Hello everyone! So happy to have received the lovely reviews. I read each one and they always encourage me to continue on with the series.
Here's the next chapter, and I'm bringing in some lovely Leo!whump that we sadists all enjoy.
Also…I'm still healing from the car wreck. My head injury isn't fully healed, and the doctors tell me I'm going to struggle with it for at least a year. So, in my frustration, I decided to write my experience. It isn't exactly what happened, I tweaked a few things to better fit the story. However, I guess I just needed to vent. Thank you for dealing with me lol!
Pain.
That was the first thing that registered as Donatello slowly regained consciousness. Pain, and cold.
The young turtle released a heavy groan as a shiver slunk down his spine, making injuries he couldn't remember getting scream in agony. Brown eyes slowly blinked open, the green face grimacing as his right eye gave an angry throb. Hot liquid dripped down the scaly cheek from a gash on his temple, dripping off his chin with morbid plops. The winter clothing kept for the trips topside was torn, feathers falling from the stuffing of the parka, and pants sporting several rips and holes, many already stained a deep crimson. Donnie's vision swam as he gave an unsteady perusal of his surroundings, his keen brain moving abnormally slow as he struggled to piece together what happened.
He was in the battle shell. That much was obvious, but it was wrecked, the windshield shattered, allowing a bitter winter wind to blow unrestrained into the cabin of their truck. Outside the sky was dark, and the streets uncommonly silent. Snow was falling, thick flakes creating a muffling effect, covering the ground and the twisted metal of the battle shell. Looking to the left, Donatello noticed that the driver's side door was caved in, the window similarly shattered with the side air bag exploded and shifting with each whistle of the wind. However, the driver was missing. The scientist squinted, desperately trying to remember who had been driving, and how they had ended up in this situation.
A spike of pain sliced through Don's skull, making the teen gasp, shaking hands clutching his head.
He needed to call his brothers. Especially Leo, no doubt that mother hen will have a conniption when he sees the state of the the truck, not to mention Donnie's head injury. Nothing freaked the eldest out more than the sight of blood on his baby brothers. Donatello gave a dry chuckle. Oh yes, their fearless leader had a terrifying ability to go into what Mikey had dubbed 'mom mode'. Fussing and clucking at the damage, while rambling in a tangent that would frequently switch between a scolding lecture and loving concern. All the while, tending to their wounds, and triple checking that his patient wasn't in any pain. After that was taken care of, the over protective sibling would bundle them up in a soft blanket and tuck them into bed. Not even Raphael was an exception to this treatment, often shushed into silence as Leo ensured the blankets in the hammock were situated comfortably around the hothead. Don chuckled at the image, reaching down to his belt where he kept his tools.
Trembling fingers fumbled with a blessedly intact shell cell, and scrolled down to his leader's name. Right as he was about to press the call button, the genius froze, eyes widening as he suddenly remembered a piece of vital information. He couldn't call Leo, because Leonardo had been the one driving the truck.
Pulling in a slow, tremulous breath, Donatello stared into space as the accident vividly replayed itself in his memory.
They had gone to pick up take out. From a Chinese place that the team had rescued from the purple dragons a couple years back, relieving the owner from having to pay protection fees to the gang. The man had been so grateful, he promised to keep their existence a secret, and from that night forward, he would treat them to a veritable feast once a week. The small mutant family was extremely thankful, and always enjoyed Chinese night. As per usual, Leo and Donatello had dressed warmly to combat the cold, and then gone to pick up their order. The mood had been light as the siblings joked and laughed, looking forward to a delicious meal that would precede family game night. Neither had seen the semi truck coming until too late.
They were passing the warehouse district, the streets relatively bare due to the late hour. That was when the semi arrived, rumbling down the darkened lane at an already dangerous speed, trying to beat the red light and failing. Seeing their own light turn green, Leo had hit the gas to go through the intersection, unaware of the oncoming danger. That was when everything went wrong. The driver in the semi couldn't stop, and the cold weather heavy with snow didn't help. Donnie's remark on their order had been cut short by a blur of movement, as his eldest brother noticed the semi truck hit the patch of black ice and lose control. Leonardo, with the reflexes of an elite ninja, had used his right hand to grab Donnie and pull his head down. The blue turtle bending over and covering the younger with his body, putting his larger shell between his brother and the inevitable. After that…things got fuzzy.
Donatello remembered flying through the air, the battle shell flipping multiple times through the intersection. He remembered how Leo was unable to hold on to his sibling as they were thrown around inside the battle shell cab, the glow of the streetlights strobing through the shattered windshield as they flew. Don remembered the impact of his head against the passenger window. He remembered the pained cries of his brother with each roll of the vehicle. He remembered the squealing crunch of metal on asphalt and concrete. Then, he remembered silence. That must have been when he passed out. Fear sliced through the younger turtle as yet another revelation surfaced in his foggy brain. Leo was on the side hit by the semi, he suffered the full force of the impact, meaning he was undoubtedly injured and needing medical attention immediately.
Chest heaving with panicked agonized gasps, now lucid chocolate brown eyes bounced around the cab, searching for his brother, only for his heart to sink in dread.
Leo wasn't there. The chair was still empty.
Time seemed to slow, muscles moving like cold molasses, and Donatello cast a fearful gaze out the shattered windshield. Not fifty feet away, Leonardo lay deathly still on the street, limbs splayed like a discarded doll. What was worse, the purple ninja couldn't tell if Leonardo was breathing. A fine coating of snow covered his muscular frame, showing that he'd already been laying exposed on the street for much too long. The scientist clenched his jaw as he fought against a fresh wave of panic, clumsy fingers trying to unbuckle the seatbelt, shoulders trembling from shock making his fine motor skills a bumbling mess.
"Come on," Donnie rasped, right eye shut as the heightened emotion caused his head injury to bleed more heavily, "Come on, come on, come on!"
Finally the seatbelt released, and with it, the majority of the pressure pulling against his plastron. The genius bit back a groan, agony spreading across his ribs, making the pained cry whistle between grit teeth. A battered right hand grasped the passenger door, searching for the release latch. An eternity of seconds passed, until Donnie finally twisted the latch, but found the door stuck. No doubt the metal was bent as they rolled. Don swallowed a sob, desperate to reach his brother's side. Leo could be critically injured, he might even need surgery, he could even be…no, no, Don didn't want to think about that. He needed to stay positive, they've survived so much worse, surely something as pedantic as a car wreck wouldn't be the thing that takes one of them out.
Twisting around, the young turtle repeatedly slammed both feet into the door, releasing all the strength he'd built up over years of training onto the twisted metal. The door gave a screeching complaint, before finally rattling loose, creaking open and then dropping onto the ground with a crunch. Donatello wiggled out of his seat, landing onto the glass littered asphalt, stumbling slightly as his vision gave another threatening wobble. Bracing himself against the battle shell, Donnie walked around to the front, only to gape at the semi truck that now lay on its side. The battle shell was sturdy, that was for sure, and it would take something as large as a semi truck to cause it to roll as it had, but the semi was just as damaged. It's hood and grill reduced to a mess of gnarled, twisted metal, smoking as the engine sputtered and died. Don couldn't see the driver, but he did see a smear of red on the windshield of the large vehicle. They'd need to call an ambulance for the human inside.
The scientist shook his head, he didn't have time to gawp, Leonardo needed him. First Leo, then the semi truck driver.
Hobbling forward, the younger turtle couldn't hold back pained whimpers as his knees and hips protested against the quick gait. Oh yeah, they were going to be sore after this. Donnie was already fantasizing about a steaming hot bath once they got home. Preferably after he and Leo's injuries were taken care of. The eldest could go first, since he's been out in the snow, and then Donatello could take one. They'd be fussed over by the family for a bit, but at least they would be warm, maybe he could convince Mikey to make a big nest in the living room so they could settle in for a movie night or something. With the way he hurt though, probably several movie nights.
By the time Donatello reached his leader, the turtle was breathing in heaving pants. Every few seconds his vision would tunnel, black creeping in at the edges of his sight, threatening to toss him back into the realm of unconsciousness. Don fought it. His teeth bared in a determined snarl, the team medic drug himself the last few feet only to collapse at Leo's side. The older turtle lay sprawled on his side, arms and legs flung in various directions. Blood pooled beneath the motionless head, but as Donnie leaned forward, he felt intense relief when he saw weak puffs of breath fogging the frigid air. Whispering a brief prayer of thanks, the younger turtle gave his brother's body a cursory glance, sweeping the snow off his seemingly lifeless form, only to wince in empathy.
Even covered by the thick leather and fleece of the bomber jacket (a gift from April last christmas), Donatello could surmise multiple fractures and a few nasty gashes. In truth, this jacket was probably what saved his eldest brother from even worse injury. An almost amusing thought, as the turtle had balked at the generous gift, knowing very well how pricy a genuine leather jacket lined with sheep's wool could be. However, it was the fact that it was genuine leather that protected the turtle from the worst of the road burn when he had been ejected from the battle shell. Donatello made a mental note to thank April later. For now, he had to stop getting sidetracked, and finish checking over his leader.
Leaning forward with a groan, Don patted down his brother, feeling for any more damage. Sporting a similar gash on his own temple, but on the left side, the blue ninja's head lolled when the scientist probed the cut searching for any cracks in the skull. Blessedly, the eldest's cranium was whole, he would just need some stitches to close up the tear. Blood seeped from the wound, covering the purple ninja's hand and puddling onto the frozen ground. Don frowned, unhappy with the amount of blood still leaking from his sibling, but also worried about the possibility of swelling on the brain. Dread coiled in his gut, roiling like a fiery serpent, making the back of his throat burn with acid. The scientist shoved the fear aside, trying to be clinical and detached so he could better assess the injuries.
Continuing his field physical, Don checked the leader's arms. Leo's left wrist was swollen, discolored and looked slightly crooked. It was most certainly broken, something Leo would not be happy about as he was left handed. It was also the hand he had been gripping the steering wheel with, which made the injury make sense. Thankfully, the right wrist was fine, though it probably will still be sore. Patting further down, the purple turtle sighed as he felt the Leo had dislocated his knee, not a horrendous injury, but still painful. Other than that, though, his legs and ankles were relatively whole with no major injuries besides the dislocation.
Donatello scooted back around to Leonardo's head, double checking his neck. It didn't feel broken, but the collarbone was almost certainly fractured if not broken. The purple masked head sunk as the turtle heaved a sigh. He wanted to check Leonardo's ribs, but that would mean rolling him over, and that could aggravate the injuries to his neck, and might even worsen possibly broken ribs. They were blessed to be mutated turtles, essentially armored, and with their spines and ribs attached to their plastron and carapace it made it easier to deal with those kinds of injuries. Plus, he really didn't think Leonardo would be alive if they had been anything less than mutated turtles. However, that didn't mean they could walk off cracked and broken ribs. They still had to be cautious of handling said injuries.
Scooting closer, Donatello gently deposited his brother's head onto his lap and then tapped Leo's face, caressing the frigid cheek, "Aniki," he rasped, coughing as the cold air made his voice catch, "come on, ani, wake up."
Leonardo moaned softly, eyes fluttering, struggling to open. The purple ninja smiled, tapping a little more insistently, "That's it, Leo, come on back. Open your eyes for me, just a little, please?"
The blue warrior's right hand clenched into a slow fist, the left giving a spasm before loosening back into the ground. A distressed whine floated from lax lips, and the azure masked head gave a fretful toss, eliciting yet another moan of pain as the movement made the broken pieces of his collarbone shift and grate. The soft breaths rapidly quickened, as glazed sapphire eyes heaved themselves open to stare unfocused up at Donnie. Donatello didn't move, just continued to stroke the cold scaly cheek tenderly, allowing his leader the time and space to get his head together. He could empathize, it had taken him more than a few moments before he was capable of getting out of the battle shell. Leo had been thrown from it, so the turtle could take all the time he needed.
"Wha' 'appened?" Leo's voice was hoarse, and Don could bet that the poor guy was sick on top of all his injuries. Winter really sucked for the cold blooded citizens of New York.
"Semi truck," Don supplied, "hit some black ice and ran through the red light into us."
"Oh," the duo sat in silence for a couple seconds, the older turtle breathing in shallow gasps, wincing with each inhale, "why can't… I move?"
"You were thrown through the windshield," Donatello explained quietly, "I think you may have a broken collarbone, not to mention the injury to your head and your broken wrist."
Sapphire eyes blinked slowly, Leonardo processing his sibling's answer before the leader gave a cautious nod, "Yeah," he replied, tone soft with exhaustion and heavy with pain, "makes sense."
The young leader suddenly shifted, trying to turn his head, but Donatello stopped him, bracing the carapace with a hand, forcing his older brother into a standstill, "What's wrong?"
"The driver," Leo fretted, "is he ok?"
The scientist rolled his eyes, "Seriously, Leo? That guy could have killed us and you're worried about him?"
"Like you'd said….he hit ice," Leonardo shot back weakly, turning a stubborn pout to his sibling, "it wasn't his fault."
Donnie shook his head, "Just from looking at the damage, I can tell he was going way too fast." The genius stated, tone adamant, "If he had been driving at the speed limit, heck, if he had been slowing down for the red light, he wouldn't have hit us as hard. He was trying to make it through the light before it turned red, the ice just made an already bad situation worse."
"Still…we should check," Leo persisted, the sapphire gaze clouded with worry.
Don opened his mouth to continue arguing but paused. Something about his eldest brother's face made him stop, concern bubbling in the back of his mind. Turning to really look his brother in the eye, Donnie noted how the pupils were uneven, making the turtle grimace, "I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you, Leo. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you've got a nasty concussion."
"I figured," the corner of Leonardo's mouth twitch, a feeble attempt at a consoling smile, "head hurts, and it's…hard to… think."
The leader suddenly went limp, eyes rolling back in a faint, making Donatello's breath hitch in fear. "Leo? LEO!"
The purple ninja shook his brother as carefully as possible, straining to wake Leonardo without worsening existing injuries, panic clawing in the back of his craw. "Please, aniki, don't do this to me, wake up!"
For a few heart stopping seconds, nothing happened, the older turtle remaining unresponsive to Donatello's urging. Then, several heart beats later, Leo gasped, the inhale rattling harshly in the back of his throat prompting a coughing fit. The blue warrior tensed, agony exploding all over in his body as each cough ignited fire in his bones. Silent tears leaked out of the clenched eyes, a testament to the leader's pain, until the coughing finally subsided. Leo lay shuddering in Don's arms, unable to do much more than simply focus on breathing. However, the genius wasn't content with that, he needed to hear his brother's voice.
"Leo, you with me?"
The young leader, nodded, motions jerky and unstable, the agony radiating through his body stealing his usual grace, "Y-Yeah, I'm here."
The genius sighed, "Ok, I won't make you keep talking, but try to stay awake, ok?"
Another shivered nod.
Donatello dug around his pocket, searching for the shell cell. He needed to call April. Truthfully, he should have called her a while ago, but he was so worried about Leo's condition, he didn't really think about it till now. Scrolling to April's contact information, Don pressed the call button and waited.
"Hey Donnie, what's up?"
The turtle opened his mouth and then paused, unsure of how to answer, resulting in a sigh that grew into a groan. The human woman was undaunted by the display, however, having spent the past few years with the teen turtles, she had become fluent in teenager speak. "What happened?"
"Well," Donnie attempted, voice weak as he looked between the wrecked form of the battle shell, the tattered remains of the semi, then down at his battered shivering brother, "Leo and I were picking up dinner, and then a huge semi truck lost control and ran the red light, we think he hit some black ice, it t-boned us in the battle shell."
Silence reigned on the line, before April exploded into a burst of noise, "Casey, get your coat! NOW!"
The human woman returned to the turtle, static buzzing from her movement, no doubt as she shoved her feet into boots and grabbed a thick coat, "Donnie, are either of you hurt?"
The turtle deflated, his quailing heart slowing down, shocking the turtle as he realized how tense he'd been up to this point, "Yeah," he muttered unhappily, "I'm bleeding from a cut somewhere on my face, plus I'm pretty banged up from when the truck flipped. Leo's worse though, he was thrown through the windshield."
"CASEY JONES, MOVE YOUR BUTT BEFORE I MOVE IT FOR YOU!"
Don winced, holding the phone away from his sensitive ear. Now that he thought about it, he probably had a gnarly concussion of his own. On the ground, Leo coughed out a laugh, shoulders shuddering from both the pain and the cold, "April's coming?"
"Oh, yeah," Donnie nodded, "she on the warpath. It's a good thing the semi truck driver is probably unconscious, otherwise she might kill him."
"If he isn't… dead already," Leo murmured, guilt coloring the softly spoken words.
Don paused, phone still braced against the uninjured side of his head, "Aniki," he breathed, one hand reaching to grab Leo's right hand to squeeze it comfortingly, "it isn't our fault, you know that, right? He was going too fast, he couldn't stop, especially not with how slick the roads are. Plus, if he didn't hit us, he would have hit a building, or ran off the road and off a dock into the ocean."
"Yeah," the blue warrior mourned, "but still…it feels like… a waste."
The younger turtle heaved a silent sigh, but kept his grip on Leo's hand, "I understand, but he may not be dead, he might just be unconscious."
"I hope so,"
The scientist felt a fond smile stretch his mouth. Only Leonardo would be so compassionate and caring after almost getting killed in a crazy car wreck. Not that his brother couldn't be tough when he wanted to be. Leonardo's mastery of his twin katana, not to mention his skills as a ninja, made him a force to be reckoned with. Give him his blades and a moonless night, and his big brother was a phantom, performing a fatal dance that conquered all swept into its flow. However, underneath the power and confidence of a battle tested warrior, lay the kind and gentle heart of a loving big brother. A compassionate being, who loved poetry and art, who read to his baby brothers on nights where sleep was elusive, and fought to defend his family against any and all threats. Leonardo was going to be a great leader of their clan one day, Donnie was sure of it. No one else would be able to do justice to the position the way the eldest could.
"DONATELLO!" April's voice shattered Donnie's thoughts, breaking him from his reverie.
"Yes!" The purple ninja stuttered, startled into answering.
"I've been saying your name over and over!" The human woman exclaimed, "I was worried you had fallen unconscious!"
"Sorry," Don groaned, "I think I may have a concussion as well, it's hard to keep my thoughts together."
"Where are you?"
The genius cast his eyes around, trying to see the street signs at the intersection, "We're around the warehouse district, at the intersection of West and Grant."
"Ok, we're on our way. Don't fall asleep, ok?"
"Yeah, I know."
Hanging up, the family medic checked on Leo, poking the older turtle on the cheek, "Hey," Donnie groused, "if I can't fall asleep then neither can you."
"Trying…not to," Leonardo rasped, "don't think I…could if I…wanted to…'s really cold."
Donnie gave an empathetic shiver, feeling his older brother shudder as well. Brown eyes drooped, a sudden fatigue stealing over the genius now that he knew April was on her way. She was even more practiced in medicine than he was, even though they both were less than certified. However, he was certain that April would make everything better. She had that ability to make even Raphael feel safe and secure. Almost like a mom. It was nice.
"Donnie,"
The purple masked teen jolted, eyes springing open as he straightened from a slumped position, "Huh?"
Glancing down, he noticed a battered green hand clutching the front of his parka, the trembling fingers straining to maintain their grip. Chocolate brown eyes met sapphire blue and the duo commiserated in a sigh, "Sorry, aniki, I guess I'm more tired than I thought."
"Don't…fall asleep," Leonardo commanded, albeit weakly, gaze aflame with determined azure fire.
"I won't,"
A shrill beeping cut through the night air, startling the brothers, and Donatello groaned as he fished the shell cell back out of his pocket. Looking down at the screen, the genius smiled, "Hey, Mikey,"
"YOU WERE IN A CAR WRECK?!"
"Now, I can explain," Donnie attempted.
"Oh, no," Michelangelo ranted, "don't you 'I can explain' to me! I invented 'I can explain', and failing to call your brothers after a CAR WRECK is most definitely NOT something that can be explained!"
"I called April?" The genius tried.
"That's good, I'm glad," the youngest congratulated in a mocking tone, "but what about us?!"
"I'm sorry!" Donatello finally whined, "In my defense I got hit on the head pretty hard, I tried calling Leo first, but then I remembered he was the one driving,"
"Yeah…I'm pretty useless," the blue turtle muttered between chattering teeth.
"Hush, you," Donnie grunted, flicking Leo on the cheek, "so I called April next. I was going to call you guys, but it's hard to keep my thoughts together since the wreck."
Mikey's rage eased, hearing the exhaustion in his brother's voice, "Fine," he growled, though without any malice, "Raph and I are coming, ok? April is bringing the van, and a ton of blankets."
"Good idea," Don nodded, "you might want to grab a wrist and neck brace, too."
"The neck brace?!" The youngest's tone shifted to panic, and Don was quick to explain.
"Leo was thrown through the windshield of the battle shell, he broke his collarbone, but his neck seems fine. I still want to brace it though, to be on the safe side."
He must have been on speaker phone, because the genius heard Raphael give a rough curse, prompting a scolding from Master Splinter. Although, the reprimand was more out of habit than anything else, everyone felt a bit like cussing after what happened that night. "We'll grab yer braces, Don," the red ninja called, voice echoing through the lair over the line, "ya want me ta get anythin' else?"
Don hesitated, considering what he could ask for, but his line of thought was interrupted by another round of rattling coughs from Leonardo. Grimacing in sympathy, the genius turned back to the phone, "Hot water bottles, or an electric heating pad, Leo has been lying exposed in the snow for a while, and I think he's getting sick."
Another round of profanity spewed from the phone, the echoing sigh of their father in the background as the old rat gave up trying to correct the behavior. Michelangelo came back on the line, his normally cheerful voice subdued and serious, "We'll be there soon, Donnie!"
"Ok," Donatello hung up, the street once again falling silent.
Leo shifted in his lap, a pained moan slipping out from deep in his throat as he struggled to lay in a more comfortable position, "How much trouble…do you think we're in?" The leader asked, his voice weak and thready.
"If we're lucky," The purple ninja replied in a deadpan tone, "none."
….
It took another twenty minutes for April and Casey to arrive, with Mikey and Raphael pulling up on the red motorcycle about five minutes later. Don couldn't have been more relieved, Leo was barely holding on to consciousness, and he wasn't any better. Michelangelo had helped Donnie to his feet, aiding the limping turtle to the back of the van. The purple turtle was promptly bundled up in numerous blankets, and was getting his gash looked over by the youngest. All the turtles were adept in first aid, although they gladly allowed Donatello to take the reigns when more serious injuries occurred. However, it wasn't so dire that they were helpless if Donnie was out of commission. Plus, they had April to help, and that was just as good as Donnie.
Back in the street, Raph knelt next to Leonardo, April checking the older turtle over with fluttering hands and a furrowed brow. The hotheaded turtle grimaced at the bloody sight. Thankfully, Leo's head had stopped bleeding, which was a definite relief. However, that didn't make the gash any less gruesome to look at. Donnie's face was bashed up pretty good too. However, their resident know it all was able to walk away relatively unscathed, save the cut on his head. Leo, on the other hand, he definitely was looking worse for wear. Between the head injury, the broken bones and dislocated knee, their leader had quite the recovery period ahead. Scooting up close, the second oldest brother cupped the blue warrior's cheek as gently as he could in the palm of his hand.
"Hey, Fearless," he rumbled, his tone tender as he stroked the bloody face with a calloused thumb, "ya look like crap."
Leo cast a bleary sapphire gaze up at his younger brother, Raphael not missing how long it took for the turtle to locate and focus on his face, "You…should see…the other guy," he said, giving a weak grin.
"I did," Raphael nodded, "gotta say, it's pretty impressive that our truck held up so well against a Mac."
"It's called…the battle shell…for a reason," Leonardo rasped, smiling at his joke, "you and Donnie…do good work…"
The red warrior gave a smug smirk, happy at the praise but still concerned for his brother, "Yeah," he nodded, "how about I help April get the brace on yer neck, then we can get ya inta the van, kay? Mikey and I made sure ta bring plenty of hot water bottles to help ya warm up."
"Warm is good," Leo nodded, wincing as the movement aggravated his collarbone, "warm is very good."
"This jacket definitely saved your hide," April smiled, taking the neck brace from Raph and slowly turning the injured terrapin onto his shell, "and I mean that literally."
"Ha…ha…ha," Leo replied, snarky even while desperately trying to hold back pained groans.
"Hey, Leo," Raph grabbed his leader's leg, preparing to twist the knee cap back into place, "yer plans really suck."
"Say, what?!" The blue masked head popped up, indignation wreathed across the battered features right as his younger brother gave a fierce yank.
Leo fell back, April catching the bloody head before it knocked into the asphalt for the second time that night. Gritted teeth bared at the moon, a howling shriek of pain echoed behind the clenched jaw. His shoulders and chest heaved with agonized pants, striving to breathe through the stabbing running up his leg from his knee cap. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the pain lessened to a burning throb, "R-Raph-ael," the young leader moaned, "y-you…su-uck."
The red ninja gave a lopsided grin, though his eyes held a measure of guilt at the rough treatment, "Sorry, bro," he rasped, "ya know that ya tense up too much when we count ta three. It's easier ta make ya mad, and do it while yer distracted."
"I know," the leader whined, "doesn't mean I have to like it!"
April huffed, "Will you stop moving? I'm trying to brace your neck."
"My neck is fine April," Leo groused, still pouting over Raphael tricking him in order to reset his knee, "it's my collarbone that's wrecked."
"Same difference, Mr. Grumpy-pants." The human hummed, a mischievous grin lightening her features as she wrapped the brace around the turtle's neck.
"That's Master Grumpy-pants to you, April," the blue turtle shot back, sticking his tongue out, but then fell silent, rapidly losing what energy he had gained from the rush of adrenaline.
"Master?" April raised a delicate eyebrow in question.
Raphael grinned, pride glowing in liquid gold eyes, "Apparently, the Ancient One told Master Splinter that Leo finished his mystic trainin'. So, he's at the level of master for ninjutsu. Not that that means anythin' ta the old guys, they told us the title is meaningless because Leo is still technically in trainin' for the next level above that. So, ta them, he's still a student, but ta us, he's closer ta Master Splinter's level than we are."
"Wow!" The human woman grinned, giving the battered turtle's shoulder a congratulatory pat, "Good job, Leo!"
Leonardo raised his right hand, twirling a sarcastic finger, "Yay me," he grumbled, "can we go home now?"
April giggled, while Raphael released a warm chuckle, "Yeah, yeah," the hothead snickered, "hold yer horses."
Raph made quick work of putting Leo's broken wrist into a sling, opting not to brace it until they were able to set the bone. Then came the hard part. Moving the blue warrior was going to be difficult. Granted, Raphael could carry him if push came to shove, but they were still concerned about any possible injuries to his ribs or spine. In the end, though, April was able to rig up a kind of stretcher, with which they used to transport Leo to the back of the van. By this point, the young leader's eyes were half closed, rolling back as the teen fought falling unconscious, but found himself on the losing side of the battle. Donatello was already asleep, wrapped in a nest of blankets while Mikey used butterfly stitches to hold the genius turtle's head wound shut. Seeing his oldest brother now in the van with Donnie, Michelangelo wasted no time cleaning up Leo's gash, and similarly using the same butterfly stitches to close it up.
Casey revved the engine, clicking his phone shut as he ended a call, "I called an ambulance for the semi truck driver, and I even gotta friend of mine that said he'll pick up the battle shell tonight, and take it ta the garage. I told him it was a custom job for battle racin' or somethin' like that, so he won't ask too many questions about it."
"Thanks, Casey," Mikey grinned, leaning over Leo as he delicately placed each stitch around the wound, "we owe you one, dude."
"Nah," the older man replied sheepishly, "consider it thanks fer all the times ya saved my sorry behind."
The youngest turtle nodded, happily, then returned to his job, "Don't worry, Leo, we got you. Soon, you'll be home, and I'll make sure you and Donnie have the best seats in the house while you recover, ok?"
Leo gave a hum of pleasure at the offer, settling back into the pillow that had been placed under his head, and snuggling the blankets that Mikey had given him. Tonight had been a crazy adventure, however, the turtle was grateful that it wasn't worse than it was. He could easily have been maimed, crippled or even killed tonight, but he walked away with just a few injuries. Now that he was in the care of his family, Leonardo could finally relax. The tension eased out of tight muscles, and with a soft sigh, the blue ninja drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
So the knee thing actually DID happen to me. I was held down while they yanked my kneecap back into place, and when I say I screamed, what I really mean is I shrieked bloody murder. It HURT.
I'm pretty sure I'll do one more chapter as a short epilogue, showing Donnie and Leo getting spoiled by their family. However, just in case, if you would like me to post a recovery epilogue, please let me know in the comments!
As always, please REVIEW!