Chapter 2: Out of the Woods
A/N: So here's the next chapter to this tale. It's based off of the song by Taylor Swift from her new album. I don't have said album yet, but I can't wait to get it and listen to it. She sang this song on Ellen on Monday, and as I listened to it, I somehow thought of Leo based on the title of the song, so this is a Leo-centric chapter. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed thus far. It means a lot to me that you're enjoying this story.
Guest: I'm so glad you like what I have so far. I don't think this will happen in the series, but that's what fan fiction is for, and that's all that matters. Thanks for reading.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot of the story and nothing more.
He'd been struggling for a long time to come back. He could hear the voices of his loved ones calling him, but he couldn't come back. Each time he tried, he saw Shredder rising up to push him back down into the blackness. Maybe he wasn't meant to come back. Maybe it was his time to go. But each time he thought of that, he condemned himself for it knowing that his brothers wanted him back.
Now he could feel a presence by his side, the same presence he'd felt since he fell in this blackness. He heard his brother talking to him, begging him to please wake up. Leo knew he'd been gone long enough and that he had to get better for his brothers' sake. Shredder rose up again, but Leo ignored him and focused on his brother's voice, clinging to it and willing himself to open his eyes.
As he opened his eyes, he saw Raph sitting beside him. His brother's eyes lit up as he saw that Leo was awake. He smiled and then called, "Guys! Guys, get up here!"
Leo heard footsteps and saw April, Casey, and his brothers come into the room. Mikey enveloped him in a hug and while it hurt because of his injuries, he was still comforted by it nonetheless. They got him out of the tub and settled him in the living room where they filled him in on everything that had happened. He couldn't believe he'd been out for three months and that Raph had stayed by his side. Raph declared that the next day they were going to train so that Leo could get back on his feet. He wasn't sure if that was going to help, but he knew Raph would do all he could to help his brother out, so he agreed to it.
Mikey made some soup for him to eat before he went to bed, and it helped to chase away the taste of the awful medicine Don had given him. He knew Don meant well, but he wasn't so sure that the medicine would heal him fully. Still, he didn't want to burst his brother's bubble, so he thanked him and decided it was time to go to bed.
Raph helped him up the stairs and settled him into bed. Leo was touched at the tender way Raph tucked him into bed, making sure that he was comfortable. Leo watched as Raph got into his own bed and settled down to sleep. Maybe things would turn out okay after all.
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Leo awoke his heart pounding. He'd just had a nightmare about the horrible attack. He saw Raph sit up in bed, his face full of concern.
"Are you okay, Leo?" he asked gently.
Leo nodded even though he wasn't. "Yeah, I'm fine, Raph," he answered. "It was just a stupid dream."
"Didn't sound that way to me," Raph contradicted. "It sounded like you were havin' a nightmare."
"It's nothing, Raph," Leo insisted. "Just go back to sleep so we can get to training tomorrow."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Leo shook his head. He didn't want to relive the horrible memories and have Raph hear them. "No, I'm fine," he replied.
Something in Raph's eyes said he wanted to continue talking about it, but he nodded and settled back down.
Leo took deep breaths and tried to calm himself the way Master Splinter had taught him. This couldn't go on. He couldn't continue to be afraid of what had happened, but there was something inside of him that told him he'd never be the same after all of this. What if he didn't heal? What if he was permanently damaged from all of this? What would happen then? He would surely have to give up leadership to Raph or one of the others. He'd never be a true ninja again, and he'd probably be exiled from the clan.
Shaking those thoughts from his head, Leo lapsed back into sleep, doing his best not to think of what would come. He would just face it like he always did.
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Leo woke up nice and early the next morning and was surprised to see Raph was up as well. Usually, the red-clad Turtle was notorious for sleeping in, but this time he was up bright and early. He helped Leo out of bed and downstairs to the kitchen. He got a bowl and some cereal and poured some for Leo, thinking it would be easier on his stomach since he hadn't eaten in three months. Leo ate it without complaint and was thankful his brother had thought of it. He then presented Leo with the cane Don had made for him.
"This will help you to get around until you can do it on your own," he said.
"Thanks, Raph," Leo said gratefully.
"Hey, don't thank me, thank Donnie. He's the one who made it."
The others came down then and Leo thanked Donnie for the cane. Don blushed and said it was nothing. The talk turned to what was going to happen today, and Raph said he was going to train Leo on his own. April suggested that everyone else practice outside since it was nice out, and the others agreed to it.
"Come on, Leo, let's get out there," Raph said with a smile.
Leo smiled back and got up off his chair. He waved to the others and followed Raph outside. He thought maybe Raph would keep pace with him, but he forged on ahead, calling encouragement to his brother. Leo did his best to keep up, but it was hard as the pain racked his body. He fell a few times and sighed in frustration.
"I don't think I'm ever going to be the same again," he said sadly.
Raph glared at him. "Don't talk like that," he commanded. "That's not the Leo I know. Now let's cross this creek."
Leo was touched by Raph's words, but he didn't feel the same way. He wasn't the same anymore, and he hoped that Raph would face the reality that things probably wouldn't be the same again. He took some of the medicine Don had given him and tried to get up to cross the creek. He looked at his reflection and saw how broken he really was. He looked up to see Raph looking at him and a wave of dizziness overcame him along with nausea. He tried to keep the feeling at bay, but it didn't work, and he ended up vomiting up the medicine.
"Leo, are you okay?" Raph asked as he hurried to his brother's side.
"I think it's from that medicine Donnie gave me," Leo replied. "I'm not feeling too good."
Raph put his arm around his brother and led him back to the farmhouse. After explaining to the others what happened, Raph helped Leo upstairs so that he could sleep for a little while. Leo settled down into bed and lay on his right side, hoping that would rid him of the nausea.
"Just rest, Leo," soothed Raph. "We can always train again tomorrow. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call out."
"Okay, Raph," whispered Leo.
Raph patted Leo on the shoulder and left him to rest. Leo sighed and closed his eyes willing the nausea and the pain to go away soon.
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When Leo awoke it was nearly dark. He came downstairs, happy that the nausea had subsided. April gave him tea, and they discussed Master Splinter's fate. Leo didn't want to believe that Splinter was gone even though the others had told him what had occurred and what Shredder had done. Shredder was truly a monster and needed to pay for all he'd done, but Leo wasn't sure if he was ready to face him right now. He shivered as he remembered how Shredder had come up behind him and had sliced his plastron with one blow. Leo hadn't been able to fight back and had lapsed into unconsciousness.
After the fuse blew, Raph left to get more firewood and Don hurried to try and fix it. Mikey kept moaning about missing his favorite show, but Leo tuned him out.
"Are you okay, Leo?" April asked him. "Do you need anything?"
Leo shook his head. "No, I'm fine," he answered.
Raph didn't come back, and everyone began to get worried. Leo ordered that everyone split up and search for him. Don wasn't happy about April and Casey going off alone, but Leo didn't care. It was important that they find Raph as quickly as possible, and he wasn't going to let up on it.
"What about you?" April inquired.
"I'll stay at the farmhouse in case Raph comes back," Leo answered. "It's not like I'll be much help out there anyway." Het turned and limped back into the house, despair washing over him. He wanted to go out and look for Raph, but there was no way he'd be able to keep up in the woods. He was just too badly injured. He sat in a chair for a little while, trying not to think horrible thoughts. But then a wave of determination came over him. He had to get better and help his family. He eyed the katanas Raph had brought back from the Lair for him and his blue mask that was sitting on the table. He hobbled over and picked them up then turned and headed back outside.
He fell to the ground as he placed his swords in the grass. Pain wracked his body, but he fought against it.
"Come on, Leo, stop whining and get up," he encouraged himself. He got to his feet, but another spasm of pain hit him. He looked up when he heard a noise and saw April stumbling out of the woods. Something grabbed her ankle, and she struggled to reach him. He hurried to get to her, but he was too weak.
"Leo!" April cried, reaching out for him as whatever it was dragged her back into the darkness.
"April!" Leo cried back, trying to get to her and falling down as he watched her get dragged into the woods.
No, this couldn't be happening. He couldn't fail them. His eyes strayed to his swords and his blue mask. He pushed himself up and went over to his beloved weapons. He tied his mask on and put his swords in their sheaths. Grabbing his cane, he made his way into the woods to reclaim the family that was taken from him.
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Back in the barn at the farmhouse, he saw that Raph was still a plant. Don was rigging an IV to see if he could restore Raph to himself. Leo sat on the bale of hay and had his eyes fixed on his brother.
"There, I've done all I can," Don declared. "Now all we have to do is wait."
"I think we should all go to bed," April suggested. "It's been a long day for all of us."
"I'm staying here," Leo told them.
"Leo, you need to rest," Don reminded him. "You just fought a creature when you weren't in any condition to fight."
Leo's eyes blazed with determination. "I'm not going anywhere," he said firmly. "I want to stay with Raph."
Don said no more, but as they were leaving, Mikey offered to fill in if Leo needed the rest. Leo reassured him he'd be fine, and continued watching over his brother. He just hoped that Raph would pull through.
"You can do this, Raph," he encouraged. "I'm here, and I'm not leaving you."
22222
Raph was restored, and it felt good to see him like that. The others had left the barn, but Leo remained once again with his brother. He could tell Raph was still weak from what had happened, but there was also something else in his eyes.
"So, you stayed with me the whole time?" he asked.
Leo nodded. "Yeah, I did," he answered. "I wanted to repay you for how you stayed by my side when I was in my coma, and I figured that was the best way to do that."
"Leo, you didn't have to stay with me," Raph protested. "I would have been fine. You should have rested."
"It's too late for that now," Leo reminded him. "It's over and done with. Now we both have to heal up and get better."
Raph smiled. "I think we can manage that," he declared.
"You bet we can," Leo agreed. "Come on, let's go back." He helped Raph to his feet, and the two brothers made their way back to the house. It was going to take time for them to heal, and they were far from out of the woods, but they would do all they could to get better so that they could reclaim the city that was taken from them.
A/N: So that's the end of another chapter. I just got Taylor Swift's new album, and it's awesome. I can't wait to write more stories based on her song titles though as I said, I'll be using other song titles too if I run out of inspiration from Taylor's songs. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.