Mikey dropped his hands, panting hard. He looked up at the very spot where the portal had been, feeling almost numb with disbelief that it was finally over. The Krang Prime was gone, New York was saved, they got Leo out of that prison dimension, they…
Leo!
His brain finally catching up to him, Mikey whirled around. A wave of dizziness made him stumble, but he shook his head angrily and forced himself to focus. He saw Raph and Donnie on their knees; both looked equally stunned, Raph's face full of fear, Donnie's almost disbelieving. And between them, prone on the ground, was the brother Mikey had torn a hole between dimensions to save. His heart pounding so hard it almost hurt, the orange-banded turtle raced over and dropped to his knees as well.
A lump rose in Mikey's throat; he wasn't a doctor by any means, but it was plain to see Leo was in far worse shape than any of them. He looked as if someone had been using him as a punching bag… which was most likely what Krang Prime did. His eyes were closed, his face set in a feeble, pained expression. Mikey swallowed hard, but his voice was still hoarse with fear and exhaustion.
"Leo?"
The beaten and battered turtle's face twitched, his brow furrowing. A faint groan escaped him as his eyelids fluttered, then slowly opened halfway. His bruised face twitched into a weak grin.
"H-hey…" His voice was so frail it almost didn't sound like him. His heavy-lidded eyes moved between his brothers, then around the space. "Ew… a-are we in… Staten Island?"
Mikey couldn't stop himself from laughing even as tears escaped his eyes, and he heard Raph let out a choked laugh of his own as he gently lifted Leo's head.
"Hey, buddy… you're not lookin' so hot."
A hoarse grunting sound escaped Leo that Mikey realized was a laugh.
"Prob'ly… look better n' I feel."
The laugh broke off into a cough, and his body tensed as he closed his eyes and groaned again through clenched teeth. That sound seemed to snap Donnie out of his trance, and he immediately moved closer, his face set in a professional mask. After touching two fingers to his twin's neck to check his pulse, he pulled down his goggles to scan him. Mikey watched, his feelings fluctuating between hope and fear.
He's gonna be okay… right? No, he's gonna be… he's gotta be!
But then Donnie's face fell… his entire body seemed to sag. When he spoke his voice was quivering, a sure sign that this wasn't good.
"Guys… this is bad. This is really bad."
Mikey felt his heart sink, and he heard the same dread in Raph's voice.
"What… what d' you mean?"
Donnie looked up, his eyes over bright.
"There's internal damage… a lot."
Despite the growing tightness in his throat, Mikey forced himself to speak.
"But we… we can fix it, right? I-if we get him back now, if we…"
"We can't!" Donnie snapped, and Mikey couldn't help but flinch. "If we try to move him like this, it could kill him!"
"He'll die for sure just layin' here!" Raph's voice was just as harsh. "What else're we supposed t' do?!"
"I just… just let me think…"
Mikey didn't hear anything after that. He stared at Leo with stinging eyes, the reality of the situation pulsing through him with every pound of his heart. His brave big brother, his hero, was fading away right in front of him. The young turtle reached out with a trembling hand; this was it? They'd overcome all the odds only for it to come to this? Leo was going to be the cost of saving the world? Mikey's tear-filled eyes moved to his hand, then he flexed it into a fist.
No! I'm not letting it end like this!
Taking a deep breath, Mikey placed his hands on Leo's chest. His stomach clenched when he felt the weak heartbeat, the uneven rise and fall of his labored breathing, but he set his jaw with stubborn determination. It didn't take as much effort this time before his hands starting glowing. The already heavy weariness made his vision blur as he swayed, but he ordered himself to focus.
Heal him, he willed. Save him.
"Wait, Mikey, you're worn out already…"
Mikey shook his head fiercely, cutting off Raph's anxious voice.
"We didn't get Leo back just t' lose him again," he growled.
Just then Leo's eyes cracked open again, and he reached up a trembling hand, pushing feebly against Mikey's.
"M-Mikey… don't. S-stop…"
The youngest turtle shook his head again.
"No. I said I wasn't giving up on you, and I'm not gonna now."
He could tell Leo wanted to plead more, but his strength failed; his hand slid off and his eyes closed again. Mikey clenched his teeth as his body grew heavier, ordering himself not to pass out. He could feel the damage in his brother's body slowly starting to reverse, the broken bones knitting, the damaged organs healing. But he was so tired…
Suddenly, someone grabbed Mikey's wrists and pulled his hands back. He struggled weakly, desperate to break the strong hold.
"No… lemme go! I'm not… I gotta help…"
Raph's firm voice cut him off.
"You can't push yourself anymore, Mikey. And ya did help, look."
Blinking to clear his fogged vision, Mikey did so. Leo's eyes were still closed, his expression still pained, but his features had relaxed just a little, his breathing a little less strained. Donnie was scanning him again, jaw set in concentration.
"Donnie?" Raph asked, and Mikey could tell he was trying to hide the fear.
"Mikey got the worst of it," the genius said, the tight control back in his voice. "But he's not out of danger. We've got to get him home, and fast."
Mikey began to push himself to his feet, trying to ignore his muscles screaming in protest.
"I can… can do more…"
Donnie shot him a death glare.
"Absolutely not. You're drained already, and I'm not explaining to Leo how you ended up in worse shape because I didn't stop you from being stupid."
"But…"
"Mikey," Raph said firmly. "You did enough. It's safe to move him now, right, Donnie?"
The softshell gave a brisk nod.
"He's stable for now. But we've gotta go now."
Raph nodded back.
"I'll take him. Can you help Mikey?"
"On it," Donnie said. He stood and hurried over to the youngest turtle. "Here, Mikey, give me your arm."
Clenching his teeth and pushing his exhaustion aside, Mikey let his genius brother drape his arm over his shoulders and help him stand. The youngest turtle kept his eyes on Leo as Raph slowly and gently slid his arms under his still form. The slider winced and moaned as his older brother carefully lifted him.
"Easy, Leo," Raph said softly. "I gotcha. Just take it easy."
He looked at Donnie.
"Can ya use your bo?"
"Yeah," Donnie said, lifting his weapon in his free hand. "Mikey, hold tight."
"Uh huh," the youngest turtle said softly. He kept his eyes on Leo, trying to swallow the lump in his throat as he silently pleaded that what he did would be enough.
Please… we can't lose him again.
