Chapter 2

"Why did you bring her here, Don?! Why didn't you take her home?"

"Huh? W-Who is that?"

I was beginning to stir myself awake. I was struggling and I was hearing voices close by. Everything is blurry and my throat is still so sore.

"Raph, I don't know if you noticed but it is -5 degrees outside. She was badly attacked and clearly needs quick medical attention. Our home was nearby, so it was the most logical solution. You can not honestly expect me to leave her at her home after I just told you what happened."

"Fine, if you want to take responsibility for her than go ahead. She will be in your care until she is healed. No one else is allowed to see her but you, got it? We need to keep our home secure. The less she sees, the better."

They are talking about me. I was attacked? Wait, that is right. I was trying to go home. Where am I? I try to take in my surroundings as best as I could, but I felt so ill. I can't focus. I tried to get out the bed but fell hard on the floor, causing a noise./p

"What was that?"

"It is most likely, you know, the girl that I saved?"

"Watch the tone, Donnie. I am just trying to keep us safe."

The one called 'Donnie' is coming closer. I need to get up and get out of here. I tried to walk but my ankle was badly sprained.

"You know, you aren't going to get very far. Why are you even trying?"

That condescending tone was starting to tick me off. I try to hold myself up and get a good look at my 'savior'. I thought I must have been hallucinating.

"A-are you…a giant turtle?"

"Well, aren't you perceptive? Yes, I am and YOU need to get back in bed. You are in no condition to 'escape'.

He comes close to me, but I keep my guard up. He stares at me slightly annoyed but quickly understands.

"I am not going to hurt you; I only want to help. Yes, I am a turtle, but I am a turtle that saved your life. You were attacked and developed a mild case of hypothermia from being exposed to the cold for too long. On top of that, you have a badly sprained ankle. You NEED to get back in bed. The sooner you listen to me, the sooner you get to go home."

I do not know what is going on, but I felt like I could trust this…thing. I pathetically get back in bed while he checks my vitals.

"Tell me, how do you feel? Hot? Cold? On a scale of 1-10, what pain level are you experiencing? Are you comfortable? Are you feeling any flu like sym—"

"HOLD ON!...Can you pump the brakes for a second there? I am processing a lot here, where even am I?"

"Oh, you are in my lab which is also in the sewer under New York City."

"…Right, that makes sense. I'll believe anything at this point. Who was that person you were talking to earlier? Another one of you?"

"Don't worry about it."

He takes out a stethoscope and places it abruptly on my chest. The metal was so cold to the touch, it caused me to involuntarily jolt.

"Oh, shoot, sorry about that! I should have warmed it up first…my bad."

I gave a slight glance and relaxed. I was able to get a good look at him up close. He wears a purple mask and something on his back, I assume some form of protection. He has only three fingers, but I do not mind too much. His hand glides across my chest as I breathe for him. They are surprisingly smooth, soft and warm to the touch. He stares at my chest as he listens to anything irregular. For some reason, it was making me blush.

"Huh? Why is your heart rate going up? Do you have a fever?"

Donnie hears the heart monitor, giving away my reaction. He places his hand on my forehead to feel my temperature.

"Hmm...does not seem like you do but I'll get a thermometer to be sure."

He backs away and goes to the other side of his lab. I try to rest and relax. Thank goodness he seems unaware. I could not help but notice though, his arm muscles. He was buff, for a freaking turtle. The thing on his back, made me curious enough to ask about it.

"Why do you have that thing on your back…Donnie?"

"Well, Y/N, it is because I am a soft-shell turtle. I feel things a lot easier compared to a normal turtle shell. More sensitive, if you will. My shell cannot take much damage, so I engineered this Battle Shell to keep out of harm's way."

"Wait, how do you know my name?"

"He tosses my wallet on the bed.

"I figured since you were my patient, I would try to know who you were versus waiting for you to come around. It was the most logical solution."/p

"YOU WENT THROUGH MY WALLET?! You don't just do that like as if it a normal thing! I could have had private things in there!"

"Look, I needed to know if you had any medical needs or restrictions before giving you any medicine. You were in a mild-critical state so EXCUSE ME for invading your privacy to try to save you! I have not even gotten a thank you out of you yet!"

He crossed his arms with the thermometer in one hand as I grimaced slightly before letting out a sigh of defeat.

"I am sorry, you are right. I should be grateful that you found me. I appreciate this. Thank you.

"There, was that SO hard?"

He was teasing me, it ticked me off but also made me let my guard down slightly. He proceeded to run a few tests and then gave me food before resting for the night.

"I will check back with you in the morning, if you need anything, just press the button next to you and I will come running. My room is not far. I estimate that you will be fine in 24 hours if you do nothing excessive, and I can just send you home with some cold medicine. Your ankle should heel by then as well but if not, I will provide you my own version of aspirin that I KNOW will take the pain away. DONNIE TECH GARUNTEED!"

He walks away with pride in helping me. I am already starting to feel better…but will I feel safe going home?