Chapter 10-Acceptance From A Brother
2 months later…
Time had flown by since the emotional conversation between Donnie and Mikey, and everything was now slowly beginning to look up for the Hamato family.
After doing more physiotherapy and counselling sessions with Donnie and Leatherhead, Mikey was now feeling more mobile with the use of a single crutch and mentally better in himself. Even though he still had his moments where he would have nightmares and get emotional about something sad or dark in his mind, Mikey was no longer afraid of expressing his feelings to his family and friends who were always there for him whenever he needed someone to talk to.
The only thing that had shown no signs of change or improvement was Raph and his behaviour towards his family and friends, especially Mikey. Throughout the last couple of months, the red-banded turtle had hardly interacted with any of his brothers and Casey struggled to get him to join him during his night-time thug hunts, even Master Splinter couldn't get through to him whenever he tried to have a serious conversation with him. He would mostly spend his time in either his bedroom or the lair's garage and doing his own thing in isolation, and he wouldn't come out unless he needed the bathroom or something to eat when no-one was around.
All that the Hamato family and human friends could do at present until Raph changed his attitude was to focus on making sure that Mikey's physical and spiritual recovery, which was now going well and getting closer to completion.
Speaking of which, Mikey was in the infirmary having a health check on his gunshot injuries by Donnie and Leatherhead. Leo and Master Splinter were also in the infirmary, and they watched the science duo from a few feet away as they did a scan on Mikey who was lying still on the bed.
"Alright, Mikey, you can sit back up now; the scan's finished…" Donnie told his brother as he moved the scanner away from Mikey and started the process of downloading the scan images into his computer.
Mikey sat back up with some help from Leo before they and Master Splinter walked over to Donnie and Leatherhead to see the scan results.
"How does it all look, Donnie?" Leo asked whilst feeling slightly nervous at what the answer could be.
"Well, his lung is completely fine now and his plastron has almost healed fully, thanks to the ointments that we've been using. Even though the bones in his arm and the femur in his leg still have cracks in places, they are showing signs that they're healing fine…" Donnie explained in his 'Doctor Don' tone as he and Leatherhead assessed the scan images.
"S-So, will I be ok?" Mikey asked anxiously.
"As long as you continue to do your sessions, only do light exercise, and not push yourself too hard, you should fully recover in another few weeks, Michelangelo…" Leatherhead answered wisely.
"That is very good news indeed…" Master Splinter said in relief before he looked at Mikey with a proud smile.
"I cannot tell you how proud I am of you and your progress, my son…" He told him.
"Thank you, Master Splinter…I'm sorry that it's taking me a long time to fully heal from all this…" Mikey replied gratefully and guiltily since he had missed a lot of ninja training due to his injuries and emotional trauma.
"You should not have to apologise, Michelangelo; your health is much more important, and you have done much better during your meditation sessions. I will help you catch up with your physical training once you have fully recovered…" Master Splinter reassured him whilst placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you, Master…That means a lot to me…" Mikey said with tears of joy developing in his eyes before he wiped them away to prevent them from falling.
The others looked on with warm smiles before Leo looked up at the wall clock to check the time, which was telling him that it was almost 6pm.
"You ready for dinner, Mikey? April and Casey are on their way over with some pizza!" Leo announced.
"You bet! I'm starving…!" Mikey answered excitedly.
"Glad to see that your appetite has come back, bro…!" Donnie said with a chuckle.
"Ha, ha, thanks…" Mikey replied bashfully before he followed him and the others out of the infirmary to head for the dining area.
It was just as they had reached the dining table and sat on their seats when April and Casey entered the lair with their hands full of pizza boxes, one of which was bigger than the others.
"Pizza's here!" April announced cheerfully as she and Casey placed the pizza boxes on the dining table.
"Hey, big guy! Got yer extra-large Triple Meat Special with no spice like ya wanted…!" Casey told Leatherhead as he took the largest pizza box from the pile and passed it to him.
"Thank you, Casey…" Leatherhead replied gratefully as he received his pizza box, opened it, and started eating his first slice, whilst the others tucked in to their own pizzas.
"Man, I've really missed eating pizza…!" Mikey said with a sigh of delight before he finished his first pizza slice.
"We have too! We didn't want to get any during your recovery when your stomach was still healing…" Donnie confessed. This shocked Mikey as he didn't know about this until now.
"You didn't have to do that, you know…" Mikey said guiltily.
"We wanted to, Mikey; we have our meals together as a family, so no-one gets left out, no matter the situation…!" Leo countered sincerely.
"Agreed!" "Here, here!" The others cheered in agreement.
Mikey looked at each of his friends and family members in awe. He had never expected that kind of response from his family and friends before.
"Thanks, guys…" He said gratefully before a thought came into his mind.
"W-What about Raph? Will we leave some for him too?" He asked.
Everyone paused and looked at Mikey before they looked at each other. What were they going to say to him?
After everything that Raph had done to Mikey, the group was surprised to hear that the youngest turtle was concerned about his red-banded brother not getting any dinner as soon as he finished his nightly bike ride. However, they all knew that they would never stoop so low as to letting Raph go on the rest of the day without dinner.
"Of course we will, Mikey; we'll make sure that we save a few slices for Raph before he comes home…" April answered reassuringly, finally breaking the silence.
"Yeah, and why are ya worryin' about him right now? He's been treatin' ya like garbage these last few months…!" Casey questioned in confusion whilst still feeling ticked off with Raph on the inside.
"Easy, Casey…!" Leo scolded lightly, not wanting to cause more emotional distress for his little brother.
However, Mikey had already expected that kind of reaction to come from his friends and family. He didn't blame them for feeling awkward and concerned, especially since they had witnessed the harsh treatment being given to him by Raph, but the last thing he wanted was to cause a misunderstanding between them and Raph because of Mikey's feelings.
"I-It's ok, I get it…I-I know that Raph's hardly spoken to me or even looked at me, a-and everyone's upset about it, but…" Mikey started speaking shakily before he stopped himself when he felt his anxiety starting to kick in. The others instantly noticed this and became worried.
"Mikey, you don't have to do this if it's too much for you…" Donnie said softly whilst placing a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder, but Mikey shook his head to say that he wanted to finish his sentence.
"I-I only asked cos he's my brother and I still care about him…even if he doesn't feel the same way about me…" The orange-banded turtle managed to finish his sentence before he covered his face with his hands and tried really hard not to cry, but he couldn't hold his tears back any longer and they fell down his face.
Donnie immediately wrapped an arm around his little brother to give him a sideways hug before he whispered comforting words to him. The others looked on in sadness, especially Casey who immediately felt guilty for pushing Mikey and making him upset.
"Nice going, Casey…" April hissed at her boyfriend with a glare, making the man feel sheepish. As Mikey started to calm down a bit, Casey looked back at him and immediately made an apology.
"I'm sorry, bud…I wasn't tryin' ta hurt or upset ya; I'm just a lil' angry at Raph fer how he's been treatin' ya…"
"I-I know…and it's fine…I shouldn't've said anything…" Mikey replied with a sniffle and a hiccup as he wiped the tears from his eyes and face.
Master Splinter shook his head with a sigh. He knew that Casey's heart was in the right place; he just didn't think twice on choosing the right words before saying them out loud. He looked at Mikey and gently held his hand before he spoke.
"Michelangelo, do not feel ashamed of how you are currently feeling…You have a kind heart, and you see the good in others and not on the wrongdoings that they have done. That is why you still care deeply about your brother Raphael, despite the circumstances between you both…"
"Master Splinter's right, Mikey, and it was Raph's choice to be in denial and isolate himself from all of us, not yours…so, don't be so hard on yourself…" Leo said in agreement.
"Yeah, and besides, you've overcome so many obstacles to get this far into your recovery…Don't let Raph's actions get to you and slow you down, little brother…" Donnie said proudly.
Mikey was grateful for his father's and brothers' reassuring words, but he still felt uneasy and unsure of what to do next without causing more negative emotions to arise.
"I believe that you should continue to give Raphael some space and let him come to you, my friend…He must realise, in his own time, that what he did was wrong…" Leatherhead advised after sensing Mikey's uneasiness.
The youngest turtle sighed. He didn't want to give up on Raph, but at the same time, Leatherhead was right; he needed to continue with giving his red-banded brother time to learn for himself that he wasn't doing any favours ignoring and mistreating his youngest brother.
"…A-Alright, then…I'll do that…" Mikey told the others.
"Smart choice, Mikey, and don't worry; we'll still be there for you whenever you need us…" Leo said supportively.
Everyone nodded and smiled in agreement, and Mikey looked at his family and friends with a relieved and grateful smile.
"Thanks, everyone…" The orange-banded turtle said as he wiped away tears of relief and happiness from his eyes.
"Anyway, enough of da sad vibes! Let's enjoy our food!" Casey suddenly said in a serious tone.
The others, including Mikey, chuckled before they all continued eating their meals before they could get cold.
/
Early evening…
After finishing their pizza feast sometime later, April and Casey decided to head back home to let the Hamato family spend the rest of their evening with some peace and quiet. Leatherhead also did the same after letting them know that he would return for Mikey's physio and counselling sessions tomorrow.
Whilst most of the Hamato Family were doing their own thing before bedtime, Mikey decided to turn in for the night early due to feeling a bit tired from today's events. He was walking towards his bedroom to when he spotted the leftover pizza box on the dining table, and it was then that a thought suddenly came to him.
If he couldn't speak to Raph face-to-face right now since he had been advised by the others to give him some space, he could try and encourage him to slowly come and talk to him by taking Raph's share of the pizza up to his room with a secret letter, which he would write later, hidden under the plate. It was a risky idea as it could make things worse between them, but Mikey felt that there were no other options because he could no longer stand to watch his family fall apart bit-by-bit right before his eyes.
With his mind made up, Mikey headed towards the kitchen and opened the fridge to grab a can of cola, and then he opened one of the cupboards to grab a large plate and tray before he walked over to the dining table, opened the pizza box, and transferred the pizza slices one at the time onto the plate.
Whilst he was doing this, Mikey didn't notice Donnie walking past the kitchen to also head for bed before spotting him.
"Mikey? What are you doing?" He asked curiously.
"I-I'm just plating up these last few slices for Raph…" Mikey answered sheepishly after being spotted.
"You don't have to do that, bro; you know that he could just get them from the box in the fridge as soon as he returns…" Donnie told his brother softly.
"I-I know, but…" Mikey wanted to explain himself, but he stopped himself suddenly when he started to feel nervous.
Donnie could tell that Mikey was starting to feel uneasy, so he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and spoke.
"It's alright, Mikey, you can tell me…! What's on your mind?"
After hearing that, Mikey felt slightly more at ease and he took a deep breath before he spoke.
"…I-I know that I should give Raph some space, but…it's been months now, and he still hasn't seen me or spoken to me…a-and I can tell that it's making everyone feel uncomfortable and fed up with it all…"
As he placed the plate of pizza slices on the tray, his emotions were trying to overwhelm him again and his eyes were slowly filling up with tears.
"I can't let this continue on anymore, Don…I-I have to do something…" Mikey then said before he lowered his head and allowed his tears to fall.
Donnie understood where Mikey was coming from, because he too had noticed a change in the family since Raph became more distant from everyone. He and the others knew that none of this was Mikey's fault, and yet the poor turtle wanted to try and make things right by bravely taking the last pizza slices into Raph's room to try and encourage him to come and talk to him.
Knowing that his little brother needed his support, the purple-banded turtle gently placed his hands on Mikey's shoulders and gave him a warm smile before he spoke.
"Whatever you're plan is, Mikey, I will support you through it and be by your side every step of the way…"
Those words made Mikey tear up with relief and happiness. He was worried that Donnie might have tried to persuade him not to go through with his plan, but hearing that the purple-banded turtle was willing to support him had made the weight on his shoulders lift off and fade away.
"Thanks, Donnie…" He rasped as he wiped his remaining tears away.
"Will you be alright doing this alone, though? I don't want you to feel overwhelmed with it all if you're not sure of doing it by yourself…" Donnie then questioned in slight worry as he didn't want his little brother to go through with his plan on his own.
"…Y-Yeah…I-I'm good, Donnie…This is between me and Raph, after all…" Mikey answered in a reassuring tone, despite feeling a bit nervous on the inside.
Donnie nodded in understanding before he squeezed his brother's shoulders and started walking away to head for bed since it was getting late.
"Oh, wait, err…I forgot something…!" Mikey suddenly called out to him.
"What is it, Mikey?" Donnie said as he turned back around.
Shortly after doing so, two arms suddenly wrapped around him. He was taken by surprise at first before he realised that he had been engulfed in a hug by Mikey.
"I love you, bro…" Mikey whispered into Donnie's ear.
Donnie happily accepted the hug, even though he was a bit confused as to why Mikey would give him one out of nowhere. After releasing himself from the hug when it ended, he spoke in an awkward tone.
"Ha, ha…Not that I don't appreciate the hug, Mikey, but…What was it for?"
"I-I just, err…just wanted you to know that…and also…you looked like you needed a hug right now, bro…" Mikey answered bashfully as he picked up the food tray and slowly walked away.
Donnie smiled warmly and gratefully at his little brother as he watched him go to Raph's room to drop off his meal and head for bed himself afterward. Even when he felt sad or not feeling like himself, Mikey still always had a way to make someone else happy.
"Donnie? Are you alright?" Leo's voice was suddenly heard from behind, snapping Donnie out of his thoughts.
"Oh, yeah…I'm fine, Leo, just about to head for bed…" Donnie answered his blue-banded brother who was walking towards him.
"Were you talking to Mikey just now?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, but he's just gone to bed himself…" Donnie answered.
"Is he ok?" Leo asked in slight concern that something might've happened during his brothers' talk.
"To be honest, Leo, I don't know…Don't get me wrong; we know that he's been talking to us more and is responding well to his physiotherapy, so we don't have to worry about that…it's just that I'm concerned that, deep down, Mikey might still be blaming himself for what happened to me months ago, and for the current tension between us and Raph…" Donnie answered in slight worry after his smile had faltered.
"I've been thinking that too…But all we can do for him at the moment is support him through whatever he might face next…" Leo said in agreement with some wise words.
"Yeah…he said that he had to do whatever he needed to do for both himself and our family in order to put an end to the tension…" Donnie then told him.
"Well, he's not going to do it alone…Once the opportunity arises, we'll jump in to help him…" Leo said with determination showing on his face.
Donnie nodded in agreement before he let out a yawn and told Leo that he was going to head for bed. Leo nodded and told him that he was going to do the same before he and Donnie went their separate ways and headed to their respective bedrooms to get some sleep.
/
Sometime after midnight…
Raph walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his torso, meaning that he had just finished his time in the shower. After spending the evening having a long ride on his motorbike, he decided to soothe and relax his body with a warm shower before hitting the hay in his room.
As soon as he entered his room, however, he noticed something that was not originally there when he was last in his room; on his desk was a tray with a plate containing three slices of pepperoni pizza, which were surprisingly still warm, and a can of cola next to it.
He looked at the time on his wall clock, which showed 1.45am, and realised that he had completely forgotten about getting back home in time for dinner during his bike ride, but the question that suddenly came into his mind was…
Who had entered his room without his permission and left him this food tray?
It was then that Raph scowled as he thought of only one person who would be so stupid enough to ignore his rule and drop off his meal in his room.
"Mikey…Wait 'til I see him…" Raph said quietly with a low growl.
Gurgle! Rumble! Rumble!
But the sounds of his stomach protesting made him decide that he should eat his food before his hunger could make him even more angry.
When he picked up the plate to eat his pizza, he noticed a folded piece of paper underneath it.
'Huh? What's dis?' He thought with a raised eyebrow.
Raph picked up the paper and, after seeing that it was a written letter, he read through it in his mind.
'Hey, Raph…
I get that you might be angry right now as to why I came into your room without your permission and put a tray of food on your desk, but I had my reasons.
The first reason was to try and talk to you in person, and the second was to make sure that you didn't go hungry in the night since you missed dinner earlier.
I know that you told me that you no longer wanted anything to do with me and you don't want me around you in the lair anymore, so I thought that I'd write you this letter as a way to talk to you instead.
What I've been wanting to say to you for a while now is that…well…I'm sorry.
I'm sorry for not being the brother that you needed me to be, I'm sorry for being the useless burden of the family, and I'm so sorry for not being vital enough for both the family and team.
You were right all along; I should've been the one to take Donnie's place when he got infected and mutated into a monster on that horrible night, because no-one would've cared or missed me if I had died mentally or got killed by Bishop's hands since I don't have any vital skills or abilities that have made my life worth living or protecting.
But…even if you still hate me or wanted me to die on that hospital bed months ago, I will always still love you.
Growing up, there were times where you would pick on me or wanna beat me up for random reasons, but I still looked up to you as an older brother because you taught me how to be tougher in fights and you would always do your hardest in protecting me from harm.
I don't expect you to forgive me right now…but I just hope that, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday, you would find it in your heart to forgive me for every bad thing that I've done to our family over the years.
And just so you know, there has never been a day where I've stopped loving or caring about you all, and I would anything to keep you guys safe.
All I want for you and the rest of our family now is to be happy again…with or without me being around.
So, yeah…I'm gonna leave you alone now; I've talked to you long enough…
But just remember that, no matter how much you hate me and want me to disappear, I will always love you and understand how you really feel about me…
From your former youngest brother,
Mikey'
After reading the writer's name, Raph sighed and slowly lowered his hand with the letter in it down to his side.
He honestly didn't know what to think. One part of him wanted to go on an angry rampage and throw everything against the wall, but the other part of him wanted to remain calm and think his next actions through.
Suddenly, some of Mikey's words from that horrific day popped into his mind.
"DO YOU REALLY THINK I WANTED THIS, RAPH!?"
"Every minute I take just looking at him in that container, I never stop thinking about why I didn't do anything to stop him from getting infected! I never wanted this to happen to him, and you know that!"
"I-I'm sorry, bro…T-This is all my fault…"
"What's the catch, Bishop?"
"Catch?"
"You heard me; you're not planning on giving us the cure for free, are you? You're the kinda guy who always wants something in return…"
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Ah…Ngh…"
"M'sorry…F-Forgive…m-me…"
After seeing and hearing those memories again, Raph suddenly felt heavy inside. Yes, he was angry at Mikey for not doing enough as a ninja and brother, but now that he thought about it, would his youngest brother ever stoop so low as to allow Donnie to get infected and mutate a second time?
…No, he wouldn't…
When he looked back in his past memories and saw the look on Mikey's face after his scolding towards him and being shot at multiple times by Bishop's men, all he saw was heartbreak and fear. It never showed features that resembled that of a heartless monster who only cared about himself.
A single tear suddenly developed in each of his eyes and fell down his cheeks. He had finally realised that he had gotten Mikey completely wrong, and the youngest turtle had been suffering terribly for months as a result of Raph's actions towards him.
"I gotta get dis straightened out, somehow…" He said to himself with a sigh before he refolded the letter, put it down on his desk, and started eating his pizza slices.
He made a plan in his head to eat his food and go to bed tonight so that he was well-rested and energised, and then he would go and talk to Mikey tomorrow since there was nothing he could do tonight due to everyone being asleep.
/
The next day…
It was the afternoon, and Raph had just finished with doing some more work on his motorbike when he decided to go and get some lunch before making a plan for when he should go and talk to Mikey.
When he entered the main area of the lair, the only person Raph saw there was Leo, who was sitting on the single sofa chair and reading one of his favourite books. He found this a bit odd because it was around this time where Mikey would be doing a bit more physiotherapy in the dojo area before lunchtime.
"Hey, Leo, have ya seen Mikey?" Raph asked as he walked over to his immediate older brother.
"No, I haven't seen him since this morning…Why?" Leo replied, lifting his head up from his book.
"Cos I wanna talk ta him…" Raph answered immediately.
"Talk to him? Is that really what you want to do with him?" Leo questioned suspiciously as he put his book to one side, stood up, and walked over to Raph.
"Yeah, really…I just wanna talk ta him…" Raph answered truthfully.
"So, after all these months, you decide that now's the time to have a talk with Mikey? After he has become spiritually damaged?" Leo questioned in frustration.
"Look, I get it…I know dat I wasn't there fer him much, but it's like they say; it's better late than never, right?" Raph told his brother defensively.
"Raph, it's not that simple…When someone's spirit is damaged, it could take a long time for them to heal fully…Putting more stress on Mikey by confronting him over something won't make him heal any faster…" Leo explained after releasing a tired sigh due to feeling annoyed at Raph for not fully understanding Mikey's current situation.
"I know, but-Huh?"
Raph was about to counter Leo's words when, at the corner of his eye, he saw Donnie pacing back and forth near the dining table whilst looking at his shell cell with an anxious look on his face. Leo followed Raph's line of sight and saw Donnie too.
"Donnie? What's the matter?" Leo asked in concern as he walked over to him.
"Mikey's not come back from his walk in the sewers yet, and I'm getting worried…! He told me that he was only going on a 30-minute walk before lunch starts, and yet it's been over 2 hours now and he's not answering my calls or texts…!" Donnie answered in a panic.
"Hey, hey…Calm down, Donnie, I'll go look for him and see if he's ok…" Leo told his purple-banded brother reassuringly.
"No, Leo, I'll go look fer him…" Raph told Leo abruptly.
"Raph, I don't think that's a good idea; you made it clear to Mikey that you wanted nothing to do with him, remember?" Leo reminded his red-banded turtle in concern.
"I know dat, but…take a look at dis…" Raph said as he took out the letter from his belt and handed it to Leo.
"What's this? A letter?" Leo asked as he looked at the piece of paper with a raised eyebrow.
"Just read it…" Raph pushed gruffly, not in the mood for answering more questions.
Leo and Donnie looked at each other before deciding to take and read Mikey's letter. Shortly after they finished reading it, their faces saddened and Donnie's eyes were filled with tears.
"Oh, Mikey…" Donnie said softly before he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"What are you going to do about this, Raph?" Leo asked Raph firmly.
"…Mikey might be a knucklehead at times, but he's not a monster…I'm gonna fix dis by findin' him, have a talk with him, and then bring him back home…" Raph told him with determination showing on his face.
"Then, we'll come with you…" Leo replied.
"No, Leo, I have ta do dis alone…!" Raph denied.
"How do we know we can trust you, Raph? Mikey's already scared of you…!" Leo questioned with a glare.
"Yeah! For all we know, you might punch him into submission in order to make him forgive you!" Donnie speculated heatedly.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What da shell is wrong with ya both!? All I'm gonna do is find Mikey and have a bro-ta-bro talk with him! I'm not gonna hurt him, I swear!" Raph told his brothers meaningfully with his hands halfway in the air.
Leo and Donnie looked at each other in uncertainty. They were concerned that Raph wasn't being completely honest with them, but at the same time, it wouldn't be fair if they didn't give him a chance to prove them wrong.
"Ok, fine…but if we see a single bruise on his face or body, you're in big trouble…" Leo warned.
"Ya won't, I promise…! I'll see ya back here, with Mikey…" Raph replied before he turned away and started making his way towards the lair's exit to head for the sewers.
Unbeknownst to him, Leo and Donnie decided to secretly follow him in order to see if the red-banded turtle would keep his word about only having a talk with Mikey.
