Hey everybody! I know I should be working on fly away but the idea for this story jumped in my mind and I wanna write it before I forget it. Warning the song written in here makes me cry like crazy! the song itself is written in italics. R&R!
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Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT and the song in here was written by Steve Taylor not me.
Baby Doe
What started out as just a normal day in their crazy lives turned into something the turtles and splinter will never forget.
"Comon Leo! I'm sick of watching the news turn it to something good!" Michelangelo wined at his eldest brother.
"No! You got the TV earlier. It's my turn!"
"Ey. He's gotta point bro. Fer once I agree wit Leo. Lay off." Came a shout from the kitchen.
"Hey guys. What's up?" Donny asked as He came and sat next to Leo.
"The sky." was Mikey's reply
"All of the above, none of the below." Leo said with a huge grin.
They all sat there and watched the news for a while. Even Raph came in from the kitchen and watched it with them.
Don was beginning to get bored and was going to head up to his room to work on his latest invention when a news story popped up that caught everyone's attention. The story was about a young couple up in Indiana who gave birth to a blind child with one arm. The family decided that their child was better off dead and went to court over the matter. The young couple won and they were given permission to starve their child. At that moment the reporter was at the funeral for the baby and was interviewing the parents.
They looked like anyone else but in their eyes you could see the pain and guilt that they bore.
"So, your child was born blind and with no right arm?" the reporter asked. Uncaring to the subject.
"Yes. He was" the family replied.
"What made you decide to end his life?"
"We decided to end his life because it would be wrong to send a child through life like that. He would have been unable to do things that even blind childeren can do. It was better this way."
"May I ask what his name was?"
"We never picked out a name for him. Never will. There's no use."
At that moment Donny couldn't stand it anymore and ran off to his room. Tears threatening to burst through at any moment.
"How could they do that to their own child?" He thought as soon as he was in the safty of his own room. "I can't stand the thought of someone even having an abortion, but this?!"
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Everyone sat there. Stunned by the horror of this story. All Leo could picture right there was a small infant in his playpen. His face was flushed and wet with tears. He's crying and crying and has been all day. He want's his mommy to make the pain in his stomach go away. He cries still and reaches out towards her. She looks up from the book she is reading and glances down at the pained face of her child. Then continues reading her book.
Leo knew what it was like to go without food for a long period of time and it was agony. It was okay for him because he knew what was going on. He understood, but his child did not. All he knew was that he was hurting and mommy wouldn't help him.
Then at that moment Don jumped up and ran off to his room. No one even noticed how upset Don was until that happened. He looked up towards Don's room and then looked towards Splinter who shook his head and mouthed "Leave him be."
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It had been three hours since the news report and Donny still had not come down from his room.
Okay that was it. He was going to ask Splinter if he could talk to his brother. He got up and walked into Splinter's room and was surprised to see the rest of his brothers there. Splinter motioned for him to come and sit down and he silently obeyed.
"I see that you all have developed great concern over your brother Donetello and I agree that we all should go and talk to him. It was a mistake to leave him be for so long."
So, they all stood up and followed Splinter up to Donny's room and opened the door quietly.
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Upon opening the door they were greeted with almost complete darkness. The only light that was on was the small light near Donatello's bed. Everyone cautiously made their way towards it.
When the got there they saw that indeed the small lamp was on but on the bed Donny lay, asleep. He was lying on his shell but his feet were twisted in an Indian style shape and on his legs lay his journal.
It was open because a pen was between the pages. Leo looked at it and picked it up."Perhaps it'll help us see more of whats going on." he thought as he opened it. The specific page that don had been writing on was wet with tears but that's not what got Leo's attention. It was what was written inside. He read it aloud.
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"June 25, 2007
I can't believe what I saw today. It was a news story about a young couple up in Indiana who gave birth to a blind child with one arm. The family decided that their child was better off dead and went to court. They won and were then given permission to starve their child. It was absolutely horrible. I was never good at saying the right words. They always come out sounding dorky but when I write I can always get them to come out beautifully. Here's what I think of the story. It's more of a song but I call it Baby Doe.
Unfolding today, a mirical play this Indiana boy. The father he sighs.
She opens her eyes.The baby boy is born.
"We don't understand. He's not like we planned."
The doctor shakes his head.
"Abnormal." They cried and so they decide
"This child is better dead."
I bear the blame
Believers are few and what am I to do?
I share the shame.
The cradles below and where is Baby Doe?
A hearing is sought.
The lawyers are bought.
The court wont let him eat.
The papers applaud when judges play god.
This child is getting weak.
The drawing abead, reciting the creed.
"Respect a woman's choice."
I've heard that before.
How can you ignore?
This baby has a voice.
I bear the blame.
Believers are few and what am I to do?
I share the shame.
The cradle's below and where is Baby Doe?
Where will it end?
No, no, no.
It's over and done.
The presses have run.
Some call the parents brave.
Beneath your disguise your rattle replies,
"You watched a baby starve."
I bear the blame.
The cradle's below and where is Baby?
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He closed the small book and only then did he realize that he was crying. He took another look at his sleeping brother's form and straightened his legs out and covered him with a blanket. He turned off the light and they all left him to his dreams.
Everyone went to bed that night thinking about the same thing. Don was right. To do something like that to a child was wrong.
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They know what they believe but what about you? What are your opinions? Were the parents right or were they wrong? It all depends on your point of view.
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Well there you go. I really do want to hear about what you think. Please review. Just so you know Doe is what people call an unnamed child. The song is based off a true story.
