Chapter 3: Feeling Helpless and Left Out
A/N: Well, the votes are in! Most of you who reviewed voted for Leo as your favorite Turtle. Good for you! I'm glad I've got so many Leo fans reading this. Okay, so we're not allowed to do shout-outs anymore. In the words of Stewie Griffin, "Blast!" I loved doing those. However, if you guys have any questions, I will respond to them, but not in the way I would normally do so. I will also respond to them at the end of the chapter. I'll just have to thank you guys the old fashioned way. Thanks to: Jessy Landroz, Cynlee, Katana-Babe, Mac, Blueraven, Pi90Katana, Leo oneal, Aaron Smiley, The Sacred Heart 2, Eldarsevenstar, Digimon Girl, Chibi Rose Angel, Shellsboy 24, Redwaters, Cassie, and Faithful TMNTfan4ever. You guys rock! Now, let's get on to the story.
After the dance routine, the Turtles and Splinter continued to help April and Casey tidy up the house. Leo felt guilty that he couldn't help out, but he vowed to do more once he was healed. He also vowed to train harder, since he would be behind his brothers.
After cleaning the house, the Turtles, Splinter, April, and Casey had lunch. April made grilled cheese sandwiches and soup. They all decided to eat with Leo so that he wasn't alone. While lunch progressed, everyone talked about something different. First, Mikey bored them by talking about the video game he had beaten before they left the Lair. Only Casey seemed to be listening to him. Then, Casey and Raph got into a heated discussion about who would win the Super Bowl this season.
"I think the Giants have a shot to win," said Casey. "They are just really good."
"No way," contradicted Raph. "I think the Patriots are gonna get it. They were awesome in that game yesterday."
"Yeah, you're right about that," said Casey. "They were winning from what I saw."
"It's a shame we didn't get to see the rest," said Raph wistfully. "Of course, it didn't' help that Mikey had to spoil it with his burpin'."
"Hey, I probably broke the world record with that burp!" protested Mikey. "Plus, you clapped for it, Raphie boy!"
"Hey, don't call me that!" retorted Raph. "I don't like it!"
"Guys, stop fighting," Leo begged. "I really don't want to hear it right now. I have a little bit of a headache."
"Sorry, Leo," Mikey said apologetically. Then he brightened up. "Hey, how about if we have a snowball fight after lunch," he suggested.
"I'm all over that," Raph said with a wicked grin. "How about you, Case?"
"You're on," Casey replied. "You want to partner with me, Don?"
"I'll pass thanks," Don answered. "I though you and Raph would be a team."
"You can partner with me," Mikey said happily.
"No, I don't think so," Don said. "I want to make sure things are working upstairs. I also want to make sure the stairs are safe for Leo to climb once he gets back on his feet."
"Oh, okay," Casey said. "What about you, April?"
"No thanks," April said. "I was never one to join in snowball fights. You guys can do that. Is there anything to read in here?"
"Nope," Casey answered. "We got rid of Grandma's books to help pay the money for her doctor bills. There is a bookstore in town that you might like. They've got a lot of used books for cheap prices and new ones too."
"Okay," April said. "I'll get some books to read. What sort of books do you like, Leo?"
"Well, I really like Japanese history," Leo replied. "But, if you can't get that, I'm a big fan of the Harry Potter books."
"You are?" Raph said in astonishment. "How did you get hooked on that stuff?"
"Donnie got me into it," Leo said. "He got the first one from April and began reading it. Then, he decided that he wasn't into it, so he gave it to me. I read it, and I got interested in it. There's a lot of history in those books if you look closely."
"Okay," April said. "I'll see if they have one of the books for you to read." She headed out and got into the truck. While she was leaving, Casey, Raph, and Mikey went outside to start their snowball fight. It was a pretty exciting battle, but Casey ended up winning. They decided to go inside to warm up afterwards.
"So, who won?" Leo asked them.
"I did," Casey said proudly. "Your brothers had no chance."
"You cheated!" protested Mikey.
"You're the one who was cheatin', Mikey," said Raph. "I saw you have all those snowballs ready to go. You're supposed to make them as you fight."
"Yeah, well, you didn't have my back, Raphie," retorted Mikey,
"That's because it was every man for himself," said Casey. "Just like they do in wrestling when they have the Royal Rumble."
Then April came in the door. "Hi, everyone," she said. "How was the snowball fight?"
"Casey won," answered Raph.
"Yeah, by cheating," muttered Mikey.
"Great," said April. "I got a lot of good stuff at the bookstore." She held up a novel.
"Whoa, April, I don't read romance novels," said Casey holding his hands up in protest.
April giggled. "They're not for you, silly," she said. "I got you and Raph some sports magazines." She tossed them to him. "That should keep you boys amused for a while. Don, I got you some computer books. I figured you would like them. Mikey, I got you some comic books. Leo, I got you the fifth Harry Potter book as well as some books on ninjitsu. I had a feeling you'd like those. And, Master Splinter, I got you some crossword puzzles. I hope that's okay."
"It is fine, Miss O'Neil," Splinter said. "I love to do those. I would often steal the TV Guide to the crossword puzzle inside of it."
"Oh, so that's why my TV Guide kept coming up missing," Mikey said. "I always thought Raph did that for a joke."
"I guess not," Raph said with a smile.
For the rest of the day, all of them had fun looking at their reading materials. They only stopped to eat dinner (chicken noodle soup for Leo and pizza for everyone else) and to watch television that night.
"Hey, isn't wrestling on tonight?" asked Casey.
"No," Raph said. "That was yesterday. Today is Tuesday."
"All right!" Mikey cried. "The Amazing Race is on! Let's watch it!"
"No way!" said Raph. "I don't want to watch no stupid reality show!"
"Raph, just leave it," said Leo. "I want to watch it. I love the show."
"Sweet!" said Mikey. He turned up the volume and began to watch.
"Man, that Jonathan dude is a jerk!" commented Casey. "I'd sure love to whack him with my hockey stick. You should never push a lady."
"Yeah, but he isn't as bad as Shredder," said Leo with a shiver.
"Yeah, I agree," said Mikey. "Victoria's whiny though. I don't like that. I also don't like Charla and Mirna. They're snobby."
"Mikey, you're whiny," pointed out Raph.
"I think all this is just for the show," said Don. "I think they just pretend to fight so that the show gets ratings."
"It could be true," said Mikey. "That would make a good Jerry Springer show."
"You watch way too much TV, Mikey," Raph said, playfully punching his little brother in the arm. "I don't think Jerry would be interested in that stuff. He likes bizarre situations."
After the show was over, the news came on. The newscaster started talking about a robbery that happened at a gas station. Then he said, "And police are still investigating the case of an explosion at a New York antique shop. Police believe that it could possibly be linked to terrorism. There is no indication that there are any survivors. Rescue workers will continue to do a search tomorrow."
April's eyes filled with tears as she saw the ruins of her beloved shop. The others watched with sympathy written on their faces. Casey put his arm around her.
"April, are you okay?" Leo asked anxiously.
"I'm fine, Leo," April reassured him. "It was just a shock seeing that on the news. I'm going to bed now. Good night, everyone." She waved and went upstairs to bed.
"I believe we should all go to bed now," Splinter declared. "We have a big day ahead of us."
"Hey, Leo, do you want me to sleep in here tonight?" Raph asked his brother.
"No, it's okay, Raph," Leo reassured him. "I'll be fine."
"All right," Raph said. ""Have a good night, Leo."
"Yeah, sleep tight, bro." Mikey said cheerfully.
"Try not to move around too much," Don advised him. "Call me if you need anything."
"Sweet dreams, my son," Splinter said. He kissed his son on the forehead.
"'Night, guys," Leo called back "See you in the morning." After his brothers left, Leo settled down to sleep.
Dream sequence
Leo was running across the rooftops, pursued by the Foot Ninjas. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get away. As he tried to escape, the Foot Elite blocked his path, their weapons gleaming in the moonlight. Leo tried to fight, but he couldn't hold them off. Then, he saw the Shredder on a building across from them, laughing at Leo's predicament. He gave a signal, and the Foot Elite pushed Leo off of the building. Leo screamed as he fell.
End of dream sequence.
"Leo, wake up!" a voice cried frantically.
Leo opened his eyes to see a figure silhouetted in the doorway. Leo instinctively reached for his swords, but remembered that they weren't there. His eyes widened in fear. Why did he have to be helpless now? Where were his brothers when he needed them? Someone was going to attack him.
"Leo, calm down," Raph said, stepping into the light. "It's me. I'm not gonna hurt you."
Leo closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. He was trembling all over.
"What happened?" Raph asked anxiously.
"I had a nightmare, Raph," Leo answered, opening his eyes.
"What was it about?" Mikey asked. He, Don, April, Casey, and Splinter had heard Leo cry out and wanted to find out what was going on.
"I don't want to talk about it," Leo said shortly. "Let's just say it was bad and leave it at that."
While the others didn't know the nature of Leonardo's dream, Splinter did. He could sense that his son had dreamed about Shredder and the battle. He went to the kitchen and made some tea that would calm Leonardo's mind.
"Here, my son," the old rat said. "Drink this. It will help to calm you down."
Leonardo took the drink in his good hand and drank it slowly. It did seem to calm him as it went down his throat.
Then Don came over and checked Leo's bandages to see if the wounds had been aggravated, but they were fine. He warned Leo to try not to thrash around too much.
"I couldn't help it, Don!" Leo said angrily. "It was a bad dream!"
"Calm down, Leonardo," Splinter said softly. "Donatello is just concerned about you. He does not want you to injure yourself further. Now, try to go back to sleep. We will talk tomorrow."
"Master Splinter, it's already two in the morning," April pointed out.
"Then we will all talk to you when we wake up," Splinter corrected himself.
"I'm pretty much awake now," Mikey said.
"Look, everyone go back to sleep," Raph ordered them. "I'll stay in here with Leo."
"Raph, you don't have to do that," Leo protested. "I'll be fine."
"I'm sleepin' in here tonight, and that's it," said Raph firmly. "I don't want you havin' another nightmare."
"Okay, Raph," said Leo resignedly. He knew that his brother wouldn't budge once he set his mind on something. Luckily, Leo didn't have any more nightmares during the early morning hours.
After breakfast the next day, Splinter had Raph, Don, and Mikey go outside to the barn for a training session. Leo looked at them wistfully as they headed out. He really wished he could go with them.
He picked up one of the books on ninjitsu that April had gotten for him. He flipped through it until he came to a warrior wielding katanas. Tears filled his eyes. Why did he have to be so careless and lose his swords?
"Leo, what's wrong?" April asked him. Then she saw the picture he was looking at. "Oh, I see," she said. "You miss your swords, don't you?"
Leo nodded. "I don't remember how I lost them," he said. "All I recall is fighting with the Foot Elite and falling off the building. I knew they were knocked out of my hands, but I couldn't see them fall."
"That had to be hard for you," April said sympathetically. "Where did Master Splinter get them?"
"I'm not sure," Leo answered thoughtfully. "He never told us. All he said was that we were ready to have our own weapons and that we were to treat them with respect. He never had to worry about that. I just wish I hadn't lost them. I'm such an idiot!"
"It wasn't your fault," April protested. "You were outnumbered by the Foot Ninjas. It's their fault you lost them. Don't worry, I'm sure Master Splinter will get you some new ones."
"Yeah, you're right," Leo said. "I just wish we could do something about your shop."
April forced a smile. "Oh, I'll be all right," she said with a shrug. "I'd rather concentrate on helping you get back to your old self first."
"You could always stay at our place," Leo offered. "We'd have to ask Master Splinter, but I don't think he'll object."
"Oh, I can't ask you guys to do that," April said modestly. "It's not fair to you guys."
"It's no big deal," Leo said. "I'm sure the others will be happy about it. You could help Donnie with his inventions. And I'm sure Mikey would want to challenge you to one of his video games. Raph would like to try to get you hooked on sports. Master Splinter would like it too. I know he thinks of you as a daughter. I can tell."
"I don't know about that," April said. "I'm just a good friend."
"You're more than a friend," Leo contradicted. "You're part of the family. Don't you remember what you said to me as we made our way out of the apartment building?"
April thought for a moment. "I said I'd never run out on you," she remembered.
"You also told me we're like family," Leo reminded her.
"Yeah, I guess I did," April said. "It's because I do feel that way. I never had any brothers of my own. You guys are the brothers I never had, and Master Splinter does remind me of my dad."
"And you're like the daughter Sensei never had," Leo said. "You've been really nice and helpful, April. If it wasn't for you, I would have never made it out of that building. It means a lot to me to have a friend like that. I owe you one."
"No, I owe you guys," April contradicted. "You saved me from the mousers."
"And you rewarded us by letting us stay with you," Leo said. "And it's our fault you lost it."
Leo, stop blaming yourself!" April said firmly. "You weren't the ones who triggered that bomb. You've been nothing but good surrogate brothers to me." She hugged him gently. He was right in one way. They were a family, and April knew that she would die to protect the ones she loved.
A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter. What did you think? Here are two questions for you. One is a Turtles related one and the other isn't. First, who is your favorite secondary character from the Turtles show? Second, do any of you watch The Amazing Race? If you do, what did you think of the premiere last night? If not, check out this show. Here are my answers: I like Usagi because he's an awesome friend of Leo's. I love that little bunny! Second, I love The Amazing Race, and I thought the premiere last night was awesome. Please read, review, and answer if you want. Catch ya later!