(Author's Note: Inspired by actual past events and Linkin Park's "One More Light". A long time ago, members of my husband's social circle were jealous and envious that I was involved with him and plotted to convince me to take my own life. In 2005 they planned to sabotage our wedding. I just recently discovered this, thankfully over a year after I had cut ties with my former friends.)

TMNT Universe: 2003 4Kids Cartoon

Prompt: Author's Imagination

Who Cares? I Do

They knelt there for a long long time, and the only sounds were the wind and Mikey's muffled sobs. Donnie was staring a little too hard at the blood crusted against the woman's wrists.

"She promised she wouldn't," Mike whispered, startling him out of his introspection. "She called me beautiful. She promised she would stay because I was there."

Donatello licked the cold sweat off his upper lip and rested his hand on his gentle brother's head. "It's never simple, Mikey. The part that pushed her to hurt herself was incredibly strong. You've been there."

Mikey ran his thumbs over the bloody slits. "I guess... I always had parts in me even stronger."

"You had us," Don nodded. "This woman had just learned that she had no one, that her friends were fake and actively trying to hurt her. It's a harsh blow. She was in a very horrific state of mind when we found her, nothing you said could have brought her out of it."

"I wish she hadn't done it when we looked away," Mikey said. "At least wait til we were totally gone or something. Now I only feel guilty."

Donnie flinched. The coldness in his voice was back, that flat dark tone that warned the family of another slide. Don was already mentally setting up the futons in his lab, preparing that very particular nootropic herb tea. If the episode lasted longer than usual he would need to get Leatherhead involved.

His hand, still touching his brother, moved to his hand and grasped it until Mike dropped the dead woman's arm and weakly squeezed back. Don sighed.

"Mikey, look, we can't do anything, and there will be police here soon. I want to get you home."

Michelangelo looked right into his face and Donatello caught the pure understanding in those glimmering eyes.

"Okay," Mikey whispered, on the verge of crying.

They didn't let go of each other's hands, not even when they entered the lair and the others stared at then, expressions shifting from confusion to fear to comprehension to worry.

This time it was Leonardo who brought in the futons and Raphael who took Michelangelo by the shoulder to distract him with movie choices while Donatello prepared the anti-depressent tea.

They sat in the living room and watched movies until Mike began to fall asleep. Raph turned off the television.

During the first night they all slept in the lab, that had become the unspoken rule for the past year. Donnie suspected what the nightmares would be about, and he made sure to keep his little brother pressed close to him.

It hadn't been their first suicide victim but it had been the first to see one of them. Mikey's deep sensitivity and his empathic nature wouldn't let him forget.

But they could help him let go.