Chapter Thirty- Time of Dying
Leo jumped to the window edge and reached futilely for Splinter. He was horrified at the thought of watching his sensei and father die, but then a flash of orange and green shot out and caught Splinter's arm before he could go any further. Shredder, unfortunately, kept falling straight to the pavement. He shouted in terror for a few moments before he hit the ground with a THUD and became silent.
Mikey grunted as he pulled Splinter into the building and onto solid ground. Donnie, Leatherhead, Raph, and April jumped over unconscious Foot Ninja as they hurried over to him. Donnie took April's backpack and pulled out some gauze, immediately getting to work on wrapping Splinter's wounds. He looked a little scared at the amount of blood soaking through his robes, but Donnie tried to hide his horror. Leo and Miwa joined them minutes later, but by the time they arrived Splinter was only half-conscious. His usually bright, reddish-brown eyes had considerably dulled to the color of a dirt covered brick. His breathing was abnormal from exhaustion and the wounds he sustained. When Donnie finished his work, he leaned Splinter against some crates.
"What do we do?" Miwa asked desperately. "We need a doctor; a real doctor. No offense, Donnie."
"None taken." Donnie assured. "But where do we find a doctor at such short notice that won't freak out at the sight of a giant rat?"
"A vet?" April suggested.
"That won't freak out at the sight of a giant rat." Raphael repeated.
"Whatever we decide, we must do it quickly." Leatherhead urged. "I fear that more of our enemies may come."
Miwa held her head in her hands and started pacing nervously. "What do we do? What do we do?"
"Easy, now." Leo put his hands on Miwa's shoulders. "We can't freak out. We need to keep our heads."
April's face suddenly lit up. "I have an idea. I know someone who will help." She pulled out her phone and started dialing.
"What are you doing?" Donnie asked worriedly.
"I'm calling in a friend." April reported. She turned when her call was answered. "Hey, it's April. Remember that turtle you helped out? His master is in critical condition and he needs help." She paused for a moment. "He's kinda cut up and he has two really deep stab wounds that won't stop bleeding." Another pause. "He's breathing a little weird and he's not moving. But he's still awake." She waited with baited breath for a moment before sighing in relief. "Thank you so much! I owe you big time. We're at the abandoned church near Chinatown. Thank you!" She hung up the phone. "I've got my aunt on her way."
"The one who stitched and wrapped up my arm?" Raphael asked.
"Yep." April nodded, smiling a little. "She'll know what to do."
"Good." Donnie nodded, keeping his eyes on Splinter. "Because I think he's getting worse. He's running a fever and he won't respond to anything I say or do."
"Otōsan?" Miwa called albeit timidly. "Can you hear me?" When Splinter didn't even look at her, she suddenly dropped next to him and shook him gently. "Dad, please snap out of it! I don't wanna lose you!"
"Miwa, don't!" Donnie gently pulled her away. "We don't want to make it worse."
"But I—"
"April!"
April turned as Aunt Kelsey jogged down the hall, carefully stepping over the still out cold ninjas. Her white lab coat, jeans, sneakers, and light blue shirt were covered in dirt and a little grime.
"Where is he?" Aunt Kelsey asked.
"Over here." April led her aunt down to her sensei.
"Watch out!" Donnie shouted.
April and Aunt Kelsey jumped with surprised shouts as Dogpound's oversized fist landed in the spot they previously occupied. Raph, Leo, and Mikey immediately leaped into battle with the giant dog. Leatherhead roared and followed them.
Aunt Kelsey and April ran to Splinter's side and Aunt Kelsey looked over the wounds. "He's lost a good amount of blood, but his only serious wounds from what I can see are the two you described. We should get him out of here."
"I'll go with you." April offered.
"Me too." Donnie said. "Miwa, you go help the guys."
"I'm not leaving him." Miwa stated firmly, keeping her eyes on her father.
"Miwa, no offense, but I think I'll be the calmer one in a hospital situation." Donnie protested as he and April helped Splinter to his feet. "And you can fight Dogpound just as well as the rest of us."
"No." Miwa growled.
"I know you don't wanna lose him!" Donnie argued. "Neither do I! But if we don't get him out of here soon, he'll die."
"I am not—"
"Why can't you just do as your told?!"
Miwa's hard gaze locked with Donnie's. They glared at each other for a long moment, neither one breaking their gaze. After a moment, Splinter spoke up, his voice low and a little strained. "Miwa, go. Help them."
"Otōsan—"
"Go!" Splinter suddenly doubled over from the pain, forcing Donnie to break his focus first and help support him. Miwa growled under her breath, but unsheathed her gauntlet claws and rushed into battle. She shouted in effort and swiped her claws across Dogpound's face. He yelped and snarled, swinging his fists in her direction.
"Let's go!" Aunt Kelsey urged. Donnie and April kept as far away from the fight as possible as they led Splinter out the door and to the white and red ambulance outside. Aunt Kelsey helped April, Splinter, and Donnie into the back before slamming the doors shut and jumping into the driver's seat.
"Just keep him still." Aunt Kelsey instructed through a grate between them. "I'll get to the hospital as soon as possible. Then we'll sneak him into a private room and I'll operate on him."
"Won't the other doctors and nurses freak out?" April asked.
"We're all assigned private operating and overnight staying rooms." Aunt Kelsey explained. "We're not allowed into one another's without permission. Now hold on!"
Donnie and April were almost thrown to the ground as the car swerved and shot forward, blaring sirens as it sped down the street. April tried not to look down at the blood seeping through Splinter's bandages, the sight making her nauseous. Splinter's half-open eyes cast a sympathetic glance towards his konoichi and he gently took her hand in his. He smiled as best he could; assuring her it would be alright.
"You cannot blame Miwa." Splinter sighed. "She's always been stubborn."
"Just stay still." Donnie ordered gently. "We're going to get you some help, but you have to keep still."
Splinter slowly lifted a shaky paw and rested it on Donnie's head. "Take care of your brothers, my son. When Leonardo cannot..." Splinter's eyes were sliding shut. "...you...must be..."
"Must be what?" Donnie asked desperately, catching Splinter's hand as it fell. "Sensei?" His lower lip quivered. "Dad?"
April tore her eyes from Splinter's still face and stared at Donnie. She moved to sit beside him and hugged him as tight as she could. "He'll be okay, Donnie. I'm sure of it."
Donatello didn't look so sure. His eyes remained downcast the rest of the trip.
Leatherhead roared as he slammed Dogpound into a wall, successfully knocking the mutant dog unconscious. He took a few deep breaths to calm down before dropping the mutant to the ground.
Raph growled and punched a crate, putting a hole right through it. "I…officially…" He couldn't stop panting from fury and exhaustion. "…..hate ….the Shredder…."
"We should get out of here." Leo urged. "Everyone else is probably at the hospital already."
"Leatherhead, you better get back to the sewers." Mikey suggested. "We'll let you know how Splinter is."
"Be safe, my friends." Leatherhead requested in a soft voice. "Give your master my best." He hurried off, albeit noisily, and disappeared.
"Remember, we have to stay in the shadows still." Leo reminded them as they hurried off. "Miwa, you head inside the hospital first and find out where Splinter is and then come out and tell us."
Miwa didn't answer. She held a distraught frown as she, Leo, Raph, and Mikey sped through the shadows to find the hospital April's aunt worked at. When they reached the large white building, Miwa tossed her gauntlets to Leo (to not arouse suspicion or fear from the people inside) and ran into the lobby, almost crashing through the automatic doors because they didn't open fast enough. Miwa ran to the front desk, startling the nurse there.
"Did Dr. Kelsey come in with a patient?" Miwa asked hurriedly.
"Dr. Kelsey?" the nurse clarified.
"About yea high." Miwa described. "Bright orange hair. Light blue eyes. Has a niece named April O'Neil?"
The nurse typed at some things on her computer. "Yes, she took a patient in critical condition to her private room for operation. No one else is allowed inside."
"What room?" Miwa asked quickly.
"Sweetheart," the nurse said gently. "I have very strict orders from Dr. Kelsey that—"
"Please, you have to tell me!" Miwa begged. "She's operating on my dad!"
The nurse slowly stood up and walked around the desk to stand in front of Miwa. She put her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Listen to me, all right? By the tone in Kelsey's voice, it sounded like this patient was wounded very badly. She's still operating on him as we speak. They can't be disturbed for any reason whatsoever. But if you give me your number, I can call you when he's out of surgery."
Miwa shook her head. "I don't want to leave him."
The nurse sighed. "I suppose you could stay in the lobby until—"
"It's okay."
The nurse and Miwa turned as April came up to them. She still looked a little disheveled from the battle with the Foot Clan, but she long since stowed her weapons away.
"She's with me." April told the nurse.
The nurse looked a little nervous, but nodded and allowed April to lead Miwa down the hallways.
"How is he?" Miwa asked, her voice trembling a little.
April sighed. "My aunt and Donnie are working together, treating his wounds. My aunt's mostly worried about those two stab wounds. They can't be disturbed right now because they're working so hard. They let me stay for when you guys showed up so that I could give the status report. My aunt wants to keep Splinter here for a few days until he shows signs of improvement. Right now, he won't even wake up. Donnie and I will stay with him for now while you and the rest of the boys go home. We'll call you to let you—" April paused when she realized Miwa no longer walked beside her. She turned and noticed Miwa frozen in place some feet down the hall. April slowly walked up to Miwa and tried to look into her eyes. But the Japanese girl's bangs hid her dark chocolate brown eyes from view. "Miwa?"
Miwa didn't look up as she spoke. "He's going to die, isn't he?"
April sighed. "Miwa—"
"He's going to die." Miwa shook violently, her voice cracking. "I just got him back, and now he's going to die."
"You don't know that." April said.
Miwa swallowed, but tears spilled over her eyelids and streamed down her cheeks and onto the floor. "I know how Shredder fights. I know that when he aims to kill he always succeeds. My father—" Miwa suddenly lost it, falling to her knees and sitting back on her ankles, hugging herself as tight as she could and letting sobs rack her body. April gently pulled her friend onto a nearby bench and wrapped her arms around the Japanese girl's body. She held Miwa close, allowing her broken friend to quietly cry her eyes out on the redhead's shoulder.
The lair was unusually quiet. No sounds came from anywhere besides the video games. Even the TV wasn't on. The residents of the lair weren't better off. Leo trained in the dojo, trying to distract himself from his thoughts. But he kept glancing over to Splinter for feedback on his form, only to realize he wasn't there. It only made him train harder. Raph spent his time, pacing, hitting a punching bag, or curled in a ball, glaring at nothing in particular. He even missed the familiar mechanical sounds coming from Donnie's lab. But the purple masked turtle was still at the hospital, never leaving Splinter's side. Mikey's usual cheeriness evaporated, leaving only the wistful comments that futilely tried to reassure everyone. Miwa kept her face buried in her pillow as she curled up in her blanket nest, all her tears long since shed. No one could touch her without her screaming at them or her slamming them into a wall.
Raph suddenly slammed his fists into a wall, shouting in frustration.
Mikey calmly looked up at his brother. "Raph? Are you okay?"
Raph hardly had the mental or emotional energy to snap at his little brother. "Why? Why did it have to be him? Why can't Shredder just leave us alone? Why does he hate Splinter so much that he's so determined to kill him?" He fell to his knees and threw his sai to the floor.
Mikey walked over and knelt down beside his brother. "Raph, Splinter's gonna be fine. He's not dead."
"Not yet at least." Raph muttered bitterly.
"He's not going to die, Raph." Mikey assured. "We've got to stay positive, right? We can't give up in the middle of a fight."
Raph eyed his brother. "When did you get so wise? I mean, seriously, when?"
Mikey only smiled. "I'm not wise. I just memorize what Splinter says and repeat it during the right situations."
Raph had to smile and chuckle. "Then tell me this: how can you stay so hopeful?"
Mikey looked down. "I don't know. I guess if I didn't try and stay positive, I'd go crazy. There's no point in despairing over things like this anyway. I never give up hope."
"Never?" Raph asked.
"Never ever." Mikey confirmed.
Raph smiled softly. I guess that ain't such a bad way to go.
Donnie tiredly blinked his eyes open and his eyes only met white. He blinked a few more times and noticed the woven cotton fibers of the blanket. He felt smooth, warm skin in one of his hands. He pushed himself to sit up and take a look at his surroundings.
A hospital room, complete with a heart monitor and an IV drip.
A comfortable lounge chair in the corner.
A hospital bed he had used for a pillow.
The swivel chair he sat on.
His sensei's still form.
Donnie's face fell (as if it could fall any farther) and he rubbed Splinter's hand with his thumb, squeezing it comfortingly. His father had been unconscious for three, slow, long, agonizing days. As far as Dr. Kelsey and Donnie could tell, he was stable.
Heart rate: normal.
Breathing: normal.
Healing rate: normal (they supposed).
But he just wouldn't wake up.
Donnie stared at his master's still form, mostly covered by the thick blanket. He pulled the blanket up a little farther over Splinter's chest to better cover the bandages. But he still couldn't help but feel distressed, even if it only looked like Splinter was sleeping. Donnie somehow fell asleep in the middle of the night, slouching over and using his arms for a pillow. His father hadn't stirred at all since Dr. Kelsey moved him to this resting room. Donnie never left his side, staring at Splinter and wishing the rat would give some indication that he was all right.
Donnie looked up at a soft knock and April came in, carrying a tray with a teapot and a few cups. "I brought some tea for us. Just in case he woke up."
Donnie sighed. "Nope. He won't move; he won't wake up; I'm worried that if I take my eyes off him for even a second he'll be dead when I look back."
April sighed and set the tray down on the counter. She stood beside Donnie and put a comforting hand on his shell. "Donnie, I'm sure he'll be fine."
Donnie groaned and buried his head in his hands. "That's not even the worst part."
"What do you mean?" April asked worriedly.
"Well, it's just something I noticed on our way to the hospital from Shredder's headquarters." Donnie explained. "We all saw Shredder fall from the topmost floor and hit the pavement. Hard."
"Yeah, so?"
"When we came out, I didn't see Shredder's body anywhere."
April stared worriedly at Splinter. "So it's not over."
Donnie shook his head. "Not by a long shot. That's why Splinter has to get better." He gave the rat sensei's hand another squeeze. "We can't beat Shredder on our own. And we're not ready to be on our own. I mean, we're fifteen for shell's sake! How are we supposed to survive that long without our father around?"
"Hey, I survived months without my dad around." April noted, trying to lift the mood.
Donnie sighed. "At least you knew he was alive."
April stared sadly at Splinter's still face, noting how still he was; even his whiskers didn't twitch. Her chest constricted a little at the thought of her surrogate father in so much pain and coming so close to dying. But she didn't know what to do or say that would make it better. She just patted Donnie's shell and walked off to the door.
"I'm going to get some lunch. You want anything?" April asked.
Donnie shook his head.
April sighed. "Take care of yourself, Donnie." She walked out, shutting the door behind her. The second the door closed, Donnie started shaking and he collapsed back onto the bed. He buried his head in his arms, holding Splinter's hand tightly in his hand. Donnie was never the emotional type, but it took everything he had to not start crying. He didn't want to cry; not now, so as to not embarrass himself.
Donnie felt pressure applying to his hand.
"Donatello…."
Donnie's head shot up and he stared at the rat sensei. But Splinter remained still and silent. Donnie's face fell. I thought for sure….no, it must be my tired brain playing tricks on me. He lifted Splinter's hand and rubbed it fondly against his cheek. He closed his eyes to keep his tears at bay.
"Please wake up…" Donnie pleaded under his breath. "Please wake up…Father…."
A/N: Oh my gosh, I never thought I would get so emotional while writing this! By the way, the chapter title is based off "Time of Dying" by Three Days Grace. Love that song! So dramatic and powerful and perfect for this chapter! Remember to review please! Thank you!