Raph hovered behind Leo as the slider rolled his wheelchair out into the back courtyard; he knew his brother wanted some independence, which was why he restrained himself from pushing the wheelchair, but he just couldn't suppress that big brother protective instinct. He'd nearly lost his little brother too many times to even try. He could tell it exasperated Leo sometimes, but the younger turtle was more than willing to oblige him, which Raph was grateful for.
"You all planning on supervising, big brother?" Leo asked, pulling Raph out of his thoughts. The slider was looking at him with that amused grin that was missing all too often from his face these days. The snapper returned it with a grin of his own.
"Never hurts t' have some extra pairs of eyes," he said, then raised a brow. "'Specially since we know how ya tend to be. And Raph ain't lettin' ya try anything stupid."
Leo stuck his tongue out.
"Mother hen."
"Stubborn brat," Raph shot back.
By now they'd reached the training ring in the back. Himari and her grandson waited in the middle, and Raph couldn't suppress a twinge of amusement when he saw the rest of his family. Mikey was hovering on the edge of the ring, bouncing on the balls of his feet with a look of combined excitement and nervousness on his face. Donnie's face was fixed in a frown as he spoke to Himari in a tense, stern tone, expressing every necessary scenario should Leo start pushing himself too hard. Splinter was watching with a frown of his own but clearly holding back from chiding the softshell.
Himari seemed to already understand Donnie's complex relationship with emotion, listening with her usual patient smile. Usagi looked a little more miffed but was keeping quiet himself. Leo rolled toward them, waving a hand.
"Take it easy, Don Tron," he said. "We know the plan."
Donnie only directed a glare at his twin.
"Of course, we know the plan," he snapped. "Whether you follow it is entirely another matter."
Leo just gave him a small smile.
"Simmer down, Dee. I'll be good, I promise." He drew an x on his chest. "Turtle's honor.
Donnie continued to glare at him for a few moments, then let out a huff.
"Fine. But we'll be watching."
Leo's smile widened.
"Wouldn't expect anything else."
Donnie huffed again before stalking to the edge of the ring. Grinning himself, Raph followed the softshell and gave his shoulder a gentle pat. When he looked up, Himari's eyes met his. Her gaze was so deep, he wondered if she could somehow see into his head. He wondered that even more when she gave him a gentle smile and nodded. Then she turned her attention to Leo, still smiling.
"Leonardo, are you ready to start?"
The slider nodded, sitting up straighter.
"Ready and rarin'," he replied.
Himari's eyes twinkled in amusement.
"Very well, then. As we discussed, today will be simple stretches." She gestured to the mat across from her. "Will you need help getting in position?"
Raph saw Leo tense a little, his jaw tightening, and the snapper knew that his brother wanted to refuse. His heart twisted, and the urge to step forward and offer his help stirred. As he hesitated, Usagi stepped forward instead.
"Here," he said, holding the wheelchair. "Go slow as you need."
Leo looked at the younger rabbit, and Raph could see the slight surprise on the slider's face. But the surprised look quickly turned to a smile, and Leo gave a nod of thanks before bracing his hands on the arms of the wheelchair. He took a deep breath, then began to lift himself out of the seat. A pained hiss escaped his clenched teeth, and Raph felt his heart give an alarmed skip. The sensation of a smaller hand on his made the snapper blink, and he looked down. He'd unknowingly taken a step forward, and Splinter was looking up at him with a gentle, understanding look.
"We must let him do this on his own, Red," the rat said softly. The words brought another ache of grief to his chest, but Raph let out a quiet sigh and stepped back.
"Sorry, Pops."
His father smiled and patted his hand.
"No need to apologize, my son."
Raph gave him a small smile in return, then turned his worried eyes back to Leo. The clear difficulty and pain in his expression was almost just as painful to watch, but there was also a determination there that Raph couldn't be happier to see. It took a while, but with slow, careful movements, Leo managed to lower himself onto the mat. Usagi held the wheelchair steady while the slider used it for support, then moved it out of the way before heading back to the other mat and sitting himself.
"All right," he said. "My grandma and I'll both walk you through the movements. Don't feel like you've got to rush, just go at the pace you're comfortable with."
Leo drew in a deep breath, then nodded. Himari smiled again before moving to stand beside Leo.
"Now then," she said. "First, simply hold your leg as straight as you can."
Usagi straightened his own, heel resting on the ground and the foot fully upright. Leo lifted an eye ridge.
"Doesn't seem too hard," he said, then copied the motion. Even though he hid it well, it seemed to take more effort for him. The corner of Usagi's mouth quirked up.
"I'd say that, if I didn't think I can see some sweat on your forehead."
Raph's forehead creased in a slight frown, and he heard Donnie give a soft huff. But the younger rabbit's voice was light and joking and seemed to ease Leo's tension. The thought came to the eldest turtle of the countless times that Leo had directed that similar tone at him, with very similar outcomes.
"Thought rabbits were supposed t' have good eyesight," Leo shot back, but a faint smirk was visible on his face. "Obviously no sweat here."
"Sure," Usagi replied, still grinning. He looked at the leg Leo was holding out and nodded. "Good job."
He moved closer and took hold of the slider's foot with both hands, his grip firm but gentle.
"Alright, now I'm gonna hold like this, and I need you to try flexing against it."
Leo's smirk faded as he pressed his lips together, then gave a short nod and focused his gaze on his foot. When a few moments passed and nothing happened, his jaw tightened, and Raph could see the anger and frustration building in his face. Clearly Usagi could see it too, because he spoke up again.
"It's okay if you can't do much right now. The leg had a bad break."
Leo let out a frustrated growl and directed his glare at the rabbit.
"It's not that I can't do much ," he snapped. "I can't do anything! I'm putting everything into it, and I can't make my foot move at all!"
Raph bit his lip, slightly worried that Usagi might not take the slider's harsh words well. But the rabbit only looked at his younger brother with a look of calm sympathy. That alone seemed to take Leo aback, and his irritation faded as he returned Usagi's gaze. Then Himari spoke up again, her own eyes as gentle and understanding.
"To feel frustrated is natural. What is essential is to not dwell on it… let it flow through you like water."
Her words seemed to startle Leo from his reverie, and he sighed.
"Sorry," he murmured. "I'm just…"
"It's okay," Usagi said, and when Leo looked up the rabbit smiled. "There's gonna be a lot of ups and downs in this. Let's just give it one more try, okay?"
The slider hesitated, then glanced at Raph and the rest of their family. The snapper gave an encouraging nod, and he knew the others were doing the same. Leo took a deep breath and returned his attention to his foot.
"Okay."
Usagi nodded as well.
"A' right. Now, just focus on your toes. Imagine them bending, try to make them do it. Keep your breaths even."
Raph couldn't help tensing as Leo obeyed, breathing in a slow, steady rhythm. He mentally pleaded for something to happen, if only to give his brother some encouragement. Several moments passed, and the snapper felt a slight heaviness creep in. His throat tightened at the thought of how disappointed his brother would be.
But then it happened. Leo's toe twitched, then slowly, ever so slowly, both bent. The slider's face lit up, and Raph felt his heart swell with joy.
"It worked!" Leo exclaimed. He looked at the others, his eyes bright with excitement. "You guys see that?!"
Mikey whooped.
"Hype man!" he cheered. "Ya did awesome!"
Raph joined in the rest of his family's cheers, near bursting with pride.
"Ya did it, little brother!"
Usagi was grinning as well and gave Leo an approving nod when the slider looked back at him.
"Well done, Leonardo," Himari said, a pleased smile on her face as well. "Small steps may not seem much on their own, but the longest journeys begin and end with them."
Leo looked at her then, and though Raph couldn't see his face he could hear the gratitude in his voice.
"Thanks." He looked at Usagi then, his eyes still shining. "Both of you."
The rabbit's gaze seemed to soften, and for a moment he only looked back. Then he blinked, and his smile grew more playful.
"No problem. Ready to take a break, or wanna give me a real reason to thank us?"
Raph couldn't resist a snort of amusement as a familiar, rather wicked grin came to his younger brother's face.
"You're on, cottontail."