TMNT -FITG: Chapter One

Once more he awoke feeling terrible. Nothing really felt better except for his breathing. That was slightly easier and less painful. A lot less painful. His whole body was in nowhere near as much pain as the last time he woke up, though he felt funny. Light headed and the slight feeling of floating. There was something on his face, a mask of sorts. He could feel air being blown out of it. This helped too.

He also noticed that he wasn't on a cold table anymore. It was softer, comfier. He was still cold but there was a blanket over him, this helped with that. He had been propped up so he was no longer lying flat, but he was still restrained. Not that it mattered, his body still didn't want to move.

"-any improvement?" Came the woman's voice.

"His fever broke again-" Said the other man's voice.

"-yet to see any sign-"

He had slowly been coming round but suddenly a wet cloth that was placed on his forehead brought him round quicker. His eyes snapped open as he was startled by this. Again there were the same green eyes looking back at him. "Morning, Raphael." She said slowly, as if to be sure he would understand her.

He frowned at her. Raphael? Was that his name? He honestly had no idea. Who was he? The woman seemed to catch on to his confusion. "Do you know who I am?" She asked carefully.

He started up at her blankly. She was the woman from before, but he had no idea who she was exactly. After a time he simply looked away from her. Though she didn't seem to want to let the question go so easily. She simply took hold of his head and forced him to look back at her gently. Back into her eyes. "What is my name?" She asked, firmer this time.

He (Raphael?) tried to swallow but his throat was too parched to allow it. "I... I... don't...." He croaked, struggling to speak. "...know." He breathed.

The woman held his head for a moment more before letting him go, her eyes searching his own as if to see if it were true. Raphael then looked away, feeling uncomfortable now. Knowing he should know someone, but not being able to recall their name felt horrible. This could just be one thing of many he was meant to know but didn't. This didn't leave him with a great feeling.

The woman walked away from him after replacing the mask on his face. She had gone over to talk with the guy in the white coat. They were talking too fast and quietly for him to catch what they were saying. Raphael tried to move while she was gone, but his restrains were not making it easy. Though at this point Raphael noticed something that disturbed him. He was green... and had three fingers? The woman and the man didn't look like that. So why did he? Was something wrong with him? This wasn't helping him to feel any better about his situation. Were these people friend or foe? What was he to them?

The woman came back over to him, her hand stroking the side of his face. "Try not to worry, they are only temporary." She tried to assure him. "They will be taken off when we are sure you won't attack us again." She explained, calmly.

Hold on. When had he attacked someone? Why? There had to be a reason he would do something like that, right? "W-Who..." He croaked as he tried to speak, but his throat and the mask were against him. One muffled his speech and the other just wouldn't allow much of it.

She smiled at his question. The man in the room came over to them. He had a cup with a straw in it. "My name is Karai." She said as she took the cup from the man, offering it to Raphael. "I am a friend."

Raphael seemed unsure of this. A friend? Then why had he attacked? She offered him the cup, a straw for him to drink out of. The man removed his mask, but still Raphael hesitated. His throat was calling for a drink; his mouth was sore and dry. So he gave in and started to sip from the straw.

The feeling of the cool water going down his throat was a nice one. No... it was amazingly great. It was such a relief. As he continued to drink, Karai was talking to him. "This is Doctor Moshin. He's been looking after you..." She explained to Raphael as he continued to drink. "You're not very well right now, and you've been hurt. But we'll look after you, keep you safe." She promised him.

Raphael suddenly had to stop drinking at this point; his breathing was growing heavier, more laboured. Maybe he should have that mask back now? Karai frowned a little. "Raphael?" She asked looking a little worried.

His lungs were slowly starting to feel heavier, as if they were becoming full of something else, unable to accept air. "C-can't.." He wheezed. "Breat-"

Karai quickly replaced his mask but it wasn't helping. Raphael moved a little, starting to panic as his breathing grew worse and worse. She tried to keep him calm, but soon it wasn't possible, he felt like he was starting to drown. "Terrapin, tell me what's wrong." Came Moshin's voice.

"Drow-... Drown..." He muffled into the mask, trying to be heard.

Raphael had no idea if Moshin understood, but the guy disappeared. Raphael was quickly starting to grow tired with the effort of breathing, the mask no longer being the help he had before. Something was wrong.

Suddenly Moshin returned, with more guys in white coats. They took hold of him, lifting him off the pillows slightly before lowering him down so he was laying down flat on the bed. The blanket was snatched away from his body, letting the cold in. Most of the people that had come in where holding him still, Karai was at his head, stroking his cheek gently to calm him.

Suddenly there was a sharp pain in his torso. Someone was cutting into him! He cried out in pain, and tried to get up, but he was held in place. When getting away failed, he tried to look up so he could see what they were doing to him, but Karai stopped him. Whoever was cutting into him stopped, they drove another sharp object into the wound. Raphael's cries of pain seemed stuck in his throat, his face however, making it obvious that this was painful.

Then slowly... the drowning feeling was lessening.

Relief flooded through Raphael as he realized that he was indeed going to be alright. The pain was yet to fade as whatever had been stuck into him was still there. Though his fatigue was soon catching up on him, exhaustion taking hold. His eyes were slowly starting to slide shut. "Raphael?" Came Karai voice, she shook him a little.

His eyes opened a little, but he was so tired now. So they easily slide shut again. He could hear people around him talking again. He could make out bits and pieces in his last few moments of lingering consciousness.

"Let him rest-" "-to pucture-" "-plastron." Came Moshin's voice.

"-he'll be alright?" Asked Karai.

"Not sure-" "-his structure might not-" "-close observation."

Then, Raphael slipped away.