April tried to focus on the slow moving circles she worked her ankles in. The movement itself hurt, but she tried to tune the pain out by concentrating on the scent of the pizza box on the coffee table and the chatter of her friends.

Mikey sat by her side and chatted away. April nodded now and then but honestly wasn't listening, her mind focused on the chipped teeth man that she hadn't heard from in weeks.

The boys had come over like always with pizza and chatted of what she had missed out in the sewers. April tried to remember the last time she had gone but couldn't. The thought greatly upset her and she quickened the movement in her ankle.

April glanced at Mikey, who had a grin on his face and was talking about some new pizza combo he had invented and cracked the same joke he had only moments before.

April went back to trying to focus on her ankles, sweat beading on her forehead. She quickened her pace, knowing she shouldn't. The doctor said slow and easy, her nerves weren't fully functioning just yet. But April couldn't help it. Everything was just too...much.

She missed going to the lair. She missed being able to go in public without getting pitiful looks. She missed living life outside of a chair. She missed being able to have the freedom to get up and do what she wanted without having the carry herself there with her arms.

But most importantly, she missed walking. April missed the sensation of the ground against her feet. She missed being able to stretch her legs in the morning and wiggle her toes whenever she wanted to. It was silly, but it was the truth. She missed...

April had completely blanked out and twisted her ankle so harshly pain shot through her leg. She wanted to cry out in pain but didn't want the attention. She turned her focus to Mikey beside her who was still happily chatting away, unaware that she wasn't listening.

"Mikey, shut up! Tell me your stupid jokes later, okay? I'm trying to concentrate here."

The smile on Michelangelo's face dropped and his eyes grew wide. The happy chatter of her friends stopped and April felt herself go into shock. She hadn't meant to take it out on Mikey, it just...happened.

"Mikey, I'm-"

"That was really uncalled for, April."

"Yeah, April. What gives? Only I can tell Mikey that kind of stuff." Raphael frowned. April's eyes caught the disapproval in Leonardo's eyes and her regret was replaced with the pent up frustration she had.

"I was trying to say I was sorry, but if you're going to be a jerk about it then I won't." She crossed her arms.

Raphael looked at her in shock. Everything that came pouring out of her she didn't mean. She wanted to break down and apologize, but she couldn't. She had been holding in so much anger and frustration, it was flowing out of her and she couldn't stop it. It was like a broken damn that couldn't be fixed until it was too late.

Mikey got up and left down the hall. April could hear the front door open and shut. She and the others stared at the hall, frozen with shock. Soon, Raphael was the first to snap out of the spell Mikey had put them in and ran down the hall after him. The front door opened and slammed shut.

Leonardo snapped his head in her direction and gave April a disapproving look. "What's with you, April? I get a lot is going on with you, but snapping at Mikey like that was really uncalled for."

"I-"

"Every time we come over, you ALWAYS snap at us. Especially when we just want to help. April, I get you're stressed and tired and sick of this, but we're here for you. We already feel bad enough that this is our fault in a way that you're like this, but we're trying to make it up to you. We're trying to-"

"I don't want your pity!" April felt herself tremble, tears building up in her eyes. "I don't want your help! I just want to be normal again! I don't want to be treated like I'm some baby that can't take care of herself. I can."

After the words came tumbling out, she regretted them. She regretted the word choice, but most importantly, she regretted how...mean she sounded. When did she become so bitter?

Donnie and Leo stared at her in shock. Donnie reached his hand out to her, the same caring look he had planted on his face whenever she did something that made him worry.

"April, it's okay. I think you're tired. Here, I'll get an ice pack for your ankle and you can go to bed so that-"

"No. Just forget it, Donnie. I'll be fine. I can get it on my own..."

Every word she said made her flinch. She could see the pain in Donnie's eyes and she wished she could stand up and jump into his arms and beg him to forgive her. But she become more aware of her chair and her infamous stubborn nature kicked in and she swallowed her apologies, her heart sinking in her chest.

Leo gave her an angry look, grabbed Donnie by the arm and yanked him in the direction of the front door. "Come on, Donnie. April needs some time to think. She obviously can do things on her own, if she needs us, she'll shoot us a message."

Donnie fumbled but followed. Leonardo continued to walk steadily towards the front door, but Donnie peered over at her with wide eyes, torn about whether he should stay or go.

"If you need us, just call me. Okay, April?"

April lowered her eyes. The door clicked open and slammed shut. She was alone again. After a few minutes past, she picked up the nearest object to her on the coffee table and threw it against the wall.

The bottle of root beer shattered and the brown liquid stained the wall. April breathed heavily, the tears already pouring down her cheeks. What was wrong with her?

April remembered Leo's words and sobbed. He was right. She hadn't realized it, but she had slowly pushed them all away. For what, pride? So what if she couldn't do jack shit on her own? Her friends always came to give her company and be there for her. It wasn't fair to them at all.

Donnie's worried face filled her mind's inner eye and she sobbed harder. Donatello...out of all of them, he was the one always wanting to help. Fetch her pillows, ice for her legs, anything to make her comfortable. He even offered to push her chair, which she declined.

She had treated them all so horribly. With Casey, he wasn't even there. He left on his own. But the boys left because of her. And deep down, April knew they wouldn't be coming back until she messaged them first.

April suddenly felt tired and weak. She rolled herself with shaky arms out of the living room and into her bedroom. The bed had been made for the first time in a while thanks to Donatello. Even clothes that were once on the floor had been put away that she herself couldn't hang properly on her own.

The red head wheeled herself to her bed sighed and shakily pulled her shirt off and leaned towards her bed. Something caught her eye and she realized there was a piece of paper on her pillow.

April gently picked it up and felt her blood drain from her face. It was a home made 'get well' card with a crude drawing of April standing up with band aids on her legs and she surrounded by happy looking turtles.

Each of the drawn turtles were depicted in their respected colours and each turtle had signed their picture with personalized messages that wished her the fastest healing process and that they would always be there for her.

April snapped her head to look at her T-phone on the nightstand and stared the object down. She picked it up and eyed the screen. Her cheeks were soaked and eyes were swollen from how hard she was then crying.

She knew she had to apologize. She knew she had to make things better, but her fingers wouldn't let her. 'You did this, you deserve to be ignored,' a voice in her head sneered. 'You deserve to be alone. You dug yourself into this whole, you might as well enjoy the burial.'

April slowly set the phone down and crawled onto her bed, the get well card falling to the ground. She didn't bother pulling the sheets around her or anything to cover her cool form. Her whole body felt so weak, like she hadn't slept or eaten or done anything in so long. She was a prisoner in her own body and a stranger in her own home.

April eyed the T-phone one last time, the scene from that night with the boys playing through her mind and ending on the beautiful get well card they had made her. She choked on a sob, turned her back on the T-phone and where the card had fallen, closed her eyes and willed herself to fall into a sleep where she never had to wake up again and face the pain she had caused herself.