Disclaimer: Again. Don't own TMNT or anything associated. All I have own
are my originals. Thank you. (
Chapter 8: Memories
A/N: Okay, here we go again. Another chapter up and done. Now all those who got upset with me for drowning Donnie can see what happened to him and his brothers afterward. You may or may not be happy with this, but this is how it turned out. So read on and see what happens.
Angry Don: *storms in* STREETWYSE!!!!
Uh, hiya Donnie boy. How's it going?
Don: I can't believe you went and tried to drown me!
Hey, it was just for the story. It's not like it was personal or anything, Donnie. Honest. ^.^;
Don: *death glare*
*gulps* Um, can anyone say 'Author vanish'?
Regret and fear filled his eyes as he pulled the covers over his still shivering son. Never before had he seen the boy look so pale. The normally healthy green of his skin had turned nearly white from shock and showed no sign of immediate recovery. If anything, it seemed to be getting worse, despite all the blankets that had been placed on top of him for warmth.
Splinter sighed as he finished tucking the final blanket around Donatello. With a gentle hand, he reached over and placed it against the boy's cheek. The child continued to shiver against his father's touch but didn't shrink away. He just lay there, trapped in a sleep that was neither easy nor simple.
Splinter watched his son with deep regret, only beginning to guess at what might be going through the slumbering child's mind. Images had drifted into his own mind alongside a myriad of emotions that felt like they would take a lifetime to sort out. But he wondered if even that was enough time for such things. He felt that so little had been done and that there was still so much to complete that he felt overwhelmed by it all.
It had been pure chance that he had even been able to help in his. Hi taking the passage near the Junction was not intentional. Usually, he took one of the higher tunnels on either his way back home from foraging or heading to a new destination near the surface. Taking a route like that often took him more time, but it was a great deal safer than the lower passages that were constantly flooded at any time of the year.
Today, there had been no such luck for the rat. There had been city workers down Splinter's normal route, so he was forced to take another route to avoid detection. It was a rather simple decision, as Splinter was used to dealing with the occasional human being underground to repair pipes. He had only to choose either the closest or more direct path and take it.
This time, he had opted for what was a lesser-used tunnel, even for him. It had been several months since he had last been this way, mostly because it was too out of the way even for Splinter. Still, it was closer to him right now than any of his usual shortcuts, so it seemed the best choice.
He went down the tunnel as he had done with so many others without a second thought. In his mind, he had already chosen where to head next. There was another tunnel that linked with this one that led toward another area of the surface world that he frequented in his search for food and supplies. In that place, he might be able to find some of the rarer items that his family needed.
As he headed for that second tunnel, Splinter heard the roar of the Junction's waters as they thundered along their course. He was used to the sound from all the years he had been using this section of underground tunnels on his forays for supplies. So he didn't really pay much attention as he headed on his way.
But the further he went into the tunnel, there was something else that was to be heard besides the roar of the rushing water. What it was exactly, Splinter really wasn't certain and he nearly ignored it. But the more he heard, a strange dread overcame the rat ninja and he stopped in order to hear better.
Though it was hard for him to hear over the roar of the gathering water, he soon recognized the noise he had been hearing as the voices of his two eldest sons. Puzzled as to why they were out here in the sewers instead of at home, Splinter decided to investigate. Taking a quick detour, he headed toward the lower tunnel that led to the Junction.
He had arrived just in time to see Donatello sink into the waters for the final time. When he saw that, that had been one of the most terrifying moments in Splinter's life. For an instant, he had almost believed that his son was lost forever. That passed almost as soon as it came into his mind. For in the next moment, Splinter had dropped everything he carried, vaulted toward the raging waters and dived in after the boy himself.
That one motion had nearly Splinter his own life and he knew it. It had not been difficult for him to catch up with Donatello and dive under to bring him back to the surface again. The current had helped him in that case and was a better aid then he would have first suspected had Splinter been thinking about it.
Yet the current that helped him to reach his son was the same thing that was bringing them closer to danger. It had been too strong for the rat to swim against, especially since one arm was desperately keeping his son's head above the surface, so he was forced to let it carry both him and his son downstream. When they had passed under some pipes that were spread over the underground river, Splinter had taken a chance and made a grab for one. Luck had been on his side in that task and he just managed to snag a grip on a piece of jutting pipe.
This held them in place just long enough for Splinter to strengthen his grip on the child and make sure that Donatello's head remained above water. Once he was certain that he wouldn't drop the boy back into the cold waters, Splinter then tried to get them both out of danger. With extreme effort and strength built from desperation, he managed to haul them both out of the water.
For what seemed like an eternity, Splinter and Donatello just hung there in midair. Though he had no idea how badly his son was feeling right now, the rat knew that he was freezing from his exposure to the water and his sudden reentrance into the air that flowed over his soaked form. And like the river and its deadly current, that presented a great danger to both father and son.
The danger was that of freezing thanks to the air as it rushed over waterlogged bodies. It might not be too bad if it were just a few minutes and brought about some chills. That would just bring the chance of a cold that might last for a week or so. Which could easily be dealt with by keeping to bed and drinking plenty of warm liquids.
But something of this magnitude, of being soaked to surely felt like to the bone, was far more serious. It couldn't be dealt with only staying in bed and the increased intake of soups and broth. It needed immediate attention and either a change into something dry and warm or a complete dry off.
That was really a secondary concern for the moment though. Right now, the main problem was now that they were out of the water, was getting back to land itself. But that meant braving a fall into the water for a second time and Splinter wasn't certain if Donatello could take that sort of shock so soon after the first time.
If they did fall into the water again, there was a major chance that it would be too much for the young Turtle. It might very well tip his body into complete shock and force everything to shut down entirely. If that happened, then the consequences might well prove fatal for Donatello.
Keeping that in mind, Splinter took a few seconds to consider the situation and how to get out of this mess. His own body was still partially immersed in the river and the current continued to tug at his feet and lower torso as it sought to drag him under again. The same applied for Donatello, though the boy's father was doing his best to hold him as far above the water as he could.
The nearest thing that could be considered land was only a few yards away, but there was nothing for Splinter to grab onto to haul them to that area. At least nothing that would be strong enough to support both his weight and Donatello's. The other broken pipes that were jutting out were either too thin or too jagged around the edges to make that thought even possible.
Seeing how limited his options were, Splinter knew that he might be forced to do something drastic. His grip on the pipe would start to give at any time and that problem was already starting to apply to the one he held on Donatello. If he didn't act soon, he was going to lose both and then all of this would be for naught.
That was when something that usually remained buried started to take control of Splinter's mind. His rat survival instincts were something that no transformation could ever erase. On more than one occasion, these instincts would analyze a situation and try to determine the best course of action.
This time turned out to be one of those situations. With his rational mind unable to find a suitable solution, his instincts were taking a turn. Already a portion of his instincts had chosen at least part of what needed to be done. If it was impossible to grab onto something, then the only answer was to swim for it.
In his right mind, Splinter wouldn't have even considered such an outrageous idea. Especially not when his son's life would be in jeopardy. Swimming against the current hadn't worked the first time and it probably wouldn't work if tried a second time. But that wasn't the way his instincts saw things.
His instincts knew that for survival, anything goes, even committing an act that the conscious mind tries to deny. So before he even had a chance to even consider the idea, Splinter released his grip on the pipe and started to swim for the 'shore' with every bit of strength he could muster. He was forced to do so with only his legs and one arm, as the other was tightly wrapped around Donatello.
The instant they fell into the water, he was forced to fight the current. As before, it was trying to pull father and son downstream and almost succeeded this time. But Splinter refused to give in and continued to struggle. On and on he pushed himself until at last, he felt something solid beneath his paw.
The instant he did, Splinter immediately started to try and haul both himself and Don out of the water for a second time. A sudden wave of exhaustion hit the rat as he tried to do this. Though he hadn't gone a very long distance, having to swim not only for himself but for his son and to fight the current truly took it out of Splinter. But in the end, he still managed and was able to get them onto the thin strip that was land.
They were both truly lucky to have gotten safely out of the water at all and Splinter knew that. If they had stayed in much longer, then the open areas of the underground sewer river would have run out. Then they would have had nowhere else to go but to dragged under completely by the current and then drowned.
Splinter shuddered at such a thought and silently thanked whatever forces watched over mutant rats and their students for acting in their favor. It wasn't often that one met with such sudden and good fortune such as this, so it was best not to take it lightly. After all, one never knew when those benevolent forces would be needed again. So better to be safe and thank them than to be sorry for being ungrateful.
Once safely out of the water and certain that they wouldn't fall back in, Splinter checked on his son's condition. He laid Donatello on his side, checking the boy over for injuries. Except for the paleness of his skin, there was nothing openly wrong with the young Turtle. But Splinter knew better than to just trust what his eyes could see and hope for the best in circumstances like this. Outward appearances could easily being deceiving and should not be taken lightly, as they could easily be hiding true injuries.
Of course, this was only one of many worries that Splinter had at this point. Beyond the possibility of injuries, there were also the effects that the cold water would have on Donatello. This worry came with good reason. All of Splinter's sons were reptiles, which made their bodies cold-blooded by nature and so very easily influenced by the change in temperatures around their bodies. Usually, keeping the boys in areas where the temperature was a constant that was neither too warm nor too cold combated this problem and kept them out of harm's way.
But that wasn't a prevention that worked all of the time, as circumstances such as now proved. Donatello had fallen into water that was freezing and so was a major shock to his reptilian system. It had immediately sent his body into an instinctual state that was similar to hibernation. This had shut him down to the bare minimum for what was necessary for survival.
That accounted for the unconscious state that the boy was now in. How long he would remain in this state was uncertain at this point. All that Splinter knew was that until he warmed Donatello up again, he would stay this way. And probably get worse before he got better. Which was what was making this situation more critical as precious seconds began to tick by in an agonizingly slow pace.
If he was going to keep Donatello going, Splinter knew that he was going to have to warm him up somehow. He couldn't use his cloak or his kimono. These had been soaked in the river along with everything else that hadn't been thrown onto the shore before Splinter dived in after Don. And there was nothing else made of cloth that he had with him that would work. So in that department, Splinter was sunk. But still, he kept trying to think of something that would help.
While Splinter tried to think of an immediate way to help his son, Donatello was beginning to react more to his watery experience. His shivering had increased and was growing worse as the seconds passed. When Splinter caught sight of this, he knew if nothing done to stop this that it could only worsen into convulsions.
That was when he had made a snap decision that might have very well helped to save the boys' life. Though he was wet too, Splinter knew that warmth of any kind would work. So he lifted Donatello up again, leaning the boy's body against his own. Wrapping his arms around him, Splinter held his son close and tried to use his own body heat to give back the warmth that the child had lost.
It took a few seconds to get any reaction, but in the end it seemed to be working. Slowly but surely, Donatello's shivers began to lessen. Not completely, but enough that he would go into anything worse. Yet as soon as the shivers started ease, another problem arose. The water that Don had inhaled during his time underwater was now taking a final and probably lethal toll.
He had nearly stopped breathing when the water in his lungs began to settle, which had sent an almost blinding fear through Splinter for the second time. This panic gave way to the strength that Splinter needed to try and keep his son alive as he tried desperately to keep the air flowing into him. Though not as well versed in CPR as a human might have been, Splinter knew enough that he would be able to help his son.
The next several seconds were spent in pumping inhaled water out of the Turtle's lungs and sending in fresh air to get the lungs to work on their own. At first, there was no obvious change. Donatello just lay there, barely taking in the air that he needed to stay alive. Then, just as Splinter was about to go for a fourth attempt, he coughed up a last, large blast of water and inhaled deeply before settling into a more steady rhythm.
Relief spread over Splinter in a wave as he stopped to watch as Donatello's breathing evened out. It did not help to ease the paleness that still covered his face and body, but it was a start. Once he was certain that his son would keep breathing on his own, Splinter turned his attention to other details. Namely, finding the other two sons he had heard to make sure that they were all right and then to get Donatello home for treatment.
In concern for his oldest sons, Splinter sent out a silent prayer to whatever force had protected them from drowning. He hoped that it would also watch out for the other two boys until they were found. Perhaps it might have been selfish to ask more of something that may or may not be there, but the rat honestly didn't care. He just wanted his sons to be all right.
After that, Splinter one again gathered Donatello into his arms. It took him a moment to adjust for the boy's limp weight as he lifted him from the ground. When the Turtles had been Maggie's age and younger, it had been no problem for the rat to carry one of them. They had been much lighter and didn't require much effort to lift. But now that they were all older and larger, it was more of a problem as the weight gained with height and age made things a bit more difficult.
Somehow, Splinter managed his burden and then set off once he had. He walked back along a thin pathway that ran along the edge of the underground river. It was barely large enough for Splinter to use, being only a couple of feet wide at the most. Here and there, pieces of debris that had been washed up by the water littered the way.
These had to either be gone around or stepped over when it was permitted. This seriously slowed Splinter down and so it took him longer than he would have liked to get back toward the Junction. He was worried for his other sons as well, since he wasn't sure what shape they were in to begin with.
The search for Leonardo and Raphael had not taken as long as Splinter might have thought. As he was carrying Don back toward the Junction, he was met by his two other sons as they came through another tunnel that was adjacent to the one Splinter was using. They were racing in his direction as he came around the corner and skidded to a halt as soon as they saw their Sensei.
The sight of their pale and unconscious brother brought shared expressions of shock and fear to the boys' faces. It was most likely that they had been uncertain of what they would find when they had chased after their struggling sibling. But that could not prevent the reaction of their seeing him in the state he was in now.
Their own faces seemed to pale to a shade that nearly equaled Donatello's as the shock increased. Raphael tried to say something, probably to ask how bad it was, but his voice was caught in his throat. Leonardo didn't even have the strength for that. He just stood there, staring at his unconscious brother.
They might have stood there for hours trying to sort through the shock and disbelief, but there wasn't time for that. Splinter knew that Don needed medical attention before he got any worse and he wouldn't get that with them standing out here in the sewers. He spoke to Leo and Raph, bringing their attention back to reality and letting them know that it was time to go. The boys didn't argue and only followed their father as he led the way home down the quickest route that he could think of.
As they headed towards home, Splinter belatedly remembered the bag of supplies that he had dropped when he had jumped in after Donatello. Part of him knew that he should go back and retrieve the bag. After all, it contained food and items that the entire family was going to need. But the present state of his third son pushed this to the side.
Though his breathing had somewhat evened out, it was still shallow sometimes and this worried Splinter. It was only a slight chance, but there was always the possibility that Donatello might stop breathing again. If that happened, the rat wasn't totally sure that he might be lucky enough to get the boy's lungs working in time. As a precaution against such an occurrence, Splinter knew he had to get his son home as soon as possible. Which meant that he would have to forget the bag for the time being.
Besides, the Junction was not a place that humans rarely if ever frequented, so it was a good guess that no one else would find it. Which meant that it would probably be there later. So it could wait for retrieval until after Splinter had seen to other matters. Namely getting his sons home and seeing to Donatello's injuries.
On the way home, Splinter had questioned his two erring sons on what they and their brother had been doing at the Junction. That had taken longer than he would have liked, as both boys were more concerned about their brother than explaining why they were all so far from home. This Splinter could understand, but he still pressed the issue. And eventually, they broke down and told their Master the general idea of their being there.
Needless to say, even with the scant information he had been given, Splinter was not pleased with what his sons had been up to in his absence. It surprised him that they would deliberately disobey him and leave the lair like they had done. But it was even more shocking to him that they would be so foolish as to fight near a place that could have easily gotten one or both killed.
They knew this information and had been taught to stay away from such areas. It was one of the major rules that Splinter had set down for them. It was nearly as important as keeping away from the surface and staying out of sight of humans.
For the moment though, he didn't ask for any details as to why his sons had broken that rule and why they were even so far away from home. That could wait until after Donatello had been tended to. He told the boys as much and then the trio remained in silence until they were nearly home.
That silence had brought about a mixture of feelings in the three that were still aware of their world. For Splinter, it was worry for his unconscious son and anger about what his two eldest ones had tried to pull. For the boys, it was also worry. They still couldn't believe what had happened to Donatello. But they were also worried for themselves. It wasn't hard to guess that as soon as Splinter was done with Don, then it would be time to face the music and majorly.
None of this was discussed as they drew closer to home. Just the silence remained. When they finally did arrive home, Donatello had been taken straight into Splinter's study so that his injuries could be tended while his brothers were left behind. He was set onto Splinter's bed where his father began to dry him with a spare blanket. The rat tried to be gentle but he still worked furiously to dry the boy off as quickly as possible.
How long he was at this task, Splinter really wasn't certain. He just kept at it, trying to get as much of the moisture off of Donatello as possible. It absorbed so much of his attention that the rat didn't even notice the rest of the world until the boy was nearly dried off.
A small scuffling sound finally brought Splinter's attention away from his injured son. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that they were no longer alone. The other four children had finally come as well and were watching in silence as Splinter worked to help their brother.
They had come to the doorway, peering in uncertainly. Leo stood right in the middle of the doorway, with Raph on his right and Mikey on his left. Too small to see over her brothers, Splinter caught glimpses of Maggie too. She tried to peer around her brothers' sides where there was opening, but it wasn't really much. The most that she could make out were just bits and pieces of Splinter and the inside of his study.
Leonardo started to ask if there was anything that they could do to help when something within Splinter snapped. His voice was not entirely out of control, since he didn't yell at the youngsters. But the anger was there when he spoke and his voice still went up a few decibels. He told the other children that now wasn't the time for them to be present. He instructed Leo to go to the dojo and Raph to go to the boys' bedroom. For Mikey and Maggie, he just told them to go somewhere that was away from their brothers and to keep out of the way.
Just by looking at him, none of the others dared to disobey. They left where they stood in a flash. Mikey doing so by grabbing his sister's hand and making a dash for the general direction of the living room. For Leo, about the same way and Raph it was in the opposite direction. After they were gone, the doorway was empty and Splinter was alone with Donatello.
All of this started to finish its course as Splinter finally drifted back to the present as he continued to try and make Don as comfortable as possible. But as he worked, it couldn't help to ease the pain that he still felt over his son's accident. There was no telling when his son would awaken or what state he would be in when he did. It could be within the hour, a little beyond that or even days after. All that Splinter knew for certain was that his son was in severe shock from the chill and that he was going to be sick for days to come.
A/N: All right, so maybe this didn't exactly tell what happened to everyone. But hey, at least now everyone knows that Donnie wasn't drowned. He was just.uh, Don was just knocked out and is eventually gonna recover. Which ought to make people happy and it means I don't have to take out some life insurance.
Don: *continues to give Streetwyse the death glare*
*nervous laugh* Okay, well, at least not against angry readers. Angry Turtles are an entirely different story. Speaking of stories, the fates of Leo and Raph are in the works as we speak and should be out in another couple of months, if not sooner. I really can't say for certain. Until then, thank you for reading and please review to let me know any suggestions for possible punishments for the culprits. Later. Yipe!
*runs for life as angry Don gives chase*
Chapter 8: Memories
A/N: Okay, here we go again. Another chapter up and done. Now all those who got upset with me for drowning Donnie can see what happened to him and his brothers afterward. You may or may not be happy with this, but this is how it turned out. So read on and see what happens.
Angry Don: *storms in* STREETWYSE!!!!
Uh, hiya Donnie boy. How's it going?
Don: I can't believe you went and tried to drown me!
Hey, it was just for the story. It's not like it was personal or anything, Donnie. Honest. ^.^;
Don: *death glare*
*gulps* Um, can anyone say 'Author vanish'?
Regret and fear filled his eyes as he pulled the covers over his still shivering son. Never before had he seen the boy look so pale. The normally healthy green of his skin had turned nearly white from shock and showed no sign of immediate recovery. If anything, it seemed to be getting worse, despite all the blankets that had been placed on top of him for warmth.
Splinter sighed as he finished tucking the final blanket around Donatello. With a gentle hand, he reached over and placed it against the boy's cheek. The child continued to shiver against his father's touch but didn't shrink away. He just lay there, trapped in a sleep that was neither easy nor simple.
Splinter watched his son with deep regret, only beginning to guess at what might be going through the slumbering child's mind. Images had drifted into his own mind alongside a myriad of emotions that felt like they would take a lifetime to sort out. But he wondered if even that was enough time for such things. He felt that so little had been done and that there was still so much to complete that he felt overwhelmed by it all.
It had been pure chance that he had even been able to help in his. Hi taking the passage near the Junction was not intentional. Usually, he took one of the higher tunnels on either his way back home from foraging or heading to a new destination near the surface. Taking a route like that often took him more time, but it was a great deal safer than the lower passages that were constantly flooded at any time of the year.
Today, there had been no such luck for the rat. There had been city workers down Splinter's normal route, so he was forced to take another route to avoid detection. It was a rather simple decision, as Splinter was used to dealing with the occasional human being underground to repair pipes. He had only to choose either the closest or more direct path and take it.
This time, he had opted for what was a lesser-used tunnel, even for him. It had been several months since he had last been this way, mostly because it was too out of the way even for Splinter. Still, it was closer to him right now than any of his usual shortcuts, so it seemed the best choice.
He went down the tunnel as he had done with so many others without a second thought. In his mind, he had already chosen where to head next. There was another tunnel that linked with this one that led toward another area of the surface world that he frequented in his search for food and supplies. In that place, he might be able to find some of the rarer items that his family needed.
As he headed for that second tunnel, Splinter heard the roar of the Junction's waters as they thundered along their course. He was used to the sound from all the years he had been using this section of underground tunnels on his forays for supplies. So he didn't really pay much attention as he headed on his way.
But the further he went into the tunnel, there was something else that was to be heard besides the roar of the rushing water. What it was exactly, Splinter really wasn't certain and he nearly ignored it. But the more he heard, a strange dread overcame the rat ninja and he stopped in order to hear better.
Though it was hard for him to hear over the roar of the gathering water, he soon recognized the noise he had been hearing as the voices of his two eldest sons. Puzzled as to why they were out here in the sewers instead of at home, Splinter decided to investigate. Taking a quick detour, he headed toward the lower tunnel that led to the Junction.
He had arrived just in time to see Donatello sink into the waters for the final time. When he saw that, that had been one of the most terrifying moments in Splinter's life. For an instant, he had almost believed that his son was lost forever. That passed almost as soon as it came into his mind. For in the next moment, Splinter had dropped everything he carried, vaulted toward the raging waters and dived in after the boy himself.
That one motion had nearly Splinter his own life and he knew it. It had not been difficult for him to catch up with Donatello and dive under to bring him back to the surface again. The current had helped him in that case and was a better aid then he would have first suspected had Splinter been thinking about it.
Yet the current that helped him to reach his son was the same thing that was bringing them closer to danger. It had been too strong for the rat to swim against, especially since one arm was desperately keeping his son's head above the surface, so he was forced to let it carry both him and his son downstream. When they had passed under some pipes that were spread over the underground river, Splinter had taken a chance and made a grab for one. Luck had been on his side in that task and he just managed to snag a grip on a piece of jutting pipe.
This held them in place just long enough for Splinter to strengthen his grip on the child and make sure that Donatello's head remained above water. Once he was certain that he wouldn't drop the boy back into the cold waters, Splinter then tried to get them both out of danger. With extreme effort and strength built from desperation, he managed to haul them both out of the water.
For what seemed like an eternity, Splinter and Donatello just hung there in midair. Though he had no idea how badly his son was feeling right now, the rat knew that he was freezing from his exposure to the water and his sudden reentrance into the air that flowed over his soaked form. And like the river and its deadly current, that presented a great danger to both father and son.
The danger was that of freezing thanks to the air as it rushed over waterlogged bodies. It might not be too bad if it were just a few minutes and brought about some chills. That would just bring the chance of a cold that might last for a week or so. Which could easily be dealt with by keeping to bed and drinking plenty of warm liquids.
But something of this magnitude, of being soaked to surely felt like to the bone, was far more serious. It couldn't be dealt with only staying in bed and the increased intake of soups and broth. It needed immediate attention and either a change into something dry and warm or a complete dry off.
That was really a secondary concern for the moment though. Right now, the main problem was now that they were out of the water, was getting back to land itself. But that meant braving a fall into the water for a second time and Splinter wasn't certain if Donatello could take that sort of shock so soon after the first time.
If they did fall into the water again, there was a major chance that it would be too much for the young Turtle. It might very well tip his body into complete shock and force everything to shut down entirely. If that happened, then the consequences might well prove fatal for Donatello.
Keeping that in mind, Splinter took a few seconds to consider the situation and how to get out of this mess. His own body was still partially immersed in the river and the current continued to tug at his feet and lower torso as it sought to drag him under again. The same applied for Donatello, though the boy's father was doing his best to hold him as far above the water as he could.
The nearest thing that could be considered land was only a few yards away, but there was nothing for Splinter to grab onto to haul them to that area. At least nothing that would be strong enough to support both his weight and Donatello's. The other broken pipes that were jutting out were either too thin or too jagged around the edges to make that thought even possible.
Seeing how limited his options were, Splinter knew that he might be forced to do something drastic. His grip on the pipe would start to give at any time and that problem was already starting to apply to the one he held on Donatello. If he didn't act soon, he was going to lose both and then all of this would be for naught.
That was when something that usually remained buried started to take control of Splinter's mind. His rat survival instincts were something that no transformation could ever erase. On more than one occasion, these instincts would analyze a situation and try to determine the best course of action.
This time turned out to be one of those situations. With his rational mind unable to find a suitable solution, his instincts were taking a turn. Already a portion of his instincts had chosen at least part of what needed to be done. If it was impossible to grab onto something, then the only answer was to swim for it.
In his right mind, Splinter wouldn't have even considered such an outrageous idea. Especially not when his son's life would be in jeopardy. Swimming against the current hadn't worked the first time and it probably wouldn't work if tried a second time. But that wasn't the way his instincts saw things.
His instincts knew that for survival, anything goes, even committing an act that the conscious mind tries to deny. So before he even had a chance to even consider the idea, Splinter released his grip on the pipe and started to swim for the 'shore' with every bit of strength he could muster. He was forced to do so with only his legs and one arm, as the other was tightly wrapped around Donatello.
The instant they fell into the water, he was forced to fight the current. As before, it was trying to pull father and son downstream and almost succeeded this time. But Splinter refused to give in and continued to struggle. On and on he pushed himself until at last, he felt something solid beneath his paw.
The instant he did, Splinter immediately started to try and haul both himself and Don out of the water for a second time. A sudden wave of exhaustion hit the rat as he tried to do this. Though he hadn't gone a very long distance, having to swim not only for himself but for his son and to fight the current truly took it out of Splinter. But in the end, he still managed and was able to get them onto the thin strip that was land.
They were both truly lucky to have gotten safely out of the water at all and Splinter knew that. If they had stayed in much longer, then the open areas of the underground sewer river would have run out. Then they would have had nowhere else to go but to dragged under completely by the current and then drowned.
Splinter shuddered at such a thought and silently thanked whatever forces watched over mutant rats and their students for acting in their favor. It wasn't often that one met with such sudden and good fortune such as this, so it was best not to take it lightly. After all, one never knew when those benevolent forces would be needed again. So better to be safe and thank them than to be sorry for being ungrateful.
Once safely out of the water and certain that they wouldn't fall back in, Splinter checked on his son's condition. He laid Donatello on his side, checking the boy over for injuries. Except for the paleness of his skin, there was nothing openly wrong with the young Turtle. But Splinter knew better than to just trust what his eyes could see and hope for the best in circumstances like this. Outward appearances could easily being deceiving and should not be taken lightly, as they could easily be hiding true injuries.
Of course, this was only one of many worries that Splinter had at this point. Beyond the possibility of injuries, there were also the effects that the cold water would have on Donatello. This worry came with good reason. All of Splinter's sons were reptiles, which made their bodies cold-blooded by nature and so very easily influenced by the change in temperatures around their bodies. Usually, keeping the boys in areas where the temperature was a constant that was neither too warm nor too cold combated this problem and kept them out of harm's way.
But that wasn't a prevention that worked all of the time, as circumstances such as now proved. Donatello had fallen into water that was freezing and so was a major shock to his reptilian system. It had immediately sent his body into an instinctual state that was similar to hibernation. This had shut him down to the bare minimum for what was necessary for survival.
That accounted for the unconscious state that the boy was now in. How long he would remain in this state was uncertain at this point. All that Splinter knew was that until he warmed Donatello up again, he would stay this way. And probably get worse before he got better. Which was what was making this situation more critical as precious seconds began to tick by in an agonizingly slow pace.
If he was going to keep Donatello going, Splinter knew that he was going to have to warm him up somehow. He couldn't use his cloak or his kimono. These had been soaked in the river along with everything else that hadn't been thrown onto the shore before Splinter dived in after Don. And there was nothing else made of cloth that he had with him that would work. So in that department, Splinter was sunk. But still, he kept trying to think of something that would help.
While Splinter tried to think of an immediate way to help his son, Donatello was beginning to react more to his watery experience. His shivering had increased and was growing worse as the seconds passed. When Splinter caught sight of this, he knew if nothing done to stop this that it could only worsen into convulsions.
That was when he had made a snap decision that might have very well helped to save the boys' life. Though he was wet too, Splinter knew that warmth of any kind would work. So he lifted Donatello up again, leaning the boy's body against his own. Wrapping his arms around him, Splinter held his son close and tried to use his own body heat to give back the warmth that the child had lost.
It took a few seconds to get any reaction, but in the end it seemed to be working. Slowly but surely, Donatello's shivers began to lessen. Not completely, but enough that he would go into anything worse. Yet as soon as the shivers started ease, another problem arose. The water that Don had inhaled during his time underwater was now taking a final and probably lethal toll.
He had nearly stopped breathing when the water in his lungs began to settle, which had sent an almost blinding fear through Splinter for the second time. This panic gave way to the strength that Splinter needed to try and keep his son alive as he tried desperately to keep the air flowing into him. Though not as well versed in CPR as a human might have been, Splinter knew enough that he would be able to help his son.
The next several seconds were spent in pumping inhaled water out of the Turtle's lungs and sending in fresh air to get the lungs to work on their own. At first, there was no obvious change. Donatello just lay there, barely taking in the air that he needed to stay alive. Then, just as Splinter was about to go for a fourth attempt, he coughed up a last, large blast of water and inhaled deeply before settling into a more steady rhythm.
Relief spread over Splinter in a wave as he stopped to watch as Donatello's breathing evened out. It did not help to ease the paleness that still covered his face and body, but it was a start. Once he was certain that his son would keep breathing on his own, Splinter turned his attention to other details. Namely, finding the other two sons he had heard to make sure that they were all right and then to get Donatello home for treatment.
In concern for his oldest sons, Splinter sent out a silent prayer to whatever force had protected them from drowning. He hoped that it would also watch out for the other two boys until they were found. Perhaps it might have been selfish to ask more of something that may or may not be there, but the rat honestly didn't care. He just wanted his sons to be all right.
After that, Splinter one again gathered Donatello into his arms. It took him a moment to adjust for the boy's limp weight as he lifted him from the ground. When the Turtles had been Maggie's age and younger, it had been no problem for the rat to carry one of them. They had been much lighter and didn't require much effort to lift. But now that they were all older and larger, it was more of a problem as the weight gained with height and age made things a bit more difficult.
Somehow, Splinter managed his burden and then set off once he had. He walked back along a thin pathway that ran along the edge of the underground river. It was barely large enough for Splinter to use, being only a couple of feet wide at the most. Here and there, pieces of debris that had been washed up by the water littered the way.
These had to either be gone around or stepped over when it was permitted. This seriously slowed Splinter down and so it took him longer than he would have liked to get back toward the Junction. He was worried for his other sons as well, since he wasn't sure what shape they were in to begin with.
The search for Leonardo and Raphael had not taken as long as Splinter might have thought. As he was carrying Don back toward the Junction, he was met by his two other sons as they came through another tunnel that was adjacent to the one Splinter was using. They were racing in his direction as he came around the corner and skidded to a halt as soon as they saw their Sensei.
The sight of their pale and unconscious brother brought shared expressions of shock and fear to the boys' faces. It was most likely that they had been uncertain of what they would find when they had chased after their struggling sibling. But that could not prevent the reaction of their seeing him in the state he was in now.
Their own faces seemed to pale to a shade that nearly equaled Donatello's as the shock increased. Raphael tried to say something, probably to ask how bad it was, but his voice was caught in his throat. Leonardo didn't even have the strength for that. He just stood there, staring at his unconscious brother.
They might have stood there for hours trying to sort through the shock and disbelief, but there wasn't time for that. Splinter knew that Don needed medical attention before he got any worse and he wouldn't get that with them standing out here in the sewers. He spoke to Leo and Raph, bringing their attention back to reality and letting them know that it was time to go. The boys didn't argue and only followed their father as he led the way home down the quickest route that he could think of.
As they headed towards home, Splinter belatedly remembered the bag of supplies that he had dropped when he had jumped in after Donatello. Part of him knew that he should go back and retrieve the bag. After all, it contained food and items that the entire family was going to need. But the present state of his third son pushed this to the side.
Though his breathing had somewhat evened out, it was still shallow sometimes and this worried Splinter. It was only a slight chance, but there was always the possibility that Donatello might stop breathing again. If that happened, the rat wasn't totally sure that he might be lucky enough to get the boy's lungs working in time. As a precaution against such an occurrence, Splinter knew he had to get his son home as soon as possible. Which meant that he would have to forget the bag for the time being.
Besides, the Junction was not a place that humans rarely if ever frequented, so it was a good guess that no one else would find it. Which meant that it would probably be there later. So it could wait for retrieval until after Splinter had seen to other matters. Namely getting his sons home and seeing to Donatello's injuries.
On the way home, Splinter had questioned his two erring sons on what they and their brother had been doing at the Junction. That had taken longer than he would have liked, as both boys were more concerned about their brother than explaining why they were all so far from home. This Splinter could understand, but he still pressed the issue. And eventually, they broke down and told their Master the general idea of their being there.
Needless to say, even with the scant information he had been given, Splinter was not pleased with what his sons had been up to in his absence. It surprised him that they would deliberately disobey him and leave the lair like they had done. But it was even more shocking to him that they would be so foolish as to fight near a place that could have easily gotten one or both killed.
They knew this information and had been taught to stay away from such areas. It was one of the major rules that Splinter had set down for them. It was nearly as important as keeping away from the surface and staying out of sight of humans.
For the moment though, he didn't ask for any details as to why his sons had broken that rule and why they were even so far away from home. That could wait until after Donatello had been tended to. He told the boys as much and then the trio remained in silence until they were nearly home.
That silence had brought about a mixture of feelings in the three that were still aware of their world. For Splinter, it was worry for his unconscious son and anger about what his two eldest ones had tried to pull. For the boys, it was also worry. They still couldn't believe what had happened to Donatello. But they were also worried for themselves. It wasn't hard to guess that as soon as Splinter was done with Don, then it would be time to face the music and majorly.
None of this was discussed as they drew closer to home. Just the silence remained. When they finally did arrive home, Donatello had been taken straight into Splinter's study so that his injuries could be tended while his brothers were left behind. He was set onto Splinter's bed where his father began to dry him with a spare blanket. The rat tried to be gentle but he still worked furiously to dry the boy off as quickly as possible.
How long he was at this task, Splinter really wasn't certain. He just kept at it, trying to get as much of the moisture off of Donatello as possible. It absorbed so much of his attention that the rat didn't even notice the rest of the world until the boy was nearly dried off.
A small scuffling sound finally brought Splinter's attention away from his injured son. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that they were no longer alone. The other four children had finally come as well and were watching in silence as Splinter worked to help their brother.
They had come to the doorway, peering in uncertainly. Leo stood right in the middle of the doorway, with Raph on his right and Mikey on his left. Too small to see over her brothers, Splinter caught glimpses of Maggie too. She tried to peer around her brothers' sides where there was opening, but it wasn't really much. The most that she could make out were just bits and pieces of Splinter and the inside of his study.
Leonardo started to ask if there was anything that they could do to help when something within Splinter snapped. His voice was not entirely out of control, since he didn't yell at the youngsters. But the anger was there when he spoke and his voice still went up a few decibels. He told the other children that now wasn't the time for them to be present. He instructed Leo to go to the dojo and Raph to go to the boys' bedroom. For Mikey and Maggie, he just told them to go somewhere that was away from their brothers and to keep out of the way.
Just by looking at him, none of the others dared to disobey. They left where they stood in a flash. Mikey doing so by grabbing his sister's hand and making a dash for the general direction of the living room. For Leo, about the same way and Raph it was in the opposite direction. After they were gone, the doorway was empty and Splinter was alone with Donatello.
All of this started to finish its course as Splinter finally drifted back to the present as he continued to try and make Don as comfortable as possible. But as he worked, it couldn't help to ease the pain that he still felt over his son's accident. There was no telling when his son would awaken or what state he would be in when he did. It could be within the hour, a little beyond that or even days after. All that Splinter knew for certain was that his son was in severe shock from the chill and that he was going to be sick for days to come.
A/N: All right, so maybe this didn't exactly tell what happened to everyone. But hey, at least now everyone knows that Donnie wasn't drowned. He was just.uh, Don was just knocked out and is eventually gonna recover. Which ought to make people happy and it means I don't have to take out some life insurance.
Don: *continues to give Streetwyse the death glare*
*nervous laugh* Okay, well, at least not against angry readers. Angry Turtles are an entirely different story. Speaking of stories, the fates of Leo and Raph are in the works as we speak and should be out in another couple of months, if not sooner. I really can't say for certain. Until then, thank you for reading and please review to let me know any suggestions for possible punishments for the culprits. Later. Yipe!
*runs for life as angry Don gives chase*
