It was 4am on the morning of Christmas eve, and I hadn’t slept all night. I hadn’t slept well for days now, it was just so difficult to get comfortable when I felt like a 16lb bowling ball was strapped to my stomach.
Growling in frustration, I rose from my bed to go get a drink. Even that simple task took a considerable amount of effort as I could hardly keep my eyes open and my feet steady.
I yanked open the fridge and winced as the bright light hit my eyes. It was piled high with all the food that had been prepared for the Christmas eve party April was throwing. Grabbing a can of Coke, not caring about health, I drank it all in less than thirty seconds.
All of us were supposed to be going out to do some final Christmas shopping later. Due to the freezing weather, our appearances were not a problem as we could pile on clothes without suspicion. At this present moment in time, I really didn’t feel like going. But I knew I had to as I still had a few things I needed to sort out for both Christmas and the baby. After all, most of the shops I needed were going to be closed after today until New Year’s eve, and I wanted to make sure I was prepared in case the worst should happen.
I had just closed the fridge and started to head back to my room, when a sudden feeling of shakiness caused me to flop into one of the chairs at the kitchen table.
I moaned and gently rested my head on the table. I longed to sleep but my mind was on other things, and my body was getting battered with baby kicks.
My jumbled thoughts started heading towards Leo, and I stifled a small sob. His behaviour towards me had really started to upset me now. He never bothered to hug me, or to do anything except worry. I was really starting to hate Dr. Wood, and all the mean people that captured me for doing what they did.
When they had pregnated me, they probably hadn’t thought about my feelings at all, or how it might affect MY life. All they cared about was their stupid army. They treated me like... an animal! I was just there for them to use.
I felt my fist clench tightly. This baby was ruining my life, but, in some ways then Leo and I would never have got as close as we did. For a brief second my fury melted, but quickly rose again as I thought that then I wouldn’t be feeling so alone like I was now.
A noise caused me to look up. I saw Donatello lurking about outside the kitchen. His eyesight was certainly improving, but he still relied greatly on his other senses, and his keen hearing must have detected me moving about.
“You okay, Andy?” he asked, entering the kitchen with one hand resting on the wall.
“Yeah.” I snuffled.
Don came and groped about to find the chair next to me, which he then proceeded to sit on. “I don’t think you are.” he said bluntly. “It’s about Leo isn’t it?”
Donatello’s intelligence never ceased to amaze me.
“Yeah.” I sighed. “I don’t know Don, it just seems like he doesn’t care for me any more. All he wants to do is protect me. Like, I’m just an object or something.”
Don nodded his head. “Leo’s always been like that, ever since we were young. He would always worry about the things he cared most for.”
I moved one of my arms to rest my head on, so I was facing Don. I looked at him curiously.
“I remember when Leo first got his Katana’s.” continued Donatello, looking slightly wistful. “He was so proud of them and would clean them carefully everyday and after use. Then he began to start cleaning them whenever they go any dirt on them at all. Before long he would halt the sparring sessions so that he could go to clean his blades.”
“Didn’t Splinter get cross?”
“Oh yeah, but he couldn’t really tell Leo off for taking great care of his weapons. All he could do was suggest that maybe Leonardo was taking things too far. But Leo didn’t listen.” Don looked towards the room Mikey and Raph shared before continuing. “Then Mike played a joke on Leo. He covered the Katana’s in mud and sewer sludge, before wedging the needle sharp tips into the chopping board and leaving them in Leo’s room.”
“How old were you then?” I asked curiously.
Don paused to remember. “We must have been about seven or eight. But boy, was Leo mad when he saw what Mike did. He screamed and lashed at Mikey, and scared the poor turtle right out of his shell. I remember Mike coming and hiding in my lab, scared to death, after the incident. Well, Leo then spent the rest of the day cleaning his Katana’s, and we all thought that would be the end of it. Until the following morning when Leo turned up to morning practice without his Katana’s. When Splinter asked him why, he said he was protecting them.”
“So, anyway, Splinter continued our lesson.” resumed Don, looking down at his hands. “He put Raph and Leo together to spar, but leaving Raph with his Sai’s. Leo was weaponless and Raphael showed no mercy. Leonardo was easily, yet harshly, beaten and humiliated. He learnt his lesson then and there, and since has taken good care of his Katana’s but not taken it to the extreme.” Donatello rested a hand on my arm. “All he needs to do is learn his lesson about caring for you, and then you will get back the Leo who loves you.”
I nodded dumbly, and felt the overwhelming urge to burst into tears. But I controlled myself and after saying good night (morning..?) to Don, I shuffled back to my bed, but still was restless.
I longed for the few months previously when Leonardo and I were together, inseparable, to return. Those had been such happy times for me. And now, in the final month of my pregnancy, I could really have used the support he used to give me.
I trudged along behind Mikey, my eyes half closed as I pushed my feet through the snow. We were heading to the supermarket to pick up some more stuff for April’s ‘Christmas Eve party’ and a couple of other things.
Raph, Don and Splinter were already at April’s, helping her set up; while Mike, Leo, Casey and I fetched the final lots of food and alcohol.
As we pushed through the supermarket doors, I gasped at all the life and decorations. I hadn’t been shopping for months now and if some one had tried to describe it to me, I would never have believed that so many decorations would fit in a shop.
Casey and Leo headed over to where there were boxes of beer and other alcoholic beverages stored on the shelves. Mike grabbed my hand and pulled me off into the crowd in the opposite direction.
I staggered after him, my vision a blur of colours. We stopped in an isle the other side of the store and I stared blankly at the stuff on display. I slowly became aware that Mikey was talking to me,
“And so I thought I might get her something for her house, but then you females tend to like perfume or flowers and stuff, so I thought maybe something from here. What do you think?”
I struggled to try and work out what the conversation was about so I could try and give a fairly intelligent answer. However, Michaelangelo saw me looking blank and spontaneously decided to clarify the question for me.
“So? What do you think I should give April for Christmas, Andy?”
“I, uh, well...” I struggled, gazing at all the different bottles of perfume and likewise on the shelves in front of me. “I’m, uh, not sure.”
Mike looked disappointed. “But you’re a girl. You’re supposed to know.”
I shrugged wearily. “Sorry.”
As Mike turned back to gaze thoughtfully round the shop, I put a hand to my head as I felt slightly dizzy. I didn’t even know I’d stumbled over until I felt Mikey’s strong hands holding me up.
“You okay?” he asked, his face worried.
“I... don’t know.” I moaned. “Please, can we just go home...” I rested my head on Michaelangelo’s shoulder and closed my eyes as I shivered involuntarily.
He put his arm around my shoulders and gently lead me over to where Leonardo and Casey were paying for the alcohol. He briefly explained to them the situation and that he was going to take me back to the lair.
Leonardo started to object, saying that he should be the one to take me back, but Mike and I slipped away into the crowd, leaving Leo with Casey trapped in the till queue behind us.
Back at the lair, I collapsed on the couch and promptly fell into dreamless sleep.
I was awoken by a loud crash and repeated swearing by Raphael. I hauled myself upright and gazed over to the big pile of things that had originally been piled on the train roof and were now scattered all over the floor, Raphael in the midst.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Raphael had been reaching for something at the bottom of the pile and knocked everything off.
“Way to go Raph-ster!” cheered Mikey, who had just appeared from the kitchen in his ‘Kiss the Chef’ apron with flour all over him.
“Shut the fuck up, Mikey.” growled Raph, pulling himself clear from the mess. I saw Donatello appear in the corner of the room, tugging his radio headphones off and squinting round the room.
“What’s going on?” he asked, unable to make out Raphael sitting in a pile of junk. The situation was quickly explained to him by Mike, who was struggling not to break into total hysterics.
I smirked at the antics, and leant on the back of the couch, just as Splinter walked into the room, his fur slightly fluffy as he had evidently been in the middle of brushing it.
This caused Michaelangelo to crack up even harder, and even caused me to start giggling. Splinter didn’t look amused at the mess and started barking out instructions.
“Michaelangelo, calm down and go clean yourself up. Raphael, you must clean up this mess before we go to April’s.”
“Awwww what?! But Mah-ster, this is gonna take hours to clean up.” moaned Raph. “And we’re supposed to be going to April’s in thirty minutes!”
“Then you will have to come along later.” Splinter decided, before shuffling out and complaining about Ninja Tidiness.
Mike staggered into his and Raph’s bedroom, still chuckling to himself. I lay back on the couch and stared sleepily at the ceiling, whilst listening to Raphael’s grumbles.
Mike came back into the living room a few minutes later, just about clean and tidy.
“You gonna wear that to the party?” he asked grinning down at me in my blue maternity dress.
“I don’t know if I’m gonna come.” I said wearily. “I don’t feel so good Mike, I might just stay here and get some sleep.”
“Oooaaawww...” moaned Michaelangelo, crouching down beside me. “Pleeeaaasseeee come? Pretty, pretty, pretty please?!?”
I smiled at his imploring face and big puppy eyes. How could anyone say ‘no’ to a face like that? Fortunately Mike gave me another option, though.
“Or you could come across with Raphy later? Mmm? Mmm? Mmm?”
I playfully tugged at his orange bandanna ends as I considered that option. Raphael and I still weren’t very friendly, but he now appeared to accept that I was becoming one of ‘them’ and would be hanging around for quite a while.
Michaelangelo clarified the plan by turning to Raph and asking if it would be okay for him to escort me across later. He got a grunt in reply, which apparently meant ‘yes’.
I found it funny, the way each of them was able to know exactly what the others meant. Even though they were unrelated, they were the strongest, happiest family I’d ever seen. And I was part of them.
I put my head down on the cushions as my evening was planned for me. I was to come to April’s with Raph in about an hours time when he had finished clearing the living room and got himself ready.
I didn’t see Leo enter, and I only realized his presence when he gently ran his hand down the side of my face.
“You doin’ okay?” he asked, gently stroking my cheek. “Do you want me to stay with you?”
“Nawww... I’m fine.” I assured, slightly surprised at Leonardo’s friendliness towards me but very happy about it. “You go ahead to the party, and I’ll join you later.”
“You sure?” he said, sliding his hand down my neck and onto my shoulder.
“Positive.” I smiled, putting my hands onto his. I felt my stomach flutter slightly as he leant over me and gently kissed my lips. As he eventually broke off and headed up the ladder to join Splinter, Don and Mike.
I wondered whether Don had said something to Leo, but decided that it didn’t matter if he had. Leonardo had just shown me that he still loved me. All the struggles of the last month or two melted away as I sighed happily as I replayed the moment of the kiss in my mind.
I was broken from my day dream as Raphael flicked on the television in front of me with use of the remote. It actually gave me quite a shock and I felt my stomach try and leap into my throat.
Recovering a few seconds later, I flopped back on to the couch to relax for a while and with the gentle murmur of something on the telly lulling me off to sleep.
But I was unable to relax when I suddenly started to get bizarre feelings of nausea. They started to come and go as I rolled back and forth, on and off my side to try and get comfortable and make them stop.
I hadn’t eaten anything since a meager breakfast, and it was almost like my stomach was rumbling. But I wasn’t hungry. The feelings weren’t really painful, they were just sorta uncomfortable and disturbing.
I picked up the TV guide from where it was sitting next to the couch, and started to read in an effort to take my mind off my body. I absently started to rub my lower plastron in an attempted massage, although I could feel nothing beneath the shell.
I moaned slightly and pulled myself upright to go and see if eating something would help me feel better. But as I entered the kitchen, my body squirmed under a sharp cramping pain. I cried out and dropped to the floor in agony.
The pain passed in a matter of seconds, and I lay panting heavily. As I grabbed hold of one of the kitchen chairs and pulled myself up so I was laying over it, I started to see everything come together like pieces of a puzzle.
In horror, I began to realize what was happening to me and sobbed in trepidation as another contraction coursed through my body.
Part 16 coming soon..!