A/N: Hey guys. Here is chapter eight for you. Thank you again for those who take the time to review, I really like seeing how you guys feel about this story and it makes me so excited to keep working on it. I'll work on the next chapter but I might not get it up for a few days. I have my finals for school tomorrow and Friday so they are going to be my priority. I'll be back soon though I promise.
Chapter 8
Pain! How was it possible to feel so much pain?
Elizabeth wanted to writhe in agony, she wanted to scream until her throat was raw, but she felt lost inside her own body. She knew pain meant she was still alive, she wasn't sure how she felt about that, especially if she was still in Graham's clutches. She felt like she'd been run over by a car and then they backed up just to make sure they got her.
Her ribs were on fire, her stomach felt like it was going to explode, there was a pain just under her ribcage that throbbed with every heartbeat, she found it hard to get any air into her lungs and they screamed their protest, her face felt puffy, and she could still taste that coppery substance in her mouth.
"Easy… easy… " Someone from nearby called. Elizabeth felt her body moving but she knew that she wasn't the one moving it. Why couldn't they just leave her alone?
"Set her down… Mikey get me a… Raph stay with… "
That strange voice kept cutting in and out. Elizabeth knew she should be terrified that she didn't recognize that voice, but she couldn't seem to find the effort to care. Besides there was something vaguely familiar about that voice – as if she had heard it a long time ago… or in a dream.
She felt something tugging at her shirt, cutting it off her. Was she in a hospital then? Had she had another "accident"? The pain blinding her confirmed that she probably had, though she couldn't remember what she had done to make Graham so angry this time.
She struggled against the fog that was clogging up her mind, trying to remember. She had to know what she had done to deserve to be in this much pain. Graham had never beaten her so bad before. She must have done something terrible to deserve this.
"Leo, keep that line clear… too much blood… "
Leo?
Who was this Leo?
Elizabeth tried to remember but it made her head hurt.
Fingers were poking at her, pressing against her burning chest. She cried out, trying to push the hands away. She didn't want them to hurt her anymore.
"…she's awake… get me that…"
Who were these people? Why couldn't they just leave her alone? All she wanted was to sleep… to not feel the pain anymore.
A hand grabbed her arm pinning it down.
No!
Elizabeth tried to pull out of their strong hold but they only tightened their grip. She could feel the white hot agony shoot up her arm, scalding her… turning her flesh raw. She pulled harder, her eyes shooting open in her panic.
Four dark shapes hovered over her, but she couldn't make them out. She cried out in alarm trying to pull away from them, she had to get away! They were going to hurt her some more!
"…get that… can't hold… " Someone shouted.
Elizabeth felt a sharp prick in the crook of her arm, a burning sensation travelled up her arm for a minute and then her vision blurred and she sank back into the darkness.
Leonardo sat next to Elizabeth's cot, watching as Elizabeth's chest rose slowly up and down with her labored breathing. Even with the help of the oxygen mask Donatello had rigged up for her Elizabeth still struggled, each breath was a choked wheeze, every exhale a strangled sound that made Leonardo's insides clench uneasily.
She'd been like this for almost four days now. His eyes slowly travelled over Elizabeth's pale battered face. She had a dark bruise on her right temple and her right eye was blacked. Her lips were swollen and there was a poof on her cheek. But those were pale in comparison with the dark purple bruises that covered her entire throat, matching perfectly the size and shape of Graham's hands. Underneath the white crisp sheet Elizabeth's chest was wrapped tightly, securing the three broken ribs. But even worse was that Donatello's sonogram pictures had revealed a ruptured spleen.
Normally with these kinds of situations Donatello would have called on April to assist him… but she was still out of town with Casey. So Leonardo had stepped in. He'd assisted Donatello as Donatello had opened her up, and carefully repaired the ruptured spleen with sutures. It had been a very risky procedure and Donatello hadn't been happy about doing it but Raphael and Michelangelo had both insisted that she not be taken to a hospital.
Donatello had stitched her back up, and put her on the strongest antibiotics he had, hoping it would be enough to keep the incision from getting an infection. But that had been three days ago, and although there had been no sign of infection Elizabeth's blood pressure continued to drop.
"Any change, Leo?" Donatello called from the door.
Leonardo shook his head. "She's the same, Donny."
Donatello sighed and stepped into the room, going to the far side of the cot and placing a finger to Elizabeth's neck, he frowned as he counted the beats. Then he gently lifted both of Elizabeth's eyelids and checked her pupil reaction. He sighed, scratching the back of his head.
"There's still no reaction," Donatello muttered. "She's in a coma, Leo."
Donatello met Leonardo's eyes for a moment but Leonardo didn't hold his gaze, he looked away watching Elizabeth's struggled breathing once more.
"Leo, she might not pull out of this," Donatello whispered.
Leonardo's shoulders sagged. "We should have been faster, Donny. She shouldn't have gone in there alone."
Donatello suppressed a shudder, remembering for a brief moment that window when he'd been conscious through the pain that the poison had spread throughout his body. Elizabeth's pained cries had brought him back to the surface of his agonized burning hell. He'd seen a tall man with shiny honey colored hair kicking Elizabeth roughly in the stomach, followed by a kick to the ribs before he wrapped his hand around her throat and dragged her to her feet again. But for a brief moment their eyes had met and Donatello had seen Elizabeth's green eyes widen in horror. Not for herself… but for him.
She had given herself up to try and save him.
"Elizabeth knew what she was getting into when she went there, Leo. There's nothing you could've done," Donatello tried to reassure his brother. Although he wasn't sure if he bought it himself, he felt just as guilty as his brother did. He had been helpless to stop the man from beating Elizabeth to a bloody pulp. He could only watch, bound and helpless while Elizabeth's cries turned into strangled gasping while the muscular man slowly squeezed the life out of her.
"We could have protected her, Donny. We could have hidden her somewhere else. We could have gotten you out without her."
"Leo, you have to stop blaming yourself. It wasn't your fault," Donatello insisted, frowning at his brother.
"If we had gotten there two minutes later, Donny… "
"Stop it, Leo! It ain't helpin' nothin'," Raphael growled from the infirmary door.
Leonardo's head snapped up and he turned as Raphael walked slowly into the infirmary, his eyes narrowed behind his red mask, his amber eyes blazing with the anger he'd held there for the past four days.
"Raph… "
"Leo, ya got der as soon as ya could. Ya got 'er out. Dat's what's important. Ya didn't let da slime ball finish da job. Ya got da antidote fer Donny and ya got 'Lizbeth back here where she could get some help." Raphael stepped up next to his brother and clapped him on the shoulder. "Ya did all ya could fer 'er. Now stop blamin' yerself. Der was nothin' more ya coulda done."
"Raph, I… " Leonardo started.
But Raphael waved him off. "Stop apologizin', Leo. I know ya did what ya could fer 'er. It's up ta 'er if she's gonna pull outta dis."
Donatello was glaring at his red-banded brother. "Raphael, you were supposed to be getting some rest."
Raphael met his brother's gaze evenly. "Ya really think I could sleep, Donny?"
Donatello opened his mouth to snap back but from the corner of his eye he saw Leonardo shake his head minutely. Donatello closed his mouth again, and glared at his brother.
"Mind if I sit with 'er fer a bit, Leo?" Raphael asked.
Leonardo shook his head and rose from the chair. "Go ahead, Raph. I'll spell you in a few hours."
Raphael nodded once to show he understood as he took Leonardo's place, reaching forward and placing a hand on the cot next to Elizabeth's body, not quite but almost touching her.
"Hey, Leo – can I talk to you for a minute?" Donatello said with a pointed glare. It wasn't a question.
Leonardo turned and walked out of the infirmary and towards the kitchen, it would be far enough away that Raphael wouldn't hear a heated whispered discussion. Leonardo automatically reached for the tea kettle, filled it with water and set it on the stove before turning around and facing his furious brother.
"Leo, Raph has been up for four days!" Donatello's normally even temper had reached a breaking point. He glared at his brother, although his own shoulders sagged with fatigue. He'd gotten as much sleep as Raphael had and it was beginning to show.
"Donny," Leonardo said evenly, knowing full well that when Donatello was in doctor mode and had little to no sleep for several days he wasn't a turtle to be messed with. "Do you really think you could keep him away from her right now?"
"If I had to," Donatello insisted.
"Donny, let him be. Raph feels guilty that he wasn't there with us – he feels responsible for Elizabeth."
"Leo, four days ago Raph was going into shock from a bullet graze he had on his arm! He needs the rest!"
"And four days ago, Donny," Leonardo retaliated coolly. "You were dying from poison in a dart that you were shot with. Don't you think you need the rest too?"
Donatello flinched. He should have known that Leonardo would be able to turn it around on him. He always did.
"Fine," Donatello knew when he was beat. "But don't let him stay in there too long. And let me know if anything changes with her."
"I will – I promise, Donny," Leonardo said quickly.
Donatello ground his jaw, obviously still not happy about this. Then he turned and disappeared, heading off to get some much needed sleep of his own.
Leonardo sighed and turned around as the kettle whistled. He knew he would be in for a long night.
It was well past midnight before Leonardo could convince Raphael to leave his post from Elizabeth's bedside. Raphael had stumbled off into the other room and promptly collapsed on the couch, his chainsaw like snore echoing around the lair.
Leonardo sipped at a cup of tea, listening to Raphael's snoring and counting each of Elizabeth's struggled breaths.
… 209… 210… … … …
Leonardo suddenly sat up straight, reaching forward and pressing his fingers against Elizabeth's neck, fearing the worst. His eyes were wide behind his mask, his tea mug falling from his other hand, shattering upon its impact with the floor.
"Elizabeth!" Leonardo's cry was sharper than he'd intended it to be. He pressed his fingers harder against her neck, and to his surprise found a steady heartbeat beneath his fingers. So why wasn't she… ?
His eyes darted up to her face and he felt relief flow through him when he saw those deep green eyes blinking back at him.
Elizabeth released the breath she'd been holding and took in another, it sounded less strained this time. Leonardo leaned over her, clutching at one arm while he studied her.
"Elizabeth? How do you feel?"
Elizabeth blinked at him, her eyebrows meeting over the bridge of her nose and her eyes crinkling at the corners, they held a somewhat dazed confusion in them that Leonardo did not like.
"Elizabeth – it's Leonardo. Can you hear me?"
Elizabeth's green eyes glazed over, she blinked once more then her eyes slid shut and she relaxed against her pillow.
Leonardo hesitated. Should he go wake Donatello? Elizabeth had only been awake for a minute… but the fact that she had woken up was a good sign right? Leonardo waited for several long minutes but Elizabeth showed no sign of waking up again anytime soon. Leonardo sighed and began to pick up the remains of his teacup. He'd wait and see how Elizabeth was in the morning. Donatello needed his sleep.
Elizabeth was drifting again, but this time she was much closer to the surface. The burning pain she'd felt before had dulled into a slight discomfort, but it was much more tolerable. She felt stiff, as if she'd been laying still for a very long time. She had a horrible sinking feeling that this was the case, though she still was a little fuzzy on what had happened.
The last thing she could remember was making her way along dark sewer tunnels, pushing aside an unbelievably heavy manhole cover and getting into a cab. She couldn't remember anything after that. So what had happened? Had she been in a car accident?
Elizabeth slowly pried her eyelids open, blinking in amazement at the familiar ceiling. She was back in the lair? But how did she get back down here?
She rolled her head slowly on her pillow and felt another jolt of shock shoot through her body, speeding up her pulse and making her breath catch in her surprise.
Leonardo was sitting in the chair next to her, his eyes were closed, his head down. Was he sleeping? Elizabeth studied him, watching his chest rise and fall with his breathing. No. He wasn't asleep. His breathing was far too controlled for him to be asleep.
"Leo?" Elizabeth tried to talk but found her voice muffled behind a plastic breathing mask that had been strapped over her face.
Leonardo didn't seem to hear her.
Elizabeth slowly stretched out her fingers, just brushing Leonardo's strange leathery skin.
Leonardo's eyes snapped open immediately, his expression hard for a minute before he looked down at her and it softened.
Elizabeth was surprised. She'd never seen this side of the blue-banded turtle.
"Elizabeth," Leonardo said leaning forward and reaching forward, as if he were about to place his hand on her arm but then he thought better of it. "You're awake."
Elizabeth frowned. How long had she been asleep?
"You've been in a coma for the last four days," Leonardo said as if he'd read her mind.
Elizabeth's eyes widened in horror.
"Hey… hey… take it easy. Deep breaths, Elizabeth," Leonardo instructed. "That's it, nice and easy."
Elizabeth swallowed at the air that flowed through the breathing mask over her mouth and nose hungrily, feeling as if she couldn't get enough oxygen into her lungs fast enough.
"What happened?" Elizabeth gasped.
Leonardo studied her carefully for a minute. "Don't you remember?"
Elizabeth thought about it, but she still couldn't remember getting out of the cab. She knew she had been on her way to Graham's office… to see if he had been the one behind Donatello's capture.
"Is Donatello ok?" Elizabeth tried to sit up but pain ripped through her side, making her gasp in surprise.
"Donny is fine, Elizabeth," Leonardo said, he placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her from trying to get up again. "Just take it easy or you're going to tear those stitches and Donny will have my shell."
"He's really ok?" Elizabeth asked, staring into Leonardo's eyes, searching for any sign that he wasn't being completely honest with her.
Leonardo's eyes softened. "I found the antidote and was able to administer it. He was out of it for a while but he came around and there didn't seem to be any permanent damage from whatever poison was in that dart."
"Where did you find him?"
Leonardo suddenly frowned, his eyes worried. "What's the last thing you remember, Elizabeth?"
"Um," Elizabeth hesitated, not sure if she was about to say the wrong thing. "I remember getting into a cab… I was trying to find Graham. I heard you say that you thought the man who had Donatello might have been looking for me. So I left to talk to Graham… to make him let Donatello go."
Leonardo flinched as if she'd hit him, but he controlled himself quickly. "Elizabeth, Mikey and I tracked you to Cooper Enterprises. When we managed to get inside… " He paused, swallowing hard and his eyes hardened a bit. "We found Donny barely conscious, tied up and muzzled and you were… you were barely alive."
"I made it to Graham's office?" Elizabeth asked, confused.
"Elizabeth, I'm sorry. I never meant for you to get hurt. I never wanted that," Leonardo confessed, tightening his grip on her shoulder.
"Leonardo, I wanted to go. I was the one who put Donatello in danger. I never wanted that. I never meant for you guys to get hurt while trying to protect me."
Leonardo shook his head. "We can look after ourselves, Elizabeth. We could have gotten Donny out without you having to be there. There is no excuse for me being more than willing to put you in harm's way to save my brother."
"But you didn't," Elizabeth insisted. "I went on my own. I chose to go without you dragging me along with you."
"But I would have," Leonardo muttered so quietly Elizabeth wasn't sure if that was what he had really said. Leonardo lifted his head and gave her a crooked smile although his eyes still held that guilty expression. "Can I get anything for you?"
"Actually," Elizabeth said, biting her lip as she felt heat rush up her cheeks. "I'm really hungry."
"Sure, Elizabeth… anything in particular sound good to you?" Leonardo asked, rising stiffly from his seat. He'd lost track of the time when he'd entered his light meditative state. He'd have to go tell Donatello that Elizabeth was awake soon. Otherwise Donatello would have more than his shell.
Elizabeth shook her head. "Anything is fine."
Leonardo disappeared from the infirmary quickly.
Elizabeth relaxed against her pillows, staring up at the cobweb strewn ceiling again. There was something different about Leonardo, the hardness he had always had in his eyes when he'd looked at her was gone. And he'd actually spoken directly to her.
That alone was enough to surprise her. All she'd ever gotten from Leonardo before was hard cold stares from those dark brown eyes.
Although she knew that she couldn't blame him for that. Graham could have killed Donatello. If Leonardo and Michelangelo hadn't gotten there when they did Graham could have killed them both. Elizabeth felt a shiver run up her spine.
Had she really been that close to death? And why didn't that bother her more? Why wasn't she upset that the turtles hadn't just left her with the paramedics?
Elizabeth thought about that for a minute, although she knew the answer wasn't hard to find. In the short amount of time she'd come to know them she'd really grown fond of these guys. All of them. And even though she didn't know a couple of them very well – like Leonardo and that rat Michelangelo had called Splinter, she was elated that they had given her another chance at life, and another chance at having them in her life. She had a feeling they didn't do that very often.
Leonardo reentered the infirmary less than fifteen minutes later with a plate and a glass of orange juice.
"I uh… I brought you some eggs," Leonardo said awkwardly setting down both the glass and plate on the desk before helping Elizabeth sit up on her cot. Elizabeth tried not to flinch, but she knew she didn't do a very good job of it. The moment Leonardo helped her up into a semi-sitting position a white hot pain underneath her ribcage blinded her. She cried out involuntarily at the bewildering pain, gasping and feeling hot tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.
"Elizabeth? Did I hurt you?" Leonardo demanded, he sounded horrified.
Elizabeth slowly lifted her head and stared up at the blue-banded turtle. Leonardo's eyes were wide behind his mask, his jade colored skin had taken on a grayish tint, which Elizabeth found strange. Could turtles lose any color in their faces? She could have sworn that all the blood had drained from Leonardo's face. Elizabeth swallowed and shook her head, trying to ignore the pain induced nausea.
"I'm fine, Leonardo. Just… just surprised is all."
"I should get Donny," Leonardo said doubtfully, still keeping Elizabeth propped up in his arms.
Elizabeth shook her head again, more vigorously this time. "No – really, I'm fine."
Leonardo's frown deepened. "Elizabeth… "
Elizabeth ignored him, pushing herself up into a more comfortable position and sighed when Leonardo propped her up with several pillows. He didn't look happy, and he still had that indecisive look on his face as if he were going to go and grab his brother despite Elizabeth's assurances that she was fine.
"You sure you didn't tear those stitches?" Leonardo demanded as he retrieved the scrambled eggs and orange juice he'd made for her.
Elizabeth accepted both and gave Leonardo a tight smile. "I didn't tear anything."
Leonardo sat down in the chair, scowling at his knees while Elizabeth started in on the eggs.
Elizabeth didn't say anything while she ate, and Leonardo didn't try to start a conversation. When she'd finished Leonardo took the plate and empty cup and left her once again.
Elizabeth had only been alone for a minute when she heard Donatello and Michelangelo's voices approaching.
"Mikey, she needs to be in a hospital. If she doesn't come out of this coma soon we won't have a choice," Donatello's voice was low and anxious.
"But, Donny, what happens if he goes after her again?" Michelangelo's voice was just as strained. "You saw what she was like… she almost didn't make it."
"I know that, Mikey. But we have to do what's best for Elizabeth. We'll give her one more day… but then we won't have a choice. She should be in a real hospital. We might have caused irreparable damage by not taking her to one in the first place."
Donatello and Michelangelo entered the infirmary.
"Elizabeth!" Michelangelo cried, seeing Elizabeth awake and sitting up on the cot. "You're awake."
"So it seems," Elizabeth said with a grin.
Donatello quickly made his way to the cot and began to examine her, checking her vitals and checking her wounds.
"How's the pain? Does anything feel uncomfortable? Are you hungry?"
"The pain is fine as long as I don't move," Elizabeth reassured him. She winced when Donatello gently prodded her abdomen. "And I'm not hungry – Leo made me some eggs a little while ago."
Michelangelo, still standing next to the door, raised his eye ridges and one of his eyes twitched as a smirk pulled up the corners of his mouth.
"You survived Leo's cooking?" Michelangelo asked with a snort. "Hey, Donny, if she can do that I think she can live through anything."
Michelangelo seemed to find this very funny and began to laugh, wrapping his arms around his sides as if to hold himself together.
A dark green hand appeared out of nowhere and slapped Michelangelo upside the head. "Knock it off, Mikey," Raphael growled as he entered the room.
Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat when she saw him, she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks when his strange amber eyes regarded her. She had thought she'd never see him again… that she'd never see those strange amber eyes again. She looked away, watching Donatello as he pulled away a bandage on her side, revealing more stitches.
What was wrong with her? Raphael was a turtle and she… well she wasn't. So why did her heart speed up every time he looked at her? What was it about him that made her feel safe whenever he stepped into the room? How come she knew that she had really left that night because she didn't want Raphael to lose a brother? Why had she felt like every step away from Raphael had been like someone slowly chipping away small pieces of herself?
As she peered at Raphael from the corner of her eye to see him leaning against the wall watching Donatello work through narrowed eyes she knew she had her answer. She had fallen in love with him.
A/N Continued: Wasn't too sure if I liked the ending to this chapter but it played out the way it played out. Hope it wasn't too corny for anyone. :D