Chapter 2! All I can say really.
"Where are you going so early this morning?" Heather looks up from tying her shoes. Steve is leaning against the wall of their apartment, arms crossed. She continues her action and stands up.
"I have something I need to do." She got back the day before and immediately refreshed her memory in what she learned, even asking some questions at dinner. Steve was happy to oblige, but was curious of what it was about.
"Does this have to do with supper's questions?"
"A little," Heather answers, "Let me do this." Steve looks like he's going to object. "Please, Steve." He sees the pleading in her eyes. She gets like that when something is truly important to her. So he lets her go.
She walks through the streets to the tunnel she found Mikey near. She walks through the garbage, her backpack over her shoulder. When she reaches the steps, she stops at the chain. She picks it up and feels its weight. It's light for her, but she knows how to gauge her strength. And for a seven year old, this would be a burden. She finds the third piece of whatever Leo had to endure, something to go around an ankle, or a wrist. It clamps shut and the padlock goes through the loop, with room for the end link in the chain.
The blood had not been taken care of. It is now a dried mess on the ground. The brick and stone lay in the middle of it. 'He played with these, like they were toys?' She picks up the rock, barely filling her palm. She sighs and sets it down. 'These conditions are terrible.'
She stands up and makes her way inside. Instead of just walking in, she knocks at the top of the stairs. Someone exclaims and a pair of little feet plod over. "Heather!" The green eyed boy greets.
"Hello, Raph, is it?" He nods, "How's Leo?"
"He hasn't woken up yet." Heather walks to the lab and sees him as he was before. Donnie is at his side, dripping water into his mouth. "Donnie, Heather's here!" Donnie looks at us.
"He isn't waking up," Donnie frets. Heather lays a comforting hand on his shell.
"He will, don't worry."
"Boys, time for breakfast!" They scamper off. Heather stands in the doorway. Splinter is helping Mikey walk to the table, since he still has his ankle wrapped. She goes back to Leo and examines him more.
She looks at his wrists and ankles, finding what she was looking for. There is a ring of welts on his right ankle. She sets her backpack down and takes out some bandages. She cleans his ankle and wraps it. When she is satisfied, she then gets a wash cloth. She uses the bowl of water Donnie had and soaks her cloth. She starts at his legs, washing the grime away. She's careful around bruises and goes slow.
She washes his plastron, which effectively covers his privates. She can't get to his carapace on his back, but washes first his left arm, then moves to the other side of the table to wash his right.
"Leo?" Raph comes in, holding a plate. He looks at the boy like he's a different person.
"He was dirty and he'll heal faster if he is clean," Heather explains when Raph stares at Leo for more than a few seconds. 'They must not see him clean a lot.'
"Are you hungry? You didn't come to breakfast."
"I ate before I left. Plus, I brought snacks. I guessed that your dad wouldn't be too happy that I was here. Plus, I was going to feed Leo if he woke up." She scoots over and strokes his neck. There are bruises, 'he was choked.'
"Heather?" She looks up. "What will happen when he's better?"
"I don't know Raph. We'll just have to be patient and wait." Raph leaves with the plate and Heather starts on Leo's battered face. She loves how his skin is a lovely leaf green. She only got a glimpse of his eyes, but they were blue. The kind of blue that oceans have after a storm passes. 'This child is precious. And he's being hurt by someone he is probably trying to please.'
She knows what a slave would do to please their master. Although, watching movies probably isn't the best thing to base life off of. But she has a general idea. When she reaches his mouth, she sees a few specks of something brown. She flicks it off with her finger and rubs it between them.
'Dirt? He's been eating dirt? Iron deficiency. He needs to eat something.' Without an iv bag, she can't do anything for him. So she stays long enough that his wounds are treated, then she packs up her things into her bag and leaves. Splinter watches her go. Right before she steps down the stairs, she looks back and says, "I'll be back tomorrow."
Heather came for three more days. Each day, she would watch over Leo, keeping him warm with his blue blanket, washing his limbs and plastron, and make a quick visit to Mikey in his room, since his ankle still hurt. She saw how his living conditions were much better than Leo's, which angered her even more. Heather is happy for the three with good beds, toys, and clean spaces, but what made her angry is that Splinter forced Leo to stay outside, in the cold, dirty, and smelly sewer. There was a spare room, but Leo could not have it.
On the fourth day, Heather comes into the Lair. She was early, so no one else is up. She goes directly to Leo and checks his beak, wetting it. Then she inspects the bandage on his head. It looks okay, but she couldn't take it off unless he was conscious. She doesn't want to hurt him more.
Then she uses the pen light to check his pupils, which were more even now. "The concussion is gone. Good." She puts the light away and puts more water on his lips. Then his beak moves to receive it. Heather gasps lightly. "Hello?" She asks, "Leo? Can you hear me?"
He peaks his eyes open and looks at her, "Who.. who are you?" He focuses on her and starts, "Where am-"
"Leo, it's okay," Heather says, placing her hand on his shoulder, "You are in Donnie's lab. Your brothers brought you here when you were injured." He looks at her, confused, "Your bump on the head? Do you remember that?" He looks around and nods, "Lay back down, you could hurt yourself."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Heather. I took care of you the past three days."
"You look funny." Heather stifles a giggle.
"I could say the same for you... You've never seen a human before, have you?"
"I'm not allowed to watch tv." Heather takes out a cup of applesauce.
"Are you hungry?"
"Mmhm," he nods. She smiles and holds up the cup and a spoon. He shakes his head. "But Master-"
"I'm taking care of you and he will have to go through me before I let you go another day without a proper meal." Leo doesn't resist. Heather knows he didn't want to. But his fear of Splinter went above his personal needs. 'Poor guy.' Heather spoon feeds Leo the applesauce, going slow for him. He's still healing.
"What is going on here!?" Heather looks at Splinter. She feels Leo tense up, but she stays calm.
"Leo woke up. I'm giving him something to eat."
"I did not give you permission," he says, walking to her.
"Why do you care? I brought this from my home. I won't have to use anything from you so you shouldn't have to worry yourself over a child you abused." Heather stares at the old rat until he flinches under her protective gaze. "You keep away from him, hear me?"
Splinter huffs and walks away. Heather looks down at Leo and smiles, "He won't hurt you, okay? Just focus on getting better."
"Leo!" "Leo!" "Leo's up!" The other three turtles burst into the room. Heather continues on her task, letting his brothers talk to him like it's been years. Mikey explains his running away and how Heather found him. Leo looks at Heather curiously as she puts away the empty container and spoon.
"Leo? I need to check your head." He tenses up. "I'll be gentle, I promise." Raph helps Mikey sit on the edge of the table.
"Wanna hold my hand?" He asks. Leo takes it. It's the first time Heather sees that they have three fingers. But it doesn't phase her in the slightest. She sits behind Leo's head and carefully unwraps his head. She looks at the swelling that had developed around the impact point. She carefully does her best and Leo barely whimpers. She finishes putting new bandages on his head and pats his shoulder.
"Good job Leo. You were very brave. I'm all done now." She cleans up and leaves the boys to themselves. The moment she steps outside the lab, Splinter's gaze hits her like a thousand bullets. She looks at him calmly and walks over to the table to sit down.
"Why are you helping him?" He asks.
"I believe in what is right."
"Even if it is breaking one's law?"
"If anyone is breaking the law, it is you. You are determined to make me, and your sons, believe that boy is a slave."
"It is true!"
"Did you know that there hasn't been a legal slave in America since before the Civil War?" The rat uses his ninja skills to hide his shock at her outburst, but Heather can still see it. "You leave that boy alone. He needs to heal."
"When is the fastest he will be able to move?" Splinter asks.
"He will be able to be moved in a week. He has to stay where he is for now."
"That is not the answer to my question."
"But it is the only answer I care about." Heather gets up with this final statement to check on Leo one last time before leaving. "Okay boys, let him rest." Raph, Donnie, and Mikey all exit the room.
When Heather is sure that no one is watching her, she takes a few pictures of Leo. Mikey wants her to see his room again, and she takes a photo of it. And finally, when she exits down the steps, she takes a picture of the chain, 'toys,' and blood.
She's learning more about Leo's back story. And is has a plan forming.