It felt strange to be having dinner and going to bed without Randall there. Mikey was so upset that he spent the night in Randall's room. He couldn't be around the others tonight.
Mikey had asked his father to please reconsider.
"His punishment stands, Michelangelo." Splinter said. "Now say no more about it."
Mikey knew better than to backtalk his father. But it didn't mean he had to like it. He would miss Randall, probably more than his family did.
…
The next day, Randall woke up to the sun in his eyes. It seemed weird he was sleeping in a tree again and he remembered yesterday. It had been no dream. But living with the mutants might as well have been. He was out in the wilds again, with nothing.
Randall sighed and climbed down the tree and got a drink from the pond. What was he going to eat today? But he would have his hand at fishing first.
But before that, he went into the pond again, this time for a swim. His wrist hurt to use it, but he used it. He was going to strengthen it or else.
After swimming, he was along the shoreline and he dove after several fish. He caught three. He took them back up to his tree.
He had also made a little knife out of a rock. He would wait until closer to evening before preparing the food. He knew not to let anyone see signs of a fire smoking.
Randall really didn't want to do much of anything on his first day out here, other than just have food. He ignored his hunger the majority of the day.
He wondered what would happen when he went back. Would the family ever be able to trust him again? He had said he wasn't happy of his actions so long ago. And now he was banished again.
Randall knew he could take care of himself out here. But it didn't mean he had to like it.
And also because of the pain in his wrist, he made a new splint for it. Just to keep it straight. He could only use his fingers very mildly for lightweight lifting.
…..
If felt so awkward in the morning that Randall wasn't there having breakfast with them.
Splinter knew Mikey was still mad at the punishment Randall was under.
Leo and Raph were more relaxed about it and didn't pay much attention. Don was watching Mikey.
Casey felt more at ease too. April had cooked breakfast.
Mikey felt hungry, but he didn't feel much like eating. He did make sure to feed Klunk. He wondered how Randall was doing this morning.
It was going to be one long week. But at least Mike had his family. His best friend was out there all by himself.
After breakfast and training, Don tried to console Mikey the best he could. He would hang out with him. They were going to be up here awhile longer so there was no hurry on projects, unless it would be an emergency.
Leo and Raph hung out together too.
"Are we really going to be able to trust that lizard again?" Raph asked.
"He was trying to move on with his life. It might be awhile before he has our trust back, but he does need some others to believe he has the power to change." Leo said. "Mikey thinks our father was too harsh on him."
"It might have been just the right punishment for him. Better than getting a beating. Considering he did get beat in the head with a shovel."
"Yeah. We've all faced our father from his stick before. He's never hit Randall with it, after he heard what happened to him." Leo said.
April went up to talk to Splinter after she cleaned up the kitchen.
"Weren't you being a little hard on Randall?" She asked.
"When he has done something bad, he must have consequences as well as my sons do. Since he has learned some things out there from my sons, why not a test to see what he's learned, on his own? There will be more for him when he comes back, but he needs to think about what he did. And that will not be allowed here." Splinter said.
"Splinter, that was in the past. He can't change his past, but he needs support and care to move on from what he did."
"And he will get it when he comes back, but fully trusting him again will take time. He's going to have to earn it back."
"He and Mikey are pretty close friends. Almost like brothers."
"I know. A little time apart could do them some good. But unlike my son, Randall has a more grownup disposition. He can handle himself out there. Even with his broken hand."
"What if we can't find him in a week?" April asked.
"I will have Michelangelo go with Casey to go get him."
Casey worked on the van that was having some engine trouble after taking Randall away.
Splinter later told Mikey that he would go with Casey to go get his friend in a week. That made the turtle so happy.
…
Randall just stayed near the tree and the pond. He mostly just ate fish all week, but he did also bait a couple traps for other animals too. He also speared a deer. A young buck. But it was all for food, no sport.
He skinned and gutted the deer. He used the skin as a blanket when it was all dried out. He used tree limbs to hang meat on from the tree. He knew how to be resourceful, from what he learned from the turtles and what he had learned down in the swamps. So he didn't starve, not by a long shot.
Hunting and swimming had kept him busy all week. And it had seemed like the longest week of his life.
Using his rock knife, he had marked the days in the tree that had gone by. Tomorrow should be the day he was going back.
All week it had been dry out, but that night, a big thunderstorm had to hit. Randall tried to stay out of the rain and used the deer skin too. It wasn't quite so muggy in the air yet, and it made the rain feel so cold.
Randall would be lucky if he didn't get sick from such a cold rain. He got a little wet, but he did his best to stay dry. It was not an easy night.
…..
On the last night, Mikey was excited that tomorrow would be the day to go get Randall back. His family saw how happy he was. But they weren't sure how they were going to feel to have Randall back. He was going to have to earn their trust back.
Mikey had barely slept that night when he kept thinking of all the stuff he and Randall could do when he got back.
Mikey didn't want breakfast that morning. He wanted to eat it with Randall.
The others knew Mikey wasn't going to let up. Only Casey knew where Randall was and Mikey was anxious to get going first thing that morning.
Casey skipped breakfast for Mikey so they could go get the lizard monster.
Mikey saw that Casey had driven quite a ways from the farmhouse. "Why did you drive him so far away, Casey?" Mike demanded.
"So he wouldn't come back so easily."
They soon pulled up to the spot where Casey remembered to drop him off. They both got out and looked around.
Randall was nowhere in sight.
"Where is he, Casey?"
"I don't know. I'm sure he knew to stay in this spot."
"We have to look for him." Mikey said. He began to look for footprints on the ground, but any prints would have been wiped clean by all of last night's rain.
"Randall!" Mikey called out.
Casey called out too.
They both looked around the area.
"This is your fault! If you had told him to stay near this spot, he would have!" Mikey snapped.
"I'm sure he was looking around for food or something."
"I'm not leaving till we find him." Mikey said.
Casey knew there was also a possibility Randall may be dead too. But he was such a tough lizard.
They both continued to follow the creek. That was the best course even Randall could have taken.
When they came across traps and such, and the stench of a dead animal, it was possible Randall could be nearby.
"Randall!"
Randall was asleep in his tree when he was awoken by what sounded like his name being called out. He moaned. He didn't want to move.
After the rain last night and gotten wet enough, he was soaked and now didn't feel good.
"Randall! It's me, Mikey! We have come to take you home!" Mikey called again.
"Mike?" Randall said tiredly.
He groaned as he forced himself to move. He grabbed his glasses case, then climbed slowly down the tree. His steps were so staggering. He had lost his contacts during the week too, but they could be replaced.
He listened and the voices went past the tree. He followed them.
Casey and Mike were almost ready to go back, when they heard some footsteps.
"Who's there?" Casey demanded. Mikey had gone behind a tree in case.
"Just me." Randall said. He had left all of his other stuff behind. He just wanted to get out of these woods.
Mikey came out from behind the tree. "Randall! It's so good to see you!" He ran up and hugged his friend.
Randall was shocked that someone would be so glad to see him, he just stood there for a moment. But he did finally hug back.
Casey saw the two friends hug. Perhaps Mikey was being such a good influence on Randall after all.
"We thought we wouldn't find you, you had left the spot where Casey dropped you off." Mikey said.
"I couldn't stay there. My safety is about being in the trees. Some animal could try to have me for dinner without any weapons or anything. I made my own weapons and traps to catch my own food, but now, I'll let the animals have it." Randall said. "I don't ever want to come back here again."
"Then don't betray our trust of you, which you have to earn back." Casey said.
"I promise." Randall replied. Then he broke out in coughing fits.
"We need to get you home." Mikey said.
On the way to the van, both Mike and Casey saw that Randall's walking was off and Mikey had to help him.
"What happened to your cast?" Mikey asked.
"Got wet. Took it off. Still hurts and put a splint on it." Randall said.
Once they got to the van, Randall was allowed to lay in the back. Mikey wasn't about to leave his side anytime soon. Casey drove them home.
When they got back to the house, the family did see they had found Randall. He had made it through the week out there. But he didn't look like himself.
His color was paler than his real purple color, he was sneezing, coughing and staggering. Mikey helped him to his room where Randall eagerly climbed into the bed.
"How long have you been like this?" Mikey asked.
"Since the rain got me."
"Last night?"
"Me and cold rain don't mix well."
"I'm sorry. I can make you some soup for breakfast."
"Not hungry." Randall said.
"Okay."
The family then came into the room to see him, to see how he was after a week.
"How are you doing?" Splinter asked.
"I think he's sick, Master Splinter." Mikey said. "The rain got him."
Don came forward. "He does look pale." Then he tried to reach over.
Randall then growled. "Don't you touch me!"
"I just want to feel your forehead." Don said.
When Don tried again, Randall smacked his hand away. "I mean it! Don't touch me!" Don did have a shocked and a little hurt look on his face.
"Guys. Give him some space." Mikey said.
The others walked out. It was clear he was mad at them. Mikey then took the chance of feeling Randall's forehead and he didn't flinch away.
Randall had calmed down. But he did indeed feel warm.
Mikey went out of the room. "He let me feel his head and he does feel warm. I think he does have a fever."
"From all his coughing and sneezing, it's probably just a cold." Casey said.
"Yeah, but until his fever breaks, he needs rest." Don said.
"I know he is mad at us for sending him away, but it was for his own good. Though not the cold. I am sorry he got sick." Splinter said.
"Don't send him away again." Mikey said.
"I won't, but he just had to learn that there will be consequences for bad actions."
"I think he already had that when he was banished and banged up when he first got into our world." April said.
"Yes, but a secret that he kept from us like that had to have some punishment. It could have been worse if I had made it two weeks or longer." Splinter said.
"Right now, he needs care to get better." Mikey said. "Not a lecture."
Randall could hear the voices outside his room. If he would be sent away again, he would make sure to leave for good. He didn't need that aggravation again.
Mikey went and got some cough medicine and cold medicine. He took it to Randall's room.
"Here, Randall, I got you some medicine that might help with your cold and fever." Mikey said.
Randall didn't know if human meds would help him. But it was worth a shot.
Some of it didn't taste too well, but he swallowed it anyway.
"I'll make you some soup for later." Mikey said.
"Alright." Randall said. For the moment, he just wanted to sleep. He sneezed, but fell asleep.