Chapter 3: Worries

A/N: Well, I'm finally back. I'm sorry it took me so long to write. I've just been busy with school stuff. I was forced to endure summer classes and had to take Statistics yet again because I have to pass it in order to graduate. However, I ended up failing it yet again. So, I'm gonna see if I can take another class to substitute for it. I sure hope so. Okay, enough of me rambling. I want to send two shout-outs to two anonymous reviewers. I know we're technically not allowed to do review responses, but I make an exception for the anonymous reviewers since I can't reply to their reviews. So, here goes:

Mac: Thanks for the review. Congrats on graduating high school! Do you plan to go to college? If so, where?

Kathy: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it. Here's the update!

And now I'll thank the rest of you the old-fashioned way. Thanks to: arianshifter, paulafromtwoson, aronoiiel, DarkRaven18, Leo's Baby80, Forever Clois, shellsboy24, Resevoir Warrior, and spaztastic reader. It's because of you guys that I've continued with this story. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Turtles. I do own a T-shirt of them that I'm wearing right now. Pretty cool, huh? The Turtles are owned by Eastman and Laird.

April O'Neil sighed in relief after the last customer left the shop. It had been a very busy day for April as she waited on customers wanting to buy antiques. One woman in particular became very demanding when April informed her that he didn't have a certain item.

"It's days like these when I ask myself why I even decided to open this shop," April said to herself as she locked the shop doors. Then she ascended the stairs to her apartment, ready to eat some dinner and go to bed. But when she opened the door, she found herself staring at Donatello, who was sitting on her couch.

"Don, what are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I'm here to fix your computer," Don replied. "You said it was acting up."

"Yeah, I did," April remembered. She went over to the couch and sat down beside Don. "So, how's Leo?" she asked him.

Don sighed. "He's awake, but he's in a lot of pain," he said. "And I'm not just talking about physical pain either. His mental state is gonna be bad for awhile. He freaked out when I tried to give him a painkiller."

"Well, none of your brothers ever liked getting needles," remarked April.

"I know that, but Leo acted like he was scared," said Don. "I think the Foot kept using needles on him, and that's what triggered his reaction to me." Don's shoulders sagged. "I just feel so helpless, April. What can I do?"

"You can be there for him, Don," replied April. "All of you can support Leo and talk to him. With time, maybe he'll talk about what happened. Now, let's get off this couch and see what's wrong with my computer."

Donatello knew that April was right. They would just have to give Leo some time. He went over to April's computer and started looking at it all over. He concluded that it was just the program that was messed up and said that he could fix it tomorrow night when April got a new program for it. He knew she was too tired to do so tonight.

"Thanks, Don," said April gratefully. "I had a feeling that it was the program, but I wanted to be sure that I was right."

"Hey, it's the least I can do," said Don. He really felt that April was a kindred spirit because she understood him. Whenever he talked to his brothers about one of his inventions they simply pretended to understand what he was saying. But when he talked to April, she listened with true interest and even offered advice. At one time, Don even hoped that April would like him as more than just a friend, but he knew that would never be.

"Don, are you okay?" inquired April.

Don snapped out of his thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine," he responded, grateful that April couldn't tell what he was thinking. "I'd better head home. I want to make sure Leo's okay."

"I'm sure he's fine," reassured April. "If he wasn't, Splinter would have called you. Stay for dinner. I'll be happy to make you something."

"No, that's okay," protested Don. "I'll have a snack when I get home. Thanks anyway."

"You're welcome," April said warmly. "I'll be by tomorrow to visit Leo. After that, you and I can fix my computer."

"Sounds good to me," Don told her. "See you then."

April watched him go with a look of sympathy on her face. She knew that he was very concerned about Leo. April felt guilty that she hadn't been in New York when Leo got captured. She had been in New Jersey with her sister, Robyn, who had been in a car accident. After she got back and heard the news, she felt awful that she hadn't been to talk to her friends. Now, she vowed to make up for those two lost months.

Rooftops of New York City

Raphael leaped from rooftop to rooftop on his way to Casey's apartment. As he ran, he thought about everything that had happened since Leo's capture. The endless days of searching, the tense moments of worry, the heartache of seeing Leo in his injured state. Raph vowed that the Foot would pay for what they had done. With any luck, maybe he and Casey would encounter some Foot Ninjas that night. If so, Raph would make sure they wouldn't be able to get back to Foot Headquarters.

The night was clear with the stars sparkling in the sky. Down below, traffic rumbled along at its usual pace. Raphael noticed none of this as he made his way to Casey's apartment.

He reached the window and knocked on it. Casey opened it and let Raph in.

"It's about time!" he grumbled. "What took you so long?"

"Nothin'," Raph said. "I came the usual way."

"Whatever," Casey said with a shrug of his shoulders. "So, let's get to it."

"Just the words I wanted to hear," Raph replied. "Race ya!"

The two of them leapt from rooftop to rooftop trying to see who would win. First, Raph was in the lead, then Casey managed to pass him. Raph got mad and managed to flip over the vigilante and beat him. The race didn't last long, but it was fun.

"Man, Raph, you've gotten faster," Casey commented. "Have you been practicin'?"

"No, I haven't," said Raph. "How could I do that with Leo injured? I wasn't gonna abandon my brother."

"Hey, Raph, I'm sorry," said Casey. "I forgot about that. Has Leo said anythin'?"

"About what?" asked Raph.

"About what happened to him," answered Casey.

Raph sighed. "No, he hasn't," he replied. "Sensei told us not to ask questions. He said that Leo would tell us about it when he's ready."

"Oh, that's cool, I guess," said Casey. He scanned the street below. "It's kinda quiet tonight. I don't think we're gonna get a lot of action."

Just as the words came out of his mouth, a woman's scream pierced the air.

"You were saying?" said Raph with a grin. He leaped onto another rooftop with Casey behind him. They soon discovered the source of the noise. A man was grabbing a woman while she cowered in fright.

"Calm down, sweet thing," said the man. "This won't hurt a bit." He was obviously drunk.

"Let go of me!" screamed the woman. "I have a husband and two kids at home!" The man didn't listen and pulled her closer.

"Yo, punk, didn't your mama ever tell you to respect a lady?" said a voice.

"Who's there?" demanded the man in a frightened voice.

"None of your business," said Raph. "Now, let the girl go."

"No way!" exclaimed the man. "She's mine!" Get your own broad!"

Raphael sighed. "I was hopin' I wouldn't have to do this," he said. He stepped out of the shadows with his sais in hand.

The man released the woman and backed away. "Who—who are you?" he asked fearfully.

"Your worst nightmare," replied Raph. He lunged at the man and managed to knock him down. The man gave a whistle, and a group of men came out of the shadows.

Raph grinned. "Oh, so that's how you want to play," he said. "Well, I've got backup too."

And with a cry of, "Goongala!" Casey Jones leapt down and joined the fray.

The fight did not last very long. These guys were obviously not gang members, just a bunch of drunks trying to act tough. Most of them were so drunk, they passed out right there on the street. Only the leader was left standing with two other guys.

"Dude, this is crazy!" said one of the guys. "Let's get out of here!"

"I'm with you on that," said the second guy. The two of them quickly fled the scene.

"I don't need those guys," said the leader. "I can take you guys on myself." He tried to throw a punch, but ended up missing and crashed onto the pavement. Raph and Casey waited, but he didn't get up.

"Well, that was new," commented Casey.

'Yeah, it was," agreed Raph. Then, something caught his eye. Six figures were running across the building across from them. He didn't have to take two guesses as to who they were. Foot Ninjas. Raph wanted to go after them, but something was telling him not to.

"Raph, are you okay?" asked Casey.

"I think so," answered Raph. "I want to go after those Foot Ninjas, but there's a voice in my head tellin' me not to."

"Dude, ignore it," said Casey. "Let's follow 'em."

The two of them leapt from their building to the other building and followed the six Ninjas. Luckily, the six Foot Ninjas were fixed on their destination and didn't sense the two following behind them.

Anger coursed through Raphael's veins as he pursued the Foot Ninjas. He reached into his belt and took out a shuriken. Casey saw him do it and looked surprised.

"Raph, are you nuts?" he asked. "What are you doing?"

"Gettin' payback," answered Raph. He threw the shuriken, and it landed right in a Foot Ninja's leg. The Ninja went down with a yelp, causing the others to turn around and spot Raph and Casey.

"This isn't good," Casey commented, but Raph didn't back down. He took out his sais, ready to fight the scum who tortured his brother.

The Foot Ninjas responded by drawing their weapons, but the leader stopped them.

"Leave them!" he commanded. "We were told not to attack the Turtles. They are for Mistress Karai to deal with."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Raphael demanded, but the Foot Ninjas didn't answer. Instead, they turned and fled the scene.

The red-clad Turtle wanted to go after them, but Casey stopped him.

"Don't do it, Raph," he advised. "I know you want to get them back, but you need to be with Leo. I know he wouldn't want you to get in trouble."

"Yeah, you're right," Raph said. "He's probably gonna lecture me once he hears about this."

"Well, just don't tell him you ran into some Foot Ninjas," Casey told him.

Raph shook his head. "Leo's pretty good at knowin' when one of us is lyin'," he said. "I think Splinter taught him how to detect if we are or not. Besides, I think Sensei needs to know what the Foot said. He'll want to talk about what needs to be done."

"Won't he be mad when he finds out you fought them?" asked Casey.

Raph laughed. "Probably," he answered. "C'mon, let's get the shell out of here."

The Lair

Michelangelo sat in the infirmary keeping watch over Leo. He felt that it was his duty to do so since Raph and Don were out. His gaze strayed from the Justice Force comic book that he was reading onto Leo's sleeping form. He felt so sorry for his big brother. Why did Leo always got seriously hurt? Sure, all of the Turtles had been injured after the last battle with the Utrom Shredder, but that was the only time. Every other time it had been Leo who bore the battle scars. Mikey truly wished he could trade places with Leo.

Mikey's thoughts were interrupted by his sensei. As he walked into the room, Mikey noticed that Splinter looked a lot older than he had before. The orange-clad Turtle knew it was because of Leo's disappearance. He only hoped that things would get better now that Leo was back.

"Michelangelo, you should go to bed," said Splinter gently. "I will keep watch until your brothers come home."

"Are you sure?" asked Mikey. "I can stay up longer if you want me to."

"No, you need your rest," insisted Splinter. "I will be fine."

"Okay," said Mikey with a smile. "See you in the morning, Sensei."

"Have sweet dreams, my son," said Splinter. He embraced Michelangelo and kissed him on the forehead. Then he returned to the chair that his youngest son had vacated.

As he gazed at his oldest son's face, Splinter felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He had failed his son in the past two months. He should have told his other sons to go back and rescue Leonardo immediately. Instead, he had postponed the rescue mission until Casey and April returned because he felt that they would be useful in the rescue mission. April had been with her sister, while Casey had been at the farmhouse with his mother. In doing so, he had subjected his oldest son to two months of torture and punishment. He only hoped that Leonardo would forgive him for what he had done.

The sound of the Lair door opening roused Splinter from his thoughts. He turned to see Donatello come into the infirmary, an anxious look on his face.

"Leonardo is fine, Donatello," reassured Splinter. "He has been sleeping peacefully."

Don breathed a sigh of relief. "Good," he said. He went over to examine Leo and to make sure that everything was in order. After that, he bid Splinter good night and headed upstairs to bed.

Not long after that, Raph came home. He hurried to the infirmary, curious to see how his older brother was. "How's Leo?" he asked.

"He is fine, Raphael," Splinter replied. "If you wish to sleep in here, you may do so. I am going to bed right now. Good night, my son."

"Good night, Sensei," Raph said. He gave Splinter a hug and headed to his room. He retrieved his sleeping bag and pillow and headed back downstairs. He placed his sleeping bag and pillow right next to Leo's bed. Before he got in, he walked up to Leo and looked at his sleeping brother.

"Good night, Leo," he said. "If you need anything during the night, I'll be right here. See you in the morning." He squeezed Leo's hand and settled in for the night. He was glad his brother was safe and wouldn't be tortured ever again. Raph vowed to make sure of that. With this last thought in his mind, Raph drifted off to sleep, dreaming of beating the crap out of the Foot Ninjas.

A/N: Well, that's it for that chapter. I'm sorry it took me so long to do. I'll try to have chapter four done sooner. You know the drill. Please read and leave a review. Have a shelltastic day!