Previously:
Master Splinter blocked the doorway. Leo skidded to a hault and stared at him in fear. When Master Splinter raised his hand to place it on Leo's shoulder, Leo flinched, fell to his knees with his hands on his head, and said something that surprised all of us...
"Please don't hurt me..."
Third Person's POV
Everyone was shocked at Leo's response to Master Splinter. Donnie was contemplating reasons why Leo was acting like this, Mikey was trying to figure out what happened, and Raph was thinking about what his father was going to do. Meanwhile, Master Splinter calmly and slowly knelt beside the distraught teen and used his index finger and thumb to tilt his head up.
Leo flinched at the contact and stared wide eyed at Master Splinter. People were supposed to be mean, right? They weren't supposed to care for him. They were supposed to hurt him. These thoughts were buzzing through Leo's head, but they came to a stop as he heard the man, who he realized to be Raph, Don, and Mike's father, speak to him. "Why do you think I would strike you, young one?" The question was asked calmly by Master Splinter.
Leo panicked. He didn't want to tell them in fear of being called or displayed as weak. He shrugged, not knowing what else to say. Donnie, Raph, and Mikey, all curious, walked up to Leo and sat next to him, giving him space to let him know he was free to escape at any given time. Leo, noticing this, relaxed his tense shoulders a little, but still kept his guard up. If they were allowing him to escape, then they were definitely worth trusting, right?
Leo winced internally at the thought. His father's voice crept back into his head. Trust no one, his father would tell him. He wasn't sure if these people would hurt him or not. But he guessed they wouldn't as they tried to take care of his wounds. He sensed something good about them. He trusted his senses enough to know they were true.
But, there was something familiar about all four of them. Who are they? Leo's eyes narrowed, then shot open in a panic. "What time is it?! I-I need to head home!" Leo launched off the floor, but immediately regretted it. He cried out as pain shot through his chest. Oh, yeah. He forgot about that. Donnie jumped up as he saw red spreading throughout the wrappings. He cursed aloud and rushed Leo to the cot.
"This is what I was taking about," Donnie lectured, "and you pulled your stitches out. Great," He muttered under his breath. Leo flinched away in fright at the tone of Donnie's voice. He didn't mean to make him mad. He just wanted to go home before he made things worse. With his dad and with Don, Raph, Mike, and their father. Leo watched as Donnie rushed around to get the supplies, applying pressure to the wound on his chest.
His vision started to fade and he placed his other hand on his head. He felt a stick substance on his hand and looked down at his wound only to see the blood seeping through the wraps. He leaned back on the cot and felt himself fading in and out of consciousness. He panted, trying to catch his breath from the lack of blood loss. Everyone seemed to notice the difference in Leo. They all rushed up to him and called out his name.
To Leo, all he heard was distant humming. He didn't know people were calling to him. As he was fading, Donnie tried unwrapping the wound, but Leo flinched away and scooted as far away from him as possible. Hurt flashed through Donnie's eyes, then realization dawned upon him. He hadn't meant to yell at Leo. He was just stressed, trying not to lose a brother. "I...I'm sorry, Leo," Donnie apologized, "for yelling. I-I'm just really stressed. I-I'm sorry."
Leo tried to process the apology given to him, while his head swam in a sea of dizziness. He hesitantly scooted back over to Don, whimpering when his heart pounded against his already pulsing-in-pain chest. He layed back as Don unwrapped the wound. More blood flowed out, and just as Leo was about to go unconscious, Raph came over and put his hand gently on Leo's shoulder.
Leo's dazed mind realized people were touching him, but he forgot where he was and who he was with. His thoughts made him think it was his father and Baxter Stockman, the man who works for his father. His tired, heavy eyes opened as far as they could go, which was only halfway. He tried sitting up, crying out in pain as his chest wounds opened further. His eyes were glazed over. "Leo, don't!!" He heard someone call out, but his mind only heard the two people he wished he could get away from.
"Stockman, prepare the hypodermic needle. He cannot see what is about to happen, but I want him to feel every ounce of pain."
"Y-Yes, Master. R-Right away."
Leo flinched more at the sound of the voices. He was trapped in a flashback and when he looked up, instead of seeing Donnie and Raph, he saw Stockman and his dad. Leo's breath caught in his throat, his arms getting tired from holding himself up. His eyes darted between the two as Raph questioned Don about what was happening. But, Leo heard none of it. Just as he went unconscious, Raph leaned down and whispered one thing.
"It's ok, brother. You're home."
TBC...
