“I think we should take a break and head out to the farm for a while,” Leonardo stated.
It had taken a little over a month but, thanks to their quick healing, everyone was now recovered enough that they no longer need regular medical checkups. They were all sitting in the common room for their first family meeting since the fight with Hun.
“I have already discussed it with Casey,” Leonardo continued. “His mom has said that she is perfectly fine with us staying out there. She has no intention of going back and leaving her grandchildren any time soon.”
“Casey and April aren’t coming with us,” Donny asked.
Leo shook his head. “For the first time, in a long time, April feels safe in the city and she enjoys running her store. That and A.J. is still in the beginning stages of his treatments. She can’t take him away from his doctors now.”
“We weren’t back in for long before needing a break again,” Raph said, keeping his eyes down as he spoke.
Mikey scoffed. “We deserve it. We’ve sacrificed so much for this city, for the world, over and over again and the people don’t even know. I’d be just fine never having to fight again.”
He rubbed his bicep in an attempt to ease the tension of the muscle. His wound had healed but his arm still hurt. Dr. Chaplin had offered him some pain medication when his injury was still fresh, but Mikey rejected it. After seeing what had happened to Raph, he feared it could happen to him as well.
The pain made sleep difficult and the lack of sleep made him a bit cranky. It was hard to be his usual jovial self and he hated it.
“Shredder and Hun might be gone but evil is still out there,” Raphael argued. “Bishop is still out there.”
Mikey wanted to snap at his brother. Who cared about Bishop? He wasn’t a threat to the people like Shredder and Hun were. He might take unconventional means to get things done but his goal was to protect the Earth not take it over or destroy it.
As far as Mikey was concerned, Bishop was no longer a threat. Before Michelangelo could argue with Raphael Splinter spoke up.
“The Foot Clan is more that capable of handling it,” Splinter stated. “And, Bishop has what he wants. I do not believe he will bother us again. I agree with Leonardo. We should leave the city and collect ourselves.”
“Where is this farm,” Sliver asked.
“Northampton,” Leonardo answered. “It’s not too far. It’s a large property surrounded by a dense grove of trees, next to a river. It’s peaceful and secluded. It’s one of the few places where we can go out during the day.”
Even though he has said that he couldn’t see, Leo still looked directly at the person he was talking to and his gaze shifted to whoever was talking. If it wasn’t for the cloudiness of his eyes, Mikey would swear that he was lying about being blind. Was his ability to see everyone’s chi really so strong that his being blind wasn’t a factor?
“I would love to get out of the city,” Michelle said. “I’ve never been anywhere else.”
“Do you think now is the best time to travel,” Leah asked. “The eggs are starting to form.”
“I’ve thought of that,” Leo admitted with a soft smile. “I had planned on staying out there for several months and return after the eggs have hatched. It will give us all enough time to heal, physically and mentally.”
“It will take some time to get everything we will need packed and ready,” Donny stated. “I need incubators for the eggs, monitoring devices, and methods of transporting all of the babies back.”
Leonardo nodded. “We’ll leave in a week. That should give everyone enough time.”
They had all agreed and then left to prepare. Leatherhead, Donny, Tello, and Donna stayed in the common room to discuss their options.
“I’m gonna go get something to eat,” Mikey told Michelle. She had been heading back to their room but stopped when Mikey spoke.
“Would you like me to join you,” she asked.
She in no way had to go with him and she wouldn’t have been upset if he had said, no. It’s what made their relationship so great. They loved each other deeply but didn’t need to be with each other every moment of their day.
Mikey smiled. He couldn’t help himself. Even though he felt rotten, he absolutely loved her. “I will never not want to be near you. But if you have something you would like to do, I don’t mind being on my own.”
“I had no other plans,” Michelle said with a playful shrug. “We can talk about what we should pack just as easily in the cafeteria as we can in our room.”
“Yes we can,” Mikey agreed, offering her his hand and then guiding her towards the door.
“We don’t even know how many car seats we will need,” Mikey heard Donna say as he and Michelle made their way out of the apartment. “There could be anywhere between three and eighteen babies.”
“Eighteen,” Mikey said in disbelief as Michelle shut the door. “That’s a lot.”
“Yeah,” Michelle sighed. “I’ve never laid six eggs though. Most I’ve ever had was three.”
“Don’t break that record,” Mikey quipped as they made their way down the hall.
Michelle giggled in response. “Trust me, I don’t want to.”
Wincing, Mikey let go of Michelle’s hand to rub the tense muscles in his severed arm. They just wouldn’t relax. Even though it wasn’t there, he could still feel his arm. He could still feel his hand gripping his weapon and he was unable to let it go.
Michelle placed her hand on Mikey’s shoulder. “I really wish you would let Dr. Chaplin give you something for that pain.”
Mikey shook his head. “I’m sure it will go away on its own after a while.” It has to, right?
They entered the cafeteria and Michelle guided Mikey to one of the tables. “What would you like to eat?”
After taking his seat, Mikey placed his arm on the table and continued to rub at his bicep. “Ice cream.”
With a giggle, Michelle kissed the top of Mikey’s head. “I’ll go get you some.”
“With the works,” he called after her.
She looked over her shoulder with a wide smile. “Of course.”
As he sat, rubbing his arm, Mikey was approached by an older and rather gnarly looking man. The man was missing his right arm, just above the elbow and had a scar that went from his ear to his chin across his left cheek. He was tan with dark hair, dark eyes, and course stubble that also covered part of his neck.
He sat next to Mikey and looked him over. Not knowing what the man wanted, Mikey kept his eyes on the table. He didn’t want to be bothered.
“When I lost my arm…,” the man started but paused when Mikey groaned.
Not wanting a long lecture over how he could learn to cope with the loss of a limb or to spend time swapping stories, Mikey huffed. “Dude, I’m sure you have an interesting story but I just want to have some ice cream. Don’t really want to socialize right now.”
“I was holding a knife, using it to cut someone free,” the man continued. “For seven years, it felt like I was still holding that knife and I couldn’t let it go. I remember being in constant pain. I was not fun to be around.”
Without moving his head, Mikey shifted his gaze to look at the man. “You were in pain like this for seven years?” Mikey felt his heart sink. “That sucks. I don’t want this to last seven years.” Mikey looked back down at the table. “I can still fell my nunchakus in my hand, in a tight grip and I can’t let them go. That’s gonna last for seven years?”
The man nodded. “That’s what I thought. Wait here.” With that he stood up and left the cafeteria.
Michelle returned with a bowl of ice cream, loaded with toppings. “Who was that?”
Fighting back tears, Mikey shrugged. “I have no idea. Just some random guy.”
“You okay?” Michelle sat next to Mikey, placing the bowl in front of him. “What did he say to you? You look upset.” She looked ready for a fight. “Was he mean?”
Mikey shook his head. “Just made me realize that the healing process was going to be longer than I thought.” Grabbing the spoon, Mikey scooped up a large helping of ice cream and toppings. “I’ll learn to cope. I will not take drugs.”
By the time he devoured about half the bowl, the man returned with Dr. Chaplin who was carrying a box. Mikey watched them approach, trying to figure them out.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were suffering from Phantom Limb Pain,” Dr. Chaplin asked as the set the box on the table.
“Because I don’t know what that is,” Mikey replied through a mouthful of ice cream, studying the box.
“Any time I asked how you were, you replied that you were fine,” Chaplin stated. “You never mentioned or described the kind of pain you are experiencing.”
“I don’t want drugs,” Mikey said in an attempt to defend his actions. “I figured the pain was normal and that after it healed it would stop.”
“Well, you’re wrong. The solution to your problem isn’t drugs,” the man said as he moved the bowl of ice cream away and pushed the box closer to Mikey.
“Is the solution in the box,” Mikey asked as he eyed the two large holes in the box’s side.
“You can say that,” Chaplin answered. “Place both arms into the holes, straight out in front of you.”
Doing as he was told, Mikey scooted forward and slipped both arms through the holes. “Is there some kind of ancient Japanese magic inside?”
“Not quite,” Chaplin replied as he placed his hand on the flap over the side that held Mikey’s right arm. “Clench your fist, like you’re holding your weapon.”
“Alright,” Mikey sighed and tensed his right hand.
“Keep it clenched tight.” Dr. Chaplin lifted the flap. The side containing his left arm remained closed while the right arm was exposed. Inside the box, Mikey could see his right arm and hand in a fist next to a mirror so that it appeared he also had his left hand. “At the count of three, I want you to open your hands,” Chaplin instructed.
Mikey nodded his understanding.
As Chaplin counted, Mikey’s eyes stayed glued to the mirror. At the count of three, Mikey opened his hands. He could feel the tension and pain fade from his left arm. A lump formed in his throat as he struggled not to cry.
“I take it, it worked,” the man said.
“Yeah,” Mikey choked out as he pulled his arms from the box. “I let go.” He looked up at the man. “I’m sorry for being so short tempered with you. Thank you.”
The man shrugged it off. “I understand what it’s like. Like I said, I wasn’t much fun to be around either.”
Mikey looked down at his arm. There was still a lingering sensation of his arm being whole. It was strange but at least the pain was gone. He looked up at Dr. Chaplin. “I promise from now on, I will no longer hide or lie about my pain.”
“Good,” Chaplin said with a smile. “Now eat some fruit and vegetables. All that ice cream isn’t good for you.”
Mikey groaned, “Why don’t you just kill me now?” followed by a chuckled. It felt good to be able to joke again.
