Hello, fellow readers! I know you're all so smart so I don't have to tell you what this one is going to be about! Read on, and enjoy it! Remember to review at the end, and I want to thank all of you who have reviewed, especially Athese, since you have been with this story since the very beginning and reviewed pretty much on every single chapter! XD Thanks, everyone, and continue to read!
Raph wanted to get back up on his feet more than ever.
He couldn't stand not being able to walk or run.
It practically killed him, so much in fact, that he even resorted to watching Space Heroes, Leo's favorite show. Unfortunately, Raph had a strong and passionate hate for this show because, honestly, it was the stupidest and most boring show he has ever watched.
He didn't have a specific reason for why he hated it so much. He just did.
But, he felt as though he should watch it. He didn't really know why, but he felt as though he had to honor his missing eldest brother in some way. And what better way to honor him than to watch his favorite, but stupid and annoying, show?
But, Raph still wanted nothing more than to get off of the couch and start moving.
Doctor Donnie had specific instructions, though. He couldn't get up just yet. He had to wait until all of the feeling in his body came back to him, especially in his legs. The poison, implanted in him through Fishface, paralyzed him mostly from the waist down. That is why poor Raph had to be carried back to the lair.
Raph even tried to lie to Donnie once, saying that he could feel everything and he was fine, but his smart-aleck brother knew a lie when he heard one.
However, Raph was one turtle who you could not keep still.
Even though he couldn't feel anything from both of his feet to his knees, he still wanted to see if he could do it.
So, when Donnie was in his lab, Raph quickly tried to slip off of the couch. He made it onto the floor, and so then he tried to stand up.
He put his right leg up, and placed his foot on the ground.
Ya, Donnie, this is going to be so hard, so it's best if I wait, Raph thought, sarcastically.
He could move his upper legs perfectly fine, with no trouble. But when Raph put pressure on his foot to try to stand...it didn't turn out so well.
First he felt an immense pain shoot up from his right foot, to his knee, and crumpled to the floor again. But the strange thing was that the pain soon left after that.
So, if I don't put pressure on my right leg, it'll be fine, the red-banded turtle thought.
But he was again wrong.
When he tried to stand up with his left leg, next, he felt pain again, but it was a little bit less than his right. So, when he fell to the floor again, the pain vanished almost instantly.
But that wasn't going to stop Raph from standing. He had a less painful leg that he could work with, now.
So he tried again, and again, and again, but he kept falling down. Each time he put pressure on his left leg, the pain got worse and it lasted longer when he fell back down.
But he had to try. He wouldn't stop until he could at least get his body off the ground.
So, this time, he grabbed ahold of the couch for support, and lifted himself up, careful not to put too much pressure on his legs.
He was getting there, and getting there, until he was finally standing up, with both feet on the ground.
His legs and feet hurt more than ever, but he refused to let them give out. He was finally standing up, for the first time in a day.
He then made the brave decision to let go of the couch he was still holding onto. He closed his eyes, preparing himself for whatever the shell would happen next, and let go.
Pain, more than he ever experienced before, consumed his whole body, and he started to fall, with a scream.
Surprisingly, he didn't meet with the cold, hard ground. Two hands caught Raph just before he fell, and held onto him.
Raph looked up, and found out they were none other than Donnie's.
Raph knew what Doctor Donnie was going to say to him. Oh, Raph! You know you shouldn't have tried to walk. I had very specific instructions for you. You're hurt and you have to lay down for a few more hours, blah blah blah...Well, how many hours? Huh, Donnie? Did he have to lay down all day? All Raph wanted to do was walk, or just stand, even. But Donnie wouldn't listen.
"Look, Donnie," Raph said. "I know you're tryin' to help me or whateva, but just give me a chance, bro. All I want to do is try, just try to stand, you know? I- I just want to be able to walk again..." Raph sighed. "Ya know, I don't know why I'm tellin' ya this...just, just forget about it," Raph said depressingly.
The first thought in Donnie's mind was to scold his older brother, for not listening to him and possibly making his condition worse...but then he thought more for a moment.
Raph was stubborn, and everyone knew that. No matter what Donnie said or did now, Raph surely wouldn't listen. He would just keep trying whenever he was out of the room. But the way Raph said that last comment to him, made Donnie think more about it. Raph was really never this depressed, and when he was, it was something big that affected all of them. But this- this only affected him.
His brothers never really listened to Raph before, and when he wanted to do something, they all thought it was completely dangerous or irrational, and in most cases, it was. But this wasn't.
Donnie tried to imagine himself in Raph's shoes. Raph couldn't run, couldn't walk, and couldn't even stand without pain shooting up his legs, all because of a pretty bad, poisonous bite, given to him by a fish. Even Donnie would be feeling down, at this point. It has been one day since the incident, and Donnie knew how badly Raph wanted to get up. He just wanted to walk, like everybody else...and Donnie was standing in the way of him from ever doing it.
So Donnie did something that surprised both Raph and himself.
Instead of laying his older brother back down on the couch, he picked him back up.
"Donnie, what are you-" but Raph was cut off.
"You don't have to try so hard, Raph," Donnie started to say. "Just try to stand up straight, since you're usually hunched over a bit."
Raph followed his instructions, and even though his legs still hurt, he stood up as straight as he could. Surprisingly, the pain lessened in his legs.
Donnie saw the look of shock on Raph's face and said, "Ya. Standing up straight is all you have to do, really. When you're hunched over, you place more pressure on your legs that way. But when you stand up straight, the pressure loosens, and it looks like it eases the pain you had, before."
"Donnie, thanks bro. I- I don't..." but Raph was at a loss for words.
His smart, younger brother never acted like this towards him. He would normally just yell at him and tell him what he did wrong, but this- this was a new side of Donnie that Raph has never seen before.
"Uh, thanks Donnie. I-" but Donnie cut Raph off, again.
"Look, Raph. I know you thought I was going to tell you off or something...but I saw that you really needed to do this. I saw that you weren't going to give up on walking, so what kind of brother would I be if I stood in your way? So, that's why I decided to help you, Raph," Donnie said.
Donnie has never really treated Raph with this much care or respect before. Ya, he knew Donnie cared for him when he was hurt, but never like this. Raph kind of liked this new side of his younger brother...he was finally listening to him, like really listening.
"Oh, um..." Raph started. "I don't know how to thank ya enough for what you're doin' for me, Donnie."
"It's no problem, Raph. Really," Donnie said, as they gazed into each other's eyes. "Now, I'm going to let go of you. When I do, I want to see if you can stand on your own, okay? Just try the best you can." Then he quickly added, "But don't push it."
And there was the side of Doctor Donnie that Raph knew was coming, eventually. He smirked, glad to see that Donnie hasn't fully changed.
When Donnie let go of Raph, he stood there, feeling a little pain, but not as much as when he was hunched over.
"How do you feel?" Donnie asked, after it was about a minute.
Raph had to be honest this time. He couldn't lie to Donnie about how his legs felt, not when he has been so nice to him. Ya, Donnie might not allow him to stand up for much longer if he told him they hurt a little less than before, but he had to be truthful with him.
"My legs hurt a little less than before, when I stood up the first time...but they still hurt pretty bad, bro. But I..." Raph sighed. "Never mind. I understand if I have to lay down again, even if it's for a couple of hours," Raph said.
Donnie was shell-shocked. Raph rarely told him the truth of how he really felt when he was injured.
He knew his older brother was telling him the truth, because do you really think he'll tell you if it hurts, when he's lying? No. Raph wasn't lying to him this time, and Donnie felt a sense of guilt build up inside him. If only he was more understanding when Raph was injured, maybe he wouldn't lie to him about how he felt.
"No, Raph. Don't sit back down," Donnie ordered, in which Raph followed. "I want to see if you can walk. But, you can back out if the pain in your legs is too much," he finished.
"No, Donnie. I want to walk again, bro. I'll do anythin' ya tell me to do. I'm ready," Raph said.
"Alright, Raph," Donnie said. "I'm going to stand next to you," as Donnie walked over beside him. "Now, I want you to walk. Just put one foot in front of you, but start with the one that has more pain. That way, your leg with the least pain is supporting you up, while your leg that is most painful doesn't receive any pressure, since it's being lifted up into the air and then back down."
"Alright, Donnie," Raph said. Fearful that he might fall and hit the ground again, Raph asked, "You got me if I fall, right?"
Raph felt as though it was an awkward question, but he wanted to know if Donnie would catch him. He understood if he didn't want to...you know, since he's the toughest one of his brothers to really get along with.
"What? Of course I will, Raph," Donnie said. "I won't let you fall. You've got my word."
With that reassurance, Raph picked up his right foot ever so slightly from the ground, and placed it on the ground in front of him.
"Great, Raph," Donnie said. "What I want you to do now is put pressure on your right foot, which must be the one which is the most painful, and try to place pressure on it so you can get your left foot up and over on the ground in front of you. If successful, you'll be walking, again."
"Okay, Donnie. I- I got this," Raph said, his voice full of some worry.
His right foot, the one in front of him, was the one that hurt since he first tried to stand up. He was afraid to put pressure on it again. But this was the only way he was going to walk, and if he couldn't use his right leg, then he had to know.
So, he slowly placed more and more pressure on his right foot, as he lifted his left foot slightly off of the ground.
But pain soared through his right foot, all the way to his knee. He yelled in pain, as his right leg gave out, again, and started to drop.
But, Donnie grabbed him just in time, and sat him back down on the couch.
"It's no use, Donnie! I can't walk..." Raph trailed off. "I- I don't wanna try anymore. I'll just wait for a couple of hours. Then I'll be able to walk...but do Leo and Mikey have a couple of hours? Weren't we gonna go and search for 'em? But, but I can't walk, Donnie. Not now, at least. And besides, you can't look for them alone. What if the Shredder finds you and takes you too?"
"But what if he doesn't?" Donnie asked.
"But what if he does?" Raph asked back. "What will I do then? I couldn't even stand without ya, bro! What am I gonna do if you're taken, like Leo and Mikey? How will I know how ta walk properly, or- or even get up? Master Splinter's gonna have to find all three of ya, and I won't be there to help! I won't know how much time ya all have to live. What if...what if somethin' goes wrong?" Raph asked.
"Why do you think something will?" Donnie asked, again.
"Because somethin' always goes wrong, little brother," Raph said, in a calmer tone now. "I- I guess I won't be there to help..."
Donnie was shocked by his brother's words. Of course, he didn't want Raph to feel this way...and you know what? He won't feel this way, and he was going to find their brothers with him and Sensei.
"No, Raph," Donnie said. "You're going to walk, and I don't care if you think you can't because you can. I know you can, Raph. You don't have to try so hard, all you have to do is get back up and put one foot in front of the other."
"But, Donnie-" Raph was cut off.
"No. I believe in you, Raph. You can do this. Just...just trust me on this one, okay?"
Raph didn't know what to do. He felt like a failure, and he was embarrassed whenever he fell in front of Donnie, because it just showed that he was weak...but something that Donnie said kind of flooded out all of those negative thoughts in his mind. He believed in him. Donnie, his younger brother, actually thought he could do something. And Raph has never really been the one to be believed in, especially by his brothers.
And even though Raph never really trusted any of his brothers with anything, he somehow thought that trusting Donnie right now, would actually be a good idea.
So Raph allowed himself to be helped back up on his feet by his younger brother.
"Okay, are you ready?" Donnie asked.
"I'm ready as I'll ever be," Raph said.
He did the exact same thing as Donnie said to do before, which he accomplished with no trouble, and then placed the pressure on his right foot.
It hurt, as usual, and he almost collapsed, when Donnie said, "Raph, don't think about the pain. Think about something else, something happier."
"I don't know if-" but Donnie cut him short.
"Just do it. I know you can," Donnie said reassuringly.
So, Raph thought about his brothers, and what it would be like when they were all back together again. He thought about them dancing, eating pizza, especially Mikey, and playing video games. He thought about hugging them, and telling them how he missed them both, and how he would never let them be taken again.
Before Raph knew it, he placed his left foot in front of his right without collapsing. And continued to go. The pain in his right leg lessened, as he thought more and more about his family and his brothers.
Raph was walking again.
I know, I know. It was a bit cheesy, but I kind of liked it, I have to say. This is definitely one of my longer chapters, and I wanted to focus in on both Raph and Donnie. I won't know if I did a good job, unless you REVIEW, thanks for those who have, and continue to read! I'll update soon!