Three days later
Donnie looked at Primrose's heart monitor, nodding as he wrote the results down. Her heart is still beating well; her breathing looks smooth, too. She is still healthy, but as always, there are no signs of an awakened consciousness. He let out a sigh. The past three days were stressful, and the team tried to look for any trances on the EDF. Yet they failed to spot any in New York City; April was right. They never publicly release themselves unless there's a global threat; he will not create a global threat to draw them out. They must do this while trying to avoid being spotted by the EDF.
His hearing picked up what sounded like footsteps and scratching. He lifted his head from the monitor screen to the entrance of the medbay. He spots Nina walking past the medbay, but she is doing something to her arms.
Nina scratched her arms, almost like she got an itch on them. She looks struggling, her teeth showing, and her eyes tightly closed. She scratches, but very hard. Hard enough to cut and cause bleeding. She was hurting herself.
"Nina, no!!!" Donnie shouted, standing up fast and rushing to her.
His shouting caused Nina to flinch and stop scratching. Her face morphs into a fearful expression and childlike manner as if she is getting scolded.
Donnie grabbed her arms, looking at her arms. They have cuts that are bleeding and look infected, too. He frowned. "Don't do that, Nina. You are damaging yourself." He led her to a chair and had her sit down as he grabbed alcohol and the bandage rolls.
Nina watched him dab a little alcohol on her cuts, then wrapping them around with bandages. She sighed. "I'm sorry. I just got this urge to cut my skin." She apologized. "It's tough to let this feeling of pain go away.."
"It's okay," Donnie assured her, setting the bandage roll down on a table. "It just takes a lot of time to heal after a traumatizing situation." He stated. "There we go." He finished securing the bandage tightly on.
Nina looks down at her bandaged arms. This is the fourth time she had to wear a bandage for her arms due to her injuries. "Thank you." She thanked him with a quiet voice.
Donnie noticed it. And it's starting to worry him, as well as everyone else. He is proud that she is getting along with his brothers, Splinter, April, and the others. She is being open with herself and doing things her parents never allowed. But as a victim of child abuse, it leaves a considerable cut that not even a bandage or alcohol can help. It has to take time and care to close its wounds.
"Nina, how are you feeling?" He asked her. "really?"
Nina gripped both her biceps tightly. "Anxious, a skin touch startled me, and I felt like I'm gonna panic." She answered.
"If you like, I can have April bring you some medication for your anxiety," Donnie suggested, putting the alcohol bottle and the bandage roll back in the cabinet. "Sounds good?" He faced her.
Nina nodded. "Y-Yeah."
Donnie sat back on his chair, facing Nina. "Don't worry." He comforted her. "You will get better, you trust me?"
Nina nodded again. "Yeah.." she trusted him more than herself.
"Good. You are free to go." Donnie gave her permission to leave the med-bay. Nina stood up from her chair and left the med-bay.
Donnie grabbed his phone from the table, dialed a number, and waited for an answer. He heard the other side of the phone pick up. "Hey, April, I need you to pick up some anxiety pills." He told her.
"Uh, sure thing." April understands. "Everything alright?" She sounds concerned.
Donnie sat in a chair next to Primrose's bed. "Nina is reaching the stage of trauma; she cut her arms by scratching and feeling anxious, too." He informed her.
"On my way, D. I hope she's gonna be okay." She added.
"She will," Donnie assured her. "She just needs support and help." He stares at the entrances.
Inside the game room, Nina sat on the floor as she played Genshin Impact to calm her anxiety. Beside her, Bello sat on a pillow while watching her. On the screen, Raiden Ei fought off a band of treasure hoarders. After getting her, Nina leveled up, getting incredible artifacts and growing her skills. She managed to form her own as well by pulling on each banner.
While playing, she suddenly felt a growing urge to slap her face. To punch herself hard and slam her head against a wall. She let out a panic gasp, not this again. She quickly pressed the character list to pause the game. She performs some breathing exercises she learned from Leo, breathing in and counting to ten when breathing out.
After one minute of doing her exercise, she slowly calmed herself down. Bello softly nibbled her hand, letting her know he was always beside her.
She smiled softly, happy she still had her little best friend. But it slowly turned into a frown. She looked down, looking at her bandaged arms. She wants to get better and heal her scars from her abusive past, but this urgent feeling of getting hit and slapped is getting to her.
She groaned, gripping the controllers lightly. "Stop it, Arianina. You are not with them anymore; you are safer here." She murmured to herself. "They can't find you here. They can't find you." She tried hard not to think about it, but the feeling was still on her like a buzzing bee. She leaned down to her lap, her head on top of her lap. Bello is starting to get worried about her.
~*~
During the night, Nina is having a hard time sleeping. In her sleep, she tossed and turned, her body shaking like she was freezing when her room was warm. Her body was begging to feel pain; her mind was filled with memories of her mother and Henry kicking her till she bled. Her face formed a cold sweat on her forehead.
Light shone down on her. Nina used her hand to cover the light from her eyes. But upon looking at her hand, she gasped in horror. It seems more human than her turtle form. She was human again. She gripped her biceps tightly, looking around the area where she landed. It was dark, no light, but the one on her was seen. She was scared and nervous.
Then she heard two laughs she never thought she heard from again. She turned around, her eyes widened with fear, and her heart was racing fast; her breathing was shaking and gasping. Before her are her mother and Henry, both standing before her as Henry holds a belt, and Abigail has a wooden spoon. They all have evil grins on their face, and their eyes are glowing green.
"Didn't I warn you that if you tell anyone of our secret, I will punish you for this?" Abigail asked her. "Naughty, naughty, Arianina."
Nina shakes her head. "I-I didn't mean it!! I was forced to!" She cried in fear. "He wouldn't let me go unless I told him!!"
"Oh, did he?" Abigail tilted her head to the left. Then she glared at her. "Does that mean he could be bombed too?"
Nina gasped in horror; her mother threatened to put a bomb on Donnie. "NO!! No, please don't!!!" She begged. "Please don't hurt him!!!"
"Don't worry, I won't." Abigail cooed sinisterly. She raised the wooden spoon up. "But I will after we are done with you!!!" She laughed.
"You get two beatings for running away from us and telling that mutant freak about us!!!" Henry raised his belt.
At once, they hit Nina. She screamed in pain, her skin was slapped, her bones started breaking, and she was forming cuts on her arms, causing them to bleed. She let out a scream.
In Donnie's room, he was on his bed, rubbing his face. Another nightmare again; he felt drained and exhausted, too. The bags under his eyes were getting worse, too. He let out a yawn, what he gave to have a peaceful night of sleep and no dreaming about that horrible day of his life.
Suddenly, he heard loud sobbing coming from Nina's room. His concern for her quickly overshadowed his tiredness. He leaps off his bed, rushes out of his room, and runs to Nina's room.
He opens her room, thankfully unlocked, and looks inside, seeing Nina banging her head against a wall next to her bed. She was hitting so hard that her forehead was starting to form bruises. "Nina!! Nina, stop!!" He rushed in and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her away from the wall.
Nina let out a wailing cry. Her eyes got tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Nina, Nina, what's wrong?" Donnie asked her, grabbing her face and making her face him.
Nina looked into his eyes, crying. "Everything is wrong! I needed to get slapped on the face!! I need the pain!!" She wailed, her eyes going red from crying.
Donnie shook his head. "No! No! Don't think of that!" He testified. He is starting to worry about her; her trauma is getting to her badly now.
He suddenly grabbed her Nezuko blanket, and it wrapped around her tightly. He even grabbed her Ei plush and placed it in her arms; he watched her hug it tightly while crying. He climbed into her bed and put her on his lap while holding her in his arms.
"Nina. Your exercise, do your exercise." He told her. Nina breathed in and counted to ten when she let the air out. She kept doing it till she was fully calmed down. But she was shaking; it seemed he was not the only one with a bad dream.
"Hey, what was your father like?" He questioned her. Maybe talking about her father can help keep her mind off her nightmare and her trauma mind.
She looked up at him; then she sighed softly. "Tatay was a smart man and a very hard worker too." She began. "He loves me and Nanay so much that he would go all out just to spend time with us. Everyone told us he is a wonderful friend, and we are fortunate to have him. The patients trust him, the doctors work with him, and the hospital always recommends him to anyone who is very sick." She smiled softly, thinking about how loved he was and everyone that knew him well enough.
Till that smile changed into a frown. "I even have pictures of him and me together." She added. "But..I bet my mom found them and threw them away...they were the last reminder I have of him.." her eyes formed new tears, falling down her cheek.
"Oh Nina..." Donnie whispered softly. He rubbed her shell, comforting her.
She begins to cry again, hugging Ei close. Nina has her body curled up in a ball while Donnie holds her. Who lay down on her bed while holding her and rubbing her shell still.
In five minutes, she was fully asleep. After crying, her body was exhausted. Donnie gently placed Nina back on her bed, pulled the covers over her, and left her room to let her sleep.
~*~
The next day
Nina lay on her bed, curling up like a little ball and holding her plush close. After what happened yesterday, she doesn't feel like leaving her room. Her mind was filled with regrets and humiliation; she was so weak. And she hates the idea of being weak. She felt so ashamed. Bello was next to her, trying his best to comfort her.
In the kitchen, the turtles sat at the kitchen table while eating breakfast. Donnie noticed that Nina never showed up to eat nor got her breakfast, a bowl of fruit salad Ginny made for her. With what she experienced, she was too full of emotions to handle. He left his seat, left the kitchen, and headed to Nina's room.
He stopped his tracks when he saw Mikey leaning against her room train. "Mikey? Everything okay?" He asked him.
Mikey sighed. "She wouldn't talk to me; she didn't even talk to Dr. Feelings!" He agonized. "What is wrong with me?!" He cried out.
"I'll go talk to her," Donnie assured him. He entered her room, finding her curled up and facing the wall by her bed. "Morning Nina. Are you doing okay?"
"No..." Nina answered with a weak voice.
Donnie sighed. Just as he predicted, he opened one of his belt pockets and pulled out a bottle of pills. "Here." He placed it beside her. "Take them."
Nina turned her body to the side, then slowly lifted herself to sit up. She grabbed the bottle, opened it, and pulled out the amount of pills she needed. She swallows them. "Thanks.." she huffed. Nina hugged her legs.
Donnie sat by her, reaching his hand out and rubbing her shell. "Hey, hey. Listen. It will be okay; you will get better soon." He comforted her. "I bet your father would be very proud of how strong you have gotten so far."
"Proud of me!?" Nina shouted, turning her head to face him. "He would be disappointed in me!! I broke my promise to him that I would be strong for Nanay, but I wasn't strong enough against her!!" She let out a sob. "I wish Tatay were still alive, and I wouldn't suffer this cruel fate!!" She cried against her knees and crossed her arms.
Donnie let out a small gasp, hearing her say that with him in the same room. He has never seen her so weak and helpless, which greatly concerns him. He grabbed her face, making her look at him. "Don't say that. If he were alive today, you would have never met us." He consulted her. "We are willing to help you heal through this pain and help you become stronger too. You are strong, Nina. You are the strongest person I have ever met and know." He let out a chuckle. "Heck, I think I still got that bruise from that nasty kick you did." He rubbed his shoulder, still feeling the pain from her kick. He smiled warmly at her. "We'll get through this together."
Nina wiped her tears off, taking in his words and comfort. Then, out of nowhere, she hugged Donnie. She has her head on his shoulder and arms around his chest.
Donnie was surprised by this action. Mostly, he was uncomfortable with receiving hugs, never liking the idea of getting close unless he allowed it. But when Nina hugged him, he would let it since she needed comfort from her anxiety. So he hugged her back, wrapping his arms around her waist. She feels warm and almost like she fits perfectly in his arms.
That is, till he felt her fingers getting close to his battle shell. In his mind, the tentacles back at the technodrome touched his shell as it consumed him in the machine.
In a fit of panic, he pushed her away. She looked confused. He gulped; he had never met to do it rudely. "Sorry about that." He apologized. Now he feels awful. "Come on. Let's get out of this room; you need something to distract you." He left the bed and headed to the entrance.
Nina looked at Bello, who nodded at her. He wants her to leave the room and try to relax her anxiety. She sighed, picked up Bello with her hands, and left her bed. She followed Donnie out of her room as they walked together.
While in the game room, Mikey and Judi played a dancing game, trying to hit as many steps as possible while dancing to the music. Mikey seems to get the most scores, while Judi tries to keep up.
Behind them, the turtles all watched the screen while cheering.
"You go, girl!" Ginny grinned.
"Show them how a pro does it!!" Leo cheered.
Mikey steps on the arrows while moving his arms, dancing like. "Oh yeah! This is my game!" He smirked.
"In your dreams!" Judi giggled, stepping on the arrows as fast as she could.
"Kick his shell, sis!!" Julian cheered. They all laughed, having a great time too.
Donnie and Nina peek their heads through the entrance, seeing them surrounding the dancing game. Donnie can't help but roll his eyes at this; everyone is having so much fun. He turned his attention to Nina, who was staring at Judi and Mikey on the machine.
Nina stares at the machine, eyes getting starry. This looks like one of the arcade games she did in Lunar Park as a kid. She would try to play on one of those to get the prizes, even tried to get her dad to play with her. She was smiling a bit, seeing the old game of her childhood.
Donnie noticed her stare, looking at the machine. He softly smiled down at her, knowing that look so well. Whenever she gets stars in her eyes, something sparks her interest. He took her hand, leading her in as they joined the group.
On the screen, the game has finished, and player one, Mikey, is declared the winner with the highest score, higher than Judi's. The two stopped; Mikey danced in victory while Judi pouted.
"And that's how it's done!" He laughed.
Judi whined. "Aw, man!!" She pouted over her loss. She got off the machine.
Julian pulled her for a side hug. "You'll get him next time." He assured her. She smiled back at him.
Mikey leaps off the machine as well. "Just keep practicing Buttercup." He smiled warmly at her. Ever since they started their relationship, Mikey began to call her Buttercup. Because to him, she is as bright as a buttercup.
In the group, he sees Nina and Donnie. He smiled huge, happy to see Nina out of her room and joining back. "I see someone come out of her shell." He grinned.
Nina nodded, her long bangs covering half of her face. "Yeah." She nervously chuckled. She pointed at the machine. "Can I try it?" She asked.
"Sure thing!" Mikey beamed. "I'll pick a song for you." He started the game again, using the arrows to pick a song for her. Once he made his pick, he stepped out for Nina to climb in.
Nina handed Bello to Donnie and stepped into the machine, feeling nervous. It had been a long time since she danced on one of those, and she felt rusty and out of style. But she wants to try it. She steps in the middle, starting the song and showing arrows on the screen.
She steps on the arrows, following them as she hits one by one. She felt nervous, fearing she could have caused a misstep. Slowly, she started to dance along. It's like she is forgetting this is a game and keeps dancing to the music. She was moving her body to the song and had a confident aura around her.
"Whoa!" Mikey was amazed.
Ginny chuckled happily, impressed. "Are we looking at the same girl?"
"She is awesome!!" Judi exclaimed, watching her alongside the other turtles. They all cheered for her.
Donnie blinked and was not expecting this. He thought she was only a beginner, but it was like she had done this before. And didn't think she was a skillful dancer. To say he was not impressed was a complete lie; he was speechless and mind-blown. He has the biggest smile while watching her, letting out a light chuckle of amazement. Bello, on his shoulder, was bopping his head to the music and swaying his body, too.
The song came to an end as Nina stopped dancing, panting from the movement she did. She has never danced so hard since she was only four. The screen shows her scores, which are higher than Mikey's score. Everyone has their eyes widened by this.
"What!!? New record!!?" Mikey shouted.
"Whoa!! You cooked him!!" Ginny exclaimed excitedly.
Nina laughed nervously, rubbing her arms as her hair covered her left eye. "Guess I don't know my own strength." She shrugged shyly. She smiled at them.
Ginny and Judi hugged her, and the three girls laughed while Nina hugged them back.
Donnie has his arms crossed while still having that smile on his face, watching Nina laughing with the girls. It seems that her anxiety has faded away, and she is opening herself again. Bello nodded to Donnie, proud that he helped his owner. Donnie rubs Bello's head as he leans against his touch.
They both saw his brothers looking at him with smirks on their faces; Donnie was confused at first, wondering why they were smirking only at him when he suddenly got the pictures. He was smiling at Nina, comforting her, and was the one she would trust her past with.
He groaned, facepalming his face. They all think he has fallen in love with her, which is untrue. "Oh, for god sake, I don't feel any romantic feelings for Nina." He heaved.
"Then why were you the only one she listened to?" Leo asked with a smirk.
"Because I am the only one she can trust, I'm helping her feel better about herself." He explained. "It does not mean I am falling for her." He added, annoyed.
"Mmmhmm." Raph hummed, not believing it.
"Say what you believe," Mikey smirked at his brother, arms crossed. "One day, you will fall for her."
Donnie shook his head, refusing this. "Nope!! Never going to happen." He denied. "Never in a million years."
Leo chuckled, shooting his head softly. "You are a terrible liar." He added.
Donnie groaned loudly at this. Sometimes, they can be a pain in his shell. He handed Bello to Mikey so he could give him back to Nina. He wanted to escape this and focus on his search for EDF. He walked away from them, his brothers, and the girls. He stopped on his track, turning around and glaring at them.
"I mean it." Donnie snarled. "I am never, ever gonna fall for her."