OK, you people all demanded it, so without further adieu, I present the sequel to A Story About Faith, A Story About Hope. Enjoy peoples! This is Donny's P.O.V.
Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT!
It was about a year after Faith's death, Leo was slowly getting better, Mikey tried to act like nothing had ever happened, and Raph was just being Raph except he was being a bit more moody. As for me, well I was trying to create an experiment to communicate with the dead. Ever since Splinter died about two years ago, I tried so hard to think of a way to create something. Then after Faith died, I worked even harder than usual. Seeing the way my big brother was acting, I knew I had to do something before he completely broke. So I would pull all nighters for 2 to 7 days. I basically kept myself locked up in my lab.
This one particular day though, my brothers had left on patrol. I would've gone with them, but they insisted I should get some sleep. Of course I wasn't sleeping I was working on my experiment again. As I was working, I heard a small noise. I didn't think anything of it, but then it came again, it sounded like someone was running.
Using my ninja instincts I grabbed my bo staff and slowly made my way out my lab and into the dark of the rest of my household. I heard another noise that sounded like a whimper. I felt something go right past me and I raised my bo staff above my head as I was flicking the lights on. I quickly dropped my bo staff when I realized it was a little girl. She was extremely little and she looked to be about three or four. She was very thin, and had long blond hair and shiny blue eyes.
"Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you." I said gently kneeling down in front of her.
She took a timid step forward but that was as far as she went.
"What's your name?" I asked softly.
She hesitated for a moment before answering; "Hope."
"Hi Hope, my name is Donatello, but you can call me Don or Donny. What are you doing down here?"
"It's cold outside and I was trying to find a warm place to stay, I came down to the sewers and found your home. I thought no one was living here, so I came in." Hope said.
"Smart kid.' I thought before asking: Don't you have a family or a home?"
She shook her head no. "My family got rid of me last month, and I've been living on the streets ever since."
At first I was shocked. What kind of a family abandons their own child like that? Then, noticing her thin frame, I decided I mine as well feed her. I decided it was best not to ask why her family abandoned her.
Hope was famished she wolfed down everything. Soon after she was finished she stuck by my side, I couldn't even work on my experiment so I decided to watch TV with her. Soon she fell asleep snuggled up close to me. I guess I must have dozed off too, because I woke up a few hours later to find Leo covering me with a blanket.
"Sorry." He whispered.
"It's okay, I was waking up anyway." I said groggily.
"Don, who's the girl?" Mikey cut in.
I glanced down at Hope. "This is Hope, I found her prowling around our home. I wasn't about to have her leave, her family abandoned her and she's been living on the streets for a month. I don't know why her family abandoned her, but seeing that it's winter I thought it would be okay if she stayed here." I explained.
Leo glanced down at Hope and I saw a hint of sadness flash in his eyes. He was thinking about Faith again. Leo quickly snapped out of it before nodding to me. Then he left to go to his room. Mikey watched him leave.
"Where's Raph?" I asked suddenly realizing my other older brother was gone.
Mikey jumped a bit. "Leo and him got into a fight on the way home and he went to go let off some steam. He's probably going to spend the night at Casey's house."
I nodded, before starting to get up. Hope moaned and I quickly lowered myself down again. Mikey smiled. "I guess you sure have a way with the ladies Don." He said jokingly.
I glowered at him before breaking into a grin.
"You should probably get some sleep though, Don. Everyone's been worried about you, even if it may not seem like it. Besides it's not healthy if you lose so much sleep."
I nodded. Mikey left and I ended up falling asleep shortly after that.
The next morning I woke up around twelve to see Mikey and Hope playing a video game. Hope spotted me and smiled. I smiled back. I realized that I had formed a special bond between Hope like Leo and Faith had. Soon Hope began following me everywhere I went. She became so attached, that I had to start apologizing whenever I left her to go to the bathroom. I stopped working on my experiment, and as days turned into weeks I began to never want Hope to leave my side for an instant. We had become inseparable. Everything was perfect, all my brothers began to horse around a lot more. I thought my life was going back to normal, and my family could all be happy again, until the day my life went down hill again on that horrible day I will never forget.
Hope, Mikey, and I were playing a game of tag in the dojo area. We were laughing and joking around, but Hope lost her balance and fell. She slid on the cement and scraped her knee. Blood started pouring out and Hope began screaming and crying. I ran over to help her but she quickly pushed me away.
"Don't touch me! I have AIDS!" She shrieked. I stopped dead and Mikey froze. Hope was practically in hysterics. I had no idea what to do. I usually always knew what to do in a state of emergency, but this time I was clueless. Mikey quickly ran to go get Leo and I just sat there like an idiot watching Hope cry.
"That's why my parents abandoned me! They thought I was a freak! They were too afraid to even come near me or touch me, they were afraidthey would get sick!" She said crying even harder. It all suddenly hit me then, and I began to feel horrible.
Leo called April, and April was able to get us to the hospital in such a way that we wouldn't come in contact with any of Hope's blood. Hope was admitted into an emergency room where she lay there for hours getting treated with shots and antibiotics.
A doctor came out and sadly told us that they had to put Hope to sleep. Her body wasn't taking the scrape well, and it was becoming infected. We had the chance to see her one more time before she died.
All my brothers went before me, I wanted to stay with Hope as she died. Finally it was my turn to approach her. I wasn't exactly sure what to say and I found myself crying as I went up to her.
"Donny…." She said quietly.
"Hope, please don't talk……"
"……No, I have to tell you. I appreciate what you've done for me. I knew you were special, you were always there for me. When I came to your home looking for warmth and shelter you excepted me. You cared for me and loved me like a real family would have. You didn't consider me a freak, and you weren't afraid of me. You treated me like a normal person and made me feel like I was the luckiest, girl in the whole world. When I was with you, I always felt I was the only person that existed. I appreciate everything you've done for me. I thank you for that. You were the only real family I ever had Donny, Forever and ever I will always consider you my family, and my dad. I love you so much……" Hope said weakly.
I began crying right then and there. I couldn't think of anything to say, except those five little words she had always been looking for, the wish she had always wanted, and the life she wanted to have. I knew these words would tell her everything I wanted to say about her, all the wonderful qualities she had. Through my tears I was able to choke out; "I love you too Hope." Hope smiled at me and I smiled back at her.
As the shot was being injected into her, the whole time I stayed with her, and held her hand and watched her slowly fade away to a happier place where she could still follow me everywhere I went in spirit. It was still pretty heart wrenching.
After that I went for two weeks without sleep. My brothers could only watch me sadly from a distance as I worked harder and harder on finding the material I would need to communicate with the dead. I began ignoring my brothers and the advice they tried to offer me, the help and support they tried to give me, just rolled off my back. So I keep myself locked in my lab endlessly working as I slowly begin to believe that my experiment will probably never happen. So many times I wanted to just go to sleep, but I was too afraid too. I was afraid that if I went to sleep I would feel Hope's body snuggled against me and that would truly break me. Sometimes I would just randomly start crying. Even when my brothers offered me comfort, I used to think to myself why it even matters. Hope's never coming back.
Even if I may believe that my experiment is a failure, I still have to keep trying. I am trying so hard to be there for my brothers, and to show that I truly care about them, and that I respect them. I have to train harder and do my best, I have to keep on trying. I have to keep on trying because……
A wise little girl once told me to always have hope.
So did you like it? If you did expect A Story About Joy and A Story About Patience to come out soon! Please R&R!