Chapter 2: Leo's Promise
A/N: Hey, I know this took a little while, but for those who are wondering what happens to Abby, here's the chapter that answers that. Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed thus far. You guys are awesome.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related character belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot of the story.
Time seemed to slow down for Leo as he watched the bullet hit Abby, and she fell back into him. His blue eyes widened in shock as blood seeped from the bullet wound. This couldn't be happening. Abby was an innocent child. What kind of person would shoot an innocent child in that manner? Only a heartless man would do that. Leo knew he had to help Abby fast, so he undid his mask and applied pressure to the wound. Raph had already knocked his opponent unconscious and was at Leo's side when he saw what had happened.
"You go and deal with him, bro," Raph said. "I'll take care of her."
"Call Donnie and tell him to prepare the infirmary," Leo ordered. Then he turned his attention to the man who had shot Abby and killed her father. Rage flashed in his blue eyes, and he knew he wanted this man to suffer for his crimes. With a yell, he charged at the man and knocked the gun out of his hands before he could shoot Leo. Then in the blink of an eye, he pulled out a katana and slit the man's throat. Leo felt that time in jail wouldn't be enough for what he'd done to Abby and her father. The man fell to the floor, and Leo turned away from him. He wiped his katana on the other man's shirt and sheathed it, turning to Raph.
"We need to leave," he told his brother. "I'll take Abby. Go to her room and try to pack as many things as you can think of that she'll need. Oh, and don't forget to pack Ruffles McBearington either. He's sitting at her tea table. After you're done, meet me at the Lair."
"Got it, Chief," Raph said. The two went upstairs to Abby's room. Raph found an overnight bag and began packing anything he thought the little girl would need. Satisfied that Raph was listening to him, Leo climbed out of Abby's window and started running across the rooftops, still applying pressure to Abby's wound.
"You're gonna be okay, Abby," he whispered. "Everything's gonna be okay." He repeated the words like a prayer, hoping that somehow they would be true. He located the quickest way to the Lair and escaped down the manhole cover, making sure to keep Abby safe in the process. He bolted to the Lair at top speed, desperate to get Abby the help she needed. She still wasn't awake, and Leo was afraid that she would die if he didn't get her help immediately. He reached the Lair and vaulted over the turnstiles. Mikey was playing one of the arcade games, but he turned when he heard Leo come in.
"Dude, where's the pizza?" he asked. Then his blue eyes widened as he saw Abby in Leo's arms. "Who's the little chick?"
Leo ignored him ad ran to Don's lab which doubled as an infirmary. Don had gotten everything prepared for Abby, but he wasn't too happy about it.
"Leo, what's going on?" he asked. "Raph called me and said you guys needed help, but I never thought it would be for a little girl. Why didn't you just call 911 and let the humans take care of her?"
Now that Don mentioned, it, that would have been the smart thing to do, but at the time, Leo hadn't thought about doing any of that. He had just wanted to get Abby help. "I didn't think about that," he said. "Look, I'll explain everything later. Right now, she's been shot and needs help. I've been applying pressure to the wound, but I don't know what else to do ." His eyes were filled with fear as he laid Abby on the cot and stepped back for Don to examine her.
Don's angry look vanished as he went into doctor mode. "I'll need to get the bullet out," he said. "You did the right thing by applying pressure when you did. We'll just have to wait and hope that the bullet didn't hit any vital organs." He set up an IV and inserted it into Abby's right hand. "I'm going to need help with the surgery though. Where's Raph?"
"He stayed behind to get Abby's things," replied Leo.
"Then I guess you'll have to help me perform the surgery," said Donnie matter-of- factly.
Leo turned a little pale at his brother's words. "Donnie, I don't think I can help you," he said shakily. "I'm not good at this."
"All you'll need to do is hand me the instruments I'm going to use," Don assured him. "There's nothing to it."
Before Leo could say anything else, Raph burst into the Lair and ran into the lab with Abby's things. "I came here as fast as I could," he said. "What's the status?"
"I'll have to remove the bullet," Don replied. "I was going to have Leo help me, but now that you're here, you can do it instead."
"Sounds good," Raph said. He was relieved that he'd arrived in time because he knew Leo wouldn't be able to do the surgery at all. "You go on outside, Leo. I'll take it from here."
Leo nodded, and after one last glance back at Abby, he left the room. He went to the couch and sat down next to Mikey. Splinter came from his quarters and looked at his oldest son.
"Leonardo, what is going on?" he asked.
Leo sighed and told Splinter and Mikey all about how he'd met Abby and what happened when he went back there. "I didn't know what else to do, so I brought her here," he concluded.
"You did the right thing, my son," said Splinter gently. "I am sure Abby will be fine thanks to your brave deed."
"But what will happen to her next, Sensei?" Leo asked him. "We can't keep her down here."
"Where else could she go?" asked Mikey.
"Perhaps she has other relatives who can take care of her," Splinter suggested.
"Her mother left her and her dad," Leo told them. "She never came back, so I doubt she'd want anything to do with Abby. We'll just have to ask Abby about this when she wakes up. If she doesn't have any other relatives, then we have to think of other options."
Mikey was looking through Abby's things, which Leo had brought out with him. Mikey smiled when he saw Ruffles McBearington. "Hey, I had a bear like this named Teddy," he recalled.
"Yeah, and you always took him everywhere," Leo remembered. "Her bear's name is Ruffles McBearington. He's her special friend."
"Aww, that's so cute," Mikey cooed.
Before anything else could be said, Raph came into the living area and said, "Guys, the surgery's over. She's gonna be fine."
Leo let out a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness," he said. "Can we see her now?"
"Yeah, Don's just cleaning up," Raph answered.
Leo, Mikey, and Splinter went into the lab where Don was just cleaning up the tools he'd used. He looked up as they came in and smiled at them.
"She's gonna be okay," he reported. "The bullet didn't hit any vital organs. She's a lucky little girl thanks to you, Leo."
"I'm just glad I got her out of there," Leo replied. He took Ruffles McBearington from Mikey and settled him beside Abby so he would be there when she woke up. "We just have to decide what happens to her next now that we know she'll be okay."
"Why can't she just stay down here with us?" Mikey asked. "I bet she'd love it down here."
"She's a human, Mikey," Leo pointed out. "We can't just keep her down here. She belongs topside with the other humans."
"Well, if she doesn't have any other relatives, I can look into some foster homes," Don suggested.
"That's a good idea, Donnie," Leo praised him.
"You can't take her to a foster home!" cried Mikey. "They'll treat her like dirt there. You wouldn't want Abby to be at the mercy of some cruel person, would you?"
"Mikey, foster homes aren't like that," replied Don. "You've been watching too many movies. They'll be able to care for her and give her a new family that can provide for her what we can't. She'll be able to go to school and live a normal life, something she can't have if she stays here."
"We will worry about that later," said Splinter. "For now, she may stay here until she recovers from her injury."
"I'll stay with her so that she's not alone when she wakes up," Leo offered.
"Okay, Leo, let us know if you need anything," Don said. Then he, Mikey, and Splinter left Leo alone with Abby.
Leo found a chair and sat down beside Abby. At least she would be okay, but there was still the question of where she would go after she was healed. As much as he wanted to let Abby stay in the Lair, it just wasn't the right thing to do to her. She needed to be where others could provide for her. He would be sad to see her go, but Leo knew he'd see her again someday.
He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Abby moan. She opened her eyes and looked around, confused as to where she was. Then she saw Leo and smiled.
"Hi, Leo," she said. "What happened to me? Why do I feel so sleepy?"
The blue-clad Turtle took her hand in his. "Abby, you were shot," he said. "We brought you to the Lair to get you help."
"Am I going to die?"
"No, you're going to be fine," he reassured her. "Donnie got the bullet out."
Abby looked around again. "Is Daddy here, too?"
A sad look crossed Leo's face as he shook his head. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but your daddy's gone. He was also shot, but the bullet hit his heart. You know about the heart, don't you?"
"Yeah, my teacher said the heart goes ba-dump ba-dump and that it keeps us alive," Abby replied.
"That's right, Abby. But when the bullet hit his heart, it caused the heart to stop beating."
Tears filled Abby's eyes at Leo's words. "So Daddy's not coming back?"
"No, he's not," Leo said. He put his arms around her as she started crying for her father. He rubbed her back and held her, offering her whatever comfort he could. After a few minutes, the broke apart, and Leo asked her, "Is there anyone else who could take care of you once you're better?"
"My grandma lives in Florida, but she's in a nursing home. I don't want to go to Florida anyway. I want to stay here with you. Will you promise to take care of me, Leo?"
Leo looked into her blue eyes which were the same color as his and saw the need for reassurance there. Yes, he would be there for her, but he wouldn't be able to take care of her permanently when she healed. Still, he didn't have the heart to let her down now after all she'd been through. So he looked her in the eyes and said, "I promise to take care of you, Abby."
"Thank you, Leo," said Abby. "I love you."
"I love you, too, sweetie," Leo replied. "Now get some rest. We'll talk more about this later."
"Leo, I don't feel so good," Abby complained. "My tummy hurts, and I feel like I'm gonna throw up."
"It's probably from the stuff Donnie used to put you to sleep," said Leo. He found a basin Don usually had for them if they got sick and placed it beside Abby in the nick of time because she threw up. After she was done, he took the basin and emptied the contents in the toilet, flushing it and then washing the basin before returning it to Abby. She threw up two more times before her stomach settled down. Leo stayed by her side both times, rubbing her back and soothing her.
"Leo, can you sleep in here with me?" Abby asked him.
"Sure, I can stay with you if you want me to," Leo told her.
Abby moved over and patted the place next to her. Leo settled in next to her and placed Ruffles McBearington closer to her. He tucked the blankets around them so that Abby was warm and then kissed her forehead. "Good night, Abby," he whispered.
"Good night, Leo," she whispered back. "Good night, Ruffles McBearington." Then she laid her head on Leo's shoulder, and the two of them drifted off to sleep.
A/N: Isn't that sweet? I swear, I love writing scenes with Leo and Abby in them. So at least Abby will live, but now they have to decide what will happen next with her. Will she go to a foster home, or will the Turtles keep her there permanently? Find out in the next chapter. Also, I know the surgery seemed rushed, but I couldn't think of a way to prolong it. And as for Abby getting sick, that can happen. It happened to me when I had my eye surgery and my foot surgeries, and it wasn't fun. Feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day.