Chapter 4: Traumatized

Roosevelt Hospital.  Who's idea was it to take him there?  The building looked dark and foreboding as I stared up at it.  Leo started counting the balconies, nodding his head in the process.

"Your husband was in room 925, so unless they moved him we'll hit that balcony"  I followed Leo's hand as he pointed upward.  He then removed a small grappling hook from his belt.  Simultaneously, he
and his brothers swung the ropes around like lassos and released them upward toward the balcony.  The hooks made their mark, making small 'clank' sounds.  Each of them tugged at the rope to make
certain the hooks were sturdy.

Leo extended his arm out to me.  "Come on.  Grab a hold."

I looked up as the others started to climb the wall.  Then stared at Leo.  "Are you nuts?  What if I fall?"

"Well, gravity usually takes it's toll and let me tell ya it ain't a pretty sight."  Raph said with assurance.

:Leo looked up at him, hands on hips.  "Raph!  You're not making this any easier!"  Then he turned back to me, extending his arm again.  "Come on, I promise you you won't fall."

I sighed and place my arms around his neck.  At a quick jump, Leo was up against the wall like a spider and began upward.  Fear hit me and without thinking, I wrapped my legs around his waist and
held on for dear life.  Leo continued to climb with both hands so I was left to defend myself between the wall and the ground.

Don reached the top first and spun around to watch us for a bit.  He then left and walked over to the balcony door.  Mike came up next, then Raph.  Leo and I came up last and when we landed on the
balcony ledge, I slid down Leo's shell and sat on the floor.  He turned around and placed his hands on his knees, smiling.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"  His smile faded when he noticed my face was as white as a sheet.

"Promise me I'll never have to do that again."  I said with a shaky breath.

He stood upright, shaking his head.  "I only promised you you wouldn't fall.  We can't risk taking the stairs or the elevator."

I sat up and went over to Don whom worked on opening the door.  He pulled out a small piece of metal from his belt pocket and began twisting it in the glass door.  Before we knew it, the door slid
open.  He smiled and held up the metal object.

"Bobby pins have more than one use." 

I stepped into the dark room and approached the bedside where my husband laid.  Oh, Edward!  I placed a hand on his arm and rested my head on his chest.  God, I need you now!  The heart monitor
slowly beeped at a leisurely pace.  He was slipping away right before my eyes.  The Turtles watched from the balcony to make sure no one would enter through the hall door.  I didn't pay attention.  Leo walked in and tapped me on the shoulder.

"Come on, we have to go now."

He didn't notice I was crying.  I bent down and kissed Ed on the lips and quietly whispered, "I love you, baby."

I looked over at Leo, and he pulled me upward, guiding me like a marionette to the glass door.  Footsteps were heard outside the door and we froze on the spot.  Someone was coming in!

"Quick!"  Leo whispered as he pulled me stronger to the balcony.  The next minute we were glued against the wall.  Don and Mike stood pressed on the other side of the glass and I stood with Raph and
Leo.  The hall door open and men were heard mumbling amongst themselves.

"Leo, what's-"  Leo placed a hand over my mouth, shushing me.

Don slowly turned his head around the corner to look inside, getting a good look at the men.  They certainly didn't look like doctors.  Don pulled up his wrist band, checking his watch.

"Hmm, ten p.m."  He mumbled.  "It's a bit late for visiting hours."

I looked carefully as well.  What were they doing?  One of them approached the bed and I heard clicking sounds.  The next sound came and echoed forever in my ears.  A long beep went off.  Oh,
my God!  Flat line!  I pulled myself from Leo's grasp and shoved my way through the door, meeting face to face with the men in black.

"Nooooo!"  I shouted at them.  The men looked startled and drew out MP5s.  Uh, oh!  Big mistake.  The Turtles came leaping through and I was pushed to the ground as a rain of bullets hit the air above
my head.  I was thrown under the bed and soon heard punching and hitting and more guns going off.  I slowly looked up and watched the rumble.  About eight men against the four turtles was not a good
even amount.  But they seemed to be handling it.  Raph showed off his talent by spin kicking two in a row.  Leo punched and back punched another approaching from behind.at lightning speed.  Mike did
his best at teasing a guy by playing tag around a small table.  Once the guy reached him, he began throwing left and right hooks and of course Mike was dodging every one of them.  In a twist of a dodge,
he came up and knocked the guy out cold!  I stood up when the numbers were dropping and heard the monitor still ringing flat line!

"Oh, God!  Help me!"  I yelled out to no one in particular.

Don swung his bo into three men, causing them to fall in a row and quickly leaped over to my side.  He placed his bo against the wall and stared at all the buttons on the monitor.  He looked confused.

I glared at him.  "Do something!  Anything!"

"Uh, um!  I'm not sure how these things work!  Let's try this one."  He flipped a switch marked 'ON'.  The machine lit up and the lights were going haywire.  The monitor still beeped that horrible flat line.

Leo jumped over and started to perform CPR.

Don pulled me back, taking his bo.  "Leave it to Leo.  He knows more about this than me."

I watched Leo continue to pump and count over and over.  Raph was working on the last of the men, which looked like two remaining and Mike stopped to see what we were up to.  The monitor hit a
pulse and Leo pulled back, thanking God above the heart was pumping again.  I could have hugged him!  But instead I went over to my husband.  Leo looked over at Don.

"It wasn't your fault.  The machine can do nothing once it hits flat line.  I don't understand those things either.  All I know is how to save a life."

Don tapped his arm.  "Thanks.  Guess I should read up more on that stuff, huh?"  Leo shrugged with a nod.

Mike came over.  "What's going on?"

"Those men tried to kill Edward but I revived him by performing CPR."

I looked up with fear in my eyes.  "All that noise will surely bring the entire hospital staff!"

Leo headed toward the bodies.  "Yes, we should clean up and-"  Footsteps by the dozen were now approaching.  Oh, no!  Not again.

Raph groaned in the back.  "Oh, great!  I never met a doctor I had to fight before!"

"Maybe we won't have to."  Leo's voice drifted as he spotted a walk-in closet.  "Jewel, come here!"  Before I could reply he pulled and dragged me into the closet.  "Wait here until it's safe!  Don't worry
about us!"  I still wanted to answer but he shut the door and I was left in the dark.  The light will draw attention so I left the bulb off and found a corner to hide in case they should come in here.  There was
movement heard outside as men and women were talking and refixing the machine, rechecking my husband and scurrying around the room.  I hope the Turtles were okay.  Once it got quiet and a door
slammed shut, I slowly emerged from the closet.  All the bodies were gone!  I looked around, seeing the balcony curtain drawn shut.  A hand tapped me on the back and I spun around, clutching my chest.
It was Mike whom had just popped up from his hiding place.

"Close call, eh?"

I saw the other three come out from various parts of the room.

"But I don't understand!  How did you- where did you-"

"Well, you see it's like this..."  Mike went over to the balcony and pulled the curtain up, revealing all the men stacked neatly outside!

"I mean how could you do it in such a short time?!  Those doctors were coming in with minutes to spare!  It's impossible to move that fast!"  Now, I was pacing around them.  They followed my every move.

"It's what being a ninja is all about.  We were trained to move and hide evidence at a fast pace and yet at the same time work in a low, unsuspecting stealth."  Don sounded proud.

"What are you going to do with the bodies?  You can't just leave them here."  I turned and looked at the gruesome sight.

Raph walked over to take a look.  "Well, if you don't mind waiting, we can dispose of them if you'd like."

"But how?  Where?"

A smile lighted Raph's face.  "Isn't there usually a morgue in hospitals?"

Mike got excited.  "Yeah!  In the lower levels!  Cool!  Wanna go look at dead bodies, Jewel?"

I totally disagreed.  "No way!  I'm not going down there!  Besides, those men are probably just unconscious.  You would never really kill anyone!"

They grew quiet, looking off in different directions of the room.

"Would you?!"  I repeated.  I didn't get an answer and was afraid to know what it was anyway.

Leo pondered the thought, placing a hand under his chin.  "It's a bit risky to be moving bodies to and from this level.  But Jewel has a point.  We didn't kill them and they will soon wake up."

"Then why not just kill them anyway?"  Raph was in no mood to play around.  I hated his method of reasoning.

Leo shook his head.  "No, Raph.  A warrior who kills another that is unarmed is considered a warrior without honor.  And that's something I will not lose over these guys."

"Oh, don't give me that no honor shit, Leo!  These guys almost took a life and shouldn't deserve to live!"

This was getting us nowhere.  I certainly did not want to go to the morgue unless I was forced to look over a body of someone I knew.  I glanced at my husband, praying it wouldn't be his body!  We
stepped out onto the balcony carefully checking each of the men for any sign of life.  I was scared to admit I found two not breathing.  Raph knelt down and pointed them out for me.

"Yeah, those were the two I snapped their necks like twigs."  I stared at him, thinking 'you murderer!.'  He looked at me.  "Hey, doll, it was either me or them!  What would you have done?"

He stood up before I could answer and went over to the other side, also checking the other bodies.  Don came over and patted my back.  He could tell I was upset.

"It's okay.  This is our job.  We don't mean to kill anyone on purpose.  It's our only defense.  Please don't think of us as murderers."

What were these guys?  Mind readers?  I covered myself with my arms and sat against the wall, watching the ninjas go to work like the professionals that they were.  I didn't feel to safe even hanging
around them.  I knew they would never hurt me unless I did something terrible to make them react.  What if these men were women?  Would they still attack girls?  Knowing how they are, they probably
would.

Raph stood back and approached Leo.  "Four of them aren't breathing.  Guess we should take them special delivery."

Leo nodded slowly.  "Let's tie up the rest and take the others to the morgue."  Then turned to me.  "Jewel, maybe you should come with us.  It's not safe here to stay alone."

But I wasn't alone.  Edward was here.  I wanted to stay with him than go see dead bodies!

"Don't worry, Jewel!"  Mike said.  "Besides, the bodies are covered with white sheets.  You won't see anything."

Wonderful.  The idea of standing in a room full of dead people made me shiver all over.  I watched the Turtles each take a body and go through the room, leaving the remaining tied on the balcony ledge.

We entered the dark hallway and decided to take the stairs down to the morgue.  Ugh, the word itself was nauseating.  I followed behind them and kept looking behind me.  We entered the long
staircase heading down.  "Stairway to Hell" I thought to myself.  Each Turtle held a body over his shoulder.  I kept my eyes to ground level so I wouldn't have to look.  At the bottom of the stairs, we opened a double door and entered a long corridor with a white floor and ceiling.  A sign with an arrow pointing was marked "MORGUE."  A gurney was outside next to another double doors at the end
of the hall.

"Hope no one's in there working the graveyard shift."  Don said quietly as we inched toward the double doors.

I gulped.  "Did you have to say, graveyard?"

He grinned at me.  "Oh, sorry!  Didn't mean it that way."

Leo pushed one of the doors and looked in.  The room was full of more gurneys with white sheets covering lifeless bodies.  No one of the living was wandering around.

"Okay, guys, let's make this quick.  Jewel, you can wait out here if you want."

I stared at the gurney near the door.  "You mean alone?  Uh, uh!"  I followed them in and stood by a counter.  So this is the morgue.  It was a huge room with rows and rows of bodies.  A large block of
steel stuck out against the wall holding several slabs.  That must be where they bag up the dead bodies.  The Turtles found some openings in the slabs and laid the bodies in black bags, zipping them up
to the top.

Mike frowned at the bags.  "Ugh, can you see yourself doing this for a livin'?"

Raph shook his head.  "Nah.  I just kill 'em.  I don't bag 'em."

Don looked at the rows of tables.  "Just think of them as departed loved ones and the job should get taken care of."

Leo stared at the horrible men that tried to kill them.  "Not all of them are considered loved ones if you ask me."

I was practically near the exit.  I couldn't stand being in here.  I would have been all right if I didn't notice a movement made out of the corner of my eye.

"Uh, guys..."  They looked up.  "Did that sheet over there just move?"  I pointed over at a gurney near the far corner of the room.  It was covered, sure, but they did see a quick movement.

Don slowly walked over.  With curiosity, I followed behind.  He stared down at the sheet and took a hold of the sheet at the head of the table.  I came up, clutching his arm.

"Wait!  Don't do it!  I'm sure it was nothing."

"We can't be too sure."  He lifted the sheet and revealed a horrid decaying woman, I'd say in the her late 70's.  I came closer and frowned at it, feeling a sort of pity.  And disgust.  Before Don pulled the
sheet back, the body jerked suddenly, almost falling on the floor.  Don released the sheet with a yelp and quickly jumped to the side.  I let out a shriek and stumbled backwards into his open arms which
he closed around my body protectively.  I doubt the woman would attack us.  I turned away and buried my face into Don's neck, shielding my eyes with one hand and clutching his arm that laid across me.
Leo was over within seconds, placing the body on the table.  He frowned at the sight as well before throwing the sheet back over her.

"Whoa!  It's like Night of the Living Dead!"  Don cried out.   I moaned in terror.

Raph was now staring over with interest.  "Jeez!  What happened?!"

Mike started to walk over and saw Leo was replacing a sheet.  "Remember, departed loved ones, right?"

"Oh, my God!  She's alive, she's alive!"  I quietly mumbled.  Don stared at the sight, trying to remain calm but was just as scared.

Leo looked over at us as we huddled like scared rabbits.  "No, she's dead.  It's just the body can sometimes go into spasms, causing jolts of the muscles even after death.  Believe me, she's not alive."

I slowly pulled away and looked at Don whom had a bit of the shakes as well.  He smiled, trying to humor the moment.  "Some night, huh?"  I could only nod in response.

Leo came over with concern.  "Are you guys all right?"

Don nodded but I knew he wasn't all right.  "Oh, sure Leo.  Next Halloween, we should have a party like this.  Prop up a dead body.  Invite some kids.  It'll be great."

"Very cute, Don.  I was just worried, that's all.  Seriously, we should be going.  That body must be fresh to move like that.  I'm sure the evening shift will be starting soon."  Leo left the table and
approached me.  "Time to go."

That was the best news I heard all day.  "Yes, let's."

I was the first one out the door and didn't stop to look behind me.  It was funny how I was always the one in the back of the group.  Now, I was way ahead and they had to catch up to me!  We were back
out in a carpeted hallway, heading towards the staircase to level 4.  I would have preferred the elevator, but the company I was with could not take that chance of being seen.  Far up ahead of the group,
I saw a women's restroom and quickly made a sharp turn, throwing off the Turtle's point of direction.  I went in, noticing it was one big room with a sink and toilet.  Oh, one of those kind.  I then thought
to myself, did they see me go in or was I walking too far ahead?  A quick knock came to the door.  Yep, they saw me.

"Hang on, guys.  Just give me a minute."  I yelled to the door.  No reply.  I locked the door just in case and took care of my business.  Hospital bathrooms were always frightfully cold.  I started to shiver
as I stared in the mirror while washing my hands.  I fixed my hair a bit before exiting the door.

I walked out into the hall, noticing they were nowhere in sight.  Oh, great!   Now I lost them again.  I started to walk up and down the hall, checking each door and room to try to find at least one of them.
Maybe they didn't see me go in.  Well, then who knocked at the door?  A nurse by chance?  This was most bizarre.  I turned down another hall near an elevator to the parking garage, finding Don scouting
the area in a low quiet movement.  He saw me and quickly ran over.

"Hey, there you are!  Where the heck were you?!  We've been looking all over for you."

I stared at him with narrow eyes.  "Didn't you see me go in there?"  I pointed to the restroom.  "I know one of you must of because someone knocked on the door."

"No, I didn't knock.  In fact, none of us did."  That scared me.  Don felt the same way.  "All we know is that one minute you were in front of us and then you were gone."

I grabbed his hand, starting to walk at a fast pace.  "Then there must be a security guard wanderin' around.  We have to find the others and get out of here."

The halls seemed like endless mazes turning up at dead ends.  I'm not losin' this guy.  I held his hand with a death-grip.  It was a funny sight.  I looked like a typical parent dragging around a child who's
been misbehaving.  Or was I the misbehaving child dragging around the parent?

"Um, Jewel?"

I quickly turned and stared up in his face.  "What?!"

He put his other hand over my arm and yanked his hand free from my grasp.  "I'm not going anywhere.  Please, don't pull me like that."

I turned away, rolling my eyes.  "Ohhhh, sorry Don!  It's a bad habit.  I use to do volunteer work to the kindergartners when I was in 7th grade and I was a basket case when I would lose someone from
the group, dragging around the other toddlers, looking for whomever was missing.  Sometimes it'd be the other way around, where they'd drag me instead to either show me something or help them with
another student.  Since we lost the others, and I found one of you, I'm not going to lose you, so that's why I held your hand like that.  You guys can just suddenly vanish and I wouldn't know it.
When that's the case, I'd say it'd be approriate to call me 'Little Girl Lost.' "

Don stood for a moment, allowing what I said to register inside his head.  Smiling broadly, he said, "Alright then, little girl." then grabbed MY hand and started walking.  "Let's go find the others!"

Now, he was treating me like a misbehaving child.  Hmph!  He walked with me dragging behind, his steps faster than mine.  For a turtle, he was pretty quick.  I looked above to read the signs.
CAFETERIA with an arrow pointing upward.  Don caught it too.  "Mike."  We both said and headed in that direction.

It was well after midnight, the cafeteria was closed for the night.  Only a small section of the main room stayed open for the working staff whom had shifts after hours.  A man sat behind the counter
of the food court, reading a magazine.  Don was once again pressed against the wall and I too, had no choice but to do the same.  The room occupied a few RN's quietly snacking at tables.  Mike
wouldn't be foolish enough to go where there's people around.

"I don't think Mike would go in there.  Not when there's people around."  Don was beginning to read my mind.  I looked at him, wide-eyed.  He turned to me with a frown.  "What?  What'd I say?"

"Exactly what I was thinking."  I walked away, leaving him to ponder at that remark.  I looked down the hall, seeing a quick movement around the corner.  It looked like Mike and Leo.

"Two outta three ain't bad."  I mumbled as I walked down the hall.  Don noticed and followed behind.

I turned the corner, tapping Mike on the shell.  He winced and spun around to stare into my grinning face.  I scared him this time.

"Paybacks are a hell, aren't they?"  Before I could laugh at my own taunt, Mike threw his arms around me with excitement.

"Jeez, Jewel!  Where ya been?  We thought something bad happened to you!"

I still released my laugh, patting Mike's shell.  "I'm fine, really.  I just went into the restroom."  I looked over behind Mike's back.

Leo stood by, motionless.  He did not look pleased.  Now comes the lecturing part from parent to child.  Mike released me as Leo came closer.  I looked up, feeling a sort of punishment approaching.

I started first.  "I, uh, thought you knew where I was.  Um, well, I only thought, of course, and that doesn't mean-"

"Yes, Jewel.  That doesn't mean for you to assume that we know where you took off to!!  We spent almost half an hour walking up and down these halls looking for you!  I was worried sick that someone
found you, kidnapped you, or God only knows what else might have happened!  Please spare me the near heart-attacks and don't ever wander off the way you did."

With the respects of being inside a hospital, his yelling was a whisper but was loud and convincing enough for me to realize that he was extremely upset.  I felt like my father was yelling at me from when I
was a child.  His eyes held so much anger, I couldn't stare at him any longer.  I put my head down, slowly nodding in obedience.  I could feel my face getting hot and my vision start to blur.  Leo hated
yelling at people and released a heavy sigh, the same sigh I heard when I first met them.  I kept my head down, ashamed to show my tear-stricken face.

"Aw, man!  Go easy on her!"  Mike said as I turned away toward the wall, wiping my eyes.  "She thought we knew where she was.  It was an honest mistake."

My stomach exploded with emotion as I quietly sobbed uncontrollably.  I felt him approach behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Jewel.  I don't want to see any harm come to you and knowing you are a target for death, my guard is up twice as usual."

"So's your temper."  Don mumbled.

I snickered through my hands at that remark and turned to Leo.  He removed his hand and stared with now soft, calm, eyes again.

"Will you forgive me?"  He finally said.

I thought back to when he saved Edward, remembering I never thanked him for that.

"I forgive you."  I said in a rigid whisper.  "And I thank you for saving Ed's life.  You are a true hero in my book."

He nodded to me as I looked away, realizing the odds were still uneven.

"By the way, where's Raph?"

Leo looked out a door toward the garden terrace.  "Well, he felt you tried to escape through one of the outside exits so he went to check around the gardens of the hospital."

Once Leo finished his sentence, I saw through the windows Raph come venturing out from the garden toward the door where we stood.  He saw me and pointed, talking out loud even though we couldn't
hear him, and began running over.  Leo opened the door and Raph came through, huffing and puffing.

"Ahhhh!  And where the hell were you?!  Obviously not outside!  There were these two gardeners yakkin' away out there and I had to hide in the bushes till they left.  I think I learned more about plants
than I could ever possibly want to know!  I should quit my job as a ninja and become an apothecary!"

His remarks were meant as humorous and unintentional.  I could still tell he was not pleased that I was indoors the whole time.

I tried my best efforts.  "Hello, to you too, Raph."

"Yeah, yeah!  Whatever!  Can we please get the hell outta here now?!"

The moving of the remaining men upstairs was a quick over and done task.  I knew I couldn't get my way to take the stairs and had to suffer the joys of swinging down the grappling hooks once again.
We headed back to the lair at around 1 am.  It took us a good 4 hours at the hospital and now was the time to finally get some sleep.  I learned something while being at the hospital that night.  Besides
telling them where I'd be every 5 minutes, my life was certainly taking a most bizarre twist that I have ever experienced.  One that will truly be unforgettable.

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