Chapter 14: The Eldest Brother

Leonardo inhaled deeply and exhaled, trying to stay calm and mediate. This was the fifth day since Donatello had been returned home and the hard work to bring Donnie back had begun. Mikey and Karai were always on standby to calm Donnie down whenever something went wrong, no more than a room away. At the moment, Leo was alone with Donnie in the dojo.

He had decided he would let Donnie come to him when he was ready. Each morning, Leo would go into the dojo and mediate for an hour or so and leave, never making any movement toward the turtle who sat on the opposite side of the room. The first day had ended in disaster. Leo had entered the room while Donnie was sleeping. His brother was completely exhausted from the escape and hadn't woken at his entrance. It didn't start going wrong until ten minutes later.

Donnie had awoken and had leapt to his feet, growling at the other turtle. He didn't attack. He back away, growling at the blue banded turtle until he hit a weapon rack. That had only escaladed the problem. Leo had run to help which caused Donnie to practically scream in terror. Karai was the only one able to get close to him as she tried to calm down the shaking turtle. Leo had never wanted to see that kind of terror in one of his brothers again.

His tactic changed. Leo waited until Donnie was awake and would sit where Donnie wouldn't growl at him. The first day, he sat in the doorway, the next day, a little more inside, and today, Leo sat under the tree, while Donnie watched from across the room. Leo kept his eyes closed, focusing on the breathing in the room. He knew he had to be patient. Donnie would remember him eventually and come back. He just knew it.

Something changed. Leo slowly opened his eyes, keeping them so they looked like they were shut. Donnie would always stop if he knew Leo was watching. The large turtle had shuffled across the room from his normal spot, his glowing eyes were focused on Leo, and his nostrils flared with every breath. Each step was cautious, full of worry and nerves. Leo's heart hurt from the terror his brother felt towards him.

As Donnie hit the halfway point of the room, Leo slowly lifted his hand up towards the turtle, offering it to him, the same way Mikey did. Donnie flinched back for a second at the movement, pausing to assess the situation before continuing his way to the meditating turtle. Every step was slow, the eyes watching carefully for any sign of danger. Leo knew Mikey was probably watching from the other room but he didn't care. The only thing he wanted was to show his brother he was safe.

The heavy breathing was loud in Leo's ears as he slowly opened his eyes fully. Donnie stood on all fours, just a touch away from Leo's hand, waiting, watching. Their eyes locked, burning red with calm blue. Leo could see a turmoil of emotions swimming through those red eyes, fear, curiosity, caution. Leo held his hand steady, knowing he wasn't to make contact.

"I won't hurt you, Don. I will never hurt you again."

The large turtle blinked at him, something flickering through those red eyes, understanding. With a coo, Donatello pushed his head into Leo's waiting hand, letting the contact happen. Leo's breath caught as he finally was able to touch his brother. He gently rubbed the angular head, feeling the rough skin and brought his other hand up to cup the head.

Donnie grumbled and pushed himself forward, almost head-butting Leo in the chest. Leo grunted as his brother settled himself next to him, his head in his lap, the large, red eyes gazing up at him.

"You're really something, Donnie," Leo said as he continued to pet his brother's head. "I'm so sorry, Donnie. This never should have happened." His words grew soft as his brother watched him. Leo knew Donnie couldn't understand him but it helped to talk to the sibling he had wronged. Leo met the eyes and gasped as they changed. The red faded so it wasn't glowing and he could actually see the whites of his eyes. "Donnie?" The large turtle snuffed, giving Leo one last look before he yawned, and settled in his lap, his breathing evening out.

"You got him to come to you." Leo looked over at the doorway, seeing Mikey standing, watching the two. Mikey walked over and knelt down next to his brother. He reached out and gently rubbed Donnie's shell. "You've been trying so hard."

Leo nodded. "I thought for sure I was going to have to start over when I moved my hand." Leo continued to stroke the large head that lay in his lap. "There was something different about his eyes though. They were glowing anymore and I could actually see the whites of his eyes."

Mikey nodded in understanding. "Karai told me that's a sign that he's coming back."

"That's good," Leo leaned down and rested his check on his brother's head. "I hope he comes back to us soon. We're a mess without you, Don."

He was wrong about Alpha. Alpha had soft hands and a kind voice and he hadn't seen the sharp sticks in a while. He could hear Smallturtle talking to Alpha about something. Strange enough, he was able to piece parts of the conversation. The duh word was actually Donnie. He shifted slightly, wanting Alpha to scratch his head. That felt nice.

Focus! It was easier to pull thoughts together but things were still missing. Giantrat and Loudvoice still frightened him and he couldn't relax completely. He slowly opened an eye to look up at Alpha again. Smallturtle was gone and he noticed that his world wasn't tinted with red anymore. It was nice.

"Not going to sleep, Donnie?" Alpha asked. That word. It was always said to him. Was he a Donnie? "Don't worry, I'm not going to leave you. I'll stay as long as you want me to." Alpha gave one of the showing teeth without anger like Smallturtle. He lifted his head slightly, tilted it, and gave his own back to Alpha. Alpha's eyes widened for a moment before he started to laugh. "You're…. you're trying to smile, aren't you Donnie?" He wasn't a Donnie, Donnie is what he was called, like Snakelady and Flyman, only not made up, maybe. All this thinking made his brain hurt. "If you're tired, Don, you should sleep. I don't mind being your pillow." Sleep. He understood that word. Sleep was nice. Sleep would be good. Donnie nuzzled back into Alpha's lap, feeling safe and content, falling asleep to the pets from the other turtle.

Author's Note: This is going great. Thanks to Pilyartquitect, Sonic155, Andraia452, BlueFireReturns, Pip, and Heather for the wonderful reviews.