Chapter 5

Meanwhile, up topside…

It was dark out, and Mikey kept on running with tears still running down his face. He didn't notice how far he ran or the number of rooftops he had jumped from, but right now he didn't care.

He felt a little guilty for bumping into Raph and not stopping to give him and Leo an apology or an explanation as to why he was so upset, but at the time he just wanted to get as far away from the lair and far away from Donnie as possible.

Donnie…

Mikey just couldn't believe what his brother, best friend, and mate said to him back at the lair, especially when he said that he never wanted to see him again, but at the same time, he didn't blame him. He knew deep down that Donnie would think of the same things he thought about and believe everything that happened on that day of their return from the future was entirely his fault.

In fact, Mikey thought back to all the missions he and his brothers were involved in over the years, and asked himself: 'Was I as much help to my brothers back then over the years as I am now?'

Mikey stopped to think of an answer to his question whilst trying to catch his breath, but he was then suddenly struck with a dizzy spell and decided to sit down next to an air vent on the roof that he was currently on in order to clear his head and think more clearly.

'Man, what was that about? Is it cos I'm pregnant and my energy levels are low?' He thought to himself as he took deep breaths whilst placing a hand on his flat plastron and looking down upon it with a still sad expression on his face.

"Sorry, little one…I almost forgot that you're inside me..." He said as he rubbed his plastron slowly and tenderly.

Now that he thought about it, the answer to his earlier question was that he was no help at all to any of his brothers. Even though he was the youngest out of the four brothers, he was the same age as them, but they were each different in terms of personality and interests;

-Leonardo was the eldest and leader of the team with a courageous and brave spirit.

-Raphael was the second older brother with strong muscles and a burning passion for fighting to protect his family despite his anger issues.

-Donatello was the third brother with more brains than brawn and has a high level of knowledge in science and engineering.

-Finally, Mikey was the youngest out of the four with a kid-at-heart spirit and loves to try and make everyone laugh and feel positive when the going gets tough.

However, Mikey remembered how the way he performed his role in the team had caused a lot of frustrations, distractions, and close-calls during missions, as well as getting them badly hurt in fights due to his lack of focus, resulting in his brothers and Master Splinter scolding him with harsh words that would make him depressed afterward.

'Donnie's right; I'm no help to anyone… I just make things worse for everyone and get them all hurt...' He thought to himself as he began to sob again and more tears began to fall. Then, another thought came to him.

'Does this mean… I won't be able to protect or care for my baby due to my past actions!?'

After thinking that, he could no longer take it anymore. He lost control of his emotions as he brought his knees to his plastron and wrapped his arms around his legs, curling himself into a protective ball.

"I'm sorry, everyone…I'm so sorry, father...I've failed you again…and Donnie…I'm so sorry...you deserve better..."

Mikey was too busy sobbing to notice two silhouettes standing not far away from him, both hidden in the darkness.