Pain, like he'd never felt before consumed his head. At every renewed breath of his nephew, Leo's head split open. Sara had already fed him, changed him, burped him, and let him warm up under the sun lamp. Leo had offered to help, but he was at his limit. Swaying, rocking, bouncing, and countless pats on the back had done nothing to calm Jordan. It was usually a combination that would eventually calm the tiny creature, but today was not going well at all.
Donald and Jillian followed their older brother in their cries. Sara hadn't been able to get the other two fed yet because of it. The frustrated tears she leaked left tracks on her cheeks. Donnie was trying to console Donald and had seemed to run out of ideas like the rest of them. Everything was bleak as Jordan began to scream again, causing Leo to wish for a nunchuck to the head to lessen the pain.
"That's it! Give 'em to me." Raph growled as he stomped out of his room. He was aggravated, but still respectable. Also, Leo knew Raph would never hurt one of the kids. Handing Jordan over, Leo hoped Raph would have a breakthrough with the crying green ball of irritability. Gentle, a sheer contrast to the displeasure clear on Raph's face, his younger brother took Jordan. A soft growl was released from low in Raph's throat and Jordan seized in the middle of another cry to look at the giant brute. "I know you're the ring leader here, so knock it off."
Jordan, Leo stared, cocked his head at Raph. If the boy had been old enough, Leo was sure he'd be giving Raph a piece of his mind. Instead, Jordan tried to start crying again. Taking in a deep breath and looking like he was getting ready to cry as loud as his little body could, Jordan let out one little squeak before Raph growled again. Jordan stayed silent until the next sound was a cooing giggle.
Leo sighed in relief. Two echoing sighs followed. Leo looked from the corner of his eye to see similar relief on Sara and Donnie's faces. "I'm going to find somewhere quiet. I'll be back soon." He said, bee lining for the lair door. Once outside of the door, he felt guilt for running away. He started to jog. Even though the lair itself was soundproof, he didn't want to chance catching the echoes of a cry at that moment. He told himself that if he got his blood flowing, his headache would ease and he would be able to brave going back inside.
He needed a break. His guilt had kept him inside the lair for eight days. As much as he already loved his niece and nephews, they weren't his kids. He had the privilege to get up and go if he needed to. So, he went, following twist and turns. So natural to him, it was as if he was tracing his own veins.
After a few minutes his headache got worse, the blood pumping harder. He let the rhythm of his run clam him. Relaxing as much as possible, his pain started to lessen. He remained aloof while staying completely aware of his surroundings. These tunnels were all different parts of his home and he'd seen them so often he knew when anything went amiss. He could even tell if a new piece of concrete had fallen.
A week and a day had passed since his new family members had arrived. Leo had expected what he'd thought would be normal. Why, he couldn't imagine now because when did anything normal ever happen to his family? Crying, constant feedings, and endless diaper changes, some more crying, then sleep, normal things… Instead it all blurred together into a giant static pile of screaming. For no reason at all. He was more mentally tired than he'd ever been. The lack of good sleep didn't bother him because he didn't get much of that anyway. Yet Raph was right, for once, the eldest was definitely the ringleader.
Leo rounded yet another corner and came to the entrance to the lair. There had once been a time where even he had been able to get lost in these tunnels. Now, his body would steer him back here if he didn't actively have somewhere to go while running. It was like having an autopilot set in his mind. He could continuously loop around this particular turn for ages if he still had things to think about, but he was drained. He slowed and cautiously approached the door. No sound leaked out, but he still hesitated. Inside could be a rave, and even he wouldn't be any wiser. Still, the silence gave him hope.
He opened the door. Silence greeted him. Full ninja mode activated, he snuck from the door to his room. Sara gave him a passing glance when she heard the door open, but continued to feed Donald and Jillian. Jordan was nowhere to be seen. As if there were Foot soldiers behind him, he retreated to his room. He wouldn't miss the chance to get a nap in, not now.
*)O(*
"Aunt Tasha!" A familiar voice called out to her as she opened the door to her apartment. The air inside was cool; a nice reprieve from the warmth she'd picked up on her walk. "So-So!" Tabitha called out once the little girl rounded the corner from her livening room. Bolting down the short hall, Sophia's beaded braids smacking against each other, the young girl threw her arms open. Tabitha stooped for a half second before her favorite, and only, niece was in her arms. "Oh, gosh, nope, get down; you're getting way too big for this." Tabitha teased, acting as if she was loosing her grip. After a few playful giggles, Tabitha let her concern overlay her joy. "Where is your mommy?"
"She's sick again." Tabitha felt a piece of her heart break to here those words come out of Sophia's mouth. Even Sophia knew that her mom wasn't really sick, yet she still was. Addiction, to anything she could get her hands on, had ruined her sister's life, but Tabitha would be damned if she would let her sister ruin Sophia's in the process. "She said to come here until she got better. I even remembered my toothbrush by myself this time!"
"You did? Then why does your breath smell like gym socks?" Tabitha teased. Sophia gasped, in mock horror, before doing her best Shrek impression, trying to smother Tabitha in the smell of garlic and salt. "It's late, go make sure your teeth are clean and I'll go check on your mom. After we get that done, do you want to watch a movie with me?" Sophia, like the perfect little devil she was, raised two fingers. "Two? Again?"
"Every time!" Sophia squealed as she wiggled her way out of Tabitha's arms and ran for the bathroom.
Tabitha backed out of her apartment and sighed heavy. She couldn't be angry. She couldn't show concern. She had to be cold. When it came to her sister, only the blunt truth worked. You couldn't sugar coat even a hello with out her getting the wrong idea. At the same time, if you showed that you were upset, she would get defensive and try to turn the table around on her current accuser. The other line went to voicemail four times before Tabitha got through. "Amy." Tabitha tried when it sounded like the line had been picked up. Then there it was, that chuckle that made Tabitha want to reach through the phone and strangle her sister. "Yeah, what's up, biggie?"
"I have Sophia."
"What?" Not even able to understand what had just been said, Amy chuckled again.
"The tiny human that you birthed from your vagina about seven years ago, Sophia, your daughter. I have her." Tabitha inwardly cringed for not being able to hold all of her sarcasm back.
"Oh, is she spending the night?"
"No, she's running away from a druggie mother who she saw 'taking her medicine' via a needle in the arm again."
"What? No," Amy chuckled. "I-I'm completely sober right now."
"Good, then when Children Services comes to your house in twenty minutes, you'll be able to pass the drug test." Her teeth hurt, her screams were stuck in her throat and she kept telling herself not to throw her phone because it was new. Angry, incoherent cries came through the other side of the line. Demeaning her for saying anything, and that she was putting 'stories' in her daughter's head. Babbling about things that didn't even pertain to the fact that Tabitha still had Sophia in her house because he mom was out getting high.
"I've recorded this whole conversation, just an FYI. And, you know, you wouldn't be so worried if you weren't stoned out of your mind right now. Just do Sophia a favor and hand her over to me until you can get some help with your issues."
"My issues? Mine? They're all from you! I always had to live up to-"
"No, you didn't. No one ever told you, you had to. So stop making excuses like your seven year old, and grow up. Learn how to be a human, then we can talk about you being a mom to Sophia again."
Angry, she hung up. Taking a few moments to collect herself, she then called Roy, their case manager. She explained the situation to Roy, who was actually a woman, go figure. The sound of Roy's soft concern helped to only irritate Tabitha even more. She knew it was Roy's job to be impartial to the parents and guardians while looking out for children's welfare, but the calm she exerted was disheartening. What Amy was doing was almost child abuse by Tabitha's view. No child needed to see their parent jab a needle into their arm then become belligerent. Roy would go over in the morning, they would go to court, again, and then the process would start all over.
Tabitha had never wanted to take complete custody of Sophia. She was her niece, not her daughter. Yet, Tabitha knew, that if Amy didn't get professional help and full rehab assistance, they would continue down this path until Sophia was eighteen. So this time, she requested something of Roy that she hadn't before. "I want to fight for full custody, not just guardianship." Roy paused in her re-telling of the process and sighed. "I've been appointed as her legal guardian four times already. I can't keep letting her go back there when Amy isn't in her right mind. It'll hurt her more to live like she has been than if she only sees her mom during visitation. Roy, you know I want Amy to get better, but she's not. If I can't save her, then I have to save Sophia."
"Come down to my office tomorrow. We'll get everything started. You'll need all the documents that you needed last time. You'll also need to work out someone to watch her while you're at work."
"I quit my job a few nights ago because of harassment, but I have an interview tomorrow after noon."
"Tabitha-Lynn, you'll need a job if you want custody."
"I know, but it won't be any problem to get this one. By the time anyone gets anything actually going, I'll have one again."
"You better, or this whole thing will get a lot messier. My office, ten tomorrow. Good night." Tabitha nodded then hung up.
She thought about the tiny girl in her living room. Sophia had already seen her mom over dose, had her arm broken while 'rough housing' with one of Amy's boyfriends, and was already a potential runaway in the system because of fleeing to the safety of Tabitha's house. It wasn't an easy world to live in to begin with, but with everything else, Sophia had a bumpy start. She was a black female with a junky mom. She's won out on having a wonderful aunt, Tabitha added with a bit of humor. Thinking of it, she needed to get back in to her and the movie she'd promised. It'd probably be Zootopia for the 50th time, but it was cute and addressed some major issues in a way that a seven year old could understand.
Understanding of her situation started to sink in. Sophia would be her full responsibility for now on. Amy was on her last leg with the system anyway, there was no doubt in Tabitha's mind that she would get custody. It meant that she would have a full schedule of going to Sophia's school functions, doctor appointments, after school programs, and shopping for another little human who was already opinionated and didn't like to eat green beans, not to mention court dates and attorneys. She was starting to get angry again when she heard her door open. "Come on, Aunt Tasha, the menu music has already played like a million times."
"Okay, okay," Tabitha smiled in defeat as the girl pulled her inside.
There had been a time when Sophia had been learning to talk that she hadn't been able to say 'Tabitha'. When she tried, it came out as 'Ta-be-sha' and so, to make it easier on her, Tabitha let her call her 'Tasha' instead. Sophia could speak clearly now, but the nickname held.
Sophia had tricked her one time with it. It had been just them in her house, like it was now as she was hauled into her front room, and Sophia had gotten angry at something Tabitha did. 'Tabitha-Lynn Michele!' Sophia had growled. For a moment, she'd frozen thinking her mom had caught her doing something wrong, as if she was the six year old who had refused to comb their hair. Sophia had found it utterly hilarious and after she calmed down, so did Tabitha.
She would be the first to admit that her temper was red-hot and ready to flare at anytime. She did her best to keep it under control when she wasn't at work, but it was her job that had nurtured it. There were many 'Chef Ramsey's' in the culinary world, and she was one of them. She'd fought to get to were she was, it was what she did. Everything was won through hard work and dedication to your goal. She had wanted to be a wealthy chef in a great New York restaurant, she'd gotten that. Now she just had to get it again as well as looking after the tiny human who had stolen every pillow in the house to make a 'movie cave' for herself on the couch.