Chapter 14: Stormy Weather
Don and I explained the situation about the importance of my necklace which left the group to question amongst themselves.
"I think we should hide the necklace somewhere safe and Jewel returns to my house." Hannah finally said.
Raph gestured to her. "And then what? You want two of us to play
bodyguards again? This is getting ridiculous. I'm tired of waiting around for
these jerks to make the first move. We should go after
them instead."
I got up next. "But we don't even know who or where they are. I was told they could be anybody or located anywhere. You can't just start harassing people or crashing into places."
"Wanna bet? We've done that before."
"What? crash into places?"
"Yep. Accidentally and deliberately."
"Ohhhh!" I threw my arms up in the air and turned away. "You can't do that, Raph. You just can't. I'll figure this out somehow."
Hannah checked her watch. "I don't mean to interrupt but oh, heck! I am. It's getting late. We should be heading back home."
Lizzy started to walk off. "Better go when Mom's says so."
I tapped my hand to Raph's shoulder. "We'll talk later. Maybe at Lucy's."
"Fine by me. We'll be there."
Don held the necklace and stared at it. "I can find a safe spot for this if that's alright with you, Jewel."
I nodded. "Okay, Don. Take good care of it."
Hannah looked to each of the Turtles. "Are you coming with us?"
Leo looked around. "Ah, not this time. I don't think it's necessary. We'll meet you at Lucy's house."
"It was nice meeting you, Mr. Splinter. Sir." Lizzy tapped the rat's shoulder.
"The pleasure was all mine, Elizabeth. And Splinter is just fine. Do you have anymore to say to me, perhaps in Japanese?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Okay!! Ummm. Let me think. Ummm...."
Splinter looked to the Turtles whom grinned at him.
"She's easily amused, sensei. Maybe she'll ask you the time or something." Don suggested.
Lizzy turned to Splinter. "Oh! Okay, how about this: Um, uh. Biru ikaga desu ka?"
Splinter's eyes widened.
"WHAT?!!"
The Turtles gasped and Lizzy smiled, thinking she said something good.
"Well, what do you think?"
Leo was almost blushing. He got down to her level and placed an arm around her.
"I uh, think you should study a little harder."
Raph started to laugh and turned away.
"Oh, God! She's a riot!"
Lizzy looked into Leo's concerned face. He seemed to smile a little bit.
"What did I say?" She whispered.
"Uh, well, you asked something none of us would dare to ask him."
"What! What did I say? Is it that serious?"
"You just asked Splinter if he wanted a beer."
Now Hannah and I started to laugh. Raph was already laughing.
"Hey, sensei! I was starting to wonder why some cans were missing in the fridge!"
Lizzy turned beet red. "I'm so sorry! You don't drink that stuff, do you?"
Splinter shook his head and sighed. "Raphael let me try it one time and I found it to be distasteful. No, I drink herbal or green tea instead."
"How do you say, 'tea' in Japanese? Maybe I'll remember next time."
"I believe it's ocha which I prefer much more over biru."
"Oh. Okay. I think I got that."
Hannah pushed her toward the exit. "Okay, Liz. I think you've had your fun for today. Let's go."
Leo started to follow us. "We'll escort you to your car."
We climbed up the ladder and walked through the tunnels till we reached a manhole overhead. I stared up at it.
"Guess I'll see you guys later, huh?"
Mike shrugged. "Guess so." Then spoke out dramatically. "Parting is such sweet sorrow!"
"Oh, so it ain't so!" Lizzy ran over and jumped up into Mike's arms, giving him a tight squeeze. "Bye, Mike!"
Mike looked to his brothers. He put both hands out to his sides, Liz still stuck to his neck with her legs wrapped around his shell.
"I should call Shadow more often, huh bros.?"
Leo peeled Liz off him and set her down.
"Or open a daycare center. Which ever comes first. Hannah, give us a call so we know you got home safely."
"Okay, Leo. I will." Liz ran back over to Hannah and I tapped her head.
"You're so weird, Liz." I said with a grin.
"Bye, guys." Hannah waved to them and started to climb the ladder. I waved next and followed her.
"Bye, guys!" Liz's voice echoed loud within the sewer walls. She then leaped up and grabbed the first step.
We reached the streets again, only to discover it was pouring down rain. Hannah looked to Lizzy and placed the umbrella over her head as she unlocked the van.
"Still want to go swimming, kiddo?"
"It's no fun without Mike."
I climbed into the front. "You really like him a lot, don't you?"
"He's like the big brother I never had. Only in turtle form which is cool."
"Uh, huh. What about his other brothers? Do you like them too?"
"They're okay, I guess. But they all look the same."
"So, if they switched their bandana colors around, would you still know which one Mike was?"
"Oh, sure! I think." Lizzy jumped in and climbed to her favorite seat by the window which was covered with water droplets.
Hannah placed the window wipers on high as the rain poured down harder.
"The traffic's going to be a bear to get through." She check her watch
again. It said 4:25. "I hate eating out a lot but if we don't get home, I
won't have time to cook anything and then drive back into
the city to get you to Lucy's house."
I put on my sunglasses since there was an overcast brightness. I turned to Hannah
in my dark shades. "So let's head home now. Shouldn't Michael be getting
off work soon? Maybe he can cook
something."
"Michael? Cook? If he can avoid it, he will."
"He hates to cook?"
"No, he's a great cook. He just prefers to eat out more than sitting at home and cleaning up the kitchen."
We drove down the now-soaked city streets and hit major traffic. There had appeared to be an accident up ahead which slowed the cars down. I rolled down my window and looked out up ahead.
"Looks like a bunch of cop cars stopped at that building up ahead. It's a real mess."
Hannah looked as well. "What building is that? I can't make it out through this rain."
I looked harder and felt my heart start to race.
"Um, Hannah. That's the Roosevelt Hospital! Stop the car!"
Hannah pulled off to the side and I jumped out, running through the pouring rain up to the police barriers.
"Excuse me!" I ran up to a cop who was directing traffic. "What happened here? What's with all the cops? Was there an accident or something?"
"Uh, I believe there was a shoot-up at the hospital. Some men came in and opened fire on everybody that was in their path."
"Did you happen to see what these men looked like? What they were wearing?"
"I just got a report they were dressed in dark clothing. As to why they opened fire, I haven't a clue."
I felt faint and the cop caught me from falling down.
"Ma'am? Are you okay?"
Ma'am. They're always calling us that. I looked at him and shook my head. "I, I don't feel too well."
"Just take it easy, ma'am. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"My husband is staying at this hospital and he's listed under critical condition. Can I see him or you can't let people in?"
"Ah, I'm real sorry, ma'am. We can't let people in at the present time. If you have the number to the hospital, you can try and call later for a status report."
"Call later? But I'm worried about him now! For your information, my husband has been placed under tight security and I can't just leave without knowing he's alright."
"Ma'am, I can assure you he's fine. The men were stopped before reaching the upper levels and are held for questioning. Now, please, do yourself a favor and take my advice and try calling later."
I turned and walked away. I looked back and stared up at the balconies. I
could not believe that the cop sent me away like that. I had every right to see my
husband and he denied that privelage.
The rain poured down on my body and I was soaked to the skin. I could hear the
Turtles saying to me I'll catch a death of cold out in this weather. But I didn't
care. I was more concerened about
my husband's safety then my own wellfare. I started to shiver from being cold and
wet and decided to head back to the van. I got in and sat down with a blank
expression on my face.
"What happened Jewel? Did they tell you anything?"
I told her what the cop told me and that I wanted to make sure Edward was okay. I did not want to leave for the Island untill I was able to get into that hospital and speak to someone who understands.
"Maybe we should call the guys?" Came Lizzy's voice from behind us. I think I knew which 'guys' she meant.
The sky started to get darker and more gloomier as we sat near the curb. I looked to Hannah after Lizzy said that and sighed.
"Do you want to take Lizzy home and I'll just stay here?"
"You mean on the street? Are you crazy? I can't do that!"
"Look, I'll call the guys, tell them situtation, and just go home with them till eight o'clock. I really don't feel comfortable leaving Hannah. I just don't."
Hannah placed her hands on the steering wheel and groaned. She then reached for her purse and pulled out a note and handed it and her cel phone to me.
"Here's their number. If it will make you feel better, call them."
I stared down at the phone. For the first time, I felt nervous about talking to
them. After all the time I spent with them, it felt weird making that phone call.
I hesitated and looked to Hannah again whom
could only frown and gesture me to call. I looked at the note in my hand and slowly
started to press in the numbers on the phone. The numbers appeared as I pressed them
and I stared at the 'SEND'
button once I put all the numbers in. I then looked over at the button marked 'CLR'
or to clear the numbers. I clicked 'SEND' and closed my eyes, placing the reciever
to my ear and mouth. The phone
started to ring once. Twice. Three times. Someone picked up.
"Hello?" It sounded like Leo.
"Leo?"
"Yes? Who is this?"
I swallowed and spoke with a shaky voice. "Leo, it's me Jewel."
"Jewel? Hey, what's up? Don't tell me you got home that fast."
"No, we haven't even left the city yet. Something happened at Roosevelt Hospital. That's why I'm calling."
Hannah watched me as she heard Leo question what happened and again I explained.
I told him about how no one is allowed in the building and that I wanted to wait
till the option was cleared with the
cops. I made brief pauses as Leo told me to stay right where I was and that they
were coming over right away. I said bye and hit the clear button.
"He sounded more worried than angry, Hannah."
"Why would you think he'd be angry, Jewel? If anything, I'm the one who was
a little upset that you wanted to stay here. But I understand and I guess I'd be
reacting the same way if it were my husband
lying in a hospital bed."
"You're angry with me. Aren't you, Hannah?"
"No. Concerned is the word I'm looking for."
We sat parked along the curb and waited for their arrival. They would be mad, I
just knew it. Raph especially. Dragging them out into the cold for no reason
except that I'm worried over something
that's already being handled by the police. They're going to be mad. Now, I
wished I never made the call. I sort of felt pressured into thinking they could do
something to help. But their just as in the
dark of this whole situation as I am. Maybe they'd understand what I must be going
through. We waited for almost 20 minutes before I looked out my window to see four
figures dressed in rain gear
come up the street. I grabbed the umbrella this time and stepped out of the car.
Hannah followed with Lizzy whom snuck out from the back seat.
"Lizzy! Get back in the car!"
"But, Mom. I have my jacket on! I wanna see Mike!"
"Ohhh, goodness!" Hannah waved a hand and walked over to where I stood.
The Turtle's faces were well hidden within the heavy rain coats and they wore galloshes
on their feet which made a squishing sound on the sidewalk. Their shells made the
coats look like they had hunch
backs. People passed by casually as they approached Hannah and I near the curb.
Lizzy smiled as she saw Mike and ran over to him, throwing her arms around him and
hugging his waist. It's strange
how she was able to tell which one was him. They were all dressed identical in
yellow rain coats.
"Whoa! Hey, Liz! You're gone less than an hour and you miss me already?" He continued to walk as she clung to him.
"Uh, huh! How'd you guess?" She smiled up into his hidden face.
She started to blink as the rain came down like bullets. Mike put an arm
around her as she walked with him and his group back over to
where Hannah and I were waiting.
"I should get a leash for you." Hannah said to Liz as they came up to us.
"Hi, guys." I said as they stared at me.
"So what's the sitch?" Raph started to shiver. "You pulled us from our warm home out into the freakin' freezing cold air to tell us there's a little problem that the cops are already handling?"
Didn't I say they'd be mad? Boy, he can make anyone feel guilty.
"I'm sorry, Raph. I didn't know what to think when I saw the hospital had all those cop cars parked outside. I guess I overreacted."
"That's an understatement, doll. Paranoid is how you were acting."
"Look, Raph. How would you feel if your spouse was dying in the hospital and there was a shoot-up and you were worried sick about their safety? Huh? What would you do?"
Raph straightened up and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "Well, the first
thing I'd do is not panic, which in your case we've already established. Second, I
wouldn't stand outside in the cold weather
and catch a death of cold untill they let people back in. You may as well check
yourself into the hospital after catching pneumonia. Third, I would go home and wait
till the hospital called or I'd make
the call to see if my significant other is okay."
Don and Mike nodded, agreeing with him. Hannah looked at me. "See?"
I still persisted. "Yeah, but we would have driven all the way back to the Island. What if something bad happened and I couldn't get back fast enough?"
"Well, that's why you called us then, no?" Leo finally spoke up after being quiet for the longest time.
I sighed and threw my hands up. "Okay, you're right, Raph. I panicked.
I shouldn't have called and disturbed you, knowing perfectly well that there's
nothing you could do and that I should forget the
whole thing."
Leo shook his head. "No. Don't forget that it happened. You
could have waited for the cops to clear out. If they said the situation was taken
care of, I'm sure the hospital would allow people to
reenter eventually."
"Well, we know how long standard procedures are with the cops." Hannah said to Leo. "And I'd like to get back home sometime before midnight. Calling the hospital was the better solution."
"But then we would have gone-"
Don held a finger to my mouth. "Don't say it, Jewel! We'll end up back
at square one. We know where you were heading. If you want, we'll call the
hospital for you and let you know how things are.
That way you don't have to stay here all night long. Besides, you still have to meet
that girl at eight so it's best to just go now and come back later."
Raph spoke up next. "Or at the rate we're going, grab a bite to eat and
swing over to Broadway. And I don't mean to catch a musical either. By the
time we're done haggling on the corner of 10th
Avenue, it'll be time to meet what's her name."
"Lucy."
"Whatever."
Hannah checked her watch. It said, 5:10.
"Damn! It's getting real late guys. It takes about two hours to get
home, possibly three with the traffic and I want to take Lizzy home and get her out of
this weather and a decent meal. Jewel, what do you
want to do? If we leave now, we'll barely have time to eat and then we'll have to
drive back out here with minutes to spare."
"Then why don't you just take Lizzy home and I'll stay with the guys. I can get a bite to eat somewhere around town. It'll be a little tough without vehicle transportation, but we'll survive."
Mike just got an idea. "Jewel, what about your car? You have one, don't you?"
"Um, yeah, Mike. I HAD a car. That is, before the explosion. I'm sure all the cars under the parking garage were smashed and buried alive."
"But aren't parking garages usually away from the apartment buildings?"
I stood and let the thought enter my mind.
"By God, Mike. I think you're right! I never went back to check on my car. It might still be there unless it got towed away."
Hannah headed for the van.
"Do you want to go check over there?"
"Sure, Hannah! That is, if you don't mind."
Hannah looked at the four standing there and sighed. "Hop in, guys."
More unbearable clothing to sit next to. Luckily I got the front seat again. Poor Lizzy was cramped in the back with four, soaking-wet turtles in heavy rain gear.
"Drive quickly, Mom." Lizzy said in her trapped state.
Hannah squinted through the windshield. "I can't sweetie. Not in this weather."
Lizzy turned to look at Mike whom sat next to her. "I like you a lot but for the moment, I'm very uncomfortable and don't think quite highly of you."
Her voice sounded so serious and grown-up yet it was still a young girl's tone. It made Raph laugh real hard. Don and Leo laughed a little bit.
Mike shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry to hear that. I'd sit on Raph's lap to give you more room but I'd have to pay a sacrifice first to do so. Namely my own."
Lizzy looked at his lap. "How 'bout I sit on yours? I can still place the seatbelt over the both of us and there'd be much more room."
Mike looked to Raph then back to Lizzy. "Hmm, might work. Let's try it."
Lizzy unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up, holding onto the back of Hannah's seat as Mike slid over near the window. Raph suddenly slumped down more comfortably.
"Hey, I'm not a sardine anymore." He looked over at them. "What are you two up to?"
Lizzy looked at him. "Making this car ride more comfortable."
Mike lifted Lizzy onto his lap and placed the seatbelt across them both. Lizzy rested more on his left knee so she was still able to look out the window. Whatever was possible to see through the rain.
Raph nodded approvingly. "Good idea. Should have thought of it sooner."
Hannah drove up to where the apartment building was. A yellow tape surrounded the area. I felt a wave of nausea hit me as I stared out the side window.
"Does it hurt to look, Jewel?" Hannah glanced over at me.
"Yes. Yes, it does hurt."
We drove toward the back and came up to the parking garage which was still in good
shape. Same shape as it always was. The lot was somewhat empty with a few
vehicles parked underneath it.
I saw my car! It wasn't towed after all. Good thing, too.
"Which one's yours Jewel?" Raph asked as he looked out the sliding door window.
I pointed to a glittering purple truck. "That one. The Ford Explorer."
"Wow. You guys always seem to have nice vehicles."
"It was Edward's decision to have a truck. He likes big trucks. He let me pick the color though. I love purple."
"So do I." Came Don's voice.
Hannah parked one space down from my truck and stepped out. I came out next and slid the side door open. I saw Lizzy getting off of Mike's lap and frowned at her.
"Don't like sitting on the seat anymore, Liz?"
"I don't like being packed in the back like a sardine. I sat on Mike's lap so there could be more room. Right, Raph?" Lizzy folded her arms and turned to Raph.
"Um, right. It was more comfortable."
"You were seatbelted though, right?"
Lizzy nodded. "Yes, I was. We both were."
"Okay, that's fine. As long as you were seatbelted, I guess it's alright."
I turned to Hannah as she came around from the other side. She looked at the truck, then back to me.
"So, are you going to grab a bite to eat instead? I really need to head home and get dinner started."
I looked at the guys then to Hannah. "Yeah, I think that would be better. I'll see you later tonight."
Hannah gave me a hug. "Okay, love. Take care."
Lizzy hugged me next. "Bye, Jewel. Good luck."
"See you, Liz."
Liz then hugged Mike. "Bye again, Mike!"
"Later, babe!"
"Well, better get going." My voice trailed off as I dug through my
purse to find my keys. I pulled a rather large set full of other little keychains to
unlock the door on the passenger side. "Okay, who.
wants to ride in the front?"
"I do!" "No, I'll take it!" "Me!" "Shot gun!"
I looked at each of them.
"Who yelled, 'shot gun'?"
"I did." Leo stepped forward.
"Then you get the front." I blew a kiss to Hannah as she went over to
her car. She smiled and waved. Lizzy waved next and jumped into the front seat
of the van. Now, I was stuck for an evening out
with just the guys. What's a girl like me to do? My companions were just as
eager to go as I was. I put the key in the ignition and was ready to go.