Chapter 21: Sleeping Arrangements
I kept running till the back of my legs were numb. I stayed off the main road,
dodging trees and skipping mud piles. Every time I saw a car go by, I immediately
ducked away from view, pausing so I
wouldn't make a sound. Rain started to pour down over the thick woods. Great.
Now, I'm wet as well as tired. I ran until I spied the next town up ahead,
quickening my pace to reach the first
building I come to.
The streets were cobblestone. It was like a fairy tale town. With of course
the modern conveniences of telephone polls, cars, and lamp posts. I had no money
with me. My purse was gone for
that matter. Still back at Lucy's apartment. Didn't do me any good to have no
money, food, clothing, and most importantly, a place with a roof over my head. I had
to settle for an awning to
block out the rain for now, and pray I don't catch pneumonia.
Thoughts went back to when I was soaked to the skin outside the hospital where Edward
was. The Turtles always worried about my well-being. Even if it was a slight
case of the sniffles.
My first meeting with them, I was a bit feverish from the weather and medication.
Treated like a child, they nursed me back to health. Total strangers walking
in to my life have dealt with
problems of someone they hardly know and attempt to help free me of this elaborate scheme
from a crazed mad man. These guys don't keep a score sheet of who they rescue or who
they battle. It's their job to protect the innocent and rid the city of it's
horrible crimes. Every town needs a super hero. New York is certainly blessed.
Lightning shot across the sky. It worried me that I may get struck by a lightning
bolt if one should come too close to the ground. This was a town, not residential.
Some people live in
their shops. On the top floor. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
I started to walk up and down the streets, trying to find a seemingly nice place
where I could be able to
crash for the night. Stuart and his friends would hit this town next for sure,
finding me no matter where I hide. I had to find people I could trust. And
fast!
Lucy looked out the window of their hotel room, watching the rain drops slide down the
glass. She was very worried about me. She could sense I was in trouble but
didn't know how to
get to me. I wasn't very helpful of my present location. That I couldn't lie
about. She remained at the window for awhile, allowing her wet clothes to soak the
dark green carpet beneath
her. In the back, the Turtles had the TV going, a shower was running in the
bathroom, and small chatter was heard. Turning around she saw Mike watching the all
cheese network,
Leo looking over the map explaining the further towns, Don quietly reading his tiny notes,
and Raph she assumed, was in the shower. As if all of them weren't wet enough as it
is. Lucy
sighed and peeled her black coat off of her shoulders. Her white blouse had a
brownish tinge to it; her light blue jeans were darker and her hair look like shoe
strings.
"God, you're a fright." Came Mike's pleasant reply. Lucy glared at him. "Uh....but you're still a beautiful woman!"
She nodded. "You just saved yourself from sleeping out on the stoop. Watch your cheese show."
Mike looked back to the small screen.
"There's nothing else to watch. We've only get nine channels, two are blocked out, and one is nothing but boring news."
"Oh! The B.B.C. news?"
Mike smirked. "Heh, yeah. The 'Boring Broadcasting Company'!
Lucy ignored him. "Put it on! Maybe they'll say something about the weather!" She crouched down by the tube.
"Me and my big mouth." Mike flipped it to a nice gentleman in front of a map of the U.K.
"And Mike? That's 'British Broadcasting Company."
"Whatever."
Leo closed up the map not to his perfection, but did a fairly good job.
"Lucy? You can shower next. It's best you get the hot water more than us."
Mike turned around with a hurt look.
"Hey! I don't like cold showers, Leo!" Then to Lucy. "Don't stay in too long, huh?"
"No, Mike. I promise I won't use all the hot water. This is a hotel. You'd need to be in there for a long time before using it all up."
Lucy stood and walked over to Don whom sat cross-legged at a small vanity table,
reading his notes. He was stripped out of the heavy clothing and only in his ninja
pads and mask. He removed
his waist belt that held his bo and rested it up on the back of one of the beds. She
stood a few feet away from him with hands behind her back, almost looking like a child
asking for a toy.
"Hey, Don?"
"Hmm?" He looked up right away this time.
"I wanted to ask you what you found out about C.L.R.C. from the web."
Don looked back down at his notes.
"Ah, sure. Do you want to look for yourself or I'll just read them to you?"
Lucy crouched down with his eyes following her movement.
"Well, I can take a look but I won't know what I'm reading."
Don smirked.
"I know. I've already been told my handwriting is bad. I type more than I write which means-"
"No, no, no!" Lucy laughed quietly. She leaned closer with a hand
on the back of the chair, staring at the notes in his lap. "I mean I have no
idea what you got down in way of information.
Words is words no matter how your writing style is." She looked harder.
There was an interesting way the 't's were crossed. The lines were curved then
straight out. "This is print, isn't it?"
He handed her the notes. "Yeah, it's print. Heh, if it were Japanese, you'd have a fit."
"You can write Japanese?"
He nodded. "Mm, hmm."
"Cool. That would explain the curviness in these letters." Lucy stood up and tapped Don's shoulder. "Thanks, ah, again for doing this for me."
"No problem!"
The bathroom door opened; hot steam arising from within. Raph emerged with a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Next!"
"I'll go next Raph. Thanks." Lucy placed the notes on the end table and headed off to the bathroom. The door closed and locked.
Inside, Lucy peeled off more clothing, removing her soaked KEDS from her soaked socks
then proceeded to get her jeans removed from her cold, wet legs. The blouse clung
for dear life while her bra
almost seemed to match the same color of her skin. Her nipples stood erected from
the sudden chill but soon calmed when the warmness of the steamy bathroom reached them.
The water flashed
on and into the tub she went. No hair sculptures were left behind. The fact of
the matter, the entire tub was spotless of any past use of someone else. Once she
finished, she climbed out and found
a white robe hanging up behind the door. Relieved of not having to wear the same
moldy clothes, she wrapped it around her tightly. It was her only shield of blocking
her nude body from eager
eyes. Eight of them to be exact. Lucy gathered her clothes before exiting the
bathroom. The Turtles were fairly in the same spots as before. Mike moved to
the foot of the first bed, channel
surfing, Leo was at the head of the same bed sitting quietly, Don was also on the first
bed facing the TV in a flat position while Raph was near the lamp, scanning the well-used
map.
"Hi." They all looked up. "Um....Next?"
Mike looked to Don. Don looked to Mike. Leo looked to both of them. Shouts broke out followed by scrambling off beds.
"Me next!" "No, me!" "No, I go!" "Nuh, uh! I said me first!" "Sez who?" "No, I wanted to go next!"
Mike, being the closest, reached the bathroom first, almost knocking over Lucy. Leo and Don halted with snaps to the fingers. Lucy shrugged.
"Sorry!"
They groaned and resumed their seats once more. Lucy quietly took her purse and
went to the farthest bed where Leo sat and joined him. She dropped her mess of wet
clothes in the corner near
the bed, thinking about a washing and drying machine in the hotel. What they charge
and all. Sitting quietly for a few minutes left the room silent. She smiled to
Leo.
"Don't mind me." The two beds were king size, big enough to fit two people. Three if they were small. Leo started to rise but she stopped him. "Wait. Look, um. About the sleeping arrangements-"
"I'll sleep on the floor." He took a pillow from the bed.
"No, really! Look. It's a big bed. You can stay up here." She paused to stare at the huge gap between them. "As long as you stay on your side."
Leo sighed deeply.
"Look, Lucy. The last thing I'd ever do is hurt you. And you've got to understand that I would never do anything of the sort to make you feel uncomfortable."
"Then why?"
"Because it isn't right. I appreciate your generosity but I'd feel much better sleeping on the floor."
"But the floor is cold and hard, Leo."
"Yeah, well, so am I. I should fit in perfectly."
She didn't stop him. He stood and dropped a pillow near the corner of the TV. Raph propped up his pillows behind the head board, waving to him.
"How's the weather down there, Leo?"
"Drop dead, Raph."
Lucy felt guilty.
"Okay, then. How 'bout you sleep at the foot of the bed?"
Raph looked to her. "You mean like a dog?"
Leo groaned. "Goodnight, Lucy."
"But Leeeeo!" She protested. "God, I'm paying for this room! I paid extra for TWO beds, I put down an extra charge for window view...the least you could do is get my money's worth!"
Raph chuckled softly. Don fell face-down into the pillow. Lucy froze in her words.
"Oh, God. I didn't mean it like that. I'm so sorry. I-"
Leo sat up and looked to the both of them. Raph was biting his lip as Lucy
turned as pale as a ghost. Finally, he stood up, placed the
pillow on the very edge of her bed and laid down. His body barely reached hers.
"Is that better?" He asked.
"Yes. Anything is better than the floor."
The shower head shut off. Mike came out also with a towel strapped to his waist. He viewed the area.
"So, where am I sleeping?"
Don and Raph already filled the first bed with their bulkiness. Leo was stretched across the end of the second one. Lucy looked to the vacant side next to her.
"Um, room for one more?"
"Really?" Mike looked to Leo. "Is that alright with you? You don't mind? Really?"
"As long as you stay on your side." Raph warned him.
"How cool!"
Mike ran to the second bed and flopped down on it. Don got up next to head for the shower.
"Hey, look what I found Lucy..." Mike turned to the end table in between the beds, pulling out a deck of cards. "Wanna play some cards?"
Lucy grinned. "Okay, sure. We're not turning in just yet. Maybe a few games. What do you want to play?"
Mike shifted to sit across from her, his shell to Leo.
"Um, I dunno. Five card poker?"
"We don't have any chips."
"Um, how about War?
"Nah."
How 'bout Spit?"
"Spit? I don't recall that one."
"Oh, it's fun! Here's how you play: Okay, you divide the cards up
evenly." Mike shuffled the deck and passed out the cards quickly.
"Alright, now. Jacks are one, Queens are two, Kings are three,
and Aces are four."
"Huh?"
"Just watch. Okay, we both put a card down always from the top deck." Both pulled out one card. Lucy got a six, Mike got a two. "Okay, that means you won and keep the two cards."
"That's it?"
"No, there's more. It's like War with a twist. Flip again."
Lucy got a ten, Mike got a Jack. "Okay, stop. Now, here's the
twist. In War, I'd automatically win. Jack beats ten. But, in this game,
the royals get more than one turn here. A Jack allows the other player one card at
trying to win the stash. So, you flip another card to try and beat my Jack."
Lucy flipped over a four.
"You lost. I get the cards." Mike grabbed all the cards. Lucy sat back in surprise.
"You call this fun?"
"Yes, now usually winner of the deck flips over the next card first." Mike flipped a Queen. "Now, a Queen gives you two tries." Lucy flipped a two and a nine. "You lost."
"What?! No, way!"
"Sorry, that's how it's done!" Mike flipped a three, Lucy flipped an Ace. "Ooh, good card! An Ace gives me four attempts. If I'm unable to beat your Ace with all four cards, you get to keep them."
"How can you beat my Ace? With a King?"
"Maybe. Then, you'd get three tries to beat the King."
Sure enough, a King came up in Mike's hand. Lucy caught on and started to put down three cards, stopping on a Jack. Mike topped an eight card over the Jack.
"Damn." He muttered. Lucy collected the jackpot.
"I think I'm starting to like this game." She tossed down a five, Mike also tossed a five. He slammed the two cards abruptly, causing her to jolt. "Gah! What are you doing?"
"We put down doubles. When two cards are the same, the first one to smack over the two cards wins them."
"Oh."
Mike put down a Queen next. Lucy counted out two cards. Seven, King.
Mike counted out three cards. Four, two, Ace. Lucy started to count out
four, Jack being first. Mike pulled
out a three. Lost.
"Damn!" He said louder. Lucy giggled and collected all the cards.
Both tossed down an eight. SMACK! Lucy squealed with laughter as Mike attempted to slide the cards under his fingers.
"I slapped it first!" She beamed.
He pulled away.
"Okay, fine."
Lucy dropped a six. Mike a ten. Ha! Lucy Lost! Mike dropped a
two, Lucy a Jack. Mike dropped a five. Mike Lost! Lucy dropped a King.
Mike dropped a seven, ten, Queen. Lucy dropped
a six and a two.
"I win!" Mike shouted, collecting all the cards. He then dropped an Ace. Lucy dropped a four, nine, Jack. Mike dropped a Queen. Lucy laid a Queen-
SMACK!
"Mine!" Lucy tried to snug her tiny fingers under Mike's thick ones.
"Rrrrr, I got it this time!" Mike pulled the cards to his stash.
Eventually, Mike got all the cards in the end, Lucy empty handed.
"Wanna try to get back in the game?"
"How?"
"I'll flip over the cards face down real fast. If you see any doubles come up, try to smack the deck before I do. Got it?"
"I think so."
"Wherever the doubles may lie, you smack the deck, and you get to keep all the cards that are face down. Got it?"
"Mm, hm."
"Okay." Mike's hand was a blur as the cards fell face down. Lucy
watched each card fall. She caught two sevens but a green hand smacked down.
"Gotta be quicker than that!" He continued the
cards, two Queens coming up. SMACK! Again too slow. "Watch
carefully!" Lucy placed a flat hand closer to the deck, feeling somewhat of a
breeze from the cards fanning down. The two
fives came up. She went for it, feeling a hand smack down on hers like when Don
tried to take the map. "Good job!" Mike gave her all the face down
cards. "You start with those."
"Start? As in a new game?"
"Uh, huh!"
"Ohhh!" Lucy fell back on the pillows. "You won. Game over."
"Yeah, but you got some cards back to start a new-"
"Game over, Mike. I'm finished."
Mike nodded, seeing Don had already been out of the shower and back on the bed. Leo was gone. Both Don and Raph were amused by their game.
"Where'd you learn, Spit Mike? Or is it an origin created by yourself?" Don shifted to sit up.
"Nah, it's an old game with several rules. Like I said, it's War with a few twists. War is no fun when you can't top the royals."
Raph shook his head.
"Mike, I can't think of anyone more complicated than you."
"With your wittiness, you can tire the strongest person to sheer exhaustion." Don pointed to Lucy zonked out.
Mike stood and placed the cards back in the deck, stealing a glance to his card player on the bed.
"Heh. I think she was tired to begin with." He put the deck back
in the drawer and went around to Lucy's side, pulling the covers down behind her.
Her body stirred as he started to place the covers
over her and move her head more on the pillows. "Sleepy time, Lucy."
He spoke softly while helping her get comfortable.
"Mm, no more cards. I saw the Queen first." She mumbled to herself. Mike laughed quietly.
"Yeah, that's right. We've all seen the Queen! And I've never been to
Buckingham Palace!" She nodded, clutching the pillow under her. Mike
watched her before resuming his spot waaaaay
on the other side of the bed. He carefully slipped under the covers, removing his
towel and dropping it on the floor. "This is weird. I've never slept with
a girl like this before."
"Just keep your distance and you'll be fine." Don said calmly.
"That's easy for you to say."
Leo came out of the bathroom with an extra blanket in hand from the closet. He stopped to look at everyone.
"You're sleeping UNDER the blanket, Mike?"
Mike swallowed, then nodded his head.
"Yeah, I am! It gets cold at night!"
"And it just so happens there's someone there to keep you warm!"
"Noooo!" Mike droned. "I'm staying on my side."
"For your sake." Leo said quietly.
"Why? What are you going to do about it?"
"Nothing. It's what she'll do to you."
Mike thought back to when Raph got on the wrong side of her, only to get smacked across
the face. He'd seen her do that, and to the deck of cards they played! The
hours grew later. Soon, it
was 11pm, 6pm New York time. The Turtles were wide awake, being night creatures
instead of day creatures. It was around this time they'd go out on their evening
roundabouts. Lucy's internal
clock was all confused. She'd be eating dinner now then sleeping. She began to
toss in her sleep, turning way over to bump into Mike's shell. He was sitting up,
playing a quiet game of solitaire
with the cards spread out on the top cover. He smoothed the blanket so the cards
would lay flat. He felt someone touch him. Looking behind him, he smiled to a
distorted face.
"Can't sleep either?"
"Mm, mm."
"Neither can they."
Lucy looked up and over. Leo skimmed the Holy Bible while Don and Raph sat close
to the TV with the sound down low. They found a movie channel and watched Terminator
2. The action-packed
thriller/sci-fi/drama/ was still noisy even for the quietest setting on the screen.
She could her a bunch of explosions going on.
"I'm hungry." She mumbled.
"Yeah, me too." Mike said. "It's about the right time for dinner back home."
"But, it's after 11." Lucy looked to see she left her watch on.
"When my body is hungry, it doesn't care what time it is." After he
said that, Mike's stomach made a growl. "See?" Lucy laughed, feeling
her own stomach gurgle. She covered it, hiding herself in the
covers. Mike made a face then smiled again. "Let there be protests!
I say we go down to the bar and try to get a sandwich."
"The restaurant's closed in the lobby."
Mike started to get up.
"But the bar isn't. Maybe they'll make us some food."
Lucy followed then looked down to see her robe bulked on top to show somewhat of her chest. She quickly retied the rope around her waist to cover the exposed chest area.
"I don't have any dry clothes! And I can't go down in my robe!"
"Hey, it's near midnight. Who's going to see you?"
"The front desk, bell hops, and anyone who walks in off the street. That's who."
Mike started to bundle up, reapplying his mask.
"Come on. Live a little. Grab your purse."
Lucy shrugged and took her purse. The others looked up.
"Where are you going?" Leo asked.
"Downstairs. Get some food."
"How about room service instead?" Don suggested.
"Then, I'd have to leave a tip." Lucy said.
"You'd still have to leave a tip downstairs too."
"How about we all go? Make it a family thing!" Mike beamed.
"But Mike, we're not a family." Lucy mimicked him.
He paused for three seconds.
"Uhh. We slept in the same bed. You're family. Come on! Okay, who's ever hungry come join us."
They all were hungry. The late lunch was hours ago. The Turtles were also
used to not eating for many hours. Days even when they didn't have food. Off
clicked the TV and on came the heavy
clothing. Don didn't bother putting on his belt with his bo. If someone gave
him or anyone else trouble, he'd use his fists and feet in defense. Lucy scavenged
around to find something to put on
her cold, bare feet. Her socks were still wet. But her shoes seemed to dry
more quickly. She put them on, looking very odd in a terry-cloth robe and sneakers.
The robe went down past her
knees, keeping her somewhat warm. The group single filed out the door. Lucy
placed the card key in her purse which she swung over her head. They were out having
some food and a good
time while I battled the weather and pleaded for shelter. This was one trip to
England I would remember for a very long time.