Two hours had passed.
Two hours of slow beeps, applying ointment, sticking on bandages and icing bruises.
It took a mixed aroma of blood, perspiration and anxiety. But they were almost through it.
Donnie wiped his forehead. A streak of warm blood that wasn't his, left on his green skin.
A thin tube hung between Casey and Y/n, forcing him to keep his arm elevated to let his blood flow through it and down to her.
Splinter had returned, his leading of the goose chase successful. No footbots would be getting back to this lair. But when he entered the lab, all he could do as he set his eyes upon Y/n for the first time, was stare in shock and dread. For the young girl's life hanging in the balance, and his long lost daughter being the cause of it, at the same time. None of them had ever seen their master so taken off guard. So, terrified.
No one said anything to him. And he had just, left... Walked out of the lab while mumbling something to himself. They were too into the procedure and focused on her to stop again. They realized they wouldn't have known what to say anyway. He did mumble to his sons sitting on the couch as he passed by, letting them know he would be back later to offer his healing hands when they were ready, as he stumbled like a ghost into his private room.
Meanwhile, the core four of this operation were still quick at work. You'd think the place was a medical scene the way they worked so swiftly and diligently. Casey, ironically felt a bit useless at the moment. Sure he was giving the whole blood transfusion and everything, but standing around while the others brisked by in their work made him feel dormant. He wasn't sure when he was supposed to stop letting his blood flow into her system. And he would've asked, but he didn't want to break their concentration or distract them if it wasn't necessary yet. Everything just felt too... delicate. He was afraid to move and mess something up the atmosphere was so stiff.
Casey was suddenly starting to feel the drain, mind the pun... Of searching all day, fighting at night and giving his blood now. And the pungent smell of all this blood only contributed to his stomach's urge to let out his last meal.
"Dad... don't... leave..."
He looked down. Y/n was mumbling in her sleep again.
"She's been talking like that for hours," April stated softly.
Leo had briefly thought about asking April to see what all her sleep talking was about. He knew she would inadvertently be able to tell, with such strong feelings radiating from Y/n. But he didn't say anything about it. He really wanted to know, but it would invade her privacy. April probably wouldn't be comfortable with it either, and they didn't have the time.
"She's probably catching a fever," Donnie's hand rested over her sweating forehead.
Another thing to put on the list of worries to check on later.
They were finally finished with the first part, healing her front half. But now, the backside had to be checked. Fortunately April was able to use her telekinesis to turn Y/n on her front gently, though it didn't keep her from groaning at all the pressure on her front when she set her back down.
Donnie sighed in relief, her backside was fine. At least from a quick glance, they all saw that it wasn't anywhere near the level of severity that her front was. They were all exhausted. Physically, mentally, emotionally. So at least, for now, the tough part was over.
"Good. We've treated everything."
"Except for..." Casey gestured to the dark liquid in her hair, coming from two gashes on her head. "And uh... that, too." He pointed to her neck. The gashes on her head caused some blood to trail down her scalp past her hairline which directed his attention to the other injury. Casey figured he should mention the bloody gauze taped over the red, tender area of her skin.
Leo moved strands of hair away from the back of her neck, revealing the red bandage being bled through.
Donatello took a breath, uncovered the wound carefully and slowly.
April gagged and quickly looked away. Somehow, the blood smell got even worse. "What the heck is that?!"
Donnie's eyes were wide. "Uh... It looks like they... they drilled a hole?"
"They what?"
It was hard for him to tell whether it was drilled, or stabbed, or... whatever. The diameter was so small.
But it was grotesque. There was no wonder it had bled so much. And it was impossible to tell how deep it went. Donnie just hoped whatever instrument they used didn't go deep enough to damage anything irreparable in her nervous system.
But they all noticed that the wound had been treated after it was formed. Not very well, but nevertheless, there was gauze and what seemed to be shining medicinal ointment sitting under the blood.
"Well... none of us put this gauze on her. So why would they help her after they hurt her?" April watched warily as Donnie disposed of the red soaked material.
"It looks like they barely tried." Casey criticized the passive treatment for the injury as he glared at it. "That, or they suck at first aid."
"They don't suck. They just did the bare minimum." A disgusted Donnie said, and grabbed his tools again. The fact that this particular one was specially made and specially treated by those psychopaths peaked his curiosity, but that was something else on his mental list of laters. "I got this one."
"I'll get her head." Leo grunted, doing the same. They found they had a bit more energy knowing they were just about at the end of this.
Donnie saw Casey starting to lean faintly, and moved around the table towards him. "Here." He carefully pulled the needles from their arms, disrupting his makeshift IV. "You're a lifesaver."
"Was nothin'." Casey mumbled, slowly walking past the mutant.
Donnie looked from the drained hockey player to the psychic. "Leo and I can handle everything else. I think we're just about done here."
April nodded before quickly following Casey. "Come on, you should sit."
"Thanks, guys." Donnie called before he could forget while they were heading for the door, and turned back to his brother and friend.
April smiles back at him and sat her friend down in the nearest chair.
Time to assess the damage. Find out what the shell Karai and her blond beta were up to creating a hole in the back of Y/n's neck. He turned to the table, and noticed Leo hunched over, his hand shielding his eyes away from everyone else. "Hey..." A moment passed, and Leo stood upright. Dragging his body upward to help the rest of him resume his challenges, he looked at his brother. "We did it. She is going to be fine." He spoke slowly, emphasizing his certainty. "Really."
Leo released a sigh of relief, eyes squeezed shut. He cradled his head in his hands as his elbows rested on the table again. "Good." He uttered. "That's... that's good."
"Please... all... I have..."
Leo's eyes open. She was talking again, eyes squeezing in confusion. He looks at her for a second, listening for anything else she'd want to say to these love-defying parents of hers. His jaw clenched tight, and he probably didn't even notice it.
But she didn't say anything else. Leo glances at his hands as he turns away and rips off the gloves. He dropped them into the trash next to the sink, and began to wash his hands so they'd be clean when he started on her head gashes.
Closing his eyes, he focused on even breathing. In and out... To keep his head concentrated on the goal, and not the tragedy. Duty over emotions.
"All I have..."
"Don't leave me."
The adrenaline was wearing off... As much as he wanted to fight it, the reality of the situation began to stampede back tenfold.
In and out... Steadily... Control your thoughts.
"Where's mama?"
Focus on the good: she's safe. She's protected here. Nothing else bad can–
"Leo?"
His eyes snapped open, and April was suddenly standing next to him. He realized he'd been letting the water run over his now soapless hands for a while now.
"Yeah," he answered gruffly and turned off the tap. April looked down as he dried his– temporarily– blood free hands.
"When we first got back I noticed this and..." She trailed off. April shook her head and just extended her hand towards him. "I thought you would want to hold onto it."
Leo looked down, and in her outstretched hand was a thin silver chain. He recognized it instantly. It was the one he had given to her the very first time he asked her out. A small blue-colored turtle to remind her of him, and make her feel safe.
Oh, the irony.
Only now it was caked with blood, and required a much needed, very thorough cleaning.
"Thank you." He spoke softly. He felt his throat constrict as he reached for the chain and picked it up slowly, as if it would fall apart at any second. He stared at it in his palm, barely registering the cold touch. April gave his shoulder a soft squeeze, not saying anything else before leaving him.
He steered back to the sink, lowering the chain underneath the faucet, and turning it back on to the gentlest of pressures. He let the stress that's hardened in his body rest as he leaned against the counter and over the necklace, thumbing the chains softly under warming water.
His mind was blank, for the first time in two hours. He couldn't shut the noises off in his head no matter how much he tried before. But now, he rubbed liquid soap onto a necklace and sat in this null, soundless void. It was like time around him had stood still for a moment, and he was comatose to the alarming atmosphere around him. The affliction, his emotions... everything.
He couldn't tell how long he had been hovering over the jewelry when he finally shut the water off. Long enough for it to look as shiny and new as before apparently. No cuts or breaks or scrapes, like nothing ever happened.
He wished he could say the same for Y/n...
He returned to the operating table, necklace tucked safely away into one of his pockets where he could keep it close.
Leo dabbed her head gently with a cloth, trying his best to get through her hair and tend to the injury hurting her scalp instead. Though every minute or so he couldn't help but glance at the small hole Donnie was working on.
"What do you think they were trying to do?"
"No idea, honestly. I'll have to run a scan on her later." His voice was strained, and he cleared his throat quickly before continuing. "Ya know, check her vitals and stability. See if I can give her painkillers safely."
Leo nodded, and watched as his brother's hands tremored with the alcohol cloth. Leo knew what he was feeling. He knew he was powering through to get this done, like they all were. Stresses high, stomachs empty and bodies slightly battered, they all ignored it for her.
April stood by, standing next to Casey to monitor him, as well as stay close by in case Donnie or Leo needed anymore help for Y/n. Casey watched them finish up their work, too, from his chair he was resting in until Donnie finally finished the real, but temporary patch up job on Y/n's neck. Leo only took minutes to clean her head, even with all the hair he wasn't used to being on the way. Their jobs were done, but they knew there was still more to be done to monitor her condition.
April was glad she hadn't left the lab, after Donnie asked her if she would be able to move Y/n to a cot he had pulled over next to her "operating table" for her. Happily, April lifted her friend and levitated her onto the bed. Donnie was thankful, knowing how stressful it would've been on her body if trying to lift Y/n, turn her over and rest her on her back themselves.
Carefully, April levitated her down onto the bed, slowly for the bruises and aches. Y/n didn't respond much except for a bodily shutter as her limbs settled.
"She'll have to stay in here indefinitely. She's too weak for us to move her anywhere else right now, and I can easily monitor her progress from here."
"Got it." Leo acknowledged. There was the slightest sense of relief. And he held onto to it dearly. It kept him composed. It kept him sane as he took his place next to her.
"So you just... found this in a junkyard." Leo guessed, looking over the gurney-like bed.
"Sort of..." Donnie glanced over to it while pulling off his gloves. "These were just extras from the hospital that they didn't need anymore... Figured they wouldn't miss one now that they got some more of those modern remote controlled hospital beds."
Leo grimaced slightly. "Is it safe?"
"I cleaned it. Thoroughly. I mean it can't page a nurse or have buttons to control it or anything but it can keep her body elevated and comfortable, and I can set up the monitors around it as needed."
Leo nodded silently, staring at the bed as he listened, instead of her. For a moment he was silent, and then he spoke his thoughts. "How did you know to do this..." Donnie looked at him, and Leo looked up to do the same. "The hospital kit, the bed..."
"I didn't..." Donnie answered, almost as if he was about to be accused. Then he wondered the same question himself. "I... a couple weeks ago I started thinking that it would be smart to have some extra medical supplies around here, with all of our missions and battles. Just some more serious equipment in case things ever got out of control... I knew if someone got really hurt I'd need more than what I had at the time. I knew for a while it would be the responsible thing to do, and I just had this feeling..." Donnie found himself questioning his thought process, wondering why he felt so defensive about his decision from weeks ago. Maybe to assuage any underlying suspicion that he could've known anything. Or possibly to keep the leader from anymore self blame. "I don't know maybe some part of me realized we would need it." Donnie shrugged, hoping to simplify the meaning of it.
"Oh." Was all he could've said. Should he be ashamed he didn't have that same feeling? He saw this coming, Karai going on the attack. But not on the night of their date, he didn't think that night would be the night. The only wrong he had felt then was being apart from Y/n.
Leo's head slumped low as he thought all of this through.
April helped Casey up from his seat and started to lead him out, knowing it was time to leave the lab. And she knew Casey would need nourishment, if his weary silence and slumping were any indicator. As they headed out Donnie asked her to let Splinter know to bring out some of his own remedies to use, to which she nodded quietly.
Donnie sighed and sat in front of his computer. "The bag, underneath that lab table." He called, nodding to the mentioned station as he began to type away.
Leo walked over and grabbed a sack from the floor, seeing what he meant. It had blankets and fresh bed sheets. Clearly hospital brand as well, as they matched the pillow resting under her head. He glanced over to Y/n and her bare limbs. The lair was always cold. Even in the summer Y/n wore a sweater indoors, and Leo could see goosebumps popping up between scratches and contusions on her arms. He took out the materials and rested a sheet loosely over her legs. Next, a blanket for her torso and arms he eagerly placed over her smaller, shivering frame.
Leo rested his hand over her forehead, realizing her body was freezing while her head was hot enough to perspire. He frowned, moving damp strands from her sweating forehead.
Her senses registered his soft fingertips on her face, and her head lulled towards his touch, as if her body knew he was there taking care of her.
"Y/n?" He whispered.
She didn't respond... but he knew that was okay. As long as her heart's beating with his, he can take a few more hours of her resting.
"I'm going to run the diagnosis."
And thus began Donnie's gathering of observations, symptoms and signs to gather the sum of her injuries. He tapped away at his keyboard, which was the only sound paired with the beeping BPM's. Leo stood there, holding her hand in between the both of his.
Time was passing and for a moment it seemed things were okay. Just okay... but, manageable. She didn't flinch when he held her hand in his or scream when he slowly rubbed his thumb back and forth against her skin. The quiet wasn't so terrifying and he found he could breathe a little easier.
"Shivering, low body temperature, sweating and high forehead temperature..." Don mumbled aloud as he typed in a Google Doc. "Irritated but benign cuts, Lichtenburg figures on arms." He droned out as he made a report for future use. Between the isle of technology and his own observations, Donnie was gathering a pretty hefty list of problems they'd have to monitor on a daily, if not hourly basis.
The room remained static, and D worked at the computer while Leo clutched Y/n's frail hand, up until the moment he hit 'print' with a click and snatched up the few pages of information including the sum of her injuries and how to treat them going forward.
"Should I be worried by the number of pages you just printed out?" Leo looked at the white papers in reference.
"Well it includes how to treat her injuries and the most likely cause of them. Plus they're one sided for efficiency," Donnie forced a light hearted smile even though most of his muscles were fighting him.
Leo pressed his lips together and nodded once. Donnie took that as the cue and jumped right into it before he backed out of delivering the news.
"Her cold sweats and contrasting temperatures suggest she's got a cold and fever. The burns on her arms are second degree from electrical shocks and the needle probing, which caused the formation of hypertrophic contracture scars. They'll take a long time to fade, but they will eventually if treated properly. All the bruises also make assessing and treating her a little difficult, but, keeping them iced and elevated should heal them more quickly. I'll also have to take another look at the small hole in her neck to be certain it won't cause any damage to her nervous system." Donnie droned out his diagnosis, aware of Leo's eyes and ears focusing their attention on the horrible news he was forced to give him. "That hijacking serum has worn off. They may have cracked the code to taking over nervous systems but it wasn't very strong or cooperative to command. No wonder it took them nearly four days to activate it." Donnie rolled his eyes as he flipped through the papers he tacked to the clipboard. "I detected fludrocortisone as the only drug in her system and I'm flushing it out as we speak." He casually brushed over that bit, moving on quickly so he wouldn't have to explain to Leo what it was used for. "I'm going ahead and assuming she's malnourished. If anything we know she ate right before she left the lair. But a whole day is a long time without water or food if Karai didn't give her any. And lastly, not to mention the..." he cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact, "physical and mental and emotional trauma that are too early to determine..."
"Donnie..." Leo breathed. He was shocked, though he didn't know why. How could he have expected less? And hoping for less was just foolish. "I just..." He attempted to regain control of his breathing, rubbing a hand over his bald head, eyes wide. His voice wavered on the edge. "I mean you said she's okay but that sounds like a lot?!"
"I know! I know, it sounds awful. And I'll be honest, it is. But I wasn't lying. She's in a relatively good place. She's stable. Her heart rate's back up. And she's breathing well enough on her own that she doesn't need a ventilator... Most of these are... let's say minor fixes that will just take time. It won't be as hard as whatever you're imagining. She's tough. She will be fine if we take care of her."
Leo wanted to speak, but his jaw was clenched shut. He breathed in through his nostrils, and nodded briefly.
"Hopefully we can have Splinter come in later and the two of you can perform that healing mantra. Now I don't know how soon it's safe to try on her; the mantra is complicated and there has to be a strong enough life force to perform it on and I'm not sure she's there yet... But maybe we can try just his herbal remedies tonight and wait until tomorrow to be safe. Ya know, when she's awake and hopefully can eat something. Better adjusted..."
Donnie went on. Leo tried to listen, but it was all muted noise in his ears. For the past few hours it felt like he was constantly floating between the lair and limbo. It wasn't until Donnie had to wave his three fingers in front of his face that he was pulled back to his home.
"Leo, this is important. She's going to be in a lot of pain when she wakes, and likely still confused."
"You can't give her anything? For the pain?"
"I've already detected too many doses of drugs in her system over these past few days. I don't want to risk it until it's safe. I couldn't even give her something to keep her asleep until I finish the reassessment if I wanted to. It would be too much for her." Donnie walked closer to the two of them, stopping on Y/n's other side as he glanced at her. "I was thinking maybe when we do get around to performing the chant on her it will help to cleanse the–"
"Guys?"
Leo jumped, finding himself feeling on edge when a new voice broke the barriers inside the lab.
"April said you were done." Mikey stood in between the doors, looking between his brothers as he peeked in unsurely. "Can I see her?"
Leo's chest constricted, uncomfortable with the thought. "I don't think that's a good idea, she... she's in bad shape."
"I know, but I still want to talk to her."
"She's probably gonna be asleep for a while." Donnie answered. "Are you sure you don't want to wait until later?"
He nodded, baby blue eyes silently pleading, as if he were simply asking to play with his buddy for just a little bit longer. "She's my friend."
Leo looked to the doctor for an answer, and the doctor looked to the leader. Leo wasn't sure if letting Mikey in would be distracting to his work and Donnie was worried of Leo's fragility at the moment. After a second of exchanged glances, Donnie looked back to the youngest and nodded. "Sure, Mikey. Maybe you being here will help."
Slowly, Mikey crept into the room, suddenly rigid with anticipation. Donnie came towards him as he got closer to the bed.
As Mikey's eyes set upon her, Leo couldn't help but envision what she looked like just a few hours ago when he first saw her again; the last time Mikey saw her. She was deathly still and unrecognizable by her own blood. Now you could see her sickly pale skin, still hardly recognizable. But clean and taken care of. Even if it was a small step, wiping away her tears stains and getting her comfortable enough to rest was enough for Leo's hands to grasp onto.
Mikey's eyes began to widen. His lips parted and he took in a quiet breath. Leo stood next to him as he sniffed.
"She's not... that's not her." Donnie looked up, silently wondering what it could've meant. Mikey only shook his head, and swallowed. "It's not her."
"You can see her later if you really need to. You don't have to do this now."
"No." Mikey shook his head again and looked up at Leo. "I want to be here, too." He looked at Leo and her intertwined fingers, and rested his hand gently over theirs.
"Okay." Leo looked down in his sad eyes, and pulled a short smile. "I'll be here with you the whole time."
Mikey sniffed again, and looked down to his friend in response. They stood there for a few minutes, but every ten seconds felt like an eternity in the gloomy, obscure chasm they stood still in.
Donnie watched the two of them stand over her together, and he suddenly felt the urge to finally get out of that suffocating room. His job was done for now, and it just... made him susceptible to the feelings he had been pushing down. He took a step back, then another, away from the bed. His throat started to close up, mumbling about checking on the others on his way out.
Suddenly, Mikey shook his head.
"Karai did all of this to her."
It wasn't a question. But he still showed confusion behind the statement.
Leo looked to him, but remained silent.
"I thought you said... you said she wasn't as bad as she was pretending to be..."
"Yeah, well... that's exactly what I thought."
Silence stretched. Leo's bitterness at the memory resonated with his brother.
"I believed you."
"I... I'm sorry." Leo shook his head, chin dropping in attempt to find the right thing to say.
"I just... I didn't know things could be like this."
Leo just closed his eyes and sighed as Mikey started to speak. It hurt hearing the safe barriers of his innocence starting to chip away. It was the last thing he ever wanted to hear. He wanted to feel numb. Not only was the adrenaline wearing off but any confidence that magical meditation gave him ran out long ago and took whatever previous strength he had with it.
"I thought as long as we were doing the right thing we would be safe. I can't believe they beat us like this... I didn't know losing could be so... dangerous, and scary..."
"We didn't lose her. Okay? So stop talking like that." Leo braced his arm around the little one's shoulders. "She's right here with us."
He sniffed, and quickly wiped his nose over the back of his arm. "You're probably right. She always hated seeing us sad." He squeezed her hand lightly, like a friend simply offering a kind word.
Then he pulled away, and faced towards Leo. Leo looked down at his brother on questioning, as he began to pull something out from his utility belt.
"Before I forget... I saw this on the floor before we left Karai's lair." Paper sat in his hand, and he unfolded the scuffed up notepaper for Leo to see. "It has all this stuff about her..."
Leo's imaginary eyebrows furrowed as he looked over his shoulder. A picture of Y/n from sophomore picture day followed by a cascade of dates and various locations around Manhattan down the page. "I thought it'd be better if we didn't leave it with them." Mikey shrugged, handing it to Leo. He hadn't read it. It could've been nothing, but maybe it could help them if anything.
Leo took the sheet, reading some of the text at the top before impatiently scanning over the rest of the paper. Not only was there information about her history and her present residency, but
Leo swallowed. He was holding a direct piece involved in what happened to Y/n. It could tell him so much, but the thought of reading it now despite the curiosity made him shake.
He inhaled more sharply than he wanted to, and tucked the paper away rigidly, into his own belt. "Good job, Mikey. That's helpful."
"Yeah. Sure," he responded emptily and returned to watching Y/n "Can Master Splinter fix her?" He looked up to Leo hopefully. "With that thing you guys do?"
"We think it'll help her. That's what Donnie is saying anyway..."
"Good. Maybe this won't be so bad for her then." Mikey said optimistically, and touched Y/n's hand again. He moved closer to her, putting on a smile after a moment of trying.
"Hi, Y/n. It's me... Mikey. I hope you can hear me, cause, otherwise I'm all out of ideas on how to cheer you up." He smiled at her. It might've seemed pointless, but it's what he does for his friends. He knew it would make things worse if he didn't at least try to maintain his always-look-on-the-bright-side demeanor for them. "You're awesome for sticking through this, dudette. But I mean I always knew of your awesomeness anyway." He chuckled. "Just remember that... remember that we all love you. And that we still have a whole summer we have to finish together. I know you'll be okay, because I believe in my brothers. And I know how Leo cares about you more than the rest of us combined, so, there's nothing you should worry about, alright?"
Leo watched her finger twitch as their hands held hers. "That was pretty cool of you. I'm... sure she appreciated it."
Mikey heard the painful doubt in his voice, deciding not to address it as he turned back to him again.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry? For what?"
"You care about her the most. And you tried to stop Karai. You're the closest to both of them, so, after Sensei... you must be hurting the worst." Leo bit the inside of his cheek, his response to not knowing how to respond. "You take a while to forgive yourself sometimes, but now it might be too much for you... And Y/n won't want that."
Mikey's smile widened sadly, and seconds later he was slowly pulling his hand away.
He left with that last word and walked out the doors with even sadder blue eyes he came in with.
And then Leo was alone.
Well– not alone. With Y/n. And his thoughts desperately fighting for and losing clarity.
It was the first time since the date that he got to be alone with her.
He didn't understand why he couldn't have somehow known. To have gotten a feeling or seen the signs... When he was sitting there across from her, eating and laughing with her. Kissing her so deeply so he could remember what her lips felt like when she wasn't around.
His eyes drifted to them now, and wanted to weep at the split, dry and cracked lips he knew so differently before.
He knew the answer to why he had to be so oblivious to Karai's plan. Because she had outsmarted them. Outsmarted him. But he just couldn't find an answer he could accept as he stared at her once soft cheek, cut up and bruised where he used to kiss it.
Leo became distracted from his deprecating thoughts when he heard the scarce conversations from the living room, the lab doors left cracked open. He had forgotten for a time about the world outside of this lab.
"I..." He blinked, feeling foolish for a moment as he looked back to Y/n. "I'll be right back."
He removed his hand from hers and prayed nothing bad would happen while he was gone, but he needed to see how the rest of his family was doing. At the very least that's what he could do after they fought so hard by his side.
Everyone was out in the living room, except for Splinter. Leo looked over his battle and tragedy stricken family, trying to assess the damage. He immediately spotted Donnie who was on the couch, elbows resting on his knees as he stared off at the floor, for the first time emotionally processing all that's happened. Leo knew if all the intensive care didn't work to keep Y/n alive, Donnie would never be able to forgive himself, or get away from his guilt.
April sat on the couch next to Casey, holding up a scrapped up turkey sandwich and a pack of raisins. "You need to eat."
"I don't have an appetite."
"You just gave blood."
"I'm not in the mood to eat, Red."
"At least drink this." She pushed gently and placed a water bottle in his hand. He sighed and unwrapped part of his blanket to grab it.
Raph who says closest to Mikey was the first to not be Leo. "April said Splinter will be out soon." He told him, earning a single nod. "How is she?"
"Okay..." was all he could say.
Raph frowned at what it meant. He had a pretty close up view of Y/n back at the Shredder's lair, he wasn't expecting a much better response.
"Good... okay is... good."
In that after silence, the dojo doors opened and closed. Everyone looked up as Hamato Yoshi emerged from the room in slow paced movement. He stopped in the middle of the floor, staring down at all of the dejected children before him. There was a hint of trembling in his voice when he spoke.
"I know it is late. But we must have a conversation about what has transpired."
Donnie looked up, bringing his head out of his hands, suddenly looking as tired as he felt. "Now? It's been a long day, Sensei."
"No. It's important we talk about this." Leo spoke up, and every head turned to him. It was the first time he emerged since they returned. And all eyes were on him. "... I think I know what it is Master Splinter has to say."
————
😢😖 by Villarrii ))