Chapter 4 What Happened After: Splinter
He gasped as his aura slammed back into his body. He cried out his lost brother's name, weeping into my chest. Though we rejoiced at his return to his physical body, Michelangelo's sobs were inconsolable until his grip suddenly loosened from my robe and his body went limp against me.
I anxiously called my youngest's name with no response. Bright red blood flowed from his wrapped arm. I yanked off his mask and wrapped it around his bicep, tying the ends tightly to stop the bleeding.
My eldest son had woken up, still sluggish from the excessive number of tranquilizers pumping through his body. His conscious state is short-lived as he collapses against Casey, who drags him to the second cot in the lab that has now become a makeshift medbay.
Raphael took my youngest from my arms following Casey to the lab. He laid Michelangelo on the first cot. "Just tell me what to do, Sensei," he said, stepping up at his brothers' incapacitated states, but my fatherly pride must be shared at a less urgent time.
I glanced at Michelangelo, so small and pale on the cot. He had lost too much blood. As I barked orders, April made quick work of bringing me the transfusion kit and helping me prepare the needles and injection site. Without further explanation, Raphael extended his arm, ready to offer his blood to save his brother. Pushing him quickly into the chair beside Michelangelo, it took several times for me to find his vein before blood started flowing from Raphael's arm to Michelangelo's unharmed arm.
With a bloody hand, my fingers press against the side of my youngest's neck. There is a pulse, but it is much too weak. The bleeding has stopped in his right arm, much to my relief. I glanced over to Raphael, April, and Casey as they looked to me for reassurance.
"He is still with us, but not out of the danger just yet."
Night shifts to dawn as I think about the recent events that had shaken the very foundation of my family. It is the beginning of a new day and already so much has been taken from us in less than 24 hours.
How did it come to this so quickly? If I am honest with my inner thoughts, I must acknowledge that this was merely the aftershock of events that have built upon themselves over the past several months. Unchecked emotions and scarred relationships were bottled up within our small family until tragedy forced us to face our flaws. The hurt was strong, but our love was stronger as we worked to restore the harmony in our family. But even with our combined efforts, it was not enough and far too late. For the same tragedy that united us is the very same one that threatens to tear us apart.
Even in our disjointed state, I am proud of my boys. Donatello had grown so much before he was taken from us, learning to not only to depend on his intellect but to also trust his heart. I can only pray that he has found harmony between his logic and soul while we devise a plan to bring him home.
Michelangelo, my youngest and most imaginative son— He has great potential beyond the ninjutsu I have trained him in. He once repressed his unique abilities to find acceptance amongst his brothers. Yesterday, he truly embraced his spiritual abilities as he tossed caution to the wind and dove headfirst into his unknown potential in an effort to save Donatello. Now I fear neither his mind nor body were ready for such tremendous abilities. The spirit world now seeks to claim Michelangelo as he fights to stay with us.
Raphael. My fire-child who was once so quick to light the fury of those around him just to feel their warmth, is beginning to understand the power of his actions. He sacrificed his own need for revenge to consider the well-being of Leonardo and Michelangelo. It warmed my heart to see the spark of understanding in his emerald eyes as he sat between Leonardo and Michelangelo in the medbay earlier this evening. He is not just an unstoppable brute force but an unmovable pillar for his brothers to lean on.
Though the concern for Leonardo's whereabouts was evident on his face, I sent Raphael to bed, for his hunched stance and pale complexion showed signs of fatigue from the blood transfusion.
Speaking of my eldest son, I can hear the trained stealth of his steps as he enters the lair. My ears twitch to hear a slight imbalance in his gait. It must be a minor scrape since he does not come into the lab for any medical supplies.
I stand and stretch my limbs as I glance down at Michelangelo who appears to be sleeping somewhat soundly for the time being. With a slow exhale, I leave one son to see tend to another.
"Leonardo." My voice is devoid of the frustration I felt hours ago but still heavy with authority. "Where were you?"
His shell is toward me. His hand was already reaching for his doorknob before I even called his name. He drops his suspended hand. "Raphael didn't tell you?"
I'm taken aback by his words. There's an unexpected dismissiveness in his tone.
"I am asking you, Leonardo, not Raphael."
His fists clench briefly at his sides before they loosen and his shoulders droop. He sighs. "Raphael put a tracker on Donnie before… before he had to carry me back here. I went to find Donnie but the tracker was… misplaced and led to a dead end." His body trembles slightly, more than likely a mixture of the cold weather above as well as his own whirlwind of emotions. From his back side I can see his head drop as he stares at the floor. He has yet to turn and face me.
I can't bring myself to lecture him right now about how foolish his actions were, not when he is so downtrodden. "My son, come sit with me. I will make us some chamomile tea." Conversations while drinking tea are a pastime of Leonardo and I, especially when he is stressed and needs to sort out his thoughts. Perhaps the tea will soften the lecture of my words as well. Stepping forward, I brush away some of the snow flurries stuck in the crevices of his carapace. I rest my hand on his chilled shoulder, gently tugging him so we are face to face.
I can feel the worry lines tighten across my brow as I take in my son's appearance. His shoulder is not the only icy touch I feel tonight. Leonardo has never been one to shield his emotions from me, but I sense a concerning coolness in his demeanor. He squares his shoulders, lifting his chin ever so slightly to mask the very emotions he was struggling with just moments ago.
"Actually, Sensei, I'm just going to go to my room." His voice is low and controlled as he turns toward his bedroom door once again.
I suppose his lecture will have to come without tea. "Leonardo, I do not want you going into the city without one of your brothers. And since your brothers are neither physically nor mentally ready to accompany you, you will also stay in the lair."
His silence and hardened posture speaks loudly of his stubbornness as he turns his doorknob.
"Is that understood, Leonardo?" Even with this stoic change in his mood, I know my son. His hesitation to answer only confirms his next words will not be truthful.
"Hai, Sensei." Had it not been for my keen hearing I would have missed his muttered response as he shuts the door behind him with more force than necessary.
"Is everything alright, Master Splinter?" Lifting my head from my thoughts, I'm greeted by April walking tentatively from the kitchen. "Leo seemed upset, I mean, I get it, we're all upset… I'm just worried about him."
"I believe some rest will do us all some good, and give us sound, clear heads in the morning."
"It is morning, Master Splinter." She gives a small, lopsided smile as she comes to my side.
"Ah, so it is. Your father is probably very worried. Please send him my apologies. I believed you to be safer here last night than above with all of the chaos yesterday."
"It's fine, Splinter, really. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now anyway. I was doing some more research on this Earth Protection Force… well, before I dozed off." She smiles apologetically. "Anyways, their public internet presence is pretty typical—blurbs of information with a few rumors here and there. Nothing solid I can work with." She rests her hands upon her heart. "I can still sense Donnie, Master Splinter."
"As I do, but his presence grows faint. It is my hope that with deeper meditation I can find his location."
"How are Raph and Mikey?"
"Raphael is 888 from the blood transfusion, and Michelangelo is here…. in body, at least." I explain further as April gives me a puzzled look. "During my meditation last night, I sensed his spirit shifting from his body."
"Do you need me to call his aura back to his body again?"
"For the moment he seems stable. But this aura drifting is different from yesterday. I sense this time he is not in control of his aura, and something is pulling him against his will. I am not sure how much longer he can resist it in his current weakened state."
"Maybe I should stay, I could help."
"No, you must go home, April. Michelangelo's mind, spirit, and body are fragile right now. Psychic interference could cause irreversible damage. This…. this may very well be a struggle of passage from body to spirit."
April's eyes widen at the realization of my words and soften just a quickly as she squeezes my waist in an embrace. "Oh, Sensei, I'm so sorry. I-I shouldn't have come, I shouldn't have come…"
My breath catches in my chest at April's insinuation. Pulling her away at arm's length, I look into her eyes because I need to make sure she understands my next words.
"Child, you have mistaken an old father's worries for blame. Yesterday was a series of unfortunate events, none of which you are to be blamed for. Your love for my family, for Donatello, brought you here. Never apologize for that."
The coarse fur of my thumbs soaks up her tears as they brush against her cheeks. I plant a kiss on the top of her head as any father would do to soothe their daughter's sadness. "Now, go straight home. Be mindful of your surroundings. There were agents keeping watch of your home when I traced your father's steps."
"I will," she whispers through her sniffles.
As April leaves, I return to Michelangelo's bedside to meditate and keep vigil over his weary spirit.
Thanks for reading. Please R&R! :)
~Poetique