Chapter Thirty Six: -Donatello-
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I know things could have gone better if only I had been more prepared.
But in the end I'm never prepared no matter how I sometimes predict, or already know in advance at some extent, what's about to happen.
As I watch Leo sleep before me, as peacefully and as quietly as a child in his cradle, just as he had ever been since three weeks ago, I let out a small sigh and wondered if things are really working out for this broken family.
I intertwined my fingers then set my elbows on my kneepads, careful not to apply pressure on my previously sprained knee, and currently achy thigh, much thanks to Mike's misguided coordinates during this mornings training session.
Earlier this morning sensei had us catch up to our lost time, training again after two weeks since we returned home.
At first when he had requested the spar when we had to be blindfolded, I was really tired and cranky and in no mood to spar with anyone, because I was afraid my mood would get the better of me and end up seriously hurting someone.
Mikey really got on my nerves during the first session, he razzed me about being blinder than Raph, and then asked if I wanted him to train Klunk to be my eye-cat, or something along that line. At the second session at the end of the spar, I take it he really thought he could outwit me with more taunts and still manage to get out of it unscratched.
Well tough, little bro; because you just got whupped! Literally!
And to be completely honest with myself, I often feel bad when I end up beating him or anyone else while in a bad mood, but I kinda- sorta don't this time because he deserved it.
Well at any case, Mike won't be sitting for a while and I think that suits him just fine.
Though I have to admit Raph was awful quite today, too.
Well, aside that smirk he inwardly produced at hearing Mike beg and scream uncle.
I know if he didn't turn around I would have been greeted by a wide grin. To be completely honest, I've missed seeing smiles on my family. Everyone had grown so hard and cold, they've all been bottling in their feelings and it's suffocating me.
Ever since Raph had turned blind and after he came back with Mike from Leatherhead's home, after whatever happened while they were there, there was just something about his overall demeanor that gave him a- strange, calm and subtle like feel. Like he had suddenly lost his temper and turned into- something softer, something not to hard edged in a way; I really can't explain it.
Mikey still jokes every now and then, but now they feel more forced than natural.
Distracted from my thoughts I scented something in the air.
Sensei left to the kitchen a while ago to prepare a drink, green tea most likely.
I don't really want tea because I've been up and awake during most of the day, I'm exhausted and I want to sleep, but yet I don't want to leave sensei care for Leo all on his own. I know sensei is used on staying up till the late hours of the night, or day, looking after us whenever we're ill or injured, but he's really wearing himself out, he's in need of as much sleep as we all do.
I need to be here for Leo just in case or if a relapse of any sorts accrued; who knows what could happen in the new hour. Also, just because the nanos are slowing down and Leo will hopefully regain consciousness soon, doesn't mean he would be back to normal one hundred percent. I'll be grateful if he comes back at least to seventy five percent, and considering his current state, I feel that I'm really pushing my luck.
Also, many things will have to change in this family and for one thing, he won't be the leader anymore. He is simply in no condition to be mobile on his own, at least, not for the next couple of months.
His body is damaged much too badly, I'm surprised he's even alive right now.
The gaps the lost wings had left behind are merely coated by a thin layer of skin, no muscles, tissue, fibers or anything resembling flesh whatsoever support it from the inside. His inside would gush out with much less a needle hole puncturing the skin. There is too much pressure on his sides just by breathing, so any additional pressure and the skin will rip out on its own.
I had to secure his sides with some restrictive gauze, something leathery would suffice for now. Whenever he has to turn to his side or his stomach, with the restrains, they'd be a lesser chance he'd puncture himself during his movement.
Making him laugh is enough a threat enough to rip that thin skin wide open.
Also, as impossible as it may sound, the nanos are actually regenerating and rebuilding his missing muscles, reconstructing and weaving them into place like silkworms, just as they had done so with the wings prior their actual birth.
Throughout the tests I've done over the samples I've obtained of my ill brother, I'm still unable to figure out what it was that Bishop had injected into Leo. Whatever it is, it looked like its partly unearthly, and it was- weird. I did realize that it was an advanced sample of the Outbreak virus, combined with the actual Avian samples that created the wigs, but there was a third alien element I could not discriminate.
Leo's body had also and more obviously changed physically. His body heat had increased but only slightly, yet it may not be his natural body heat, probably just the multiple blankets that are piled on him warming him up a few notches. His blood had become slightly thicker and oddly brighter colored, but still normal blood like the rest of us.
The nanos have improved his immune system considerably, that's all I can confirm.
If I recall correctly I'm an A negative blood type, Leo is an O positive type.
Ironically, Raph is an AB positive and Mike is AB negative.
Sensei happens to be an O positive blood type, too.
But of course, because he's- all due respect, an old warm blooded mammal while we're younger semi-cold blooded reptiles, I'm not sure if blood transfusion between us is a good idea, or even if it's an open option with the risks of contaminating each other. Even if we were mutated from the same ooze, that doesn't mean it would be safe to risk it.
I pray that we never get to the day when we have to give father blood transfusion.
Sure, I could Ask April and Casey, as well as Angel and Lorelei, but I'd rather not count Casey's mother cause- well, she might look younger than she really is and healthier, I'd still rather not risk having her donate blood; there is just a bigger risk she'd get ill if she is to be contaminated by our blood during the donation. Also I'd have to make sure the same doesn't happen to the others.
But what if none of them have the same blood type? Though they're humans, since they're mammals I assume using their blood on father would help him, if he ever needed it, but still I'll have to run some tests just to make sure it won't be giving father any side effects.
From the looks of things Leo's blood type had advanced slightly, so if he was just O positive then it turned into O positive-plus now. But of course I'm not one hundred percent sure, because my workshop's equipment wasn't exactly equipped to pinpoint such things.
Biochemistry is yet one of the marvels of science I haven't been fully equipped to study thoroughly, and I'd really hate to ask April to help me buy what's needed, because I know how expensive they could be. Not to mention that such items would be used in hospitals, not private homes, so it'll only look suspicious if she tried to purchase one.
Besides, we've been leeching off her long enough. As soon as she and Casey get officially married, they're going to need every penny for their kid. Why spend money on movie rentals and party gear that would later be tossed in the trash, when they could save it up to offer their kids good education or a much needed medical attention?
Their future kids are a priority, enough said.
At any case, back to topic; my brother's blood type had advanced more than before.
I find that highly unlikely to happen in normal situations, but then again I'm a mutant turtle living in New York City sewers, what do I know about normal? Then again, define the word: Normal!
Bah! Anyway, something about his blood had absorbed whatever it was Bishop had injected into him, which caused him to change the way he did.
I could be wrong, but I'm guessing it might have been some sample of the Outbreak virus.
I matched it with the samples Leatherhead kept for a situation like this.
He had hoped I won't go into a relapse, so he saved a portion of that sample he got off my bandages, just so he'd have something to go back to in case he needed to test any cure or antidote. Also, after I was turned back to normal, he requested another sample just in case, so I agreed and had taken similar samples from my brothers, though Mike was fussy during it all.
Thankfully I'm using a small portion of those samples, so I hope I'll be able to solve this mystery. Even if Leo's blood type and mine are different, if I could at least figure out how to go about it, the blood type won't really matter as much.
Leo's body had permanently grown larger than mine in size and bulk. Unlike myself when I was turned back to normal, Leo didn't shrink back to his normal size, he's still about a foot taller than the rest of us.
Also, the skin though still a basic shade of green had gotten thicker and the blood is pumping just a bit faster, too.
The normal number of heartbeats per minute to a human is about seventy five to eighty beats, and since we're somewhat half-cold blooded mutants, our heartbeats are a bit slower, around sixty five to seventy beats per minute.
Strangely enough, the third alien substance strengthened the nanos and somehow improved our sleeping brother's metabolism, gave his immune system a considerable boost stamina-wise, but in counter effect it altered something within his being. His skin had become softer despite its new thickness, while the gaps on the sides of his shell, as I have already mentioned, have been overlaid by thin sheets of skin and forming flesh.
The nanos have sealed up the openings that were caused by the loss of wings, but right now the skin is very delicate and thin. Softer than eggshells; I could already see the blood that pooled around his gap fading. The bruised areas were healing but were now tainted purple. His body is going to hurt like hell when he woke up and after the sedative shots I gave him wear off.
One thing for sure, as Raph described it, Leo looks like death warmed over, twice as bad.
I mean, he had been re-mutated, but unlike my secondary mutation, he didn't regain his old appearance, he's stuck in this new one with a more pronounced beak, sharper fangs, broader shoulders and obvious talon-like nails on his digits. His tail had gotten longer and is about two feet long, a bit thick at the base and grows thinner near the end, pretty scaly, too.
And I'm not even going about his equipment, that's private.
Aside all of that, and moving along to a completely different topic, I was surprised when April and Casey postponed the wedding a few more months from now, just for Leo's sake because they really want him to be there when they start it. I guess they just had some catching up to do, talking to the lawyers and getting their insurance money on the farm, and then to hopefully have it rebuilt for the actual time of the wedding.
I'm sad to say Leo may not be able to attend the wedding, even if he woke up the next few days.
His injuries are deep and serious, he is not to be moved for any reason whatsoever.
I estimate with his nanos and healing speed, about and around six to eight months of healing will be needed before he is mobile again. That is, if there is nothing wrong with his spine and if his nerve system is efficient. After all, by the destruction of his shell, Baxter pretty much ruined Leo's spine, he could have very well disabled Leo's ability to walk ever again.
Anyway, back to the farmhouse topic, Casey wanted the place just like it used to be before it got blown up, while Angel and April offered a bit of remodeling, but nothing had been decided yet.
Lorelei and sensei discussed the dilemma with the farmhouse a bit more privately. Father kept apologizing, we shouldn't have taken their home for granted and caused them such grief by its loss.
Lorelei brushed it off and forgave us, but sensei still looked guilty.
Though our human family members are few, I have to admit they're very forgiving. In all honesty, it's so rare to find people like them around anymore. We're very lucky to know them, we owe them so much.
With a sigh I pressed my knuckles to my temple, and then listened to the silence outside Leo's room.
I've been jumping from one topic to the other so many times, it's giving me a headache.
I remember how Angel was with them when it was time to leave earlier today. She was a bit miffed that Raph escaped her and had gone off with Mike to Leatherhead's home. With a smirk, I wondered if she'd be able to put our temperamental brother on a leash, despite his blindness, if they ever decided to get hooked, though I found that highly doubtful.
I wonder, if things have gone differently could April and I- would it have worked out?
'If you were in my shell, what would you do in a situation like this, Leo?' I felt my brows knit in discomfort.
I shook my head. This is no time to be selfishly thinking of such things. Leo might be out of the red zone but he's still skeletal and brittle, I need to keep a close eye on his condition, not dwell away into my own troubles.
A moment of distraction could mark his death, after all.
Although I weren't there when it happened, but from what father and Usagi told me, Baxter literally tore out Leo's wings from their sockets, quite possibly he had disabled them or had them paralyzed, because Usagi mentioned that they were slumped and more ragged-like. They weren't flapping or reacting to Leo's movements during his mad destructive rage.
Pulling out the wings injured our brother's nerve system and caused more internal damage than I could even try to fix.
The only way to find out if Leo had been permanently disabled would be to wait until he woke up, to ask him if he could feel or move his limbs.
During his dead-like slumber the past three weeks I decided to test something, so I've taken Chinese needles, usually used in pressure point therapy, and poked around some of his pressure points around the shoulders and legs, avoiding the sensitive nerves and veins.
Discouragingly there was no respond, no flinch or stir, nothing.
For a stomach chilling moment, I wondered if there had been any brain damage.
If he had felt pain then he didn't react, therefore I don't know if- if maybe, he would ever walk again.
It's possible that he could still walk but lost the senses, especially around his lower half for it's the side of his body that sustained most of the injuries. Or maybe the other way around, maybe he could possibly sense the pain but can't move them.
It's hard to tell when he's asleep, I'd have to test his reflexes again once he's up, I'm afraid.
The worse of my fears were how to deliver the news to him after he wakes up…
I watched him sleep so oblivious to what's going on.
For now, ignorance is bliss. Leo needs his rest.
'I envy you Leo; you've got nothing to worry about for now.' I felt my brows tighten in a frown, 'I swear, once Sensei, Mike and Raph are through with you, I'm going to give you a really big piece of my Bo Staff!' I felt my jaw tighten and my fingers curled tighter around my knuckles, 'Just what were you thinking, allowing Bishop to take you in our stead, were you crazy or just stupid?' I drew in a deep breath and held it in then exhaled a long, slow sigh, I calmed myself slightly, 'You had better be okay, Leo.'
A moment passed before I heard the shuffle of feet on the floor behind me, the scent of green tea lingered in the air.
I glanced at the doorway from over my hands, and laid eyes on father with that concerned but steady smile on his face.
With a small tray in his frail bony hands, he walked past me for a few feet, set it on a table and poured two cups of tea, picked up one cup and then offered it to me with a concerned smile, "Donatello, it had been a very long day and it would be better if you go to bed." he suggested kindly, "Leonardo will be fine, I will look after him for tonight."
I sighed, accepted the cup and looked at Leo for a moment longer, "I just wish if there was something more I could have done." I nursed the cup for a moment before I took a tentative sip, testing the heat, "All I was able to do was sit in the lab and try to figure out if things would get better or worse." I felt my tense muscles tighten, the sweetened taste of bitter tea tickled my tongue, "I hate it when I can't tell if I'm really helping, or wasting precious time." I admitted, wondering if Leo was really healing, or on the path to a slow death.
He placed a warm hand on my shoulder, "You have done what you could, Donatello. It is all up to Leonardo now; you can not hasten his healing." His hand then gently rubbed my shell, "Mrs. Jones is correct for we should not wear ourselves out. It would not please your brother to see us ill when he awakens." He placed a grey furred hand on my shoulder, rubbing tenderly.
I sighed inwardly, "I know, but I can't help it." I admitted, feeling helpless.
He sighed and pulled the nearby chair, sat down and nursed his own cup while he watched Leo sleep.
A comfortable silence stretched between us, we just sat there quietly and looked after Leo while he slept, and quietly sipping on our drinks, exchanging small pep talk every now and then, but they were mostly about Leo and his injuries and how to treat them.
I think later I dozed off and Sensei convinced me to sleep on a futon we set in the room.
I just collapsed on it and drifted into dream land.
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A/N: …