Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish it weren't true, Ninja Turtles don't belong to me.

A/N: I don't know why I wanted to write this, but it something festering with in me and I couldn't concentrate on anything else until it was done.

BTW: I know how Casey talks, but I figure it would be too hard to read if I wrote it that way.

Dad Comin' Home?

I remember being ushered to bed by my parents and I begged to stay up a bit longer. I always knew I could weasel another half an hour if I ask, 'five more minutes?' while being down on my knees and open my eyes really big.

Dad was about to say 'yes' when a loud crash came from our shop that was below the apartment. "I knew they'd be back." He grabbed a bat that was next to the door. "Call the police." He told my ma.

"But they said no cops." I reminded. "Can…can we just pay them off? Then they'll go away."

My dad shook his head. "There are times when a person had to stand up for what is right." That was the last thing he said before closing the door behind him.

My ma locked the door behind him before going to the phone. I ran to the center of our living room and press my ear to the floor. The carpet tickled my nose as I tried to hold my breath so I could hear what was going on below us.

There glass breaking, boxes being smashed, and other stuff busting up. Then I heard my dad yell, "Leave!" That stopped the breaking. "My wife is calling the police right now!"

"We said no cops old man." A voice replied. "Guess we got to teach ya lesson now." Something sounding like a glass bottle breaks before the voice says, "Let's move out Dragons."

I could hear my dad start to cough as his feet thundered up our stairs. He tried to open the door, but couldn't cause my ma had locked it. So he started banging on it. "The shops on fire, you and Arnold have to get out of here!" He shouted.

"The place is on fire!" Ma cried into the phone. "They set fire to the place." Then she slammed the receiver down and grabbed me by my collar to get me off the ground.

She dragged me over to our window, threw it open, and pushed me out onto the fire escape. I turned around to help her out, but she wouldn't come out. "Dad says we have to get out of here." Ma looked down threw the fire escape before backing away from the window. "What's the matter?" Her face was all pale and sweaty. "Ma?"

At the time, I didn't know she had a fear of heights. Even though we were only two stories up, it was enough to make her rather face the fire. But she made sure that I wouldn't chose the same path by closing the window on me.

I pressed my face to glass and banged on it. "Ma!" She turned her back on me and ran for the door.

More scared for her than myself, I waited to for her to go out the door before going down the escape. (If push came to shove, I was ready to break the window in case she needed me.) She fumbled with getting the top and bottom locks undone, but she forgot about the chain. Watching her fight with the door with the chain still on made me realized how scared she was.

Ma yanked on the door, but it would only open an inch wide. I could hear my dad's really muffled voice yelling at her. "Calm down! Close the door so you can take the chain off." But ma was so hysterical that she couldn't register what he was saying and just kept yanking on the door.

At one point I think my dad grabbed the door hand and held it shut, cause I watched as my ma couldn't open the door. "Are you trying to kill me?" She screamed.

"Take the chain off!" Dad ordered.

Ma fumbled with the chain, pulling up and down, but not able to take it off. It was like she forgot how the thing worked. Eventually my dad just busted the door down and grabbed ma by the wrist. Smoke poured into the apartment as dad lead ma out into the hall.

Know that ma was now in good hands, I ran down the fire escape so I could meet up with them downstairs. For some reason I figured that they would come out the front, through the store, so I went to wait for them there.

But they didn't come out that way, it was Hun and his dragon punks instead. Looking at the guy was like I was looking at those gorillas in the zoo when they stood up on their back legs. And though I was a bit intimated by his looks, I didn't let on how much he scared me.

"Well if it isn't the Jones's kid." The jerk laughed when saw me and I recognized the voice. It was him that threw the glass bottle and it was the bottle that must have started the fire.

I charged at him with my fist raised. I don't know what I was thinking. I mean not only would I have to try to take him out, but I would also have to try to take out his buddies too. Kind of impossible for a nine-year-old do on his own, especially weaponless. So I guess you can say that I wasn't thinking, just reacting. But I just couldn't stand by after what he did to my dad's shop and to our home.

Of course Hun was able to take me out easy. All he had to do was grab me by my shirtfront and yank me off the ground. "Tell your old man to pay up next time." He said after throwing me onto the ground. "That is…if there'll be a next time."

I didn't try charging Hun again, guess that time I used my head. I turned to back to the store, to watch the door…and to watch it burn. I must have stood there for at least a half hour, wondering if my parents made it out alive.

I never thought to look around back for them and that will be somethingI will always regret. Cause if I had been around back, I could have warn dad about the one Purple Dragon who stay around and bashed is head in with a lead pipe.

The first to come were a couple of fire trucks followed by a handful of police cars. An officer asked me what happen and I told him what I knew. Then Itold a bunch of firefighters that my parents haven't come out of the building yet. They nodded and were about to head in when ma came from around the building.

"My husband!" She cried. "My husband's been hurt. There's blood coming from head, a lot of it." She ran up to one of the officers. "There was a Purple Dragon waiting for us to come out and he jumped my husband."

One officer tried to calm ma down while another called the paramedics. I tried to go around back to get to my father, but was stop by another cop. "It's too dangerous to go back there right now." He told me. "The perp may still be there and the building looks like about to collapse at any time."

"But you're not going to leave my dad there, are you?" I asked.

"We can't risk peoples lives for someone who might be dead." The officer told me.

"How dare you say my dad may be dead." I kicked the officer in the thigh. "You don't know if he is or not."

The officer winced from the pain, but he didn't get mad. He just put his hands on my shoulders. "I understand your anger and we'll try to get him out if it's safe. But do you want other children to feel what you're feeling right now if their parents die while getting your father? Do you want to feel guilt about send in a bunch people into a death trap?"

I had to admit that the guy was right. I couldn't make other children feel the pain that was in my heart. But I also couldn't believe that my father was dead.

Well they did get my father out and to a hospital, but I wasn't allowed to go with him, cause ofma. She didn't want me to see him just yet and it wasn't until later that I found out why.

While my dad was in the hospital, ma and I lived with one of my aunts. Ma would go to visit dad everyday, staying there until visiting hours were over. My aunt was the one toput me to bed, leaving the door open just a little, but I would always get outand sit on the edge of it so I could look out the opening for my ma.

Every night when ma came home she would go into the kitchen to talk with my aunt. Afterwards shewould go pass my room on her way to where she slept. When I saw her coming I'd jump off the bed and open the door enough to see her fully. I guess you could say I was kind of ambushing her.

"Dad comin' home?"That wasthe question I always asked her.

"Maybe tomorrow." Ma would alwaysanswer. Then she would kiss me on the head and usher me back into the room. "Back to bed."

Well one day I really wanted to go see dad. So I skip school andwent over to the hospital on my own. At the hospital I worried that ma wouldn't let me see dad, even though I was already there. However I knew she couldn't stop me if she wasn't there. All I had to do was wait for her to get up for a cup of coffee or something to eat.

That was good theory and all, but the problem was where I was going to hide until she did leave the room. I couldn't hide in the bathroom, cause I knew at some point she was going to have to go and there wasn't a closet in the room that I could slip into.

Of course I really didn't need to find a place to hide, cause I wasn't actually going to stay. See, while I was trying to look for a place to hide I heard my ma say something to my dad.

"Just go." She begged. "End your pain and go, please."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, ma telling dad to die? (At the time I didn't know how bad off my dad really was and I think that even if I did, I probably have handled it the same way I did then.) I burst into the room. "Why are you telling him to die?" I cried while other questions ran through my head. How could she do something like that? Who was she to decide? When did she decide? And how could she tell him without asking me? "I don't want him to leave us, to die. I wanted him to live and come home."

At first ma was shocked to see me there, but then looked really sad. "I didn't want you to seem him like this." She told me. "But since you're here, look at him."

And I did look at my dad. Not cause my ma told me to, but cause I wanted to. His head was all bandaged up, his skin was really pale, and he looked so weak. I didn't get it how he could look like that, he had only been in the hospital for little over a week.

"I was trying to shield you from the truth." Ma said. "You father is a vegetable now. Being in a coma is the only thing keeping him from feeling any pain."

"But he could wake up, right?"

"He could, but he wouldn't be able to do anything for himself any more. He wouldn't even be able to recognize us."

"So you want him to die just cause you don't want to take care of him?"

"I want him to be at peace. I want him to be pain free."

"You have no right! You have no right to decide anything!" I felt so much anger build up within me. I was mad at the Purple Dragons, I was mad at dad, and most of all I was mad a ma. Unfortunately, she was the only one there that I could take my anger out on. "I hate you!" I screamed. "I hate you and I never want to talk to you again!"

Ma reached out to me. "Arnold." She said in a quivering voice.

"Don't call me that!" I knocked her hand way from me. "Don't ever call me that again."

"But that your name." Ma told me sternly.

"That was dad's name and I don't want it if it means he's gotta die!" After that I ran out of the room and out of the hospital. I didn't turn back to see if ma was chasing me or if anyone else was, I just ran until I couldn't run anymore.

Once I finally ran out of steam, I sat down on the first stoop I spied. I didn't care who it belonged to or if they were going to run me off when they found me. I didn't even bother to look at the building it was attached to. I just wanted to sit down, catch my breath, and then start running again. I don't know where I was going to go or where I wanted to go; all I knew was that I had to get away.

Course I never went anywhere once I was rested. When I stood up, I somehow felt like I should take a look at the building I was in front of. So I turn around and to my dismay I found that I was sitting in front of a church.

I never really like church much. I didn't see what the big hype was about waking up so early in the morning to hear some guy dress with his shirt on backwards talk. And to tell you the truth I never liked having someone preaching to me or sermonizing. It It kind of scared me to have some guy up in my face, telling me what I should believe and what would happen if I didn't. Ma was the only onewho understood my dislike for church and sometimeswouldn't make me go every Sunday. She would tell me that the Lord doesn't care what religion you preach, or where you go, or how many times you go to a place of worship. What he/she counts is that you do what you were put on this Earth for.

Now though I don't like church, I had this urge to in and so I do. I have a seat in one of the pews, but I didn't really know what to do when I did. So I pulled out one of the bibles that were in front of me and flip through it. The sun was just coming through one of those stain glass windows, shining all kinds of colors over the other pews.

Suddenly I hear footsteps echoing throughout the building. Being as it was a Tuesday, I figured that I wasn't supposed to be there. Course I had to wonder that if I wasn't allowed to be there, why were the doors unlock?

Anyway I panicked and looked for a place I could hide. Spying this wooden booth near the front of the church, I decided that might be the best place to take cover in. So I ran into the booth and pulled the curtain close behind me. There I held my breath as best I could so that whoever was out there wouldn't be able to find me.

However someone did find me, only I don't think they were looking. All I know is that I hear this sliding and look to see this weird looking window. It was kind of hard to see through it, but I could make out a guy dressed as a priest.

It was then that I realize I was in one of those confession booths. I really didn't know what I was supposed to do, so I quoted something I saw on television. "Forgive me father, for I have sin."

"When your last confession was my son." The man said.

"I never confess like this before." I replied. "Mostly all my confessing is with my ma."

"Do you go to this church?"

"No. Does that mean I can't be here?"

"Of course not, I just wanted to know if you were part of my congregation. Anyway, why don't you tell me what's bothering you."

I moved around in my seat uncomfortably. "I'm mad. Mad at a bunch of people."

"Who?"

"Well…I'm mad at the people who burnt down my dad's shop…. And I'm mad at my dad."

"Why are you mad at your father?"

"Cause if he did as those Purple Dragons said, he wouldn't be in the hospital right now and our shop and house wouldn't be burnt down."

"I see." The priest nodded his head slightly. "Why didn't your father do as they say?"

"Cause he said we have to stand up for what is right, but how can things be right if people have to get hurt?"

"Sadly, my child, people have to get hurt in order for things to be fixed."

"It's not fair. My dad was a good man."

"I'm sure he was." There was a brief moment of silence before, "Is there more?"

Again I nudge around in my seat. "I told ma that I hate her." I told him quietly. Already I was regretting ever saying it.

"Why?"

"Cause…cause I think I kind of blame her for dad being in the hospital."

"How could you blame her?"

"Well…if she didn't have that stupid fear of heights, than dad wouldn't have had to take her down stair and out the back way. She could have come out onto the fire escape with me and dad could have too."

"Your mother is blaming herself for the same reason. I sure that she did not want such a fear, but sometimes we can not help having what we are given."

"I suppose."

"Is there more?"

"…yeah. I'm mad cause she went and told my dad that it was ok for him to die without even asking me if I was ok with it."

"Must have been hard for her to do."

"But it's not fair. I don't want my dad to die. If he dies, than thing will never be the same again."

"Thing will never be the same whether your father lives or dies. The question you should be asking yourself is, 'Will the pain ever go away?'."

"No, it won't."

"You pain may not got away and your mother's pain my not go away any time soon, but don't you think it's fair to keep your father in pain when it can?"

"…."

"Can you find it within yourself to ask your father to stay here on this Earth if it means being in constant pain?"

"…."

"It hurts to lose the ones we love, I know that to be true, but it can also hurt to see those love ones in such pain. Now I know that you are just a child, but I think you are at a point where you must put other before yourself."

"I guess your right." I moved around a little more on the seat; I knew what was next to come. "So what's my punishment? Do I have do some 'Hail Mary's or 'Our Father's…something like that?"

I could see a slight smile come on the priest's face. "Well, I don't know what your religious principles are, so why don't we go with you apologizing to your mother."

"I can do that." I said before sliding off the seat.

"Things will get better Casey. You'll have to believe that."

I froze for a moment; I don't remember telling the guy my name or what I wanted to be called from then on. "How did…?" The window was close when I tried to look through it.

I quickly jumped out of the booth and ducked my head into the one next to it where the priest was sitting, but nobody was there. I looked around the booth for some kind of hidden door, but there wasn't one. So I touched the seat to find it was cold, as if nobody sat there.

Feeling a little freaked out, I ran out of the church and back to the hospital. Ma was still there by the side of dad's bed, in a praying position. I knew what she was praying for and I kneeled down next to her to pray with her. (It was not something I would do voluntarily.)

For minutes we were like that, praying for my dad to go in peace and that everything will be fine. Finally, when we were done, ma pulled herself back into her chair while I sat down on the floor in the cross-legged position next to it. "Do you still hate me?" She asked as she looked down at me.

I shook my head. "I just wish that you'd ask me before making a decision like that."

"It was a choice a child your age shouldn't have to make. You should be worrying about what type of ice-cream you going to want on your cone, the kind of shoes that would make you cool, or whether you should play instead of study."

I leaned onto my ma's leg and hugged it. "But…he's my dad…and I wished that I could have known what was going on with him. If I knew he was in so much pain than maybe I would have understood why you made that kind of choice."

Ma began to smooth my hair with the tips of her fingers. "I thought it would be easier to explain everything later, so you didn't have to see it. But I guess some things have to be witnessed." She let out a really sad sigh.

I don't know what time dad finally moved on, cause I fell asleep on my ma's leg. I didn't hear the monitor stop beeping or hear my ma burst into tears. I just remember it being night time and being on my ma's back as she carried me out of the hospital. There was no breeze or any clouds in the sky, just the moon and the stars shining down on us.

I didn't need to ask, cause for some reason I already knew it happen. And though I was sad that dad was dead, I was also kind of glad that he was at peace.

During the week we were planning my dad's funeral I went looking for the church where I did my first confession at. I thought it would nice if we held services there. But I couldn't remember what streets I took, or what the number was on the building, or the name of the church. I didn't even know what they practiced. It was like the church suddenly didn't exist anymore.

But I have to admit that even if I did find the church, ma was still going to have services at our church. Using my last experience as a positive reason for going to church I tried to go more often, sadly itdidn't far too well and I stop. But I do go to confession every now and than, just to get thing off my chest.

"That was quite a confession there my son." A man said.

"I hope I didn't take up too much of yer time father." Casey replied.

"I'm here for you and people like you." The priest told him.

"So do I owe any 'Hail Mary's or 'Our Father's?"

"Are you still beat up those Purple Dragons?"

"Yes sir."

The priest rolled his eyes. "Twenty of each." He slid the window door closed. "Some day you'll come in here with a confession I won't believe." The man of cloth's voice muffled through.

'You mean like telling you that I'm friends with a bunch of mutant turtles and their rat master?' Casey thought as he exited the confessional booth. 'Maybe someday.'

A/N: I don't know if Casey really was in to anything relgious or his mother, but I thought it would be a nice touch to have that in there. Hopefully it wasn't too heavy or anything.