Hello everyone! I was thinking about my fic and I realized that I wanted to have some hurt/comfort for Leo and April. So, be prepared for teeth rotting fluff!
Everything ached.
Leonardo groaned, curling up into a tight ball on his bed, despite his muscles and bones protesting sharply at the movement. A harsh shiver shook the turtle's body, making the eldest moan pitifully, even as his shell throbbed with stinging pangs. He wasn't sick, at least not in the traditional sense, he was recovering from a particularly nasty fall a couple days previous. Leo knew he didn't have any broken bones, but he assumed he must have bruised himself something fierce, because his whole frame was flooded with a fiery agony that wouldn't ease.
The blue clad ninja heaved a sigh as he remembered the event that led to this moment.
It was Friday night, and Leo had been topside on his own, running a solo patrol as it was the beginning of the weekend. The lone turtle was careful to avoid any action that would require more than one fighter, though. His plan was to report such things to the police stations covering those areas, so that something might be done, however, Leo mostly used the night to exercise and breathe the fresh air of the rooftops. He should have been more wary of his surroundings. Unfortunately, the cool night air, plus the unusual quiet, had the young warrior relaxing far more than he ought to have.
It started with a scream.
Leo had responded by skidding to a stop and sprinting to the edge of the roof, only to gasp at one of Bishop's leftover monsters, mutated when the whole debacle with the president happened. The turtles had thought they'd taken care of all of them, but they must had missed this one. It was a bug of some sort, judging by the exoskeleton, but it had powerful back legs allowing it to jump insane distances, as proven when it leapt up onto the rooftop in one bound. Possibly a mutant cricket or grasshopper? Whatever it was, either way, it was ugly. Quickly assessing the scene, Leo tried to piece together what had occurred. Best that Leo could figure, the creature was probably eating from the dumpster, and was discovered by passersby. The turtle didn't see the source of the scream, the person in question having no doubt already run away as fast as possible.
Leo shook his head, he didn't have time to dither over meaningless details, especially when said mutant bug was getting away. The turtle huffed out a brief chuckle, good thing Raphael wasn't here, the brawler hated bugs with a passion.
With that last thought, Leonardo had whirled around towards the direction of the creature and took off at a full sprint in pursuit. The bug was hopping from roof to roof with impressive speed, and it took everything Leo had just to keep up. The leader felt a pang of longing for his youngest brother, Mikey could have chased down the monster bug in his sleep. Nevertheless, the eldest continued the chase, finally catching up to the bug on a roof with a large water tower. The fight that ensued was brief, but intense. Leonardo slashed at the monster, fighting to keep his footing, even as the bug's mandibles and legs attempted to grab him. It wasn't easy, the monster was incredibly fast, and the blue ninja was quickly wearing down. It was then that Leo spotted an opening, and knowing he wouldn't get another chance like this, dove forward and kicked the bug off the rooftop. As it fell, the turtle sliced through the support beams of the water tower, dropping the whole thing on top of the mutant, hoping the impact would finish the job.
That should have been the end of it. He should have been able to walk away, knowing that the dangerous mutant had been dealt with, however, as Raphael always said; they had the worst luck. A section of twisted metal from the bottom of the water tower had pulled up on the rooftop, making the edge unstable and the old brick crumble. Leonardo was caught in the avalanche, stumbling as the stonework underfoot shifted and writhed, until he, inevitably, was falling as well. The good news, it wasn't a very far drop, with the roof being merely a two-story building. The bad news, Leo could barely hold back the scream when he fell at an awkward angle on his shell.
Water from the tower exploded on impact, dousing the alley and rushing out into the gutters, carrying garbage from the dirty concrete with it. Leo coughed and sputtered as the water washed over him, grimacing at the amount of half rotted items and abandoned fast food wrappers settling around his fallen form. For several moments, all was silent. The bug was motionless, crushed by the water tower, but Leonardo was panting in agonized gasps, shock twitching his limbs and prompting small whimpers to squeeze up the tense throat. The pain from the fall was settling into his limbs, building into a bonfire that made every nerve ending scream.
How long Leo lay like that, he wasn't sure. Probably over an hour, because there were patches where the pavement had dried by the time Leo peeled himself off the ground, and managed the torturously long trek home.
Upon returning to the lair, Leonardo had immediately decided to lay down. The young warrior trudged up to his room, painfully removing his gear so to sink into the soothing softness of his mattress. He hadn't moved since, as the next morning revealed the terrapin to be in utter torment. Even walking to the bathroom almost made the eldest almost pass out as he forced his body to obey. Needless to say, he put himself right back to bed.
Which brought him to now, another day later, alone, in pain, and unable to move.
Normally, the turtle would be cared for by his family, but this week found the eldest on his own. In a strange, and incredibly rare, turn of events, the brothers and their father were out of town. Mikey was on a training camp out with the Justice Force for the week, an invitation that the youngest had positively screamed with joy over receiving. Raphael had been invited by Traximus to attend the grand reopening of the annual Triceraton Olympics, which the brawler was eager to accept. Donatello couldn't leave fast enough, as Professor Honeycutt asked the genius turtle if he wanted to accompany the robot on a scientific observation of a black hole. Which left Master Splinter, who after informing the Ancient One of the younger brothers' respective trips, was invited to spend the week in the nexus for a vacation of sorts.
The aged rat was hesitant to leave Leonardo behind, however, the eldest assured his father that he'd be fine on his own. The blue clad ninja reasoned that it wasn't often that Splinter was offered a vacation with an old friend, and he should enjoy the break. After much reassurances, and promises that everything would be fine, Master Splinter finally relented, and left to join the Ancient One in the nexus. Leonardo had been confident that he'd manage well on his own, he was looking forward to a quiet week of meditation accompanied by light training and lots of books. Plus, Michelangelo had thoughtfully left premade meals in the fridge, complete with labels explaining how best to warm them up in the microwave without setting the kitchen on fire (not that Leo was admitting that he had a problem with cooking, but he appreciated the thought nonetheless).
Now, the lair had been empty for a little over five days, his brothers impossible to contact as all were out of range of the Shell Cells, and Leo had no one to check over whatever injuries he may have gotten from the fall. Not that he got anything too serious. Leo knew he didn't have any broken bones, and there was nothing to be done for heavy bruising except to grin and bear it. So, contrary to his normal modus operandi, Leonardo assumed sleep should resolve the pain running like electric currents through every limb. Right? That was what his brothers always got onto him about, getting enough rest when recovering from an injury (not that he had one). So, sleeping should be what he needs to do. His shell gave another throb, making Leonardo's breath hitch. The aching teen bit his bottom lip, dread curling in his gut. He had a sneaking suspicion that he may be hurt worse than he was ready to admit.
However, it couldn't be that bad. He just needed to rest more, he was certain, just one more day of sleep and he'll be as right as rain.
…..
Her stomach wouldn't stop hurting.
April frowned, it was late Monday afternoon, her version of Saturday where she closed the store and took a day to rest from a long week of backbreaking labor. The woman was in full weekend mode too, or she was trying to be. She couldn't concentrate. Not only did she feel restless, but she was unable to enjoy the new episode of Antique Roadshow, and she even had a fresh bag of Oreos lying ignored on her lap. Something was very wrong. While not someone to have a sixth sense on par to Master Splinter, April had long learned to never disregard any unease in her gut. Every time she's had a feeling like this, one of her boys was in trouble, and this, this was a full-on case of severe gastric distress.
The human pursed her lips, a narrowed emerald gaze giving her bag of Oreos an intense side-eye. Nope, she couldn't even feel slightly inclined to indulge. There was only one thing she could do at this point….she needed to take a trip to the lair. While she acknowledged she could always call, her boys had an unfortunate habit of pretending everything was fine. Something that exasperated the woman. So, after three plus years of knowing the small family, April had learned how to handle these situations. Such as, it was better to barge in and bust them face-to-face, instead of playing twenty questions over the phone.
Shoving an Oreo into her mouth, April slid a pair of flats onto her feet, then strode to her door to fling it open while swiping her keys off the hall table. Time to get to the bottom of this.
….
"Guys? Anybody? Hello?"
April paused, ginger brows furrowing as she scanned the area. Jogging to the kitchen, she checked the fridge. It had become a new practice for the boys to leave notes on its surface, anytime they were unexpectedly out of town, so that their human friends wouldn't worry. This was much appreciated by the woman who loved the mutant family as dearly as her blood relatives. Pale fingers snatched one such missive, hastily scribbled on a jumbo size sticky note, pulling it down so her green eyes could read its contents.
Hey April, my brothers and I, as well as Master Splinter, are going out of town for the week. Leo's on his own for the week, and I sure he'll be fine, but if you come down looking for us, could you check on him? I'm probably worried over nothing, but despite being the most responsible one of the four of us, he still manages to find ways to land in trouble.
Anyway, I'm going to be in deep space, so is Raph, and Master Splinter will be in another dimension. Mikey will still be earth side, but I'm pretty sure the Justice Force won't give him time to accept calls. Just wanted to warn you so you don't worry if you can't get a hold of us. Miss you already and I'll make sure to bring back lots of awesome stories from my trip.
See you next week!
Donnie
April smiled, warmth filling her heart at the message. Now she understood why the lair was so quiet. However, that didn't soothe the turmoil rolling in her gut. According to the note Leo was the only one home, so why did she feel uneasy?
Slapping the letter down on the table, April jogged to the stairs, vaulting up to the second floor two steps at a time, her worry growing as she drew closer to the door of Leonardo's room. Flinging the door open, April pulled in a sharp breath, shock hissing between her teeth.
The eldest turtle was curled up on his left side in a ball, shivering hard enough to make his bed frame shake, heavy beads of sweat dotting his brow. He was also wrapped in layers of blankets; however, this didn't seem to ease his trembling, as his breaths came in shallow, wheezing pants. April knelt next to the bed, cautiously approaching the young leader, hoping that her appearance wouldn't accidentally wake the teen, and provoke him to attack her in his obviously feverish state. A pale hand caressed the clammy cheek, stroking the scaly skin, making April grimace at the amount of heat coming off the worryingly pale face. Leonardo moaned, leaning into the touch, before glazed sapphire eyes fluttered open. At first, he appeared to have little coherence as he tried to direct a startlingly unfocused gaze, but as his eyesight sharpened, Leo managed to speak one whispered word.
"April?"
"Hey," the red head murmured, continuing the soothing strokes to the pained terrapin, "I decided to come check on you, and I'm honestly glad I did."
Leo blinked slowly, confusion coloring his gaze, "Why?" The question was a frail thing, a query riding on a fragile puff of air.
"Well, for one thing," April chuckled humorlessly, softly massaging the sweaty forehead, "you look horrible, and I'm pretty confident that you have a fever; a high one at that."
The green brows furrowed at the answer given, "I…didn't know…I had a fever," he murmured, a shaking three fingered hand unsteadily rising to scrub at hazy sapphire eyes. April tenderly relieved the ninja of his mask, making sure to rub the angry imprint the fabric left on his skin. "I've been in….bed….'cuz of the accident."
Accident? The human's breath caught in her throat, even as her heart rate picked up in worry, "What accident?" She asked, straining to keep her voice a soothing neutral, "Can you tell me what happened, sweetie?"
"Um," Leo attempted, stumbling over his words, "fell…fought a big bug….an' fell off the roof,"
He…..what?
The redhead opened her mouth, shock building in her chest, and eventually bubbling over to her throat,"You… fell off a roof?!" April gasped, voice sounding strangled and slightly hysterical.
"Uh," the ninja blinked hard, obviously trying to summon the energy needed to face his interrogator, "Yeah?"
"Why didn't you call me?!" There was the hysteria.
Leo paused at the human's exclamation, the blue orbs of the teen turtle growing large with guilt, making the warrior look so much younger, "Sorry," he breathed, "Di'n't wanna bug you."
The human groaned, fighting the maternal urge to scold him, "Leo, I know you're not feeling very good right now," she sighed, "but someday soon we're going to have a long talk about how I would never think that you could ever bug me. Especially if it's an emergency."
"Okay," came the meek reply, prompting another sigh of exasperation.
"What's broken?" She asked.
Leonardo's eyes were losing the battle to stay open, despite the eldest fighting valiantly to remain conscious. However, the warrior managed to mumble, "Not….brok'n….no bones….broke….jus' bruises."
The keen mind of the former scientist immediately shrieked in vehement disagreement. No way would he be running a fever this bad over bruises, "Would it be okay if I double check?"
Another meek nod, to which April gently pulled back the mountain of blankets, prompting another harsh wave of shivering to roll through the turtle. April paused long enough to coo comfortingly at the teen, rubbing his head and cheek, before continuing the impromptu physical. Giving a thoughtful hum, her experienced hands felt along Leo's left and right arms, slowly going up to his shoulders. Unfortunately, as the wife of a vigilante, she'd long learned how to determine if a bone was broken or merely fractured. Thankfully, Leonardo's arms, shoulders and collarbone were all in one piece. Though certainly bruised up as the turtle said, if his pained whimpers were anything to go by. Next, she checked his legs and hips, which also showed nothing beyond severe bruising. She had also found no infected lacerations, or gashes of any kind, that could explain the fever. Which just left one last thing to check. His shell.
The human leaned forward, stretching out her arms to carefully feel along the carapace edge. Going past his right shoulder, and traveling down along his side, April felt the blood drain from her face and her hands grow clammy as she made her dreaded discovery. Just below his right hip, on the rim of the shell, was a crack. While barely half the width and length of her pinky, it was still big enough to be a major problem, and suddenly the red head felt massively out of her depth.
"Oh…no…." She breathed, wincing when the turtle gave a sharp cry at her probing around the injury.
Leonardo turned his face into his pillow, audibly gulping back what April knew to be a pained sob, tears reacting to the sudden burst of agony, welling in the clenched eyes. The human shook her head. Barely conscious, and he was still trying to maintain his dignity. However, she had other things to think about, primarily the crack in the teen ninja's shell.
"Okay," April drew in a shaky breath, forcing her voice to retain a level of calm as she returned the blankets to cover the shivering teen, "I need to see if I can get a hold of Donnie, he probably won't answer, but I'm still going to try, okay?"
The blue clad ninja gave a jerky nod, eyes still clenched shut as he fought against the pain screaming across his shell and up his spine. The woman hesitated, not wanting to leave Leo alone, but also not wanting to make the call within earshot. Finally, with agonized movements, April tore herself away, walking out of the room to stand outside the door. Using her cell phone, she dialed Donatello, subconsciously knowing that he couldn't be reached out in space but praying all the same for a miracle. Ring after ring, the unanswered call confirmed her dreaded suspicion. As she expected, the genius didn't answer, and with a situation this dire, she wasn't sure if attempting to contact Mikey would be a help or a hinderance. She needed expert advice, and she needed it NOW!
"You've reached Donatello! Please leave a message after the beep!"
The far too cheerful chirp on the phone signaled her to begin talking, and April could only groan, "Where do I start?" Pulling a weary hand down her face, she pulled in a steadying breath, then the woman straightened her spine and left a message she prayed Donnie would receive sooner rather than later, "Hey, Donnie, I'm at the lair and you called it…Leo landed in a boatload of trouble. I don't have the whole story, and I'm pretty sure it was an accident, but he's got a crack in his shell, not to mention an extremely high fever! I don't know what to do, or how to help, but I'm going to do my best. I'll call again and leave another message to let you know how it goes."
Frantically chewing her bottom lip, April hung up her phone and then paced the second floor balcony in anxious steps. This was bad, this was so very very bad. Without Donnie, there was no one else to help Leo. Granted, she had an idea, but it was dangerous, and she couldn't be sure it would work. However, she had zero other options. She didn't have any way to contact Leatherhead, and they had no other allies with medical knowledge! Once again taking out her phone, the human tentatively searched for a list of local vets, stomach churning with incomprehensible terror. Doing this meant the very real possibility of accidentally outing the mutant family's existence; but if she didn't do this, Leo's injury was only going to get (more) infected. She needed to do something, or Leo would suffer the consequences, and she would not make her little brother go through that.
However, she needed to talk to Leo first, she couldn't make this call without asking the one it concerned the most. Walking briskly back into the room, she knelt next to the struggling turtle, pale fingers caressing the furrowed brow, "Leo, I couldn't get a hold of Donnie,"
"I figured," the eldest grumbled, sounding more coherent, though still obviously in excruciating agony, "and I don't know…how to get a hold of Leatherhead. If you have any ideas….I'm open to suggestions."
"About that," the woman gave her bottom another healthy chew, before plunging ahead, "I thought I could call a local Veterinary clinic."
Leo's beak twisted in unhappy disgust, a breathy scoff puffing out his lips, "I'm not a pet," he growled, but then heaved a resigned sigh, "but we don't really have….any other options, do we?"
"No, we really don't," April said, echoing the turtle with a sigh of her own.
Leonardo buried his face into his pillow, the plush inside muffling the groan of frustration that the turtle released, before he once again lifted his head, "Go ahead and call," he stated, eyes heavy with pained fatigue, "like you said…we don't have a choice."
The redhead immediately started searching the internet, eyes roving as she scrolled. She never knew there were so many veterinary clinics in New York, but it figured that there were. New York was a big city. That's when April noticed a name that had five stars and ninety-five percent positive reviews. Anthony Lowrey, veterinarian for both household and exotic pets. April shuddered at the word pet, horrified fear making her shiver, before punching the call button. The woman anxiously bit her lips as she listened to the phone ring, before a click alerted her that someone had picked up.
"All Animal Healthcare, how may I direct your call?"
"Uh, I have….a turtle?" way to go sounding like an intelligent adult there, April, "I mean, I need to talk to someone about a- I mean- my turtle!"
"Is the turtle already a patient with us?"
"No, he's…uh, he's never been to your clinic."
"Name?"
April floundered, did she give them his name or a fake one? The woman gave a helpless glance to the injured mutant, and merely shrugged, so real name it was, "Leonardo, you know, like the renaissance painter."
"Uh-huh,"
April bit back a groan. Maybe she should have practiced this in front of the mirror first? Of all times to be a disorganized spaz, a medical emergency had to be the worst.
"What type of turtle?"
"Um,"
What type of turtle? The scientist searched her memory, but came up blank. She had no idea what kind of turtles they were. Strangely, that's not a question that ever came up. April wasn't sure she'd even considered it since befriending the family, it was hard enough to wrap her head around that they'd mutated to the point of being the reptile equivalent of teenage boys, not to mention skilled ninja! Mouth opening and closing, April looked up to meet the weary gaze of said turtle. Leo furrowed his brows in a silent question. The woman shrugged, then quietly asked, "What type of turtle are you?"
Now it was Leo's turn to blink in baffled confusion. The duo staring at each other, neither knowing what to say. "Don't know," Leo answered, voice a strained whisper, "never asked."
"Ma'am?" The receptionist huffed, "Is it an aquatic turtle or a tortoise?"
"I don't really know?" April wilted next to the bed, beating a clenched fist against her own forehead in penance for her inability to be a capable adult, "I think he's aquatic? I mean, he likes water, but he doesn't live in it, I don't think."
Leo face-palmed, secondhand embarrassment making him cringe. Suddenly the blue clad turtle brightened, as much as one can when in agonizing pain, "Wait," he whispered, "I think, Donnie said somethin'…box… box turtles…. I think,"
"Box turtle!" April exclaimed, giving Leo a bright thumb's up, "I think he's a box turtle."
"Are you sure?" The woman on the phone sighed out a long breath of fraying tolerance, "Do you remember when you bought it at the pet store? What did they tell you it was then?"
"Uh, they said-I mean, they didn't really, uh," oh fine, forget this, in for a penny in for a pound, "Look, I didn't actually buy it-him!" Leo's mouth was dropped in indignant shock, "Him. I didn't buy him."
Leo rolled his eyes, then gave a dry snort on the bed, "Good thing too, because I don't think the store's….return policy covered mutation…definitely wouldn't get your money back," he muttered into his pillow.
April clapped a hand over her mouth, just in time to stifle a highly inappropriate giggle. Leonardo's lips twitched into something resembling a fragile smile. It was always equal parts impressive and ludicrous that Leo's sense of humor came out during dire circumstances. Though his mirth was forgotten as another wave of pain shot through his shell and up his spine. The teen bit back the pained moan, clenching the pillow he was burying his beak in. The redhead grimaced, reaching out to the turtle to lay a consoling hand on his blanket covered leg, as the woman on the phone continued her questioning.
"Are you saying you found this turtle in the wild?"
"No, not exactly," it was April's turn to give a lengthy sigh, "we kind of found each other."
"What do you mean by found each other?" The receptionist asked cynically, "so you did find it in the wild?"
"If the sewer counts as the wild, then yes, we found each other in the wild." April snapped.
"Wait, what?"
The redhead swallowed a growl, not happy with the time being wasted on the receptionist, "Look, let's just get to the point? I know you need to ask these questions, but he cracked his shell, and he's in a lot of pain, and I just want to help him, ok? So, please, if you can connect me with a vet who can talk me through helping him, I'd greatly appreciate it!"
A pause, and then another belabored sigh, "Please hold,"
Pleasant low-fi jazz started playing, and April allowed the hand holding the phone to collapse onto the bed, cheeks puffing as she blew out a harsh breath. Head sinking to rest on the blankets of Leo's mattress, the woman gave a dark chuckle, "So help me, God," she said with an almost maniacal giggle, "as soon as Donnie gets back, I'm commissioning him to make Shell Cells that reach deep space. I will personally ground him from every other project he's working on, until he has them made and ready for use out in the field."
Still shivering on the bed, Leonardo gave a heavy nod of agreement.
"Ma'am? I have Doctor Lowrey on for you."
April jumped at the sound of the receptionist returning to the call, her head popping off the bed, even as she scrambled to lift her phone back to her ear without dropping it, "Thank you!"
"This is Doctor Lowrey," a smooth baritone drawled, the lilt of a southern accent making his voice sound warm and trustworthy, "how can I help you?"
April felt the tension in her shoulders ease now that she was talking to an actual doctor, "Yes," she gulped, straightening up to talk as if he were in the room, "uh, Leo, he…I mean, my turtle, Leonardo," Lord this was awkward, talking about Leo as if he were a pet, and judging by the grimace on his face, he certainly wasn't a fan of it either, "he cracked his shell."
"The nurse said he was a box turtle," Anthony Lowrey chuckled, making April relax even more. Honestly,the man's voice was audible sunlight, April was certain if she looked hard enough, pure gold and stardust was coming through the speaker. "They can be pretty feisty buggers, especially sexually mature males, they have a way of escaping their terrariums and finding all kinds of trouble."
The human woman was now struggling not to cackle at how mortified Leonardo looked at the moment, his cheeks burning with a rosy blush. "Yeah," April grinned, giving a teasing wink to her little brother. The sibling in question merely pouted, proceeding to stuff his head under the forgiving plush of his pillow, "he's a troublemaker all right."
"How old?"
"Seventeen," she answered breezily, before green eyes widened in panic. Dang it! He'd got her to lower her guard with his stupidly sweet old-man voice! "I mean-!"
"Oh no! A teenager!" Anthony said with a mock gasp, "It's no wonder he found himself in a pickle. He's definitely going to keep you on your toes, I hope you're up to the challenge!"
Once again, April couldn't deny the soothing nature of the vet's conversation skills, plus the fact he was talking about Leo like a person, and not just some dumb animal, "I don't think I am," she sighed, "I'm not doing a very good job at the moment."
"You're doing fine," the vet consoled, "the marvelous thing about box turtles is how durable they are. They're proper little survivors, in fact, their shells have a unique ability to regenerate. So, I'm sure whatever trouble your little guy found, we can patch him up and he'll get better in no time."
"Now, let's get to nitty-gritty," the man cleared the humor from his voice, the tone still calming, but more grave, "where is the crack, and how big is it?"
"Uh, around his right hip, just below his leg," April replied, "It's less than half the length of my pinky."
The veterinarian gave a thoughtful hum, the sound of a pen scratching on paper in the background, "How did it happen?"
"He….fell?" April answered sharing an awkward wince with Leo, who had poked his head out from the pillow.
"Box turtles, bunch of escape artists," Anthony muttered.
Leonardo's shoulders shook with a stifled snort of amusement, making the woman smile gently. She had to give Leo some massive credit. Despite enduring levels of pain that she was sure any regular person would never be able to handle, he was still managing to stay coherent enough to be a part of the conversation over the phone, and even laugh at the vet's sense of humor.
"Alrighty then," the man stated, "I'll make sure I have space for him, but you're going to need to bring him in as soon as possible today."
April's face paled as she processed the vet's words, "Bring him in?"
"Yes, I need to see the site of the crack, and then clean it it out so we can repair it."
Okay, she was officially panicking again, "I-I….I can't!" She spluttered, "he's too…too…big? Yeah, he's much too big, and I can't carry him on my own."
The silence on the other end was deafening, "Too big? You did say he's a box turtle, right? They're pretty small, generally speaking. Are you sure he's a box turtle and not a tortoise?"
"Yes! No? Uh, maybe?" The woman stammered. Leonardo rolled his eyes, face collapsing back into the pillow as April continued the most embarrassing phone call of his mutated life. "I don't know, I just know he's got a crack and I need to fix it, but I can't bring him in. It's really complicated."
"Look, ma'am, I understand you're under a lot of pressure and on top of all that, you're scared for little Leo, but a crack in a shell requires a level of technical skill to repair that demands the care of a specialist." Anthony explained, his tone now tinged with worry and genuine concern, "is there a reason you can't bring him in?"
April drew in a shaky breath, panic pooled in her stomach, scorching her gut like acid, "He's just too big to carry, like I said."
"Box turtles have an extraordinary lifespan," Anthony stated, suspicion lacing his kind voice, "but I've never seen one too big to carry."
"I cannot bring him in," April repeated, tone stern and slightly desperate, "he needs help, but moving him is not an option!"
"Ma'am," suddenly the vet's voice pitched low, as if he were leaning close to the receiver, "are you in some sort of trouble? I won't do anything you aren't comfortable with, but if you are, are you safe?"
If she could burst into tears, she would, but she had a teenager who was staying calmer than she was, and he had a much better excuse to have said meltdown. So, for now, she had to maintain control over her emotions, "Doctor," she said, her tone soft with fatigue and heavy with fear, "I can't explain exactly why I can't bring him in, all I can do is ask that you please trust me when I say that we do need your help, and I while I can't bring him in, I can follow instructions and I'm very good with my hands."
April drew in a steadying breath, gripping the phone so hard, it turned her knuckles white, "I use to work as a scientist, I would build robots with very intricate designs that often required precise motor control. Please, I know it's probably against policy, but please, walk me through the procedure?"
Leonardo gulped, agonized sapphire eyes watching his human sister, as they both endured the long silence on the other end of the line. Seconds that felt like hours ticked by, and finally the vet could be heard stomping across a room, and then closing and locking a door. "Do you have FaceTime?"
Tears escaped emerald eyes, April practically sobbing as she gave an affirmative, "Yes, I do!"
"Alright, this could get me in hot water, but I'm going to help you. However, if anything goes wrong, I'm going to trust you to not use it against our clinic?"
A red ponytail bobbed as April gave an enthusiastic nod, "Absolutely!"
"Fine then, I'm going to FaceTime you at this number in ten minutes. In the meantime, you need to gather these items to do fix his shell. First thing you'll need is a scraping tool, then get some iodine, chlorohexidine solution, q-tips, zip ties, and some heavy duty super glue. Got all that?"
"Yes!"
"Good, see you in ten."
The line disconnected, and April was frozen in something between shock and urgency. She knew she needed to get to finding the items the vet listed, but she was almost numb with trepidation. Leo leaned up from the pillow, pallid face lined with fear and concern, "Are you sure…this's a good idea?"
His words were starting to slur again. A pale hand reached out rest on the weary green brow, and April couldn't help but cluck unhappily. His fever had risen in the time they'd been on the phone. No, this probably wasn't a good idea, but Leo needed help, and even though this was incredibly risky, they truly didn't have any other choice. Leonardo seemed to sense this, watching April struggle to reply as he laid back down, and closed his eyes. They had zero other options, and no way to contact his family for the moment. Which just left them putting their lives into the hands of a complete stranger, a terrifying concept, no matter how nice he sounded over the phone.
So, heart pounding, April jumped up from the bedside, and sprinted down to Donnie's lab. She knew exactly where everything the vet said they needed was located, and in mere moments, had all the items clutched to her chest as she ran back to Leo's room. She had briefly considered bringing anesthesia with her; however, Donnie had told her that they had an uneasy relationship with the chemical, their unique biology forced to walk a fine line between being put under and being put down. Unfortunately, the genius turtle had never told her the safe amount to inject in case they ever needed it. So, she was forced to leave it behind. With a few more jogged hops up the stairs, April made it back to the bedroom. Just in time too, as the phone was chirping with the FaceTime alert. April snatched the phone off the floor, and answered, ensuring only the ceiling could be seen.
"Doctor? I'm ready when you are."
"Right," a kindly face lined with age stared back at her, greying and silver short cropped hair sat atop expressive eyebrows, and sky blue eyes holding wisdom that could pierce the soul, "turn the camera so I can inspect the site."
The woman leaned forward, adjusting the phone so that when she turned the camera, it would be focused just on Leo's carapace without giving clues to his true nature. The camera turned a flashlight on, illuminating the crack and April winced. Inside the crack was a small area that was slightly discolored, a pale yellowish off white. No doubt infected. Doctor Lowrey shared her grimace, shaking his head gravely. "It's infected, that's for sure," he sighed, "all right, this isn't going to be pleasant, but you're going to need to use your scraping tool on that area. Once you're done, grab the chlorohexidine solution, and rinse out the inside of the injury. That will sanitize the wound and kill the infection."
April clenched her eyes shut, immeasurable grief making her dizzy. Looking down at Leonardo, she saw his already pale features go noticeably more grey, however, Leo was nothing if not stalwart. Shaking hands brought the folds of his blanket up to his mouth, before he took the material between his teeth and bit down. Tortured sapphire eyes then met sorrowful emerald, and Leo gave an encouraging nod. He'd stay quiet during the procedure, he wouldn't give his identity as a mutant away. April's heart shattered at her feet, and the woman swallowed back a wave of nausea.
It was so unfair.
Why did this sweet, loving child have to endure a life where he would be hurt over and over again? To have PTSD at a level only seen in war veterans coming back from the horrors of battle, and at such a young age? Why was he so familiar with pain, and suffering alone, that he would willingly bite down on his blanket, and act as if trying to not make a sound, as someone dug around in his insides, was normal? It made April sick. More than that, it made her mad. The whole family deserved better than this. All her boys deserved to live in the sun, accepted and loved for who they were. Not this. Never this. How she wished she could correct it, that she could pull them close and rock their fears away, to kiss their owwies like a mother would for their own children, and make the pain go away. April wasn't sure when she stopped feeling like a sister to them, and started nurturing this maternal feeling that was growing in her heart, but she had a sneaking suspicion it'd been there for a while.
Once again meeting Leo's gaze, April nodded back, signaling to him that she was about to start. Now came the hard part.
Putting the scraping tool inside the crack, the human woman bit back the sob in the back of her throat, even as Leo bit back one of his own. The turtle gave low, almost inaudible, moans, his trembling increasing tenfold, but April would not scold him for his lack of control. Not for this. As gently as she could, the scientist scraped at the infected area with the vet keeping watch through the phone. To his credit, Leonardo managed to force his legs not to buck, keeping the movement controlled to only feeble twitches. April had never been so proud, or so sick with sheer grief, for Leo as she was in that moment. The teen heaved on the bed, deep labored breaths, even as calloused green fingers clenched the blanket hard enough to make it rip. However, she steadfastly continued to clean the discolored site. Slowly scraping out the infected parts of the carapace and wiping it on a paper towel.
Finally, the horrible deed was done, and April grabbed thechlorohexidine solution. Setting the bottle down for just a moment, April squeezed Leo's shoulder, both as a comfort and as a warning. She was saying to him that he needed to brace himself for what was coming. Leonardo gave another shivered nod, clenching his eyes shut, body tensing up. With a shaky breath, April squirted the solution into the crack, but unfortunately neither were prepared for the pain that would follow.
An audible hiss, followed by white frothy bubbles welled inside the crack, and despite Leonardo's incredible strength, not even he could remain silent. A building wail stretched his throat, forcing the mutated terrapin to curl into the fetal position fiercely biting down on his blanket. However, the pain wouldn't subside, it continued to burn, the sensation growing like a bonfire inside his very bones, and the agony that Leo once thought he could manage, now spilled over like magma from a volcanic breach. The wail suddenly exploded into a tormented screech, and April, panicking, hung up on the veterinarian; the man openly staring at the screen in startled shock. She knew, she absolutely knew, that he was going to have questions when he called her back. Because that scream was undoubtedly human, but the shell was undoubtedly reptile. There was no way he missed it, and there was no way she could explain it. Leo's secret was out, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it. It was her fault.
Oh God, what had she done?
April shook her head. That was a problem for later, Leonardo needed her now. The turtle in question was writhing on the bed, muscled arms wrapped around himself in a pseudo hug, but also to protect himself from trying to rip at the injury as the cleaning agent finally calmed. If the redhead thought her heart was shattered before, it was ground into dust at this point. The eldest had never looked to her as young as he did right in this moment. Tears hovered in the clenched eyes, even as the teen warrior's mouth twisted into a desperate grimace. It was a losing battle though, because as the agony eased, gut wrenching sobs wracked the broad shoulders, building into ugly, raw weeping.
April scrambled up onto the bed, following the instinctual maternal urging to soothe away the pain. Sitting against the headboard, the woman gathered Leo in her arms, and began to gently rock him, one hand stroking his head and rubbing calming circles into his shell. The green cheeks burned with another rosy blush at the attention, but didn't pull away, turning to press his head against her. She figured that the eldest was embarrassed by having to be treated like a child, but the way he clutched her, arms wrapped around her waist, beak buried in her stomach, he obviously needed the comfort. He tried to hide his tears, a shaking hand constantly wiping away the salty trails dripping down his cheeks, even as he shyly refused to meet her gaze. The redhead made very little comment, beyond murmuring soothing words meant to calm and comfort, allowing Leo the space he needed to pull himself back together.
"S-Sorry," Leo hiccuped, "I couldn't stay quiet…f-failed…now he knows…"
"No, it's my fault," April quickly swiped away a single tear that dropped down her face, struggling to stay strong for the teen, "I'm the one who called him."
"I fell off the…the roof," Leonardo shuddered, tears finally beginning to subside, "wouldn't be here…if I hadn't been so stupid."
The redhead stroked the warm cheek, even as she gave a disapproving scowl at the teen, "Leo, I'm going to pretend you didn't say something rude about yourself. Otherwise, you wouldn't like my response to it."
Leo opened his mouth to counter her argument, but their debate was quickly cut short as the phone once again began ringing. The duo stared at it, their eyes haunted and wary, "Do we answer it?" he asked softly.
April hesitated, hand trembling as she pulled the phone into her lap, "We have to," she mourned, "we still haven't finished fixing your shell."
"We can take it from here," Leonardo insisted, "I know what he wants to use those zip ties for, I can walk you through the rest."
"I'm sure you can," the human sighed, "but if we close the crack and there's still infection in there that we didn't see, it could get much worse, and I don't want to take that chance."
The turtle released an uncharacteristic whine of distress, arms tightening around her in an unconscious need for reassurance. However, he knew that April was right. They needed the doctor. So, the redhead answered the phone, and once again made sure the camera was pointed away from both of them. Anthony Lowrey looked haggard, to say the least, his grey hair ruffled as if he had run his fingers through it repeatedly. However, what April wasn't prepared for, was the genuine worry and honest compassion shining through the sky blue eyes. It took her off guard, she was ready to take on an angry face, or one filled with disgust and suspicion, but this was exactly the opposite.
"Young lady, I thought I saw, no, I know I saw…and I heard," the vet began, pausing to gather his words before shaking his head, "Never mind, let's finish this."
April nodded her enthusiastic approval, patting Leo so he would let go. The young turtle reluctantly returned to his prior position, biting down on his blanket, even as he shuddered in apprehension. First, they double checked the crack, and thankfully, the veterinarian was happy to report it required no further cleaning, and even had a chance to dry. "Now, you're going to cut the zip ties close to the head, then superglue both ends on either side of the crack."
The human was quick to obey, taking two zip ties, cutting and arranging the ends on either side of the injury. After the superglue dried, she slipped the ends of the zip ties through the buckle, and slowly, carefully, pulled them through, until the crack was brought back together. Leo was almost silent through this, despite their cover already being blown, however, he still had to stifle the breathy whimpers that snuck out between his teeth, "Very good," Anthony nodded, "You'll need to keep that on his shell for at least the next three weeks, that should give him enough time to heal and then use goo gone to remove the zip ties from the carapace."
"Thank you," April breathed.
"I'm glad I could help," the vet replied, before his features drooped into something more thoughtful, and also curious, "may I ask," he began slowly, his tone cautious, "Leonardo, is something more than a turtle, isn't he?"
April opened her mouth, only to choke on her words. She and Leo shared a quiet glance, unsure of what to say. "I can't really answer that."
Anthony nodding, face understanding, "Were you… responsible for his creation?" He probed gently.
"I wasn't there when he was born, no." The woman replied, "Like I said, we found each other."
"So, he wasn't….it wasn't….what I mean is, how he came to be," the vet stammered, "it wasn't natural?"
Human and turtle were silent, until Leo softly stated, "It wasn't natural, no."
Sky blue eyes widened with wonder, the elderly man's mouth dropping open, "Oh," he breathed, "I see….and, are there others like you?"
The blue clad turtle hunched against April, despite the camera still facing the ceiling, he seemed to curl up against her for protection, "You know I can't answer that." He quavered.
"Of course," Anthony nodded, tapping his chin thoughtfully, "I guess the fact that you're even speaking to me, would be considered extremely dangerous for you."
"Very much so," Leo agreed, "there are people who hunt…well, me. They wouldn't hesitate to capture and experiment on me, or even just kill me, if they had the opportunity."
"Right, I'm so sorry, son." The veterinarian sighed, removing his glasses from his face, and massaging the bridge of his nose between two fingers. The line was quiet for several heartbeats, then the doctor returned, his clear blue eyes still shining with compassion and understanding, "I can't imagine how very stressful, not to mention lonely, that is for you. I am so, deeply, sorry."
Leonardo suddenly seemed choked up, eyes turning glassy at the genuine, kind nature of the doctor. "Thank you," he whispered.
For about two minutes, both parties sat in contemplative silence, then the doctor drew in a steadying breath, "Okay," he asserted, shifting back into medical professional mode, "I'm going to issue an antibiotic regimen that you can pick up at my clinic. It will be under Leonardo's name, and my nurse will explain how he's supposed to take it. The medication will help further treat the infection, just make sure you use iodine to clean the crack every day. I'll include a potent pain killer as well, he's not going to be able to sleep comfortably until his shell heals, so he'll need the extra help to keep the pain at a manageable level."
"Once again, thank you." April said, rubbing soothing circles into the battered shell.
Anthony merely nodded, opened his mouth as if to say something else, but swiftly changed his mind, shaking his head. The elderly man merely gazed into the camera, despite not being able to see his patient, nor April. Instead, he gave them a somewhat watery smile, before hanging up. Apparently, he was unsure of how to address the woman and her odd turtle. April didn't complain about the abrupt end to their conversation, dropping her phone into her lap, the human leaned her weary head against the mattress. "I need to go pick up your prescriptions," she said, tone heavy with exhaustion, "then we can get that fever of yours down."
Leo, looking uncharacteristically unsure and vulnerable, softly gripped the blanket in a shaky fist, "Do….do you have to go?"
The meek question, sounding so much like the fragile plea of a child, pricked at the human's heart. Of course, Leo didn't want to be alone right now, he just experienced something traumatic at best. Again! No, as badly as he required the medicine, he just as fiercely needed someone to stay nearby, he needed reassurance that this crazy day wouldn't end in the deaths of him, his brothers and father, he needed to not have to be strong and stoic, he needed the closest thing to a mother that he could find. Picking her phone back up, April quickly typed out a text message to her husband, instructing him to pick up the prescriptions, and sent the address of the clinic, then climbed back up onto the bed.
"No," she said, stroking the feverish cheek, "I don't have to go."
…
The living room of the lair lay in silence, not a sound disturbing it's rare sense of peace. This was not to last, as two flashes of light lit up the space, one bright white, with the image of Donatello being reassembled from a million tiny pieces, while the other was a faint blue, looking much like a floating puddle. Raphael stepped through; an overnight bag slung over one shoulder. Donatello shook his head as the light around him faded, one hand massaging a tender stomach.
"I'll never get used to that," he moaned queasily.
"Hey, it's yer fault for makin' friends with aliens." Raphael chortled.
Donnie pouted, turning a scowl to his older brother, "You made friends with an alien," he sulked, "so why do you get to use the Nexus chant?"
Raph spread his hands, shoulders bouncing in a shrug, "Don't know, don't care," he grinned, "I'm just happy I'm not usin' that teleportal."
Donnie opened his mouth to continue bemoaning the unfairness of it all, but his words were lost at the sound of Mikey coming through the front door, however, his usual energy was decidedly missing. The youngest stumbled towards his brothers, only to drop onto the couch. Don and Raphael watched this in bemused interest, "Yo, Mike," the brawler attempted, reaching down to poke the motionless orange ninja, "Ya okay?"
Michelangelo gave a dramatic groan, eyes shut and limbs lax as he settled further into the couch cushions, "I'm never going to whine about the training Leo puts us through ever again," he moaned, "because the Silver Sentry, despite being an awesomely cool superhero, is way tougher. I don't think I can move any part of my body right now."
"You don't seem to have any trouble moving your mouth," Donatello snickered.
"Oh, gosh," Mikey snarked back, "that was so funny I forgot to laugh,"
"Don't worry, I didn't," Raphael proceeded to cackle as the youngest pouted.
Sitting up from the couch, Mikey stuck his tongue out at his siblings, blowing a vehement raspberry, before standing to stomp his way to the kitchen. "I'm gonna get started on dinner," he grumbled, "so you better be nice, or you'll quickly discover that you can't stay off the toilet for the next few days."
Raphael and Donnie shared an amused glance, but kept their beaks shut. Choosing rather to sit at the table as Mikey bustled around them. The brawler leaned back in his chair, a contented smirk on his face, "I had a blast with Traximus, but shell, it's good ta be home."
The purple clad ninja paused digging through his overnight bag long enough to nod his agreement, "You're telling me!" He said, mischief glinting in chocolate brown eyes, "observing the black hole with Professor Honeycutt was fascinating, but as advanced as the Utrom are, their idea of what constitutes as food is…not quite as awe inspiring as their tech."
"So, what you're saying is, you're hungry?" Michelangelo asked dryly, his mouth quirking into a smile.
"I'm starving," Donnie exclaimed, throwing himself across the kitchen table, Raphael guffawing at his theatrics, "please, oh little brother of mine, feed me before I wither away to nothing!"
"Sheesh, keep your shell on," Mikey snickered, "I'll whip something up so I don't have to listen to you whine."
Donatello giggled, watching the youngest start opening cabinets and pulling down several kinds of spices. Suddenly, the brown eyes caught sight of the jumbo sticky note he'd left on the fridge now resting on the tabletop, "Huh, I guess April must have stopped by."
Raphael followed Donnie's line of sight, nodding in understanding, "She found yer note?" green fingers plucked up the piece of paper as topaz eyes read it, "Jeez, Don, ya tryin' ta jinx Leo, or somthin'?" Raph scoffed.
"What do you mean?" Donatello swiped the note from Raph, Mikey pausing so to read the message over the genius' shoulder.
"I'm with Raphie on this one," the orange clad ninja stated with a grave shake of his head, "writing something like 'can you check on Leo because he gets into trouble,' is practically begging for the universe to throw a curve ball. I thought you'd learned better than to do that, Donnie?"
Donatello rolled his eyes, "I'm sure Leo is just fine, and I didn't jinx him, Mikey."
"Okay," Mikey shrugged, his features still drawn with worry, "whatever you say, Donnie."
"Speakin' of," Raph murmured, liquid gold eyes doing a quick sweep of the lair, "where is Fearless?"
"He's probably meditating in his room, or something," The youngest hummed, opening the refrigerator, before suddenly freezing, his baby blue eyes furrowed with worried confusion, "That's strange,"
"What is?" Donatello plugged his shell cell into the wall, waiting for it to turn on when the battery had enough juice.
"There's like, three days of uneaten meals in here," Mikey explained, checking the labels, "he didn't eat Saturday's breakfast burrito, or any of the meals following that."
"That's….weird," Raphael stated, while Leonardo still ate sparingly, he'd come along way in not skipping meals anymore, "did he suddenly learn ta cook or somethin'?"
This was the moment that Don's shell cell gave a chirp as it came back to life, showing one missed call and one unheard voicemail. The genius turtle suddenly felt unease bubbling in his gut, and it had nothing to do with the teleportation device. Apprehensive fingers picked up the device, and then clicked to his voicemail, selecting the unheard message, "Odd," he murmured, "it's from April, and she left it sometime last night."
"Play it," Raphael demanded, his own gaze heavy with fearful concern.
Donatello nodded, pressing play on the shell cell, all three brothers leaning in as the message began. The first thing they heard was frustrated groan then the sound of an extremely worried April saying, "Where do I start?"
This was not a good sign. The younger siblings shared paranoid glances, then listened as she pulled in a steadying breath. After several seconds, the human woman began speaking, "Hey, Donnie, I'm at the lair and you called it…Leo landed in a boatload of trouble. I don't have the whole story, and I'm pretty sure it was an accident, but he's got a crack in his shell, not to mention an extremely high fever! I don't know what to do, or how to help, but I'm going to do my best. I'll call again and leave another message to let you know how it goes."
The message ended, leaving the brothers staring in shock, gaping at the device held in Donatello's, now shaking, hand. Mikey slowly sat down at the table, baby blue eyes wide, "You did jinx him," he whispered, tone dripping in horror.
Donnie didn't reply, the scientist was on his feet and sprinting towards the stairs, followed closely by his brothers. Skillfully vaulting up the stairway, the ninja were up on the second floor in no time as they burst through their brother's door, only to skid to a stop.
The room was a bit of a mess, medical tools, iodine, and other items from their med bay littered at bedside on the floor. A crisp white paper bag sat on the eldest's nightstand, two pill bottles sitting open, while a glass of room temperature water stood guard. However, what made them quiet down so suddenly, was the occupants of the bed. April sat with her back against Leo's headboard, chest moving up and down in peaceful sleep, as one pale hand rested on Leonardo's unmasked head; occasionally moving to caress the relaxed brow in sleepy strokes. Their leader was piled under blankets, with only his right leg and hip exposed, showing the garish crack spoken of in the voicemail. Leo appeared deeply asleep, his face cuddled firmly into the pillow situated in April's lap.
Donatello crept forward, silent as a ghost, to place the back of his fingers against his older brother's cheek. Though still dealing with something of a low-grade fever, Donnie was relieved to say that his brother seemed better than what he was described as when April left the message on his phone. Shuffling down, the genius eyed the crack, joined by Raphael and Michelangelo. Donnie grimaced, clenching his hands as he resisted the urge to physically probe the injury. The good news was, April was obviously doing a great job keeping it clean, and the zip ties were holding the break together nicely. He also couldn't see any concerning discoloration along the crack, nor on the edge of the carapace on the scutes. Based on what he could see, there was no reason Leo wouldn't make a full recovery.
Raphael swiped a pill bottle off the nightstand, reading it's label, before giving an amused chuff, "No wonder Fearless is dead ta the world," he whispered, mindful of the sleeping members of their family, as he showed Donatello what was written, "they got him on the good stuff, he's gonna be out of it for hours!"
The purple ninja rubbed his furrowed brow, brown eyes narrow with confusion, "Yeah, but how'd they get a hold of legitimate prescriptions? And who's Anthony Lowrey?"
"I think this answers that question," Mikey murmured, drawing out a handwritten letter left inside the white paper bag.
Donatello slowly took the paper from the youngest's hands, unfolding it so to read it out loud.
"To my most mysterious patient,
To begin, I apologize. This must have been a stressful, not to mention terrifying, experience. I hope that I did not make things worse on you with my prying, especially after so painful a moment as that was. You know to what I'm referring to. Im sure you understand it was as much a shock for me, as it was for you. However, I did not wish to make you feel fearful that I would take advantage of your tenuous circumstances.
So, to the matter, I wish to write this as a way to personally promise that your secret is safe with me. Granted, I did not see much, and you kept your own identity secret, so even if I had malicious intent, I would have very little to go on. However, I do not have any ill will towards you, as I heard the deep love you held in your voice, and as an experienced medical provider to our animal community, I know when a human is committed and devoted to their canine, feline, or in your case, reptile family member. Your strength is to be commended.
So, as I said before, I will tell no one of our rather hectic experience.
Now, as for Leonardo, make sure he takes his antibiotics every morning and evening, preferably with a meal, and give him a pain pill every five to six hours. He's going to be uncomfortable as it is, it would be unfair to make him endure more than he's already had to, so I made sure to prescribe him a healthy dose.
Due to your, well, let's call them unique, circumstances, I have chosen to extend an olive branch. It is yours to do with as you wish. You see, I'm an old man, my wife passed away some five years ago and I have no family in the area. I do not think it would be inappropriate to say that I am, quite, lonely. Outside of the clinic, I live a very isolated and quiet life. However, I have always wanted to do more, but was unsure of what an old, retired Vietnam veteran could do. Now, I believe I may have an idea.
I'm enclosing my home address, and my personal phone number. I pray he will never need it, but should Leonardo ever require the aid of a medical doctor again, one that might be better suited to his more, should we say exotic qualities? He, and anyone else like him, may find me there. I offer my services, and my friendship.
I understand that you may not wish to take the chance, we are strangers after all! However, I would dearly like to meet this extraordinary young man, and possibly follow up on his progress after our procedure to fix his shell. As I said, my offer is yours to do with as you wish, however, it will stand for as long as I'm alive.
Discuss this with him, and I hope this may not be the last time we speak. Till then, I pray for your good fortune, and hope that I may now count you both as my friends.
With all concern, and friendship,
Yours faithfully,
Anthony Lowrey
Donatello sucked in a shaky breath, tears welling in his eyes and spilling down scaly cheeks. Michelangelo sniffled beside him, also incredibly moved by the compassionate letter that offered a safe haven should they ever find an injury that Donnie couldn't fix. Even Raph was misty eyed, slowly nodding his approval, before addressing his brothers in a choked up rasp, "Donnie, I think ya should investigate this guy. Look up anything ya can find on him, and when ya got everything, we can talk it over as a family. Who knows, maybe this Anthony Lowrey could make a great ally?"
"I'll clear it with Leo," the genius nodded, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand, "but yeah, I think you're right."
"He sounds really nice," Mikey murmured, rereading the letter as he held it in shaking hands, "he didn't talk about Leo like he was a monster at all, not even a little bit.
"You're right, he didn't," Donnie nodded.
"Don?" April's sleepy voice suddenly stirred from the bed, and the brothers quickly stood so she could see them. The woman needed a moment to focus hazy green eyes, but soon she was smiling in relief, "You're all home!" She breathed happily.
"Yeah, we're home," Donatello whispered, leaning forward to give a small hug to the human they considered sister, "I'm so sorry you had to go through all this alone."
April hugged the mutant as tightly as she could without disturbing the sleeping turtle in her lap, "It's ok," she reassured, "that's what family's for right?"
"Heh," Raph chuffed with a nod, "yeah, so, how's Fearless?"
The human glanced down, caressing the once fevered brow, only to give another relieved grin, "His fever broke," she reported, "poor guy was in so much pain, he couldn't sleep until Casey got here with the pain killer."
"Speaking of which," Mikey broke in, "we read the letter, what happened?"
April grimaced, emerald gaze lowering with guilt as she busied her hands with gently scratching the top of Leo's shell. "I'm so sorry," she rasped, "I didn't know what to do, and then the procedure was so, so painful for Leo, he accidentally screamed. I never wanted to endanger him, but we didn't have any other choice."
"We're not blaming ya, April," Raphael rumbled, features soft with sorrowful understanding, "ya did what ya had ta, and ya saved Leo, we can't ask of ya any more than that."
"Did he tell you what happened?" Donnie asked, changing the topic.
The human suddenly found her mouth twitching into a wry grin, "Not really, he said something about fighting a big bug that knocked him off a roof. I'm just chalking it up to Leo finding trouble in a way only he can."
"See, you did jinx him," Mikey drawled, elbowing Donnie in the side.
The scientist rolled his eyes, "I did not jinx him!"
"Um, I'm pretty sure you did," Michelangelo countered, "if you had never written that Leo gets in trouble on your note, nothing very well could have happened while we were gone!"
Don groaned, although April was quick to pipe up, "I think I'm with Mikey on this one," she giggled, "haven't you learned by now that you guys have horrible luck?"
"How many times do I have to reiterate that luck is a non-quantifiable phenomenon?" The genius terrapin growled, "We can't even say it exists, much less assign whether it's good or bad!"
"Oh, trust me," Raphael snickered, "it exists, and it hates us."
"Well, it can't hate us too badly," Mikey cut in, "because of our supposed 'bad luck', we might have a new friend who's also a doctor. So, less stress on Donnie, right?"
"Assuming Fearless decides ta let us make contact," Raph said with a curt nod, "but if he's okay with it, then I am too."
"I think he can be trusted," April stated, eyes warm, "I saw him, saw how he handled the moment Leo's nature as a mutant was exposed. He truly cared only for your brother's health. I think we should introduce ourselves."
"Ooh! Ooh!" Mikey exclaimed, bouncing with excitement, "He said he was lonely, we could invite him for game night! And Dad could have another old geezer friend!"
"One step at a time, dimwit," Raphael shook his head in fond exasperation, "let's wait till Fearless is healed up, then we invite him for dinner, 'Kay?"
"Sweet!"
Donatello chuckled, warmth filling every part of his heart and spreading to the tips of his fingers and toes. Looking down at their sleeping leader, the genius breathed a silent prayer of gratitude that Leo was healing, and most importantly, alive. Although, while he had a lovely time with the Utrom's in space, the scientist had a feeling it would be a while before the family felt secure enough to go on individual out of town trips. At least, for the time being, right now though, he was going to focus on seriously upgrading their shell cells.
How'd you like that? I had something completely different planned for this chapter, but this idea took over. I'll still be writing my original plan, but I really like how this turned out.
What do you think, should I keep the veterinarian around?