TMNT FANFIC: Reborn

Disease

April sat idly in the hall, tapping her feat incessantly as tears slipped down her flushed cheeks. Casey had taken the day off to tend to the needs of her other sons, leaving her mind erupting with thoughts on whether or not her youngest would survive.
She's almost collapsed due to the overwhelming wave of stress that swept over her when Leo had been taken a couple of hours earlier. She hadn't heard from the doctors since, leaving the sickening doubt of her baby's return to fester in her mind.

"April O'Neil?" A man dressed in white tilted his head, a clipboard grasped in his hands.
"Yes." April jolted out of her seat, scurrying towards the Doctor, heart pounding.
"How's Leo doing? Is he ok?" She blurted, refraining from gripping onto the man's arm, craving comfort that was not served.
The man turned to her, tired eyes glancing the worried young mother. "Well Miss O'Neil, you shall see in a minute. I do hope your not squeamish as we have only just finished operating on your son." He sighed gravely, leading her to a nearby door.
"Operating?" April pressed, questions eating away in her mind as she tried to comprehend what the doctor was implying.
Her thirst for answers was soon quenched as the door opened, revealing a horrific sene that imprinted itself in April's mind.
Surgeons were cleaning their equipment, removing their masks as they left the tiny incubator in the middle of the room. Inside lay her youngest child, coated in blood, a breathing mask strapped onto his face.
"W-what happened.." She gasped, approaching the small box in which her son lay, inspecting the work done on him.
"We had to perform open heart surgery in order to save his life. However, he still suffers from the same heart condition which has mutated further. It breaks my own heart to say it but, your son will die someday at the hand of this disease. It gets worse at time ticks on." He gestured to Leo's torso. Stitches marked the area in which the surgeons had cut in, forming the shape of what seemed to be a leaf.
April shuddered, breath catching as she choked on her tears. She pushed back the denial flooding her system, trying to remain calm as her child's life crumbled down around her.
"How long does he have?"

"We don't know. It could range from two days to ten years, we honestly have no idea." He sighed, rubbing his temples, evidently affected by the entire event. "There is a way to postpone his death however, with the help of daily injections. Bare in mind he will be affected in many ways from his disease. You can expect him to develop later than his brother's, experiences of PTSD from heart palpitations and even trouble sleeping. Just make sure you're there for him, every step of the way. For now his future is uncertain but you have the power to steer it in the right direction."
"Thank you."April smiled half heartedly, staring down at her baby's body as the doctor left the room.
She rested a finger by his chest, wincing as he flinched at the contact. "I won't let anything harm you Leo. You were always there for us, now it's our turn to repay you." She moved her hand towards his, a warm smile gracing her lips when his fingers curled around her thumb. Memories from his first day flicked through her mind as she leaned towards the incubator, planting a small kiss on Leo's head.
"It'll be aright." She whispered, humming the rest of the lullaby as she closed her eyes, strangely comforted by the irregular thumping in her sons chest, something she'd grown used to. Sure it wasn't much, but to April, every heartbeat counted..