Chapter 9

The Show Must Go On

A/N: Well, this is it. The last chapter of "Erin's Story"! I hope everyone has enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I thank u all for the reviews that u have given me. It has helped me create the story. Now, for those who have reviewed the last chapter and those in between, I send u shout-outs:

Chibi C.A.S.: Thanks for your reviews. They are very much appreciated. I love your story. Keep updating it.

Chibi "rose" Angel: Don't worry, you'll love this chapter. Thanks for your kind comments. Keep reading and reviewing.

JeffyzGal2: Thanks for the answer to the question and the review. I loved "The Big Brawl" saga. I also love the "City at War" saga. That saga rocks. Do u like it too? Anyway, thanks for all the comments. They have made me feel so good.

Readerrr Grrrl: Here's your update. Thanks for all of the comments you have given. I really appreciate all the feedback. Keep reading and reviewing.

Shellsboy24: Thank you so much for reviewing, sweetie! Your funny jokes and comments have brightened my day. Thank you so much. Yes, Leo is the best and yes, Shredder definitely needs to die. You will like this chapter a lot. Thanks. Here are some hugs and kisses for you. Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo.

Ana-The-Romantic: Thank you very much for all of your positive reviews. Even though you didn't leave a review for my last chapter, that's okay. I know you were busy with your own story, which rocks by the way. Your positive feedback is the one thing that really boosted my confidence after seeing that one mean review. I greatly appreciate it, and I hope that you will review more of my stories in the future. U are an excellent writer. Keep writing more good stories.

Well, now that that's out of the way, I guess we can return to the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Turtles. If I did, I wouldn't be sitting here writing this. Turtles are owned by Mirage Studios, Inc. All flames will be cut up by Leo's katana.

Splinter, Mikey, Don, Casey, and Maureen watched in horror as the building exploded. They had little hope that Leo, Raph, and Erin had survived. As they turned to leave, they heard a voice call out, "Hey guys, wait up!" They turned to see Raph and Leo with Erin in his arms running up to them.

Mikey gave a shout of joy. "Leo! Raph! You're okay!" he cried.

"What about Erin?" asked Maureen anxiously. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"I don't know yet, kiddo," answered Raphael honestly. "We'll have to take her home and have Donnie patch her up. You look like you need to be taken care of too."

When they reached the Lair, April ran to them with an anxious look on her face. "Is Erin okay?" she asked in a worried voice. "Is she hurt badly?"

"It looks bad, April," said Donatello. "I'll have to take care of her." He took Erin from Leo and took her to the sick room. The others watched anxiously as he looked at her.

"Will she be okay, Donnie?" asked Maureen.

"I don't know yet, Maureen," answered Donnie. "Why don't you go with Mikey? Maybe you could play a game or something."

"Yeah, c'mon, Maureen," said Mikey. "I've got some good board games we can play." He took her hand and led her out of the room.

Donatello put a bandage around Erin's head and stepped back. "There!" he said. "I've done all I can do for her. Now, all we can do is wait."

"Do you think she'll recover from this, Don?" asked Leonardo worriedly.

"I don't know yet, Leo," Don replied. "She got crushed badly. It'll be a miracle if she lives."

"She'll pull through this, Don," said Leo determinedly. "She has to." He left the Lair to go to his special place. Once there, he sat in the lotus position and began to meditate. He didn't know how long he'd been there, but he felt that someone was watching him. He opened his eyes and saw Raphael beside him.

"I thought I'd find you here," the Turtle in red said.

"How did you guess?" Leo asked.

"Because you always come here when you're feelin' down," Raph replied. He looked around for a minute. "Do you remember when we found this place, Leo?" he asked.

"How could I forget it?" Leo answered. "We had a lot of fun that day."

"And the days afterwards," Raph added. "We never told Don and Mikey about it, either."

"Or Master Splinter," Leo chimed in. "That was the only thing I never told him about. It nearly hurt me to keep it from him though."

"That doesn't surprise me a bit, Fearless Leader," Raphael said with a smile.

"I'm not fearless, Raph," Leonardo contradicted. "In fact, I have a big fear right now."

"What's that?" Raph asked.

"That Erin won't make it," Leo answered. "Don said that it would be a miracle if she survived."

"Leo, that's crazy talk!" Raphael snapped. "Erin's gonna pull through this. She's tough."

"I just have this feeling that she won't," Leo said. "She's my sister, Raph. I've been there for her since that day in the city. I love her dearly just like I love you for being my brother."

"Leo, we thought you wouldn't survive after the Shredder kicked your shell that time, but you did," Raph said. "And thanks for that compliment. I love you too, bro."

"The only reason I survived is because you guys talked to me," Leo said. "And you're welcome for the compliment."

"Well, maybe that's what you need to do," Raph said. "Maybe if you talk to Erin, she'll wake up."

"Great idea, Raph!" Leo said enthusiastically. "Let's go now and see if it works."

Together, the two brothers went to the Lair and straight to the sick room. Erin was still lying unconscious as she had since she'd arrived back from the battle.

Leonardo sat down and took her hand. "Hey, Erin, it's Leo," he said. "I've been really worried about you. Maureen's been asking about you all day. She misses you, Erin, almost as much, if not more, than I do. You mean a lot to all of us. You have a lot of people who care about you. Please come back to us."

Leo waited, but there was no response. He sighed in frustration. Why wasn't she coming back? Raph had left earlier to give Leo some time alone. He wished Raph were there now.

"Why are you awake, my son?" a voice asked. Splinter was in the doorway, gazing at his oldest son.

"Sensei, you startled me," Leonardo said. "I was trying to talk to Erin. Raph gave me the idea after he talked to me. He said that maybe if I talk to her, she might come back. But it isn't working. Why is that, Master Splinter?"

"Healing takes time, my son," replied Splinter. "She needs to heal first. You should know that better than anyone."

"But that won't be for a few weeks," said Leo.

"I am talking about healing spiritually, Leonardo," corrected Splinter. "Her spirit needs to heal."

"What do you mean?" asked Leonardo.

"Erin has been suffering since she arrived here," explained Splinter. "She suffered guilt because she had an argument with her mother and never got to make it up. This is still eating at her now, so it will take time for her to heal. You were right in talking to her though."

"Do you think she heard me?" asked Leo.

"Yes, I do, Leonardo," answered Splinter. "I believe she heard you very clearly. But now we must let her heal."

"Okay, Sensei," said Leo. "I'll do that."

Erin's mind

Erin was sitting alone when she saw her mother approaching her. Mrs. Finnigan looked exactly as she had before she had been killed. Erin couldn't quite believe that her mother was there.

"Mom, is that you?" asked Erin.

"Yes, it's me," replied Mrs. Finnigan. "How are you?"

"Fine, I guess," answered Erin. "Am I dead?"

"No, we're inside your mind," said Mrs. Finnigan. "I know you've been suffering a lot since I died. Why is this?"

"Because I never got to apologize for yelling at you that day," said Erin. "Oh, Mom, I'm so sorry! I never meant to say that I hated you. I love you more than anything in the world!" Tears were streaming down Erin's face.

"Oh, Erin sweetie, I know you didn't mean it," said her mother. "You were just angry. I forgive you for everything. But now it's time for you to go back."

"Why can't I stay with you?" asked Erin.

"Because you need to go to your new family," replied her mother. "They need you, especially the one you call Leo. He cares about you as a brother should, Erin. Plus, you have to care for Maureen. She needs you to guide her. They all want you back, Erin."

"Okay, Mom," said Erin. "I'll go back to them."

"Good," said her mother. "Good-bye, Erin. I love you, and I'll be watching over you."

"I love you too, Mom," said Erin. "I'll never forget all that you have done for me." She watched as her mother disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

"Now, it's time to go back," said Erin to herself. "I'm sure Maureen will be waiting to pester me."

The Lair

Erin awoke and looked around. No one was in the room. She figured that everyone was asleep still. It was too early in the morning for them to get up.

Then, Erin saw Leo enter the room. He looked as though he'd been through a lot. "Hey," she greeted him. "How's it going?"

"Glad to see you're okay," said Leo. "I was worried about you."

"I know," said Erin. "I'm just glad it's all over. Is Brad dead?"

"Yes, he is," answered Leo. "It took awhile for them to get out. I think that Shredder killed him for his failure."

"How did we get out?" asked Erin.

"I carried you out," replied Leo. "We managed to find an escape route and got out of there."

"How long have I been unconscious?" asked Erin curiously.

"Just one day," said Leo. "How do you feel?"

"Okay," replied Erin. "I mean, I hurt all over, but I know I'll get better."

"I know you will," said Leo with a smile. "I'd better tell Don that you're awake so he can give you a check-up." He hurried out and found Michelangelo and Maureen on the couch watching Animal Planet.

"Hey, Leo, what's up?" asked Mikey.

"Erin's awake," replied Leo. "I'm going to tell Don."

"Can I go see her, Leo?" asked Maureen excitedly.

"Sure," answered Leo. "I think she'll be happy to see you, Maureen. She's missed you."

Maureen ran into the sick room and hugged her sister. "I'm glad you're okay, Erin," she said.

"Me, too," Erin agreed. "Now, hopefully, I'll be able to perform in the variety show."

"You will," Maureen reassured her. "Donnie's a good doctor."

"Yes, he is," Erin said with a smile.

As if on cue, Donatello came in, followed by Leonardo. "Hey, Erin," he said. "Let me check you over." He looked at all of her cuts. "Well, you seem to be healing nicely," he said. "You'll be sore for awhile, but that will go away in time."

"Will I be able to perform in the variety show?" Erin asked.

"I think so," Don answered. "You should be fully healed by then. For now, you need to take it easy, though."

"I will, Donnie," Erin promised. "I won't do anything I'm not supposed to do."

"Good," said Donnie with a smile. "Do you want some breakfast?"

"Sure," answered Erin. She got out of bed and, with Leo's help, made her way to the kitchen.

A few weeks later

It was the night of the variety show, and Erin was excited. She had healed completely from her wounds and was feeling in the best shape ever. She was putting on the final touches on her make-up, before she headed to the school.

"You look great, Erin," commented Leo while Mikey made whistling noises. Raph smacked Mikey in the head and said that Erin looked decent enough.

"Too bad we can't go," Don said as he looked at Erin with pride.

"It's okay, Don," said Erin. "We're taping it for you guys so you can watch it later tonight."

"Cool!" said Mikey. "Break a leg, Erin."

"Mikey, you don't go saying that to someone!" chastised Raph. "That's rude!"

"That's theater talk for 'good luck'" explained Mikey. "It's how the pros do it."

"Thanks, Mikey," said Erin, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Then she and her friends left to go to the show.

The night was a huge success for Erin and her friends. They were named the winners and loved the sour look on Jeanie Kramer's face. As they made their way back to the Lair, they talked about all the highlights. The biggest one was that David Ellis had congratulated Erin and had asked her out. Erin said yes, of course.

Later that night, the Turtles watched the tape with Erin and the others. They were surprised when the group number came on. They saw all four girls wearing bracelets in the colors of the Turtles' eyebands. They thought that was a touching thing for them to do.

Before Erin drifted off to sleep, she thought about how lucky she was. She had four brothers who cared about her, a father who looked out for her, a sister who loved her dearly, and three best friends who were there for her. Erin realized that if it hadn't been for Leo, she and Maureen would be in an orphanage. They wouldn't be in the Lair listening to Mikey's jokes or watching the guys practice. They wouldn't be sharing picnics with Leo at his special place or going shopping with April. They would be separated from each other with parents who probably wouldn't look after them.

"Are you okay, Erin?" asked Kelly.

"Yeah," said Erin. "I'm just happy I have a family. No matter what bad times we encounter, it'll never change the fact that we are family." And with that last comforting thought, Erin went to sleep, not worried about what the future could hold.

A/N: Well, that's it for this story! I hope everyone has enjoyed it. I'll be making a sequel called "Faye's Story" and post it here after Christmas Break. Thanks for all the reviews that you have given me. I really appreciate how nice you all have been. And, Chibi C.A.S., Leo loves Erin like a sister and nothing more. Anyway, thanks a lot. Please read and review this chapter. Also, to those who flamed my story, you just missed a good fiction to read. You must be blind or something. Well, that's all I have to say. Have a Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy, and blessed New Year!

Hugs and kisses,

BubblyShell22. a.ka. Shell.