Leonardo and I then spent the best part of the next half hour trying to comfort a greatly disturbed Donatello.
The best Leo and I could do was to persuade him that maybe the loss was only temporary, but Don refused to accept this as he went into a state of shock. As Leonardo continued to comfort, I went upstairs to fetch April.
April was on the phone to who I guessed was her boss when I got there, and I heard her have a minor argument over taking a few days off.
"Yes Charles. I KNOW I have that interview tomorrow. I left the notes on my desk, get Vernon to do it."
"I don't care if you would rather I did it. I can't come in to work for a couple of days."
"Some of my friends got into a fight, and I need to stay with them."
"No, there is no-one else who I could..."
"NO Charles! I am NOT going to..."
"Look, I'm sorry Charles. I'll see you in a few days. Okay?"
"Yes, fine. Put it on my desk and I'll sort it out when I come in."
"Yeah. Bye."
April hung up the phone exasperatedly, before turning to me.
"Hi Andrea. You okay?"
I was getting a very strong feeling of deja-vous with all the people who kept asking me if I was okay. I put that thought out of my mind and returned to the more important matter at hand.
"April, Don has come round..." I started. "But he's lost his sight. Leo is down trying to comfort him. We think he's gone into shock."
"Oh no, poor Don! What's he gonna do without his sight?" exclaimed April sympathetically. "I'd better go see if I can do anything to help."
I hurried after her as she headed downstairs. As she reached the top of the stairs she turned to glance at me.
"Andrea, do you want to go use the shower? I think Leo and I can cope with Don."
I felt a little miffed that I was just being dismissed, before I realized that I really did need a shower. My hair was little rat tails of grease, as it had not been washed since before I was captured. My skin was as clean as I could have got it with a tiny sink giving only cold water.
"There's a clean towel on the side." directed April, continuing to descend the stairs.
I nodded dumbly and headed for the bathroom, fetching the towel on the way.
The clean, warm water felt wonderful as it washed away the dirt. It was also helping to cleanse my worries and troubles. It was amazing the way it relaxed me.
As I climbed from the shower and started to dry myself, I found my thoughts drifting to Leonardo.
It was confusing. I wasn't sure how I felt about him. Part of me was trying to explain that this confused feeling was love, but my other side was unsure.
I wanted to find out how Leo felt about me, but I was too scared to ask him. What if he felt differently to me? What if he felt the same? I wouldn't know what to do either way.
I bit my lower lip thoughtfully as I squeezed the water from my hair. It was getting so hard to understand my emotions.
That evening passed uneventfully. Everyone was worn out and slept. Raphael had woken for the first time while I was in the shower. Leo told me how Raph had screamed in pain and clutched the leg which the bullet had gone through, before slipping back into unconsciousness.
But at least just that one instance of consciousness gave Raph better odds of survival. Later that evening he briefly came round again and managed a fairly sensible conversation before slipping into slumber.
I kept my distance during Raph's awakening. I still feared his temper.
Donatello had falled asleep, which was the best thing he could do to aid his hopeful recovery. He didn't sleep fitfully though, and I was often woken as he cried out.
The following morning, Leonardo and I scraped together breakfast for everyone. We cleaned out almost all the food in the apartment and April commented on how she ought to go food shopping. Leonardo and I offered to join her, leaving Casey in charge to care for those left.
April found a set of disguise-clothes for Leo to wear, that had left behind on a previous visit. She managed to squeeze me into a set of her own clothes. I only just managed to fit into them and it was an uncomfortably tight fit around my stomach.
We headed out to the nearest supermarket, Kegmans, to buy food to last for a while. Having done this, we shoved it in the van and April then insisted on getting me some proper maternity clothes.
I was too uncomfortable in what I was wearing to object much, and eventually was persuaded into a pair of long dungarees for when I was out where general public might be, as they covered me well. She also got me a blue, knee-length, maternity dress for when I was just pottering about her apartment, or the lair.
I was actually very pleased, as I was starting to feel more and more embarrassed by my appearance and I often felt like all eyes were watching me.
It was fairly peaceful in April's apartment for the next few days. Raph and Mikey just needed time to heal. Both were awake part of the time, and slept for all the rest.
I was incredibly relieved as Michaelangelo started to steadily eat more and somewhat returned to his normal self. He spent a lot of his time sleeping, and could only just about walk. But when he was awake I was happy to see the return of his friendly attitude, and I didn't object all that much when he started teasing me with the name of `Beach-Ball'.
Donatello was bitter as he constantly relied on others to act as his sight. Having almost totally recovered otherwise, he would spend long hours laying in Aprils spare room, listening to the radio. Leo and I joined him as often and tried to include him in our conversations. Don normally just sullenly told us to leave him alone as he struggled to regain his independence.
Leonardo and I were doing fine as we both could now eat decent amounts of food. Both Leo and I had been malnourished during our imprisonment, and we were both now filling out nicely. I was filling out just a little too nicely for comfort, as the baby took advantage of there being an abundant supply of food and started to grow with relish.
Leonardo didn't fail to playfully tease me about my enormous appetite and daily weight gain. What scared me though was the fact that I enjoyed being teased by Leo. I really enjoyed being with him. He was so kind, considerate and fun. Yet, sometimes I felt like I wanted more between us, but I didn't know what `more' was.
We spent almost all our time together, getting steadily closer and closer. For long hours we talked about everything and nothing, often wrapped in each others arms. But yet I was confused. Leonardo somehow made me felt special, like I was the most important thing in the world. I liked feeling like that, but I also knew that without Leonardo there, my life would be empty and meaningless. Everything I envisaged, I always imagined Leo there with me.
I had never been like this before. I had always been alone, and I thought I would always be alone.
On Halloween it was decided that Leonardo, Donatello and I would return to the lair. Splinter was to stay with April and help look after Raphael and Michaelangelo until they were a bit better and able to come too. Splinters broken arm was well on the way to recovery.
I had actually missed not seeing the lair for the past seven months. It wasn't much, but it was the place I could call my home.
Choosing Halloween meant that our outside appearance didn't matter that much, as the entire population of New York City would be out on the streets in costume. However we still put our clothing disguises on, just to be on the safe side.
Leonardo was helping to guide Donatello, while I walked on the other side of him. I had never seen anything quite like an American Halloween before. The year before, I had been on the streets, and that particular evening I hid in my cardboard box for the whole night, fearing being seen and taken the authorities.
In the UK, Halloween just wasn't a big thing. Some people had fancy dress parties with apple-bobbing and other silly games, but there was actually very little trick or treating. I had only been to a fancy dress party once. All the other Halloweens, I had just remained in the orphanage doing some idle writing or drawing.
It was amazing to see the hundreds of people who had all made the effort to dress up in brightly coloured costumes. However, it was getting dark when we set off, and all the younger children were being taken home by their parents.
I was suddenly horrified to see the same group of teens that had chased me into the sewers, less that a year previously, wandering the streets. I stopped dead and watched as they snatched a bag of sweets out of a younger child's hands. The child had enough sense to flee.
Leonardo put a hand up to halt Don and turned to ask me what was wrong.
I said nothing, but watched as the youths turned to look at Don, Leo and I.
Donatello could tell that something was happening and was obviously getting frustrated that he couldn't see, but his pride meant that he wouldn't ask. I silently inched closer to Leonardo and took his hand as the youths advanced towards us.
I moved backwards and pulled at Leonardo in a warning to get out of the area, but Leo just held my hand tighter and stood his ground.
"What sorta costumes are those then?" sneered the group leader, looking down at us. Leonardo was the tallest of us, and he was a good four inches below the height of our tormentor. "You look stupid."
"An' what you starin' at, ugly?" The teen continued, looking at Don, who was staring solidly at where he guessed the voice was coming from.
Don could tell they were talking to him, but he remained silent. The other teens started to get a little restless behind their leader.
"Just get their candy, Teej." whined one of them. Teej acknowledged the request and turned back to us.
"Okay, so where's ya candy then? And ya money?"
"We haven't got any." replied Leo, trying to keep his voice calm. I could tell that he just wanted to attack the teens and get out of there, but neither Don or I could fight or run.
Teej gave Leo a disbelieving look. "Yeah. Right. Come on, hand it over." At this point I decided it was my turn to make a stand.
"Look, we told you, we don't have any. Please, just go away."
There was a minor stir from the teens and I wondered what I had done.
"So. You're an English, huh? Well we don't like your stupid, posh, accent and we don't like strangers in our country." he scowled. None of the turtles had ever mentioned my different ways of pronunciation. I had almost completely forgotten my original nationality. Suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, I had to force myself not to cry.
But one look at the youth's leering face, and I hastily pulled myself together. I tugged at Leonardo's hand, trying to get him to leave. But Leo either didn't feel me, or ignored me.
Teej appeared to bore of tormenting us. "Look, you have one more chance. Give me your candy and your money, and I'll let you go without too many injuries." Neither Don, Leo or I answered. Teej looked us up and down, probably sizing us up. I was the last for his eyes to pass down.
"Geez, you're ugly, stupid AND fat." he spat. "What do you want to keep the candy for anyway? Just to get fatter?" He moved forwards and slapped me. I wasn't prepared for that and left out a small squeal as I lost my balance and stumbled to the ground.
Leonardo instantly retaliated by punching Teej hard, an angry snarl playing at the corners of his mouth. Teej stepped back and clutched the black eye that Leo had just dealt him.
"You son of a bitch!" he swore, using his other hand to try and hit Leo.
Leo grabbed Teej's hand and twisted it cruelly, he was obviously hopping mad. Teej cried out, and two other members of the gang moved to take a swipe at Leonardo. But that wasn't all. A number of others went for Don and a couple headed for me.
I struggled to climb to my feet, but didn't manage before I was attacked. My attacker rather surprised when he took a kick at me, that his foot hit hard shell. But he had enough strength behind the kick though to cause me pain and also to push me over onto my side, where I instinctively curled up, whimpering softly.
Donatello was the only one of us who had been carrying a weapon, but without his sight he was probably finding it hard to fight successfully. I wanted to look and see what was happening with my friends, but I was too scared to remove my head from where I had hidden it within my shell.
My shoulders and hair were grabbed and I was hoisted to my feet by a youth who then proceeded to punch and scratch at my face, before planting a hefty knee in my in the middle of my stomach. The plastron was solid enough to take most of the force but as a large jolt of pain shot through me, I doubled over and dropped to the ground.
All I could see was black and blood. All I could feel was pain. The youth who had attacked me backed off at this point, having searched through my pockets and found that I honestly had nothing.
Through my tears, I saw him go to Teej and speak to him. Probably explaining that I had nothing worth taking.
The teens fighting Don had drawn the same conclusion and left Donatello on his shell, with his Bo laying broken by his side.
Leonardo was the only one who was appearing to be winning his fight. However, the battle was halted when there was the distant sound of sirens. Whether they were heading for us, no-one knew, but they were enough to prompt the gang to depart.
Teej gave his final parting shot of a kick to my side, where the shell is softest, before spitting on me and running back to his friends who were vanishing into the night.
"We've got to go!" exclaimed Leo, as the sirens grew louder. Through my tears I saw Don clamber painfully to his feet and search the ground with his hands for his Bo. Tears, or no tears, I could still see the look of sorrow on his face as he found the two separate pieces.
I wailed in pain as my abdomen started to feel like it was burning. My body racked with sobs as the hurt continued to throb through it.
Leo rushed to my side as he realized that I wasn't just bruised, I was really in trouble. I screwed my eyes closed as he struggled to lift me, my breath coming out in small sharp bursts and I tried to stifle my inner shrieks of pain.
"I, is Andrea okay?" I heard Donatello blatantly ask, moving past his pride.
"Of course she's not friggin' okay!" snapped Leo, probably being harsher than he meant to. "Those prats are gonna fuckin' pay for this!"
I felt myself slowly carried away from the scene, but the sirens still were getting louder. My mind was a mess of noise, colour and pain. All I could do was choke back my howls as I felt Leonardo stagger slightly as he continued to carry me.
"Do you think she's gonna lose the baby?" I heard Don ask Leonardo.
"I... Don't know." replied Leo, panting now as he tried to hurry.
"Damn my eyes!" cursed Donatello. "If I had been able to see, I could have been more help!"
"It wasn't your fault." said Leonardo, gasping for breath. "If I had just walked off to start with then we wouldn't have gotten into the fight in the first place."
I cried out as another sharp sudden pain hit me. I could hear and feel the blood pounding through my head and the sirens wouldn't stop their wailing.
"Where are we going?" panted Don. I could hear him behind now as he struggled to keep his footing on a ground he couldn't see.
"The lair. It's closer than April's." explained Leonardo, pausing to take a fresh grip around me. I felt a small jolt as Donatello bumped into Leo.
"Watch where you're fucking going!" yelled Leonardo, not thinking about what he was saying. Don was silent.
"Awww shit! Look, I'm sorry Donnie, I'm just worried okay?" apologized Leo, starting to move on again.
"It's okay." Donatello said, his voice emotionless.
I could feel myself starting to drift in and out of unconsciousness as the pain became too much for me to handle.
I could make out the murmur of Leonardo and Donatello talking, but I was unable to identify what they were saying anymore. All I could hear was my own body crying out in anguish.
I felt myself descend as I guessed I was handed down into the sewers. Don accidentally stuck a hand in my face as he struggled to find a suitable place to grip me before I felt myself taken back into Leonardo's arms.
The next thing I can really remember is being carefully placed on the couch. My eyes still screwed shut, I guessed that it was Leonardo who tugged a blanket over me.
"Crap!" swore Donatello, and I heard something knocked to the floor. Leonardo left my side and I heard the tap of someone dialing.
I shuddered as I felt another stab of pain coarse through me. I opened my eyes long enough to see Leonardo barking something down the phone, but I could hear no words. Donatello stood by his side, anxiously wringing his hands with his eyes flicking from side to side.
All the colours of what I could see, started to fade into each other and blacken. I moaned slightly as they swirled around and distorted. I felt like a black cover was pulled over me, as I sunk into silent darkness.