There wasn't much of a fight to be had, despite Splinter's expectations. Raph tackled and held down the priest while the witches ran out of the building, screaming and shouting prayers. The struggle came to trying to get Kait down. She had lost consciousness almost immediately after Don reached her, which terrified her boyfriend even more. Leo, the tallest brother stood on the altar, holding Kait around the waist to take the weight off the nails in her feet and hands.
Mikey had been sent to find fabric that they could use to cover her wounds once they got her off the cross, Splinter had called April to come get them while Casey took Emily to the farm house.
Don was the one tasked with taking the nails out of Kait's body. He had already pulled the ones out of her feet and was working on the one in her right palm. His hands were covered in her blood and his head was swimming with worry. Don moved around Leo on the altar, pulling out the last of the nails and dropping it to the floor.
"Leo, I'm gonna take her weight, use your katana to cut the rope." Don told his older brother quietly.
Leo nodded, letting Don wrap his arms around Kait's waist. Within moments, Kait was free from the cross and being handed to Leo, who had hopped off the altar. Mikey ran over, holding a piece of cloth. Leo cut it into four pieces, handing them to Don who had joined them on the floor. He was quick to tie them tightly around her injuries, hoping it would stop the bleeding long enough for them to get back to the lair, where all his medical supplies lived.
Don held her head in his lap as he gently ran his fingers through her hair, waiting for April to come or for Kait to wake up. Raph, who had handed his duties over to Leo, came over to him, kneeling beside his younger brother.
"At least we found her quickly." He murmured quietly, gently patting Don's shoulder. His brother nodded, still holding onto Kait. "She's gonna be okay, Donnie." He tried to reassure him, but Don only nodded again. "Not too long and she and Em are gonna be gangin' up on the two of us and drivin' us crazy, but we'll still love 'em to death."
That got the smirk that he was trying for out of Don. "That sounds surprisingly terrifying." He mumbled.
Kait remained unconscious for the minutes that passed waiting for April, driving Casey's old van, drove to the church. An unconscious priest was thrown in as the others piled in, Don carrying Kait in his arms. April was told of what happened by a very pensive Splinter.
"I can help change her clothes into something more comfortable for her." April piped up from the driver's seat.
"It's ok, April. I can get her comfortable while I treat the injuries." Don told her quietly.
"Are you sure she won't mind?" April asked, thinking Don was just in shock and not thinking about what his girlfriend might think.
Don took a deep breath, trying not to look at his family. "She won't. I've seen her in more compromising situations." He mumbled, feeling the blush work up on his face.
Mikey threw up his hands in defeat. "Raph, I understood how you got some action. You're kinda like the tall, dark, and handsome guy all the human girls want. But Donnie?! You're a complete geek! How come you can get some hot human tail and I don't get anything?" His pout would have been laughable if it wasn't for the situation they were all sitting in.
Raph gave his brother a smirk, patting his shoulder again. Don only shrugged to his younger brother's complaints. "I don't know why she picked me, Mikey. But I love her, regardless of what's happened between us. But I couldn't protect her. So now I will do everything I can for her."
Mikey only nodded, his concern for his family outweighing his frustration. It was a short drive to the manhole closest to the church, the safest place for the family to enter the sewer. Almost everyone offered to carry Kait as they traveled through the tunnels to their home, but Don refused every offer. She wouldn't be much over a hundred pounds soaking wet, and Don was easily strong enough to carry her for a long time. Besides, he didn't want to let her out of his arms. It was reassuring to feel her chest rising and falling with every breath against his plastron.
They didn't run, like they usually would, for fear of jostling Kait too much, so the brisk walk took longer than they thought it would. But it gave them an opportunity to talk about what they should do. April told them that Casey was almost at the farmhouse with Emily, and he was going to call as soon as he got there and got her settled. It was decided, mostly by Splinter and Leo, that they would all leave that morning, and send Casey back to the city. April and Casey would be asked to keep an eye on Milo as well as start looking for a new place. The turtles would be coming back eventually, but they felt a new home would be a safe bet.
Soon enough, they were at the lair, and Don was rushing Kait to the lab. Raph followed him, being the second most versed in medical procedures, often having to use it on Emily. He was also the only one that understood the torture Don was running himself through in his head for letting this happen to Kait.
"What do ya need, Donnie?" Raph asked his brother, using the nickname he hadn't used since they were teenagers in an attempt to keep him in a better mood.
Don glanced up, sparing his brother a smirk, his way of telling him the effort was appreciated. "In my room, in her suitcase, she has some more comfortable clothes. I need you to get a pair of her sweatpants, a t-shirt, and um…underclothes." Don was obviously uncomfortable, but the fact it was Raph, who had a human fiancé, made it more palatable.
Don took a deep breath and turned his attention to his still unconscious girlfriend. The shock and pain of the crucifixion had caused her body to shut down, to protect what was absolutely vital. He found his vial of pain medications and injected her first, hoping to give her comfort in case she awoke suddenly. Raph returned by time he had finished, holding a folded pile of clothes.
"Need a hand?" he asked gently.
Don nodded. "I got to see your girl, after all." He couldn't help the joke. His older brother punched him lightly in the arm.
"I'll close my eyes for the important part, deal?" Raph offered, knowing the difference between Kait and Emily as well as Don and himself. Emily had allowed herself to be exposed during the miscarriage fiasco because Don was basically the doctor in the family. Raph was not in that position, but he thought Kait would understand.
His little brother nodded and started working at the buttons on her shirt. As dexterous as he was, it was difficult for him to manage the small buttons.
"I got it." Raph told him, nudging him aside. "I've got a bit more practice than ya do." Raph made quick work of the shirt while Don worked at the jeans.
Raph was gracious enough to not try and take off Kait's shirt, instead letting Don do it. Don was surprisingly not uncomfortable with Raph helping him clean Kait's injuries while she lay on the cot in mix matched unmentionables. They were both focused on their work, Don cleaning and bandaging her hands while Raph worked on her feet. They both were assessing the damage and knew that this was beyond their expertise.
Raph left the room while Don finished changing Kait's clothes to call Doctor Perry, just to get him to look at the injuries, to see what he could do. Don had just slid Kait's shirt over her head when he felt her begin to stir. Don stopped his dressing and stood beside her, gently running his hand over her hair.
"Kait?" he murmured quietly, kissing her forehead.
She mumbled something unintelligible, but it made Don break into a relieved smile.
"I'm glad you're back, babe." Don kissed her again, waiting for her eyes to open up.
Within moments, he was looking at her gorgeous hazel eyes again. "Are they gone?" she whispered.
Assuming she meant the cultist, he nodded. "You're safe now, Kait. Doctor Perry is coming to take a look at you, to see what he can do."
This brought the shadows to Kait's eyes. Almost mechanically, like they weren't her hands, she pulled her hands up to her face, looking at the bandages. And then the tears started to stream down her face. "I can't curl my fingers." She managed to get out. On her left hand, her ring and little finger remained extended while the other fingers were only curled to a degree. Her right hand was the opposite.
Don couldn't help but feel her pain. She was an artist, and her hands were seriously injured. He sat on the cot, propping up her torso in his arms "It's all gonna be ok, Kait." He waited for her to nod before he continued. "Try and move your toes now."
Her eyebrows pulled together in frustration before she hissed in pain, but her toes did not move, none of them.
Don nodded solemnly and slid off the cot. "Come on, you, let's get you in some pants before the Doc arrives."
"He's the one that helped Emily, right?" she asked as Don navigated her body to slide the sweatpants over her legs. He nodded and helped her get situated and wait for Perry.
He was there within an hour, despite it being two in the morning. In the meantime, everyone except Don and Kait was packing their belongings. Barring a hospital stay, they were leaving that morning. Doctor Perry walked himself to the lab, being familiar with the layout because of several trips to check up on Emily. He had never met Kait personally before, but he had actually visited the gallery with his wife. But for her to be involved with his favorite turtle, she had to be a decent woman.
Perry gave her his best bedside smile as he entered the room, shaking Don's hand and reaching to shake Kait's before he saw the bandages. "I take it you've already cleaned them, Donatello?" he asked clinically.
He nodded, smoothing out an errant cowlick in Kait's hair. "Raph cleaned the injuries on her feet and had the same impression I did with her hands, it's real bad, Doc."
"May I?" he asked Kait, rather than Don. She nodded gently, extending her left hand to the Doctor. He carefully removed the wrappings form around her delicate hand and peeled off the gauze. Kait hissed a little and Perry saw Don hold her a little closer. "Can you move your fingers for me, Ms. Daws?" he asked, his eyes trained on the gapping hole in her hand.
"Kait." She murmured quietly. "And I can't, not really."
Perry looked up at her in concern. "Then please do the best you can."
Kait nodded and tried as hard as she could to close her hand into a fist. Just like before, her ring and little finger did not move while her middle, pointer, and thumb closed about halfway.
"Donatello, can you give me a flashlight?" Perry asked, gently touching her fingers, looking for nervous response. When he had the tool in question, he shined it into the injury. "Well, the tendons are only perforated, not torn." Don nodded, knowing that perforated tendons would heal. "I can't speak for the nerves, though. While I believe that you will regain movement in these two fingers, I can't say anything about feeling."
He repeated the investigation on her other hand and both her feet and came to the same conclusion, it would heal eventually, with only minor permanent damage. Perry told her that if she had been on the cross much longer, the damage could have been permanent. Perry left just before four in the morning with a promise from Don to keep him updated on the condition of both the women.
Kait was nearly asleep by time Don returned to the lab to carry her to the living room. There was no way she could put weight on her feet at that point. When he came into her view, she spared him a small smile. "Hey, you." She murmured quietly, reaching out to touch his cheek with the three good fingers on her left hand.
He mirrored the movement to her. "I'm so sorry about what happened, Kait. Please forgive me for not being able to protect you."
She smiled a little bigger, resting her finger numbly on his lips. "Donatello, I can't forgive you because I don't blame you. The Foot told them about you and me."
"But you were taken because you're involved with me." Don insisted.
Kait nodded, surprising him. "And Emily was attacked because she loved Raph. Loving you guys comes with a price, but it's a price I'm willing to pay to be with you, Donatello."
His smile was small, but genuine as he shyly sat beside her. "Ready to go into the living room? I'll go pack our stuff and Raph will keep an eye on you."
She nodded again and let him wrap his arms around her, lifting her up against his chest until he deposited her on the couch. Raph took up the vigil and sat on the armrest by her head.
"Yer gonna be okay, kid." He told her solemnly. "And when Em wakes up, she'll like ya that much more cause ya've got some scars ta show off."
"You really love her, don't you?" Kait couldn't help but ask. In all the time she had known Raph, this was the first time he had willingly spoken to her about Emily.
He nodded with a smile. "I proposed ta her, after all. And I put up wit' her dad." He was glad he made her giggle with that last comment. "But yeah, I love her. I can't wait for ya to meet her."
Don was back in a few minutes, two suitcases in hand. One was Kait's and one his. He put them in the pile with everyone else's stuff before he went to pack up the lab, specifically the medical supplies. April arrived right around then to help them carry everything to the van, which was parked above the nearest manhole with a ladder. When Don returned, he started talking with Raph about a tag team effort with which to get Kait out of the tunnel.
Within minutes, Don was again carrying Kait in his arms. But this time, she was awake. After a precarious carry and pass of her up the ladder between Don and Raph, everyone was in the back of the van, settled in for the long drive to the farmhouse.
Kait was asleep by time they pulled up to the house, and Don made sure not to wake her and he carried her upstairs. Executive decision between the brothers put Raph and Emily in one bedroom, Kait and Don in another, Splinter in the third, and Leo and Mikey in the living room. Raph helped don by throwing a sheet and a pillow down on the bed so Don could put her down and get all their things situated before crawling in with her.
Don awoke early the next morning with quiet crying in his ear. His eyes blinked open to Kait trying to be silent as her eyes were scrunched shut. Don shifted instantly, cradling her in his arms. "What's wrong, Kait?" he asked quietly, wrapping his arms protectively around her.
"It hurts." She whined pathetically, unable to really think of much else.
Don nodded, sliding off the small bed and hunting around for the pain medication, preparing a second injection for her. Even twenty minutes after the shot, she was still shaking and crying with pain, so Don decided to treat the injuries themselves.
"One sec, love. Let me get Raph to give me a hand with this." Kait nodded just before he slipped out of the room, padding to the bedroom next door and knocking quietly before opening it.
Raph was sitting up as Don stepped in. Emily's bed and equipment was set up on the other side of the room, and she remained as still as ever. "Whatcha need?" Raph slurred with sleep.
"Kait woke up crying because of the pain, so I wanna try putting some topical anesthetic on them after we clean them for the day. Your help would be appreciated." Don told him quietly, even though Emily was in a coma, not asleep.
Raph left the bed and walked over to his brother. "Ya know," he whispered to Don. "It felt great ta sleep wit' her in the same room again."
Don smiled, patting Raph's arm as they left his room, letting the door click behind them.
Click. The sound echoed in her ears and her mind, quiet and deafening at the same time.
Other sounds started permeating the silence. High pitched beeps, low whirls, and steady swishing entered the darkness.
She knew sounds weren't the entirety of the world. She knew she should be feeling things as well. Softness over her skin, cold in her forearm, cold on her forehead.
She should be seeing things, but her eyes weren't working quite yet. With a deep, sharp inhale, her eyes struggled open. Stained and peeling paint was all she could see in front of her. There was a screen on either side of her in her peripheral.
Where was she?
She didn't know, which scared her. It scared her because she knew, deep in her mind, that being somewhere she didn't know was dangerous, deadly.
Who was she?
For a moment, there was a pause as she searched through her mind. She knew who she had been, a fighter, a daughter, a friend, a lover…
And there it was, a whisper in the dark from lover's lips, a name. In a memory of cool skin and warm sheets and sandalwood, she found her name.
Emily.
AN: Dun dun dun!
She's awake!