We got to the 10 reviews, so that means, extra chapter! Hope you guys enjoy it! :D
2 weeks in.
(Mikey's POV)
"Yer still here? Fuck man how long can those assholes put up with you?" I frown, but not taking my eyes of my locker in front of me. "Answer me asshole" The voice continued, shoving my shoulder harshly. I stumble to the side slightly, glaring at the boy that was standing next to me.
"Go away Scott" I mutter, averting my eyes again.
"Fuck it's really you. That's amazing, yo Tyler it's really him!" Scott laughs, I glare at him, slamming the locker shut. I don't bother saying more, turning around and walking away. "Hell no you don't" Scott calls out, and suddenly something wraps around my wrist, pulling me back. I whirl around.
The two boys stood tall in front of me, smug looks on their faces as they looked down on me.
"When did you get out of jail?" Tyler snorts.
"Hey!" Another voice suddenly calls out, and I look around to see both Don and Raph stalk over to me. "Get lost assholes" Raph snaps, standing next to me.
"So you were really fostered by these losers" Tyler snorts, and Raph glares.
"Say that to my face" Raph snaps, taking a step forwards. Tyler did the same, stopping just inches away from Raph, glaring down at the boy. Tyler was crazy tall, just like Scott was. Both super muscular, and while Raph wasn't short by any means, he was way shorter than Tyler.
"Your parents didn't want you Raph, and it looks like your foster parents found another boy like you" Tyler hisses, glancing at me. A stab of pain goes through my heart, but I just glare back at the two boys.
"They're not our foster parents, they're our parents" Don snaps, but doesn't move like Raph did. Over the past 2 weeks I had quickly realised the dynamics in the family. Raph was the jock, but the kind version. He was intimidating, but he cared about Don and Leo and would do anything to protect them.
Don was more timid, more laidback most of the times, but family was a sensitive topic for him. And it certainly wasn't the first time some jocks picked on either Don, Raph or Leo for being adopted.
"Adoption parents" Tyler retorts.
"At least my parents wanted me, at least they love us" Raph snaps. "Something I can't say about your parents"
"How the hell do you even know Mikey?" Don interjects, and within seconds I can feel all four of them look at me. I cringe slightly, resisting the urge to take a step back. But I stood my ground, something I had quickly learned in Juvie… or something I was forced to learn quickly.
"We spend a few months in juvie, isn't that right Mike?" I just glare at Scott for the comment. "I'm surprised they let you out, last time I saw you, guards were arguing that you deserve the death penalty" Shit. I glance at Don and Raph, who were both staring at me with terrified eyes. Shit, they weren't supposed to find out.
I take a shuddering breath, but before I could even walk away I felt a strong hand on my back. I glance to the left, seeing Don look at me. What the hell was going through his head right now? How the hell would he react knowing he was living in a house with someone who was wished the death penalty upon?
"Shit you didn't know" Scott barks out a laugh. "Good luck explaining that one Mike" He snickers, glancing at Tyler. The latter snickers, glancing at me for a short moment before the two of them both walked away, leaving the three of us alone.
"What the hell Mike?" Raph suddenly snapped, turning around and shoving me. "Fucking death row? What the hell did you do?" I stumble backwards, eyes going wide. I knew this was going to be his reaction, I knew they weren't going to like it, that they weren't going to accept this about me.
So why the hell was I still so… surprised?
I knew that nobody was going to accept me the moment I was arrested, and the fact that I just narrowly escaped the death row didn't mean anything.
"I-I…." I stammer, but I can't seem to formulate a response.
"Answer me Mikey!" Raph snaps, and now I was just glad the school had ended already, and the hallway was already empty.
"Don't start here Raph" Don softly said, stepping away from me and walking over to his older brother. Raph looks at me with distrust before sighing, giving Don and nod before walking away.
I would've done the same.
TMNT
"Don and Raph texted me they were eating somewhere else so we're just with the two of us tonight" Shen smiled brightly, walking into the kitchen. I glance up, elbows still firmly on the dinner table. Leo was training together with Yoshi, Ninjutsu, as they always were doing on thursday.
And I knew all too well why Don and Raph weren't coming home tonight.
"Shen?" I ask softly, and immediately the woman glances at me. No judgement in her eyes, no distrust, just love. "Can I ask you something?" Her eyes softened ever so slightly, and she nodded, taking a step towards me.
"Always sweetie" She confirms, she glances at the chair for a moment, and I shrug. She takes the chair however, sitting down and looking at me with a patient look on her face.
"Why did you decide to foster?" I ask eventually. "You don't have to answer it if you don't want to" I hurriedly add, but Shen just smiled again, waving me off.
"Don't be afraid to ask something Mikey" She says, but she took a deep breath. "I met Yoshi when Leo was just 2 years old. As you know, his mother abandoned him for a richer man. When she left the state without Yoshi's permission, she lost custody but she didn't seem to care all that much" Shen tells me, and I nod.
I knew this much already, at least, I speculated it.
"After some hesitance on Yoshi's part we started dating. And after 2 years we moved in together and decided to have a baby together" She glances away from me, laughing watery. "Leo was so excited to be an older brother, asking me constantly about the baby. When I was due, and so on"
I smile slightly as well. I could certainly imagine that. Leo was so overprotective of Don and Raph, of course he would be excited to be an older brother when he wasn't one already. And Leo basically grew up with Shen as his mom, she raised him, he was hers.
"We soon found out it was a girl, and we had already named her Miwa" Except.. there was no Miwa around. "The doctors discovered she was dead when I was almost due, and I was forced to deliver Miwa's body" She whispered the last part, looking down. A lonely tear escaped her eye.
"I'm so sorry" I whisper, not even knowing what I could say in this situation. She looks up, smiling sadly and wiping away the tear.
"After my miscarriage, I became infertile so I couldn't have kids on my own." She tells me, a little bitter this time. She was so positive about everything, but it was clear that this part of her life still haunted her. "I was raised very strict, and I was always told that abortion was bad. The experience.. changed me"
I frown slightly. "How so?"
"I used to be pro-life, and I believed that nobody could ever decide for the life of another human being. But afterwards I had learned that the doctors were almost certain that Miwa wouldn't survive, but because they were against abortion, they decided not to tell me since abortion was an option in that hospital."
"They just… didn't tell you?" I gasp, staring at her. Shen nods.
"I don't want to acknowledge it really, but I almost died giving birth to Miwa. If the doctors had told me, if I had gotten the abortion the outcome would've been the same. Except I wouldn't have been infertile and I would have had a safe miscarriage." I can only nod, stunned by the information.
But also that she would tell so willingly. I would be gone in less than 3 weeks probably, she had no reason to tell me.
"The experience got me thinking, who were the doctors to decide that Miwa's life was more important than mine? If I had to die in order for Miwa to live, what choice would I have made according to my belief? They would've told me to keep the baby, that abortion is bad. And I would always put my children first, no questions asked, but I hope you understand what I mean"
Again, I nod.
It wasn't even that hard to understand. Pro-life was a belief with good intention for sure, and while I didn't support it, I could understand why people would be against abortions. Who are we to play God? But on the other hand, Shen was just one of the many examples. The doctors choose a fetus' life over a life that was already living so to speak.
They choose a fetus who, at that point, could not feel pain over a mother who could feel pain, who could die in pain just because they said abortion was bad. But if they were pro-life, what made them allowed to choose one life over the other?
"After I got released from the hospital I started doing more research, about both sides. I never really questioned my beliefs, but now I did" Shen continues, and I snap out of my thoughts, looking up at her again. "I started reading about mothers who had the same experience as me"
She took a deep breath again, but no tears were visible.
"Hundreds of stories of girls who got pregnant accidentally, got raped, got pregnant when they weren't ready to have kids. And all were denied by hospitals. They either sought out illegal alternatives or had the baby with dire consequences. Girls died because of the illegal abortion, girls were forced to drop out of high school, or they had to go to extremes to care for the child, starve themselves, live on the streets, steal"
Shen runs a hand through her hair carefully, but her posture stays calm.
"And then it's the fault of the girls right?" I whisper softly, and Shen, much to my horror, nods.
"The men told the girls it was their fault for getting pregnant, that they had to control themselves, or that they were only made for having babies." She confirms. "I'm not saying abortion is good, but it can be better than the alternative. Making abortion illegal kills girls, and forces children to have awful lives" Shen says, and I wince slightly.
Because that last part… that was a bit close to home for me. That was something I knew all too well, and by the look on Shen's face, she realised that too.
"I started reading stories of the kids, children whose parents were denied an abortion. Kids in foster care who were sad, didn't have a home or someone to look after them. Kids forced onto the streets when they turned 18, kids living in poverty and not being able to eat properly, or get proper.. anything"
I nod, glancing down at the table again.
"Kids whose parents turn violent" She whispers, and I glance at her again. I nod painfully, eyes burning with tears suddenly.
"Those too" I whisper in confirmation, but Shen already knew, she knew what happened, she knew what kind of assholes my parents were.
"I don't believe abortion is the answer to everything, but there are so many kids who are the victim of their mothers not being able to get an abortion. There are kids miserable, and I don't believe that that is better than removing them from the womb necessarily."
"But once the baby is born nobody cares where they end up" I mutter, and Shen nods.
"They don't, they advocate against abortion because they feel like the kids should have an opportunity in life and we can't decide to kill them off. But yet, they do nothing to care for that baby when they are born." She glances at me.
"And even then, denying a woman an abortion can have effects on her as well. People often ask 'what if one of those babies will have a medical breakthrough? But now can't because someone aborted him or her'. And then I ask myself; 'But what if that breakthrough was in my mind but I died when delivering Miwa? What if that breakthrough was in the mind of the girl who was forced to drop out of school?'"
Shen takes a deep breath again, calming herself a bit. "What if that medical breakthrough was inside one of the minds of the foster kids who no one cares about? Who are forced onto the streets without any money for college." She glances at me. "They pretend to care but they often don't. That's why I started fostering, or at least part of the reason"
"You wanted to give foster kids a home?" I ask softly.
"I wanted to give kids a loving home, my attention and love when some people who are pro-life don't"
"But you can't blame people who are against abortion for not taking care of those kids" I counter, and Shen smiles again.
"It's a difficult discussion, and you're right. I can't just say that pro-life people should help foster care, but I do find it odd that they do not seem to care for the child beyond the womb." She laughs silently, shaking her head. "I wanted kids, but when I couldn't I decided to help people in foster care"
I stay silent again, glancing down at the table again.
"I talked about it with Yoshi, and after a few months we had our first foster child. His name was Lin, but he only stayed with us for 8 months because his mom had an accident and ended up in a coma, there were no other relatives to care for him." She tells me. "We got two others who both left as well before we got Raph, and then Don"
"And they both stayed" I mutter. Shen nods with a bright smile.
"They were so sweet, Donnie was so shy, and never spoke. Raph was different… but also really reserved because of his upbringing. But I grew to love them as my own." She glances at me, and I glance back at her. That darn smile was back on her face again, a smile so foreign to me.
"Don told me about his biological mom" I mumble. "She never reached out to him?" I knew the answer already, no, no she had never. But maybe I was hoping for Shen to deny it, that she did behind Don's back or something like that. But this was real life.
"She never did" Shen confirms, slowly reaching out and sticking a loose piece of hair behind my ear. I suppress a flinch, resisting the urge to turn away. She smiles gently. "Did Raph open up to you about his past?" She whispers softly.
"Not yet"
Shen hums. "I think he will, I can see he's more open around you than other foster kids" She says. I almost snort, because after what he learned today there was no way he was going to open up. "I won't tell about his past, Raph wouldn't want me to. Just like I've been keeping your secret"
I look up at her, but her expression was sincere, honest.
"I know you don't like people knowing you. The police didn't mention your name but I know there are some kids at school who you know from juvie" Yes, Scott, and he told his friend Tyler. But they wouldn't tell, they didn't even know much to begin with. They didn't know what I did, they only knew I was convicted.
And the less people knew the better.
So I was okay with the compromise. Shen wouldn't tell me Raph's past, and in turn she wouldn't turn the guys about mine.
And I would be long gone before they even had a chance to figure it out.
TMNT
So quick note, if you're a minor and commit a crime, or you're involved in a crime, apparently they sometimes keep your name out of reports to avoid it going public. So whatever Mikey did to end up juvie isn't known to the public, because his name was kept out of the reports and everything.
Also, I know the pro-life/pro-choice discussion is a very controversial one, especially now. And that's why I wanted to put it in there. I'm not bashing on people who are pro-life. I think it's good that you realise we can't just play God and kill off babies. But I think that the woman still has the right to say what goes on with her body. And doctors (and especially men) can't say whether they can get an abortion. Women don't just get an abortion whenever they feel like it, they have legit reasons, and even if they didn't, they are still entitled to that decision. Most arguments are heard are either based on religion (mind you, a religion that I don't believe in, just like ⅔ of the world), or arguments that are highly hypocritical and or can be debunked easily.
It's okay if you don't share these views, as long as you don't try to remove the rights for women to have an abortion.