They all finally finished their food after what seemed like forever. Not that it was a bad thing- - it was a good kind of forever. It wasn't until they finished and had started putting their plates and utensils away that Donnie fully acknowledged and noticed the empty seat that had been unoccupied the entire time, with utensils in front of it that hadn't been touched once. Donnie scanned the room... 'Me, Casey, Mikey, Raph, April...' Donnie sucked in a breath a bit too sharply and quickly as it clicked- - Leo wasn't present. Why did it take him so long to notice that one of his brothers weren't in the room? He had been so sucked in on the feeling of having a good time that he had forgot about his brother, whom he had lay unimaginable pain onto. He did his best to seem like nothing was bothering him until Casey, April and Raph had finally left the kitchen to go to the living room. Donnie stood up from the table, collecting the cups and setting them in the sink. He glanced at the stove, noticing that there was a lone potato on a plate set next to it.

"Hey, uh, who's that potato for?" Donnie asked as Mikey set some sides onto the plate.

Mikey glanced at Donnie. "Hm? Oh, it's for Leo. Why? Do you want another one?"

"No, I'm okay," Donnie replied. "I-I can take that up for you, if you want. I was about to head up there anyways."

"Ya sure? I can do it no problem- -"

"I'm sure. Besides, didn't April want to play against you in the video game? Don't want to keep her waiting."

Mikey noticed that Donnie seemed a bit skittish, trying to take the potato off of Mikey's hands. 'He probably wants to check on Leo real bad... man, is he feeling bad? It seemed like he was really having a good time though... I should let him do this- - if I don't, he might get mad or think that I think that he shouldn't go near Leo...' Mikey let out a soft exhale, plastering a smile on his face. "Thanks, Donnie. Make sure ya bring him some water, too."

Donnie felt some tension leave his body for a slight couple of seconds, then remembered that he was about to face the brother he had brought so much pain unto... what was he thinking?! 'Well, Donatello, there's no backing out now... if you do, Mikey will definitely know how you're feeling...' Donnie took the plate from Mikey and nodded, giving his brother a smile. "Sure thing. Have fun, and don't cry too much if April kicks your shell."

Mikey let out a single chuckle. "Yeah, I'll try!" Mikey headed for the hallway. He stopped and peered back one last time, watching as Donnie started getting water for Leo. Mikey's brows knitted together as he turned back around and left the kitchen. Donnie finished pouring water into the cup and took a minute to collect himself. He was going to have to check on Leo and try to not annoy or upset his brother while putting on the- -

'The splint!' Donnie groaned in his mind. 'I bet he's not even remotely recovered from the pain yesterday- - now I have to put him through more pain? Shell, if he doesn't hate me now, he definitely will after this... but it's to improve his health...' Donnie sighed to himself. 'Just get it over with, Donnie. No point postponing the inevitable.' Donnie headed for where they placed the splint, then carefully approached the door to the room Leo was in. "Leo? It's Donnie- - I'm, uh, coming in, okay?" Donnie raised a leg and used his foot to open the door, his eyes glued to the floor. "I brought you some food and water- -" Donnie looked up finally and saw that Leo had a pained expression on his face. He immediately became worried. "Leo, what's wrong?" Donnie rushed to Leo's side, setting the water and plate of food on the bedside table while setting the splint on the floor.

"I'm fine," Leo immediately replied instead of answering the question.

"I didn't ask if you were fine, Leo- - I'm asking what's wrong."

Leo, previously looking at his knee, now looked up at Donnie, a strange look on his face. It looked like a mix of shock and... childlike innocence. '...he just yelled at me...' Leo thought to himself. '...great, I pissed off Donnie. What else could I do to make him hate me more? You're such an idiot, Leo- - you should've just answered his question instead of pissing him off! Everything I do just makes things worse- - there's no way he's not wanting to just march right out of the room and leave me to suffer alone- - I wouldn't even blame him. I don't deserve his help.'

Donnie was confused. "What?" Donnie heard himself and knew what was with the strange look on Leo's face- - "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to sound so harsh, I'm just worried. I'm sorry. What happened?" Donnie lowered and tried to soften his voice. Leo's expression still hadn't changed... 'Shit, I made him feel bad- - why did I have to yell at him? He's suffering because of me and I yell at him? He's probably going to hate me forever at this rate...' Donnie sighed, closing his eyes.

'He just sighed and looked away- - just say something, Leo! You're ruining the chance you had!' Leo stammered a bit, trying to think of what to say. "I-I'm sorry, Donnie, I didn't mean to... I got up and went to the bathroom, and when I came back, my knee started acting up..." Leo stopped talking, afraid that his voice would start getting high pitched as he lied to his brother. 'Great, now you're lying- - you're ruining everything, Leo, what haven't you fucked up?'

Donnie quickly opened his eyes and looked at Leo, a concerned look on his face. "Leo, you're on bed rest- - you should have called us." Donnie shifted his gaze to Leo's leg, taking a good look at it. "Did you feel any major shift in your leg?"

"No," Leo replied, his voice now quiet. "It just started feeling like there was a ton of pressure again. I used my crutches and everything... I thought I could just go use the bathroom by myself." Leo looked down at his thighs. "I guess I can't even do that right."

Donnie scooted down the bed and grabbed the pillows and the ice pack that had now melted. He looked at the towels that were lying on the ground. "I'll go get some more ice and towels. I'll be right back." Donnie quickly left the room, not looking back.

Leo watched from the corner of his eyes as his brother swiftly left the room. He didn't know which was worse- - the pain in his knee or the guilt he was feeling. He slapped his hands on his face and slid them down slowly. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to collect himself when a sudden image of Shredder appeared. He immediately shot his eyes open and start to hyperventilate a bit. He quickly tried collecting himself as he heard steps coming up the stairs. He cleared his throat and reached for the water, gulping down about half of it. He set it down just as Donnie came back in. Donnie knelt on one knee and was about to put the fresh ice pack on Leo's knee when he suddenly halted and pulled his arms back. Donnie looked... troubled.

Leo, probably not going to be happy to hear what was bothering Donnie, asked "what's wrong?"

'don't tell him don't tell him don't tell him don't tell him- -'

"I... have to put the splint on your leg..." Donnie replied, already worried about how Leo would react. He took a peek, guilt washing over him as he saw how grim Leo looked.

"Oh," Leo breathed. Leo finally noticed the splint on the floor, and he felt his whole body freeze up. Looking at it reminded him of his recent nightmare- - he didn't know exactly why, but it did- - which just made everything worse. His heart was racing. He felt like there was a festering feeling at the bottom of his heart and the top of his stomach, like something was bubbling and burning at the same time and it was intensifying the more he thought about it. His head started to hurt. Everything was starting to feel like too much- - he felt nothing and numb, but at the same time, he was feeling too much. He didn't even notice that he had balled up his hands and that he was starting to shake until Donnie said something. "Huh- -"

"I'm sorry, Leo, I know that's not what you want to hear, but... it's to help you..." Donnie cleared his throat as he felt it tighten. "I don't want to do this either- - I don't want to put you through any more pain, but... it's better to do this now than to wait and make you worry more." Leo didn't say anything. Leo just stared at the splint, going stoic. Donnie felt horrible- - what else could he do or say to make his brother upset? Did Leo hate him yet? If not, he surely would soon. "D-do you wanna eat before I- -"

"I'd throw it right back up," Leo mumbled.

Donnie nodded. "Right." He sighed, rubbing his arm. "Do you want to take a minute or- -"

"No. No point postponing the inevitable." Donnie froze as Leo said that.

'Did I say that out loud when I thought that in my head earlier? Does Leo think I meant that about seeing him?' Donnie's bad thoughts swarmed his head, but he had to focus on the splint situation. Donnie finally grabbed the splint and placed it on the bed. He looked at it, trying to see how to put it on. "...well, it won't be as bad as it could have been. They made it to where it opens up instead of having to slide it up your leg. It'll be less of a hassle."

Leo breathed out a long sigh, relieved to hear that it wasn't going to be as bad as he had thought. "Th-that's good." They both looked at each other and faintly smiled, then looked away. 'Shell why does this feel so awkward...' Leo cleared his throat. "L-let's do it now. Waiting around just makes me more nervous."

"You sure? You want me to get Mikey or anyone?"

Leo considered it, but... 'I need to talk to Donnie alone, without anyone's help. If I can't even talk to my own brother, how am I supposed to expect to make it up to him?' Leo shook his head and looked back up at his brother. "N-no. As long as you're here, I know I'll be okay. Honest."

Donnie faltered for a moment, returning Leo's gaze. Donnie became a bit bashful, a gentle smile on his face. "Th-that's..." He didn't know how to describe the feeling without sounding weird. "...as long as you're sure."

Leo returned a small soft smile at his brother. 'Thank shell, I didn't sound weird.' Leo glanced at his knee, taking in a deep breath. Leo watched as Donnie grabbed the splint and slid it a little closer to his leg. Though Leo felt good that he had gotten into his brother's good graces, it couldn't fully mask the anxiety he was feeling.

"I'm thinking... why don't I prop your leg back up on the pillows so that I don't have to shift your leg around needlessly? Plus, it'd make putting the splint on a much easier transition. Does that sound oka- -"

"I trust you."

Donnie paused. "...okay," he breathed. 'He... really trusts me? Even after all the pain I've brought unto him?' Donnie quickly composed himself as best as he could. "Okay. If you need me to stop, don't hesitate to tell me, alright?" Leo nodded. Donnie let out a long exhale, trying to prepare himself. He stacked the pillows up as high as they should be, then looked at Leo's leg. 'Don't mess up, Donnie, don't mess up.' Donnie hovered his hands over Leo's lower leg, taking in a deep breath as he quickly grabbed Leo's leg and lifted it up, trying to prop up his brother's leg as swiftly as he could. Leo tilted his head back immediately, his hands bunching up as much of the sheets as possible. "Sorry, sorry!"

Leo shook his head furiously. "Don't be. Keep going." Donnie hesitated for a moment, but nodded.

Leo shut his eyes, not wanting to know when a new wave of pain was coming. His knee was pulsing as the pain washed over him. Leo took deep breaths, trying to focus on it as he heard Donnie open the splint. 'Don't be a baby don't be a baby don't be a fucking baby' Leo yelled at himself as he felt the splint under his leg. Donnie tried to put it on as quickly and as tightly as it should be as he could. Leo let out a pained laugh, groaning right after. Donnie quickly strapped it the rest of the straps on and made sure that the splint was on correctly, then pulled his hands away. They both let out a sigh, relieved it was over.

"How bad is it?" Donnie asked, twiddling his fingers.

Leo had shut his so tight that when he opened his eyes back up, his vision was a bit blurry. Wait, now it wasn't- -

"I-I'm so sorry, Leo, I didn't mean to make you cry," Donnie said softly. "Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell me to stop?"

"Sorry," Leo replied quickly. Sorry, sorry, I just... I didn't..." Leo paused, not wanting to finish the original sentence. "...I thought it'd be easier to just get it over with and not have any breaks, 'cause if there were, I'd just have to wait for more pain." Leo looked at Donnie for a second, then looked away again as he saw the grim expression on Donnie's face. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset."

"I'm not upset," Donnie breathed. "I'm just worried. Do you need anything?"

'You shouldn't worry about me- - no one should waste their thoughts on me...' Leo wiped at his eyes. "...can you pass me the potato?"

"You sure you want to eat after that?"

'No- -' Leo nodded, trying to give Donnie a reassuring smile. "Yeah." Donnie was about to hand him the plate when Leo's stomach started to feel like it was churning. Leo gulped down the lump in his throat. "A-actually, never mind. Sorry."

"Don't be," Donnie replied. "Nothing wrong with taking care of yourself at the pace you want. I just want you to do what you think is best for you 'cause I care."

Leo froze at that, then felt a new kind of shiver throughout his body. "...thanks for saying that. I," Leo chuckled a bit nervously. "I keep thinking I'm just being stupidly oversensitive and immature about how I'm feeling and stuff, so hearing that from you is... just thanks," Leo mumbled, getting a bit bashful. 'You're sounding too weird, Leo- -'

Donnie chuckled a bit. "Any time, Leo." They both smiled at each other warmly, the tension between them starting to dissipate. Leo's smile faded a bit, which Donnie noticed immediately. '...did I do something wrong? Did I say the wrong thing?' Donnie scooted a bit closer. "Wh-what's the matter?"

Leo rubbed his arm, nervous to speak his mind. "...can I tell you something?"

"O-of course."

"...I had another nightmare." Leo glanced up at Donnie and saw as his brother's worried expression grew. "I... I know you'd want me to say something about it instead of letting it fester, so that's why I'm... telling you now... I guess..." Leo rubbed his neck. "I-I don't really know where I'm going with this."

Donnie offered a small smile. "Neither do I, but... I'll try to help. Do you want to talk about it? Or does just saying it help ease some tension?"

"I don't really know if you wanna hear about it- -"

"If talking about it will help, I'm all ears. I want to help you, Leo, in any way I can."

"Okay, uh," Leo tried finding the right words. "I-I've been having the same nightmare. Do you remember the, uh, night after the plant monster kicked all our shells and I woke up... sorta screaming?" Donnie nodded. "W-well, ever since then, most times whenever I go to sleep, I have the same nightmare." Donnie nodded again, but looked kind of like he was waiting for something. Leo was a bit puzzled, but smiled nervously as he realized- - "Oh, I haven't really told you what the nightmare actually is, sorry," Leo chuckled nervously once again. "It's... basically, I keep reliving the moment that Shredder and the Foot knocked me unconscious, but my nightmares escalate the actual scenario and make it seem scarier every time I fall asleep. And sometimes, y'know, 'cause of the nightmares, I try to... not go to sleep..."

"You're depriving yourself of sleep?"

Leo was about to deny it, but he stopped himself. After a few seconds, he nodded once. "Y-yeah... I-I know that's bad, but it's just... it's messing with me too much."

Donnie didn't really know what to say. If he couldn't even think of what to say, how was he supposed to help Leo, like he said he would and wanted to do? Donnie rubbed the top of his head, trying to find the right words. "...you know, there's no reason to feel bad for the trauma you're experiencing. It's completely normal. If it was me or anyone else in your shoes, we'd be having nightmares, too. I can't really say anything that will help make the nightmares go away, 'cause I can't. And if I said something that implied that, I'd be lying to you and giving you false hope, and that's the last thing I want to do. Your feelings are valid, Leo. But over time, that trauma will affect you less and less, and before you even realize it, it won't even faze you anymore. It might feel like that day will never come, but it will. And I, and everyone else, will be here every step of the way. Okay?"

Leo took a moment to let Donnie's words sink in, then finally nodded. "Okay. I'm trusting you on this."

Donnie smiled a bit. "Have ye ol faith, Leonardo. Things will get better soon." Donnie stood up. "I'm gonna grab you some more water. Do you want me to take the potato away and bring it back out whenever you feel hungry?"

Leo smiled back. "Yeah, that sounds good." Donnie nodded, grabbing the plate and the cup and heading out the door. "Hey, uh, Donnie?"

Donnie stopped, looking back over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Thank you. It means a lot to me."

Donnie wasn't sure what Leo was referring to, but hearing that he had made Leo feel a little bit more okay in some moment made Donnie feel the same way. Donnie smiled warmly. "No problem."

Donnie walked out of the room, and both the troubled boys felt a bit close to peace, for once. They both felt that things between them were becoming less awkward, and maybe soon, they'd patch things up and everything between them would be normal again.