Disclaimer – I don't own anything, especially All Family Planning Center, even though I made it up.
WARNING: Graphic imagry. As for the content in this chapter, especially the latter half, if you, the reader, have very strong, negative views about pro life or have had the unfortunate experience of going through an abortion, please discontinue reading. If you are under 15, please review the rating system. The picture I 'painted' within this piece will not be a pretty one and I do not wish to cause any of you distress or to cause you to become angry with me. Nevertheless, I felt that this aspect of said topic needed voicing. I have tried to write it as it would happen, as how any of us might react initially if we were the ones to make such discoveries. I must also add that I wrote as graphically as I dared to, and tried to present as true a picture as I could, about a little known history fact. In other words, I did not soft peddle this at all.
As far as the practice of 'disposal', which I've depicted here in this installment, I gleaned from history about how it used to be handled. Things have changed since, but one thing that hasn't changed and that is…with every abortion, a baby dies.
Please keep in mind that we, here, at Fan Fiction, practice Free Speech.
Also, I would like to thank the following readers who took time to review – Fletty, Mikaela's Spade, Aaron Smiley, Jericocacaw, Ye Olde Scooter Dude, Dierdre, Jessiy Landroz, Pacphys, Kristy aka Donny's Ninja Girl, Cynlee, Ramica, Reluctant Dragon, Innocent-rebel, Lunar Ninja, Chibi Rose Angel.
I am most grateful for your kind and encouraging comments.
Additionally, my heart and hugs to out to each and every one of you who have had to make the difficult choice about abortion. I can't imagine the fear and uncertainty that you went through. May you be blessed.
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Chapter 2 – A Day's Haul
Donatello's breathing came rapidly, although he tried his best to control it in the way that Splinter had taught him to do.
"If one cannot find control within, then they have lost the battle before it has begun."
His sensei's words filtered in through the young ninja's harried and worried mind, the effect of his remembrance helping to calm him. He focused on that thought, repeating his father's words like a mantra, and tried to slow his intake of air. Soon, and much to his relief, he found that his hands no longer shook. Smiling inwardly, Donatello allowed his training of the past ten years to flow outwardly through his hands. He positioned his staff smartly in front of him, taking a defensive posture, and then waited, watching his father as the rat crouched on top of the dumpster.
Then, much to his surprise, Splinter jumped inside the bin.
"Sensei?" Don had all he could do to keep from yelling, as he rushed the large container, afraid that something had grabbed at his father and had pulled him in. Yet, as the young warrior reached the dumpster, Splinter appeared once more on its ledge. The mutant rat had something in his arms, now, with a blue tattered blanket wrapped around it. Moreover, this something seemed to be the source of the mewing, its voice clearer than before, where it was no longer inside the trash bin. However, the crying seemed to have calmed down a bit, as if Splinter's gentle embrace had soothed it.
"What is it, Sensei?" Donatello asked excitedly as he stood back to get a better view. His natural sense of curiosity spiked to a completely new level, as he listened to the desperate cries quiet even more.
As Splinter stroked the underside of the bundle, he readied himself in preparation to jump down from the dumpster. Just before he did, though, he quickly noticed his son's unsheathed weapon. Gently, he admonished, "Donatello, I appreciate your readiness, but – I do not believe that your bo is necessary."
Don blushed slightly and then quickly re-sheathed his staff through the top-back his coat, slipping his weapon neatly into its holder underneath. He then watched expectantly as his father gracefully leapt down to the ground. As soon as the rat could, though, he slipped into the shadows behind the dumpster, lest the bundle's noise had alerted any passersby.
"Here, my son, is the 'cat' you thought you heard." Splinter entreated in amusement, encouraging Don to follow him into the shadows.
As Don eased over to where his father stood, the ninja master observed the young turtle's face. The moment Donatello realized what it was that his father held in his arms, a smile soon spread along the boy's muzzle. His eyes widened in wonder, as he finally understood what the mysterious 'cat' truly was. "It's…a baby?" he asked, looking up at his sensei in surprise and then back to the child in the rat's arms. Although he could only see its head for the moment, Don could tell that it was quite small.
"Yes, my son, a newborn boy, maybe a couple of hour's old, if the umbilical cord is any proof." Splinter pulled back a bit of the blanket to reveal the rest of the baby, naked and still somewhat covered with blood from its afterbirth. Donnie gasped when he saw how truly tiny the child was, but what was attached to the infant's middle, perplexed him more.
Protruding from the child's stomach was the umbilical cord. Only about four inches long and three-quarters of an inch wide, its end seemed torn, as if someone had used a dull knife to cut it. It had darkened considerably, yet whatever blood had oozed from the cord, it seemed that most of it had already dried. Just the same, Don could not stop looking at it.
"Is that the umb…umbel…umbilcal cord?"
"Umbilical cord, Donatello, and…yes, it is," Splinter replied patiently.
"What's it used for?" he asked his father, scrutinizing the infant closely as he attempted to touch the rope-like appendage. It still had some un-dried blood on its exterior, and it stained the tip of Don's finger when he brushed up against it it. He scrunched his face in disgust and quickly wiped his hand on his coat to rid it of the red smear, but it did not deter his interest in the baby at all.
"Hmm…what indeed," Splinter mused. Although he had given all of his sons a briefing on such matters – and brief being the operative word, it appeared to him that a more in-depth discussion would soon be necessary. However, now was not the time. So he explained as well as he could, careful not to include certain words, such as 'in', but still mindful of his son's keen intellect, "While the baby is still with the mother, the other end of the cord is attached to her stomach, and whatever she eats, the food is digested. Once the nutrients from the food absorb into her blood, some of it travels through the umbilical cord, which helps feed the baby."
"Oh." Donatello said simply, furrowing his eye ridges a bit. Much to Splinter's relief, though, his son was too mesmerized with the child to consider what his father had just told him. Just the same, the master could easily tell that Donatello was already working that thought around. The rat knew that it would not be too long before his son inquired as to where the mother kept the baby during that time.
As the rat watched the young turtle gently stroke the infant's cheek, he smiled warmly. Knowing how rough his student's fingers were because of his reptilian heritage, Splinter was pleased that his son took such care as to not scratch the child's skin. Don smiled wide as the baby calmed even more, the infant's tiny, bud-like lips working the air experimentally.
Yet, Splinter's anger was barely containable, that someone had treated such a delicate and fragile thing as a baby as nothing more than trash. It galled him and almost made him ill to his stomach. He knew what he had to do, though, but for now, he allowed his son to explore the miracles of a newborn baby.
As Don continued to stroke the infant's cheek, he noted that the child's skin seemed mottled a bit in color, as if it were several different shades. Yet, the shadows in which he and his father stood made it difficult to determine what nationality the child was. Along the creases where the arms and legs where, he could detect something that looked like white 'frosting', or cheese, and it gave Don pause as to what it was. However, one thing was certain. Don was sure that the infant would one day grow up and have a shock of hair so thick and black, that he would be the envy of his peers. The young turtle fingered the child's scalp, running a finger through the baby's already dense hair, marveling at its silky softness. Then, as he returned to stroke the infant's cheek again, the child suddenly angled its head towards Don's finger, its mouth rooting eagerly. Before the poor turtle realized what was happening, the baby latched his tiny mouth onto Don's green digit, and vigorously began sucking.
Although startled, Don was afraid of injuring the child by jerking his finger away. He looked wide-eyed at his father and asked, "Wh…what's he doing, Sensei?"
Splinter chuckled and explained, "He is hungry, but I doubt he will get much from your finger, Donatello."
"What should we do?" the young turtle asked, looking back at the baby once more as he allowed him to continue nursing on his finger. Don then saw the child's face scrunch up, as if very unhappy. Even to the baby, it soon became obvious that Don's finger wasn't going to provide him with what he needed. Soon, he began to cry a little, giving a weakened squeak of protest as he pulled his head away from Don's finger. Whimpering, the baby's little arms flailed and shook in frustration.
"There is a hospital, Donatello, about three blocks from here. We need to take the child there," Splinter explained.
Don's eyes grew even wider, "But…we can't just walk in there, Sensei.
"I know this, but we do not have any other choice. We will be discrete. Hopefully the infant will assist us and be asleep by the time we arrive," the rat said, "We will leave him near a side door, and then make a call to the police." He thought about that and then nodded, "Yes, and I believe the door is near where the emergency room is. If I am not mistaken, I have seen workers exit from this doorway whenever I searched through the hospital's dumpsters for medical supplies." He covered the child up again as he said, "After we leave the infant on the stoop, we will hide behind the dumpsters and watch, to ensure that the child is found."
With that, Splinter and Donatello proceeded through the alleyway. With the baby bundled securely in the rat's arms, Don took care of both his and his father's bags of scavenged supplies. Although the combined weight from both bags taxed the young turtle's strength, Donatello's excitement about the newborn overshadowed his burden.
A short while later they arrived at the hospital. The two, with the baby now asleep in Splinter's arms, slipped onto the expansive property through a large, but well-hidden tear in the chain-linked fence that surrounded the facility. They had to stick to the shadows, yet after a few well-executed 'dash and stash' maneuvers, they soon found themselves right behind the dumpsters that Splinter had mentioned earlier. Just beyond where they found cover was the door in question and, just beyond that, tucked back around the corner of the building, was the Emergency Room. However, there was still a good amount of activity there, where an ambulance had just arrived. Consequently, Splinter and Donatello had to wait a bit before continuing with their mission.
Although the baby had fallen asleep, Splinter knew that the infant was still hungry and would soon be waking. He had heard that many newborns could survive a day or two without food, maybe even longer. Nonetheless, the rat didn't want to take any chances.
As he and his son waited, Splinter noticed a small box lying alongside one of the trash bins. It was slightly larger than the infant was, and a bit wider, but as he thought about it, he had an idea. He then told Don, "Donatello, please check that box by the dumpster, and see if it is usable."
The turtle made sure the way was clear and, when it was, proceeded over to the container. He peered quickly inside, removing a plastic bag, and then checked the interior of the box once more. He glanced over at his father and gave a thumbs-up sign. Splinter nodded and watched as his son took up the cardboard container and brought it over to him. The rat made sure that it was relatively clean and then remarked, "I will put the baby inside the box, that way if someone should come out the door, they will see the box and not step on the child."
Once the ambulance finished delivering its patient, it left the hospital property. Now the area around the emergency room was quiet. Just as soon as it was safe to do so, and after instructing Donatello to stay hidden behind the dumpster, Splinter quickly rushed towards the doorway in question. He held both the infant and the box, sticking to the shadows, as he moved with the fluidity and grace that honored his talent as a shadow warrior. Placing the box on the top step and just in front of the door, Splinter took care not to disturb the child's sleep as he gently deposited the baby inside the carboard container. Once he was satisfied of the infant's safety, Splinter quickly darted back to where Donatello waited.
"Now, we will see what happens," he whispered to his son.
"What if no one comes out or finds him?" Donny asked in worry, his voice as soft as his father's was.
"They will. I know that nurses and attendants use this door," the sage master assured him. "If not, then I will call the police and tell them where to find it. I am sure they will then alert the hospital."
They only had to wait a few minutes before someone opened the side-door. It was a woman, a nurse, and with her sweater on and purse in hand, it was obvious that she had just finished her shift. Almost immediately, she noticed the box on the stoop. She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do, but then, as she peered inside, she suddenly gasped. She quickly bent down to pick up the child.
"Who left you here, sweetie?" she cooed. She nestled the infant in the crook of her arm and looked around, obviously searching for the person responsible for leaving the infant there. When her search failed to see anyone suspicious, she shook her head disapprovingly. Sighing, she looked back to the baby in her arms and said, "Well, at least they didn't leave you with the trash," and proceeded to carry the infant back inside the building.
Splinter nudged Donatello and the two made their way silently around the structure, sticking to the shadows, until they found their way off the property. Soon, they were skirting the alleys and byways of New York City.
As they were walking the final block before reaching their access point, and when he thought it was safe to do so, Don asked his father, "Will they be able to find the mother?"
"It is possible they might, but even if they do, the child will probably be taken into protective custody," the rat replied sadly.
"What will happen then?" Donatello asked, slightly worried, as he looked up at his father.
Splinter answered softly, "They will probably adopt the child out, give it to a family who will offer the baby a loving home."
"Why did the mother put her baby in the trash bin, didn't she love him?" the young turtle asked as they turned into their dead-end alleyway.
"Hmm…" the master replied, "I suspect the mother was probably a child herself, Donatello, and panicked. More than likely, she kept her pregnancy a secret, even from her family. Many young girls who find themselves with-child are frightened and frightened people do things like what this mother did." He looked at his son sadly, who now had his head bowed in thought, "I am certain that the infant's mother could have learned to love him, but – she probably felt more desperation than love, especially if she gave birth alone." He then took his kunai knife and, wedging it through the finger holes of the metal lid, lifted the sewer cap, and allowed Don to slip through before following suit.
When they returned to the lair, Donatello regaled his brothers about finding the baby. He talked about how tiny it was and how soft the boy's hair felt to him, and even shared about how the infant had sucked on his finger. Raphael tried to make fun of Donatello, but his purple-masked brother was too engrossed with the wonderful experience of seeing a newborn to be offended. Mike and Leonardo, in contrast, seemed more entertained and fascinated with their brother's story. They pestered him with questions about the child's hair color, what he sounded like when he cried, and the adventure of leaving the infant at the hospital. Rebuffed from Donnie's lack of response to his insults, Raphael stood sullenly off to one side, yet he was still close enough to listen in.
Where Raph stood, his brothers could not see him directly, but Splinter did. Every so often during Donatello's sharing, the rat would notice the faintest of smiles from his more temperamental son. It pleased him that, although Raphael tried to show a tough exterior, his student in red seemed moved by his brother's experience.
The ninja master murmured silently, as Donatello continued talking about the miracle of life found in the dumpster, "Maybe this will help Raphael to understand that his life is as precious to me as this baby's was."
Later on that evening, Leo reported to Splinter how Raphael and Michelangelo had followed their father's request and fulfilled their punishment as ordered. Therefore, Splinter gladly reinstated their privileges and allowed them to go topside with him again.
Consequently, two nights later found Raphael joining his father for a round of scavenging. Unfortunately, after several hours of searching the dumpsters in their area, their yield for the evening had been less than successful. This resulted in their travels taking them farther from their normal route, soon finding themselves in a seedier part of town.
"Ya know, Sensei," Raph said softly as they rifled through another trash bin, "I know I kinda made fun of Donnie an' all…about that baby you guys found," he stopped his digging as his father momentarily ceased his to look over at him, "But, well, I guess it would be kinda neat to find a little person like that."
Smiling, the rat nodded, "Yes, Raphael, it was an important moment for your brother, as it was for me."
"I wouldn't mind findin' somethin' like that someday," the turtle mused quietly as he toed the trash. However, he soon found a furry paw on his arm.
"My son," Splinter said, as he studied his student, "I hope that we never find another child that way again. It only means that someone tried to get rid of it. The infant would have died had we not come upon it when we did."
Raphael caught the serious expression on his father's face and felt suddenly ashamed, "Sorry, Sensei, its jus', I don't know, a baby's bettah than findin' junk all the time." His eyes pooled a little, but then he turned away and began rummaging through some more of the refuse. Splinter sighed and went back to his own digging.
An hour later found their bags mostly filled, but the hour was late and Splinter wanted to return to the lair. He and Raph retraced their steps back towards their neighborhood, but at one point, they had to divert their route. Someone had evidently robbed a store, with the police already there to investigate the crime. Several black and white cruisers were parked along the alleyway behind the shop, their light bars fully aglow and overwhelming the area with pulsating hues of red and blue. Now, it was impossible for Splinter and Raphael to use the byway. Consequently, they slipped through the shadows, unseen by the officers, and made quickly for the next street over.
"We might have to hide, my son, if there are more police," the rat warned, "However, if we are lucky, the authorities may not have cordoned off the area yet."
They soon found another alley two blocks away and made haste into it, with Splinter saying, "I believe that there is a sewer opening at the other end, we will enter there…" but then they heard shouts and the sound of running feet.
"Stop, police, put your weapon down, NOW!" someone yelled. A gunshot suddenly rang out, reverberating through the alleyway, with another command to disarm.
Spying a double sided dumpster with one-half of its top opened, Splinter ordered sharply, "Raphael, quickly, into the trash bin, now!" and then followed as his son scrambled up into the large container.
The bin, partially filled, stunk terribly, but there wasn't any time to be choosey. They both scooted as far under the closed side of the trash container as they could and huddled in the darkened interior.
Nevertheless, as Raphael was trying to get comfortable, he sniffed and almost became sick.
"Ah, Sensei, it stinks in here, it's even worse than the sew…" Raph began to complain softly.
However, Splinter snapped his head around and glared at his impatient son, silencing Raphael with one simple, no-nonsense look. The red-banded turtle would have tucked himself into his shell if he could have, but he had long lost that ability many years earlier. Instead, he went silent and cowed his head. He tried not to breathe through his nose, but even with that, the terrible smell was still impossible to ignore.
Soon, they heard running footsteps. Holding their breath, the rat and young turtle listened as the sound of shoes slapped hurriedly against the hard pavement, quickly passing the dumpster, with the sound of many more shoes in close pursuit.
Fearing discovery and despite their dismal surroundings, Splinter and Raphael stayed inside the darkened bin. For a good long while, they huddled. They stayed there long enough to hear the police as they finally captured their perpetrator. While they led the man back to where the other officers were waiting, the crook kept complaining about 'police brutality' and his 'innocence'. His tirade seemed distant, though, as if he and his escorts were walking along the street, rather than through the alleyway.
The two hiding in the dumpster continued to wait, however, listening until the man's voice trailed off. When Splinter was certain that there wasn't any more threat, he slowly moved out towards their exit. Raphael followed as well, but then, just as they breached the opening, Splinter stopped short. His entire body then stiffened, as if stunned.
"What is it, Sen…?" Raphael began to ask, but Splinter interrupted him as he whipped around quickly. Raph thought for sure that he had done something wrong again, but when he chanced to look into his father's face, he saw – pain. "Wh…what izzit?" he asked in concern.
"Raphael, please listen to me very carefully," the rat said softly, yet urgently, "I want you to keep your eyes fixed on the opening. Do not look down; do not look at the trash." He swallowed and then added, "No matter what you step in or what you think you feel…do – not – look - down." Splinter gazed deeply into his son's eyes and waited, with an earnest desperation showing on his face.
Nodding, Raph replied as he shrugged, "Sure, Sensei, ah…no problemo, I…I can do that."
Swallowing and then smiling weakly, the rat said, "Good, my son. Now…let us get out of here and into the sewers so we can return home."
Raphael wondered why his father was so adamant about not looking down. Although he had given his word, the young turtle's mind still whirled like a blender with a curiosity. As it was, the stench inside the bin was still horrible, building upon Raphael like a tsunami. It almost smelled like decaying flesh and he truly felt like getting sick. The idea of getting out of the dumpster became more urgent, then, regardless of the temptation of looking at whatever it was that his father didn't want him to see.
However, as he kept his eyes to the opening and as he watched Splinter scale over the edge, just as he was about to follow him, Raphael's next step caused him to stumble. The support under his foot gave way, forcing his leg down through the mash of trash with a sudden jolt. Now, he was thigh-deep into the refuse. There wasn't any other way to extract himself, but to put his hands against the trash to free his leg. As he pressed against the debris, and as he felt something squishy beneath his hands, the action and his curiosity forced him to look down.
At first, he was too busy trying to work his leg free from the trash. When he finally did yank his limb out, his breathing hitched at what he saw next.
A tiny face stared up at him. With its eyes closed, its head seemed marred with the stain of blood. The face was small, almost the size of Raph's hand and almost perfectly formed, yet, it was a face, nonetheless.
Then, as Raphael's eyes took in the entire scene before him, there were many more tiny faces, all nearly perfect in shape and uniformity, but with varying degrees of condition and size. Connected to small, miniature-like bodies that twisted among the debris, the babies protruded out from a black, plastic trash bag, as if something had ripped open the flimsy material, or…something had stepped on it. There were tinier heads, as if miniature replicas of the larger ones, but even the bigger ones were small in and of themselves. Many of the diminutive bodies were missing limbs, making for a truly grizzly scene.
Raphael swallowed and then nearly screamed. "FATHER!" he called out frantically, almost breathless with shock. However, before his sensei could respond, Raph lost the contents of his stomach as his senses overloaded with the awful scene and the horrible smell. The poor turtle truly did not know what to do, but in the next instant, Splinter was in the bin beside him. Quickly and without a moment's hesitation, he yanked his son upwards and out of the dumpster.
Once they were standing in the alleyway again, and breathing fresh air, Splinter did not waste any time. He knew what his son had seen, but he feared that Raphael's frantic outburst had alerted the police that were still nearby. As Raphael began to cry a little, the rat wanted to comfort the boy, but there was little time. "Raphael, you must be quiet, we cannot be seen," he admonished gently. Then, carrying both bags of their scavenged possessions in one paw, while the other wrapped itself firmly around Raphael's trembling arm, Splinter silently led the youth quickly to the opposite end of the alley. Once there, the rat let go of his son and took the kunai knife from under his coat. He then pried up the access lid just enough to allow Raphael to slip down inside. Splinter followed right after him, replacing the lid, just as light flooded the byway from the other end of the narrow street.
The police officer stood there at the entrance to the alley, thoroughly looking the area over with his flashlight. As its beam came to rest on the dumpsters, he noticed the partially opened lid. Suspicious that their recently captured perpetrator might have had an accomplice, he walked towards it. Yet, as he came closer to the container, he immediately noticed the smell. Now, completely distracted from his concerns, he nearly retched.
"Hey, did'ya find anythin', Mac?" a voice asked from behind him.
"Nope, Charlie, but there's a god-awful smell com'n from this dumpster here. Don't know why we didn't smell it earlier. Could be a dead body," Mac replied as he covered his face with his free hand and swallowed back his bile.
Charlie eased in beside his partner as the two of them studied the trash bin. He, likewise, covered his face as well. "Hey," he suddenly said, his voice muffled, as he looked up, "Isn't this the backside of the All Family Planning Center?"
"Yeah, guess it is. Why?" Mac asked in misery, looking at Charlie and then back at the dumpster, again.
"Well," Charlie said as he grimaced, "they do abortions here; might be the day's haul. Should be gone by mornin', though. But…I'll contact precinct just to let them know. They can't leave stuff like this exposed like that. Aside from rats, those Right to Life people would have a field day if any of 'em caught wind of this."
"Yeah, you're right…" He could not imagine anyone trying to hide in such a disgusting environment, so he gave one last look at the alley and then he and his partner headed back the way they came.
"So, you up for Chinese tonight, Charlie?"
"Only if you're buying, Mac."
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A/N – In the early days of legalized abortions, it was common practice to bag aborted fetuses and toss them into dumpsters, where the trash company would then remove the refuse. However, after someone revealed this grizzly practice, the fetuses are now disposed of more discretely, where they are considered biohazards. In short, they incinerate them.
However, late last year, an obstetrician in Japan found himself under judicial scrutiny for trying to dispose of aborted babies as ordinary garbage. Although he has since escaped prosecution, this practice is not so out of the ordinary. Recently, in Paris, France, authorities there discovered a hospital keeping their aborted fetuses and miscarried-babies. This prompted further investigation into the practice of illegal disposal, or collection, of what has been popularly termed as 'POC', or Products of Conception, a nice, clean set of words for something that I consider inaccurate terminology.
Nevertheless and regardless of what laws the world may pass, a baby is always a part of that terminology.