A Lost Child

Chapter 4

He wasn't getting any better, he was getting worse. Splinter didn't know what to do anymore. He even went to the pharmacy at night sometimes, and he would grab a bottle of medicine that he thought would work for Leo but....nothing ever worked.

He'd cry all night, but sleep all day. Splinter decided they all would go nocturnal. So while Leo slept, they slept.

He did his best and tried to take care of Leo as well as Donnie, Raph and Mikey at nights but it was becoming very difficult. He decided to let him cry all night while he took care of the others, he felt terrible but he had to take care of Donnie, Raph and Mikey as well. So while he took care of them, he was forced to listen to Leo crying all night. He didn't abandon him, he just wanted to take care of them all. So when he put Donnie, Mikey and Raph to bed, he'd stay up a little later and take care of Leo then.

His brothers also worried as well. They ate less, slept less and they all would cry for there brother once in a while.

A couple more days passed, and everything just got worse.

A human ended up finding the lair, and the turtles all freaked out. Screaming and crying. Splinter ended up having to kill the man, then through the body in a stream. Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey cried all night, none of them ate, he wasn't able to take them baths either. He felt bad.

A couple more days later Donnie, Raph and Mikey had all calmed down and stoped crying, they ate normally too. And he was able to take them baths and put them to sleep regularly too.

But what worried him the most, was that Leonardo...he always slept. He hasn't woken up at all since the day after the incident with the human. He was getting thinner and paler.

His brothers worried, but Splinter made sure to keep them entertained while he was tending to Leo.

One day while Donnie, Mikey and Raph were asleep, Splinter stayed up a bit longer and stared at his son Leonardo.

"What illness has come upon you my child?" He asked knowing he wasn't going to get an answer. He stroked Leo's head gently, letting tears stream down his cheeks.

Splinter was beginning to wonder if his son had fallen into a coma....

"No...I must not think this."

Splinter lied down beside his 9 month old son, who he decided that he'd keep in his room instead of the boys shared room.

He continued to gently stroke his child's head until his hand grew tired.

"Please wake up soon Leonardo..." he whispered to Leo before falling asleep.

That night he woke up around 10 pm. He woke to see his son still asleep, looking even paler than he was this morning. Sighing sadly, splinter stood up and walked out of his room to the boys shared bedroom.

When he walked in, he saw them all still asleep. Usually by this time, Raphael and Michelangelo would have already been up and fighting, but instead they were all cuddling up against one another.

Splinter smiled, not really wanting to wake them up.

"I think I'll just let them sleep. We will just go back to our normal schedule." He said to himself as he shut the door and walked back to his room. He laid down beside Leo and soon feel asleep again, till 7 am.

And of course when he went to wake his other boys, Raph and Mikey were fighting...again.

He picked them all up and carried them to the kitchen to feed them. As he was walking to the kitchen, the boys grew silent. He stopped mid way and looked down at them, seeing them all looking up at him with tear filled eyes.

"Weo?" They asked simultaneously, titling their heads to the side, their tears streaming down their innocent faces.

Splinter couldn't hold it back any long, and he also let his tears out. He pulled donnie, Raph and Mikey up to the crook of his neck, embracing them. Splinter slowly walked to his room, opening the door. His sons all turned and looked at their brother, who lied on a make shift bed sleeping, thin and pale.

They all screamed 'Weo!'. They all cried for their brother. Splinter cried for them and Leo. Devastated.

He walked over beside Leo and sat down, letting his sons take a better look at their brother.

Splinter noticed Leo's breathing changed as well in the short period he was gone. From normal breaths to very shallow ones.

He feared losing his son. What was he to do?! He wasn't a doctor, he was a ninja. What he was deciding to do...was going to the surface and finding someone he could trust to help him figure out what was wrong with his son.

But he didn't. What if got caught? Who would take care of Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey?

No one...

He had to stay here and let nature take its course.

He sighed as he watched his sons reaching out for their brother.

He wouldn't let them. He stood up with the three in his arms, and walked out of his room to the kitchen. He feed them and then bathed them. They watched tv for a while, then splinter decided they should all go to bed.

This routine went on for several days, till one day.........something happened.