Leo dropped his phone. It landed upon the hard tile floor with a THUD! He thought his own heart had stopped. He knew that they shouldn't have left. He knew that Mikey's heart had respited in beating. He knew a lot of these things, and could have prevented them from happening.
"Leo!" Donnie called as he waved his hand in front of Leo's face.
"M-Mikey..." Leo said quietly.
"What about Mikey?" Donnie asked quietly.
Leo barely blinked. He just couldn't believe it. "H-Heart...s-stopped."
Donnie's eyes widened. "Ok, c'mon, bro. We need to get you to the car before you faint." Donnie drapped Leo's right arm around his shoulders and motioned for Raph to do the same with Leo's left arm. They helped Leo to the car, Raph having picked up Leo's phone before they came outside.
Donnie and Raph helped Leo into the back seat before he fainted.
"Ok, I'll stay in the back with Leo. You drive." Donnie instructed as he crawled into the back seat next to Leo. Raph nodded before circling the car to get to the driver's seat.
Donnie started tapping Leo's wrist gently as Raph pulled out of the Wal-mart parking lot. Slowly, Leo's eyes began to open he began to hyperventilate at first remembering what had just occured.
"Sh, Leo. Everything's going to be ok." Donnie said soothingly.
"M-Mikey...heart...s-stopped. H-He's d-dying, Donatello. H-He's dying!" Leo yelled. Donnie knew that this was the truth. He really was dying, and there was no point in trying to conceal the truth.
"I know, Leo. But he'll make it. I know it. Mikey's a fighter and nothing less. He's got your bravery, Raph's strength, and my calmness. He'll be just fine, Leo. Trust me." Donnie soothed.
Leo sighed. He knew Donnie was right, but he still just couldn't get his head around the fact that Mikey was dying.
"Weo." A teary four year old Mikey said. It had already been very evident that Mikey had speech problems as a young child.
"Yes, Mikey?" A seven year old Leo answered. He turned to his baby brother to find tears in the young blonde's eyes. "What's wrong?"
Mikey held his finger towards Leo. "Spwinter." Leo couldn't help, but smile. His brother was just down right cute. Soon the smile turned sad and sympathetic.
"Let me look at it." Leo said as he took Mikey's finger gently. He inspected the pale blonde's finger gently finding a small piece of wood stuck in his finger. The seven year old went to a small first aid kit he had gotten from boyscouts. He grabbed out some small tweezers and a band-aid.
He approached his pained little brother gently. At this age, Donnie hadn't yet become interested in doctor work, so Leo got to play doctor for his brothers. He picked his little brother up gently and placed him on his bed.
Leo took out the tweezers and band-aid from his pocket, and Mikey's eyes immediately widened. His tears came quicker and his breathing quickened. Leo wondered what had Mikey frightened so as he looked at the small tweezers. His eyes widened in realization.
"Just a little pinch, Mikey. It'll only hurt for a little bit." Mikey looked reluctant but he trusted his big brother. He gave him his finger, and Leo began searching for the splinter once more. Once he finally found it he neared the tweezers toward it and pulled it out.
Mikey squealed a little as the splinter was pulled out but nothing more. Leo wrapped a band-aid around Mikey's finger and kissed it.
"All better." Leo said. Mikey smiled and hugged Leo.
"Tanks, Weo."
Leo smiled. "You're welcome, Mikey."
Leo smiled at the memory. Mikey surely was strong. Not just physically but mentally as well. And the fact that his baby brother was dying was enough to have him drive his fist into a wall of glass. But Leo knew that Mikey was a fighter. If he wasn't he'd still be in counceling for their mother. But he was strong, and he would make it through this.
Raph had his eyes glued on the road, but his mind was else where, all while acknowledging what was on the road before him. His baby brother couldn't be dying.
Could he?
It seemed impossible. The brother that they all had vowed to protect so long ago. Just touching death. And the fact that he had tried to take his own life. Raph knew that Leo had tried the same when he was twelve, but Mikey? It seemed proposterous.
But Raph knew damn well that not everything was as it seemed. Everyone had been so shocked when they had learned that Leo had tried to take his own life. Again, it seemed so unlikely.
Raph remembered a time when Mikey had had a nightmare. Mikey always did claim Raph as his protector. And behold, he had came to Raph's room!
"R-Raphie." A nine year old Mikey stuttered fearfully. Raph groaned as he turned over in his bed.
"What?" Raph asked sleepily and quite annoyedly.
"I-I had a n-nightmare." Mikey sobbed. Once Raph took note that his baby brother was crying he sat up and patted a spot next to him. Mikey came over and sat on Raph's bed as he continued to sob. Raph could tell that this one had been a bad one. Mikey didn't usually come to him after a nightmare.
"Do you want to tell me what it was about?"
"L-Left me alone. A-All alone." Mikey sobbed as he fell into Raph's arms. The eleven year old was taken aback at Mikey's action, but didn't fight it. "Y-You guys t-told me th-that you n-never loved m-me. Y-You g-guys said you h-hated me. S-So you guys l-left me."
Raph got a strong grip on Mikey. He knew very well of Mikey's monophobia. The fear of being alone. So, unfortunately, this would only fuel his fear.
"S-Say it isn't t-true, Raphie!" Mikey sobbed. Raph just wrapped his arms around his sobbing brother.
"It's not true, Michelangelo. Never has, never will. We love you so much, Mikey. More than you'll ever know."
Mikey sniffed and nuzzled his head into Raph's chest. "I l-love you, Raphie."
"Love you too, Mikey."
Raph sighed. Those had been the moments. Where the only thing they had to fear was a nightmare from Mikey. Now they feared for not only the demons that dared to enter their precious baby brother's mind, but for his own life.
Donnie watched Leo with significant care. He wanted to make sure that he didn't go back under. He thought back to eight months after their mother had died. Mikey had been healed to a degree, but Donnie was wallowing in failure.
He felt as if his fails at attempted cancer cures should be regretted. He felt as if he had failed his mother for not working hard enough. He felt as if he allowed his mother to die. It was all his fault. Or at least he thought so. Everyone else had already accepted the fact that Shen had died of natural causes.
Well, with the exception of Mikey. But he was slowly getting better with his conseling.
Donnie sat at his desk with his elbows planted firmly on the wood and his head resting in his hands.
"I failed her." He said grimly. "If only I worked harder. She'd still be alive. I could have prevented her death. This is all my fault."
"It's not your fault, D." Donnie whipped his head up towards his lab door finding a ten year old Mikey. Donnie offered a weak smile to his mentally broken brother.
"Hey, Mike. How are you feeling?" An eleven year old Donnie asked gently. His brother hadn't been exactly the same since their mother's death. He had completely isolated himself from the outside world for two months, and refused to eat. Thankfully, their father had gotten him professional help before Mikey had the chance to become self destructive or insane.
"I'm fine, but you're not." Mikey said as he sat next to his brother. Donnie looked away from Mikey, not wanting him to see his tears.
"I'm fine, Mike. We just need to worry about you getting better." Mikey put his finger under Donnie's chin and directed Donnie's gaze to his baby blue ice orbs.
"I'm not made of glass, Donatello. I'm getting help and getting better, while you're sitting here degrading yourself." Mikey preached. Donnie couldn't keep the tears in their barrier. Soon, tears fell from his eyes as if water had broke from a dam.
"I just feel like I could have done something." Donnie said as tears poured from his eyes. "What would have happened if I actually made the cure. I could have cured mom."
Mikey wrapped his arms around his best friend. He rocked his big brother back and forth knowing he was the one who needed comfort this time.
"There was nothing you could have done. There are scientists who are 46 years old who haven't found the cure yet. Just be happy you tried. I'll bet you most eleven year olds can't say that they tried to find a cure for cancer." Donnie sniffed. He knew Mikey was speaking the truth.
"But if I hadn't failed mom could still be alive." Donnie sobbed.
Mikey rubbed Donnie's back. "You didn't fail, you just haven't figured it out yet."
Donnie sniffed. "Thanks, Mikey."
Even when Mikey had been at his most delicate stage in his life he had wanted to help Donnie. It was amazing. Selfless. Caring.
"We're here guys." Raph broke Donnie's train of thought. They were in the parking lot of the hospital. Donnie opened his door and carefully helped Leo out of the car. Leo was positive that he could walk on his own though.
The guys walked quickly through the hospital and all the way to Mikey's wing of the hospital. When they arrived, however, their father was still sitting in the waiting room.
"Any news on Mikey?" Leo asked as they sat next to their father.
Their father had a sad look on his face. "The doctors are trying all they can. They're not promising anything, but I feel as if Michelangelo is fighting as hard as he can."
The brothers sighed.
"Hamato." A gruff voice said. Everyone stood and practically ran to the doctor.
"Is my son ok?" Yoshi asked.
The doctor sighed. "I am afraid I have some unfortunate news..."
Hey guys! I've been having a bit of writers block, so this chapter may be short and EXTREMELY sucky. I'm sorry! :( If you guys haven't already you should totally vote on my poll telling me which series to start after this story is over. Did you like it, love it, hate it? Let me know. Your opinion matters. :)
