Part Five: Squirrels



"Hello?"

The sound on the other end was not a live voice, after all. Another recording.

Drat these answering service doohickies, she thought, claws clicking against the plastic receiver impatiently. She didn't like talking to a machine. She didn't like machines, period. When she heard the tone, she pushed the talk button off.

"Forget it," she muttered to the phone. She paced around, agitated, and decided to call back. She wasn't going make any progress unless she said something into the infernal thing, might as well get it over with.

"Hello, uh, Mike. This is Rahab, and I'd like to talk to you personally, as soon as possible, really." She talked quickly in a toneless voice, feeling ridiculous. "It's kind of urgent, and I guess that's all I can tell you. The number is -"

"Hey, what's up, Rahab?"

"Nine-one-four... uh, what?"

"It's me, Rahab. Mikey," the voice said, and laughed a little. "What's going on?"

She hesitated, suddenly nervous. "Well- I wanted to talk to you about something, Mike."

"Okay, so talk! I'm on my way downtown, so make it quick."

"Maybe I'd better talk some other time, then. I don't want to keep you..."

"No-no, go ahead. You said it was urgent, just cut to the chase. My ear's open."

She took a deep breath, and let it out again. "It's like this, Mike. I- uh... I haven't been feeling so great, and um..." She heard that sigh of impatience from his end. "Mike, this isn't easy for me to say."

"Don't worry about it! Just say it, so we can get somewhere... TODAY."

The tone of his voice stung her. "You don't even know what I'm about to say! How can you be so RUDE," she snarled suddenly, and slammed down the receiver.

She folded her arms hard against her chest, and trembled. She bit back a sob. Why did she do that? Everything seemed to get to her, lately.

The phone rang at her elbow. She gave it a dirty look. After several more insistant chirps, she picked it up and turned it on.

"Yep," she muttered.

"Lissen, Rahab, I don't know what's doing with you, but I'm sorry for being short." Mike sounded a little more congenial.

"Yeah, okay..." Rahab said and sighed. She swallowed. "You're going to be a father."

Silence. She heard a car horn in the background, and that was all, for a few tense moments.

"Hello?"

"Uh, yeah! I'm still here... I think."

"Did you hear what I said?"

"I heard ya..." Another pause. She heard him clear his throat.

She stared out the window, and saw Raphael walking up the driveway from the gatehouse, hands deep in his coat pockets.

"Rahab, " Mike said.

"Ye-es," she said absently.

"Does Raph know about this?"

"Yes he does. He wanted me to call you." She didn't want to tell him that Raphael even suggested they get together and try to work things out...

"So... what are YOU going to do?"

"I dunno, Mike! What do you THINK I should do?" She didn't want to talk to him anymore.

"Take it easy Rahab, this isn't something I hear every day. I mean, I've heard a lot of wierd sh- stuff in my life but this one caught me offside, know what I'm sayin'?" He was talking fast. "I mean, I-" He paused. "You want me to come out there? I mean, y'know, so we can talk some more? Maybe that would be a good idea. You think that would be a problem?"

"I don't know," she said.

"I sense your enthusiasm, sweetheart."

"Sorry."

Silence.

Mike sighed. "You're joking, right?"

"Do I sound like I'm joking to YOU?"

Another long slence.

Raphael entered the room.

"You want to talk to Raph? He's right here!" She promptly handed the receiver to Raphael, who listened into it, puzzled. She went over and sat by the window, and rested her elbows on the sill. Her breath steamed up the glass, and she drew patterns in it. Raphael spoke briefly with Mike, then put the receiver down and approached the window seat.

"He said-"

"Looks like snow, doesn't it?"

Raphael sat next to her, and looked at her a moment. "He's going to be gone for a couple of weeks, going to Australia on some kind of business trip. He said he'd call you when he gets back."

"Great," Rahab said to the window.

"You did all right," he said, putting his arm across her shoulders.

"Thanks."

They sat a while, and looked out the window.

"Raph?"

"Rahab?"

"You really love me?"

He stared at her as though she had sprouted another head. "YE-ess, of COURSE," he said emphatically. "'Don't worry about it!"

Tears filled her eyes. "I just don't want to mess things up between us."

"That's not gonna happen."

"Well what if you change your mind, or some-" She stopped when his grip almost hurt her.

"I'm NOT gonna change my mind."

She stared at him, until he gradually let go of her. He turned his gaze to the window.

"Remember those ol' squirrels the other day? You know, the ones that were trying to get home in all that wind, their mouths crammed full of nuts or whatever?"

She giggled in spite of herself. "Yeah..."

He grinned. "The trees were whipping around like crazy, weren't they? Man, those squirrels hung right in there, kept on goin', until they got to the other side." His grin faded. "Kinda like us, huh? Just gotta hang on and not let go."

"Yeah." She sighed. "I like that. We're squirrels, and Mikey's the wind."

"Yeah," he echoed. "Except Mikey, he's kind of a squirrel, too. He's not the wind, he's getting knocked around by it just like we are. He wants to go to the same place we're going."

"What if I don't want him to come with us," she said suddenly.

Raphael looked sad. "Rahab, you can't keep him away from his kid."

"What about us, Raphael?" Rahab's throat was making it hard for her to speak. "What if he starts a whole lot of trouble, like he did that night?"

Raph shook his head. "Nah. I don't think so. But if he does, we'll just have to be like squirrels."



Christmas came and went, and the year was drawing to a close, when another brother of Raphael's came to visit through New Year's. His name was Donatello. He was more of an olive green, a little taller than Raphael, but more slightly built, as though he didn't need quite so much bulk. He nodded politely to Rahab when they were introduced, but, other than a few curious glances at her midsection, paid little attention to her. He and Raph stayed up late the first night, talking in the living room in front of the fireplace.

"What's his problem, anyway," Rahab muttered to Raphael over breakfast the next morning.

"Who," Raphael asked, after sipping his coffee.

"Your brother." Rahab looked at his blank expression in annoyance. "Donatello! Who'd you think?"

"I have three brothers."

"There's one that's staying with us, remember? What, you been drinking or something?"

He set his coffee cup down a little harder than usual. "I guess not! I was beginning to wonder about YOU. You've been awful feisty lately."

She folded her arms. " I have NOT!"

"Aah, calm your hormones," he muttered, nudging her in the ribs. She squirmed, and tried not to smile, but she couldn't escape his eye. "Hey! No laughing."

She burst into giggles, and tried to tickle him back, and he dodged her, causing his cup to fall off the table and shatter on the floor. "Oops!"

Raphael sniggered at her, over the mishap.

Rahab then noticed Don standing in the kitchen doorway, watching them. She didn't like the expression on his face as he glanced at her. She drew herself up. "MAY I help you?"

"Raphael, is there any coffee left," he asked quietly.

"Sure, Don. Help yourself." Raph gestured at the coffee pot.

Rahab watched Don as he stepped carefully over the broken cup and spilled coffee, and retrieved a mug from the cupboard. He inspected it, and, obviously dissatisfied with the condition of cleanliness, carefully washed it in the sink. After looking into the coffee maker, he grudgingly poured himself a cup.

Rahab's blood boiled. "Ah, Don, I wouldn't worry, everything HAS been sterilized."

He acted as though he hadn't heard.

Clenching her fists to her hips, she ignored Raphael's warning look. "Hey, Donnie," she said in mock cheeriness. "Did you know you talk JUST like Dan Rather?"

Holding the mug steady, Don retreated from the kitchen.

"Well excuse ME, your Royal HIGHness," Rahab called after him.

"Lay off of him, Rahab."

Cursing, she grabbed one of the kitchen chairs and flung it across the room. Raphael neatly caught it, and set it down. "WHAT'S gotten into you," he hissed. "Take it easy!"

She tried to fling the other chair, but he pulled it out of her hands and held her firmly from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. "Listen," he said in her ear. "Don't take Don to heart, he has nothing against you, really. He's just-" He heaved a sigh. "He's been through a lot lately, so it takes a while for him to warm up. Just cut him some slack, huh?"

Rahab squirmed and grunted.

"Eh?" Raphael gave her a little shake.

"All right," she mumbled. He let go of her. "But why does he ride around on such a high horse?"

Raph squinted at her."What?"

"Why does he act like nothing is good enough for him?"

"I dunno, Rahab."

"Has he always been that way?"

"Let's not discuss people behind their backs, huh?"

"Huh! I'll just say it to his face," she declared.

"Rahab..."

She put her arms around his neck. "Okay, okay, I'll be good," she said sweetly.

"You'd better," he muttered, and then grinned.

Next section... Rahab 6

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