Author's Note::Sniffles:: Well folks...here it is...the final chapter to this wonderful story...::sniffles again:: It's been a blast and you've no idea how thrilled I am to see so many reviews come pouring in chapter after chapter; especially since this is the first time I've ever taken on something as big as a trilogy/series...which yes...idea's have been popping into my head like crazy that could very well turn this little trilogy of mine into a series or saga or something. In fact, I have a question for you readers...I have a story all planned out that is supposed to take place between this one and the next in the trilogy called "Dark Shadow" which takes place 17 years from this one...now the story that takes place between those two is a Leo romance about how he meets his wife (who I had originally planned on you all meeting in "Dark Shadow"). Would you all prefer me write "Honor Bound" next? Or just kinda skip that for now and go straight into "Dark Shadow". Lemme know cuz I have both pretty much all planned out.
Also, for those of you who don't understand "Raph Speak" as I like to call it...here are the "translated" words that he uses in this chapter: t'ink-- Think; 'ere-- Here; dere-- There; jist-- Just; and finally: a'ight-- Alright. Hope that helps some of you out. Thanks again to everyone who's been keeping up with my stories, you all mean so much to me as I've probably proven with my response to your reviews. lol. Well...I guess that's all I've got for now...so enjoy the final chapter and keep your eyes open for a new story from me hopefully to come within the next couple weeks or so.
Chapter Thirteen:: "She's out there somewhere…"
::Leo's POV::
I didn't know what to expect when Raph and I finally broke down that office door, but finding a trail of blood was certainly not at the top of my list. I knew Mike was upset, he had every right to be, and in all honestly I did not blame him one little bit. A person he loved deeply had been stolen from him without any word of warning or reason and the worry for their well being was quickly eating away at his sanity.
Of course, as horrible as this may sound, in a way it almost serves him right for the way he took off and left us all worrying over him two years prior. No, before you say it, I'm not still sore about that, I just feel that now he knows the kind of pain we all went through wondering where he went, if he was ok, and if we were ever going to see him again—alive that is.
I must admit that I was in no way prepared for what awaited us on the other side of the door. Though it was dark, I could still sense something horrible had happened while we were trapped on the other side. At the times, I could only imagine the horrible pain and torture Gwen had been put through. Reaching out with my honed ninja senses, I could feel the negative energy still pungent in the air; the feel of remorse and contention all at the same time. But yet, those three things weren't from Gwen. I was just about to reach out once more in hopes of picking up anything on Gwen when I heard a choked up noise come from Michelangelo.
Raphael and I silently watched as he made a bee-line for the door at the far end of the room. We watched with muted interest as he groped at the door knob and finally got it opened. What we saw when the dim yellow light gleamed in made me nearly sick to my stomach—which says a lot about that since I'm not one to have a squeamish stomach. It virtually tore my heart out to see my younger brother look so lost and bewildered as he knelt down to Gwen's battered and bruised body.
As Mike sat there, tears rolling down his face, Donatello finally caught up with us. I heard his breath catch and as I turned to face him, I saw his eyes go wide and a look of sickness wash over him. Despite what he might tell us, I always knew he'd never been much for gore and grisly scenes such as this. He'd never liked the sight of blood being spilled which was why he'd opted for the less lethal weapons such as the bo-staff. His skin turning a lighter shade of green as the blood slowed, he gulped and took a step up next to Raph and me. I couldn't help but feel bad for Don, since it was he who had been dubbed our resident doctor and surgeon. If Gwen were to be saved, it was going to be up to Donnie to do it.
My brothers and I couldn't help but stare down at the two as Mike cried and rocked her back and forth, quietly begging her to stay strong for him. When he looked up at us, his bright blue eyes a darker shade and rimmed with tears, I felt as though I was suddenly looking back in time, to a time when we were all much younger, none of us much older than four or five.
We had been out exploring our sewer 'play ground' with our Master Splinter when Mikey had heard the soft struggled cry of a stray kitten that had tumbled from the street and into the sewers. Without a single thought for his own safety—which was typical of him at that age—he bolted down a side tunnel the cry was coming from to help the poor little animal. We all struggled to keep up and when we finally found him again, he was sitting cross legged on the cold concrete ledge, holding the scruffy and matted grey and black kitten in his arms. Sensei was the first—and only at the time—to know there was little help for the kitten as Mike did his best to dry it and keep it warm. I could still hear his tiny voice, tight with fear for it, as he stroked its head and little body, pleading with it to open its eyes and meow again. As the tiny cat slowly silenced and our brother could not rouse it again, he looked up at Master Splinter and begged him to make the kitten better. Even at that young of an age, I knew in my heart that nothing Sensei did was going to make that poor little thing better and the pain and horror I saw in my youngest brothers eyes at his first brush with death was enough to make me vow then and there never to let him suffer that sort of pain ever again.
Now as I stood helpless to save him from that pain, I felt perhaps the same amount of shame and failure he was feeling at his vow to keep Gwen safe no matter what. For the first time in my life I wanted to run, I wanted to run back to the lair and hide myself away in my room. I saw Donatello gather his courage and strength as he grabbed the rags Raph had managed to find and move over to Mikey. I wasn't sure if there was anything Don could do to save her or not, but I found myself silently praying to any being above who would listen that he was able to do something for her. I knew she had lost quite a bit of blood, and if she lost anymore the chances of her survival would be little to none.
As we stood there watching the white rags slowly turn crimson, I felt the presence of four more life forces coming down the hallway. Snapping myself from my observation, I poked my head out of the room cautiously and frowned at what I saw. Rushing down the hallway as quickly as they could, Angela, Greggory, Julie and what I assumed to be her seeing-eye-dog, came at us quickly, each holding any sorts of medical supplies they could come up with.
"Leo! Where is she? Is she all right?" Angela questioned quickly. I heard Raph silently swear under his breath as he joined me at the door. I had the distinct feeling Raph was going to do his best to keep her from seeing her best friend like that.
"Angie? What do ya t'ink you're doin' 'ere? I told ya to stay at your place until we said it was safe again." He scowled, though I heard the hint of relief in his voice at knowing she was still in one piece. I saw her raise an eyebrow and cross her arms over her chest the best she could.
"I'm a big girl, Raph, and if I wanna go out and help you guys save my best friend then I'm gonna! Now where is she!?" I stepped aside as she struggled to push her way in. Grabbing her by the shoulders though, Raphael pulled her back out into the hallway and pushed her against the wall. Taking the medical supplies from her and handing them to me, he turned his attention back to her. I quickly handed them off to Don who began searching through them for a needle and thread.
"Look Ang…ya can't go in dere right now, ok? Trust me…ya don't wanna go in dere. Jist…sit out 'ere for a minute or two, a'ight?"
"Raph, what's going on? Is she ok?"
"Jist sit out 'ere…"
I could hear their quiet conversation in the hallway and knew that Raph was trying to protect her from the terror that would attack her if she were to see her best friend bleeding and nearly gutted like a fish. It was bad enough for us to see it, he didn't want her to stay awake at night with those images either. I turned back to Greggory whose face was turning just as green as our skin, and reached a hand out to steady him. Offering him a small sympathetic smile, I took the bandages from his hands and set him down against the wall.
"Thanks for the supplies, Julie. Um…would you…would you mind stepping out into the hallway also? The less congested it is in here the better." I heard the pent up emotions in Don's voice as he looked up at our new friend with appreciation in his eyes. There was more to their relationship than Don had told us of, though I could see how much she meant to him just by the way he tenderly took the box of supplies from her hands, and the way the dog never once snarled or bristled his fur at him. No, that dog was used to Don and accepted him as no threat to his master—Don and Julie were far more friendly than they'd let on.
I watched as Julie and her dog slowly and carefully turned and walked back out of the room silently. Turning my attention back to Donatello, I saw his hands tremble as he laced the thread through the surgical needle before looking back down at the gash. Blood still coated it and was slowly starting to dry across her sides. Bending down, I pulled the bottle of cleaning alcohol from the box and poured it across the cut. The liquid fizzled and popped as it cleaned the blood from the area. Grabbing one of the clean clothes Greggory had brought, I gently and carefully cleaned the wound so that Don could see what he was dealing with. Silently thanking me, he leaned down close and began to quickly and carefully close the wound. Unable to watch, I slowly slipped from the room and quietly closed the door.
Greggory sat, staring blankly at the wall across from him, whimpering and holding his head. I could see the turmoil in his eyes and knew he was blaming himself for everything that had happened to her. In a way I couldn't blame him for feeling that way, he had—after all—been one of the ones to kidnap her in the first place. Then again, another part of me felt sorry for him and appreciated his change of heart as he did his best to help Gwen escape. Frowning, I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall the best I could. It'd been a long time since the last time any of us had gotten good nights sleep and I could feel it start to take its toll on my system.
"She's going to need blood…type O positive…we…we don't have any here…but…th-there's a blood bank just down the…down the street." Greggory stated, never once blinking or looking up at us. I opened my eyes to glance at Raph who was watching him intently with knitted eye ridges. I knew he was thinking the same as I was, and as he caught me looking at him, he nodded.
"Which way?"
Donatello had done everything in his abilities to get Gwen sewn up enough and stable enough to be moved. He was amazed to find she still had a pulse, no matter how weak it was, it was still there fighting to stay steady. Looking up into Michelangelo's eyes, he offered him a small smile. He knew it wasn't much, but he knew no words could help make his brother feel more at ease as he gently though tightly held Gwen's hand. Bandaging her lower abdomen and finding a heavy blanket tucked away on a shelf, Donatello watched as Mike carefully cradled her in his arms as he covered her.
Opening the door, Don stepped into the hallway first, trying his hardest to ignore the blood that covered his hands and thighs. Followed closely by Michelangelo, Don looked around for his two older brothers. It wasn't like them to just take off like that, but then again, given the circumstances; he couldn't really blame either one of them.
"They went with Greggory to a blood bank…for Gwen…Oh my God, Gwen!" Angie cried as she finally saw the blanket Mikey was cradling closely to his chest. Tears welling up in her eyes, she looked between her best friend and her boyfriends' brother sorrowfully.
"Is…is she…she's not…" She stammered, unable to bring herself to say the words. Don shook his head and gave a small—though forced—smile.
"It's ok, Angie…we just need to get her home, and soon. I'll call Leo and let him know we'll meet him back down at the lair and I'll have everything ready to go. C'mon…"
Quickly and carefully the group made their way back to the waiting van and drove back to the safety of their hiding place. Ushering them all into the utility elevator Don had discovered when they were younger and was used on the occasions of needing to bring bigger supplies down to their home; he closed the safety gate and quickly hit the button sending them down to subterranean level of Manhattan.
Things seemed to move in a blur for Michelangelo. He barely remembered getting back down to the lair and placing the thick protective blanket down on the hospital style bed Don had set up in his lab. He remembered the first time he'd seen the make-shift hospital room and felt his heart clench in pain. It had been in this room that he found out he was going to be a father, had seen the ink-blot like image on the static filled monitor screen. Pulling the blanket away from Gwen's face, he frowned at the thought of never getting to meet their child, of never getting to read it stories, teach them to read or write, of never getting to eat the cookies and drink the milk on Christmas Eve so he could tell them the next morning that Santa loved the treats left for him.
He watched as Donatello moved the blanket some so it was covering her from the shoulders down, and gently placed her arms on the outside of the blanket. They'd only been down there minutes when Raph and Leo arrived carrying with them arm loads of blood sectioned off into their own little bags. Tossing two to Don, Raph stuffed the rest into his brothers' mini-fridge. Careful so he didn't spill any, Donatello poured it into a glass canning jar and tightened the lid. Stabbing a hole into it and shoving a small rubber hose into the end, he carefully attached the make-shift IV to an old coat rack before slowly pushing the needle into Gwen's arm. They watched as the red liquid slowly started to drip down the hose before finally starting its steady flow into her body.
"Raph? Get another one ready…I have the feeling this is gonna take awhile."
Hours passed slowly for everyone and they had used the majority of the blood Leo and Raph had taken from the blood bank. The color had finally returned to Gwen's face and her body temperature was steadily rising back to its normal 98.6 degrees. Donatello's only concern was the risk she ran of developing a fever. He knew that in her weakened state, if she were to develop a fever, it was all over for her.
As the hours went on, the brothers and their new friends sat in the living room, waiting for any word on the improvement of their patient. Splinter had ushered Michelangelo and Donatello out some time before and was left alone with her so that he might use his ninja training and skills to help her heal faster and to also attempt to clear her mind of any upsetting memories from the past month and a half. It was a difficult process, but if there was one thing the old rat had plenty of, it was patience. Try as he might though, the one memory that refused to be cleared from her mind, was that of the baby Gwen and Mikey had been robbed of.
Sitting on the arm of Donatello's chair, Julie reached down to pet Doogie's head lightly. She hadn't said much since her first meeting with everyone, and the silence in the room was making her even more uncomfortable. She gave a small smile as she felt Don's arm slowly and carefully slide around her waist to keep her from falling. That was one of the things Julie loved about Don. He didn't treat her differently just because she was blind, but he did always make sure she was protected from things that could pose a silent threat to her. Finally raising her head though, she felt her cheeks warm as she realized she'd never been properly introduced to his family. Giving a small smile, she couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Um…I just remembered in all the excitement, Donnie never actually introduced me. I'm Julie Alexander and this hound on the floor is Doogie. I'm uh…I'm Don's girlfriend."
The others looked up and offered a small smile to the pair as Donatello's cheeks gained a faint red tint to them. Chuckling slightly, Leonardo shook his head as he stood from the couch.
"Welcome to the madness." He said jokingly as he moved his way towards the dojo. Angela, who had snuggled herself into Raphael's arms a few hours earlier, looked over at Julie and smiled brightly. She was just about to ask a question when Splinter emerged from the lab. He looked tired and drained as he slowly approached the couch in which Michelangelo had perched himself on. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Splinter sighed heavily.
"She is awake, now…my son. You may go to her now." He said softly as he moved off to his meditation room.
Barely waiting for him to move out of his way, Michelangelo leapt off the couch and hurried into the lab. Feeling his emotions start to wreak havoc on him once more, Mike felt a choked up sob like laugh escape his mouth when she saw she really was awake. He could not believe how close he had come to losing her, how close he'd come to losing his sanity over her, and yet there she sat. Though he knew it would take time for her to regain strength and body mass and return to her somewhat normal self, he couldn't help but feel his heart soar at the sight of her.
Rushing to her side, Michelangelo carefully gathered her up in his arms and held her close. Tears were rolling down his cheeks and onto her matted, stringy hair as he gently rocked her in his arms and kissed her head. He felt her fingers as they wrapped around his arms in an attempt to hold him as well and felt another sobbed laugh escape his lips.
"Aw Gwen…I…I was so worried about you! Aw babe…I've missed you so much." He said, trying to calm himself down enough to talk. He felt Gwen tense slightly in his arms as she rested her head on his plastron.
"The…the baby…Mikey…o-our baby…" she stammered, her voice still hoarse and struggled. Gulping back more tears, Mike shook his head as he pulled back from her and very gently brushed the hair from her face.
"It's gone, Gwen. I dunno how but…it is." He answered softly, unable to look her in the eyes as he told her. A strange far off look appeared in Gwen's eyes as she shook her head and rested a hand on her stomach.
"No…no she's not. She's out there somewhere, Mikey. I know she is…" Gwen trailed off as her eyelids grew heavy once more. Pressing his lips together, Mike nodded as he kissed her forehead and gently laid her back down on the bed. Running his hand down her cheek once more, he felt his determination reemerge.
"If she's out there Gwen, we'll find her. No matter how long it takes."
To Be Continued…