TMNT - T-Tots - Flooded

It was the rainy season in New York City. The rain never seemed to end. For countless days and nights, the raindrops fell from the endless clouds. The rain was intense. Not just a drizzle, but torrential downpour. The storm drains saved the city from massive flooding, but that did not help Splinter.

Splinter stood at the front of the lair watching the water level rise. It wouldn’t before the water overflowed from the waterways and spilled into their homes. He anticipated it would only take another day or so. He looked back at his sons fumbling around on the floor behind him. It had only been a few months since the mutation. Splinter had spent the last few months renovating the junction where they lived to make it more like a home. There was still much work to do, and Splinter feared he would be set back after the sewer floods.

The young turtles held onto the objects around them, helping them to stand. They have just started learning to walk, and none of them have fully mastered the task. Their tiny immune systems had fallen victim to their damp environment, putting them all a little under the weather. Splinter realized that they wouldn’t be able to withstand the water spewing into their home. They were already sick and unable to walk. There was no way they could stay. They had to relocate. At least until the rain stopped.

But it was late, and the young turtles were tired. He watched as they all caught each other’s yawn. Starting with Mikey, then Donnie, then Raph, and finally Leo. All the yawning made him tired himself. First thing in the morning, he would collect the turtles and leave. After coming to a satisfying decision, Splinter scooped up his sniffling and sneezing sons and tucked them into bed.

As Splinter was about to leave them, Leo asked his dad a question, “Daddy. Rain stop?” He asked in his broken English.

Splinter feared that the young ones understood too much of the situation, “Very soon, Leonardo. Now go to sleep.”

“Night Daddy” He said through a yawn closing his eyes and drifting off into a deep sleep. Splinter then returned to the front of the junction to watch the water rise yet again.

Halfway through the night, he dozed off into a light slumber. As annoying as the rain seemed, it was equally as soothing. The rush of the water and tiny slashes of endless raindrops lulled Splinter into sleep. When he awoke, he felt water surrounding his feet. The waterways had flooded before he had expected, and now their home had at least two inches of dirty rain water and counting. As a father, Splinter’s first reaction was to get the kids out of the soggy environment.

They didn’t own much. Just the basic necessities of life. A stroller had never been one of those necessities, until then. The young turtles grew at an unbelievable rate, growing a significant amount every day. That made it difficult for Splinter to carry them all. But he had no choice. He had to try the best he could to keep the sick little ones out of the water.

“Daddy. Wet.” Michelangelo cried, uncomfortably.  

“I know, Michelangelo.” He acknowledged Mikey with little regard. Splinters main concern was to find a dry place he could set them down. It was early for them; they were still very tired, practically falling asleep in their father’s arms adding their dead weight.

Splinter rushed through the flooded paths trying to keep his eyes open. Every time he was able to wipe away the raindrops in his eyes, even more fell. He ran with no destination and no sign of stopping anytime soon. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for. Just somewhere high enough that the rain wouldn’t be an issue, not that he knew any place like that.

He looked down at the turtles shivering in his arms. Their tiny colds had the necessary conditions to become something far more severe like strep throat or pneumonia. And that was the last thing Splinter needed to worry about.

“Daddy. Stuffy.” Raphael pointed to his nose climbing up on Splinters neck.

“We will take care of that when we get to where we are going.” Splinter nudged Raphael back into the mess of his brothers and kept running.

Before Splinter recognized it, he was falling to the ground, dropping all the turtles into the water. “You have to be kidding me?” He sighed out collecting his sons. They were dripping wet. Just perfect. Splinter thought and used his robe to wipe them off.

“Cold Daddy. Cold” Donatello shivered, followed by a bought of sneezes.  

Splinter’s heart sank as he watched all of his sons struggling to keep warm. “I know, Donatello. I am trying to find somewhere warm for us to stay.” He looked ahead.  There was nothing but sewer tunnels for miles.

But Splinter would not give up. He clutched the shivering children in his arms and started running once again. After hours of tunnel searching and slipping and sliding, Splinter spotted a light in the distance. He hurried to the source. It appeared to be an old subway station. As he got closer, he noticed that it had been relatively unaffected by the waters and dry for the most part.

Splinter sighed in relief as he climbed down the stairs leading into the station. It was still outfitted as a subway station with the turnstiles and the lined seats and small venues for purchasing quick food, but it could quickly be adjusted for easy living. Splinter scavenged around looking for anything he could use to keep the small turtles warm. He had solved one problem only to deal with another. He found a fire blanket in an emergency aid kit. It wasn’t the thickest or most comfortable blanket in the world, but it was better than nothing. He formed the blanket into a makeshift bed and tucked each of them in. Their small bodies burned with fever as they shook with chills. Even under the blanket they still appeared to be freezing.

“C-c-cold.” Leonardo forced through his chattering lips.

“I know.” Splinter sat behind their heads and tried to pass any warmth he had left onto them. Seeing that it was useless, Splinter stood up to continue searching the station for anything that could provide warmth. From the other room, he could hear the sickly sounds coming from all of his sons. His heart broke in two as he realized there was nothing more he could for them. They were his sons, and they were suffering, and there was nothing he could do but keep looking.

At least they are out of the water, he kept repeating to himself as some kind of convincing statement that he wasn’t all bad at parenting. After more adventurous searching, he found some thick towels and soft blankets that would do much better than the fire blanket. He rushed back to get his sons and wrap them up in the warmer materials.

“Better?” Splinter asked his sons after he tucked them in makeshift cocoons.

The boys all nodded while they struggled to fight the yawns building up in their chests. Splinter recognized their tiredness and encouraged them to sleep. After all he boys were asleep, Splinter stood at the turnstiles and watched the water flow through the tracks below. There was safe. No worrying about flooding. The only worry Splinter had anymore was the health of the children.

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As the days went by, the rain had come to a stop. The sewer was slowly returning to its regular water levels. No more flooding. The boys had also improved. They still had the lingering side-effects of a cold: sneezing, coughing, runny nose. But Splinter was thrilled that their temperatures had returned to normal. They had all gotten acquainted with the station, doing their own exploring and adventuring.

As he was stumbling around the stairs, Leonardo looked up at his father. His eyes were wide and he held his hands in the air, signifying that he wanted to be carried. Splinter smiled and picked up his oldest son. He could tell by the way the Leonardo was looking at him that he wanted to ask him something. “What is it you want, Leonardo.”

“Home?” He said without hesitating, the obvious heir of question in his voice.

Splinter thought for a moment and looked around. The subway station was more suitable as a home than the sewer junction. They wouldn’t have to worry about flooding or rain or anything. Sure, it needed some renovating to make it more livable, but the ends do justify the means. “Yes, Leonardo. This is home.” He smiled setting his son back on the floor and picked up with their walking lesson. This is there the turtles will take their first steps.