Mikey yawned softly, shifting in his bed. Suddenly he froze. He wiggled his toes. His fingers. Shook his head a little, then broke out into a curious grin. There was no splitting pain. He was stiff, but he wasn't in pain. And how long had it been since his last pain killers? He pursed his lips and rolled onto his back, slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position. His neck was stiff and his back hurt a bit, but that was all. His shell wasn't hurting more then a dull throb here or there, and his tail seemed to be perfectly fine. He tried wiggling it. No pain.
He was grinning from ear to ear now. His grin faltered when he tried to move his left arm, though. Nothing happened. He looked down; his arm was no longer in a sling, but he couldn't move it or feel it. The grin fell away into a frown as he tried with all his might to move his fingers. After a few unsuccessful moments, he took a deep breath and prepared to call out for Donnie. But just as the 'D' left his lips, Donnie slipped into the bedroom. He paused when he saw Mikey sitting up by himself, a smile tugging at his lips briefly, but it faltered when he saw the stricken look on Mikey's face.
"What's wrong?" he said quickly , padding over and setting the soup aside.
"I can't feel my arm," Mikey grumbled, looking down and..wiggling his fingers.
He stared in confusion as his fingers wiggled. His arm was all fuzzy, almost painfully so. But..his arm was moving now. He looked up at Donnie, and something in his expression made the purple masked turtle laugh fondly.
"You must have been sleeping on your arm. It probably fell asleep. Is your arm all fuzzy?"
Mikey nodded his head and Donnie grinned.
"So you're feeling better, I take it?"
Mikey nodded his head, the grin returning to his face, "Yeah! The only thing that hurts his my head a bit still and my shell. But not a lot."
Donnie smiled, "Your shell is healing quickly, which is really good, and most of your other wounds have healed nicely. Be careful with your legs, though. Before you try walking around, you need some work done. You're legs are really stiff; they haven't been used in a few weeks. Just be careful of that and call me if you need something."
Mikey nodded his head and reached eagerly for the soup. He was getting tired of soup, to be honest, but he wouldn't say anything. At least he was getting food, and he didn't want to make April or Donnie do any extra work. He knew they already had their hands full pulling everyone through. His thoughts faltered, and he immediately blocked everything out. He shook his head and started eating his soup, his stomach growling happily as he ate. Donnie sat in the chair beside his bed, watching Mikey eat. Once the orange masked turtle was done, Donnie took the bowl from the younger and stood, kissing his forehead and walking out without another word. Mikey watched wordlessly, his heart tugging dully. The Donnie he knew was gone now, left with a subdued, silent version that Mikey felt uncomfortable around. He'd see flashes of his lover and brother at times, but not very often. It made him sad, but he knew there was nothing he could do. Frowning slightly, he glared at his legs. He could wiggle his toes without much effort, but anything else hurt, which he soon found out. He let out a hiss of pain; frowning. For the next few hours before Donnie returned to check on him, Mikey focused on moving his legs and stretching them while sitting in bed. It was painful, but by the time Donnie had walked in with a bottle of water he could bend his knees with minimal pain. He hid this from Donnie though, wanting to surprise the older when he was able to stand. He wanted to help him; he was the only one that was still laying in bed helplessly, and he felt like a burden for it. He needed to help them, even though Donnie insisted it was okay.
Donatello walked into his younger brothers' room hesitantly. He was worried about Mikey, as everyone in the house rightly was, but their connection ran deeper in a way that no one else but them could understand. He saw Mikey was in unintentional denial. He avoided talking about what happened, avoided addressing why his wounds had come to be in the first place, and he especially avoided bringing up his oldest brothers name. So, after trying to unsuccessfully open Mikey up to talk, Donnie had simply given up. Mikey would come around at his own pace, and all that he could do was be there when it happened.
Mikey was still sitting up in bed as he neared, a water bottle in one hand and a treat in the other behind his back. Mikey could eat solid foods, but with the stress going on around the house, neither April or Casey had been able to head into town to pick up some much needed groceries. In the freezer was a bunch of soup, though, that Casey had stocked up, so that was their breakfast, lunch and dinner until the house could be restocked. He had over heard April talking to Casey, saying that they should go and pick some actual food up, but Casey's reply was too quiet for Donnie to hear.
"Hey," Donnie said softly, a smile on his face.
Mikey beamed up at him, and Donnie's heart clenched. He looked almost...normal now.
"Hey. Hows everyone?" he asked lightly.
Donnie grabbed his chair and scooted forwards, handing the younger the bottle of water and trying to keep the bag behind him from crinkling too much, "They're doing alright. As far as I know, Casey and April might go out later and pick up some groceries."
Mikey let out a whoop of excitement, "It's about time! I was getting sick and tired of soup all the time."
Donnie grinned and agreed. After a moment, he said, "I have a bit of a surprise for you. It's not much, I know, but at least it isn't soup again."
Mikey perked up immediately, his baby blue eyes glinting in the sunlight streaming through the window. Donnie laughed and pulled a bag of classic lays chips from behind him, handing it to the other male. Mikey let out a squeak and grabbed the bag, hugging it and grinning.
"Dude!" he said, grinning at Donnie, "Thanks! But where did you get them? You said they were just going to get groceries today?"
Donatello just smirked, "I found them in the pantry behind some cans of soup. I don't know how old they are, but they haven't been opened."
As Donnie spoke, Mikey tore into the bag and gleefully grabbed a handful and stuffed them into his face. He let out a soft little moan of happiness, his eyes fluttering closed.
"I take it there fine?" Donnie asked, amused.
Mikey just nodded his head and spoke around a mouthful of chips, "Der a wittle shtale, bu' der good!"
Donnie just laughed and sat back in his chair, watching as Mikey happily chomped down on his food. Mikey tilted the bag towards the other, but Donnie shook his head, saying that he had gotten them for Mikey, not him. Mikey shrugged and continued eating, almost vibrating. It was ridiculous how a simple little thing like that could make the younger so happy.
"Oh, and I fixed our masks," Donnie added as a side note, "When you're fully up and moving I'll get yours back to you."
Mikey nodded his head and set the bag of chips down beside his legs. He rubbed his hands together and looked at Donnie, his eyes suddenly soft.
"Hey, uhm, Donnie..?"
"Mmm?"
"Can I ask you something...? And don't laugh," he added, frowning a little.
Donnie raised an eyebrow. Mikey was blushing and he looked really uncomfortable all of a sudden, "What is it?"
Mikey fidgeted a little, his eyes no longer meeting Donnie's as he spoke, "Well, uhm...are we...still...you know..."
Donnie furrowed his brows. What was Mikey getting at, exactly?
"Go on," he urged.
"Eherm...Arewestilltogether?" he asked in a rush, his cheeks flushing a deeper shade of pink.
Donnie paused for a moment and eyed the younger with an unreadable expression, before he snorted softly in amusement. He leaned forwards, eyes soft as he murmured, "Really? That's what you choose to ask me now, of all things?"
Mikey shrugged slowly, glancing over at Donnie and looking away again.
Donnie sighed, smiling, "Yes, we're still together if you want us to be."
Mikey smiled and slowly met Donnie's gaze, "Well, if I didn't want to be I wouldn't have asked," he said cheekily.
Donnie rolled his eyes and leaned forwards, kissing the younger turtle on the forehead, "Alright. Anything else you want to ask?" he said delicately.
Mikey paused for a moment, his eyes flickering with something that Donatello couldn't decipher. After a moment, Mikey shook his head and glanced away. Donnie's smile fell away and he knew their conversation was over. He nodded his head, mumbled that if he was needed, just call his name, and stood to leave. After a second, he heard Mikey's voice behind him.
"Donnie.. Is Leo really..gone?"
Donatello's breath caught. Mikey's voice was quiet, almost too quiet for Donnie to hear. His heart clenched as he slowly turned around and made his way back to where his brother sat. He was silent as he sat back down in the chair, staring at the floor as he spoke.
"Yes...he is."
"And...Splinter...is he gone too?" came the soft reply.
Donnie let out the breath he had been holding sharply, "Yes... Father disappeared sometime last week.. We haven't heard from him since."
They fell silent and Donnie looked up, studying his lovers' face carefully. Mikey had sustained a few cuts and scrapes that had become scars that would take a long time to heal, and there were still a few bruises that purpled underneath his left eye. Without his mask, Mikey looked so much younger and much more vulnerable. He seemed older too, somehow, but that was in his eyes. They were no longer bright and full of joy, as they once were. No, they were dull and looked as though they had been around a hundred moons. It hurt to see their youngest brother and his lover like this, but there was nothing he could do.
After an uncomfortable while of silence, Donatello mumbled something about making a shopping list for Casey and April and trudged from the room, closing the door as he left. His shoulders sagged with the weight of the world on them, and his head was swimming. He leaned against Mikey's closed door and sighed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to calm himself.
Leo... Why'd you have to go?
'Leo...Leonardo... My son, can you hear me?'
No, go away. He didn't want to wake. He didn't want to be disturbed.
'My son, come back. Your brothers need you. I need you.'
All he wanted was to just lay there, cloaked in the calming dark. The more he heard of the voice, the louder it got and the more he hurt. Everywhere.
'Please, my son...'
He was so tired and heavy. The more that he was called, the harder it got to breathe, to think, to even think. He just wanted to go back to the darkness that had covered him. It was calming. And where the voice was coming from was a world of pain and sadness. He didn't want to go. Just leave him be.
'Hey, Leo. C'mon, man.'
That was a new voice. It sounded just as familiar as the first...
The change of voices startled him so much that he felt the tendrils of sleep, safety and peace crumbling away from him rapidly. He didn't have time to think, much less react, before splitting pain shot through him. He let out a yell; his throat felt like it was on fire from the sudden use. He could hear voices around him, but he was in too much pain to make any sense of anything other then that which he felt. He just wanted it to stop, he wanted it to be the way it was before. Where there was nothing yet everything. He could be whatever he wanted, he could see what he wanted, he was free. He had no limitations.
Here, however...
The pain radiated through his body, causing him to to seize up, his torso curling upwards. He tried to roll over into a ball, but even the slightest movement felt like flames of acid licking his very bones.
He vaguely noted that there were hands on him, trying to hold him down, but he couldn't focus. He wanted the pain to go away, he wanted everything to just...stop.
He could hear what he knew was his name being chanted, he could feel a familiar hand on his forehead, and little licks of memory started flooding back to him. Too quickly. His brain seemed to overload, and all at once, he was pulled back into the unfeeling, cool and safe darkness that he had been woken from.
Finally.
Casey's heart thudded against his chest. Splinter had called him to the shed late at night, saying it was an emergency. He had woken from a dead sleep on the couch to find Splinter's frantic eyes inches from his own. It had startled the piss out of him, but not as much as the look in the old rats' eyes.
"You need to come. Now," was all that had been spoken, and here Casey was, in the shed at 3:30 in the morning, staring at the naked turtle laying on the hay bed.
Leonardo had been moving around, and according Splinter had been mumbling in his sleep and even begun fluttering his eyes open for short periods of time. He wasn't very responsive, but he knew when Splinter was talking. They were close to something, and Splinter had called Casey there for help if it were needed. Now, Splinter stood beside the bed, holding the younger's hand tightly, murmuring words to him to try and pull him out of the sleep he had fallen into. Casey was having a hard time breathing; Splinter had said he had a good feeling that Leonardo would wake and be conscious, even if it was for a little. He was far from healed, and that worried Splinter, but if Leonardo was able to gain consciousness for even a while, their chances of him pulling through this sky rocketed from a 15% to an 85%.
"Hey. Leo.. c'mon man," he murmured, throwing some words of encouragement in but not exactly expecting anything.
Casey sat watching as Leonardo's head twitched towards the sound of their voices. They sat silent for a few minutes, before Casey came to the decision nothing was going to happen that night. At least he was responding to-
"ARRGH!"
A splitting, raw yell ripped through Leonardo's throat all of a sudden, his eyes flying open. Splinter jumped and stood up, shouting his sons' name. Casey flew from his seat, knocking it backwards in his haste. Leonardo was moving, his body twitching as he tried to move, nearly falling from the bed in what looked like an attempt at the fetal position. Casey and Splinter wrestled for a few heart-wrenching moments, trying to make Leo lay back and calm down. They had tragically misjudged just how much pain he was in, and now he was suffering. At a small glance to the side, he could see the pain and panic that crossed Splinter's eyes. It was foreign and made Casey's stomach turn.
They wrestled for a few more moments, before Leonardo suddenly went limp, passing back out. They lay him carefully on the bed, breathing hard and eyes swimming. Casey looked at Splinter, who stared at his son for a few more seconds before sitting down in the chair by the dying fire. He sat silently as Casey looked over Leo, covering him with a blanket and grabbing a damp cloth to wipe the sweat from his face. He had split open a few wounds and was bleeding from his side and his head, and his skin was a sickly pale shade of grey. Casey took a deep breath and pulled the blanket back just so he could reach Leo's wounds. He grabbed the first aid kit and set about re-closing and recovering his wounds, which took a little longer then he had expected. Splinter had done a good job cleaning the wounds; there was no sign of infection. It was just taking a long time to heal.
After he had finished dealing with Leonardo, he covered him back up and turned to Splinter. The poor man was bent over, staring at the last of the fire unseeingly. A few tears had snaked their way out of his eyes and were slowly falling down his cheeks. Casey sighed softly and walked towards the old man, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. His voice was soft.
"Splinter, I think, if it's all the same to you, it's about time we agree not to keep this a secret anymore."
Splinter was silent for a few moments, before he muttered, "Alright, Casey. We tell them come morning."
Casey nodded his head and stood there for a few more moments, before deciding that he had best leave him be. With one last look at Leonardo, he turned and trudged towards the door. He slipped out and closed the door tightly behind him, and turned to head back to the house. He nearly bowled over April, who was standing right behind him. Casey spluttered and reached out, grabbing her before she hit to cold ground. She looked up at him, her eyes red rimmed and a look of strain on her face.
"What the hell is going on?" she whispered, her voice wavering.
"Babe, let me explain," he started, getting ready to cut her off if she started freaking like he expected.
To his utter surprise, she paused and nodded her head, turning briskly and walking back into the house. He took a deep breath and followed, preparing his story. As he walked inside, he saw a candle lighting the kitchen and April making herself a cup of tea and starting some coffee for him. He smiled sadly as he watched her bustle about. With the recovery of the other three, she had begun looking a little better. She was still mourning, but she was at least eating a bit more and showering every other night. She still barely slept, but she was getting better.
He waited until they were seated with their mugs in front of them before he spoke.
"Leonardo wasn't dead when we got to them. He was pretty damn close, but because no one was really in any shape to pay too much attention, we over looked it. The night we brought him in on the couch, Splinter stayed by him and noticed shallow breathing and a faint pulse. I came down and saw Splinter carrying his body into the shed, and I followed. Splinter told me what was going on, and said that if we had any chance of saving him we needed to keep this a secret from everyone. Splinter needed to focus their energies on bringing him back, so I kept it a secret. If I hadn't, Leo wouldn't have been recovering nearly as fast, if at all. As it is, he's at least having conscience moments."
April nodded her head, nursing her tea and waiting for him to go on.
Casey took a deep breath, "I was sneaking them food, water and anything else that they needed while everyone else was recovering. Splinter woke me up earlier and told me that he was starting to show signs of possibly waking up. We thought that he was recovering better then he really was, and when he did end up waking, he screamed. He was in so much pain that... He didn't stay conscience for long."
Casey broke off for a moment and took a swig of his black coffee. With recent evens, he had taken to simply drinking his tea straight.
April looked at him and said, "So...why are you guys deciding to tell everyone now?"
Casey shrugged, "I didn't want to hide this in the first place. I mean, look at the guys. And you...hiding it from you was hard," April looked away at that, "But I guess now that everyone's pretty much recovering Splinter's finally accepting some help. At least, everyone can walk. We need Donatello's medical skills to help. We can't tell how much damage Leonardo sustained as it is, and I know that Donnie can."
April nodded her head and added, "And any supplies that we need, either you or I can run out and grab tomorrow. We'll have to tell them as soon as they wake up."
Casey nodded his head then paused for a second, "I don't know how they're going to take knowing that I kept this from them. It's one thing for Splinter..but I knew and didn't tell them. I lied," he said, staring at his nearly empty mug, "Raph's gonna flip," he added as an afterthought.
April nodded slowly, then said, "Maybe this is something that Splinter should do. We'll be there, but he should tell them. He can explain his actions in a way that they can understand."
"Yes, Ms. O'Neil. That was the plan," came a voice from behind them, "When my sons wake, tell them to come into the living room."
Casey nodded his head. Before either could speak, Splinter padded from the kitchen. They glanced at each other silently.
When morning came, they still sat there, sipping at now cold drinks. Neither cared. They just waited for the sounds of the turtles waking. At around 10, Casey headed out to the shed to get Splinter, while April went to gather the guys.
10:30 saw them all in the living room. Michelangelo had surprisingly started walking overnight, and was refusing to sit even though he was tired. He was proud, and that made the mood a little happier. For the time being.
Raphael sat by the fireplace, Donatello sat on the couch, and Casey and April stood by the entrance.
"So what's the deal? Why are we here?" Mikey asked.
"Well," Casey started, but was stopped as Splinter appeared.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
"Father!" Both Mikey and Donnie exclaimed together, jumping forwards.
Raphael's eyes widened and he brought himself up silently. All three of them rushed towards Splinter, embracing him. Casey looked away; it felt like a private moment that he had no business witnessing. As they pulled away, as expected, they bombarded him with questions all revolving around, 'Where have you been?' Splinter smiled softly and motioned for them all to sit, and they did. Even Mikey, although he sat a little heavier then the others.
Splinter took in the sight of his sons. In the matter of almost three weeks, they had recovered well. Donatello had but a few bruises on him, and a couple nasty looking scars, but he was fine. Raphael still had a sling on his left arm and a few bandages around his face and right leg, but otherwise was functioning just fine. Michelangelo, who had looked the worst besides Leonardo, had a few bandages on his shell, a rather impressive collection of bruises littering his body, and was suffering from a small limp. Splinter sighed softly; they were warriors, even when their leader was gone.
"My sons, I have something that I need to tell you. I hid this from you until I knew that you all could handle it and act as you need," He paused for a moment as they all exchanged perplexed glances, "As you all know, Shredder won your last battle. You were all severely wounded, and your oldest brother, Leonardo, was presumed dead. However, upon bringing him here I noticed that he was still alive, but just barely. His pulse was so soft that I almost couldn't locate it. But once I did, I knew I had to get him out of here. I brought him to the shed, where Casey helped set up a bed for your brother."
"Wait, hold up,' Raph broke in, his eyes flashing dangerously, "So Leo's alive, and Casey knew, and you both decided to keep this from us?"
Splinter flinched and Casey refused to make eye contact with any of the brothers, "Raphael, please. It was the only way that I could make sure that Leonardo would make it through. You were all recovering from wounds of your own, and I needed solitude and silence to bring him up. I would never do this unless I had no choice. You of all people should know this."
Raphael fell silent, but the dangerous flashing in his eyes grew. Splinter took a deep breath before continuing.
"Last night, Leonardo surface. He broke through the sleep that had locked him in place. I had thought that he was healing faster then he really was, and Leonardo wasn't able to stay awake for long," Here he turned to Donatello, who had remained expressionless throughout everything, "Donatello, I need your help."
Whether it was his father asking for his help or simply being addressed in general, Donatello snapped to attention. His eyes flashed in a way that Casey had never seen.
"Alright, father. I need to take a look at him to see what's going on... I don't have anything here that I need to perform a full inspectio-"
"Casey and I can take care of that," April cut in, taking a small step forwards, her eyes watery, "We can run into town today and grab everything you need. Just make us a list and we'll get it."
Donatello nodded, his voice flat, "Alright."
Splinter sighed, his head drooping, "Donatello, come with me."
"Wait!" Michelangelo said, standing up quickly and nearly losing his balance, "We're going to see him too, right?"
Splinter shook his head, opening his mouth to speak but was cut off, "We're going to see him. You kept this from us. This is the least you owe us."
Raphael stood, his eyes murderous. Splinter frowned.
"Until Donatello has determined what state he is in, you cannot come in. We have to make his healing as quiet as possible."
Mikey and Raph both turned towards Donatello, who refused to meet their eyes as he spoke, "He's right. Until I can get a look at him, it's not good for him to have too many people around him."
Raph swore, his eyes guarded and hateful. He turned on his heel and stormed upstairs, while Mikey simply stood there, looking like a small child. Everyone jumped as raph slammed his door. Donatello turned and walked form the house, followed closely by Splinter. April walked towards Mikey, her eyes soft. She was fighting tears. Mikey just looked up at her and accepted her arms around him, silently. Casey watched without a word, his eyelids heavy.
After a moment, April pulled away and offered to make Mikey something to eat. He just shook his head, offered a dull smile, and turned away and walked up stairs. She heard his door close softly, and she turned to Casey with a somber expression. She sighed a little and walked into the kitchen with Casey at toe.
"I'll make up a list of things to buy, food-wise. If there's anything around the house, like toilet paper, shampoo, that sort of thing, let me know. We'll wait until we hear from Donnie to go, though."
Casey nodded his head and turned, walking from the kitchen. as he walked upstairs, he heard murmuring from Mikey's room and paused, listening. He could hear Raph's deep rumble, but he couldn't make out what was being said. He decided against eavesdropping and tromped into the bathroom. They needed toilet paper, tooth paste, shampoo and soap. Mumbling what was needed under his breath, he slipped back into the kitchen. April was bustling around, a piece of paper on the table with a pencil. She was eyeing the inside of the fridge, her brows furrowed as she concentrated. He smiled a little.
"Hey. We need toilet paper, tooth paste, shampoo for both of us, and some soap."
April nodded and stood, writing everything on the paper as well as some other things for the fridge. About ten minutes later, she sat at the table, her list finally finished. He could tell she was restless, impatiently waiting for Donnie to come back in so she could get out. He knew how she felt; after nearly three weeks of being cooped up without anything other then soup to eat, he was itching to leave too. But it wasn't until an hour and a half had passed that Donatello slipped back into the house. His face was tight and his eyes red. He walked in and relayed everything he needed to April, who wrote it down quickly, then he turned and slipped back out of the house before either could ask him what was going on. April glanced at Casey and let out a soft little sigh.
"Come on, Casey. Let's go."
