Chapter Six

Waking Up

The following night in Mutopia, both Pandora and Michelangelo were discharged from the medical bay but were given orders to rest for a couple of days.

Michelangelo had his arm heavily plastered and, in a sling, whilst Pandora's cuts and the gash on her side was stitched up but almost healed.

Pandora had been reluctant to leave her parents, Uncle Donatello and Kemeko, but both Dahlia and James said she could visit them and that they would keep her updated on their progress.

Both the wolf and Chimpanzee agreed not to tell the hybrid nor Michelangelo of Raphael's possible condition, at least not until they had full confirmation and Pandora, saddened and low after she had given her parents, Uncle Donatello and Kemeko a kiss and a promise she would come back late to visit had left the sick bay.

Michelangelo and Kate watched the hybrid walk to her allocated room, her head down and her feet dragging.

Michelangelo sighed.

"Poor Geisha." He spoke sadly. He hated seeing his niece so low, and he always knew how to cheer her up, but now, he wasn't sure if even he could bring her out of her sadness.

Kate nodded.

"I think she needs some time alone for a bit." She said, "Let her gather her thoughts, but she knows we're here if she needs anybody."

"I hope so Katie." Michelangelo said, "I hate seeing her so upset."

"It's horrible, Pandora's parents being seriously injured and almost killed." Kate said, "It's the worst thing a child can go through."

"Did you know anyone who did?" Michelangelo asked.

Kate nodded.

"When I was at elementary school, a brother and sister in my 3rd Grade class lost their parents in a shoot-out." Kate sighed "Apparently, they were shopping at their local grocery shop when some armed robbers came in and held the place up, when the police arrived, they held everyone inside hostage, at least eight people including the parents were trapped inside, and even though the police managed to get in and stop the robbers, they were too late to save three of them, the parents and the shop clerk."

Michelangelo gasped.

"Oh, how awful!" he said, Kate nodded.

"Yeah." She said, "They were only eight years old; it was so dreadful."

"What happened to them?" Michelangelo asked.

Kate chewed her lip.

"I… I don't remember." She said, "But I do know they were put in the care of their grandparents, and they went on to graduate, but I never saw them again after I left Elementary."

Michelangelo sighed again.

He was relieved that Raphael, Monalisa, Donatello and Kemeko were going to live, but he was still concerned for their well-being, as he wasn't sure if they would suffer long term effects.

Kate noticed his look and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Shall we go to the Rec-Room?" she suggested "Maybe we can watch a movie or look at some comics or something?"

Michelangelo smiled softly.

"Okay." He spoke.

Back in the Sickbay, James, Dahlia, and April were looking over Monalisa, Raphael, Donatello and Kemeko.

Kemeko was still sleeping soundly with Leonardo at her side.

After the blue masked turtle had been given the camp bed to sleep on, he had used it, but had found it difficult to rest as he was so worried about his daughter.

He looked pale and there were bags under his bloodshot eyes.

As he sat next to his sleeping daughter, he read a section from a book he held 'The Secret Garden'.

"It was the garden that did it, and Mary and Dickon and the creatures, and the Magic. No one knows. We kept it to tell you when you came. I'm well, I can beat Mary in a race. I'm going to be an athlete."

After he had read the passage Leonardo leaned down and kissed Kemeko's forehead.

"Like Colin, and like Mary, you will both find happiness, healing and love." He wept "You will live!"

"Aren't you glad? I'm going to live forever and ever and ever!"

He whispered another passage of the book where Lord Craven found his ill son in his late wife's garden, walking and alive and happy.

"You will come back, return to me, my Lotus, my turtle child."

As Dahlia walked over to check on Kemeko, she smiled as she listened to Leonardo reading to the sleeping teenager.

"I love that book." She said, "When I was a little girl, my mama used to read it to me, I always loved the stories from England, 'The Secret Garden', 'Black Beauty', and 'The Wind in the Willows' were my favourites."

"I read those to Kemeko too." Leonardo said, "And ones by Charles Dickens."

Dahlia gave another smile then checked Kemeko over.

"She's going well Leonardo." She said, "But she will need time to heal and recover."

She checked the machines hooked up to Kemeko and smiled.

"All's normal." She spoke.

Leonardo opened his mouth to speak but as he did, he heard a moan, and he looked down to see Kemeko starting to stir.

"Lotus!?" he cried.

Dahlia also looked and saw the young Asian girl's eyes flicker then slowly open, at once she leaned over Kemeko.

"Kemeko?" she said gently "Kemeko? Can you hear me?"

Kemeko murmured and groaned then slowly opened her eyes.

As she did, all she could see was a couple of shapes in front of her, one green mixed with blue, and the other white and black.

"Wh… Wha…" she tried to speak, yet her voice sounded tired strained, almost like a creaky door that had only just been opened after a long time being closed.

"Shhh child." Dahlia spoke softly "It's alright, you're in Mutopia's sickbay, it's me Dahlia."

"Da…ya…." Kemeko said with difficulty.

"Yes sweetheart." Dahlia said gently "It's me Dahlia, James's assistant and Head nurse."

Kemeko blinked and soon her vison began to clear, and she saw the female wolf in her scrubs as well as her father looking at her anxiously.

"Oh Lotus!" Leonardo sobbed as he leaned down and nuzzled her forehead.

"Gently!" Dahlia scolded but Leonardo didn't hear her as he was so happy to see his adopted daughter awake he couldn't stop himself.

"My granddaughter!" the wolf then heard Splinter's voice and she turned to see the grey rat stand up from being in-between Raphael and Donatello and walk over.

"Gently Master Splinter!" Dahlia cautioned "She's only just awakened." She looked back at Leonardo who was crying tears of relief and nuzzling and kissing Kemeko's face and hair.

"Oh my baby!" he wept "I was so worried! I thought I had lost you!"

Kemeko looked up at her father and tried to touch his arm, but she still felt weak.

"D…D…Dad." she said weakly "I'm…sorry…. I…I…"

"Shhh Shhh." Leonardo sobbed "It's alright, it's going to be alright! I'm here! I'm here!"

Dahlia watched the scene and a couple of tears fell from her eyes.

April and James walked over when they saw Kemeko awaken, and they felt relief and joy.

"Oh thank goodness!" April cried.

James too smiled and wiped a tear from his eye as he placed a hand on Dahlia's shoulder.

Splinter placed a paw on Kemeko's hand.

"My darling grandchild." He said, "You gave us all a fright."

Kemeko looked over at Splinter and tears filled her eyes.

"Grandpa." She said "I…I…I'm so sorry!"

"Hush my child." Splinter soothed "There is no need for apologies, we are all safe from Shredder, and with our kind and brave friends in Mutopia."

April instantly went to find Tyroth, Sephie, Old George, Michelangelo, and Pandora whilst James and Dahlia continued to watch over Kemeko.

Kemeko looked at her father and grandfather as she started to wake up more then she remembered what had happened in the Foot Headquarters and she began to cry herself.

"Oh God!" she cried "I…I saw the Shredder; he was going to kill you all! He forced me to kill Pandora! But I wouldn't do it! I would never hurt my cousin! I would never join a monster!"

"Kemeko!" Leonardo said as he tried to calm his daughter down.

"I would never join him! I would have rather died than join him! If he was going to kill you all! I wanted to die too!"

"My child!" Shredder cried as he saw Kemeko get more and more agitated and hysterical.

James and Dahlia paled then they almost jumped out of their skins as they saw April return with Michelangelo, Kate, Pandora, Tyroth and Sephie.

Dahlia nodded at James and ran to the entrance of room to stop them from coming in whilst James quickly filled a syringe.

"Dahlia!" Tyroth cried "April informed us that…" he paused as he looked over to Kemeko who was crying and screaming in anguish as her father and grandfather were trying to calm her down.

Pandora instantly ran forward but Sephie stopped her.

"Kem! Kemeko!" Pandora yelled desperate to see her cousin.

"No Pandora!" Sephie said as she held the struggling hybrid back "You must stay clear!"

"Is she alright?" Michelangelo asked.

"She's only just awakened." Dahlia reported "But she still needs to stay and recover."

Tyroth looked at the still sleeping forms of Monalisa, Raphael and Donatello and Dahlia knew what he was going to ask.

"No change as yet." She informed making the Dragon sigh in disappointment.

Pandora looked to her parents and Donatello and the tears fell again, still scared for their well-being.

Kemeko struggled and sobbed as the memories of the battle at the Headquarters came to her and she kicked her feet out.

Meanwhile Leonardo and Splinter tried to stop her.

"Baby girl! Please!" Leonardo begged as he wept, and Splinter helped.

"My grandchild!" he said but Kemeko was deaf and blind to them as she cried and screamed.

"Move!" James barked and he leaned over Kemeko before injecting her with the syringe in her arm and placed a cotton bud over where he had placed the needle.

As that happened, Kemeko's struggling and crying ceased, and she fell back on the bed and started to settle down.

"There we are…" James said, "Easy now, you need to rest my dear." He looked at Splinter and Leonardo.

"I'm sorry, but it was needed."

"We understand James." Splinter said placing a paw on the Chimpanzee's arm.

"Thank you."

James nodded at Splinter and looked at Kemeko who fell asleep, and Leonardo was nuzzling and soothing her.

James stood back and sighed.

"It seems the mental scars are worse than the physical ones." He said, "But we can offer aftercare, and if there is anyone qualified for the job, she's only a few feet away." He looked to Sephie who was standing with Pandora who was standing in-between her parents.

His heart sank as he thought of how the hybrid would react when she found out the true condition of her parents, but he decided to keep it quiet for now, at least until he knew the full extent of how bad the damage was.

Looking back at Kemeko he turned to Splinter and Leonardo.

"Let her sleep for now." He said, "She needs to heal some more."

Leonardo nodded.

"Thank you, James." He said, "I will stay with her."

"Thank you for everything James." Splinter said, "I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you, and Dahlia."

James smiled softly.

"It's our duty." He said, "Now please, get some rest yourself, we will inform you of any progress with your sons and daughter, I promise."

Splinter nodded and stood up.

"I understand." He said as he started to walk towards the entrance where Tyroth, Michelangelo, Kate and Old George waited.

"Thank you again." He said softly.

James watched him go, then turned to Kemeko and stroked her forehead as Leonardo watched over her then he looked over at Pandora who kissed her father and mother before turning to Sephie and walking with her out of the room.

Tears filled the Chimpanzee's eyes as he watched the hybrid leave then he walked over to check the machines that were hooked up to Monalisa and Raphael.

"Oh, I do hope all will be well." He prayed "For the poor girl's sake, it's the worst thing for a child to lose her parents, whether through death or disability."

He closed eyes as he thought of his human years as a doctor, and how he had had to give the bad news to relatives and loved ones when he wasn't able to save them on the table, and he hoped against hope that it would not happen again.

"Please…" he prayed "Fight back, fight through, for your daughter!"

So Kemeko has awakened but is suffering badly from PTDS, and Monalisa, Raphael and Donatello are still recovering.