Revelations
By:
Me
Had the need to write another TMNT story. Based off the 2012 series and I have taken some liberties with canon so be warned.
I own nothing
Chapter One
Everything was relatively quiet in the lair for once with Sensei away. Mikey had been driving everyone absolutely crazy with his pranks and goofing around all morning. I tried to get him to calm down by flexing my leader muscles, but that didn't work so I tried the big brother approach and that was a nada. After having to forcefully pull a seething Raph off of Mikey, I finally grabbed his skateboard and threw my baby brother with it out of the lair door.
"Go play," I snapped at him as Raphael growled and snarled behind me, "Stay in the sewers and burn off some of that energy."
"Uncool, Leo," Mikey whined, "I'm booored."
"Tough," I stated as I crossed my arms.
"Take your t-cell with you," Donnie ordered as he tossed Mikey his phone, "Don't call unless it's an emergency."
"Fine," Mikey sulked as he toed his skateboard, "Whatever, Dudes."
Finally there was blissful silence. Donnie returned to his lab, Raph went to go lift weights, and I got a blissfully, hot, undisturbed cup of tea and some time to read some of my new book. Time floated by and I eventually went into the dojo to train. It was nice to get through several of my katas without having any unnecessary interruptions. Peace.
"Um?" I heard from the door and turned to see Raph, "Sorry to interrupt, Fearless, but have ya seen my helmet?"
"No," I answered as I straightened, "Where did you have it last?"
"Near my weights," Raph groused looking angry, "Sneakin', thievin' little brother. I know that damn Mikey took it."
"Give him a call," I suggested as I lit a meditation candle and sat on the floor, "Maybe he didn't take it and you just misplaced the helmet."
Raph didn't answer me as he had already dialed Mikey's number as he tapped his toe on the floor angrily.
"Mikey?" I heard him say into the phone as I tried to clear my mind, "Where tha shell is my helmet? I know ya got it."
I peeked an eye open when Raph grew silent and listened to what our little brother was saying.
"Oh," Raph sheepishly breathed as he physically calmed down, "Yeah. I remember now. No. I'm not goin' ta apologize ta ya since you usually are tha culprit when things come up missin'. Well, goodbye ta ya too, Knucklehead."
I raised an eye ridge at my younger brother when Raph growled at the silent phone.
"Gave my helmet ta Donnie ta repair the straps," my red-banded brother admitted.
"Which are repaired," Donatello informed the two of us as he stepped into the dojo and handed Raph his helmet, "I've gotten so much work done since Mikey was forced to go play elsewhere. It's been glorious."
"Ya're not kiddin'," Raph grinned out as he looked his helmet over, "Thanks, Don."
"Give Mikey a break, Bros," I urged, "His energy is just overflowing. I will admit that I've enjoyed some quality quiet time, but our little brother is not that bad."
Donnie and Raph looked at me skeptical. I rolled my eyes at them.
"Okay," I admitted, "Mikey is…um…He's a handful, but he doesn't mean any harm."
"Hn," Raph snorted, "That's just because ya don't get very much of tha raw end of his pranks. Get slime dumped on ya more than once and ya won't be so forgivin'."
I shook my head as we all heard the lair door open and shut. I stood and looked out the dojo to see the back of Mikey disappearing into his room and shutting the door.
"Ah," I sighed happily, "Looks like these last few hours of skateboarding has worn Mikey out. He actually went to his room quietly for a change. Probably needs a nap."
The three of us returned to our own little worlds and I enjoyed a couple of hours of meditation until nature called with that cup of tea that I had earlier. I stood and stretched before walking to our bathroom. I was surprise to see Mikey sitting on the closed toilet with his hand covering his face and a wet towel dangling from the other hand in his lap.
"Mikey?" I questioned before frowning when he didn't answer, "Michelangelo?"
Finally, I reached out and touched my little brother's shoulder and he startled awake and looked up at me in surprise. He wasn't wearing his mask.
"What in the shell?" I gasped as Mikey looked at me with a swollen cheek and blackening eye, "Mikey, what happened?"
"Huh? Leo?" my little brother answered as I squatted down to look closer at his injuries, "I'm fine. Just…just argued with a few bricks. I put up a fight, but the bricks won."
I frowned when I noticed that a little blood was trickling from a split lip, but then panicked when I saw some of the blood was trickling from his mouth.
"Explain," I ordered as I grabbed the wet washcloth from his hand to dab at his lips.
"I was like skateboarding," Mikey began as he seemed a little out of it, "Stopped to rest at the old wall under 49th street. Sat down and heard something and…Leo?"
"Yes?" I asked as I peered into his wide eyes.
"Don't look up when bricks start falling," Mikey informed me, "It really hurts, Dude."
I nodded before frowning when Mikey listed a little too far to the right. I steadied him and looked again at his eyes and realized that his pupils were not dilating as they should.
"Mikey, did you get hit on the head anywhere else besides your face?" I asked urgently as those baby-blues looked at me in confusion before I turned and yelled out the door, "Donnie! Donatello! Get in here now!"
"What?" my brother answered as I heard him hurrying down the hallway before he looked into the bathroom and hissed, "Mikey! Leo, what happened?"
I stepped back to allow Donnie to bend down and begin examining our little brother.
"What's with all the yelling? What's going on?" a voice said from behind me, "What tha shell happened to Mike?!"
I turned to see Raph standing in the doorway looking pissed.
"Guys, remember that old wall below 49th that we kept saying was going to topple down one day?" I asked as Donnie and Raph nodded, "I think Mikey was under it when a few bricks came down."
"More than a few," Donnie snapped as he was in full doctor mood and showed us Mikey's bruised and cut arms, "I think he tried to shield himself, but he was hit hard in the face and I found a lump on the side of his head."
"I'm fime," Mikey slurred as he began to list again.
"He tried to clean himself up on his own," I informed my brothers as Donnie steadied our baby brother, "I think he lost consciousness for a moment."
"Concussion?" Raph questioned looking concerned.
"Absolutely," Donnie agreed, "Raph, do you think you can get Mikey down to my lab. I don't think he'll be able to walk even with support."
Raph didn't answer he simply walked in and picked Mikey up in his arms once I squeezed outside to give him the room.
"Gently," Donnie instructed as our baby brother face paled as he blinked sleepily, "Stay awake, Mikey."
I followed feeling horribly guilty. I was the one that had told Mikey to leave the lair. Now he was hurt. Dammit!
"Wake up," Raph demanded as he stopped and shook our little brother a tiny bit, "Don't close those eyes again, Michelangelo, do you hear me?"
"Tired," Mikey breathed.
Raph laid Mikey down on the examination table of Donnie's lab. Our baby brother got a familiar look on his face and I was able to get a wastebasket up to him just in time as he vomited.
"And there goes the nausea," Donatello sighed as Raph supported Mikey from behind, "Leo, go get some ice. Mikey's eye is completely swollen shut now."
I nodded and winced when I heard Mikey vomiting for a second time. How was I going to explain to Master Splinter about our little brother? He had specifically told me to watch over my younger brothers while he was off on his spiritual journey through the sewers for the next two weeks. I walked back in with an ice pack to see Donnie continuing to examine our baby brother.
"How is he?" I whispered to Raph as Mikey continued to stare blankly ahead of him with tear stains on his face.
"Losing touch with reality," my red-banded brother whispered back looking stressed and worried, "And that is saying a lot for Mikey. Was just talkin' about connectin' tha dots on his arms and then burst inta tears when Donnie told him tha 'dots' were his freckles. Said that he was a spotted-freckled freak that nobody wanted."
I frowned unhappily that Mikey was so confused and upset.
"Leo?" Mikey called out as he turned his gaze unsteadily on me.
"Yes?" I answered as I walked up and gently placed the ice pack on my little brother's swollen eye, "No. Don't move away from the cold. The ice will help the swelling come down."
"Leo, Donnie thinths tha there ish someshing wrong with me," Mikey whined as he looked accusingly at the exasperated purple-banded turtle as I wrapped a bandage around his head to hold the ice pack in place, "Maskes him leave me lone. Leave me lone, Don-nie!"
I looked to Donatello feeling very troubled as our baby brother swiped in his direction half-heartedly, but missed by a good mile.
"Stop that, Mikey," Raph urged as he came back to the ailing turtle's side and gently pushed his hands back down, "Donnie's tryin' ta help ya get better. Stay still."
"Raph? Your eyes are so pwetty," Mikey beamed out as he suddenly yanked his older brother down and looked into Raph's emerald eyes from less than centimeters away, "Wishd ma eyes gween."
If the situation wasn't so serious, I would have laughed at Raph's shocked expression. Instead, I simply helped him get untangled from our baby brother so he could stand back up. Mikey looked at us in confusion before staring off blankly again.
"He has a decent concussion," Donnie explained as he grabbed some disinfectant and began cleaning Mikey's limp arms, "Luckily he didn't break any bones in his face, but he'll have a serious bruise there for a bit. I'll bandage the cuts on his arms up now, but his wrist is sprained and he has bruised ribs. I'm worried about his slip in reality so we'll have to keep him awake."
"What about the blood that was coming from his mouth?" I asked anxiously making Donnie halt.
"I didn't see any blood," Donnie exclaimed before standing and opening Mikey's mouth to peer inside with a penlight.
"Stopth," Mikey gagged out before pulling away and slapping a shocked Donatello across the face, "Fresh! I'm noth that type of toitle."
I couldn't help it. Raph and I roared in laughter at Mikey's look of righteous indignation.
"Sorry. Sorry," I apologized to my scowling, genius brother, "But that was priceless. Did he hurt you?"
"Hmph," Donnie snorted looking back at our little brother, "No. I'm fine, but Mikey bit his cheek and that is where the blood came from. You two go wait in the living room so that I can get Mikey bandaged up. He is getting too distracted with you guys near."
Raph and I nodded and went outside like Don had asked. I paced back and forth as Raph sat on the couch looking tense.
"Stop it, Fearless," Raph growled as I passed once again, "Ya're givin' me motion sickness."
Sighing I sat down beside him and looked accusingly at the book and empty glass of tea on the side table.
"Spit it out, Leo," Raph blurted making me glance over at my brother, "You're tryin' ta blame yaself for tha Knucklehead simply being in tha wrong place at tha wrong time, ain't ya?"
"Mikey wouldn't have been out of the lair if I hadn't chucked him out the door," I gritted out as I stood to pace anxiously, "He's my little brother and I should have just dealt with his exuberance by playing a game with him or something."
"Fearless, stop," Raph urged, "Look, Donnie and I wanted him out of our figurative hair as well. This was just a freak accident."
"An accident that happened because I wanted to read a damn book," I snapped as I grabbed my new book and chucked it across the room, "Sensei told me to keep Mikey out of trouble and I basically pushed him into it."
"Well, so did Donnie and I," Raph argued with narrowed eyes, "Fearless, ya can't think that ya caused any of this. Mikey usually never skateboards that far. I have no idea why he chose to do so today."
"I do," a voice interrupted us as we turned around to see Donatello.
"Why?" I asked as Donnie sighed leaning against the lab doorframe.
"You two don't know it, but when Mikey is upset he just boards mechanically for hours," our purple-banded brother answered, "Try to guess how many times I've had to drop everything and go rescue him because he got lost and needed me to track him down through his t-cell beacon."
My stomach dropped to my toes as I sat heavily. Mikey had been upset that I threw him out of the lair. Great! I was the best, big brother ever.
"Brilliant, Don," I heard Raph groan out.
"Leo, I'm sure he wasn't upset about being thrown out of the lair," Donatello quickly assured, "Sensei tosses him outside every other day."
I blinked up at my brother realizing that he was correct. So then, what had upset Mikey and why didn't I notice that he was driving us crazy because he needed to talk?
"And there goes more guilt," Raph crabbed as he slapped the back of my head making me start in surprise, "How is Mikey, Don?"
"I've got him settled on a cot in the lab and watching some cartoons so he'll stay awake," Donnie explained turning to look over his shoulder before freezing and dashing inside.
Raph and I darted after him. We both entered the lab to see our brother trying to rouse a pale Michelangelo.
"Mikey! Wake up, Buddy," Donnie was calling as he shook our baby brother and patted him on his uninjured cheek, "Come on, Mikey. Wake up, Bro."
I breathed a sigh of relief when Mikey roused and whined a single note of unhappiness. He had a bandage wrapped around his forehead which was alarming to see.
"Open your eyes, Mikey," I ordered as I squatted down next to his cot, "Stay awake and talk with us."
"Sleepy," Mikey breathed as he blinked up at me with one eye since the other one was still swollen shut, "Tired, Leo."
"This isn't good," Donnie moaned as he supported our little brother, "It's dangerous if he falls asleep right now and he is too injured to get him up and walking to get his circulation flowing."
"Hey, Mikey," Raph gently called out as he bent down next to the cot, "Let's play that card game ya've been beggin' me ta play all day. How does that sound?"
"Um…okay," Mikey agreed much to our relief.
Raph, Donnie, and I all realized that we would have to be very aware and take turns with our baby brother to try and keep him awake. Raph took first shift to play the promised, card game. Donnie and I left to go make some dinner.
"I'll make Mikey some chicken broth," Donnie volunteered as he efficiently began to take out what he would need from the cabinets and refrigerator, "I think something too heavy would only make him get sick again."
I nodded as I continued to think about my little brother. Guilt swarmed around my gut and made me feel like I would be the one getting sick.
"Donnie, has Mikey hinted at all that something has been on his mind?" I finally asked as the big brother in me warred to the front of my mind to get some answers to what had been upsetting my baby brother.
"Nope," the cooking turtle answered simply, "I did notice that he has been daydreaming a bit more than usual, but chalked it up to his usual flights of fancy."
"Hm," I hummed to myself, "Sensei also had a talk with him in the dojo before he left. Maybe something was brought up that Mikey is concerned about."
"Leo! Donnie! Get in here!" Raph's panicked voice shouted from the lab making my brother and I jerk up in shock.
Donnie moved the pot of soup to a cool eye and shut off the stove before we both raced into the lab.
"He-he just passed out," Raph gasped as he held our limp, baby brother in his arms.
"What was going on exactly?" Donnie demanded as he grabbed the penlight and began to check Mikey's pupil in his good eye and checked the still turtle's pulse.
"We was playin' tha game," Raph explained as I clenched my fists feeling helpless to do anything that would assist Mikey, "He was still real confused, but was answerin' all my questions pretty sensibly. Then Mikey just kinda choked up and went completely limp. What tha shell happened?"
"His mind shut down to heal," Donnie answered looking worried, "His eyes are responding to the light, but his blood pressure is a bit high. Damn! I was hoping that we could keep him awake until he was completely out of the danger zone of falling into a coma."
Raph looked like he was going to have a heart attack, but I quickly stepped back up as the leader and placed a calming hand on his shoulder.
"What now, Donnie?" I inquired as Raph laid Mikey down on his pillow.
"All we can do is wait," the purple-banded turtle admitted as he placed a special made breathing mask over our baby brother's snout to get some fresh oxygen in his system, "Mikey's breathing well at the moment so we can only hope that he simply needs some good rest. We'll have to watch him in shifts. We need to try and see if we can get him to rouse again."
"I'll take first shift," I volunteered before frowning when Donnie shook his head.
"Let me," Donatello insisted, "I need to watch his blood pressure so you two go get something to eat. It's going to be a long night. Please put the chicken broth in the refrigerator for me, Leo."
I nodded and pulled Raph out of the room. He and I walked to the kitchen and I put the soup away as Donnie asked.
"I'm not hungry at the moment," I admitted.
"Me neither," Raph agreed looking at me, "Don't ya start with tha guilt again. Mikey's goin' ta be fine."
I nodded absently before realizing something. I really had to pee. I hadn't gotten to go when I found Mikey.
"I'll be right back," I stated as I started out of the kitchen.
"Where are ya goin'?" Raph asked curiously as I blushed for a second.
"To the restroom," I admitted, "Had to go earlier and that is when I found Mikey."
"What?" my brother chuckled out, "That was like nearly two hours ago."
"Don't remind me," I gritted out as I zoomed out of the room to the sound of my brother's laughter.
After I was through and washed my hands, I felt immediately better and went to walk back to the living room when I passed Mikey's open door. I paused and looked inside. Was there anything in here that would explain what was on my little brother's mind?
"That is an invasion in privacy," a small voice said in my head, but the brother in me said, "Screw privacy. Big brothers have the right to know what's going on with their younger brothers so that he can assist them."
The room was a complete disaster. I narrowed my eyes before trotting out of the room, passed Raph, and then back to Mikey's room with a fresh box of garbage bags.
"What are ya doin'?" Raph asked as he followed me into Mikey's room.
"Seeing if there is anything in here that can let me know what has our baby brother's mind upset about," I explained as I opened a garbage bag and began to sort through the stuff on the floor, "Plus, this room is a stinking hazard and I can't take the mess anymore."
Raph nodded and began to help me by stacking up all the old pizza boxes out in the hallway. It felt better having something I could do to help Mikey in some way. Once we had gathered all the obvious trash, Raph and I began to organize all the brick-a-brac in the room into identifiable piles.
"Think tha kid has enough comic books?" Raph snorted as the comic book pile grew taller and taller.
"Think you have enough motorcycle magazines?" I quipped back making my brother snort for a second time.
We worked for a couple of hours and finally had the floor and closet cleaned up. It was now time to tackle the bed. I looked over when Raph's stomach growled loudly.
"Go get something to eat," I urged as I continued to the bed, "I'm still not all that hungry. I can finish this corner of the room."
"Ya got ta eat, Fearless," Raph argued making me look up to see his poorly concealed concern.
"I promise to eat something when I'm done in here," I swore making my younger brother relax and nod as he walked out the door.
I sighed for a second before placing Mikey's comics into one of his desk drawers and his CDs in another. I then began to display his action figures and toys on his emptied shelves. I saved one shelf for his books. Mikey loved that silly, wizard book collection and he had several other collections that he had started reading over the years.
"Gag," I moaned as I began to pull out everything from under his bed, "So here is where most of our utensils and plates went. Gross!"
I put all the dirty dishes into a box and organized the odds and ends. I then tackled the bed. I was a little surprised to see our old picture albums under Mikey's covers. Why was he looking at these? None of us had looked at these pictures in over a year. I set the three albums on the desk and stripped the dirty bedding off. I jumped when something fell from underneath the mattress and struck the floor.
"What is this?" I asked aloud when I picked up what looked like a sketchbook.
To be continued…
