Chapter 6 - The Talk

It was the silence that was the most unbearable.

They had all heard the voices rising from Don's room. After that, the silence settled in; almost worse in a way. Now, they waited, not really knowing for what, but none of them dared speak.

April and Mike sat on the couch, his hand in her own, as she silently comforted him the best she could. She knew how tense things had been with Leo and Don, and how Mike and Raph both felt about it. She understood both Mike's worry and his fear.

Raph stood at the side of the couch, his arms crossed, He was uncharacteristically quiet, and aside from the sound of an impatient sigh or the tap of his foot hitting the group, he made no noise.

Suddenly, the door to Don's room opened. April jumped as Leo stumbled out. One look at his eyes and April squeezed Mike's hand more tightly. Leo caught Raph's eye, and held it, unable to look away. Raph gave a slight nod, as if in approval of his actions. Then, Leo wordlessly ducked away and retreated to the dojo.

Mike looked to Raph. "What do you think happened?" He asked quietly, his eyes wide.

Raph opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Not sure, Mikey." He said. "I'm… not sure."

April stared thoughtfully at the door Leo had just come from. Suddenly, she stood, and began walking to it. Don had been hiding from her for too long now.

"April…" Mike started, and she looked back to see Raph shaking his head at Mike.

"I have to." Was all she could say, and then continued her walk. She stopped short, however, when she reached his bedroom. She could see him, sitting on his bed, knees drawn up to his chin.

Suddenly, she heard words, and realized that they were her own.

"You don't want to talk to me." She crossed her arms.

Looking over quickly, Don's face showed surprise that quickly led to a calm, odd look. "Nnno." He said matter-of-factly. "I d-don't."

April's arms dropped, frustrated. "Why?" She cried. "I don't understand, and you won't let me. Jeez, Donnie, if you're going to spend the rest of your life ignoring me, at least have the decency to say one more thing and tell me why."

She paused, then looked at him. "Please." She added, the word full of frustration and pleading.

He took a deep breath, then looked back down.

April walked forward, and sat on the bed next to him. "Donnie." She pleaded. "Please."

He looked away from her as she reached across and took his hand. His mouth set in a small frown. She sighed.

"I miss you, Donnie." She said quietly, using her thumb to gently rub the back of his hand.

"I m-miss m-me, too." Don hissed suddenly, taking April by surprise. Her eyes widened, and she moved away involuntarily.

He looked at her again for a few moments before his shoulders sagged and his face fell sadly.

Wordlessly, she got up from the bed, her hand never leaving his, and knelt on the floor in front of him, drawing him into a hug.

He latched onto her, as if desperate for the contact. She gripped him tightly, feeling his mouth against her neck. Soon, she could feel wetness, as the tears leaked from his eyes and fell to her skin.

I m-miss fixing." He sobbed. "I m-miss inve- inv- making… I c-can't even t-talk…" He continued, his state of upset making his words jumble more.

"Oh Don." April felt her own eyes well at his outburst. She'd never seen him like this before and, quite frankly, it scared her. She squeezed him more tightly, as if that would somehow hold him together. All that filled the air were his sobs, loud and gut wrenching, the sound of desperation and sadness and heartbreak.

She didn't think he'd done this yet; cried, got mad, nothing.

"I m-m-miss mmme, April." He choked out. "You don't kn-know. Sometimes I w-wish it had wiped my m-mind clear, so I wou-wouldn't rememmmber."

"Don't say that, Donnie, please…" She paused. "Would you want to forget me?" She asked, dreading the answer. Maybe she didn't really want to hear it.

"N-no." He answered finally. "B-but I don't wanna remmmem-member with a broken mind."

Leo could hear the door to the dojo open and shut quietly. He felt as someone sat beside him.

"How'd it go?" Michaelangelo's voice was softer than usual. Leo looked up into Mike's warm eyes. His brother looked worried. Mike should never look so worried as he had been.

"It went well." Leo said finally. He shrugged. "I mean, you know…" He trailed off. Mike nodded.

"It's hard, isn't?" Mike said. "I mean, you know… Talking to Donnie used to be the easiest thing in the world, when he wasn't inventing something of course." He laughed dryly. "I mean," He continued. "He's still easy to talk to. I just… It's just…" He cut off, looking down.

Leo nodded. " I know." He agreed quietly. He took a deep breath in, then let it out, shaking his head. "I wasted a lot of time, Mike."

Mike slung an arm over Leo's shoulder. "Don forgives you, bro."

"I know." Leo said. "But I don't."

There was silence again, but this time, it wasn't so harsh or uncomfortable. April could hear Don's breathing, feel it on her neck, and it comforted her. Many moths ago she feared the noise, only because she was afraid that it might stop suddenly as she sat there.

"Don." She said quietly, so as not to startle him.

"Hmm?" He answered quietly.

She paused a moment, and tears filled her eyes. "You're my hero, Donnie."

"I'm no he- hero, April."

She nodded wordlessly, throat tight with tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks.

He looked up at her. "D- Don't cr-cry. Why?" He asked.

"It was hard, Don. Sitting here when you were unconscious. I was afraid."

"N-no. Not you, April. Yo-you're strong." He reached up, wiping the tears from her cheeks, and making her smile. "That's be-better." He smiled softly. "I wi-wish…" He stopped suddenly, moving his hand away.

"You wish what, Donnie?" April asked, smiling slightly. He shook his head, and frowned.

"I d-don't feel well."

"What's wrong?" She sat up more.

"S-sleepy all'a sud-sudden…" He began to slowly slide off to one side.

"Don? Donnie!" April cried. His eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped to the ground.

She reached down to sake his shoulder, but pulled back quickly as he gave a shudder, then suddenly convulsed violently.

April's eyes were wide, and she knelt by Don. She turned her head to scream the other's names.

"Raph! Mikey! Leo! Help!"

Author's Notes – Wow, it's been awhile! I recently got a whole bunch of inspiration for this fic, so here we go again! As I said in a different fic, Learning to Live Again won two awards at this year's fanfic awards. This story would never have been the same without the complete support and friendship I got from you, my dear reviewers and friends. My thanks and appreciation go out to you all. Thank you, my friends.