*It has been a month*
Chapter 29: A Shocking Call
Jade cuddled her niece as she sorted paperwork. Aenya cooed and reached for her aunt's hair, just managing to grasp a few strands. Jade yelped in surprise and pain seconds later, before she grabbed the girl's hand.
"No," Jade said firmly.
Aenya just gave her aunt an innocent look and started tearing up. Jade sighed, and kissed the girl's forehead.
"You might be adorable but you keep this up and you'll lose your cuteness," Jade teased.
The infant gave her a confused look.
"Uh?" Aenya whimpered.
"Exactly," Jade replied with a chuckle. She stood up and cradled the infant as she searched.
"EEEEEEEEAH!" Aenya shrieked trying to leap out of her aunt's grip, twisting toward the door.
"Hey you little rascal," Jaden greeted, laughing as he took his daughter.
"How're things going sis?" Jaden asked.
"Wonderful," Jade muttered, "not that you've been helping much."
"Hey now," Jaden started.
"I was talking to Aenya," Jade cut off.
"Oh," Jaden managed and then laughed.
He gave his daughter a slight glare.
"Have you been bothering Aunt Jade?" Jaden teased.
"Uh-uh-uh!" Aenya cooed.
Both father and aunt chuckled and shook their heads.
"How's Amber holding up?" Jade asked.
"She's finally feeling well enough to move around, hard to believe its been a month. That flu was nasty," Jaden sighed.
"How's dad?" Jade asked, giving her brother a worried look.
Both Raph and Leo had the flu bad, it had hit hard and had yet to release them from the fevers. They had been the last to get it.
"Uncle Don said his fever's gone down some," Jaden sighed, "but he's still pretty out of it."
Jade flinched.
"Madre always said he got sick easy…but Uncle Leo…" Jade started, "how is he?"
Jaden didn't reply at first.
"Uncle Don says if the fever doesn't come down by lunch time…we'll have to hospitalize him," Jaden sighed, cradling his daughter gently.
Jade shuddered and rubbed her hands along her arms. Ever since Leo had been found out cold in the dojo a week ago, worry had ran through the family like wild fire. They had found out afterward he was back on blood pressure medication due to the stresses that had been pressed into him lately.
With the fever attacking his system as well as the impeding possibility that Leo could have a heart attack hanging over the family's head, everyone was worried.
Aenya cooed and squirmed some, looking around the room.
"You hungry sis?" Jaden asked.
"Yeah, I'll come out and see everyone, dad first though," Jade sighed.
"See ya' in the main kitchen then," Jaden called as Jade exited the room.
Jade made her way upstairs and to her father's wing of the building, she was still using her room, but with the relationship that she and Kevin were building she was considering moving in with him…or taking over Amber's old room and living there with him.
Jade pushed the master bedroom open to see her father sprawled on his bed, pale and sickly looking. An IV stand beside his bed.
"Morning Jade," Don greeted.
Jade managed a weak smile before walking over and sitting next to her father.
"Hey dad," she greeted.
Raph turned his head and his eyes fluttered, but he didn't wake. Jade was immediately worried.
"He's gotten worse," she whispered, lightly touching her father's forehead and flinching at the heat.
"He was worse than he is now, but the fever is finally coming down," Don sighed, "he's tough Jade, he'll be fine."
Jade managed a weak nod and pressed a kiss to her father's cheek.
"Get some good rest padre," she told him before getting up, then turning her attention to her tired looking Uncle, "do you want anything? Coffee? Breakfast?"
Don shook his head.
"Nah…I have to go give Leo a quick look over and then I'm taking a short nap while Lilly takes over for an hour or so. But thanks," Don replied with a smile.
"I'm going to grab some lunch and come back in here then," Jade said softly.
Don nodded as he gathered up his things and then prepared to move off to Leo.
"Hey Uncle Don?" Jade asked.
"Hmm?" Don inquired, casting Raph a quick look and readjusting the cool cloths along his forehead and back.
"What is that trophy from, up there?" Jade asked, she couldn't remember seeing it before.
"The Battle Nexus Tournament," Don replied, "Mike won one year and Raph won last time we went, that's Mike's."
"Really?" Jade asked, eyes wide.
"Yeah," Raph brought it in here when…when we redid the rooms," Don whispered.
His eyes lingered on the trophy, sorrow flicking over his features.
"He never let us forget that he won," Don sighed, lightly touching the crystal-like trophy.
"How often is it?" she asked.
"Every three years…actually I think this year is a tournament year…" Don replied.
"Wait…Uncle Leo never won?" Jade asked, she looked shocked, "I mean Uncle Leo could wipe the floor with Uncle Mike and even dad most of the time."
Don laughed and shook his head.
"The first time Leo got poisoned and the second time Leo busted his ankle three days before the tournament. Let's just say he wasn't happy at all," Don laughed.
Jade cracked a grin and shook her head.
"Seriously?" she managed.
Don nodded before answering, "He told Raph he better not let Mike win again…Raph knocked Mike out in the second round. Leo was watching while seated with our father and the Daimio."
Jade smiled a little and looked up at the trophy.
"Could….we enter?" she asked as Don started to slip out.
"Possibly…it's up to Leo...and you will more than likely be going up against him if he gets back on his feet fast enough," Don called over his shoulder.
"Don't count on winning against him," Raph mumbled from his bed.
Jade jumped and whirled around to see her father staring at her through barely open eyelids. Jade managed a weak smile.
"Hey padre, how're ya' feeling?" she whispered as she sat beside him.
"Peachy," Raph muttered.
Jade giggled and wrapped him in a hug.
"You want something to eat?" she asked softly.
"Water," Raph managed, starting to sit up and roll onto his back.
Jade picked up the cup that was on the bed stand and handed it over to him, gently cradling it until she was sure he had a hold.
He drank some slowly and then gave the cup back to her.
"Thanks Prin'," Raph sighed after he handed it back, "How's Leo holding up?"
Jade paused before gently setting the cup back down.
"Uncle Don says he's really bad," she whispered after a second.
Raph closed his eyes and sighed.
"How bad?" he whispered.
"Padre-" Jade started.
"Tell me," Raph snapped.
Don slipped into Leo's master bedroom and flinched, his strong brother was struggling to breath, the fever was so high it was making every breath an effort. On top of that Leo's heart seemed to be struggling as well.
Leo lay still, wrapped in a thin sheet with wet cloths on his forehead, the back of his neck, and an icepack pressed against his back.
Don pressed a hand to Leo's forehead and shuttered when, after taking Leo's temp, he confirmed his fear. Leo's fever had gone up, not down.
Don took Leo's hand and sighed.
"Hang in there bro, I'm going to call you into the ER," Don sighed, getting up as Jane came in.
She looked at him, green eyes asking.
"I'm taking him in, I'm out of my league here. His fever keeps rising and I'm worried about his heart," Don replied, squeezing her hand as he grabbed the phone and called into the hospital.
A few minutes later Casey helped carry Leo out to the car while Don and Jane got in. Daiji hugged Titian as the boy watched his father vanish down the road with a police escort.
"Is daddy going to be ok?" he whispered.
"Of course," Daiji whispered, "he just has to go to the doctor."
Titian hugged her before burying his face against her shoulder.
"You're lying," he whispered, a single tear falling as he sniffed and struggled to keep himself from crying.
Daiji just held him tighter and glanced up as James squeezed her shoulder.
"He'll be fine, just needs a little help with this fever," James comforted.
Daiji managed a nod.
Three days later Leo's fever finally broke and he was taken out of the ER and placed into a regular room. He was weak, but getting better. Titian and Daiji were finally allowed to see him two days afterward and Titian refused to leave his father's side, curling beside him and simply reading the books his father had assigned him to read.
Raph came in to visit a few days later.
"Hey bro," Raph whispered as he came in, spotting Jane curled up next to Leo as well as Titian, Daiji was asleep on a cot right next to the hospital bed. Leo turned his head and managed a smile.
"Hey…glad you're on your feet," Leo whispered.
"Glad you're talking," Raph replied, quietly pulling up a chair and sitting down.
Leo chuckled and rubbed his temples gently, slowly shifting so he was sitting up.
"No, lay down, we aren't risking you relapsing," Raph ordered.
Leo rolled his eyes but relaxed back.
"Fine, I don't have the energy to even argue right now," Leo muttered.
"Heh, Don said as much," Raph chuckled, "I came because we've got five kids wondering if they could train for the Nexus. Told them I'd run it by you."
"Five?" Leo whispered.
"Daiji, Jaden, Jade, Angelique, and William. I'm iffy myself on William and so is Don, but we said you had the final say," Raph replied.
Leo closed his eyes and leaned back, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Not William, but I'll let the elder ones go…tell them they'll probably end up fight me though," Leo ended with a chuckle.
"Fair enough," Raph replied, shaking his head.
Raph jumped when his cell went off and quickly answered it, wincing as Jane twitched.
"Sorry," he mouthed Leo's way.
Leo made a dismissal waving motion.
"Um…padre…I need to talk to you," Jade whispered, "like now…"
Raph sighed and gave Leo an apologetic look.
"Be back in a few," he mouthed.
Leo nodded.
He got up and slipped out into the hall.
"What is it Prin'?" Raph sighed.
"Um…well…could you come home?" she asked.
"Jade…I just got here to talk to Leo what could possibly be-" he started.
"I'm pregnant," she blurted.
Raph froze for a whole minute, unable to respond.
"But the doctors said," he finally managed.
"Apparently I can…um…Kevin and I were going to announce our engagement tonight but…I dad….I don't know what to do…" she whispered, "I'm scared."
"Oh hell…call Kevin have him come over and tell him, I have to finish talking with Leo and then I'll be there," Raph sighed, hanging up after Jade squeaked her 'ok'.
Raph walked back into Leo's room and stared at him.
"What?" Leo whispered.
"Jade's pregnant," Raph said after a few minutes.
Leo sat up in shock.
"How?" he gasped.
"Apparently they were doing more than the sleeping together I knew of…not that it should have mattered…the doctors said she wouldn't be able to have kids," Raph groaned.
"They told me that too Raph," Leo whispered.
Raph looked at and groaned, "Why did I have kids?"
Leo chuckled and started to say something.
"Don't you say it," Raph growled.
Leo only laughed.
"Jade's a definite no for the Nexus now," Leo commented after a few seconds.
"No kidding," Raph muttered, rubbing his temples as he got up.
"I'll see ya' In a bit bro…if I don't go insane before then," he muttered.
Leo shook his head as Raph left.
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