Fifty Reasons to Stay (Book Three)

Chapter Thirty One- Road

[I'm going to go ahead and warn you now that this chapter has the sex. If you do not like reading about the nasty, then kindly stop reading once you see the
—•— thanks pals. I had to do it once in the book. Enjoy ya pervs :)]

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(Donnie's POV)

A gentle snow fell from the heavens the day before Leo was released from the hospital in late February. It'd been a rough few weeks for my family and I spent it all relying on someone else's. I ended up living with Leo's family during that time so I could stay close to the hospital and be there for Leo when needed. But that meant I had to bring my kids to Japan...

I was worried about how they would be treated by his family and to my relief they were accepted and treated very well. We all had to sleep on the floor in that "guest room" at night as there was no room for us anywhere else. The first night they spent there, neither of them were very happy. With an uncharacteristic pout on her lips, Teresa told me she hated me for bringing her here. Andrew said he just wanted Leo to get better so that we could all go home but... we were kind of going to be unable to stay there once we got back to the U.S... some pipes burst in the basement and completely flooded it. Repairs would cost more money than we had, and I knew our best bet was to sell if and hope to get something from it.

I remember pulling my children close to me and shivering under our blankets, but we made it through that first night, and eventually I bought more blankets for us and a blowup mattress which really helped. I also bought a second one but it wouldn't fit in the room, so I gave up on that.

I also had to buy schoolbooks recommended by Andrew's teacher because of how much time he'd be missing from school. I had no choice but to pull him out for the rest of the year and become his teacher. We did a little bit of work every day in each subject and he was doing just fine when it came to that.

Saki still hadn't returned and I didn't know if he ever would, but Hiroshi said that he wasn't welcome in their home again. He apologized on behalf of the family for how they treated me, and I hesitantly accepted it.

Anyway, back to the morning Leo got released. I woke up earlier than usual and got to witness the sunrise. Recently I'd started wearing loose teeshirts and sweatpants so I could easily slip them on and off. I couldn't button jeans or shirts and wouldn't think of asking anyone but Leo for help.

Just before I left, I glanced back at my kids and couldn't help but smile at their innocent faces while they slept peacefully for once. Things would get better soon, for them, for all of us.

I went down the stairs and greeted his aunt who was preparing breakfast. "On your way to get Leonardo, are you?"
I nodded quickly, giving her a smile. "Yes. He's healed very well."
"And so have you, Donatello. You're doing much better with your words." Mei touched my arm. "Now go on. Give him a hug for me, will you?"
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I took the brief ride to the hospital, driving myself there if you can believe it. I mean, I'm not that great behind the wheel, but I can manage and I haven't gotten in any wrecks. We'd been texting all morning but I put my phone away once I got in the car so I could completely focus on not crashing.

I did turn on music, though, and sang at the top of my lungs to release the nervousness in the pit of my stomach. After the eighth consecutive time listening to a Twenty One Pilots song, I reached the hospital. Breathe, breathe.

I'm here. Where should I meet you? <3

Front entrance is as good as any :)