The next day
Nina opened her eyes, feeling a little dizzy and light-weighted. She reached her hand to rub her eyes, getting the sleep off her eyes, and she pressed her head on her forehead, still warm. Her mind was feeling a little hazy. The last thing Nina remembers is having a mental breakdown in the lab and feeling so sick she passed out. She was trying to leave the lair, only to be brought back by Donnie, who had saved her.
Nina struggled to get up; her muscles were weak, but she managed to get info on her location. And what she thought she would be in her room, only to find herself in someone else's room. She started panicking and tried to get out of bed. But her weak muscles stopped her from moving, so she sat on the bed. She spots Bello sleeping beside a pillow; at least she has her trusted friend.
The door opened, and Donnie came, holding a glass of water and pills. He approached her, smiling a little to let her know he meant no harm. "Hey. How are you feeling?" He asked her.
"Like a plum on a hot day." She answered back. "How did I get here?"
"You passed out from crying too much, and I let you sleep here," Donnie responded, setting the pills and the water by his nightstand and grabbing a chair to sit by his bed. He took his seat and grabbed the water and pills. "Here." He handed them to her.
Nina took the pills and placed them in her mouth. Then, she grabs the water and drinks it, causing the pills to be swallowed with the water. Once she was done, she handed it back to him. She let out a sigh. She had revealed her abuse to Donnie in a state of stress, the one thing she couldn't do. Now she has to explain everything to him.
Donnie began. "Okay, Nina. You need to tell me everything. Why have you never told me about your abusive life, and you were abused?" He questioned her. "I could have helped you."
Nina sadly frowned, looking at her hands gripping the cover. Time to spill the beans. "Because my mom had threatened me. She said if I told anyone of this, she would buy a bomb and send it to one of my family members." She revealed. "So I have to stay quiet so I can protect my pamilya."
Donnie blinked in shock. "She threatened you?" He asked her.
Nina nodded, telling the truth. "In more ways than one."
Donnie was speechless. Why would her mother threaten her daughter like that? Threaten to kill anyone if she explains her abuse. It would explain why she stubbornly refuses to talk to anyone because the threat scares her badly. He cleared his throat. "You said your mother hasn't taken you to see a doctor after your father's death." He mentioned it to her. "Who was he?"
"Benjamin Luck, my Tatay." Nina frowned, thinking about her father. "He was a medicine doctor, and he and I were so close. When he died from a heart disease, my mom began to abuse me." Her hand gripped fighting on the cover. "I never got the chance to say my last goodbye to him…" Her eyes had tears in them."…and I never saw my family after that awful day."
Donnie was horrified by this. This started the day she lost her father, the most awful thing to happen to a child. "If you were abused so badly, how come you never told the police of this?" He asked her about it.
"Because if I did, I would have to be placed in foster care, and my family lives in a different country in the Philippines." Nina turned her head to look at him with sad eyes. "I didn't want to leave the city that reminds me so much of my father, and he had great friends here that are like my family. And if Mom finds out I told the police on her, she will send a bomb to them as a warning." She sniffed at the last part.
"Good lord.." he whispered in disbelief. This woman was a crazy psychopath, hurting anyone who tried to get in her way. Even going far to hurt her daughter to keep her. "I can not believe your father married her and never showed her true color till now.."
Nina sniffed, tears rolling down her cheeks and chin. "I don't know what I did to make her hate me.." she cried, her shoulder shaking.
Donnie reached to his nightstand and grabbed his tissue box, holding it for her. He watched her grab a tissue and wipe her tears off. Once she was finished wiping her tears, he continued asking. "What about your step-father?" He asked about him.
Nina gripped the tissue in her hand, feeling so much rage in her. "Henry, he is the worst." She hissed. "..that guy would just let me starve, lock me away, and he would hit me if one mistake is made." She explained. "He was a professional wrestler till he got fired for almost killing a wrestler during a live match."
"And so he.." Donnie doesn't have to ask about that part. He was as bad as her mother.
"Both mom and he treated me like I am nothing to them," Nina answered, her voice beginning to crack from the emotion she was feeling now. "Their cruel action caused me to grow a hatred for mankind, and I became the prime target of all hate and must survive long enough to get out…" More tears ran down her cheek. "..I can't live anymore if all I do is get hurt more and more for the past ten years…"
Donnie was flabbergasted by this. "Ten years!!?" He shouted. Nina has been abused since she was six years old; she was just a kid when she lost her father, and her mother hurt her at a very young age. This has put an enormous implant on her on the same day.
Nina nodded, her body shaking. "I just want my daddy back…" then she started sobbing. All the pain in her, all the fear she held in her, poured out.
Donnie watched her crying, frowning. This poor girl was so traumatized and so lonely that she didn't have anyone that she could talk to and rely on to help her with her troubles. As he watched her cry, he started to understand why she was fighting against them and shutting them out. Their awful actions turned her into a hateful soul against humanity and struggling to keep herself from dying. She was fighting for her life.
He stood up and sat by her, looking at her crying form. He placed a hand under her chin and tilted it to make her look at him. Her eyes were red from crying, and tears stained her cheeks. "Listen, Nina." He spoke with a caring voice. "I am sorry for all the pain you've been through, and no one could step in to help you. But you don't need to worry and be scared anymore." He used his thumb to wipe a tear falling from her cheek; it caused her to flinch. "You are safe here, and they will never find you, so no more serving. You are free from them, and you can start living again."
Nina sniffed, tears coming down more. "okay…" she frowned. She raises her hand to wipe her eye under her hair. "I'm sorry for my harsh behavior, and I am sorry for almost killing you.." she apologized to him for what she had done to them for the past three months.
"And I'm sorry for being so harsh on you." Donnie apologized for yesterday. "I never meant to insult you. Will you be okay?"
Nina nodded. After talking about her past, she felt a little better.
Donnie smiled a bit at her. "Try going back to sleep; you're still warm, and being sad will make it worse for you." He told her.
Nina slowly lay her body on the bed, placing her head on the pillow and falling asleep. She still feels weak and sick.
Donnie stands up, pulls the cover over her, and exits his room. His mind goes back to what Nina told him about her father. She said he was a medicine doctor when he was alive. He knew he heard that name before but couldn't remember where it was. He begins to go to his lab, hoping to find anything about him and where he heard it from.
Donnie sat down on his chair, opened a browser on his computer, and typed up the name 'Benjamin Luck.' A link to the hospital website was seen. He clicks on it, and the page reveals bio information about him. Even show a picture of him, his date of death. Ten years after New Year's. Donnie saw his medical records and a scholarship in pharmacology, chemistry, and human biology, the same study Nina took. She really took after her father. Then he saw a list of achievements he had, for saving lives and for creating a cure, too. He scrolled down, spotting more pictures of him. One has him in a team of pharmacy doctors, one has him back a patient who shook his hand, another has him working in his office with Filipino culture decor around his computer and desk, and last is a picture of him holding a five-year-old girl. He guessed this was Nina when she was human after her mutation. They were smiling and so happy, too.
He scrolled until he saw what looked like an article saying, 'Young doctor save the day.' He clicked on it and gasped. A picture shows Benjamin in his twenties, standing next to the one and only Lou Jistu, who was shaking his hand as they smiled at the camera. That's when he remembered; he saw a newspaper clip of Splinter's old bedroom back in their old lair, and it shows the article about a young doctor student who was during the filming, and Jistu got injured at the set. Benjamin stepped in and helped with his broken ankle. He can't believe Nina's father met with his father back before.
As he was reading it, he heard a voice behind him. "Hey, D." Donnie turned around and saw his brother, Raph, standing by the entrance. "How's Nina?" He asked him.
Donnie closed the site, returning to his desktop screen. "She's asleep, a side effect from the vaccine." He informed him. "She'll feel better soon."
Raph nodded, glad to hear it. He sighed. "Poor little lady. I can't believe her own parents would do such a nasty deed." He added.
Donnie blinked, and his eyes widened by what Raph said. "Wait, you heard?!!" He yelled.
"Her wailing was loud enough to wake the dead." Raph pointed out. He crossed his arms. "Is there a way we can help her feel better? Mentally?" He asked him.
Donnie inhales and inhales out his breath. He leaned back to his chair." Well, the best way to heal is through therapy. Trauma can leave a nasty implant and will need lots of help." He explained. And he is right; Nina would require some therapy help to heal her abusive scars.
"Did I hear the word 'therapy?" Mikey chimed in, peaking through the lab's entrance with a grin. "Sounds like the job for Dr. Feelings!" Then he starts skipping away.
"Oooh boi.." Donnie groaned, face-palming himself. This was not what he expected.
After two hours, Nina woke up from her nap. She yawned, feeling a little better than previously. Her muscles felt more vital, and she could finally breathe better, too. She looks at Bello, still asleep, smiling as she lightly strokes his head. She pushed herself up and sat up straight. She checks her pulse through her wrist, and her heart feels normal.
Then she noticed someone was standing beside her. She turned to her left and saw Judi standing with a plate of cake. Nina flinched and fell back on the bed. "Dakilang Mayari!! Don't sneak up on me!" She pushed herself back up, glaring at Judi.
"Sorry...I heard you were hurt, and I thought I came and tried to make you feel better." Judi explained. She held the plate to her. "I got you a cake."
"No thanks.." Nina shook her head, refusing it. She still doesn't trust her enough to accept food.
"Oh….okay.." Judi frowned sadly." I want to make you happy.." she pouted.
Nina looked at her frowning face, hesitating. Then, with a heavy sigh, she grabbed the plate. She uses a fork to cut a piece and take a bite. The sweetness exploded inside her mouth, tasting the moist sponge and the cold frosting.
"Thanks." Nian thanked her. "And…I am sorry I tried to hurt you.." she apologized to her.
"It's fine." Judi waved it off. "Things could have been much worse if you went all crazy and turned into a villain."
"What?" Nina blinked.
"What?" Judi dodged the question.
Donnie arrived, coming to check on Nina. Judi saw him in and made it her cue to leave them be. She runs past Donnie, who moves a bit for her to go out. He walked to Nina, sitting on the chair next to her.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her.
"A little better, I think." She answered, setting the plate down on the nightstand.
Donnie put his goggles on. In his goggles, he did a quick scan of her, checking her body temperature and heart rate and looking for any signs of a disease. So far, none. "The good news is your illness is fully gone, and you are vaccinated again." He told her the results. "Bad news, you still got that nasty fever and need to drink plenty of fluid and rest more." He set his goggles back up on his head.
Nina scoffed. "You're starting to sound like my Tatay when I get sick."
"He is a doctor, and he is making sure you are healthy." He responded back. Nina is very lucky to have a doctor as a father who loves seeing people healthy and happy.
He then pressed a hand on her forehead, feeling her fever. "Hmm." He hummed. Her forehead is still warm, not warm enough to be a life-threatening danger, just a basic fever. He moved his head to the left till he accidentally pushed her long bangs up. He then pushed the bangs to the side, revealing her full eyes.
Nina stares at him. Her forest green eyes were looking at his reddish-brown orbs. She looked confused.
"Ha. This is like the first time I ever saw both of your eyes." Donnie chuckled.
Nina's cheek started blushing, unsure what to say or do. She just used her hair to hide a really nasty black eye Henry gave her; nobody had ever looked into her two pairs of eyes before.
Popping his head in is Mikey, wearing his Dr. Feelings outfit. "Dr. Feelings have arrived and are here to help you heal!" He stepped in, smiling. "Now, let's begin."
"Oh no!!" Donnie left his seat and shoved Mikey out. "She still has a fever, and she needs to rest!" He shoved Mikey away. "You can do this later!!"
"Aww!! But Donald!!" Mikey whined, being shoved away. "Uh..our sections start tomorrow!! Get ready!!" He shouted, both his and Donnie out of her sight.
Nina watched the two leave. Once they are gone, she can't help but smile and giggle at this. These turtles may be annoying, but she can see they care for each other. Maybe they aren't like her parents, more like her father and his friends. At least she no longer has to worry about getting into more trouble.
Meanwhile, at TRCI, a huge van drives to the back entrance of the building with the garage gate opening for it. It packed backwards then stopped enough to open the back door.
The workers open the van's back door, revealing boxes with labels inside. One by one, they carried the boxes inside the building. After losing their last chemical delivery from the Foot Ninjas, they must order them again, as it takes much longer to arrive.
Eric watched the workers carrying the boxes inside. Rockwell was beside him, looking so nervous and uneasy by this. Eric spoke. "Is that everything?"
"Yes, sir." Rockwell nodded. "Everything you ordered has arrived."
"Good." Eric nodded. "Get everyone ready. We are behind schedule and need to have it done by next year." He ordered him. His eyes darken. "And once we have it right, those boards and Bishop will know what happened when they rejected me."
His eyes formed an evil glance, and it made Rockwell very nervous. Ever since his mutation, Eric started feeling more like a madman than a sane scientist. Eric left the site and returned to the building, and Rockwell followed suit. Everything has to go as planned for his chance to prove everyone who wronged him feels his wrath.