Heya readers! Last Chapter, Dahlia told James she had an idea that could help Raphael, what was the idea? Well read below to find out!
Note: The Character Alice the Chinchilla belongs to my dear friend and co-writer Tyroth Darkstorm, and this is Alice's first major role on Fanfiction, although she has had a few cameos in our fics as well as a larger role in Tyroth Darkstorm's non-canon fic 'The Nymph Curse' that can be found on the website Archive of Our Own under Tyroth's name, just type Tyroth Darkstorm's name into the search bar for people on the site if you want to give it a read!
Chapter Twelve
Dahlia's Idea
In the residential area of Mutopia, in one of the bedrooms, a female grey chinchilla lay on her bed listening to some music through her earphones on a cassette tape Walkman.
Even though most Mutopians preferred the modern version of listening to music, either through phones or updated music centres, this certain Mutopian had spent a lot of her time in the eighties and Nineties and enjoyed the retro style of that era.
In one area of her room on a chest of drawers, she had an old style boombox with a CD player and twin cassette tapes which she used to make her mixed cassettes.
Also in her room were posters of singers, and tv shows from the eighties and nineties along with some other items she had collected through Cam and Barry's help when they scavenged the surface.
A few of these items included a pink and purple inflatable chair and footrest, some lava lamps, and some Firby Toys, which didn't work, but she didn't mind as she loved the nostalgic feeling they gave her.
Just then a knock was heard on her door and luckily the music wasn't too loud, so she was able to hear and answer the knock.
"Come on in!" she called swinging her legs over and sitting up then she saw Dahlia walk in.
"Oh, hey She-Wolf!" she said, "What brings you here?"
"Hey Alice." Dahlia replied, "I'm not disturbing you, am I?"
"Oh no! Not at all!" The Chinchilla smiled as she ran a hand over her straight back hair "How…How are the patients?" she asked in a worried voice.
Dahlia bit her lip.
"Donatello and Monalisa are still in their comas, as the poison still hasn't been purged, Kemeko's physically healing, yet she's suffering badly from PTSD, and Raphael's getting there slowly, but we still can't see any fast improvement in getting his voice back."
Alice looked sad.
She along with everyone else knew about their friends' conditions and she felt so sorry for them, and especially for Pandora as her parents were badly injured.
"It's because of Raphael I came to talk to you." Dahlia said, "And I hope you can help."
Alice looked up at the wolf and a small knowing smile crossed her face as she realised what the wolf was going to ask.
Back in the sickbay, Raphael was laying in his bed staring at the ceiling, still reeling from the fact he was unable to speak.
On his lap he had a pad and pen so he could write down what he wanted to say, and he also had a whistle so he could blow it and call for attention if needed.
He turned his head to Monalisa who lay in the bed next to him.
James and Dahlia had moved his bed closer to Monalisa's so he could see her, yet he was able to hold her or touch her since he was still attached to drips and both Mutopian Medics had said he needed to rest some more before they could allow him to leave the sickbay.
Tears filled the turtle's eyes as he looked at his mate and he wondered when she would wake up, and when she did, what she would say or react to the fact he could no longer speak to her, tell her he loved her, or that he was so scared for her when he had seen her fall during the battle.
He thought of Pandora and how devastated she was, that he was now mute, and he wondered what he could do to comfort her.
He had been told by James that his brothers, sensei, and his friends would make sure Pandora was supported during this stressful and scary time, but he felt like a failure as Pandora was his daughter and his responsibility and he was stuck in the medical room unable to be the dad he wanted to be, and unable to speak.
As Raphael continued to lie there feeling sorry for himself, the door opened, and Dahlia walked in.
"Hey Raphael!" she said in a kind voice "How are you?"
Raphael sighed and sat up before picking up the pad and writing on it before showing it to Dahlia.
'So, so.'
Dahlia kept the same smile, yet it was a sad one.
"I just came to check on you." She said, "And also to bring someone to visit." She turned to the door and Alice appeared.
Raphael cocked his head on one side in question, then he saw Alice place her thumb to her forehead then salute to him before making a few gestures with her hands.
Raphael was even more confused as he watched.
"You know Alice, right?" Dahlia asked to which Raphael nodded with the same confused look.
Alice chuckled.
"Hey Raphael." She said, "I just said Hey there, how are you doing today?"
Raphael blinked then looked at Dahlia.
"Alice believes she might be able to help you find a way to communicate until if and when we can get your voice back." The wolf explained as she checked Raphael's machines as well as the drips before taking a step back.
"I'll let you two talk for a bit, okay?" she said before leaving the room and winking at Alice as she left.
Raphael watched her leave then turned to Alice, he opened his mouth to speak, but again the same hissing sound came from his throat, and he touched it, his heart sinking as he remembered he couldn't speak.
Alice felt bad for the turtle, but she decided to explain to him why she was here.
"Dahlia asked me to come and see you, because I happen to know American Sign Language or ASL for short and I believe it will help you." She said with a small smile.
Raphael stared at the Chinchilla and narrowed his eyes.
"I know what you're thinking!" Alice smiled "How do I know ASL, well, when I was human, I was deaf."
Raphael looked appalled yet he continued to listen as Alice continued.
"I went deaf slowly after an accident at a concert in nineteen ninety-six." Alice explained "A microphone was dropped, and the feedback was really loud, and I happened to be standing next to the speakers when it happened and it damaged my eardrums, so as my hearing started to fade, I started learning ASL so by the time I almost couldn't hear, I had learnt it fluently."
Raphael frowned.
"Can't tell you how much joy it gave me when I got my hearing back after mutating." Alice smiled "But, I won't bore you with my life story, what I'm saying is, it can work for you as a mute so you can communicate without having to write down everything!" she gestured to the pad.
Raphael looked at the pad then at Alice before picking up the pad and writing on it before showing it to her.
'You can teach me?'
"Of course, I can!" Alice smiled "And we can start now!"
Raphael wrote on the pad again.
'Okay, thank you.'
"Okay!" Alice said "Well, we'll start with the basics!" she lifted her hand and saluted at Raphael "That's easy, that means hello."
Raphael copied Alice then Alice began to show him other ways to say hello in American Sign Language, then goodbye, then please, thank you, yes and no.
Outside the door, Dahlia watched with a small smile, she could see Raphael was willing to learn, even if he did look confused, but he wanted to do something that would help him communicate with his loved ones.
"That was a good idea, Dahlia." James's voice was heard behind her, and Dahlia jumped slightly as she turned around.
"James." She spoke with a breathless tone.
"Sorry my dear," James chuckled patting her shoulder "Didn't mean to scare you."
He looked through the crack in the door and watched the chinchilla and turtle making hand gestures.
Alice would do a hand movement and Raphael followed.
"It's all very well Raphael's learning, and if he never gets his voice back, at least he has a way to communicate."
Dahlia nodded.
"We will keep giving him treatments." She said, "So will Devina, it will be a long road to recovery, but we will get there."
James agreed.
"But then others will need to learn what he's saying as well." He said, "Hopefully they will understand him quickly."
"Only time will tell." Dahlia said then turned from the door to look at Kemeko who was resting in her bed after being recently sedated.
"Time is a healer." She said, "And all those injured will need all the time they need."
James nodded.
"That they will." He said then patted Dahlia's shoulder "Why don't you go and rest for a bit, I'll take over from here."
"You sure?" Dahlia asked.
The Chimpanzee nodded.
"April will be coming over soon, and if I need you, I'll buzz you!" he held up his pager and Dahlia patted hers that hung on the pocket of her blue scrubs.
"Okay." She said patting James's shoulder "Thank you." She then left the sickbay whilst James went to check in with Kemeko and Leonardo.
When Dahlia got outside, she saw Jun walking over talking to Bill the Duck.
Seeing her boyfriend, Dahlia smiled.
At the same time, Jun nodded at Bill who walked off and he went to his girlfriend.
"Hey love." He said, "You alright?"
"I guess." Dahlia said, "I feel a little tired, James gave me a couple of hours off."
Jun wrapped an arm around Dahlia and kissed her cheek.
"You deserve it sweetheart." He said, "After all you've been doing in there."
"Thanks." Dahlia said with a blush.
"How are they?" Jun asked referring to Raphael, Monalisa, Donatello and Kemeko's conditions.
"Getting there." Dahlia reported "Alice has gone in to see Raphael, I suggested to her that she teach him American Sign Language."
"That's a great idea babe!" Jun said, "I should help him!"
"I hope so." Dahlia said, "Although we hope he'll get his voice back, this is an option if that never comes to pass."
"I have faith he'll get his voice back!" Jun assured his girlfriend, "With yours and James's medical knowledge and Devina's magic, Raph should get his voice back!"
"I hope so." Dahlia said yet she yawned.
"My tired sweetheart!" Jun said affectionately, giving Dahlia's shoulders a squeeze "Come on, I'll take you to our room, you could use a nap!"
"Thanks hun." Dahlia said in a tired voice as she leaned on Jun.
"Anything for you hun." Jun replied as they walked to the residential quarters together.
So Dahlia's idea was to ask Alice the Chinchilla to teach Raphael American Sign Language!
Do any of you readers know Sign Language? I learn British Sign Language, and I still remember some of it, quite a useful skill if I may say so! Useful for the deaf and mute!