Title: Aftermath
Word Count: 4384
Author: aquietwritingcorner/realitybreakgirl
Rating: T
Characters: Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Splinter, Casey Jones, April O'Neil, Leatherhead
Warning: Seizures
Summary: "Donnie?" he asked softly. "You okay?" Don's bo, which was in his hand, clattered to the ground, the sound echoing. Then, to Leo's alarm, Don stiffened up, and fell.
Notes: Seizure terminology has changed a little over the years. Considering that this fic would be set around 2003-2005, I've elected to use the terminology that was correct then. Grand Mal is the term that would have been used prior to 2017 for the type of seizure that Donnie has here. After 2017, this type of seizure has been renamed as Tonic-Clonic. It's the same type of seizure, just with a different name due to new, more specific categorization.

Aftermath

The door opened with a hiss that echoed in the empty lair. With plodding footsteps, the turtles and Splinter entered their home, accompanied by Leatherhead, Casey, and April. Between dealing with the Triceriton invasion, the run to keep Honeycutt safe, Agent Bishop, and Honeycutt's funeral, the group was running on nearly empty.

"It's good to be home," Leo said with a sigh as they stepped inside.

"You're telling me," Mikey said, glancing back at Leo. "I think I wanna go stuff my face, and then collapse somewhere and not move for a few days."

"I want a shower first," Raph said, grimacing. "Get all this grime and stuff offa me."

"A shower does sound nice," April admitted, "as does a bed. This is exhausting. I don't know how you guys do this all the time."

"Yeah, yer telling me. After all a that, I could do with somethin' ta drink." Casey said. "I'm parched."

"Tea," Splinter said firmly, already turning towards the kitchen. "A cup of tea would do us all some good. I will prepare some for us."

Leatherhead watched Splinter, and then turned towards Leo. "Are you positive about welcoming me into your home?" he asked. "I'm grateful, but I do not wish to intrude. Our last encounter was not… on the best of terms."

"You're fine," Leo said. "It's water under the bridge. Just come in and relax. I think we all could use it."

"Food, drink, showers, sleep—all of it sounds good to me!" Mikey said with a grin, already heading towards the couch to take over the TV. Raph moved after him, the two settling into familiar fussing.

Leo glanced over at Don. He had been quiet during the conversation. He had been quiet on the way home, as well. Leo assumed that it was because of his grief and guilt over Professor Honeycutt's death, and he had half expected him to head straight to his lab and immediately block out everyone else. But instead, Don was still standing near the entrance, seeming to stare off into nothing. Something about it seemed off, and it set Leo's senses to tingling. Concerned, he turned more fully to face his brother, making his way towards him.

"Donnie?" he asked softly. "You okay?"

Don's bo, which was in his hand, clattered to the ground, the sound echoing. Then, to Leo's alarm, Don stiffened up, and fell.

"Donnie!"

Leo leapt towards him, barely catching his brother before he hit the ground. He felt as stiff as a board, seemed to be gasping for breath, and then, to Leo's horror, he began to jerk in what were clearly rapid, uncontrolled movements. Footsteps and voices rang out as Don's collapse and Leo's yell sent them rushing towards the pair.

"Donnie!"

"What's happening to him?"

"My son!"

"Donatello!"

"Was he hit?!"

"Don't let him hit his head but give him space!"

Surprisingly, Casey's voice cut through the rest of them, authority ringing in it. Mikey bounced away, returning seconds later with a pillow that Leo shoved under Donatello's head. Don continued jerking, small noises and gasps of breath punctuating his state, and Leo automatically reached out to him again.

"Don't touch him!" Casey's voice was sharp, and Leo immediately froze, looking up at the older man. Casey's voice softened a bit. "I know it's hard, man, but he's gotta just ride it out."

"Mister Jones, what else can we do?" Splinter asked. Leo looked over at Splinter, a little surprised that he was looking for guidance.

"When it's finished, turn him to his side," Casey said. "We don't wanna move him until he's with it. Probably a good idea to take off his mask too. He might not be all there for a moment after it's over. That's okay, just reassure him. When he's back to himself, then we can move him to somewhere comfortable. We kinda just gotta go from there. We can give him something to drink or eat after he's with it again."

Casey kept glancing at his watch as he spoke, his eyes going back and forth between it and Donnie.

"Michaelangelo, Raphael, go prepare a place in my room for him," Splinter said. They both took off. "Leatherhead, if we could request your assistance in moving Donatello once he is ready."

"Of course," Leatherhead said.

"April, Donatello keeps a medical kit in his laboratory. Please fetch it."

"Of course, Master Splinter." April hurried off.

Leo looked up at Splinter. His father met his eyes. "Stay with him, Leonardo. You are doing what is needed here."

Leo nodded, not trusting his voice. He glanced back at Casey, who was looking at his watch with a grim look on his face.

Leo didn't like that and averted his eyes back to Donatello's jerking form. He liked that less, but at least he could keep an eye on his brother. He ached to do something, anything, but there was nothing that he could do, except watch as his brother jerked uncontrollably. He felt helpless, and it was unsettling. The seconds ticked by at a snail's pace, but finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Don's jerking slowed, stopped, and his body relaxed.

"Roll him on his side," Casey instructed, and Leo quickly did so. "April, get some towels and a blanket."

"On it!" April dropped the kit by their side, not hesitating for a moment.

Casey knelt down next to Don, looking him over with what seemed to be a practiced eye. Leo reached up to untie Don's mask even as Splinter ran a comforting hand along Don's shoulder.

"My son?"

Donnie didn't say anything, his breath gasping, and drool leaking out of his mouth. Leo tried to fight back panic, trying not to think of all of the movies and shows where that had been used to show that someone had a brain injury.

April came careening back in and slapped a towel in Casey's hand. With a gentleness that Leo hadn't seen from him before, Casey took the towel and wiped up the drool that was dripping out of Don's mouth. He didn't seem worried by it, which eased Leo's anxiety a little.

"Mister Jones?" Splinter asked.

"It's a normal thing that can happen," Casey said. "So can, ah, accidents, but it don't look like we've got that problem right now. Just give him a minute. His brain went all wonky on him. It's gonna take him a minute to get himself back together."

"What can we do in the meantime?" Leo asked.

"Just be there," Casey said. "And be comforting."

"What's—" April paused as she stared at Don. "What's that? On his head?"

They all paused to look, Leo not sure how they had missed the red, angry burns and the puncture wounds that seemed to be leaking blood before.

"Burns?" Leatherhead said. "And a small wound."

Leo looked down at the mask he held in his hand. He could see blood not just on one side of the mask, but on both sides of it. Grim, he held the mask up. "On both sides, it looks like."

There was a beat of silence, but before anyone could say anything else, Donatello groaned, and all of their attention snapped back to him and not his injuries.

"Donnie?" Leo said, leaning close to his brother. "Hey, bud, just take it easy." He rubbed the edge of Don's shell, trying to comfort him.

Don blinked, slowly, and shifted a bit, something that sounded like he was trying to form words coming out of his mouth. His brow furrowed for a moment, and slowly, his eyes moved around, tracking up to Leo. Leo did his best to give him a reassuring smile. Don didn't return it, his brow only furrowing more.

"'S all good, Donnie," Casey said in a surprisingly gentle tone. "Just take yer time and come out of it at yer own pace."

Don looked confused, and a small, distressed noise came out of him. Before Leo could even react to that, Splinter was there, inserting himself between Leo and Donnie and taking over comforting his son.

"You are safe, my son," Splinter said, laying a paw on Don's forehead. "You are safe. You are home and you are safe."

Don blinked some more, as if he were trying to put pieces of what had just happened together. "F-f-Father?" he said, his voice shaky and weak. "What… what happened?"

"You had a seizure, my son. But do not worry. We are here to help you."

"Hey Donnie. Do ya mind if I ask you a few questions?" Casey carefully butted in, and Don's attention slowly turned towards him.

"…okay…?"

Casey nodded. "First off, what's my name?"

Don blinked. "C-casey."

"Good. And his?" he pointed to Leo.

Again, Don answered. "Leo."

"How about this guy?" Casey asked, jerking a thumb behind him.

Don was quiet for a moment more. "…Leatherhead."

"The pretty lady?"

"April." There was no hesitation on that one.

"And what about those two who're comin'?"

Don looked to where Mikey and Raph were coming towards the group again and squinted. Leo's heart pounded. Had he forgotten them? Or was something wrong with Don's vision?

"Mikey and Raphie," he said after they got closer, his voice exhausted.

"Okay, do you know where you are, Donnie?" Casey asked.

"…the floor."

"Of where?"

For this, Don grew silent again, although suddenly his eyes started to widen, and his breathing began to take on an almost panicked pattern.

"My son." Splinter said again. "You are safe. Look around you. See where you are." He reached out, laying a hand on Donatello's cheek. "You are safe. I am with you."

After a moment or two of Splinter repeating that, Don seemed to calm.

"I'm… I'm home," he said.

"Good, Donnie," Casey said, encouraging him. "Do you know what happened?"

"Um… s-someone said I had… had a seizure?" Don said, somewhat uncertainly.

"Sure seems that way," Casey said. He looked up at Raph and Mikey. "Hey, is that place ready for him?"

Raph nodded. "Yeah. That's what we were comin' back here to tell you."

Casey moved away a bit. "I think it'd be okay to move him now. Just don't be surprised if he's really weak and stuff."

"My son, we are going to move you to my room now. Please don't be alarmed. Leatherhead is going to carry you there." Splinter said.

Don nodded, looking exhausted. Leatherhead very carefully picked him up, reassuring Don as he did.

Splinter lead the way, directing Leatherhead on where to go while Mikey followed behind, just in case. Raph looked at Casey curiously.

"Hey. How'd you know all a' that?" he asked.

Casey shrugged. "Used ta have this friend when I was a kid, name was Stevie. Stevie had epilepsy. Both of us were kinda a bit of outcasts here and there, so we hung out a lot together. First time I saw Stevie have a seizure, it scared me. But his ma stayed calm and showed me what to do. After that I made sure ta learn what to do, just in case I needed to help Stevie. It came in handy more than once. So, when I saw what was happenin' to Donnie, I knew what was going on."

"Huh," April said. "Well, good going Jones."

Casey cracked a smile at her but nodded at the blanket in her arms. "Let's go get that to them, just in case they need it." Casey glanced at Leo and Raph. "He might take a bit to recover. He ever had anything like this before?"

Leo and Raph glanced at each other, but both shook their heads. "No, not that I can remember," Leo said.

"Me either," Raph said.

"Well somethin' had to have triggered it," Casey said. "My guess'd be those wounds on his head had something to do with it. Maybe he can tell us somethin' about them later."

Casey started towards Splinter's room, April with him, But Raph and Leo hung back a bit. Raph put a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"You good, bro?" he asked.

Leo shook his head. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "That was… it was pretty terrifying, to be honest."

"Yeah, it was," Raph said with a grimace. "Betcha it's ten times worse for Donnie."

"Yeah," Leo said.

They stood there for a second more, then followed the rest of the family towards Splinter's room.

By the time they got there, Don was nestled into a pile of blankets and pillows, Splinter by his side, and talking softly. April was working on cleaning and bandaging his head.

"—don't remember. Just… getting to the sewers and then… waking up on the floor."

"Yeah, that's not unusual," Casey said. "How are ya feeling other than that?"

"Tired," Don said, looking over when Raph and Leo entered. "Just… exhausted. Sore. And my head hurts."

"Then let us get you some tea so you can rest," Splinter said as April finished up.

"I'm on it," Raph said, clapping Leo on the shoulder before getting it.

It didn't take Raph long to get the tea, nor did it take very long for Splinter to help Don drink it and have him eat a few crackers. Don's exhaustion got the better of him, then, and he fell asleep, something Casey said was fine. Still, even when he was sleeping, none of them wanted to leave Don alone.

"So" Casey said, breaking the silence. "I gotta ask—has this ever happened to Donnie before?"

They all looked to Splinter, who shook his head. "No. Never that I am aware of."

"Donnie wouldn't have hidden something like this from us," Mikey said. "Not something serious like this."

Casey nodded. "From what I remember, seizures don't come from nowhere. Since he ain't had them before, I betcha they've got something to do with those wounds on his head."

"But where did those come from?" Raph asked.

"They came from the Triceritons," Splinter said with an undercurrent of anger, and everyone's attention snapped to him.

"Sensei?" Leo asked.

"While you four were gone, I was meditating, trying to find you," Splinter said. "Without warning, I heard Donatello call out to me. He was in unspeakable pain, something happening to his mind. I focused, and, helping him, I forced whatever it was out of his mind. I felt, through your brother, something physical break, releasing him, and then the connection was broken as well."

"That's why you wanted me to tell you where everyone was so badly," Mikey said, realization dawning on him. "When I came in for my hoverboard, I mean."

"But… why now? Why not then, or soon after?" April asked.

Casey shook his head. "I dunno. I know that different things can trigger a seizure. Trauma, lack of sleep, some people say stress and strong emotions can, too."

"Sounds like Don had all of those things," Leo said with a grimace.

"He did, indeed," Splinter said. "Although I will be honest and say that the trauma is the one that concerns me the most."

Casey blew out a breath, looking up, as if he were trying to remember something. "…It's been a while, but if I'm rememberin' right, then you guys should keep an eye on him. He had one of them big seizures. Grand Mal. I dunno if there'd be others or not, but it's not gonna hurt to watch him." Casey looked back at Don. "Especially with that head trauma."

"Do… do you think it'll happen again?" Mikey asked, looking up with uncertain eyes. "Another Grand Mal one, I mean?"

Casey blanched a little. "To be honest, I dunno. My friend who had them, he had epilepsy. It's different with a head trauma. But right now? Best thing is to let Donnie rest. And don't be surprised if he doesn't remember any of this when he wakes up, or even other recent memories."

Mikey looked back down at Don, clearly worried.

"I may be able to help," Leatherhead said. "While I did not study medicine, with the Utroms biotechnology, there are many similarities, and I was given a basic education in humanoid anatomy and physiology."

"Any help is most welcome," Splinter said.

"If only I had access to the tools my family had," the giant alligator lamented.

"Don has some things," Leo said hopefully. "I'm not sure what, but maybe you'd be able to tell? You're a scientist, too."

Leatherhead nodded. "While I am not currently functioning at my best, and my require some assistance, I would like to see what Donatello has available."

"Raph, go with him," Leo said. "You know Donnie's stuff better than the rest of us."

Raph nodded, gesturing for Leatherhead to follow him. "Come on, big guy," he said, leading the way out of Splinter's room.

"Michelangelo," Splinter said. "I think we all could use something light to eat. Will you prepare something?"

Mikey nodded and stood up. "Yeah, sure thing, Sensei."

"I'll help you," April said.

The two left, and it was just Casey, Leo, Splinter, and the sleeping Donatello left in the room. Splinter looked back at them both.

"Leonardo, Mr. Jones, please, sit down," Splinter said. He waited until they did and directed his attention at Casey. "Mr. Jones. I want you to tell both Leonardo and myself everything you know about seizures. I wish to be as prepared as possible."

For a moment, Casey looked surprised, but then he nodded. "Alright. Well, let's see. First off, there's different kinds of seizures…"

It was several hours later when Don woke up. It took him a moment to orient himself. His brain felt sluggish, like when he'd been up for a few days, and woke up from a very short nap. His body, though, felt sore all over. It took him a moment to realize that he was in Splinter's room, and a moment longer to realize that meant something must have happened to him. But what?

"Donnie?"

Don turned his head, wincing a little as he did. Leo was sitting next to the bed, watching him with worried eyes.

"…Leo?"

Leo gave him a soft smile and nodded. "Yep. How are you feeling?"

"…awful." Don said after a moment. "Sore, and… sluggish." He blinked. "What happened, Leo?"

Leo's smile dropped. "You had a seizure, Donnie."

Don stared at him. "A seizure?"

Leo nodded. "Almost as soon as we got into the lair. That's been… nearly twelve hours ago at this point."

Don stared at his brother, aghast. "I've been unconscious for twelve hours?"

Leo shook his head. "No. You came back around shortly after your seizure—Casey said it was a Grand Mal seizure, and he timed it. It was almost three minutes—and you answered some questions after we moved you in here. You fell asleep after that. You've been sleeping for about eleven and a half hours, though."

Don blinked at Leo. "I don't… remember…"

"Casey said that was normal, too," Leo said.

Don blinked at him again. "Wait. Why do you keep saying that Casey said things?" he asked.

A lopsided smile formed on Leo's face. "Because he is. Turns out, he actually knows a lot about seizures, because of a childhood friend. He's our expert right now."

Don stared at least for a moment. "…huh."

"Yeah, it's weird for all of us, too," Leo said. "But he thinks that it was caused by whatever gave you those injuries on your head."

"…injuries?" Don said, suddenly becoming aware that there were bandages on his head, and this his very skull seemed to ache at the temples. He raised a hand up, gently brushing at them, stopping when a sharp burst of pain went through them. "…oh."

Leo frowned. "Do you know what caused them?" he asked Don.

Don nodded. "Yeah. I think so."

Leo nodded. "Master Splinter thought you might. But he said not to push you, that you could tell us later, when Leatherhead is present."

Don's brow crinkled. "Leatherhead? Why him?"

"Leatherhead has some knowledge of… well, to be honest, I didn't really follow it when he went into detail. But basically, because of the Utroms technorganic technology, he's got some knowledge that might be helpful." Leo paused. "I hope you don't mind, but we let him loose in your lab. He thinks he can make some sort of basic device to scan your brain, at least a little."

"No, that's… that's fine," Don said, closing his eyes. "My head really hurts."

"I'll go get Master Splinter," Leo said, getting up.

Don merely hummed in acknowledgement.

It took Splinter only moments to arrive, Leo coming back in not long after him with a cup of tea and some painkillers. Splinter helped Don to sit up, Don surprised to find himself a little unsteady. But still, he drank the tea and took the painkillers. He stayed sitting up for a few more minutes and found that he felt better that way. It wasn't long before he found himself on the couch, with everyone hovering around him. Mikey brought him soup, and Don dutifully ate what he felt like he could, sitting it aside when it was only halfway finished.

"My son," Splinter said when it was clear that he was finished. "Can you tell us what happened to cause your injury."

Don was quiet for a moment, looking down at his hands. "It… it was something called the mind probe," he said. "When I wouldn't give them any information, the Prime Leader had it put on my head. They wouldn't believe that… that the Professor… that he wasn't here. So, they put that on my head to scan my memories. Only…" Don seemed to shrink in on himself a little.

"Only what, my son?" Splinter asked.

"Only I think it did more than that," Don said. "It—it was painful. It hurt. It hurt worse than anything I've ever felt before." His shoulders curled in a little more. "…It felt like it was ripping my mind apart."

A furry hand reached out and took one of Don's hands. Don looked over at his father.

"And that is when you called out for me," Splinter said.

Don nodded. "And you answered. You helped me short it out." Don looked back at his lap, at his hand and his father's. "I don't know how it worked, but I'm positive that whatever it did, it was physically reaching into my brain."

"That'd probably explain the seizure," Casey said, breaking the silence. April elbowed him in the gut, and he let out an oof, and then looked at her. "What?"

"I believe you may be correct, Donatello," Leatherhead said, ignoring the two. "I remember reading an entry on such a device once. It sent small nano-filaments into the tissues, using those to deliver the impulse to the memory cells that prompted the memory. However, it was not unusual for this to destroy the cells themselves, or to leave a path of damage in the wake of the nano-filaments."

"Wait—are you saying—" Raph started, "—are you saying that Donnie has brain damage?"

Leatherhead shook his head. "I am saying that it is a possibility, given what I know. Once we finish this machine, I should be able to tell you more specifically what the damage is." He looked over at Donatello and Splinter. "In the meantime, it's probably best that Donatello take it easy."

"When will the machine be finished?" Splinter asked.

"This afternoon, if all goes well," Leatherhead said.

Splinter nodded and looked at Don. "Good. Come then, Donatello. You are going to rest more."

There was no room for argument, and Splinter took Don back to his room, where he forced his son into another nap. For once, Don didn't resist, tired from both the previous days and the seizure. True to his word, Leatherhead did have a simplistic scanner up and running by that afternoon and, after Don awoke, they put him through it. Leatherhead examined the results, while the rest of the family waited with bated breath.

"…There is damage," Leatherhead finally said. "I would not be surprised to find that Donatello is missing a few memories. These punctures will also be a weak spot until the bone heals over. They will need to be protected. However," he looked at the incredibly pensive family, "from what I can tell, it looks as if there was no damage to Donatello's ability to form new memories, and the damage he has seems to already be repairing itself. I doubt that there will be any more seizures in the future, unless caused by other factors."

Leatherhead gave them all a smile. "In other words, Donatello will be fine, in time."

There was a sigh of relief at that, and the tension that had been building seemed to leave the room.

"We will all take a few days to rest," Splinter said. "And then we will re-evaluate from there. Mr. Jones, Leatherhead, thank you both very much for your help."

"It wasn't nothin'."

"It was my pleasure to help."

Leo watched as Splinter still hovered over Don, as the family seemed to relax, and as the tension that had been keeping them all in a grip bled away. The whole ordeal had been terrifying, this aftermath almost more terrifying than the invasion itself. Leo was more than relieved that it seemed Don would be alright, and things could return to normal. But he would also keep an eye on his brother for a while. He didn't think he'd forget the terrifying feeling of Don seizing under his hands and being helpless to do anything about it.

Maybe in this rest period, he'd borrow some of Don's medical books. Maybe he wouldn't need to use what they contained, but the way he figured, more knowledge was better than less.

Especially if it meant saving or helping a brother.

That decision made, Leo joined the rest of the family in the living area, joining Don on the couch as Mikey, Raph, and Casey argued about what movie to put in. Don leaned over on Leo a little bit, and Leo wrapped an arm around him, settling in, and promising to himself to never let Don or anyone else get hurt this badly again.

He swore it.