TMNT are owned by Mirage- I keep begging and begging, but so far...

I Owe You One

Splinter had a cold. It wasn't bad, but he felt it none the less. He so desperately wanted to spend just one day in bed, but with four turtle tots to care for, how could he?

So he forced himself to work as if nothing were the matter. He'd do what he had to during the day, although a bit slower than normal, and made sure that he took some of the herbal medicines he had acquired over the years. But rest was what he truly needed, not dragging day in and day out through the cold, dank sewers and storm drains, not going topside in this nasty fall weather in the rain and such. But the rain and such made it so much easier to find the best foods for his growing sons, as well as other much needed or desired items, so he had to take advantage of the situation.

More and more he came home with plentiful supplies, a good amount of it new, not discarded in the dumpsters behind the small grocery stores he had been visiting for the past few years in the middle of the night, leaving money that he'd found during his days of scavenging.

He also came home soaking wet, his disguises poor protection against Mother Nature and torrential downpours, and it would take much effort to get all that fur dry. He took his medicines, he drank his tea, and he would get a few hours rest before the new day when training and scavenging and taking care of four active sons consumed his waking moments.

So it was no surprise to himself that he got worse.

In the middle of the night, he could feel the fever rise as it fought the infection that he'd ignored for the past few days- days of desperately trying to ride herd on four active kids who for some perverse reason were very fractious at the moment.

He had tried earlier that day to hint to his sons that he needed some rest, and would be taking a little nap, and had assigned Raphael the job of entertaining his youngest brother, and Leonardo the task of helping Donatello to master the newest kata. He figured that giving the two oldest these responsibilities would be a good idea, and he might just be able to have an hour or two of rest.

He thought wrong.

"Stop picking on me!"

"Stop annoying me and I'll stop picking on you!"

"I'm not annoying you, and Splinter said to play checkers with me while he took a nap, so play checkers!"

"He didn't say play checkers, he said to entertain you and besides I've already played twenty games of checkers with you, and I'm tired of winning! Now go 'way!"

"You could let me win, ya' know."

"YOU could learn how to play checkers so I wouldn't beat you twenty games in ten minutes!"

"You're picking on me again!"

"I'm not picking on you, I'm tellin' you to get away from me!"

"I'm warning you, Raph! Stop picking on me or I'll- I'll-"

"Cry like a baby?"

"(crying) I'm not a baby!"

Splinter sighed, got up from his bed, and broke up yet another pointless argument instead of resting as best as he could. That problem settled, he went back to bed.

"Don, let's go!"

"No, Leo, I'm busy. I wanna finish this invention."

"But you're suppose to be practicing with me! Sensei is taking a nap and he told me to help you learn this kata! Come on!"

"Not now, Leo! I'm busy. I'll learn it later!"

"That's what you said earlier. Now is 'later'."

"It's not the 'later' I was talking about."

"Don! Come on! Splinter told me to teach you and I'm going to teach you!"

"Leo! Let go of me! Leo! I'm warning you!"

There was the sound of much crashing and thumping and hitting, and cries of "kee-ya!" and "hy-yah!"

Splinter rose from his bed, where he'd told the boys earlier that he would be taking a nap, and went to settle this impromptu sparring match over practice versus inventions, and then gave up entirely his idea of a nice nap.

As the four of them did ten flips each for disturbing him, he willed himself to stay awake on the couch, watching them perform this penance, and hopelessly wishing for a baby-sitter.

And he took more medicines, and went out in the rain again and again. He foraged as usual, he trained them as usual, and he mediated in more arguments as usual.

But the sons failed to see that Father wasn't his usual self, that Father was sick- until later one night.

It was Raph that discovered the fever. They had been sitting in front of the TV, Splinter on the couch dozing. Raph and Mikey got into a typical fight over the new remote control that Don had managed to get working. All of them, including Splinter, had greeted this marvel of technology with much admiration and awe, and it was the highest honor to be in control of it for even a short time in the evening; an honor that was highly coveted and diligently worked for during training.

But tonight, Splinter was too tired to officially reward the best that day with the electronic prize, and Mikey and Raph, seated on the couch with Sensei, had eventually gotten into a struggle over the device. In the process, Raph was pushed up against Sensei, and felt the heat coming through the fur, through the robe!

"Sensei?" Startled, he suddenly dropped his struggle with Mikey, causing the younger turtle to fall over backwards off the couch, as he faced his father, who stirred slightly. It didn't take Splinter's lack of a reprimand to tell him something was wrong. "Sensei? Are you all right?"

And his little hand reached out and touched Sensei's forehead, as Sensei had done time and again with each of them.

Raph's face registered shock- and a hint of fear. That hint of fear was evident in his tone of voice when he exclaimed, "Leo! I think Sensei's sick!"

Leo and Don, who had been seated on the floor, both climbed up on the couch and did as Raph, laying their own hands on their father's forehead.

"Man! He's really hot!" Leo, snatching back his hand, stared in disbelief. Don without thinking jumped down and ran to Splinter's room where he kept the medical supplies, returning with the thermometer.

By now Splinter, well aware of what they were up to but too tired to protest, nevertheless opened his eyes and smiled at them all. They looked shocked and scared, and he needed to reassure them at once.

"No, Donatello, we do not need that," he kindly refused the proffered thermometer. "I have a fever because of an infection. I just need to be able to rest for a day or two."

"What do we do, Sensei?" Leo asked.

"Just stay in the Lair, and do not worry," he said, sighing. He wanted to go to bed, but he was just too tired to get up at the moment.

"We will take care of you, Sensei!" Leo declared, taking charge, and the others echoed this sentiment. They would be brave! They would be strong!

They would be lying, as they all instinctively snuggled in as close as they could to Splinter, trying to not be scared.

Splinter, eyes closed for the moment, smiled nonetheless, and comforted them without words.

Strangely enough, it was Mikey who broke this up.

"Come on, Sensei! You need to go to bed and take some bitter medicine with tea and be tucked in and have your forehead soothed! Come on!" and he pulled insistently on Splinter's hand until the amused rat got up and followed this youngest son to his own room, trailed after by the other three who were now eager to demonstrate that they were just as brave as Mikey.

Splinter was trying hard not to treat their concern lightly. He allowed them to insist that he get ready for bed. They made Sensei get dressed in his night shirt, and then fussed over him in an imperfect yet sincere imitation of how he fussed over them when sick. Splinter was so touched (as well as being amused) that he forgot how miserable he felt, and played along with their ministrations. The four of them tried to tuck him in tightly, but small hands, no matter how eager, can only do so much. Don meanwhile had taken it upon himself to start preparing the bitter medicines and tea, careful of the hot plate that Sensei kept nearby for such uses- he usually brewed his own tea in the kitchen. Electricity was precious to them and only used for certain things, so as not to draw any attention to themselves from the surface workers.

He let them carry on like this for a short time, for he saw that doing these things was taking the fear from their faces. But after dutifully drinking the tea and medicines that Donatello had so skillfully brewed for him (!), he decided that this game had gone far enough.

"Thank you, my sons, but I feel much better now," he lied, smiling at the four eager faces. "And now it is time for me to put you all to bed." And he started to get up, but four pair of hands "kept" him from rising.

"That's okay, Sensei!" Leo said eagerly. "Me and Raph can put the others to bed!"

"We can put ourselves to bed, Leo," Don frowned, stung that his brother seemed to think himself so much more grownup. After all, hey had put themselves to bed several times before, when they knew that Splinter would be out foraging late into the night during the summer, when it was harder to go topside.

Besides, it had been Don who knew to get the thermometer, as well as how to brew the tea and prepare the medicines! Leo didn't know everything! He turned to Splinter.

"Besides, I should stay here tonight and help out, you know. I can make more medicines and tea, and I can read to you, and all that stuff. Right, Sensei."

A statement of fact, not a question- at least to Donatello's mind.

Splinter smiled at his son, and put a hand on his head in affection. Don knew he was going to refuse, and pressed home his attack.

"Besides, you have a fever, and I know how to help you the best when it comes to that. You should have someone with you!" And he nodded wisely.

"You are a good son, Donatello," Splinter smiled. "You are all good sons. But I do not need someone here all night. If I do I will call for you. But I want you all to go to bed now. Things will be better in the morning."

"But the medicines-"

"I can manage them on my own tonight. Thank-you, my son, for caring so much. You did an excellent job with what you prepared for me. Now go to bed, all of you."

So they bid Splinter a reluctant goodnight and trailed off to their room, after washing up for the night and making sure the Lair was secure.

As Don had pointed out, it wasn't the first time they'd done such a thing- but tonight for some reason it was different. They climbed into their beds; Leo on the bottom, Mike on top in one bunk, Raph on the bottom and Don on top in the second.

They lay there in the dark for quite some time. Leo, awake,- it always seemed to take him the longest to fall asleep- knew when Raph and Don had finally started to doze off. He could tell by their breathing; indeed Raph had begun a very soft occasional snore.

But he also noticed that someone was sniffling as quietly as he could; someone who usually was the first one to conk out once his head hit the pillow.

"Mikey," Leo said as softly as he could in order not to wake Don and Raph. "Mikey, it's okay."

Mikey didn't answer, just tried to smother his increasing sniffles. Leo climbed out of his bed and made his way up to where his youngest brother had covered himself completely with the blanket. He laid a hand on the shaking lump that was his brother.

"Mikey, it's okay," Leo whispered again. This time Mikey answered.

"No, it's not," he whispered back, and he pulled down the blanket and looked at Leo. "Who's going to tuck us in?"

Leo stared at Mikey in the dark, confused at this question. Then realization dawned on him.

"Mikey, it's only tonight-"

"No, Leo!" and Mikey sat up. "I mean, if something happens to Sensei, who will take care of us? Who will raise us? Who will tuck us in?"

"Mikey, nothing is going to happen, it's just a cold, and- and- and I will tuck you in," Leo insisted sincerely. " 'sides, we aren't always going to be tucked in once we get older."

Mike stared at Leo, puzzled.

"Why not?"

"Because, shell-for-brains," Raph replied lowly, interrupting the conversation, "who wants to be twenty years old and still be getting tucked in by their father?"

Mikey thought that he would, but he sensed that this was perhaps not the right thing to say to Raph at this moment. He turned his attention back to Leo.

"You would tuck me in?"

"Yep! I promise!"

Thoughtful pause.

"Then, who will tuck you in?"

"I will!" Raph snapped. "Now can we go to sleep? If we gotta get up early an' take care of Splinter, we need some rest. An' I'm tired!"

"But," Mikey still couldn't help himself. "If Leo tucks me in, and you tuck Leo in, then who..."

"I will!" snapped Don, who had just been on the edge of comfortable, relaxing, floating sleep when his brother's incessant chatter had snatched him back awake. "And," he quickly added, sensing that Mikey was about to reply, "YOU can tuck ME in. Now can we go to sleep?"

Both Don and Raph held their breaths, hoping against hope that Mikey wouldn't catch on to the flaw in this plan. After several minutes of tense anticipation, they heard Mikey sigh in acceptance.

" 'k," he sniffled one final time, and they could hear him settle himself back into bed. Leo had a hard time tucking in the covers, as he had to sit on the top bunk to do it, but he got the job more or less done, and was glad to get into his own bed.

Silence reigned for several minutes.

"Raph, did you tuck Leo in?"

"YES!" All three shouted.

"Is there a problem, my sons?" came the faint inquiry.

"No, Sensei! Goodnight, Sensei! Sorry, Sensei!" they chorused in almost well-rehearsed unison.

"Goodnight, my sons."

"Look," Leo whispered in the dark. "We really need to not get into any fusses for the next few days! Sensei is sick, and he needs the rest. No matter how mad we get, we need to not fight!"

"Leo is right," Don said lowly. "We need to do more than just look after ourselves, we need to get along- no matter how hard that will be. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Leo affirmed.

Raph could be heard grinding his teeth at this realization. But he loved his father too much to let it hinder him for long.

"Agreed. But I swear, Mikey, when Sensei is better, I owe you one," Raph growled in a whisper, trying to fall back asleep.

But Mikey was already snoring.