Disclaimer--Nope, still not mine, though they sure are fun to play with

Leo experienced an odd sense of disorientation when he finally awoke. Although the room he was in was definitely the infirmary, there was something about it that just seemed out of tune. Leo wasn't sure if it was the colors or the lighting, but whatever it was, it just didn't feel right. Suddenly, Leo remembered he wasn't technically home anymore, and the room felt alien because, in a sense, it was.

Curiosity peaked, Leo began to slowly scan the room from where he lay, only to become aware of a gently pressure against his side. Looking down, he was surprised to find one of his "new" brothers seated next to the bed, head pillowed on the mattress next to Leo's hip, sound asleep. At first, Leo wasn't sure which of the brothers it was, for rather than the colored mask Leo was accustomed to seeing, this turtle was wearing a brown mask made of soft brown leather. It was only as he began the notice the red accents on the other turtle's equipment that Leo finally figured out this must be Raph.

Leo was, to say the least, stunned. He could not remember the last time his Raph had fallen asleep at his bedside while Leo was recovering from a wound. Shell, he couldn't remember the last time any of his younger brothers had kept watch over him. Sure, they did it for each other, but as persona non grata in his family, Leo was usually left to recover on his own. That this the incarnation of his immediate younger brother was here with him left Leo speechless. A soft snoring drew Leo's attention away from the sleeping Raphael, to the other two turtles sound asleep on cots clustered as near the bed as they could get in the small space. This time, Leo couldn't keep the tears from his eyes.

Leo's attention was drawn back to Raph as his younger brother began to stir. The red-accented turtle sat up and rubbed his eyes before meeting Leo's gaze. Raph's eyes widened in surprise.

"Leo," he said quietly, as if he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. Lifting a shaking hand, he reached to touch the older turtle's face, but now ingrained reactions had Leo wincing away from the touch. Raphael's eyes dimmed with remorse. "What did they do to you, bro," he asked softly.

Leo opened his mouth to say something, but Raph placed a gentle finger over his lips.

"Shh," he told Leo. "Your throat is all swollen up, and Donny says you're not supposed to talk for a couple of days until the swelling goes down."

"Who're you talkin' to, bro," Mikey asked, coming to Raph's side.

"Leo's awake," Raph explained, still too shocked to have his big brother back to make fun of his youngest brother for missing the obvious.

"What," Mikey exclaimed, pushing Raph out of the way to see for himself. "Leo," he cried out, and without preamble he through himself at his oldest brother, wrapping his arms around Leo's chest and hanging on as if he was never going to let go. Fortunately for Leo, Donatello was awakened by Mikey's zestful exclamation.

"Whoa, there little bro," he cautioned, "You need to let Leo go. Between that shoulder wound and his throat, he's probably not up to your enthusiasm just yet. Besides, right now I need to give Leo a check up, so why don't you go get something ready for breakfast; something soft and easy to swallow."

"But—"

"He's not going anywhere, Mikey," Don reassured him. "He'll still be here when you get back. And don't worry, I'm kicking Raph out too."

"Come on, Mikey," Raph said, drawing his youngest brother out of the room. "Let Don do his thing, and we'll come back and visit Leo in a bit. And anyway, Leo really does need something to eat; he's just skin and bones."

"Okay," Mikey said a little forlornly as he followed Raph out of the infirmary, though he did give Leo one last, almost mournful look.

Feeling more than slightly shocked, Leo gave Donny an astonished look.

"Mikey's really missed you," Don told him. "We all have."

Leo gave a look at where Raph and Mikey had disappeared out the door, then turned a raised eyebrow on Don. Donatello gave a small laugh.

"Yes, even Raph, despite your rather tempestuous relationship," he said, proving that there were at least some similarities between this dimension and the one Leo had come from. "Now, lie still, and let me take a look at your throat and your shoulder," Don ordered.

Even though it was a bit painful when Don cleaned and changed the bandages at his throat and shoulder, Leo couldn't help enjoying the experience of having a brother, even if not his brother exactly, care for him. Leo had long ago become touch deprived, as his own brothers had withdrawn from him and those oh, so important moments of physical contact most humanoids need to survive had been denied him. The small moments he had already experienced with his new family had been like water for a dying turtle.

"There, all done," Don said as he attached the last bandage in place, and Leo was almost disappointed that the exam was done, for he was going to lose that much missed physical contact. To his pleasant surprise, instead of removing his hand, Don took Leo's hand in his own. Startled, he turned a questioning look on his younger brother. Don gave him a small smile.

"Guess I'm not so different from Mikey after all," Don said with a slightly self-deprecating tone. "Although I know you're not just going to disappear off the bed in front of me, it's like I can't convince myself that you're not going to disappear if I let go. I…I hope you don't mind."

Leo's gaze softened as he looked at Don, and the gently squeezed his brother's hand. Of course, the mood was shattered moments later by Mikey's exuberant return.

"Okay, I wasn't sure what Leo would be able to eat, so I made him an egg, sunny side up, with the yolks still soft; or , if that doesn't work, there is also a strawberry smoothie, no lumps of course, he can also try," Mikey said, bringing a tray into the room.

"Good work, Mikey," Don praised. He helped Leo sit up and placed several pillows behind him to support his back, and then moved out of the way so that Mikey could arranged the tray in Leo's lap. With his youngest brother gazing hopefully at him, Leo tentatively raised a bite of egg to his mouth. He wasn't sure how the egg, soft as it was, would go down, but he couldn't disappoint Mikey by not even trying it. To his surprise, he was able to swallow the soft egg with minimal discomfort. Likewise, the extra creamy smoothie went down without a problem. In no time at all, Leo had finished all the egg, and about a quarter of the fruit drink. Feeling full, he pushed the tray away.

Mikey gave him a slightly disapproving look. "That's all you're going to eat," he asked.

The censure in his brother's voice had Leo's old, familiar demons raising their heads, but Donny's rebuttal helped lay some of them to rest.

"Leo looks like he hasn't eaten well in a long time, Mikey," Don said. "His capacity for food has probably shrunk, and you don't want to make him sick by forcing him to eat too much. For right now, that's enough. We'll try some more in a little while. Hopefully over the next several days we'll be able to build his capacity back up to where it's supposed to be."

His enthusiasm rekindled, Mikey beamed at his brothers. "All right," he exclaimed. "Next time I'll make a peach smoothie, and maybe some cottage cheese or some yogurt. That should go down smoothly."

"Sounds good, Mikey," Don said. "Now, why don't you stay here and keep and eye on Leo for a bit. He'll probably go back to sleep shortly, but I need to get myself something to eat, and I want to check on Raph."

"All righty," Mikey said. "I'd be happy to stay with Leo. Oh, and Raph's fixing up Leo's room for him; you know, changing the sheets and everything. He said Leo would probably be ready to sleep in his own bed tonight, so he wanted everything ready for him."

"Sounds good," Donny said. "In that case, you're in charge here. Don't let Leo say anything, because we don't want him hurting his throat anymore. But Mikey, keep it toned down, okay? It's going to take Leo a while to be up to dealing with you at full speed."

With a last look to make sure his younger brother was actually listening, Don turned and left the infirmary. Mikey, turning back to face his oldest brother was disappointed, however, to see that Leo had gone back to sleep just as Donny had warned he might.

'Oh, well,' the youngest turtle thought. 'Leo's back for good, so we'll have plenty of time to catch up later.' And with that, he settled in the read the comic book he'd brought along, just in case.