Still, Mikey smiled and whispered a hush thank you. After a while he was left with just him and Becca. She'd been mostly silent the whole time. He looked at her.
Her hand came up with a swiftness that he'd only heard about angry women having. Sharp against his cheek, her fingers probably left welts. "Don't you ever do this again! Do you know how worried I was? Do you? You were... I- we almost lost you! What are you laughing about?" She was furious. He couldn't help himself. Yes, he laughed. It hurt, but he kept doing it. "You're yelling at me about getting hurt after slapping me," he explained.
"Do you not see where you are? You're in a hospital bed. You can't even hold a glass of water..." Her fury drained quickly and with it, so did his laughter. She pressed her forehead to his. "I thought I lost you."
"Oh, come on, I'm not going to stop bugging you that easy." He joked. She chuckled and he could have died in the sound. It was real, soft and warm. "When did Donnie say I could go back to my room again?"
"Your room? You don't have a room anymore."
"What?" He asked, utterly confused. Becca stroked the top of his head. He guessed most of the stuff up there had healed up. He'd been in this bed for three days, or so Donnie said. Maybe something on the inside of his head wasn't working right. Why on Earth wouldn't he have a room anymore?
"You don't have a room anymore. Whether you like it or not, you're going to be sharing with me from now on. So we have a room, but you don't." Becca stood proud and tall with her arms crossed over her chest. She looked down on him as he laid in the repurposed hospital bed. Yeah, something wasn't working in his head. There had to be smoke coming out of his ears from the gears trying to grind together. "I almost lost you once, and it's not going to happen again." Then she kissed him. He could have melted through a sidewalk grate just then. Her lips were soft and warm. He'd forgotten what they felt like. Then her little tongue brushed against his lips. He opened his mouth, not sure. She was.
Her hands held his face and he lost himself in her for a moment. She pulled back and smiled at him. "Let's do this right this time." She laughed. "Mikey, would you like to go out with me some time? I know this really great Chinese place just a few blocks from here."
"I'm not sure, I'll have to ask my girlfriend." He chuckled. The stunned look of horror on Becca's face had him dancing on eggshells and talking before she slapped him for the second time in ten minutes. "She's about your height, blond, giant blue eyes, rocking body, a laugh like wooden wind chimes, but I love just one thing about her the most... her heart." Becca caught on about have way through. At the end she did laugh a little. "You're an asshole sometimes."
*)O(*
They all failed, every single one of them. She'd screamed at any and every one in her room when it'd been shown on the news. The 'turf war from hell,' her ass. It had been them. Hun had been ignorant, selfish. He'd forgotten the end goal. The reports from the few survivors all said the same thing. Hun had had plenty of time to remove the girl from the immediate area. He'd failed her. Her trickling man power had been dammed and now the spring was drying up.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't run everything from the confines of a hospital bed. She was losing the respect of the few men she had left. Almost no new members were willing to join after she'd lost so many numbers in a 'simple fist fight'. They didn't know. They couldn't know. The turtles were monsters. Real monsters, living, breathing, probably reproducing. She felt sick for a split second before lines in the sand drew a map for her.
Not one of her men had said anything about a deadly redhead. Sara had never showed up, for surely if she had, she would have left an impression. She had to be hiding. The only reason why a woman like her would hide was if she had something to hide. The idea repulsed her as much as it thrilled her. A child of a monster, was a monster nonetheless. Forget the turtles' newfound joy of flesh. She would take something far more precious than a mate from them… She would take their children.
She cackled to herself. The pale cream light from the emergency light was the only thing there with her. She would take them and use them. They'd be her little personal toys. "It seems I've found you in a much better mood this time around, Mistress Karai." An amused voice noted from the crack in her door. Her eyes sparkled at the newcomer. As a person, she didn't really care for him, but as a scientist and doctor, she understood his merits. "If your good mood persist, I might even get your new leg attached tonight." Karai laughed again. Her little hoax might not have worked this time, but soon, she could take care of things on her own.
*)O(*
It was nice. There was an unnatural silence hanging in the lair and she soaked it up. She didn't realize how much noise there was until there were the rare moments of silence. She took reprieve in it and sat at the kitchen table. It wasn't much but the quiet gave way to tapping. Long claws on the ground. A tap-scratch sound. She didn't mind it one bit.
Splinter entered the kitchen. He looked at her then perked his ears up, listening. She'd done the same thing. If she tried she could hear muffled noises of the boys and their mates in their rooms. It wasn't anything like it would normally be. Something shone in Splinter's eyes. He nodded then silently pulled out a chair across from her. She was always glad for her fur. Only she felt the effects he cause in her. Surely if she didn't have the fur she would blush constantly while around him.
He stayed quiet. It wasn't completely comfortable, but it wasn't tense. She smiled at him and leaned back, grabbing a pack of cards out of the kitchen drawer. She shuffled them then laid out a game of Rummy. Splinter perked up and smiled back at her. They didn't speak except if one of them won. In the small kitchen, Mik's heart grew ever fonder of Splinter. The silence letting them say things that words wouldn't.
*)O(*
A/N: More to come, don't worry, this isn't the last of it, not yet. Future warning, next chapter is 95% guaranteed to be hot and steamy. Don't worry about how Becca just moved herself into Mikey's room without them resolving anything, they're going to be forced to talk next chapter.
Thanks so much to everyone that has left a review! I'm getting so many that are asking serious questions and opening up my plot line for me! The story is coming close to ending and I hope to end it happier than the recent events that I've made you all endure. Thanks for sticking with me and I hope to see you all again and again.
Also, it's close enough now so… Happy Fourth of July to everyone in the States celebrating the holiday! And happy regular day of the week to the rest of you.
