Chapter 18
(Sorry for the late update, but I haven't really had much inspiration lately and I am in holiday mode, so I will try my best to get up the chapters for you guys. Thank you for being patient *bows* )
I lay on the bed, huddled into a ball as silent tears ran down my face. All I could think of was the bruises that had formed on my arms and legs, the throbbing pain from the abuse and the dirty feeling I felt on my body. The wound in my leg didn't have any feeling left anymore. I shivered from the cold air that was washing over the areas of my skin that was showing through my torn clothes that were only just managing to stay together from a few pieces of fabric and strings. I stared at the far wall, ignoring everything that James was doing in the kitchen. I heard a sizzling sound and delicious smells wafted into the room. My stomach grumbled and I curled into an even tighter ball. A faint light shone in through a window near my head and I looked out of it. I stared at the orange tinge coming over the sky as the morning came closer. James started humming a tune that sounded familiar.
"Tristan, get out and run. Run and don't look back; we'll take care of everything else" Came a voice to my head. I wondered who the voice belonged to; but I didn't care as the voice gave me strength. I stood up and walked over to the window. I pressed my hands on it and started to open it slowly. It opened with ease and climbed out onto the small ledge that would have been used for flower pots, had a woman lived alone in the building. I edged my way across to another window, trying to find a way down. I kept reminding myself not to look down. A little gust of wind blew over me, threatening to knock me off the building's edge. Looking over, I saw another building close by that I could jump to. I took a few deep breaths and prepared myself. I jumped. Air whistled past my ears as I sailed through the air. I brought my hands in front of me and grabbed the window sill of the building and felt my body smack into the side of it. Using my feet, I tried to push myself up so that I could reach safety. My feet kept slipping and not able to find any grip. My fingers started to slip. My breath caught in my throat. I grew more frantic as I clung on for dear life. I shut my eyes and wondered if I really wasn't going to make it.
"Miss, are you alright?" Asked a voice from above me. Slowly I looked up and saw a man in his thirties with light blonde hair and green eyes.
"Of course I'm not alright, please bring me up" I replied, with a slight tone of fear to my voice. The man gave me a hand and I quickly took it with one of mine. The man lifted me into the apartment room and I slunk to the ground, breathing heavily.
"What were you doing out there?" Asked the man, shutting the window.
"Jumping from one building to the next is not very fun" I mumbled, calming my heart rate.
"What are you a thrill seeker?" I shook my head.
"No, just trying to find safety." The man shrugged.
"Would you like a glass of water?" He asked. I nodded.
"Please" I replied. The man went off somewhere in the building and I heard a tap running. He returned not long after and handed it to me. I sipped at it, before deciding I should start heading back to the lair. I skulled the remainder and stood up shakily.
"Thank you for saving me, but I should start heading home. My friends would be a little worried" I said.
"Before you go, do you want some clothes? You seem to be wearing something that a homeless person would wear." I looked down and noticed my lack of clothes. I blushed heavily and nodded, turning my head away. The man turned and walked away, only to come back with a black track suit. "It's not much, but it should do for someone who does what you do" He said. I took the clothes and thanked him. I went to his bathroom and changed. The clothes were a little loose, but I didn't mind. I got out of the bathroom and walked out of the man's apartment. I headed straight out of the building and down the street, hoping to get lost in the large crowd. I kept a fast pace, pushing my way past anyone who was going too slowly. A few people swore at me, but I kept moving, knowing full well what could happen if James found me. I ducked into a few stores, hoping to throw off any followers I might have had following me. It took me nearly the whole day just to make it back to the sewer entrance I was most comfortable going into. I climbed down the ladder and walked through the sewers, taking the path I usually took. In no time at all I had made it to the outside of the lair. I was about to open the entrance, when I thought better. I turned and walked away towards April's apartment. I avoided any person I could as I made my way through the streets above the sewers. By the time I made it to April's apartment, the sun was blaring down its midday rays. I walked right into the store and looked around. April was busy helping a customer. I hung back near the shadows and stayed out of everyone's way. The customer left and April made her way over to me.
"Sorry, but I am a little busy today; would you like to wait upstairs?" She asked. I nodded and went towards the stairs. I climbed up and went straight to the kitchen table. I sat down and buried my head in my hands. Silent tears crawled down my eyes, as I tried to forget everything. My stomach then started to feel as if it was bubbling. I knew the feeling all too well and made a dash to the bathroom. I retched in the sink, only glad that I had made it in time. I kept retching until I was just dry heaving. I washed whatever remains was left in the sink down the drain and stood up. I looked at myself in the mirror and found I looked dreadful. I splashed some water on my face and made my way back to the kitchen. I walked over to the couch and lay down on it. I closed my eyes for a moment and turned my head away from the back of the couch. I shifted to my side and tried to get some sleep.
I was asleep for only a few minutes, when I was shaken awake. I blinked my eyes open and was staring into the face of April.
"Hey are you alright?" April asked. I rubbed my eyes and sat up.
"April? Sorry, I haven't been feeling well ever since I returned from Alaska. I don't know if I had enough sleep or not" I replied.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back at the lair?"
"I er...needed some time to...myself for a while. Is it alright if I stay here for a moment?"
"Stay here for as long as you need." I smiled weakly.
"Thank you so much" I said, "I promise I will be out of hair as soon as possible."
"Hey, would you like something to eat? I am ordering pizza" April replied. I shook my head.
"Sorry, but I'm not feeling too well. I don't think I should eat anything right now."
"Well, if you ever get hungry there is always food in the fridge."
"Thank you; I'll try to eat something later." April turned away and picked up her phone. I felt my stomach start to bubble again. I jumped off the couch and made a mad dash to the bathroom. I retched into the sink.
'What is wrong with me?' I thought to myself, as I heaved again. After my heaving stopped, I once again rinsed the remains down and turned; meeting a concerned face of April. She crossed over to me and pushed my hair out of my face.
"Are you alright?" She asked. I nodded.
"Yeah; sorry about that, but like I said before, I'm not feeling too well" I replied.
"How long has it been since you returned back home?"
"It's been about four days."
"Come on; I'm taking you to the hospital."
"I don't need to go; I'm just a little unwell. It happens to everyone every now and then."
"I don't care. You may have caught something foreign in Alaska and it's affecting your immune system."
"But..."
"No, we are going now." I sighed as I gave up arguing; for now. April picked up her phone and dialled a number.
"You're not telling the turtles are you?" I asked. April shook her head.
"Casey" was the only reply she gave. April went away from me as she asked Casey to come and stay at her house while she took me to the hospital. I stared out the window of her apartment while I waited for Casey to arrive. A face appeared at the window and I screamed, while jumping back. The window opened and Casey walked in.
"Calm down, it's just me" He said, closing the window behind him.
"Even if it wasn't you, why doesn't anyone ever use the door anymore?" April asked from behind me. Casey smiled.
"Don't you have to take her to the hospital?" He asked, pointing at me.
"Just take care of the place. Pizza is on the way and please don't destroy anything this time" April said. Casey saluted with his index and middle finger.
"Yes sir...er mam" He said.
"Come on Tristan" April said, gently taking my arm and leading me to the stairs. I followed along behind her obediently, not making any form of conversation that could lead to any argument before we got to the hospital. We took the subway, which took us just a few blocks away from the hospital and we walked the rest of the way. We entered the large white building and April went straight up to the front desk to ask if there were any doctors that were free soon. We were in some luck as there was going to be one doctor that had a free spot just before his break, which we could get into. The woman behind the desk asked us to wait patiently while the doctor finished with his other patient. April sat down on one of the chairs at the left of the desk while I went to get a glass of water. I sat down and sipped the water from my small white plastic cup. While we waited, April read a magazine on the table in front of us. I nervously tapped my fingers on my knees and stared out of the doors to the street outside. I prayed that no one would tell the turtles or Splinter that I was ill. When I thought everything was going to stay quiet, a few children started an argument about who would have which toy from the toy box near the back corner of the waiting area. The noise started to rise as an old woman nearby started to scold the children, before getting into an argument with the children's parents. The voices grew louder which only added to the stress I was feeling. The time didn't seem to be going by very fast; in fact it almost appeared to stop all together. I tried my best to ignore all the noise, but all it seemed to accomplish was making my anger go through the roof. Names were called as I waited, but none were mine. Just when I was about to snap at everyone, my name was called. I stood up, April following alongside me. We followed the doctor into a small room with a bed, desk and a few chairs. Around the room were various posters and doctor equipment. The doctor gestured for us to sit down. We obeyed. The doctor started to type something onto the computer sitting on the desk, before turning to us and smiling.
"What may I do for you today?" He asked.
"I have just recently come back from Alaska and April thinks I may have caught something while over there as I haven't been feeling very well" I replied, before April could say anything. The doctor typed something else onto the computer. He then turned to me.
"How long ago did you get back from Alaska?" He asked.
"Roughly four days" I replied.
"Alright, would you mind if I take some blood samples?" I shook my head.
"I don't mind; just as long as it proves there is nothing wrong with me and I just have a stomach bug." The doctor stood up and left the room. I stared around the room for a moment before the doctor walked back in, shutting the door behind him. He carried a tray holding a needle, some cotton balls, a bandage and a container. He set the tray down and picked up the needle. He took off the cap and moved towards me. He stuck the needle into my arm and started to draw blood. He didn't stop until he filled the needle. He took the needle out and quickly placed a cotton ball at where he had injected me. I applied pressure to it and waited.
"If you two would just wait here, I can go and get this tested for any disease or stomach flu that you may have" The doctor said. I nodded and he left. A small ringtone sounded. April unpocketed a small device that looked like a cell phone. She answered it and Donnie's face appeared on the small screen.
"Donnie, what up?" April asked.
"Casey just told us that you and Tristan are at the hospital. Is everything alright?" He asked. April nodded.
"Yeah, we are just giving her a check up to see if there is anything that may explain as to why she hasn't been feeling well. The doctor just went off to do some tests" She replied.
"Can you give me a call back when the test have finished? Everyone here is worried about her; especially Raph."
"Sure thing, but Tristan may not want me to call if it's something bad." Donnie nodded.
"I understand, but still can you call me either way?" He asked.
"I'll try," April replied, "We have to go now, the doctor may be back at any time."
"Okay, bye." The screen showed static and April pocketed the device. Five minutes afterwards, the doctor entered the room with a sheet of paper. He closed the door and sat down.
"The good news is that you haven't caught any stomach bug" He said, placing the paper on the desk.
"What's the bad news?" April asked, concern starting to form on her face.
"Well it's not always bad news. But have you had intercourse lately?" He asked, looking at me. I stared at him with shock.
"You're not suggesting that I'm..." I started. He nodded.
"Your blood test came back positive for hCG. How long ago did you have intercourse?" I turned my head so that I was facing away from both the doctor and April.
"I would rather not say" I replied.
"That's fine, but I am going to prescribe you to a few medications to keep your energy and iron levels up" He said, writing down something onto a slip of paper. He tore it off and handed it to me. I took the slip of paper and folded it in half. "Is there anything you would like to ask me?" He asked. I shook my head, my body starting to feel numb. "Well, I hope you are feeling better soon. Also I would recommend eating something when you get home." I stood up and quickly walked out of the room, April right behind me. I got out onto the street and a few blocks away before April grabbed my arm.
"What were you thinking? Running off with some boy overseas; you could have been hurt or worse" She snapped. I wheeled around and looked her dead in the eye.
"It wasn't some boy" I hissed back.
"Who was..." She started, before clasping a hand to her mouth, "Raph?" I turned away and wrapped my arms over my stomach.
"Look he doesn't know and I don't want him to find out either" I said, calming my voice down. April took a deep breath.
"You will have to tell him sometime. What's he going to say when he notices your stomach start to expand?" She asked.
"I don't know, I just don't know anymore. I don't know if I should be happy or upset about this, but I don't want anyone to know" I replied, my voice on the verge of breaking to the tears building up in my eyes. April moved towards me, but I took a step back. "I just need to be alone" I said.
"Tristan..." April started. I shook my head, turned and ran away as fast as I could. April shouted my name from behind me. I didn't stop even as I dodged in and out of people in an attempt to lose April. I stopped when I was away from the large crowd. I breathed a little and looked behind me. A tear escaped my eye and I quickly brushed it away. I turned around and continued to walk away. I climbed a building using the fire escape at the side of the building. I reached the roof and sat on the edge of the concrete barrier surrounding it. I stared out to the streets and hugged my stomach tighter. I wasn't sure if the child I was carrying was Raph's or James'. I hung my head low and wanted someone nearby to talk to. Tears escaped my eyes and I silently cried, wishing for something good to come about.
(Yes I know that conception takes about 6-10 days, but I didn't have much inspiration other than this. Please don't hate me for not putting in the correct times and everything.)