Chapter 7-Supporting The Youngest

The next day…

Ever since the heated quarrel yesterday, the older turtle brothers had hardly spoken to one another, much to the sadness and dismay of Master Splinter, April, and Casey.

Leo was still feeling emotionally sore from the way almost all his friends and family were against him, making him no longer interested in Mikey's healing status or the opinions of others. At the moment, Leo was doing morning training with Raph and Casey outside and Master Splinter observing them from a distance.

Raph was now emotionally confused and didn't know what to do since part of him agreed with Leo on how Mikey's actions were making things harder for them, but the other part of him wanted to agree with Donnie because the whole family had been through a lot and both the trauma and blame game were slowly destroying them all.

Donnie, on the other hand, was staying close to Mikey, who was still unconscious from the bear attack yesterday, and keeping an eye on him whilst wearing a sad and frustrated look on his face. In fact, Donnie was so upset with Leo's attitude towards Mikey and the others during last night's quarrel that he deliberately ignored Leo throughout the rest of the day, even refusing to train with him and Raph in order to remain by Mikey's side during his recovery.

Suddenly, a small moan was heard coming out of the youngest turtle's mouth, snapping Donnie out of his thoughts.

"Mikey?" Donnie called out his brother's name softly as he held his hand to support him. It was then that he noticed Mikey's eyelids beginning to move, indicating that he was starting to wake up.

A whole minute later, Mikey groaned as his eyes slowly opened halfway and his head turned towards Donnie when he heard his immediate older brother's voice.

"Oh, finally…you're awake…!" Donnie sighed in relief.

"D-Donnie…?" Mikey whispered tiredly whilst trying to focus his eyes on his brother's face.

"Yes, I'm here…You feeling ok?" Donnie replied as he stroked Mikey's hand.

"Urgh…E-Everythin' hurts…" Mikey groaned in pain as he slightly moved his wounded body.

"I know, just try not to move your neck too much…That black bear really did a number on you yesterday, and he nicked an artery in your neck…" Donnie instructed softly whilst placing a hand on his brother's unwounded shoulder.

"M'kay…" Mikey mumbled before his eyes looked around at his surroundings.

"M'guessing that…w're back in the farmh'se…?" He questioned in a tired slur.

"Yes, we're all safe and back at the farmhouse…" Donnie answered with a nod before he suddenly noticed Mikey's face saddening and his eyes filling up with tears.

"Mikey? Hey, what's wrong?" He asked in concern.

"W-Why…did you bring me back here…? W-Why did you save me…?" Mikey questioned, his voice close to cracking.

"Because I told you yesterday; you're my brother and you were badly wounded…!" Donnie answered caringly.

"Y-You shouldn't've…brought me back…" Mikey said sadly.

"Mikey-"

"I-I heard everythin'…yesterday…" Mikey confessed, cutting Donnie off.

"What?" Donnie said in surprise and shock.

"T-The shouting…I-I heard my name…in those words…" Mikey explained before he allowed his tears to fall.

"Shell, Donnie…I-I've…I've destroyed our family!" He then rasped before he broke down in a sob.

"Wha-? No, you haven't! Things are a bit heated now, but everything will cool down overtime…!" Donnie reassured firmly but softly.

Mikey was still so heartbroken that he didn't listen to Donnie's words and sobbed even more.

"Oh, Mikey, don't cry…" Donnie soothed as he gently hugged his little brother.

"M'sorry…I-I'm so sorry…" He heard Mikey say in a muffled voice due to his face being buried against his immediate older brother's shoulder.

"No, no…You don't need to apologise, bro…None of this was your fault…" Donnie countered before he slowly released Mikey from the hug.

"Come on now, take some deep breaths and relax…I don't want you getting any worse than you're already are now…" He then said whilst gently wiping away the tears from Mikey's face.

Mikey did what Donnie told him to do and started to slowly take some deep breaths to try and calm himself down. Eventually, after a couple of minutes went by, his sobbing had stopped with only the odd sniffle and hiccup leftover.

"There you go…Now, you just rest a little more while I go get you some water; you must be thirsty after losing a lot of blood yesterday…" Donnie said softly.

Mikey nodded and watched Donnie get up and head towards the stairs to get him a drink of water before he closed his eyes again to try and relax a bit more after his breakdown.

/

Downstairs…

Donnie walked down the stairs and went straight towards the kitchen to get Mikey his glass of water. As he opened the cupboard doors and grabbed a glass, he hadn't noticed that Master Splinter had appeared on the other side of the Kitchen until he turned around and jumped in surprise.

"Oh! Master Splinter!" The purple-banded turtle exclaimed.

"Donatello, is Michelangelo alright? I sense that his spirit has become wavered and full of sadness…" Master Splinter questioned in a worried tone.

"Well, he woke up not long ago and was talking with me for a bit, which is a good sign, but…Master Splinter, he told me that he heard everything in the quarrel from yesterday…He's really upset about it because he feels that he's to blame for causing it. I tried to reassure him that it wasn't his fault for what happened yesterday, but I'm not sure if he really believes me…" Donnie explained in a quiet tone because he didn't want Mikey to overhear him.

"I see…It is as I feared; it seems the events from yesterday have been very hard on him…" Master Splinter replied, lowering his head with a sad sigh.

"Would you mind if you go and be with him whilst I get him a glass of water, Sensei?" Donnie asked his father softly.

"Not at all, Donatello…I will see you upstairs…" Master Splinter answered kindly before he started his walk up the stairs to be with Mikey.

After seeing his father go, Donnie went to the sink and started filling the glass cup with water. He then grabbed a straw for Mikey to make it easier for him to drink it without straining his injuries.

"Hey, Donnie…" April's soft voice was suddenly heard coming from behind him. The human female had just returned from her trip to the supermarket to get a couple of more things when she spotted Donnie in the kitchen.

"Hi, April…" Donnie replied tiredly as he turned around to look at her.

"You ok? You look really worn out…" April asked in concern when she noticed how tired Donnie looked.

"I'm fine…it's Mikey I'm more worried about…" Donnie answered sadly.

"What do you mean? Has he woken up yet?" April questioned anxiously.

"Yeah, but…" Donnie answered before he started explaining to April about what had transpired in the shared bedroom minutes ago.

"Oh, no…" April said with dread.

"Yeah…Master Splinter is up there with him now, and I'm just getting him some water since blood loss can cause dehydration…" Donnie added.

"Ok, I could make some food for him if you want…" April offered kindly.

"Thanks, April, but I think we should wait until Mikey is more awake and a bit stronger before he can eat something…We can try giving him something light like soup later to start off with…" Donnie advised.

"Yeah, good idea…" April agreed with a nod before she asked Donnie a question.

"Is it ok if I go with you to see Mikey? I still need to thank him for saving me yesterday…"

"Sure, I don't think Master Splinter would mind, just remember to keep your voice low since Mikey's not feeling like himself right now…" Donnie advised before he started walking towards the stairs.

April nodded before she followed Donnie and walked up the stairs to go and see how Mikey was doing.

/

Upstairs…

When Donnie and April reached the top of the stairs, they saw Master Splinter sitting on the chair next to Mikey's bed and giving his youngest son as much comfort as he could. The poor turtle was tearing up again in his good hand, meaning that whatever he was talking about with Master Splinter had made him upset once more.

"Sensei? Is everything alright?" Donnie asked in concern in a low tone to avoid startling Mikey.

"Do not worry, Donatello; Michelangelo is only having a moment to recollect himself…He has been trying to speak to me, but he is currently finding it hard to do so…" Master Splinter explained reassuringly.

Donnie nodded in understanding before he walked towards the bed, placed the water-filled cup on the bedside table, and sat on the edge on the right side, with April sitting on the left. Master Splinter moved aside slightly to give his third son some space to be near Mikey.

"Hey, bro, what's the matter?" Donnie questioned gently, placing a tender hand on his brother's shoulder. He then watched as Mikey slowly and shakily removed his hand from his face, revealing his watery sad eyes, and spoke in a raspy tone.

"…I-I…Sniff…I-I tried to apologise…Hiccup…to Master Splinter, but…"

"Why do you wish to apologise to me, my son?" Master Splinter asked in confusion as he tenderly held Mikey's hand when he saw his struggle to get his answer out fully.

"C-Cos…Y-You almost died cos of me, again…! I-I don't know why you're even next to me cos…all I've done is bring shame and disappointment to you…! I-If you wanna kick me out or stop me from being a ninja, then…I'll respect your decision…" Mikey managed to say to him before he lowered his head and allowed more of his tears to fall down his face.

Master Splinter and the others looked at Mikey with horrified faces. The poor turtle was so devastated and heartbroken by the events of both the fight against the Shredder and Leo's resentment towards him that he now believed that he was no longer worthy of being Master Splinter's son and ninja student.

"No, Michelangelo…" The old sensei suddenly said as he gave Mikey's hand a squeeze, making Mikey look up at him in astonishment, before he continued speaking.

"I made it my duty as a father to protect you and your brothers from harm, including our greatest enemy…Do not feel ashamed or apologise for my actions, because I alone made the decision to risk my own life to protect yours on that horrific spaceship, and I would have done exactly the same for your older brothers…"

Mikey was in awe of his father's words and he really appreciated the fact that he cared for him, but he still had doubts in his mind which made him slightly lower his head down again.

Just then, Mikey felt a soft hand touch his cheek and he looked back up to see April sitting in front of him on the edge of his bed.

"A-April…?" Mikey croaked in surprise when he didn't notice that April was in front of him until now.

"Hey, Mikey…I never got the chance to thank you for saving my life yesterday…" April said in a grateful tone whilst stroking Mikey's cheek.

"B-But that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't have ran away…!" Mikey denied whilst shaking his head.

"You left because you felt that you had no choice, and you were just trying to do the right thing for your family…" April told him in understanding to his reasons for running away in the first place.

"And none of us are angry at you for doing that, bro…We're just glad that you're still here with us…!" Donnie added sincerely whilst keeping his own emotions in check since he was still digesting the fact that he had almost lost his little brother.

Mikey looked at the trio individually with a stunned expression on his face. He never knew that those around him were very understanding of his feelings and decisions from yesterday, and here he thought that they would gang up on him and harshly scold him for leaving and putting everyone in danger.

"…I-I…" Mikey tried to speak, but he was finding it difficult to do so due to a lump in his throat as he started to get emotional again.

Suddenly, the youngest turtle was engulfed in a hug by a pair of fairly strong arms, which he immediately recognised as Donnie's.

"You don't have to say anything, Mikey…We already know how you feel…" He heard Donnie say to him soothingly, causing him to bury his face against Donnie's shoulder and allow his tear to continue falling as he sobbed heavily.

April and Master Splinter followed Donnie's lead and wrapped their own arms around Mikey to let him know that they too were there to support him.

/

Meanwhile…

Leo, Raph, and Casey were outside of the farmhouse and still doing their spar training.

Since they had started this morning, they had never stopped for a single break. Raph and Casey wanted to, but Leo stubbornly refused to allow both himself and them to stop, not even for a second.

"Yo, Leo! W-We gotta…stop now, man…!" Casey panted out.

"Yeah, bro…! W-We'll collapse…if we don't take a break…fer a few minutes…!" Raph panted next in agreement.

"No! What you're all doing is still not good enough! We will keep going until you get it right!" Leo boomed at the duo, still denying the fact that all three of them were all reaching their limits.

"Grr…Forget it, Leo! We're done fer today, whether ya like or not…!" Raph growled whilst standing his ground with his arms crossed. Casey only nodded silently in agreement whilst looking at Leo with a dark glare.

Leo looked at the pair in anger, but he was no longer in the mood to argue with them any further, so he just sighed in frustration.

"…Fine…" He said before he looked over at the farmhouse and spoke a command to Raph.

"Tell Donnie to come out and join us…It's his turn to spar with me…"

"Hold up, Leo, Donnie's only got one arm dat's functionin'…How's he gonna-"

"Less asking questions and more doing as I say, Raph!" Leo demanded abruptly.

Raph wanted to protest against Leo's orders, but he reluctantly did as he was told because he didn't want to hear any more of Leo's harsh and rude attitude.

He walked away from Leo and Casey and headed towards the farmhouse to fetch Donnie.

/

Inside the farmhouse...

By the time Mikey had calmed down and fallen back to sleep, Raph had appeared at the top of the stairs and alerted Donnie about Leo wanting to spar with him.

"Is he serious? I can't do any sparring or training with one arm…!" Donnie hissed to avoid waking his brother up.

"I know and I've told him dat, but he was havin' none of it…He wants ya outside right now, and I don't think dat ya should refuse his demands this time…" Raph replied with a frustrated sigh whilst keeping his own voice down after seeing a sleeping Mikey.

Donnie let out a deep sigh. He really wanted to go against Leo's demands, but he knew that he couldn't because there was strong chance that by doing so would result in Mikey getting into trouble.

"Do not worry about Michelangelo, my son; we will look after him until you return…" Master Splinter reassured softly.

With his father's words in mind, Donnie walked away from Mikey and the others and headed down the stairs, with Raph following from behind him, to face Leo's intense training outside.

Master Splinter and April watched them with the feeling of nervousness in their hearts, because there was no telling what could happen once Donnie was outside.