Merry Christmas! I hope this chapter is up before Christmas or at least on Christmas. That would be awesome of fan fiction. I don't own the turtles and if you think I do, thank you!
Enjoy!
Leo sat up in bed and checked on his bandages. Finding them still on tight, he left Don's cot to walk downstairs.
"He couldn't wear his mask", Don said from downstairs, "because it was too tight around the tie and the bottom in the front, so… I upgraded his mask."
"How can you upgrade a mask?" Mike asked taking off his own to prove a point.
"Simple. I take measurements of Leo's head and get a soft cloth that will go easy on the eyes. Then I get a sheet of metal…" Don was cut off.
"A sheet of metal!" Raph exclaimed, "Now, I know you're a genius but why a sheet of metal, Don?!"
"To protect his eyes. You know, just in case someone happens to be throwing something and hits Leo," Don moved his hazel eyes to look at Mikey's baby blue.
"Hey!"
"But anyway, the sheet of metal will be put over Leo's head to protect it. The bandages will have to stay on of course, so I will need to measure his head with the bandages on and off to come up with equilibrium of the point where the bandages will be pushing on his eyes a little but not much. The medicine I put in his eyes would need an easy rest. The medicine can't really help his eyes when their straining on knowing a color so darkness is our best option."
"Wow, anything else braincase?" Raph looked astonished to no end of Don's, once again, great plan.
"Yes actually, I will need the softest cloth we have, Mike you go requests from Leatherhead the softest cloth he has and Raph find a piece of sheet metal. Raph also take a measurement tool and get a sheet metal of approximately '200x170'."
"Why so much, it's just Leo's head?"
"Well, I'll make mistakes you know. Not everything I make will turn out perfect the first time." Don pointed out.
"Is there anything else we can do after that?"
"Well; I'm going to heat up the pillows behind his neck and head, make his eyes wear, get stronger medicine, redo his bandages, and Study on eye injuries from chemical spills. So you guys can; move furniture a little making it easier to wake around, let him learn you by giving him your hand, make him soup…"
"Why would we need to give 'im our hand?" Raph asked looking towards the door in wonder.
"He needs to recognize us and if you just walk in and start talking he won't know what the hell is going on," Don informed, " now back to what I was saying' you'll need to make soup, mostly chicken noodle…"
"Why soup?" Mike asked.
Don groaned, "The acids in his eyes, if it's what I think it is, will eat off of rich nutrition in his stomach and he will become skinny, un-nutrient, and weak but the acids would grow stronger and stronger until his eyes would dry and shrivel up and…" Don gulped but kept quiet.
Raph frowned further and Mike whimpered from his seat at the table. As the heard Leo come down everything turned quiet. Raph got the freshly made tea off the counter and slowly guided Leo's hand to hold it. When Leo was sipping at the tea Raph lead him to the closes seat and let him sit down.
"Fellin' any betta'?" Raph asked softly.
"Same-and-same." Leo answered simply.
Raph and Mike got up to do what Don had assigned them to do. But Don stayed at the table with his coffee and Leo. He looked at Leo with concern and mournful eyes as he sipped at his coffee.
"…Donatello…" Leo said gently, "… It's okay; it's not your fault…"
"But it is! That was my tank, my chemicals, my job to un-rust the pipes… I failed Leo and you paid my consequences'… I'm sorry I did this…"
"…" Leo didn't say anything but he could still think.
"… If I had thought ahead of time… If I never thought it would be fine… If I just was somehow better than I am-"Don mourned was lived short.
"THAT IS ENOUGH DONATELLO!" Leo slammed his hands upon the table and stood up as well.
The sudden rush made Leo wanna lurch forward but this was important. Don snapped up and almost broke him coffee mug on the table, but it did spill. Raph and Mike snapped from around the kitchen corner as they heard Leo's yell.
"What's going-"Raph froze short as Leo continued.
"You couldn't do anything! It was my fault… No blaming yourself for something that couldn't be stopped! I… swear if you blame yourself you're going to… get hurt somehow!" Leo said trying to keep his stomach easy.
"I deserve it! Again those were my pipes and my tank! It's all my-!" Don never got to finish as Leo tackled him.
Leo was on top of a struggling Don and Leo's eyes burned. Raph launched forward just in case Leo got into a rampaging frenzy.
"SHUT UP, DONATELLO! I know what you do with yourself, I woke up and you were doing it! I won't let you kill yourself slowly! Never…" Leo seethed as they wrestled for topping.
Don somehow got on top and Leo was unable to move. Leo's hearing went crazy and he hated it.
"No! You… don't…. never… talked to me… Raph was always… but no one cares…-"Leo knew Don was off of him and cut off by how he was growling at Raph's voice of 'Stop!'
Leo felt the lurch coming and moved to his hands and knees. He felt everything go to his head than back down fast as if on a roller coaster. Don was still struggling away from Rap and they were fighting and talking at the same time so they didn't hear each other. Mike was obviously stunned by the fast moving scene in front of them.
Leo moved his left arm to his elbow to support him and his upper weight. He moved his hand to his stomach and held it in for as long as he could. He knew if he moved he would lurch, if he talked he would lurch, made any sudden movements he would lurch. He knew that he couldn't make it to the toilet, so, only one option was left to do…
"You can't go hurting him like that!" Raph argued louder.
"He fucking jump me and it is my fault for this stupid situation," Don called back.
"What are you doing to yourself?!" Raph asked remembering what Leo said.
The conversation was cut short as Leo lurched on the floor and when he stopped he turned over and fell to his back, unconscious.
"Leo!"
Leo woke up and looked around and only saw darkness. He still had on his bandages. But the bed he was on was no secret. He was in the lab again.
"Just when I thought I wouldn't need to be here again…" Leo murmured.
His legs were numb and his head felt light but other than sleepy he was fine. He eyes felt heavy and his head requested sleep but he forced himself to move his hand to his elbow. It hurt from him putting all his weight on it. He felt around his chest area and found a strap on it. A strap? He felt around more and found an IV cloth on him so he knew he was hooked up to an IV, he found an ice pack that wasn't so icy anymore on his head, and his stomach had a weird cut on it but it was barely noticeable.
"Lab equipment…" Leo felt hot all around as he moved the ice pack off his head.
He moaned in pain as wear the ice pack was left a headache in its wake and his body got hot. It hurt to even think about putting the ice pack back on but he did. The headache calmed slightly to a mere pull of the eyes and his temperature calmed down after a while.
Getting out of here is out of the question, he thought as he toke a calming breath.
He closed his eyes, well, he though he did.
"I'm telling you, you hurting yourself won't help anyone, Donnie." A voice came from the hallway.
"You don't know how I feel. Look at what I did, all because of my guilt party, Leo's probably blind and he suffered my consequences and he came down with flu. My life is a piece of-." Don was cut off my Mike coming in.
"Shut up, Donnie… just… shut up…" Mike quietly choked on sobs.
"Mike…" Don and Raph said softly.
"You having a guilt party didn't really help, sure, but you're trying! You're trying to help, you may not be curing cancer but this is more important! You're doing fine; Raph can tell you you're doing the best you can!" Mike motioned to Raph whom nodded, "You're there for Leo! Did you hear yourself a few hours ago? You wanted everything you can to keep Leo healthy. Did you not?"
"I did…" Don sounded sad but understanding.
"If Leo can't see that, he's stupid!" Raph said coming behind Don.
"Technically he can't see…" Don said, "But I get what your meaning is…"
"Cowabunga! Now let's get everything ready…!" Mike's voice faded and so did the footsteps of them all as they left.
Leo's heart broke into many pieces. They thought he didn't care, they thought he wanted them to leave him alone forever, but also…
"They forgot my birthday 6 years in a row and Christmas seems out of the question…" Leo sobbed and soaked his bandages.
He tried to move and get away but he couldn't move a lot. He heard the footsteps coming from the hallway grow closer…
"Leo, you're bandages are soaked… are you crying…" Don said sad and the sound of Don putting something down and picked up gaze.
"Nothing's wrong…" The bandages were removed at and new ones were put on his face as Don wiped his eyes.
"You're crying so something…" Don was cut off.
"Don let's go! And get Leo here too! April, Casey, and Splinter are waiting at the shop for us!" Mike yelled over joyed.
Don just sighed and helped Leo stand up and wrapped the gaze around his head and the ice pack to get the ice pack to stay on his head the whole time. He wrapped his hands around Leo's and picked up what he had earlier in his hands and lead Leo down stairs.
As they drove, the only turtles whom talked were Michelangelo and Raphael.
"Where going to have so much fun talking to Casey and April it's so nice!" Mikey said in excitement as they neared '2nd time around'.
"Yeah, that is until Splinter see's Leo…" Raphael said as he made a right turn.
As those two continued to talk on and on about Casey and Aprils, Don was staring at Leo from with rear view window. Donatello wondered why Leo was crying earlier and was all of a sudden quiet and with-drawn.
"… Earth too Donatello!" Mikey's voice suddenly burst out of nowhere in Don's mind and Don cried out.
"Donnie, why you looking at Leo like he's the enemy?" Raph asked quietly and Mikey came close to the front to continue the conversation, quietly.
"Why are you whispering?" Don asked the two, he too whispering to prove a point.
"Leo, fell asleep. We noticed you glaring at Leo the whole ride so we keep talking about Casey and April's" Raph whispered.
"That's also why we toke the long path," Mike whispered and frowned, "You know how Leo falls asleep in here if the ride gets too long or to boring."
"So… spill, braincase." Raph whispered fiercely to Donatello.
"Well," Don started with a hand on his forehead, "I was coming up to get Leo like you said and he was crying."
"Fearless, cry? Are you sure it wasn't the fever of the ice pack?" Raph said and Mike started to hum in confusion.
"His bandages were soaked from the inside, so, yeah I'm sure. I asked him why he was crying… and he said nothing was wrong." Don sighed.
"… Shit…" Raph started after silence.
The whole ride there was silent as they made their way to April's and Casey's. When Raph parked, Mike woke Leo up and led him to the store. Don opened any doors in front of them and when Mike and Leo got inside, Don nodded to Raph. Raph nodded and got a huge bag from the back of the van and walked in after Don.
Mike and Leo made it to the top of the stairs and when they did…
"Merry Christmas, turtles…" A crowd of people gasp as Leo was brought into view.
"Leo, bro what happen?!" Casey voice boomed.
"Leo!" April.
"Leonardo-san!" Usagi.
"My son!" Splinter!
Everyone there crowded around asking questions. The Damiyo and his son, Nobody, Karai (the fahk!), Splinter, Usagi and Gen, The Justice Force, The Ninja Tribunal, The Ancient One, Leatherhead, Chaplin, Angel, Morto and some other Utroms, and Honey Cutt. But he didn't care.
"Please, no questions… He's not ready." Don said coming in.
Everyone seemed sad for Leo but tried to have a fun afternoon. Not only 5 minutes later, everyone was laughing and exchanged gifts with everyone. Even Karai was happy.
When Leo realized something wrong it was too late. He felt hot and it was hard to move.
"Leo…?" Raph pulled everyone's attention to the blue turtle.
"New… ice... ice pack…" Leo said.
Raph laid Leo on his shell and Don asks of April a new ice pack. When April returned with an ice pack and cold drinking water. Don loosened the gaze to remove the old ice pack and put a new one in and tighten the gaze around Leo's head once again.
"Leo, sit up if you can. You need to drink," Don said.
With help from Raph, the blue clad turtle sat up and toke a swig of water.
"Do, you mind telling us why you were crying?" Raph asked.
Leo let out an agitated sound and turned to where Don was standing, Don just grinned sheepishly.
"Well?" Splinter questioned.
"This." Leo lied, "I thought everything would have changed because of my disability, but you showed me."
Everyone smiled and the Damiyo's son came over to Leo with a gift.
"I never gave you my gift!" He said handing it to the blue clad turtle.
Leo smiled and toke it and pulled the child to his lap. The child touched the wrappings of Leo's eyes softly and wished Leo luck.
Leo smiled and everyone else joined in surrounding Leo in a group photo. It was one true Christmas!
R & R
The gifts will be brought out when needed. Like if Leo may have gotten a grappling hook then he would us it when falling and it would be identified.
Love ya'll!