Sick Day
Donny woke up a lot later than he usually did, probably because he'd spent the few days before working on one of his inventions without much sleep.
He yawned and walked to the kitchen to get himself a cup of coffee so he could actually wake up.
When he looked at the clock on the wall and blinked. It read eleven thirty-seven at night. He cocked his head to one side. If his brothers had gone out on patrol without him (which was highly likely, as Leo had worried about Don getting his sleep lately), they probably wouldn't be back for another few hours.
He shook his head and mashed the buttons on the coffee maker so it would release the brown liquid that granted the brainiac life.
He sat down at the table and wondered what Mikey had made for dinner. Usually his baby brother would've written a note or something for Donny if he wasn't there for the meal. The purple masked ninja looked in the fridge and saw a pizza box with his name and a smiley face on it.
He opened it up and saw three slices of the pie in it. He shrugged, knowing he was lucky to get that from his brothers. Although he wasn't sure why Mikey hadn't made something. His orange clad brother loved cooking and rubbed it in his brothers' faces that he was the only one who could do it well.
As the coffee finished brewing and Donatello got a cup of his favorite beverage, the very unpleasant sound of someone retching was heard from the bathroom. Wrinkling his nose, the turtle made his way to the bathroom. He cursed his caring nature, because he really didn't want to walk in on someone being sick. He set the coffee down on the counter because his brothers came before coffee, always. Before he left the kitchen, he grabbed a bucket from under the sink.
"Go away…" his little brother mumbled unhappily, throwing up again after he Don knocked.
"Mikey…" the older turtle chastised. "Come on out, I'll help you get better."
"I'm dying…" Mikey told his older brother through the closed door.
"Well, then get your shell out here so you won't die," the purple masked ninja snapped.
The door opened to reveal the youngest turtle. Even though they wore all their gear all the time, Mikey (in his misery) had taken it off. His usually lively, smiling, mischief-laden eyes were dull and it broke Donny's heart to see his baby brother like this. The smell of sickness emanated from the poor ninja, but Don didn't mind because he was set on making his fellow turtle feel better.
"Mikey, you need rest," Dr. Donny ordered, pulling his brother to the living room where he could rest on the couch. The last thing the sick turtle needed was spewing chunks all over his room from his high bed. Who knows what've gotten ruined?! When they got to the living room, Don gently pushed Mikey onto the sofa.
"Don, I'm gonna die," Mikey moaned as he clutched his stomach.
"Not on my watch, Mikey," Don said as he tucked the sickly ninja in. "Now I'll be right back. I've left a bucket right there so if you feel like you're gonna hurl –"
He was cut off as Mikey leaned over the edge of the couch puked in the bucket.
Donny quickly went to his lab to get his medical supplies to help his brother.
"Donny…" Mikey cried weakly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"I'm right here, Mike," Don told his brother. He put a damp cloth on Mikey's bare forehead. "Why are you so sick?"
"I don't know, bro…" Mikey whimpered, clutching the blanket with both hands as he shivered and curled up into a ball. "I just feel like I ate a truckload of that Triceraton floor wax and I can't get it out of my system…"
Don tried to hold back his chuckle. Mikey's stomach really hadn't liked the floor wax from the Triceraton home world at all. "Well, let me take your temperature and we'll make sure that you're not going to die, ok?" the purple masked ninja patted his brother's shoulder.
"Ok…" Mikey groaned, burying his head in the pillow.
The older turtle grinned at his little brother's antics. Mikey could be so dramatic sometimes, but Don knew it was just so he could get attention. And he also knew the younger ninja just needed some rest. But, that was going to be hard for Mikey.
He grabbed the thermometer and made his way back to his baby brother, who was now laying on his stomach in an attempt to get comfortable.
Mikey groaned into the pillow and said, "I don't remember the last time I was this sick."
"It's probably just something you ate, Mikey," Don assured his brother. "Now turn over so I can take your temperature and make sure you're not going to die."
"Are you saying I could die?" Mikey asked, suddenly getting a little scared.
"Maybe, if your temperature's too high," Donny shrugged.
"I'm too young to die!" the younger screeched, flailing.
"Calm down, shell brain, I was kidding," Don told his brother, sticking the thermometer in the other turtle's mouth. After observing the temperature he said, "Now just get some sleep, ok?"
"Well, maybe I could if you hadn't nearly given me a heart attack, Donatello!" he groaned, then emptied the contents of his stomach into the bucket next to the couch once again.
Donny patiently waited for his little brother to be done and then silently took the bucket and flushed the vomit down the toilet.
"You gonna be ok, Mike?" the older turtle asked after he put the bucket in its place.
"Yeah, I think so. As long as I don't, y'know, die!" Mikey again curled up into a ball, wrapping the blankets around him.
"Mikey, I promise you are not going to die!" Donny was losing his patience with the younger turtle.
"You're absolutely positive, Don? If I did die, I wouldn't want to die alone!"
Don sighed. "It would make you feel better if I stayed with you, wouldn't it?" he wondered, sitting down on the couch next to his ailing brother.
"Yes," Mikey nodded. Suddenly some of the regular brightness returned to his eyes. "And will you watch cartoons with me?"
"Mikey, you realize how much the cartoons you watch drop your IQ, right?" Don enquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Pleeeeeeease?!" Mikey gave his brother the puppy eyes that nearly no one can refuse.
Luckily for Donatello, he was one of the few. He quickly looked away from his brother and at the TV. He turned it on to the History Channel where a program about the Cold War was on.
Mikey groaned. "Are you kidding me?!" he demanded.
"Nope. We're watching this, Mikey, and you have no say about it."
"But I'm the one who's sick, Donny! …Don? Donny… DON!"
Don didn't give a response, just stared at the TV.
The younger turtle sighed, turned over and quickly fell asleep.
The purple masked ninja grinned and turned off the tube. He chuckled as he picked up the book lying on the coffee table. "Works every time," he grinned as he started reading it from where he'd left off.
He kept vigil over his ill brother for the rest of the night, because he said he would stay with Mikey, and he always kept a promise.
…
The next morning, Donatello awoke to the mouthwatering aroma of bacon.
His eyes shot open and he looked at the couch where his sick brother had been, but it was vacant. He smiled as he got up and stretched, the open book falling from his lap with a light thump.
"Yo, D-man!" he heard the cheerful voice of his younger brother call from the kitchen. "You awake?"
"Yeah, Mikey," Donny said as he walked into the kitchen. "I take it you're feeling better?"
"Much," the younger turtle nodded, grinning like an idiot. He'd put his gear back on and was making breakfast for his family: waffles, bacon, fresh fruit, and his personal favorite, leftover pizza. "I even made your morning coffee!"
"How thoughtful of you," Don said, grinning.
"No prob, bro," Mikey smiled. He suddenly got a serious look in his eyes. "Thanks. For staying with me, y'know," he nodded, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
Donny smirked. "The History Channel works every time, Mikey."
"You know me too well, Donny," Mikey shoved his brother playfully. "But, seriously. It really –"
"Mikey, just stop before Raph comes in and starts calling you a pansy," Don rolled his eyes as he brought the coffee mug to his lips.
"Oh, yeah. You're right," Mikey nodded. "Hope you're ready for a breakfast to blow your mind, though." He suddenly got a mischievous grin on his face. "And hope you enjoy that coffee."
As Donnie let the brew into his mouth, it suddenly started burning in a very unpleasant way. He instantly spat it out, splattering it all over the kitchen floor. "Mikey…" he growled. The little punk had put hot sauce in his coffee!
Mikey screamed and ran away when he saw the murderous look in Donny's eyes.
"You're gonna regret that, Michelangelo!" Don screamed as he chased his younger brother through the lair.
"Guess Mikey's doing better," Leo muttered to himself as he walked to the kitchen, avoiding his sprinting brothers.
"Leo! SAVE ME!" Mikey shrieked as Donny tackled him to the ground.
The eldest turtle ignored his baby brother as he helped himself to the wonderful spread on the table. "No," he said simply as the girly screams resonated throughout the lair.
A/N: ...Wow, the ending kinda got away from me... But that seems like something Mikey would do. :P Anyway, review and tell me what you think! (And if you haven't read "Mikey's Encounters with his Brothers" yet, you should go check that out for more randomness brought to you by O Spastic One!)
