The house was frantic. With the unexpected and slightly horrifying arrival of Splinter and April came a flurry of action and not a few worried looks. The guys kept surprisingly calm, all things considered. Leo had an unconscious April in his arms as headed for the house and left Mikey to take care of Splinter. Donnie had run off to get a fire extinguisher for the smoking car, leaving me nothing to do. I followed Leo, lost for words.
"Get me bandages and antiseptic for April," he ordered once we reached the house. The tone of his voice left no room for disagreement. I nodded and ran into the kitchen and grabbed the medical kit, bringing it back to Leo. That's when I got a good look at the injured April for the first time. She was battered almost beyond recognition. Her head was bleeding on one side and dark bruises covered her face, neck, and torso. Leo had taken off her yellow jacket so he could address the injuries on her arms and shoulders.
"What happened?" I asked, stunned.
"I don't know. The car barely made it into the yard before it started smoking. April and Splinter were both unconscious inside, I don't know why. Mikey and I saw the car and rushed over to say hello before we realized they were in trouble. We pulled them out as fast as we could. The car looks ready to burst any minute so Donnie is taking care of that. Mike's got Splinter, but I don't know how he's doing. Raph is doing an emergency patrol of the immediate area. Can you get me a warm washcloth for April. I need you to help me clean her up before I bandage her up. She's losing a lot of blood from that head wound." He said all of this rather quickly, but with a steady and controlled voice. I took one look at April's battered body and ran to get a washcloth. This was going to be a long night.
Later that evening, April lay still on the couch sleeping. Leo had gotten me to bandage her up while he helped Mikey take care of Splinter, who was also badly hurt. April had at least three broken ribs, a slight concussion, and enough cuts and bruises to keep her bedridden for a month. Donnie suspected she had shattered a few bones in her ankle as well, but he didn't want to agitate it while April was in such a delicate state. Splinter's condition wasn't much better, but the mutagen in his blood would help him heal quickly, Donnie said. He was currently taking up one of the bedrooms across the hall from mine. Don didn't feel like moving April would be a very good idea , so he left her on the couch. Any grudge I had held against the once talkative young lady disappeared as I watched over her. Leo and Raph refused to leave Splinter's side as he healed, Donnie had gotten the now-useless green car to stop smoking and had hauled it into the garage, and at the moment Mikey was moping around the house with nothing to do. He was worried sick about his father and his friend, but didn't know what to do. After making sure the sleeping April was stable, I walked over to him smiling tiredly.
"Can you watch over April for me while I shower?" I asked him. He looked up quickly, thankful for something to do.
"Of course. What do I do?" he asked.
"Not much. Just watch over her, change her bandages as needed, and make sure she's comfortable. If she wakes up, talk to her slowly and quietly and orient her on what happened. Don't question her or anything, just let her listen to a familiar voice for a while. Tell her a story or something. If she wants to talk, let her, but if she starts hurting make her stop talking and rest a while." I instructed him.
He nodded solemnly and walked over to the couch where she lay, keeling down on the ground beside her. He began stroking her hair gently and talking to her in lowered tones. I couldn't help but smile. April and Mikey had always had a unique relationship and this was living proof of how much he cared about her.
I walked down the hallway into the bathroom. Locking the door behind me, I prepared for a nice, long shower. As I washed the day away, I thought about what might have happened to Splinter and April. I had many ideas, none of them pleasant. Twenty minutes later I was dressed in pajamas and slippers and fuzzy socks. I grabbed my brush from the vanity desk in my room and began brushing my hair as I joined Mikey in the living room. He was still guarding April, watching over her and brushing her hair with his fingers.
"She hasn't moved," he said glumly. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No," I said. "She just needs time to heal. It'll take a while, Mikey." He still looked put out, so I tried another tactic. "Hey Mikey, will you help me brush my hair? It's being incredibly difficult tonight." Mikey nodded, moving behind me.
He grabbed me by shoulders and sat me down on a felt-covered ottoman by the fireplace. He took my brush from me and began working in through my messy hair. I lowered my wings so I could reach my head easily and closed my eyes with pleasure as he worked. He got all the tangles out quickly, but kept working the brush through my hair even though it was straight. I didn't stop him. I knew that he was working out all the stress he had been storing up all afternoon in his own special way. Donnie came into the room at some point with some fresh firewood and got a fire going in the fireplace. After that was all finished, he sunk into an armchair and promptly fell asleep. He had been running around the property all evening, getting medical supplies wherever he could find them, patching up April and Splinter, getting the house warm and free of drafts, and pretty much keeping himself insanely busy with things to get done before tomorrow. Mikey, considerably less stressed out, finally finished brushing my hair and returned my brush to me, moving back to his spot beside April.
I began preening my wings, running my fingers through the downy under-feathers and pulling free loose ones. I let them fall onto the ground, where I would gather them up later and toss them into the fire. Preening was a very methodical process and I soon grew sleepy, watching the fire as I worked. Half an hour later, I gathered the old feathers, tossed them into the fire, and ran my hand over my wings with satisfaction. Donnie had let me take the restraining bandage off my wrenched wing and I stretched it experimentally. It felt fine, so I decided to go on a flight in the morning.
It was quiet in the house. The only sounds were the muffled sizzling and crackling of the fire and the moaning of the wind outside as it rushed past the house. I walked over to the window and was surprised to see snow falling from the sky. No wonder Donnie had been working so frantically all afternoon. Some sixth sense told me we would be getting at least two or three feet of snow if the snowfall kept up this pace. The flakes were large and sticky, grabbing hold to every surface they could find. I shivered and walked back to the fire place, content for the moment to let the cold stay outside.
