Did I mention I own nothing? Okay, on with the show!
Chapter 2: How to Say Goodbye
Don woke up with a hangover the size of the Empire State Building and twice as pointy. It was dark, but Don woke with a realization. Something was wrong. It was way to quiet with a haunting feeling of bad news, and was…was that Mikey crying?
"M-mikey? Leo? Raph?" Don breathed feeling like floating, and his mouth was so dry. He had another nightmare from the time he visited the future. Each brother died before his eyes, and no matter how hard or how loud he screamed their names they didn't come back.
Was the dream real? He began to panic.
"Don! Donnie, calm down. We're here. We're here." Leo's voice broke through the darkness, and Don took a breath. Everything was so fuzzy and unreal like watching the world through a blizzard. Leo took Don's hand gently.
"My son." Master Splinter's furry hand took the other hand that wasn't held by Leo. "You are home safe with your family. For three days you have battled with a sever fever, but it seems to have broken. We have waited long for your to awake. Leonardo wishes to tell you something."
In the distance, perhaps another room, were the voices of Don's other brothers. Mikey was obviously upset, and Raph was doing his best to console him. The conversation was lost in the mutter and fuzz.
Vision began to clear as Don could actually see the faces of Splinter and Leo in the dimness of his room. The light came from Mikey's nightlight, but Don was in his lab/bedroom.
Turning to his brother, Don was surprised to see tears? Leo was crying? But…Leo never cries; only when things are bad ,and there's no good news. Yet his eyes were set firm despite those tears. Splinter steeped back giving Leo and Don privacy.
Summing up strength, Leo whispered, "Donnie…I'm leaving."
"Leaving?" Donnie asked; his voice sounding so young due to the drugs. So, this is what seemed wrong. This wasn't right. "Where are you going, Leo?"
Leo breathed, "Away. Master Splinter is sending me on a training mission to South America."
"Yeah" Donnie laughed, "And Raph is going to join the ballet and Mikey's burned all his comic books."
Leo's eyes grew dark, "I'm serious, Donatello."
No. Don's mind instantly denied it. This types of things didn't happen. His brothers didn't leave; they were going to grow old and die together. It felt like Leo was dying and leaving for an untouchable hospital. It just didn't happen. It couldn't.
His voice was oddly strong as he asked, "Why?"
"It's…complicated." Leo's eyes turned away.
Don's life biography was titled Complicated. He thought in complicated terms and theories that the normal American wouldn't touch. Leo couldn't just sweep this under that term, and Don wouldn't allow that.
Trying to sit up, Don was stopped by Leo's firm hands. "Don, you're not well enough to stand on your own."
"To hell with my condition." Don growled and hissed. Don cursing had amazing effects on his brothers, and Leo backed away. Leaning against the wall, Don glared. "Now, explain it to me, Leonardo. Why are you leaving for South Africa?"
Leo opened his mouth as if to say something. Then stopped for a reason or another. "I'm…just leaving Donnie. I'll be back someday; when Splinter thinks I'm ready."
The purple clad brother didn't want to hear that. If Leo was leaving he wanted a date. Hell, he didn't want Leo to leave to begin with.
Then a thought. Looking down at his own bandaged arm, Donnie grimiest. "It wasn't because of…"
But Leo wouldn't let Don finish. "No!" He said firmly taking the hand in question. "No, Don. It's…it's a lot of things."
"Then why can't you tell me?" He demanded.
"Because that would take a lifetime."
"Okay…when?"
"Tonight. I wanted to wait for you to wake up…to say goodbye."
The gloom was pressing on Don's chest, or was that just the remnants of the fever. Smiling, Don placed his hand on Leo's shoulder. "It's not like it's forever, right?"
"Right." Leo smiled a small smile that left too much room for doubt. "I'm sorry, Donnie."
Puzzled, Don asked, "For what?" Then he saw Leo's eyes avoiding his, and that frown of guilt appeared. "Leo, it wasn't your fault. None of this is, okay?"
"Promise me you'll watch over the others." Leo looked so sadly desperate.
"Of coarse I will." The atmosphere there was not improving, so Don silently accepted this. "We'll be fine, Leo, so don't worry." The tightness in Donnie's lungs erupted into a coughing fit that robbed him of speech. Leaning forward, Don rested against Leo's chest until his body relaxed from the convolutions. When he stopped coughing however, Don was hearing chocked sobs while strong arms kept him against a strong plastron.
His big brother, the leader of them all, was leaving.
"I promise." Don whispered, wrapping his own arms around Leo's shell. "But you have to promise not to forget about us."
"I promise."
Leo left his ill brother with a head low. Splinter followed after him, and said something about Donatello's condition improving so there was no need to worry, my son. Mikey and Raph sat on the sofa. The tears were gone from the youngest eyes, but when both looked up to see Leo; they threatened to come again.
It was time to leave.
Raph and Mikey stood knowing this had to happen but the reasons seemed so stupid to Raph. Splinter explained it to him at Donnie's beside last night, and Raph took it in. Taking in information doesn't mean you have to accept the reasons.
Mikey's farewell embrace seemed to last the longest. This would be the first time they would separated from each other because of indifference, because their father ordered it.
This ordeal would make Leo a better leader. He would find himself somewhere in the depths of the Amazon, and they would all be a better team, a better band of brothers. Then why, Raph wondered as he watched Leo kiss Mickey's forehead, did it seem that this was an idea to break up the team for good.
"Well…" Leo released Mikey, turning to Raph. Both were unsure of how to do this; how do you say goodbye?
Could they stop this, Raph wondered. Leo was a simply following another Splinter's command without thinking, but it seemed deeper than that.
"You're the leader now." Leo nodded at this.
Raph answered this with a simple, "Take care of yourself."
"Right. Take care of the others for me."
"I will."
With that, Leo was gone.
