Part 7-Hard Decisions
Leo, Raph, and Yukiko entered inside their tent, and they witnessed Donnie laying a pale and shivering Mikey down on his sleeping bag and started removing the colder and damper clothing off his body.
"He's really cold…!" Donnie hissed after he touched his immediate younger brother's skin, which had now become bluey green in colour, before he covered him up with the sleeping bag's flap and a couple of spare thermal blankets.
"We gotta get him warmed up, and fast!" Raph said as he got closer to Donnie to assist him.
"Yukiko, can you heat up a pot of water for us, please?" Leo pleaded the white female rabbit.
"Of course, Leonardo-san!" Yukiko answered with a nod before she started the preparations for making a fire on the stove.
"Not too quickly, though; the sudden rise in temperature whilst in the condition that he's in now will cause his body to go into shock and cause his heart to stop!" Donnie immediately warned, stopping Yukiko from making a large fire, which would cause the water to heat up too fast.
"Alright, then we'll warm the water up a bit at a time until Mikey's body is able to handle the warmer temperatures…" Leo replied with a sigh.
Everyone nodded in agreement before resuming to their tasks at hand; Raph and Donnie remained at Mikey's side to ensure that his body was properly insulated, whilst Leo and Yukiko focused on preparing the warm water without making it too hot.
Once it was ready, Leo took a small bowl out of his bag and poured a small amount of the now lukewarm water into it. He then moved over to where his brothers were and, with assistance from Donnie, placed the bowl near Mikey's lips.
"Come on, bro…take a small sip…" Leo said encouragingly to his baby brother, who opened his eyes slightly and saw the bowl near his lips so he opened them slightly and allowed Leo to tip the water into his mouth.
To everyone's relief, Mikey slowly drank all the water from the bowl without choking on it. However, the group became concerned when the young turtle let out a yawn and started to doze off.
"No, no, Mikey…Stay awake for us…" Leo said whilst lightly tapping Mikey's cheek to keep him awake.
"T-T-Tired…" Mikey stuttered with a groan.
"We know you are, Mikey, but we need to warm you up first before you can go to sleep…It's too dangerous for you to sleep when your body temperature is below freezing…" Donnie explained firmly but softly as he placed a hand on Mikey's shoulder and squeezed it gently.
"We should fill up some of our hot water bottles with the warm water and place them in certain areas of Michelangelo-san's body…" Yukiko proposed as she took a couple of empty hot water bottles out of her bag and passed them to Donnie.
"Good idea, Yukiko…Let's get to it!" Donnie replied before he and the others went to work.
/
2 hours later…
Leo, Raph, and Yukiko sat next to Mikey on his left side whilst anxiously waiting for Donnie to give them a status update on Mikey's condition.
"What's the verdict, Donnie?" Leo questioned in a serious but anxious tone.
"Well, I think he's avoided the chance of getting severe hypothermia, thanks to the gradual introduction to the hot water…" Donnie answered in his 'Doctor Don' tone, making the others breathe a sigh of relief before he spoke again.
"However…until tomorrow morning comes, I won't know for sure if he will be well enough to stay on the mission with us…We'll need to keep him warm overnight in the meantime, and also keep an eye out for any signs of a fever developing…"
"Great…Well, I hope yer happy, Leo! Ya got us worried out of our shells and fur by doin' a disappearin' act on us, and almost turned Mikey into a turtlecicle in da process!" Raph scolded his immediate older brother once again.
"I already told you that I'm sorry, Raph! I can't turn back time, stop you from pushing Mikey away from us, and prevent me from going into a deep hole to see if Usagi was down there…!" Leo countered back defensively.
"Yeah, cos yer so deeply focused on savin' Usagi, dat ya really don't care about what might happen ta yer own brothers!" Raph then said bitterly, not even bothering to admit his own wrongdoing during the process.
"Don't start this again, Raph! I said that I-"
"Right, both of you need to calm down or I will kick you out of this tent and make you cool off in the blizzard!" Donnie suddenly jumped into the argument by firmly cutting Leo off with the threat of kicking both him and Raph out of the tent to freeze to death if they didn't behave.
"Donatello-san is right, you two…Now is not the time for a fight…!" Yukiko firmly reminded the duo in agreement with Donnie's words.
"You're right…I'm sorry, guys…" Leo apologised whilst lowering his head down in shame.
"M'sorry too…" Raph said guiltily after calming his anger down.
"Apologies accepted…" Donnie replied with a nod.
"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you what I saw earlier…!" Leo suddenly said.
"What is it, Leonardo-san?" Yukiko questioned.
"Well, as I made my way back to Mikey, I saw a large shadow figure walking away from me…and when I tried to follow it, the figure disappeared into the snowstorm!" Leo explained.
"Whoa, seriously?" Raph said with wide eyes.
"Could it have been Usagi?" Donnie asked as he too looked at Leo in surprise.
"I'm not sure; it was large in size and when I called out to it, it was like it was either ignoring me or it couldn't hear me due to the strong winds from the storm…" Leo answered in an unsure tone.
"Well, there have been rumoured of a large creature living within these mountains…" Yukiko pointed out in thought.
"What kind of creature?" Raph asked.
"No-one knows much about it, because they have not seen it in person…However, they have named it 'the Yeti'…" Yukiko answered.
"The Yeti?" Leo said.
"Yes, because many believe that the creature was born within the mountains and has the ability to adapt and withstand its harsh wintery conditions, thanks to its thick snow white fur…" Yukiko explained.
The three older brothers looked at each other in amazement; they had no idea that the shadowy figure that Leo had encountered might have been the Yeti. Then, they heard Mikey let out a big but quiet yawn, but he didn't wake up.
"It is getting late…We should have something to eat and then get some sleep…" They heard Yukiko say after looking at Mikey's sleeping form.
"Good idea, but I think someone should keep an eye on Mikey, in case his condition changes during the night…" Donnie suggested.
"I'll take the first watch over Mikey; I owe him for staying by my side, after all…" Leo offered.
"Alright, but don't forget to switch places after 2 hours is up; we'll all need a good amount of sleep in order to get through this mission…" Donnie proposed since he didn't like the idea of Leo staying up all night to watch over Mikey.
Everyone agreed, and they started the process of preparing the cooking equipment and food for tonight's dinner.
/
2 hours later…
It had been over an hour since the others went to bed after finishing their dinner, and Leo agreed to switch with Raph as soon as his 2-hour shift had ended, which was not until another hour later.
Leo rubbed the tiredness out of his eyes as he continued his watch over Mikey, who was now sleeping a bit easier than he was earlier.
The blue-banded turtle's mind was full of negative thoughts; he felt guilty for allowing Raph's scolding towards Mikey to go too far and make the youngest run away from the other, and he also felt ashamed of himself for making Mikey stay out in the freezing cold for a long time because of his recklessness when his search for Usagi led him to fall into a hole and separating himself from his brother.
'I'm such an idiot…' He thought with a sigh whilst rubbing his forehead.
"Mmm…"
A soft groan was suddenly heard from a sleeping Mikey, snapping Leo out of his thoughts.
"Mikey?" Leo called out softly to avoid startling his little brother awake before he watched as Mikey's eyes slowly opened up halfway.
"Mm…L-Leo…?" Mikey rasped sleepily.
"Hey, little brother…You feeling ok?" Leo asked in concern that Mikey might not be feeling well again.
"A-A lil' c-cold, b-but m'fine…" Mikey stuttered his answer before he felt a cold shiver down his shell-covered back, causing him to shake a bit.
Seeing this, Leo laid down next to Mikey and brought him closer to his own body to give him a bit more warmth before he spoke to him in a guilty tone.
"I'm so sorry, Mikey…"
"I-I-It's n-n-not…y-your fault…b-bro…I-I shouldn't've…r-ran off…" Mikey breathed out softly with chattering teeth.
"Thanks, little brother, but we all know that I'm right…My stubbornness could've gotten us both killed out there…" Leo replied with a sad smile.
"Mm…I-I was…h-hoping t-that…w-we h-had f-found U-Usagi…b-by now…" Mikey said in a disappointed tone with a weak nod.
"Yeah, me too, Mikey…but we're not giving up, no matter what…!" Leo replied with determination in his voice.
"Y-You're…S-So warm…" Mikey suddenly whispered as he weakly snuggled closer against Leo's chest.
"Ha, ha…Strange of you to say that since we're cold-blooded, and that we just got out of a big snowstorm earlier…" Leo replied bashfully as he rubbed Mikey's covered back.
It turned silent for a couple of minutes and Leo thought that Mikey had dozed off before he heard him speak again.
"H-Hey, L-Leo?"
"Mm?" Leo hummed in response.
"D-Don't w-worry about m-me…o-ok…? A-All t-that matters…is t-that Usagi's-"
"Hey, now…I worry about you because you're my little brother, and I almost made you freeze to death out there today! Also, you, Raph, and Donnie are just as important to me as Usagi is…He may be a good friend of mine, but I could never put you three at the bottom of my list for when it comes to events like this…!" Leo cut off his baby brother firmly but reassuringly.
"Y-Yeah, I-I know…b-but-" Mikey tried to counter Leo's words, but he was cut off again by the blue-banded turtle.
"But nothing, Mikey…It's like I told you before a few years ago; in this life, we only have each other. If one of us goes down, we all go down…"
"Y-Yeah, I-I remember…" Mikey replied as he remembered being told those words by Leo whilst preparing for his rematch against Kluh at the Battle Nexus Arena.
"And that's why I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that I don't lose any of you during this mission!" Leo then said with more determination in his voice.
"T-Thanks, b-bro…" Mikey managed to say with a small smile before he let out a big yawn, indicating to Leo that the young turtle was starting to feel sleepy again.
"Go back to sleep, Mikey…You're going to need it to help you get better for tomorrow…" Leo said soothingly as he gently rubbed his baby brother's head to lull him to sleep.
"M'kay…G'night, Leo…" Mikey slurred sleepily before his eyes closed and fell asleep seconds later.
"Goodnight, little brother…" Leo replied before he gave Mikey a soft kiss on his head, slowly sat back up, and covered him up a bit more with the blankets to keep him warm.
By this time, Leo was starting to have a lot of thoughts in his mind again; what if they find Usagi dead when they locate him? And what if Mikey's health deteriorates the next day? What if-?
Leo shook his head to snap out of his negative thoughts. He couldn't think like that, because he already told Mikey that he wouldn't give up and the last thing he should be doing is doubting himself.
With this in mind, Leo continued to watch over Mikey until it was time to wake Raph up and switch places with him.
/
The next morning…
The group woke up as the sun rose higher into the sky, meaning that a new day had begun. They also noticed that the snowstorm from last night had stopped and the sky was clear with no clouds coating it.
Donnie was the first to wake up. He sat up from his sleeping bag and stretched his body with a yawn before he noticed that Yukiko was already awake due to being it her turn to watch Mikey, and then he saw that Leo and Raph were starting to wake up themselves.
"Morning, everyone…" The purple-banded turtle said softly.
"Morning, Donnie…" "Mornin'…" The duo replied tiredly.
"Good morning, senpais…" Yukiko replied next, turning her head away from her watch over Mikey for a moment to look at Donnie, Leo, and Raph.
Then, at the corner of her eye, Yukiko noticed signs of discomfort showing on Mikey's face. When she looked at him more closely, she saw beads of sweat developing on his forehead and his breathing was slightly faster than normal.
"Donatello-san, something is not right with Michelangelo-san!" She said in an urgent tone, making the purple-banded turtle hurry towards his little brother.
"Mikey?" Donnie softly called out his brother's name before he placed a hand on his forehead. It was then that he felt intense heat coming off of it, making him quickly draw his hand back.
"Oh, no…" He whispered with worry.
"What's wrong, Donnie?" Leo questioned anxiously when heard Donnie's distressed voice.
"Mikey has a fever!" Donnie answered with a frustrated sigh.
"What!? How!?" Raph said in shock.
"I think his body was getting tired after working too hard with keeping him warm throughout the night, thus causing his immune system to go into overdrive…" Donnie explained in his 'Doctor Don' tone.
"I believe that it would be unwise for Michelangelo-san to continue on this mission with us in the condition that he is in now…" Yukiko voiced her opinion in a sad tone after letting out a sigh.
"Wha-? No, we can't leave him behind!" Leo instantly forbade the option of leaving behind his sick brother.
"I understand your concerns, Leonardo-san, but what choice do we have? If Michelangelo-san continued on this mission with us, his condition will only deteriorate even further…!" Yukiko countered in concern for her friend's wellbeing.
"Yukiko's right, Leo; the cold temperatures and the treacherous mountains combined will only make things worse for him…We just can't take that risk…" Donnie said reluctantly in agreement to Yukiko's words.
"Then we've only got two options here; we either leave Mikey in dis tent with someone watchin' over him whilst da rest of us continue on with da mission, or we end da mission here and we all head back ta da village without knowin' if Usagi is alive or not…" Raph pointed out in frustration with his arms crossed.
Everyone sat and thought about the two options in silence. They were unsure of what to do because they really didn't want to leave a team member behind, especially when he was feeling unwell. However, they all knew deep down that the dangers within the snowy mountains have now made them see the reality of how extremely challenging it can be for a cold-blooded mutant turtle, especially a sick one. At the same time, though, they didn't want to end the mission without knowing Usagi's current status.
"We'll go with the first option, then…" Leo said with a sad and frustrated sigh, breaking the silence first.
"Are you sure, Leonardo-san?" Yukiko asked in concern since she knew how close the turtle brothers were to one another when one of them was down.
"Yes…As much as I don't want to leave him behind, I know that Mikey would be upset and feel guilty if we turn back now…Besides, he's tougher than we think…" Leo answered calmly, despite not liking the idea of leaving his brother behind still.
"Yeah…yer right, Leo…" Raph replied with a small smirk, even though he didn't like the idea of leaving Mikey behind either.
"Then, I'll stay here with Mikey…" Donnie offered suddenly.
"Donnie-"
"No, Leo! I know more about serious illnesses than any of you do, so I have to be the one to remain here and look after Mikey until you guys come back!" Donnie firmly cut off his oldest brother's sentence, because he was refusing to leave his sick brother behind when he's the only one with the medical knowledge needed to keep him stable.
As much as Leo wanted to protest against the idea, he knew in his heart and mind that Donnie was right; out of the four brothers, Donnie was the only one with a high knowledge in medicine and first aid, so he would be the best person to remain with Mikey until the mission was over.
"Alright…I'll leave Mikey in your care then, bro…" Leo said, his voice sounding defeated, before he looked down and noticed that Mikey's eyes were half open.
"Mikey? Hey, bro…!" He said softly as he moved to be by his side.
"…M'sorry…" Mikey breathed out tiredly as he looked at Leo with warm tears developing in his eyes.
Leo was confused at first as to why Mikey was suddenly apologising to him, but it was then that he realised that the young turtle might have overheard the whole conversation and felt guilty because he was no longer able to help the others in the mission.
"No, Mikey…You don't need to apologise…You did well to stay strong for this long, but we'll take it from here now…" Leo reassured his baby brother as he placed a hand on his warm head.
"Yeah, you just work on gettin' better before us three finish da mission…!" Raph said in agreement as he pointed at himself, Leo, and Yukiko.
Even though Mikey was grateful that his brothers didn't blame him for his sudden setback, he became anxious at the thought of being left behind, which didn't go unnoticed by the others.
"Don't worry, Mikey; I'll be staying here with you to make sure that you're ok…" Donnie reassured his immediate younger brother whilst placing a hand on top of his blanket-covered chest.
"B-But-"
"No buts, Mikey…The rest of the mission will be too much for you in your condition, and none of us want you to get any worse…" Leo cut off his brother firmly but softly before he watched as Mikey's face saddened even more. It was then that an idea popped into his head.
"Tell you what, Mikey; once this mission is over and we're all safely back home, I'll treat us all to a nice mug of hot cocoa with cream and marshmallows as a celebration for a job well done…How'd you like that?" He proposed with a warm smile.
Mikey gasped and looked at his oldest brother with a surprised look before he smiled and gave him a small nod to say that he accepted his idea, much to Leo's relief knowing that he was able to cheer his baby brother up.
"Alright, then it's settled…We'll leave you to rest now, Mikey, and we'll see you and Donnie when we get back…" Leo said whilst gently patting Mikey's head before he watched as Mikey slowly fell asleep again whilst still wearing a smile on his face.
"Before we leave, though, we must have some breakfast and regain our energy first…" Yukiko reminded them since they have yet to eat something before they leave.
"You're right, Yukiko…let's get everything ready…" Leo said in agreement before he and the others started to make their breakfasts by gathering and setting up the food and cooking equipment.
/
30 minutes later…
After finishing their breakfasts, Leo, Raph, and Yukiko exited the tent with their full mountain gear and equipment on and they turned to see Donnie come out of the tent too to see them off.
"Be careful up there, you guys…" Donnie said to the trio.
"We will, Donnie…Look after Mikey, and stay safe until we get back…" Leo replied with a nod.
"I will, Leo…" Donnie replied with a confident nod before giving Leo a hug, which the blue-banded turtle greatly accepted.
"Good luck out there, bros, Yukiko…" He then said after releasing Leo from the hug.
"Thanks, Donnie…We'll see ya later…" Raph replied before he gave Donnie a sideways hug, and then he followed Leo and Yukiko to continue their mission to find Usagi.
"Be safe…" Donnie whispered with hope in his eyes before he went back inside the tent to continue with his little brother's care.