100 Theme Challenge - 97. Safety First

100 Theme Challenge
97. Safety First

Scrabbling with his free hand at the lip of concrete on the roof’s edge while the rest of his body dangled in space, Don couldn’t help but stare at Leo in disbelief. This was exactly what Don had feared and what Master Splinter had warned against. Leo was going to jeopardize his plan and the lives of both Karai and Donatello so that he could rush to Raphael’s aid.

Don had no illusions about survival, they were many stories up and there was nothing to break their fall but the hard pavement of the street below them. In that second before he could no longer see them, Don shouted, “April, Casey, I love you!”

Even as Don called out, a miraculous thing happened. Leo plucked three shuriken from his belt and let them fly, each sinking into the head of one of the group of Foot bots surrounding Raph. Without waiting to see if Raph got free, Leo spun on the balls of his feet and leaped towards Don.

Losing his tenuous grip, Don began to plummet before he felt Leo’s hands wrap around his wrist. Looking up, he spotted Leo straining to just hold on, unable to physically pull their combined weight up by himself.

Reality struck Donatello a hard blow. Leo was going to be dragged over the edge too, because he was much too stubborn to release his brother. Don’s cry for help was a death sentence for Leo. He should have kept his mouth shut and accepted fate.

“Let go, Leo!” Don yelled. “My arm is caught and we’re too heavy for you!”

“I . . . won’t . . . let you fall!” Leo exclaimed through tightly clenched teeth.

“You can’t do this alone!” Don protested frantically.

Suddenly Raphael was there next to Leo. “Who said he had to do it alone?”

Reaching down, Raph grabbed onto Don’s forearm and between him and Leo they steadily pulled the genius back up. When he was close enough, Don swung a leg over the ledge and squeezed the concrete between his knees to brace himself.

Leo let go of his wrist and caught a double handful of Karai’s net in his hands so that he could begin hauling her up as well. She was no longer thrashing around and when Don looked at her, Karai seemed to be asleep.

With the weight off of his arm, Don was able to extricate himself from the net. All three of the brothers began tugging on it then, successfully getting Karai back onto the roof top.

Don swept up his bo staff and glanced around. Master Splinter and Mikey were taking down a small group of Foot bots and while he watched, Casey and April destroyed their last one.

The roof top was littered with Foot bot parts but none of Don’s family was injured. Don’s sigh of relief was short lived.

“Donnie, something’s happening to Karai,” Leo said.

Spinning around, Don saw that his brother was squatting next to the prone form of the mutated girl, except that now she seemed to be transforming again.

Don kneeled down and watched as the snake tail shortened and split into legs. Karai’s snake head hands became fingers once more and her face changed shape.

“Delayed reaction to the retromutagen?” Leo asked, looking up at Don.

“Or she’s simply shifting again,” Don said. “I can’t tell.”

Within seconds Karai was back to normal, but with her eyes closed they didn’t know if she was still mutated. The other four joined them as Don reached through the net to press a finger against Karai’s neck and felt for her pulse.

“Is she all right, my son?” Master Splinter asked.

“Her pulse is good, she’s just unconscious,” Don answered.

The rain started to fall harder and Casey said, “Maybe we should get out of here before some more of these Foot bots show up.”

“Or the Shredder does,” April added with a shudder.

“Help me get this net off of her,” Leo said as he began to unwind the rope.

Master Splinter stopped him with a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “No. We do not know how she will be when she awakens. Safety first, Leonardo, leave the net on her and bring her down.”

Their father backed away, his eyes skimming the adjoining roof tops. Leo, with Raph’s assistance, lifted the unconscious Karai and then Leo draped her over his shoulder in order to carry her down the building’s fire escape.

Karai didn’t awaken when they set her inside the Shell Raiser. As they drove back to the lair, Master Splinter checked that the netting wasn’t wound tightly enough to cut off the circulation to any of Karai’s limbs.

When they were home, Master Splinter carried Karai from the Shell Raiser, through the lab and into the infirmary. Don stopped Leo as the oldest brother started to follow his father, and the rest of the group stayed behind as well.

“I’m so sorry, Leo,” Don said.

Leo frowned, looking puzzled. “It’s all right, Don. Karai is here and I know you’ll figure out what to do for her.”

“Not for that,” Don said, “for doubting you and for putting you in such a dangerous position. When I called out to you I should have known you couldn’t save me and Karai by yourself. I just panicked because I thought . . . . “

His words trailed off and Leo offered him an understanding smile. “You thought I was choosing Raph over you,” he said, finishing Don’s sentence. “I knew right away that I couldn’t save you by myself, Donnie.”

“You did?” Don asked. “Then why . . . ?”

“I had to get the Foot off of Raph so he could help me,” Leo explained. “He was the closest to us. I never doubted that he could defeat those bots, I just needed for him to do it faster.”

“Leo and I have fought side by side long enough for him to know I don’t need help handling a dozen stupid Foot bots,” Raph said with a grin. “He knocked out enough of them for me to see the situation you’d gotten yourself into.”

“You two are something else,” Don said in amazement.

“Aww, I think it’s time for a group hug,” Mikey said, his eyes twinkling. “Come on, hug it out.”

For once they didn’t argue with him. Leo and Raph put their arms around each other and then drew Don in, forming a circle. After a second, Mikey wormed his way in to join their hug.

Casey circled April’s waist with his arm and pulled her against his side as they watched the brothers. Both were smiling, happy to see the turtles bonding.

Don finally stepped back and took Mikey with him, leaving Leo and Raph to hold each other. It was the first time Don got to see an open display of their affection and he felt his face heat up as he watched them nuzzle and murmur softly, their hands roaming delicately in exploration as if they each couldn’t touch the other enough.

It was beautiful. Don found himself fervently hoping that Master Splinter would understand how much Leo and Raph needed this; how much they needed to be together.

Don felt an arm go around his shoulder and knew it was Casey. Glancing at the boy, who was still holding April, Don exchanged smiles with him.

“Oh man, I wish Irma was here,” Mikey said, his shoulders drooping.

“Come here,” Don said, hooking an arm around Mikey’s neck and pulling him into his shoulder. Leaning over, Don whispered, “Thanks little brother.”

“Anytime D,” Mikey responded, sounding both happy and pleased.

“Donatello!” Master Splinter called, the urgent note in his voice breaking up the little group.

Rushing into the lab, Don saw his father holding the curtain to the infirmary open.

“What is it sensei?” Don asked, his eyes darting past his father.

“Something is happening,” Master Splinter said, moving aside so that Don could go to Karai.

The others remained outside of the curtained area so that Don would have room to work. Karai looked just as she did earlier and just when Don was going to ask his father for an explanation, her entire body jerked against the cot.

“Leo, seal off the doors, I’m going to remove the net!” Don called out, beginning to do so without waiting for an answer.

Master Splinter came forward to help him and together they quickly extricated Karai from the net. While they did so she continued to jerk, her eyelids fluttering and her mouth opening and closing spasmodically.

Don checked her pulse again and found that it was a little fast, but not alarmingly so. As carefully as he could because of her movements, Don pulled back an eyelid so he could look at her pupils. He watched in wonderment as the elongated pupils of a snake slowly became round again.

Her convulsions suddenly stopped and Karai gasped several times before exhaling one long, cleansing breath. Slowly opening her eyes, she glanced around the room, stopping when she saw Master Splinter.

“Father?” Karai asked, sounding confused.

“Yes my child,” Master Splinter said, taking her hand. “You are home with me. How do you feel?”

“Better.” Karai frowned and then tried to sit up.

Don placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and said, “Take it easy. I gave you a retromutagen but it took a while to work.”

“I don’t think it did completely,” Karai said, her voice raspy. “I can still taste the air and sense the heat your bodies are giving off.”

“It must be because of whatever Stockman dumped into the mutagen,” Don said. “You still retain some the attributes of the snake form that you took on.”

With unexpected quickness, Karai leaped off of the cot and darted past Master Splinter. Caught off guard Don raced after her, out through the curtain and into the lab, not sure of her intentions.

Karai stopped when she saw the others standing there staring at her. With a swift glance around she took in both exits.

“The doors are locked,” Leo said, noting where she had looked. “You’re safe here, Karai.”

“I’m not safe anywhere until that man has been destroyed,” Karai snapped out bitterly.

“You tried that single handedly once,” Leo reminded her. “You can’t do it alone. Stay here with us.”

It was clear that Karai was angry and Don didn’t blame her. She had been betrayed in the worst possible way by a man she’d called ‘father’.

At the moment she had eyes only for Leo. He was the one who she connected with the most and the only one, including her real father, who Karai seemed inclined to listen to.

“Why should I?” Karai asked harshly. “What’s in it for me?”

Approaching her slowly, Leo held out his arms. Karai stood her ground, watching his approach, her entire body rigid and resentful.

Don expected Leo to stop when he was close to her, but instead his brother stepped right into her personal space and wrapped his arms around her.

“This,” Leo said. “This is what’s in it for you. We can give you family Miwa. We can give you love. It’s the one thing Shredder never gave you because he doesn’t know what that is.”

Karai remained stiff and unyielding but Leo continued to hold her. Finally a small sound escaped her, almost like a sob. “F . . . family?” she stuttered.

“Yes Miwa . . . my daughter,” Master Splinter said, walking up next to them. “We are a family, all of us. Let us show you what you have missed. Your brothers and I have much love to share with you.”

Don saw a tear trickle down Karai’s cheek and then she lifted her arms and returned Leo’s embrace.

There was a moment of silence in the room as Master Splinter put his arms around Leo and Karai, holding both of them.

Don wasn’t sure what was going to happen next but Mikey had no such problem.

“I think this calls for a celebration!” the youngest brother exclaimed. “Pizza for everybody!”

His outburst eased the tension and everyone started to laugh. With a wise nod, Master Splinter said, “I think that is an excellent idea, Michelangelo. A very excellent idea.”