Everything was bright white. It was so bright Jack couldn't see anything and her head started to pound. She blinked a few times, squinting as she turned her head. "Raph?" She tried to say but it was more of a choked whisper.

Something scraped across the floor and a something moved on the other side of the room. Too blurry to tell who, but it wasn't green. So not Raph.

"Jack! You are awake!" The voice was familiar.

"April?" She tried to move but the pain in her shoulder rippled across her body and she gasped.

"Jack lay still. You were pretty banged up." April sighed.

The younger woman tried to relax. "Where am I? Why is it so bright?"

April left her bedside and went to the wall clicking off the light. With the room dim, Jacquelyn was able to blink her eyes open. She looked up at the plane white ceiling then over at the tubes coming out of her arm and going up to the bags hanging from the hook on the wall. She was in a hospital. Monitors displayed her vitals and any little hiccup that might occur was recorded down for the doctors.

"You are in the hospital. You dislocated your shoulder and had to get some stitches." April pulled a chair over to the bed side and sat down. "You took quite a beating."

"Where's Raph?" Jack asked, her eyes settling on the woman who looked like she hadn't slept at all.

"Raphael is back home. He can't be in a hospital." April looked at the girl in the bed like she was crazy.

But Jack moved. She reached over and ripped the IVs out of her arm. Wincing as she tore her skin. "No, I have to get home." She mumbled. "I need to talk to him."

April stood and pushed the younger woman back down. "No, what you need to do is lay back down and rest!"

"You don't understand April!" Jack shoved her away. "I know what they are trying to do! I know what they want!"

The other woman hesitated for a split second before forcing the other to lay down. "I don't care! You are in no shape to leave this place." She smacked the call button on the wall beside the bed. "The guys are great but they are not medical professionals."

A swarm of nurses flooded the room. A few of the men held Jack down carefully as a woman stabbed her IVs back into her arms. Another woman was quick to inject something straight into the line going into her arm. Instantly, Jack's head started to get fuzzy. Everything felt warm and it was hard to hold her head up or move anything really. "But… Raph…"

She was out cold. April sighed and ran her hands over her face. She pulled her cell phone out and went back to her chair. "Casey? Can you come to the hospital and watch Jack? I have work in the morning and… I'm not sure she is entirely safe here alone." The red head rubbed her neck and hung up the phone to wait.

Once her husband came to trade places with her, she drove the car, and the kids back to their apartment. After tucking Shadow and C.J. into bed she sat down at the dining room table with a glass of wine. It took her a long while before she finally picked up the shell cell off the table. She pressed a button and let it buzz in her ear.

"Casey?"

"No It's me Don."

"April? What's going on?"

She hesitated. "Jack woke up a few hours ago."

Silence filled the other end of the phone. "Okay. Why is this a reason to call?"

"Because Donnie, she was panicking. Ripped her IVs out of her own arms in an attempt to leave when she can barely see. She's been unconscious for almost a week. That poor girl has been through hell!"

This time the turtle sighed. "Yeah I know."

"I made the doctors knock her out again. She needs time to rest and heal."

"Agreed. However she might be able to answer some important questions and I can't ask them while she is in the hospital."

April stared at the dark liquid sitting on the bottom of her glass. "I know. But she needs a little more time. Do you think you guys can hold off until then?"

"Well, there haven't been any more big incidents so… It should be alright. As long as Raph doesn't know it is us keeping here there."

"Did Raph… Did Raph and Jack ever make up? Sort out whatever issue it was they had?"

Again the turtle paused. "I don't know. Raphael obviously still cares for her. He's even more bull headed when anything comes to her. He can only think about keeping her safe and getting her home."

"His name was the first thing she said when she woke up… and the last word before she passed back out."

"They need to sort out their issue before it kills them both and all of us with it." Donnie half joked. "Well thanks for the update April. I'll tell the guys what they need to know." With that he hung up the cell.

"So," The voice behind him caused him to jump. "You planning on hiding stuff from us?"

Donatello spun around in his computer chair and looked up at Ant as he slouched against a counter. "No, just hiding a few details from Raph so he doesn't kill himself."

The youngest turtle nodded. His eyes drifted down to the journal that was sitting on the counter beside him.

Getting to his feet, the one wearing purple crossed the room and grabbed the journal. He stared down at the worn leather cover before poking his head out into the living room. "Mike, Leo." He motioned with his head to come in his room. The sound of weights down the hall told him that Raph would be distracted for the time being.

"What's shakin?" Mikey asked as he grabbed one of the computer chairs and spun himself around. Leo lashed out and stopped the chair, knocking his little brother out of it.

"I figured it was time to tell you guys what I found in here since Jack is waking up intermittently… she might come back home soon."

Mikey's face lit up, but Leo's… Donnie saw a grim look pass across his features before the normal stony glare returned.

"So what does her journal tell you?" Ant asked what the others were thinking.

Donnie looked at Leo and then Ant. "I think Jack knows something, she just might not know she knows it."

"What does that mean?" Ant asked.

Donnie sighed and flipped through a few pages. "I read through here." He looked up sadly. "I didn't really want to but it gave me a few insights." He wasn't going to tell them the secrets of her past, they didn't need to know, honestly he wished he didn't know most of it. "But there were things wrong with the way she wrote sentences. Backwards and flipping words around. I'm not an expert but I think she has a learning disability."

"What? But she seems fine to me." Ant's brow creased.

"How can that be? She doesn't seem retarded." Leo mused

Donnie glared at him. "A learning disability doesn't mean she is retarded, or slow, or anything like that. It just means a few wires are crossed and she doesn't learn the same way we do." He set the book down. "Do you remember when we were teaching her to fight? She picked up everything we demonstrated and helped her physically learn no problem. But when it came to reading and studying diagrams she struggled, those things didn't sink in until she was on her feet and doing them."

It was suddenly becoming apparent to their leader. "I never realized."

"I think that maybe her brother had something to do with these numbers… he gave them to her. But her brain didn't know how to process them. The journal stopped a few weeks before Anthony died so he might have figured something out to get her to remember them… we have to ask her what they mean."

"On the other hand, she might not have any clue." Ant piped in. "They still might be a jumbled mess."

"Very true." Donatello nodded. "We wont know until she gets here."

"Does Raph know?" Leo asked.

His brothers shook their heads.

Running a hand over his face he nodded. "Keep it that way. I… He's still pissed at me for finding the journal and I don't want him to worry about Jack further. At least, not until she is here." With that, Leo walked out and headed to Jack's room. Normally that would have been considered odd, but ever since Jack was put in the hospital, Leo spent most of his free time in her room, cleaning up the disaster he had made. He put clothes and mattress back into their proper places before he started to patch the holes in her walls.

Another week and a half passed with no word from Jacquelyn. Raph would spend every waking moment training, anything to distract himself. The others did their best to keep him occupied but stay out of his way, as well as keeping tabs on Jack's health through frequent calls to April or Casey.

"Jack? Oh thank god!" A soft voice sighed. "You had me really scared there for a while."

Slowly the woman on the hospital bed opened her eyes and looked over at the other person occupying her room. The dark curly hair and pale features weren't what she had been expecting. "Arionna?"

Tucking a curl behind her ear, the other barista walked in and took a seat beside the bed. "I have been so worried about you! Our boss is freaking out. And I have no idea what to tell him… I mean I can't just say that you vanished and a few hours later four giant turtles came out of the shadows. I mean who would believe that I sure as hell wouldn't I-"

"Arionna!" Jack said forcefully. "Stop rambling, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." Arionna crossed her arms.

Jack shook her head. "Whatever… Did you just say something about turtles?" There was clearly fear in her eyes as she asked the question.

"Yeah. You know, Donnie and Raph…and three other ones. Leo? I think one was called Leo."

"You- you saw them?" Her voice was getting more and more strained, despite the other girls obliviousness.

Arionna nodded. "I called the one a cell phone looking thing I found in the ally. I didn't know they'd be turtles when they showed up but… I waited around. You told me a lot about Raph and the guys you lived with so I was eager to see what kind of people they might be."

Jack squeezed her eyes shut and fell back into the bed. "Shit."

The girl with auburn hair straightened. "What's wrong?"

"You don't understand how vital it is for them to remain a secret. If people found out…"

Arionna reached over and grabbed her hand. "Jack, I know." She smiled softly. "I was really freaked out at first, but Donnie was nice and kind of talked me through my panic." Her smile started to grow. "He seemed really interesting, he's even read the book I was working on."

"Really? I didn't think anyone read as much as you… but then again its Donatello. He reads everything he can get his hands on."

"Think he might have anything I could borrow?" She perked up, scooting to the edge of her seat.

"Maybe? Probably… but Leo isn't a fan of outsiders. It'd be hard to convince him to let you come home."

She frowned.

"I'll tell Donnie you want to see him though."

That made the other smile.

Jack scooted around and got into a better seated position. "So who was here when you came to visit?"

Arionna shrugged. " Um, some guy? He had long black hair and was wearing one of those ugly muscle shirts."

"Casey…" She sighed with relief. "Where is he now?"

"He's at the nurses station trying to figure out when you can go home."

"Good. I need to get out of here." Jack tested her shoulder. It hurt, but at least it was mobile. She had been doing stretches and small strength training things with the nurses every day. More of those and she should be better, she could do them at home, with the boys. "Can you hand me my clothes."

Arionna nodded and grabbed a bag that was set beside her chair. When she handed it over, Jack pulled out a pair of jeans and a loose tee shirt, as well as a pair of clean underwear and a bra.

"Mind stepping out for a bit?" Jack asked.

"Oh, sure thing." Arionna got to her feet and left the room, leaning against the wall beside the door. A few moments later, Jack called from inside and the other woman opened the door.

Jack was on her feet, jeans hanging low on her hips to avoid the stitches down her side and the baggy shirt did well to hide her form and avoid her injuries as well. She was looping a sling around her neck and carefully placing her arm into it when she realized that the other woman had come in. "I have to get home."

"Well the guy out there disappeared. I can run you home if you want… But do you really think you should be leaving now? Is your shoulder okay enough?"

"I'll be fine." Jack ran a hand through her greasy hair and shoved it out of her face. "I really need a shower… this is going to suck." She walked past Arionna and headed out to the nurses station. Arionna followed. At the counter, Jack waited for a nurse to look at her. "Look I need to leave. How do I sign out of here?"

The nurse cocked an eyebrow. "You aren't supposed to leave until the end of the week."

"Look lady, I need to get home. I have stuff I need to get done. I know all the exercises, I'll do that on my own. Just let me sign out."

The nurse tried to convince Jack to stay, but eventually handed over a form for her to sign.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of her." Arionna smiled nervously at the nurse and then ushered Jack towards the elevator. She let out a breath. "I don't think I've ever seen you so… intense."

Jack's features flushed. "Yeah I know... I just, I need to see Raph. I have to talk to him."

Arionna helped Jack into her car once they had reached the parking lot. A few simple directions later, Jack had them stop at a small alley. "Are you sure this is where you want dropped off?"

She nodded as she scooted out of the seat. "Thanks Arionna. Hopefully I'll be back to work soon. Try to not let them fire me."

"I won't." She smiled and watched Jack walk away. Her car stayed still until Jack disappeared around the corner, then she drove away. "I hope she'll be okay." She mumbled to herself.

Raphael's eye snapped open when he heard the door open. In seconds he was on his feet and out of his room. He looked towards the kitchen where he saw Jack slowly walking towards the kitchen table. He didn't know he was holding his breath until he saw her and was able to inhale once more. Crossing the room he wrapped his arms around the small woman and buried his face in her hair. "Thank god you are okay."

"Raph I'm fine." She was smiling slightly. "But you are going to crush my arm."

He let her go and looked down at the arm hanging in the sling. "I'm sorry… I…"

"It's okay. Just… Easy on the hugs…" She smiled up at him. But her smile faded. "Where is Donnie? I need to talk to him."

The turtle frowned, unsure why she was asking for his brother but he pointed to the bedroom. "Where he always is."

"Good. Don't let him go anywhere… I need to talk to him but… A shower would be nice."

"Then clean up, we can talk later." His big hand reached up and cupped her cheek. His thumb gently ran over her reddening skin. "I'm glad you are okay. I was… I was scared shitless honestly."

Jack put her hand on top of his for a moment before she pulled his hand away. "It's okay. You guys aren't going to get rid of me that easily." Turning from him she headed down the hall and went into the bathroom.

"Did I hear Jack?"

Raph turned around and saw Antonello . "Yeah, how she got here I don't know." Then he stiffened, remembering that he asked Casey to watch her. Fists clenching he was about to turn and leave but his littlest brother stopped him.

"Raphael. Don't. Jack is home, she is getting better. Just be grateful for that, okay?" Ant smiled a bit as he pulled his hand off Raph's shoulder.

He grunted and headed to his room. Ant had a point, but it didn't make him any less pissed for his friend's broken promise. While Raph worked his frustration out, Leo emerged from the training room with Mikey in tow.

"Glad that's over!" Mikey plopped down in a chair and grabbed a slice of pizza out of the day old box that was sitting on their table.

Leo frowned as he looked from one to another. "What's going on Ant?"

"Jack is back."

Mikey nearly fell off his chair. "Is she really?!"

A nod. "She's in the shower now."

"Good. When she is done, we need to talk." Leo pulled a katana from his back and grabbed a sharpening stone from the table. He walked over to the couch and proceeded to modify his weapons blade.

"Hey Leo?" Mikey walked over and leaned on the back of the couch. "Don't you think Jack should rest?"

"Rest is important but we do need to talk about a few things." Donnie said as he came out of his room and joined his brothers.

"She should have stayed at the hospital." Everyone turned to see Raph standing in the hallway. "She checked herself out."

"You know she'll be safer with us." Leo interjected, walking up behind Donatello.

"Will she really Leo? Will she?" Raph pushed Donnie aside and got in his older brother's face. "How good of a job did we do last time huh?"

"It's not my fault you two love birds had a spat and you didn't watch her."

Raph couldn't stop his fist from connecting with Leo's face. "Don't blame me!" He snarled, fists flexing at his sides.

Donnie got between them. "That is enough you two!" He shoved them apart. "I don't care what the hell happened last month, last week, hell, I don't care what the hell happened yesterday. We need to focus on the here and now. Jack is home. She is still hurt, the Dragons are still after her… and she might know why. We do not need fighting right now. Got it?" He looked between the two of them.

Raph snorted and stormed back out without a word. Leo looked over at Donnie and crossed his arms. "You think it was smart getting in front of him and his fists?"

A shrug. "Not really but if I didn't stop you two, we would have had another fight on our hands and Jack would have been pissed when she walked in."