Chapter 6-A Walk Down Memory Lane

A few days had passed since everyone returned home after Donnie was cured and Mikey was properly treated for his wounds, and the atmosphere within the lair was quiet and tense at the same time.

The reason was because, even though the infection had now been successfully eradicated from Mikey's body, the young turtle had gone into what Master Splinter described as a 'healing slumber'. The family agreed to take turns in keeping Mikey company and talk to him to encourage his awakening to occur quicker, even though Raph stayed away because he wanted nothing to do with Mikey still.

Donnie was currently in the infirmary and sitting next to Mikey's bed whilst holding his hand for support. Ever since Mikey's health scare from the infection, the purple-banded turtle had rarely left his side, even when his shift in watching over Mikey had finished. Instead, he would sleep on the extra bed in the infirmary, so that he would be there in case anything changed.

"Mikey…why did this have to happen to you? You never deserved this…" He said quietly, slightly tightening his grip on Mikey's hand.

He just couldn't understand why Mikey was given the full brunt of the worst bad luck that the whole Hamato family had ever experienced. He also found it difficult to believe that the youngest of the family would almost sacrifice his own life to protect the purple-banded turtle by acting as a shield to take the bullets for him. Something must've driven Mikey to do that, and Donnie was planning on talking to his little brother once he was awake and more mobile.

In the meantime, however, Donnie needed to be patient and wait until Mikey was officially awake before he could put his plan into action.

Suddenly, a thought came to him; if he could talk to Mikey about a past memory of him like he did with Leo a couple of years ago, then maybe the youngest turtle might wake up sooner than expected. With this in mind, Donnie took a deep breath and spoke about a specific memory that happened many years ago.

"You know, I remember back when we were little and we had this puzzle box that Master Splinter brought home from one of his foraging trips topside. It involved putting shapes into the correct holes, and me, Leo, and Raph would easily get all of the shapes in the right holes each time we played with it. You tried your best with it, of course, but you kept getting them stuck in the wrong holes."

Donnie waited to see if Mikey made any response to his words, which he didn't, before he continued his story.

"That caused us all to get annoyed and disappointed with you, because you weren't learning the shapes as fast as we were…But, at the time, we never realised how our actions towards you had made you so upset with yourself, to a point where you wanted to prove us wrong by sneaking into the living room and trying the puzzle box again."

He paused again to look at Mikey, who was still not making a response to Donnie's words, making him sigh and continue on.

"You had no idea that me, Leo, and Raph were watching you from the shadows after we noticed that you were missing from your bed. When we saw you crying with happiness after you slowly but surely placed the shapes into the right holes, we felt proud and guilty at the same time, because you showed us that you really are a smart turtle and can learn at your own pace."

A couple of twitches were suddenly felt coming from Mikey's hand, making Donnie gasp quietly and tears to develop in his eyes before he spoke one more time.

"Even to this day, you still are a smart turtle, Mikey…a-and I'm so sorry that we didn't consider you as an important part of the team because of our doubts on your level of intelligence back then…"

By the time Donnie finished his sentence, he could no longer hold in his sad emotions and he released them as he placed his face against the mattress.

Unbeknownst to the purple-banded turtle, his oldest brother Leo was watching him from the doorway with a sad look on his face before he approached the bed and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Donnie, it's time to switch over…" Leo said softly.

"J-Just give me a few more minutes, please…" Donnie begged with sniffles and hiccups.

"You've watched over him for long enough, bro…you need a break…" Leo told him firmly but caringly, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "I'll look after him now…"

"Y-You'll let me know if anything changes, won't you?" Donnie questioned whilst wiping the tears from his eyes.

"You will be the first person to know, I promise…Now, go get some rest…" Leo reassured his brother before he guided him out of the infirmary and told him to get some sleep in his own room this time.

Despite his reluctance, Donnie decided not to protest against Leo's words and head for his bedroom to get at least a decent amount of sleep, especially since he hardly had much sleep after working his hardest to save his little brother.

Leo watched him go before he went back over to the bed, sat on the seat, and held Mikey's hand.

"Hey, little brother…" He greeted softly, though he knew that Mikey was still too deep in his slumber to respond back.

"I hope you wake up soon, cos it's been really quiet and boring in the lair without you livening things up…" Leo then said in light amusement.

Again, he was met by silence, making him sigh in sadness.

For once in his life, Leo had never realised how much he had missed Mikey's energetic and fun-loving personality, despite times in the past where he and the others in the family would always tell him to stop or reduce it down a level.

Suddenly, one of Raph's accusations from his argument with him back at Bishop's base popped into his head.

'We all know dat you've always been embarrassed by him, and ya try to make him into a perfect ninja like you in order ta keep both yer self and Master Splinter happy!'

Leo sighed. He denied those words at first during his argument with Raph, but now that he was alone with Mikey, he secretly begun to admit in his mind that Raph was right.

Throughout the years growing up and becoming ninjas, Leo had always got annoyed and frustrated with Mikey because the youngest of the family did not take being a ninja as seriously as the rest of the family did, and Leo would always force him to meet a lot of expectations that both he and Master Splinter had put on his shoulders in order to try and make him more proper as a ninja. However, this resulted in the youngest turtle feeling like he was an unneeded burden due to not being allowed to act and be himself, and Leo had never realised this until now where his youngest brother was fighting for his life.

It was then that a past memory popped into Leo's head.

"Mikey, when we were kids and we were going through our first few weeks of ninja training, you would always copy my every move in both katas and combat training. At the time, I didn't know why and I would always get annoyed with you and tell Master Splinter on you to make you stop…" Leo said whilst stroking Mikey's hand.

"But, now I've realised why you did it; you always found it difficult to process and learn things straight away and you would use the process of observation to learn how to do the moves properly…" He then added guiltily.

Shortly after finishing his sentence, Leo saw Mikey moving his head slightly back and forth whilst releasing a tiny groan.

Is he starting to come around?

"Mikey? C-Can you hear me…?" Leo said softly and nervously.

He then gasped when he saw tears developing and falling down Mikey's face, even though his eyes were still closed. His face was also showing a pained expression. Was he dreaming? Was he in pain? Or was it Leo's words that made him cry?

"Shhh…It's ok, Mikey…I'm here…" Leo soothed whilst stroking his little brother's cheek.

"I also remember those moments all too well, my son…"

The familiar voice of an old sensei was suddenly heard by the infirmary doorway. Leo looked over to see Master Splinter standing there and looking at the duo with a sad smile on his face.

"Master Splinter…" Leo said before he watched his sensei walk over to the other side of the bed and hold Mikey's other hand.

"When Michelangelo was a young child, I did scold him more than once for trying to copy your every move and not taking his training seriously…This upset him so much that, one day, he ran away from the lair…" Master Splinter sadly explained his own side to that past memory.

"I remember that, too; we were so worried about Mikey when he left, and we felt so awful for making fun of him after you scolded him…" Leo said with a nod.

"Yes…" Master Splinter confirmed before he looked at Mikey and carried on with his story.

"I searched throughout the sewers to try and find for brother, but I could not locate him; he was always good at hiding…"

"True…He was always best at hiding during our game of hide-and-seek…" Leo replied with a sad chuckle, making Master Splinter chuckle back before he spoke again.

"But it wasn't until I was about to head deeper into the sewers that I heard the sounds of crying in one of the large hanging pipes…When I investigated it, I saw Michelangelo wrapped in a blanket and curled up against the pipe's wall whilst looking so heartbroken…"

The old sensei paused for a moment when he felt Mikey's hand twitch a couple of times, but the young turtle still showed no signs of waking up. He sighed and carried on with his story.

"When he saw me, he told me that the pipe he was hiding in was his new home, and that he would be no trouble to anyone anymore as long as he stayed there…"

"H-He really said that…!?" Leo asked in shock. He never knew any of this until now.

Master Splinter nodded sadly with tears developing in his eyes before he continued.

"I felt so ashamed…I should have understood Michelangelo's reasons for behaving the way he did during his training, and yet…I misjudged him and made him feel like he was failing me, when he was actually learning ninjitsu in a different way…"

"Father…" Leo said softly with a sorrowful look on his face.

"I could not bear to see Michelangelo in that state any longer, so I held him close and apologised to him for my actions…I also told him how special he was because, like his older brothers, he was unique and had his own way of learning new things…" Master Splinter then said whilst wiping the tears from his eye.

"True…his vast knowledge in superheroes, comic books, and video games has helped us a lot during some of our missions, and it's because of him that we're reminded that we're a family, not just a ninja clan…" Leo complimented in agreement to his father's words.

"Indeed…I could not be more proud of him…" Master Splinter replied with a nod.

"Mmm…Urgh…"

Leo and Master Splinter froze when they suddenly heard a moan and a grunt coming from the still turtle.

"Michelangelo?" "Mikey?" They called the youngest's name softly.

Then, they watched as Mikey's eyes slowly fluttered open halfway and looked at the first person in front of him.

"D-D-ad…?" He croaked when he took a minute to recognise that person.

"My son! Oh, my child…!" Master Splinter cried out, his heart bursting with relief and joy, as he caressed his son's head whilst nuzzling him. "I am so glad you're awake…"

"Mikey!" Leo called out softly to prevent him from scaring his little brother.

"L-Leo…?" Mikey croaked again when his eyes moved to where Leo was standing.

"Oh, thank shell! I was so worried; I thought you'd never wake up…!" Leo said in tearful relief as he gave Mikey's upper body a gentle hug.

Mikey nuzzled the crook of his brother's neck as he accepted the hug since not only was his right arm too broken to move, but he was also feeling physically weak to give him a proper hug.

"W-Where…am I…?" He asked tiredly after being released from the hug a moment later.

"Home…We're back at the lair, bro…" Leo answered as he placed a comforting hand on Mikey's cheek and stroked it.

Mikey nodded slightly and moved his eyes to look at his surroundings before he felt a sense of familiarity when he saw parts of the infirmary. Just then, his face changed to worry when he noticed that Donnie wasn't in the room.

"D-Donnie…W-Where is he…?" He said shakily as he tried to sit up more.

"No, no, no, don't try to get up, Mikey; you're badly hurt…" Leo told his brother, placing a hand on his chest to halt him and lower him back down on the bed.

"B-But-"

"Donatello is fine, Michelangelo; he has been cured and is now back home with us…" Master Splinter reassured his youngest son.

"I-I w'na see him…P-Please…" Mikey pleaded. He wanted to see his brother with his own eyes to see if Master Splinter's words were true.

"Master Splinter, you stay here with Mikey, I'll go get Donnie!" Leo instructed.

The old sensei nodded and did his best to comfort his youngest son whilst Leo ran out of the infirmary to go and find Donnie.

As soon as he reached the living room, Leo instantly spotted Donnie fast asleep on the double sofa. Leo shook his head; he had expected this since the purple-banded turtle didn't want to be too far away from Mikey.

"Donnie, wake up! Mikey's awake!" Leo called out as soon as he reached Donnie and firmly but gently shook his shoulder.

"W-Wha-? He is!?" Donnie said sleepily with a start.

"Yeah, and he's asking for you! Come on!" Leo confirmed before he helped Donnie up and guided him back into the infirmary.

As soon as they returned, Donnie immediately saw a half-awake Mikey looking at Master Splinter who was still comforting him during their wait for the purple-banded turtle to arrive.

"M-Mikey!?" Donnie said with a small gasp.

The youngest turtle jumped slightly when he heard his name being said by a familiar voice that he had not heard in a while. He slowly looked over at where Donnie was standing and gasped.

"D-D-Donnie!?" Mikey said shakily, his eyes widening.

"Little brother!" Donnie cried out as he engulfed his baby brother's upper body in a hug whilst minding his injuries.

"I-Is this…a dream…?" Mikey whispered as he felt scare of the possibility that all of this was not real.

"No, Mikey…this is all real; we're all ok and back home…" Donnie reassured his brother, as he looked at him whilst placing a gentle hand on his cheek.

Mikey took a quiet moment to have a proper look at Donnie's face before he smiled and allowed more tears to fall.

"Y-You're back! You're really here!" He said hoarsely with tears of joy falling down his face.

"That's right, bro…and it's thanks to all of you that I'm back…" Donnie said in a grateful tone before he leaned forward and lovingly pressed his head against Mikey's. This instantly made Mikey even more emotional.

"I-I'm so sorry, Don…I-I really am…" Mikey apologised out of nowhere.

"Hey…there's nothing for you to apologise for, Mikey…" Donnie soothed.

"B-But none of this…would've ever happened if I'd have been a better ninja!" Mikey told him guiltily.

"Even if you were, you would've been the one infected by the outbreak…!" Donnie pointed out.

"I-I don't care…! I-It should've been me, not you!" Mikey snapped tearfully.

"Don't say that! Anyone of us could've been infected that night, so don't blame yourself!" Donnie countered firmly but softly.

"R-Raphie does…H-He disowned me as his brother…" Mikey announced, his heart now breaking even more.

Donnie's eyes widened in shock when he heard that his immediate older brother had disowned the youngest brother in the family because of what Agent Bishop had caused. He would definitely need to have a talk with Leo about what happened between Raph and Mikey during his time as a mutated monster, but right now, his immediate younger brother needed him and he must focus on him and his recovery for now.

"Listen, Mikey, don't worry about Raph for now; you just focus on getting better…" Donnie told his baby brother softly as he wiped the tears off of Mikey's face with his thumbs.

"Yeah, Mikey…what matters right now is that we're all ok and the outbreak is no more…" Leo said in agreement.

"Indeed, we cannot tell you how grateful we are to see both you and Donatello safe and back with us, Michelangelo…" Master Splinter said in relief.

"B-But what if I never recover? I-I'll never be a ninja again…!" Mikey cried out, his face full of fear and anxiety.

"Don't doubt yourself, Mikey! You will be back to your normal self again after you've healed from your wounds…!" Donnie countered.

But Mikey was still doubtful; even if he healed physically, he was feeling unsure of whether or not he would improve himself mentally as a ninja.

"…I-I don't know…I-I wasn't a good ninja before…H-How can I still be one now…?" He said sadly.

Leo, Donnie, and Master Splinter looked at Mikey with broken hearts; they have never seen their youngest family member become so low to a point where he's putting himself down with negative thoughts about his role in the team and family, all because of what Raph had said to him.

"Michelangelo…no matter who you are as a ninja, you have always done your best and made us all proud in the process…and we want you to continue with that…" Master Splinter told his youngest son after a moment of silence.

As much as Mikey wanted to say something to respond to his father's words, he couldn't. The poor turtle was too confused on how he was really feeling in terms of his family's words towards him, because he was scared of the possibility that his family was lying to him and they were harbouring a deep hatred towards him. Thinking about all of this, however, was starting to make him feel even more tired.

"Why don't you get some more sleep, Mikey? You look exhausted…" Donnie's voice snapped Mikey out of his thoughts.

"B-But I just w'ke up…" Mikey slurred, his eyes starting to droop.

"I know, but your body is still weak from your injuries and blood loss, so it has a lot more healing to do…" Donnie told Mikey whilst re-adjusting the blanket and tucking him in.

"Donatello is right, my son; you will only get stronger with more rest…" Master Splinter said wisely in agreement.

"We'll see you after you wake up, so don't worry about finding yourself all alone when you do…Ok?" Leo reassured, giving Mikey's hand a gentle squeeze.

Mikey looked at his brothers and father in turn, and he instantly felt at ease when he saw their sincere and caring looks on their faces. He nodded with a small smile before he closed his eyes and allowed sleep to consume him once again.

Leo, Donnie, and Master Splinter all smiled in relief before they decided to leave Mikey to sleep and come back to check on him in an hour.

"You should get some more sleep too, Donnie…" Leo told his purple-banded brother after a moment of silence.

"I know…just let me know if Mikey's condition changes…" Donnie said almost pleadingly.

"I told you, Don; you'll be the first to know…" Leo reassured his brother.

"That goes for myself as well, Donatello…Now, go and rest your body and mind…" Master Splinter said supportively with a kind smile.

Donnie smiled gratefully towards Leo and Master Splinter before he made his way towards his bedroom to get some more sleep.

"I am going to the kitchen to make some tea…You are welcome to join me if you like, Leonardo…" Master Splinter told his oldest son after a moment of silence.

"That does sound good right now…Thank you, Master Splinter…" Leo accepted his father's offer in a grateful tone before he followed him towards the kitchen to make and drink that much needed tea.