A.N - RATED FOR CONTROVERCIAL CONTENT
Disclaimer – I don't own the Turtles and I don't think wishing upon a star is going to change that status quo. However if lost I'll be more than happy to give them a good home!
-
'It's a sin to kill a mocking bird" – Harper Lee
The End
"Raphie?" Mike's voice sounded so small as he whimpered down the phone line.
It was the middle of the night, rolling over on the sofa bed Raphael stared out of the window at the cloudy sky. Extending one hand he had grabbed the ShellCell, intent on snapping off the head of who ever was on the other end. All instinct to bite his brother's head off dispersed at the sound of his name. "Mike?
"I think Master Splinter is …" Mike trailed off, his eyes never leaving the still form lying beneath the bedcovers.
Suddenly the 2am wake up call didn't seem like that much of a big deal. "It's alright, I'm comin'" Scrambling out of bed Raphael slid open the window and hit the highline. "Yo'in there on yo'own? Get Leo, no get Don in there to work his magic Yo'hearin' this Mikey?"
"Uh-huh."
"Good, I'm hangin' up. Jus' sit tight."
-
Sitting in front of his work station, Don continued to tinker with the frazzled microwave. The first he knew of another in the room was when the music that was flooding from his earphones abruptly cut out. Turning around he stared at Mikey's haunted face. Pulling the metal frame from his skull he didn't need to ask, he had a horrible, yet distinct sense of déjà vu. "Sensei's dead isn't he?"
All Mikey could do was nod his head.
"Alright …" Don took the personal stereo from his belt and placed it down on top of his work station. "I'll see if there is anything I can do." Pausing in the door way he looked back at Mikey "Someone should tell Leo."
-
Raphael took responsibility for the eldest in the family. Lying curled up in bed he shook his dazed brother awake, a small, sad look on his face. "Hey …" he ran his hand over his brother's brow, "I'm movin' back in."
At first his brother looked at him completely bewildered, and then slowly the meaning behind his words began to sink in. "No …" he whispered quietly pushing himself up in his bed. Exhausted, and unable to contain the tightly bound emotions that had been churning inside him since his Father fell ill Leo struggled to remain calm. "No! There has to be some sort of mistake. D – Don wouldn't let this happen."
"Hey … I'm comin' back. The honeymoon is over." He tried smiling at his superior but it didn't really wash, "It's time t'say g'bye Leo." And with that he helped his brother to his feet, and into the presence of their late Father.
"No!" stumbling free from his brother's supporting grasp Leo crumpled by his Father's bed. "No! This can't be right." a shaking hand extended to feel the smooth, cold skin of the old rat's neck. "Don!" he turned from the prone man to his lingering brother exhausted eyes pleading silently with the resident medic, "Do something!"
"I've done everything I can." was the quiet reply. "I think he died at some point during the night." He continued, his facial features softening at his brother's distress. "It would have been peaceful."
"No …" Leo turned back to the small shrunken figure, his form swallowed by the thick blankets that he had lovingly laid over him only days earlier. He couldn't think, he had to be able to think, there had to be something that he could do. He should have been here, not lying sleeping in bed. Here, with his father. "No …" he repeated softly leaning back on his haunches to stare at the man he had called Father for his entire life.
"C'mon …" having collected him from his room Raphael moved to collect Leo up once again. One arm slid around his back, gently, yet firmly pulling him back to his feet. It wasn't like their brother to be this emotional, but then their Father's illness had taken the greatest toll on him. "… lets get yo'some coffee or so'ethin'."
"No …" he repeated quietly for the umpteenth time. "I should've been here."
"Yea." Mikey admitted "But it's done now." He added after a short pause, "Jus' rest up. Dad aint going anywhere." "Say goodbye then."
"You'll leave him?" Leo muttered softly, "Like this?"
The three remaining brothers shared looks, "Yea."
Exhausted, Leo accepted the suggestion with a weary nod of his head. He needed some time to absorb this. With Raphael's aid he disappeared from his Father's private quarters to return to his own room, and the sanctuary of his own bed. With luck he would sleep through the next few awkward hours and could say goodbye in the morning.
Letting out a long sigh Don flicked a surprisingly critical gaze to Mikey, "A little help?"
Turning back from the doorway Michelangelo let out a low whistle. Shrugging, he glanced back, "Sure thing."
Blowing out the sole lit candle in the room, Don all but ignored Mike's active presence. "Then perhaps we can shift focus back to the living?" the baby's attempt at conversation fell on an unusually closed ear.
"Yea." His eyes flickered up to his brother before he turned away from him once again. "Perhaps."
