First of all, I'm so sorry for not updating in time! I just wasn't satisfied with the story at all, so I started over again (and again, and again) and before I knew it, it was already Monday. And than I just had the beginning. Besides that, i had a really messy week. Everyone wanted something from me, and I just couldn't focus on writing. I know, lame excuses.

But I've got a long story for you guys - the closing part of this arc. I know a few of you guys will not be satisfied with this ending (since it may seem a little rushed), but like I promised, I will take this story out of the one shots and make it a complete new story on the side, named Keeping You Safe. In this I will make more recovery chapters with lots of TLC, feelings and brotherly love. Just a little patience :).

Again, I'm sorry, but I hope you guys like the ending. Next week a one-shot, probably a request, since those are still on the shelve :).

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Waking Up

The next few hours went by without much trouble. Don kept on checking Leo's vitals almost every fifteen minutes and took notes as he went. Reading and comparing them now, he gave a satisfied humm. "Looking good, bro. Almost all of your values are back to where they should be." Looking up from his notebook, he gave his still unmoving brother a smile. "Even your blood pressure is finally starting to drop." Not getting a response, Don's smile vanished. Putting his notebook on the nightstand, he laid his hand gently on Leo's bandaged arm and stared at the unmoving face of his brother. "You really terrified me when you decided to step out for a minute," he confessed softly. "This whole evening I was so afraid of losing you and then you just -" He gave a shaky sigh, and felt an unfamiliar burning sensation behind his eyes. Swallowing hard to fight back the tears, he pulled back his hands and rubbed his hands over his face. "Great, Don," he mumbled to himself. "A little bit of stress and you're losing it." Taking a calming breath, he lowered his hands again. "Anyway…" he started, and couldn't help but smile a bit embarrassed. "Just promise me never to do that again. I just can't lose you, Leo. I really can't." Listening to the silence that followed, Don put his hand back on Leo's arm and got a semi-serious expression on his face. "Sure thing, Don. I promise," he said in a reasonable impression of Leo. Don nodded satisfied. "Good," he concluded the relatively one-sided conversation. Breathing out in a half-laugh, he shook his head of his own silliness. Wiping his hand over his eyes again, he breathed out hard. "Man, I seriously need coffee."

I

An hour and almost two full pots of coffee later, both Don and Raph were sitting in the infirmary. Yet again Don was taking notes, although Raph wasn't sure it had something to do with their unconscious brother on the cot. Not that he really cared though, since Leo seemed to do better and Don was quite positive about his situation. So he was too. Putting his good arm behind his head, he pushed off with his feet against the nightstand, and balanced his folding chair on the hind legs. Hearing a hard crack he gave the chair an indifferent look and continued to chill out.

Don's eyes flashed to the scene and then back to his notes. "If you fall, I'm going to laugh."

"And then?" Raph asked, rocking a bit. Don shook his head. "That's it. I'm gonna laugh."

Raph gave an amused snort. "Nice. I like that."

Grinning to the comment, Don's smile suddenly vanished. "I wonder how Mike's doing," he said in a soft, guilty voice. Raph eyed him, letting his chair slowly fall back on all fours. "Why don't ya go ta him? I know ya want to," he stated gently. Don shook his head. "I can't. I really want to be here when Leo wakes up in case something's going wrong."

"Yer expecting something's goin' wrong than?" Raph asked, looking at Leo, who was looking rather pale, but much better than half a night ago. Don gave it a thought. "Well, wrong isn't the right word," he said and searched for his next words. Not coming up with an euphemism, he gave a defeated sigh. "I- eh... expect him to be in serious pain. So bad I have to be here in case he can't handle it on his own."

Getting an angry and confused frown on his face, Raph gestured to their unconscious brother. "He's doin' fine! Ya jus' said it yerself! And now yer sayin' he might not handle it. What's that suppose ta mean anyways?" he fell out hard. The moment Don wanted to open his mouth to give a heated comment back, he suddenly saw something from the corner of his eyes. Quickly his gaze went to the bed, inspecting the prone body of his brother, not really knowing what it was. His hand went to Leo's arm again and right before his fingers touched the skin, he saw it again: a small twitch of his brother's fingers.

"Don! Talk ta me! Whatcha holdin' back?" Raph yelled, oblivious to what just happened. He stood up to walk to Don, until his brother held up his hand urgently. A little surprised Raph stopped, feeling something was going on. At that moment he saw it too - some small movements of his older brother's hand. "Leo?" he asked, swallowing hard. Not getting a response or a change in motion, he looked up to Don, letting the silence do the talking for him. Still watching Leo with anxious eyes, Don dared a peek to Raph and flashed a grin. "I think your yelling's waking him up."

Raph answered with a scowl. "Can ya blame me?" he hissed, since he didn't dare to raise his voice anymore. "Yer freakin' cryptic ways of sayin' things, or tha things ya don't say at all, are really gettin' on ma nerves."

Hearing a long, half-moaning exhale, Don focussed back on Leo. A deep frown had appeared on their older brother's face, showing great discomfort. Suddenly the hand on Don's side clutched into a fist, as Leo's body started to tremble. Small, rapid breaths followed each other in a fast pace.

Trying to master his own distress, Don put a soft hand on Leo's shoulder. "Small breaths, bro. Calm down. It's okay!" he coaxed, trying to sound soft, but firm.

"Donnie, ya betta start talkin' ta me right now, bro!" Raph warned, his big eyes looking at Leo, who seemed to be back in the same situation before they had administered the cure. The trembling, the breathing, the pain… It seemed the clock had turned back a few hours and it scared him. What if Leo's heart stopped again? He didn't think any of them could use that right now, especially their older brother. He looked at Leo's hands, which were opening and closing like they were trying to hold on to something - Life perhaps? Raph shook his head, pushing the thought away. He could not think like that. Although Leo had never looked this weak and in this much pain before, he was strong and Raph knew there was no way Leo would leave them. Not like this… He noticed Don's eyes flicking up to him and he saw a hint of determination, instead of the fear that was in there before. Somehow it calmed him down even more.

"His mind is trying to wake up, but the physical pain is holding him back," Don quickly explained, before turning back to Leo. "Leo, listen to me, bro," he tried again, giving his brother a gentle squeeze. "You can do this."

Raph looked at the scene, as a painful knot laid heavily in his stomach. He couldn't stand the fact one of his brothers laid there in serious pain and there was nothing he could do to take it away from him. Trusting Don there were no further problems besides the pain, Raph followed his lead. All he could do was to help Leo through this and hope for the best. He took one of Leo's grasping hands into his own. "Come on, Fearless. Yer stronger than this. You've gotta wake up, bro."

Giving a small smile, Don continued. "You're almost there, Leo. Just a little bit more," he said, putting his other hand on Leo's head. "We're here, bro."

"And we ain't leavin' until ya wake up," Raph finished, feeling the soft grip of his brother strengthening. As it happened, so did the knot in his stomach. "We know it hurts, but ya've gotta push on. We know ya can."

A few minutes went by until there was an exhaling whimper, as Leo's pained frown increased.

"That's it, bro. You're doing great," Don encouraged him, his own frown deepening with every minute Leo was struggling. Finally, after what seemed forever, two dark blue eyes started to open a crack. Immediately they shut tightly again, followed by an agonising moan.

"Leo?" Raph asked carefully, giving Leo's hand a squeeze. Don kept on stroking his thumb over his brother's head, hoping to alleviate the pain a bit, although he knew it was no use. "Come on, bro."

Groaning in pain, Leo's head moved slowly from side to side. There was a deep, but shaky inhalation, followed by an unsteady exhalation. "... crud…"

Quickly Raph and Don exchanged a look, figuring out if they heard it right. Raph looked down again. "Leo? You're there, bro?"

For a few seconds it was quiet, until Leo groaned again. "Yeah…" he breathed, still pinching his eyes close. Don started to laugh. "Dude, you shared the shell out of us!" he exclaimed, not hiding his excitement. Raph gave a grin. "That's a friggin' understatement."

Trying, but failing to suppress another groan, Leo took in another shallow breath. "...s-sorry," he exhaled tiredly as he opened his eyes a bit. He glanced around the room for a second, before a wave of pain went through his body. Immediately he shut his eyes again and moaned in pain.

"Take it easy, Leo," Don told him, his smile vanishing instantly seeing his brother in this much pain. Giving it another try, Leo squinted his eyes open again and moved his eyes to Don. "Whyzzit hurt?" he asked, more inquisitive than anything else. Don gave him a sad smile. "What do you remember?" he asked slowly, deciding this would be the best question to ask first instead of blindly telling his brother everything. Blinking a few times to fight of his tiredness, Leo swallowed. "Bish-op…"

Ignoring the fact that even swallowing seemed to hurt his big brother, Don nodded somewhat satisfied. "Good. Can you recall everything that happened?" Seeing Leo's eye ridges squint, Don gave his arm a little squeeze. "Just a yes or no is enough," he added with a smile. Giving something that sounded like an amused snort, Leo's eyes flicked back to him. "Yeah..." he said weakly. "...Goddit… widdadart."

Eying his brother closely, Raph gave Don a worrisome look for the slurred speech. Instead of looking concerned too, Don gave a nod. "Yeah, you've got hit with a dart indeed," he translated for Raph, although he didn't look up. He kept Leo's gaze, which was surprisingly coherent. "It contained some strong poison, which affected your muscles. In short, your muscles are so abused by it, it's giving you this pain," saving the detailed explanation for a later moment.

Closing his eyes tiredly, Leo breathed out. "Awe-s'me..." Not having the energy to keep them open anymore, he kept them close, but still listened in. Giving a small chuckle, Don released his hand from Leo's head and adjusted the blankets a bit. "Far from," he said agreeingly. "But why don't you go to sleep? When you wake up you'll probably feel much better."

Raph gave an agreeing look. "Yeah, bro. Ya need yer rest. We'll keep an eye on ya."

Leo managed a small smile. "Th'nks…" He swallowed. "...bros." Breathing out shakily once more, his frown decreased and quickly he fell asleep again.

I

Waking up a second time was much easier, although the pain kept racing throughout his body. Not really wanted to open his eyes yet, since he knew the bright lights above him would give him an instant headache, he just kept on laying there, listening to the various sounds in the room. He heard someone breathe besides him and he recognised his immediate younger brother. Heh, didn't he say he would keep an eye on him? That's typical Raph: Rough and tough around the edges, but with a very small heart.

Although he felt kind of good laying around like this, Leo felt he needed to fully wake up. Gradually he started to open his eyes and immediately the expected pain flooded over him. Stubbornly he decided to ignore it and he groggily blinked a few times before the room came in focus. He heard a small chuckle next to him. "Look who finally decides ta wake up."

With a lot of effort, Leo turned his head, sending waves of pain through his body. Finally his brother came into his line of sight and he saw two tired, but relieved eyes looking down on him. Despite the awful feeling, Leo managed to give a crooked smile. "G'mornin' to you too," he said in a soft and raspy voice. Raph answered with a grin of his own. "Good ta see ya awake. How're ya feelin'?"

Leo gave it a thought. "Everything hurts," he said seriously, and then gave a soft laugh. "I honestly don't… dare to move much."

"Heh, don't worry. Ya don't have ta," Raph chuckled. "I'm kinda surprised ya could actually move somethin' after what those goons did ta ya." He saw the pained expression on Leo's face, and gave a soft worried sigh. "Within a few minutes Don's comin' back ta give ya somethin' fer tha pain."

Leo gave a little nod and then eyed Raph, seeing the white sling around his arm. His gaze went further, noticing the bruises and minor cuts covering his brother's body. Immediately his heart skipped a beat. "What h'ppened to you?" he asked concerned, his eyes locking with Raph's. Raph raised an eye ridge and looked down to his bandaged arm. With a scowl on his face he looked back up. "Nothin' ya should worry 'bout at tha moment."

"Raph, I -"

"Look, Fearless. What happened ta me or anyone else is none of yer concern right now. We've almost lost ya a couple of times, so ya betta' start worryin' bout yerself," Raph snapped angrily. Leo glanced at him, looking straight through his emotions. His hot-headed brother wasn't angry, he was concerned and scared. A wave of guilt washed through him. What did he put his brothers through? Did they really almost lost him? Although he still wanted to know what happened exactly, he decided to let it go for now. "I'm sorry."

Raph casted his eyes down. "It's okay, bro."

"Wait a sec," Leo suddenly said, his voice skipping. "What do you mean by 'to me or anyone else'?" He paused to take a breath. "Who else is hurt?"

Raph gave an annoyed grunt. "Ya don't listen, do ya? I've said-"

"Whoa, Raph, calm down. Give Leo a break!" Don suddenly called with a smile as he walked through the door, which was already hanged back in its hinges, albeit a bit crooked. He gave Leo a smile. "You're looking better than yesterday, bro. How are you feeling?" he asked curiously. Giving a grin, Leo shifted his eyes to Raph and back. "Like I told Raph… Everything hurts so bad."

"Heh," Raph laughed. "He doesn't dare ta move."

Walking up to the bed, Don stopped next to Raph and gently took Leo's wrist, feeling his heartbeat. "I'm sorry, bro," he said sympathetically. "But in a week you'll feel better."

Leo closed his eyes tiredly and sighed, winching from the pain it brought to the muscles in his chest. "I hope so."

At that moment some heavy footsteps came through the door. "Hey, dude! I already thought I heard ya!" Casey called happily, also walking up to the bed. "Welcome back to tha land of tha livin', Leo."

Snapping his eyes open in surprise, Leo stared up to the big man. "Casey? What the heck are you doing here?" he said, winching from his outburst. Casey gave him a goofy, but considerate grin, clearly happy the leader was awake. "Can't a guy just help out a bit? Since Don can't be in two places at once and Raph's a bit handicapped, someone's gotta stay with Mi-" He stopped his sentence when he saw Raph and Don's faces, which practically told him to stop talking. Realising Leo knew nothing and it was better not to tell anything yet since he just woke up, Casey started to panic a bit and he glanced around the room, hoping to see something he could use. "Eh.. with my - eh - chair?" he finished uncertainly, his eyes resting on one of the unused folding chairs. As Leo gave him a confused look, Don averted his eyes awkwardly and Raph sighed and facepalmed. "Seriously..."

"Guys… What's -" Quickly Leo's confusion transformed into realisation and then into worry. "Wait! Why you've gotta stay with -" His eyes grew big. "Where is Mikey?" he asked fearfully, suppressing a groan, caused by the anxiousness that was filling his body. Not getting an answer fast enough, Leo grabbed Don's hand, which was still on his wrist. "Don, what happened?" he demanded, his painful frown back on his face. "Where's Mike? Is he okay?"

Shifting his eyes back to Leo, Don gave a defeated sigh. "Mikey is... in his room." Gently he took back his hand, not liking the lack of strength in Leo's grip. "But listen, Leo. You've got -"

"No! Don't tell me what to do, Don," Leo shot back with a raised voice, not caring how much his body ached with every word. "Something's wrong with Mikey, Raph's hurt, it smells like fire in here, the door is crooked, you look like you haven't slept in days." He paused to let the pain subside a bit, forcing himself not to winch. "Besides that, Raph said something about goons. As in plural. And I only mentioned Bishop earlier, nothing more." He eyed his brothers, urging an explanation. "Tell me what happened."

Don looked up to Raph, who gave a reluctant shrug in Leo's direction. "I already gave ma opinion and I still don't think it's a good idea." His eyes softened a bit, knowing he would demand the same. "But if ya really want ta know… Whatever."

"Fine," Don gave in, and he grabbed his stool and sat down, waiting for Raph and Casey to join him on the folding chairs. He looked at Leo. "Before we tell, do you need anything? Pain killers, water…?"

Leo gave a negative humm, since shaking his head was too painful. "Just tell."

"Dude, ya push through, man," Casey said with some admiration in his voice. Raph gave a snort. "Yeah, Fearless knows his ways."

Flashing a fast grin, Don redirected his head to Leo again. "Alright. We don't exactly know what happened while you were outside, but we do know you encountered Bishop and a part of his division, since you were pretty damn hurt when we found you on the doorstep. Besides the poison infecting your muscles."

Leo gave an agreeing sound, not mentioning he did not remember making it home. He remembered falling through the manhole and that he pushed himself to continue, while pain flared through his body. The rest was a blur. He just wanted to know what happened to his brothers.

"Well, actually Raph found you and he called me…" Don continued the story, and every now and then Raph and Casey pitched in. Leo kept quiet, although different thoughts, emotions and feelings were racing through his body.

"...So Bishop left and took his army with him. After that we took care of you and Mikey," Don concluded the summarised story, since the full story was a bit too much at the moment. Leo already looked like he was at his end, coupled with eyes full of anxiousness and disbelief, Don knew he couldn't handle much more.

"Before yer sayin' anythin', bro," Raph started, seeing the guilt topping his brother's other feelings. "Donnie has proof Bishop already knew where we live. Meanin' it was only a matta of time before he should burst in 'ere."

Don nodded. "Indeed. It could have happened to anyone of us at any given moment. So you didn't lead Bishop and his gang here," he added. "Did not."

"It was jus' bad luck and bad timin'," Casey concluded. "And hey… Maybe it's fer tha best, right?"

"For now it is. And we'll see what happens on the long run." Don locked eyes with Leo, who still looked defeated.

"See, told ya we shouldn't tell yet," Raph said to Don, shaking his head. "In just a couple of seconds he's gonna explode from faulty self-blame."

Leo swallowed. "How's Mikey now?" he asked in a small voice. Giving a gentle smile, Don turned his head to Casey with a questioning look. Seeing they wanted an answer, Casey shrugged hesitantly. "Well, he's fast asleep an' mostly it's pretty difficult ta wake him up. At least we get some response from him, although mostly it's some incoherent murmur," he said, until he felt the ice cold stare of Raph burning through the side of his head. "But he's doin' way better than yesterday! Knowin' tha Mikester he's up in a week!" he said with forced happiness. "And April 'n Don are takin' great care of him, so he's gonna be totally fine. No worries, dude!"

"Well, ya hear it. Mike's doin' good," Raph quickly said before Casey could talk even more. He laid his good hand on Leo's shoulder. "Really, bro. We've got this. Heck, Donnie's brought you back from tha dead, so I guess Mike's no problem." He gave a grin. "We take care of Mike, and ya take care of yerself. How 'bout that?"

Leo let out a shaky breath. Raph was right, it was too much to handle at the moment. He felt so weak. But he was glad he knew, although his body and mind were overloading. Pushing everything away, he looked at Don with pleading eyes. "Can I see him?"

"No," was the very short answer.

"But-"

"No," Don repeated. "The moment you are able to stand on your feet and walk to Mikey's room without help, you're allowed to see him. Before that every patient stays where he is now."

"Ooh, nice one, Don," Casey whispered with a grin. At that moment a green hand smacked the back of his head. Immediately Casey clutched his head. "What tha heck was that for?" he exclaimed. Raph gave him a scowl. "Fer actin' stupid."

"Just because Mike's out of commission, doesn't mean ya have ta hit me!"

"Guys! If you're going to argue, do it somewhere else, please," Don came in between. "And not in Mikey's room!" He turned to Leo, seeing the worn-out expression on his face. "Alright, I'm going to give you something for the pain and to give you some proper rest."

Leo gave him a smile, despite all of his negative emotions. "Thanks, Donnie." Seeing his brother walk away from him, he guided his thoughts inwards. He didn't believe everything that happened. He had put his brothers in danger, just because he wanted to stop Bishop. He had to play the hero, and he failed miserably. It didn't matter if only he would've gotten hurt, no… But now all of his brothers were in pain, because of him. Raph's broken arm, Don's colorful side, and Mikey's head. Especially Mikey, who has to have a pretty severe concussion hearing the stories. And all because of him… Yes, he knew everything would be alright, like always, but it shouldn't have happened at all.

"Leo," Raph suddenly said gently. Leo looked up to him, seeing the unusual soft eyes of his brother. "Ya didn't do anythin' wrong. I would've done tha exact same thing."

Leo gave a snort.

"No one is blamin' ya, bro. So stop blamin' yerself," Raph continued. "It happened. Period. Now move on." He gave a grin and then moved aside as Don came back, claiming Raph's spot. "Indeed," Don said. "The only thing we blame you for it putting yourself in harm's way." With a gentle smile he took the protective cap off a syringe and lined up the needle. "Everything else is just bad luck, I guess." He pushed the needle through the skin, letting the fluid enter the body. "But whatever happened, we're all going to be alright."

"An' that includes ya too. Jus' make sure ya feel betta soon, bro," Raph said, seeing the eyes of his brother slowly slide shut. Leo managed a smile, overthinking his brother's words. Although his guilty feeling would be present for a long time, he knew they were right. He indeed had to move on and get better soon. He owed it to them. Feeling his mind and body slowly slipping away into peaceful darkness, he gave a content sigh. This time he wasn't going to fail them.

I

Leo groaned as his arm spasmed painfully. Rubbing it with his other arm, he shifted on his chair, his face turned into an annoyed frown. Don turned around and looked at his brother with an observing eye. "You can go back to bed if you want to. Your muscles need their rest," he said concerned. Leo gave a crooked grin. "Sure. But I still want those pancakes you've promised me."

Smiling, Don turned back to the stove, eying his creations in the skillets. He wrinkled his beak. "They look weird. Mike, am I doing this right?" he asked unsure, looking back at the table from the corners of his eyes. Peering up from his hunched position on the table, Mikey tried to look onto the stove. "Dude, if they don't look burned and nothing looks like fluid, they're good."

"Eh...They're yellow…"

It was quiet for a few seconds.

"I'm not the greatest cook, but pancakes are suppose to be brownish, right?" Leo asked his youngest brother. Mikey nodded slowly and then hold his head, since moving too much was still pretty painful. "Normally they do," he said, ignoring the throbbing dizziness. "Don, what did you do with it?"

Don looked back at the yellow pancakes and poked them with a fork. "Well, I did everything you told me too, and I included some vanilla extract, since I like the taste."

Mikey raised an eye ridge. "Vanilla extract?" he repeated, and averted his eyes in thought. "We don't have that…"

Again it was quiet, until Don turned his head again. "We don't?" he asked carefully as Mikey shook his head and Leo started to grin. "Than what is this?" Don asked, holding up a small white canister. "It smells like vanilla, so I thought..." As Don trailed off, Raph came into the kitchen, a puzzled look on his face by the silence that was hanging. "Eh… Whassup?"

Mikey looked at the thing in Don's hand and started to laugh. "Dude, that's yellow food coloring. I used that last Christmas to decorate the cookies."

"Nice going, Don," Leo laughed, as Don gave the canister a surprised glance.

"Don't worry, bro," Mikey said with a smirk. "They're probably still pretty tasteful. Just gimme!"

Don gave his creations a final unsure look. "Alright. If you think so," he said, sliding them on the plates. "But I am not responsible for any side effects," he said with a grin as he walked to the kitchen, balancing four plates on his arms.

"Yellow pancakes?" Raph asked grinning, sitting down as Don put a plate in front of him. "That's a new one. What's next - Pink pizza?"

"Heh, never pictured you as a pink-loving turtle," Mikey joked, taking a bite of his pancake. Chewing a bit, he gave a satisfied nod. "Nice work, Donnie. A bit dry, but we can work on that."

"Still not at Mikey's level, but you'll get there," Raph commented with his mouth full. Don grinned, eying his own plate. "Well, glad you like it. But they still look weird."

Leo gave his own pancake a try. "Well, they're great. Thanks for making them, Don," he said, as yet again his muscles contracted. Ever since he was able to move again a few days ago, his muscles seemed to have a will of their own. It already was less painful than the first day, but it still was pretty annoying not to be able to control his own movements. Don had assured him the effect would wear off within time, so he couldn't wait until that moment. Than he would be able to train again to get stronger and more disciplined to protect his brothers. Because he couldn't fail them again. There was no way.

"Yo, bro," Mikey suddenly said. Leo looked up, seeing his younger brother's face, of which the side was now a bit bluish-yellow from the bruising. "Dude, if you're still sulking about what happened you couldn't do anything about… Please don't."

"Yeah, bro. We've had this conversation more than once, and we're kinda done with it," Raph said a bit annoyed. "Whatever yer thinkin', stop it and move tha shell on!"

Mikey shot him a look, before turning back to Leo. "Look, I don't remember a thing about the houseparty, but-" He stopped, not wanting to sound like a broken record. He shifted a bit and then pointed to his plate. "Alright, bro. The things that happened and which you are feeling guilty about are like these pancakes… Even though they look kind of failed - no offence, Donnie - they worked out still pretty good. So is this… Just look at the positive things, Leo."

Don chuckled, shifting around his creation on his plate. "No offence taken. But really, when you are able to, you're making the food again, Mike." He looked up and glared at Leo. "And Mike's right. Just stop it, Leo. Everyone is going to be alright in time and we'll see what the deal with Bishop give us on the long run. It's gonna be okay."

"Really, he gets it! If he wants ta sulk, he sulks. Whatever. I'm done with it," Raph said with a scowl, pushing his empty plate away from him. He gave Mikey a look. "And ya still don't remember anything?"

"Nope. And I don't think that will happen. But you guys say it's okay and I trust you. So I'm cool with it," Mikey answered indifferently. Finally taking a bite from his pancake, Don pointed with his fork to Leo. "Listen to Mikey. He has no clue about what happened and he doesn't mind since everything worked out," he said holding Leo's gaze before looking back to his plate. "And you guys are liars. This is the worst pancake ever."

"It's pretty good. I just think your taste buds haven't recovered from yesterday when Raph made omelets," Mikey said with a smirk, putting the last bite of pancake in his mouth. Raph gave him a glare. "Yer lucky yer hurt, otherwise I would have smacked ya."

Leo gave a silent sigh as he chewed his breakfast. He knew his brothers were right, but he could not shake the feeling this was all his fault. Which was true in a way. If he didn't try to stop Bishop, this wouldn't have happened at all. But he also knew things worked out, and maybe for the best on the long run for them. Only time would tell. Time he would use - guilty or not - to train and to get stronger. Both his body as his mind. Suddenly he felt a smack on his head. Turning around he saw Raph leering over him, an annoyed expression on his face. "Stop it, Fearless. I'm serious."

Before anything could go wrong, Mikey shoved his chair back. "It was great, Don," he said quickly, rubbing his head. "But if you guys don't mind, I'm gonna lie down now. For some weird reason I've got a headache which keeps on pounding."

Giving a snort, Don stood up too. "A weird reason, huh?" Shoving his chair back to the table, he gave his younger brother a thankful look. "Raph, can you walk with Mikey, please? And give him some painkillers when he's in bed. There's a strip on top of his nightstand."

"Whatever," Raph said, steadying Mikey, who got up from the table. "Common, knucklehead. See if ya can remember where yer room is."

As Raph and Mikey walked out of the kitchen, Don turned to Leo. "And Raph's also right."

Leo nodded with a small smile. "I know, I know. But you know me longer than today. Just give me some time."

"All the time you need, bro," Don said, stacking the empty plates.

"Yo, Donnie," Leo started and waited until he had his brother's attention. "Thanks for everything. Not only with saving my life, but also with Bishop. You did a hell of a job."

Don gave him a smile. "Any time, bro."

Leo smiled back, never more grateful for his brothers than now. All of them were trying to get him through this in their own way. Mikey used his innocence and childlike logic to make him feel better, while Raph just told him not to act like a wuss and to deal with it as a man. Donnie on the other hand used both of his brother's tactics like a mediator and used science and calculations to prove a point when necessary. Leo couldn't ask for anything more, yet still he felt responsible for the things that happened, especially for the injuries his brothers had. But then again… All of them would be alright. Don had said so and if there was anyone he could trust with that, it was him. So he had to trust him with the other things too. Yes, everything was going to be alright in time. He had his brothers to help him with that. And together, they would get through anything. No doubt about that.

00000

So, that was it for this arc! I really hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know something :)

See you guys next week (yes, this time I will update in time)