Chapter 5: In Sickness and in Health

A/N: Hey, everyone, sorry for the delay, but my Internet was having issues. Luckily, things have been sorted out, so I thought it would be a good idea to start posting more chapters of Truth and Lies. I want to thank everyone who has been reading and reviewing this story. Your kind words mean the world to me, and I hope you continue to tag along for the ride.

Disclaimer: The TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own Madison and any other characters you don't recognize.

Leonardo sighed as he made his way downstairs. He'd been sick all day, and he was just now starting to feel slightly better. He spotted Raph sitting in a chair reading a comic book, and the TV was silent. Leo thought Raph would take advantage of Leo's absence to watch what he wanted. The blue-clad Turtle yawned and sat on the couch, wrapping himself up in the Space Heroes blanket April had gotten him for Christmas.

"Hey, Leo, you feelin' better?" Raph asked him.

"Yeah, a little," Leo replied. "Mind if I watch TV?"

"Go ahead," answered Raph. "It might make you feel better."

So Leo turned the channel to Space Heroes. His eyes strayed over to the lab where Don was. He had been cooped up in there all day. Of course, it wasn't a secret as to why. They all knew that Don liked April as more than a friend and that Don had been closest with her. Then Leo noticed that Mikey was gone, too. Usually Mikey liked to lighten the mood with his jokes and pranks.

"Where's Mikey?" Leo asked his brother.

"He went to Murakami's to get you some soup," Raph answered. "He should be back soon though."

As if on cue, Mikey came in carrying some bags from Murakami's. Raph took that as his cue to leave. Leo felt sad about that as he was hoping they would all spend some time together. After warning Raph to be careful, he watched his red-clad brother leave the Lair. Mikey was in the kitchen getting Leo a Sprite to drink with his soup. Then Leo noticed that Mikey had forgotten the crackers and reminded his brother about them. The orange-clad Turtle hurried back to the kitchen to get what Leo asked for.

Leo could tell that something was on Mikey's mind. He offered to play video games with his brother after the show was over, but Mikey declined and went upstairs to work on some drawings. Leo sighed in disappointment. Why was this happening to them? Ever since April had disappeared they'd been drifting apart more and more. Leo thought that maybe today would have changed all that, but it didn't.

Some leader he was.

"Do not be discouraged, Leonardo," Splinter soothed as he entered the room and saw Leo's sad expression. "This day is hard for all of us. It is not easy to lose somebody you love. April was a part of this family and such a kind girl. It is hard to believe that she is gone after all of these years."

"I know, Sensei, but I feel like we've all drifted apart because of April's disappearance instead of banding together," said Leo.

"We all deal with loss in different ways, my son," replied Splinter. "Let them grieve. Things will be back to normal in time." He squeezed his son's hand and went to the kitchen for something to eat.

Leo wanted to believe his father's words, but it was hard to think about his brothers getting over this so soon. What if they didn't? How could they be a team and fight crime if the others didn't want to be together anymore?

The blue-clad Turtle wrapped himself tighter in his blanket and ate some of his soup. His thoughts turned to April and how she had helped him when he was feeling horrible about himself. He had wanted to do something for her in return, but he'd never had the chance to do so.

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April had just finished her training session with Splinter and was ready to go home as she had homework to do. The Turtles were in the living area doing different things. She smiled as she saw each of them and spotted Leo on the couch.

"Hey, guys, I'm done," she said. "Who gets to take me home this time?"

"It's Leo's turn," Raph replied.

"Great," April said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

The other Turtles said goodbye as Leo walked out with April. He was still feeling bad about the lecture Splinter had given him about being a leader. He'd said that a true leader knew which battles he could win and which ones he couldn't.

"Leo, what's wrong?" April asked him.

Leo sighed. "I'm just not sure I'm fit to be the leader," he said. "I can't lead my brothers the way Splinter wants me to. He keeps lecturing me about what a true leader is and what I should do. I guess he doesn't have faith in me since he keeps lecturing me like I've done something wrong."

April stopped walking and put her hand on Leo's arm. "I don't think that's true," she said. "I think Splinter's just worried about how you got beaten by Shredder. He doesn't want that to happen again, so he's trying to guide you. He understands you're still learning about all of this. For what it's worth, I think you're a great leader, Leo. You just need to believe in yourself more. Hasn't Splinter told you that failure will always happen and that it's how you deal with it that matters?"

"Yeah, but this time I really messed up," Leo replied. "I almost got my brothers killed."

"But you didn't," April insisted. "You saved the city from a mutagen bomb. You didn't know Shredder was going to be there. It wasn't your fault."

Leo didn't answer. It may not have been his fault that Shredder had shown up, but it was his fault that they had fought him without being ready. They had just rushed into the fight without even thinking about it.

"Leo, don't keep beating yourself up over this," April said.

Leo rounded on her. "You don't get it!" he shouted. "Splinter chose me to be the leader, and I failed him! I failed to protect my brothers! That's why Splinter's disappointed in me!"

"I think he's disappointed in himself," April replied.

"What do you mean?" Why would Splinter be disappointed in himself? Leo thought. He wasn't the one who had led anyone into a trap.

"He's disappointed that he hasn't been able to protect you," April explained. "The reason he didn't want you to go up to the surface is because he didn't want you to be exposed to the dangers. He hoped that by keeping you underground, you wouldn't have to face Shredder. Now you have, and Splinter hates himself for not being able to guard you from that. He just takes it out on you as a way of letting his own feelings out. He doesn't think you're a bad leader, Leo. He loves you dearly. He thinks that he's a bad parent."

Leo couldn't believe that April had said these words. She definitely was more astute than he gave her credit for. "You're right, April," he said. "I guess I've just been too hard on myself."

"Yeah, you have," April agreed. "You're a great leader, Leo, and I know that you'll always be there to protect me no matter what."

"Thanks, April," Leo said. He gave her a hug and was happy that he had a friend like her.

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But he had failed her, too. He hadn't been able to protect her when she needed it. She had been taken from them and hadn't come back. If he had been there to protect her, she wouldn't have been taken.

"I'm sorry, April," he whispered. "I should have protected you."

Suddenly his T-Phone went off, and he hurried to answer it. "Hello?" he said.

"Hey, Leo, it's Madison," the voice on the other end said. "I thought we were going to hang out tonight. Is everything okay?"

"Well, I've been sick with the flu all day," Leo replied. "I was going to call you, but I didn't feel well enough to try."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. Are you okay now?"

"I'm better, but I'm still a little weak," Leo replied. "Maybe we can hang out in a few days."

"That sounds great," Madison said happily. "Just let me know when you're able to go out. I know today has been hard enough for you because of…you know."

"Yeah, it has, but I've been getting through it," Leo answered. "My brothers are still distant though, and I'm not sure what to do. Sensei says I should just let them grieve in their own way and that they'll snap out of it soon."

"Well, maybe that's best," Madison told him. "You can't really force them to come to terms with it. It's been hard on a lot of us because we knew April, too. Just cheer up. It'll be okay. You know I'm here if you need to talk, right?"

"I know," Leo responded. "Thanks, Maddie."

"No problem. Well, I have to go. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay," Leo replied. "'Bye."

"'Bye," Madison said and hung up.

Leo felt much better after talking to Madison. She was such a great source of comfort. Leo had met her while searching for April when Madison had been attacked by Foot Ninjas. She had been a friend of April's herself and was just as concerned about her as Leo was. Since then, the two of them had become great friends and often spent time together when they were able to.

Leo was about to go into the kitchen to put his bowl in the kitchen sink when his T-Phone went off again. Thinking it was either Madison or Raph, he picked up his phone and saw that he had a new text message. He opened the text and read it, his eyes widening.

Hey, Leo, still beating yourself up? Don't take it so hard. There was nothing you could have done. And at least you have another friend to comfort you. –A.

"This can't be happening," he whispered. April was the only one who knew about their conversation. Was she back?

A/N: Dun dun dun! So, now things are falling into place. Is April really back, or is someone else the culprit? You'll have to read on to find out what happens next. I love keeping you guys in suspense. It's so much fun. In the meantime, feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.