Ch 2 It's Like This Leo.
Leo sat on the couch and looked from one brother to the other. "Well…Who wants to tell me what's been going on around here and why is Sensei acting so strange?" He demanded, as his three brothers shifted from one foot to the other looking rather stressed and extremely guilty over something. "What did you do to Master Splinter?!" He questioned a little louder when none of them would respond. "He looks and acts much younger then the last time I saw him so someone better tell me what's been happening since I left?"
Sudden laughter from above reminded Leo his Sensei and father was still waiting to be 'found'. He looked back at his brothers with a huff. "Raph and Mikey," He pointed upstairs. "Go look for him." He pointed to Donnie. "Donnie….tell me what's going on."
Donnie meekly sat down on the couch while Mikey and Raph ran upstairs. "Come on Sensei, enough with the ninja hide and seek!" Mikey called out.
"The game is not over till the one hiding has been found my son!" Splinter called out in a laughing voice.
Leo turned back to Donnie. "Well," He said sternly. "I'm waiting."
Donnie cleared his voice and looked at Leo rather sadly. "We were just trying to help Leo." He told him. "Honest." Donnie looked away nervously. "We couldn't get a hold of you and we weren't sure if you would be back before…" Donnie looked at his brother in uncertainty before looking away again. "Before Sensei…" Donnie's voice cracked and Leo could see tears forming.
Leo's look softened and he nodded. "It's okay Don." He told him, placing a tender hand on his brother's shoulder. "Start from the beginning."
Flashback, two weeks earlier
"How's he doing Donnie?" Mikey asked upon seeing his brother coming out of Master Splinter's bedroom with a bowl of uneaten soup.
Donnie looked down at the bowl and shook his head. "He wasn't hungry," He said sadly. "He just wants to sleep."
"Seems like that's all he wants to do these days." Mikey said, his voice cracking as he spoke.
"Don't worry Mikey." Raph put his arm around his baby brother's shoulders. "He'll be okay. He's just…"
"No he won't!" Mikey suddenly yelled, pushing his red banded brother away from him. He wiped his eyes and looked at Donnie hard. "He's dying isn't he Donnie." He stood up and started walking toward the stairs to go to his room. "Just tell the truth and stop trying to sugar coat everything!" He demanded, with tears running down his eyes. "I'm not a kid anymore, I hear him at night, moaning and hurting." Mikey sobbed as he made his way toward the stairs. "It's not fair that he has to suffer like this." He cried as he walked up the stairs and toward his room. Moments later his door slammed.
Donnie and Raph looked at each other feeling helpless. With a heavy sigh, Donnie walked into the kitchen to put the bowl in the sink while Raph followed him. "Kid's right…ain't he Don?" Raph asked watching as Donnie stared mournfully at the soup as it washed down the drain.
He slowly turned toward Raph and shook his head. "What do you want me to say Raph?" He asked him in a low and tired voice. "He's a rat and normally, rats only live about three, maybe four years tops." He huffed as he walked over to the table and sat down. "And he was already a full grown adult rat when he found us and we all got mutated." He pulled his laptop toward him and opened up to the internet. "It's only because of the mutagen he's been able to live as long as he has." Raph watched as Donnie began typing.
"If only there were something we could give him for the pain." Raph muttered as he ran a hand down along his face. "Too bad we can't get a hold of April or Casey."
"Yeah, but right now they're in California visiting April's sister." Donnie reminded him as he continued to type. "I've been doing some research to see if there's anything we could do to help him, but….." Donnie shook his head as he typed furiously. "Bodies give out after a while and….well," He stopped typing and looked up at Raph in despair. "It's just his time Raph." He told him. "We all have to go at some point and this is a fact of life we all have to face." He rubbed his tired eyes. "Even Mikey."
"Raph nodded and averted his eyes from his younger brother. "What a time for Leo to be traipsin' about in Usagi's world." He muttered. "We could really use him here right about now." He let out a tired sigh. "Sensei could really use him here right about now."
"Yeah," Donnie agreed sadly. "I wish we could get a hold of him somehow, it wouldn't be right if Leo returned home to find Sensei…." Donnie gulped and let the rest of the sentence hang. He let out a hum and continued to type on his lap top. Raph could see his movements were slow, almost as though Don was contemplating something.
"What Don?" Raph looked at him curiously. "What's on ya mind?"
"Donnie stopped typing altogether and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I was just thinking about Professor Honeycutt." He told him with a low voice.
"The Fugitoid?" Raph scoffed. "What about him?"
"He's been working on a new herb he found on a planet called Wakai." Donnie explained. "He says the natives of this planet live for hundreds of years, never grow old and never get sick." Donnie looked at Raph with excitement building in his eyes. "Maybe….just maybe if the Professor has figured out what this herb is all about, he may be able to help us." Donnie began to type furiously on his laptop again. "He could give some of this herb to us and we can help Master Splinter with his..." Donnie stopped typing and looked at Raph uncertainly. "...his illness."
"But Donnie," Raph shook his head. "You said it was his time." Raph began to pace as he considered what Donnie was saying. "Why would we want to extend his life like that?" He turned and looked at Don with a hard glare. "It wouldn't be fair to do that to him….or to us."
"I don't want to extend his life Raph." Donnie insisted. "At least not like the natives of the planet. I just want to help ease his pain and possibly…" Don hesitated as he turned away from Raph. "Give him a little more time so Leo can be here with us to say…." Donnie took a breath. "To say goodbye."
"But Donnie…."
"Raph we're not ready to lose him." Donnie looked at Raph with pleading eyes. "Not just yet."
"But you said….."
"I know what I said and I understand that at some point…you, me, Leo, Mikey….all of us are going to leave this world eventually but…" Donnie stopped speaking and looked away sadly.
"But what Don?"
Hesitating, Don looked back at his laptop. Raph peered over his shoulder and noticed the variety of medicines Don was researching. "If…."Don began. "If we lived up there…" He shook his head. "If we had access to what they have," Don's fingers slowly began to type again. "If we could use their medicines and their equipment and have their doctors treat us the why they treat humans…" Raph listened patiently as Don's voice began to crack. "Then he wouldn't be in the pain he's in and he could leave us peacefully and with all of us here and able to say goodbye." Donnie turned to Raph, his eyes pleading with him for understanding. "I just want him to hold out a little longer and...and not be in pain." He said.
"You want Leo to be here when 'it' happens." Raph mused. He nodded his head in agreement. "Okay, see what the professor can offer."
Donnie got up and walked toward his lab. "But Don," Raph's voice had him turning back to him. "We just want to help ease Master Splinter's pain and give him a little more time," He gave Don a stern glare. "Nothing more than that, right?" He watched Don's eyes lower. "We're not going to be testing on him to try and find a way to heal him completely so he'll live longer." Raph crossed his arms. "Right?"
Don nodded sadly and Raph watched him disappear into his lab. After a few minutes, Raph decided to check on Mikey. He made his way up the stairs to his baby brother's room and peeked in.
He found his youngest brother sitting on his bed, his arms wrapped around his teddy bear and his mask stained with tears. "How ya doin' Mikey?" Raph asked as he sat down next to him and put an arm around his brother's shoulder.
Mikey sniffed. "I don't want to lose him Raph." Mikey whispered. "It's not fair to watch him suffer and die like this."
"I know kid," Raph sighed and gave his brother a light squeeze. "Donnie's got a plan." He told him. Mikey sniffed and looked up at him with hopeful eyes. "He's goin' ta get in touch with Professor Honeycutt."
"What can he do?"
"From what Don told me, he's on this planet called wakai," Raph began, "Apparently, tha natives of this planet live long lives and don't suffer with illnesses or anythin' like that."
"So?"
"Tha Professor has been researchin' this herb he thinks may be tha reason why these people live as long as they do so Don's goin' to get in touch with the Professor and see if we can get a small amount of this herb and possibly help ease Sensei's sufferin'."
Mikey looked at Raph with woeful eyes. "But he'll still die….right?" Mikey whispered as he once again began to sob into his brother's arm.
"We all have ta at some point Mikey." Raph told him while he rubbed his shell gently. "But if this herb does what Don thinks it does," Raph shrugged, "Then maybe it'll help ease the pain and give him a little more time with us." He sighed tiredly. "At least till Leo gets home."
Mikey nodded and slowly stood up. "Okay," He said wiping his tears away. "At least that's something." He agreed.
The two went downstairs and into the lab where Don was currently speaking with the Professor using his audio/visual teleportation device.
"This herb is remarkable Donatello." The professor was saying. "From what I can determine, just a small amount will cure all kinds of diseases and help people live longer and possibly…."
"Yeah that's great Professor, really," Donnie interrupted. "But do you think it can help ease Master Splinter's suffering?" He glanced back at his two brothers as they entered the lab before looking back at the professor. "He's not doing so well and…ummm…" He again looked back at his brothers as they walked up to him. "We don't think he's got much longer and we just want his last days to be as peaceful and as pain-free as possible."
"Honeycutt's eyes lowered upon hearing this news. "I understand Donatello; believe me I do but…."
"But what fugitoid?" Raph demanded.
"I haven't had a chance to test it on anyone not of this world or people with your...ummm...DNA...so to speak." Honeycutt hesitantly explained.
"You think the mutagen in our blood would have negative effects?" Donnie asked.
"It's hard to say until we've done some testing and researching." Honeycutt insisted.
"But that could take ages!" Mikey exclaimed. "He needs help now!"
Donnie put a placating hand on Mikey's shoulder and gave him a comforting look. He then turned back to the Professor. "Tell you what Professor," He began. "How about you send a small sample of the herb to me and I do the researching here." Donnie said excitedly. "If everything works out we can give Master Splinter a small amount and see if that helps him." He watched as the fugitoid rubbed his robotic chin in contemplation. "If it doesn't work than we're back to where we started and we'll just have to deal with everything as is." He insisted. "What have we got to lose?"
Professor Honeycutt nodded. "Very well Donatello, have the transporter ready, I'll send you a sample right away."
Moments later the turtles watched as a small vial filled with a green grassy substance appeared on Donnie's transporter. "Thanks Professor." Donnie said. "I'll record the findings and get them back to you as soon as I can."
The Fugitoid nodded. "I am going to be trekking to the planet's mountain range to check on some other type of plants they use for food so I may not be available for several days." He explained. "I'll get in touch with you upon my return and we'll discuss your findings." Donnie nodded as he studied the small vial. "Thank you Donatello and good luck turtles." The three turtles smiled and nodded at the robot. "And no matter what happens," The Professor continued. "I do hope everything works out for your Sensei, one way or another."
The turtles signed off and Donnie quickly went to work researching the herb while Mikey and Raph left the lab to go sit in the living area and watch TV. For the rest of the day and long into the night, Donnie stayed in the lab concentrating hard on his experimenting and researching. Raph occasionally would get up from the couch and check on his Sensei, leaving Mikey to sit on the couch by himself. The younger turtle refused to go to his Sensei's room insisting he didn't want to see him the way he was.
"I just want to remember him the way he used to be." Mikey insisted when Raph asked if he wanted to go in with him.
Raph nodded and clapped his hand on his shoulder before walking into Splinter's room. "No change." He told him moments later when he came out. "He's still sleepin'," Raph looked away sadly and swallowed hard. "And still in pain."
It was long after two in the morning when Donnie finally ventured out of his lab. He stopped and smiled at the two sleeping turtles on the couch. Mikey was laying down with his head in Raph's lap while Raph had his head leaning on the back of the couch with his right arm on the back of the couch and his left arm resting comfortably on Mikey's shell.
But both turtles slowly awoke as footsteps made their way closer to them. "Whatcha find Don?" Raph asked with a yawn.
"I've tested the herb with different samples of our blood as well as Master Splinter's from the supply I keep in the lab and from what I can ascertain…" Don was reading a long white paper with printed type as he explained his findings. "The herb actually began to regenerate our blood due to the mutagen mixed in with our blood." While Donnie looked excited at this bit of news his two brothers looked confused.
"Exactly what are you saying Don?" Mikey asked blinking several times.
"This herb can actually slow the aging process and possibly even reverse it." Donnie explained.
Raph now stood up. "Do you mean to tell us this herb may actually be able to make Master Splinter, or any of us, younger?" Raph demanded.
"Possibly," Donnie stated. "I need to do more testing to verify that piece of information." Donnie turned and started walking toward the kitchen. "But I did determine it WILL help with the pain as well as give him a little more time with us." He looked at Raph's narrowing eyes. "Just till Leo gets back and then we can all say goodbye," He looked from Raph to Mikey and lowered his eyes sadly. "If that's what ends up happening."
He made his way to the stove and began to boil some water. Minutes later, he placed a small amount of the herb along with other herbs into a cup for Master Splinter's tea. His brothers watched as he poured boiling water into the cup and then placed it onto a tray. He turned toward them and let out a deep sigh. "Let's hope this works." He said and made his way out the kitchen and toward his Sensei's room with his brothers following closely behind.
