Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fan Fiction ❯ Bad Places II: Rebirth ❯ Chapter 12

Part 12

Navigating the sewers blind and injured was tricky at best, even with his brother guiding him through the endless maze of tunnels. Side by side, they walked slowly along the raised maintenance steps that kept them a few inches out of the snowy runoff melting from the street, Raphael lightly holding Leonardo's good arm. The route Raphael chose for them took longer to reach Donatello's garage and it ran parallel with one of the busier streets in the city, which meant loud cars, snow blowing through the gutters and people walking only inches away, but a straight walk was much easier than the difficult climbing and jumping that the other routes entailed.

A twisted metal grid lay on the path before them but Raphael didn't bother alerting his brother. When they came to it, Leonardo easily stepped over it as if bandages didn't cover his eyes. Raphael wondered why his sibling even needed him there as a guide since he already knew the way, sometimes turning the next corner before Raphael noticed the shadows changing.

A sharp gasp was his only warning. Raphael tightened his grip on Leo's arm while putting the other around his shoulders, steadying him before he fell. Leo paused, catching his breath and leaning gratefully on his sibling until the trembling stopped and he could stand straight again.

"You okay?" Raph whispered.

"Yeah, just..." Leo sighed and stood straight again. "Still tired. If it wasn't for all the noise up there, I could fall asleep."

They passed under a rain gutter, walking through the gray light. The traffic grew louder, then faded as they passed by. All the sounds combined into a low roar but one that was easily ignored. Raphael wondered if the constant noise might overwhelm his brother but Leo didn't show signs of being anything other than tired.

"We're almost there," he said. "Then you can go back to sleep."

"Yeah, right," Leo muttered. "I thought so too, but there's no way I'll get any sleep on the road."

"Let me do the worrying," Raph said. "Besides, nothing bad'll happen. Donny drives like an old woman."

"Complains like one, too," Leo said. "And Mike'll get bored and start annoying all of us, and you'll end up shouting at them to shut up, and that'll hurt Mike's feelings and that'll make Don take his side..."

Raphael knew better than to say it wouldn't happen. He settled for saying "not this time," and hoped he was right.

When they reached the warehouse, Raphael silently thanked Donatello's foresight in putting in a maintenance elevator instead of a simple ladder. Leo couldn't have climbed and the metal platform, though shaky, brought them out of the cold tunnels quickly. None of them knew where Donatello scavenged all of his parts, especially the specialized heavy equipment, which probably meant that parts and pieces were missing from all over the city's infrastructure. Once inside, Raphael led his sibling towards the van.

"Finally," Mike called from the van's roof where he sat with his legs dangling over the side. "I was wondering if we were ever gonna get going."

Donatello looked up from the engine, wiping his hands on a rag and slamming the hood down. "The van's all ready to go. Just get him settled in and we can take off."

Raphael nodded and led Leonardo around the back, helping him step inside and easing him into one of the chairs. A small pile of blankets lay on the floor but before he could grab one, he felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned.

"I'll handle it," Mike said. "You go up front before Don can insist on driving."

Raphael blinked. "Huh? How come?"

"'Cause him and me have been up since before dawn getting this thing ready for the drive, so unless you don't mind a sleep-deprived turtle driving on snowy roads..."

"Got ya," Raph said and went up front, plopping in the driver's seat.

Mike glanced at his brother. Leo was already asleep, but even though he seemed better off sitting up, Mike leaned down and pressed a lever on the side of the chair, reclining it back a few inches so he'd be a little more comfortable. After spreading two blankets over him, Mike yawned and shut the rear doors, locking them. While Raphael argued Donatello into the front passenger's seat, Mike sat down in the second chair and leaned back, bundling up in his own blanket. He didn't fall asleep but he drowsed, keeping an eye on Leonardo while listening to the engine turn on and rev a few times. He heard the automatic door open and then they were quietly heading down the road, catching the last rays of the gray sun.

Sometime later, Leo sighed and stretched, pushing the blankets down as he sat a little straighter. In the front seat, Donatello and Raphael argued but in such low voices that he could barely make out the words. Snowflakes struck the windshield and roof with loud piffs, and instead of wind, he only heard the constant hum of the engine and the drone of the road. He put one hand on his forehead and frowned. Either he was cold or he had a slight fever.

"Hey, you're awake," Mike said softly.

Leo nodded once. "How long was I asleep?" A tiny squeak came from Mike's chair as his brother leaned closer.

"Few hours. Still got another two to go." He lowered his voice so only they would hear. "You missed the fight."

Though he couldn't see Mike's grin, he could hear it. "Fight?"

"Oh yeah..." Mike glanced at his siblings in the front seat. Donatello sat in the passenger side drumming his fingers on the window while Raphael drove, peering through the heavy snowfall. "'You're going the wrong way,'" he said, mimicking first Donatello's voice, then Raphael's.

"'Am not!' 'You took the wrong exit. At this rate we'll be in Canada before we reach the farm.'

'You're just pissed I wouldn't let you drive.'

'Am not, and for the record, I am wide awake.'

'You are too, you are not, and we're going the right way.'

'The map clearly says--'

'I can read a map, genius.'

'I thought so too until you said we were going west.'

'We gotta go west! The road crosses the river up ahead--'

'Heaven forbid we cross a bridge. This route adds another hour to the trip--'

'You wanna cross a toll bridge? Tell you what, I'll give you five bucks to hand the money over.'

'...toll bridge?'

'Read the map, Einstein. Toll bridge. Come on, I'll turn this van right around so you can hand the nice lady the toll.'

'...jerk.'

They haven't said much since," Mike finished with a chuckle.

Leo smiled. "Sounds so parental. Does that make Donatello the mom?"

"...you better hope I don't tell him that," Mike said, holding back laughter. "He'll make your shots hurt even worse."

"There's no way they could hurt worse," Leo said. A twinge of pain shot from his mangled hand up his arm, fading at the shoulder, and there was no time to hide his wince. A moment later he felt Mike's hand on his shoulder.

"Dude, if you're hurting, you have to tell me." Mike gently turned his hand over and found faint red spots on the bandages covering his palm. "Damn, probably tore a few stitches. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Didn't hurt much worse," Leo said. Mike was already unwrapping the gauze and gingerly touching the loose strings holding his hand together. It probably looked better than it felt, but he still hadn't seen it. He vaguely remembered a glint of steel out of the corner of his eye, but his memories from the tower, and especially of fighting Saki, were fuzzy at best. Mike's hand touched his mouth and he obediently opened, taking in two pills which he assumed were painkillers. He could have held the glass of water given next, he was sure he could, but his left arm felt too heavy to move and his right hand... While Mike turned away, presumably to get a needle and more bandages, Leo turned aside. This weakness grated on him. He couldn't walk without help, he could barely move, he felt exhausted after sleeping for ten hours. He squeezed his eyes shut as Mike went to work on his hand, but he didn't feel the bite of a needle. Instead he felt strong plastic being applied to the gash like a sticker, then another and another. "What is that?"

"Butterfly stitches," Mike said, "'least that's what Donatello called 'em. They're like band aids but really freaking strong. Good 'cause I don't wanna do real stitches while we're moving."

Leo didn't respond. While he knew he wouldn't mind doing this for any of his brothers were their positions reversed, he couldn't stand being taken care of. For now he was glad he couldn't see. He didn't have to see Splinter's disappointed face that the eldest son not only lost control of himself but also nearly killed his brothers in the process. He didn't have to watch any of them tending his wounds, though he always turned away even though he was blindfolded. Best of all, he didn't have to look in a mirror.

"Leo..." Mike started, wrapping the wound slower. "I was gonna ask before all this happened, but then, well, y'know, things happened, and, um...I was wondering...see, 'cause I got to look at the dragon you did on April's shop and I thought it looked really cool--"

"You saw it?" Leo asked, still facing away from him. Inwardly he cringed. He never wanted anyone to look at his work, at least not his brothers.

"Yeah, a few weeks ago." Mike didn't notice his brother's discomfort and continued. "I was hoping maybe you'd consider...I mean, you don't have to, I'm just asking and I'll totally understand if you don't wanna, but...would you mind maybe doing something in my room? I've got a wall that's nearly empty, I just have to move the surf board and the bookshelf, oh and the juke box too."

He wanted him to...paint something? Leo squashed his initial reaction of "no way" and considered it. A huge space, no time constraints since there no humans to hide from, and someone to keep him company while he painted. A rambling, babbling voice to keep away the whispers in the walls and the echoes of the game in his head. Someone who wouldn't look at him with fear or disappointment.

"All right," he said, but too softly. Mike didn't hear him. He turned to face his little brother and gave a weak smile. "All right. I'll do it."

He didn't have to see Mike to know he was smiling. He simply felt the change in the air.

"Really?" Mike asked. "Cool! Maybe a big blue dragon and some unicorns and bunnies around it, and a rainbow in the background, oh oh, and maybe a pegasus flying by."

Leo's vision of an elegant Japanese dragon on a woodblock print suddenly changed into a child's crayon drawing. "Unicorns and bunnies?" he echoed.

"Sure, and some flowers, and a bright sun...definitely need some sky," Mike said, nodding sagely.

"Sky..." Ah, that was it, he thought. Something bright and happy instead of his dismally dark room. He had to remember that for Mike the dark was dismal. "Okay. We can decide on it when we go back home."

"Okay!" Mike couldn't help his grin. "Thanks, bro'. I mean it. I didn't think you'd actually say yes."

"I don't mind. I think I'd like doing it," Leo said. He started to shrug but stopped when it hurt. "And I kinda of owe you for...all this."

A pause. Leo felt a change in the air again and wished he could see his brother's face, tell what he was thinking. Mike finished bandaging his hand but he didn't let go, holding him for a moment.

"You don't owe us anything," Mike said almost too low for him to hear. "At all. If anything, we're the ones who owe you. You tried to keep us safe, you got us out in one piece--"

"I couldn't control myself and I nearly got you killed," Leo said. He didn't bother trying to hide the self-loathing in his voice. They all knew how he felt. He wondered if Raphael had told anyone else about his suicide attempt in the game months ago.

"Welcome to the Crazy Psycho Turtle club," Mike said. "Raph's president, but you can be vice president." He smiled when Leo laughed, even if it was half-hearted. "Dude, all of us lose control and get in trouble at some point. You just tend to be really dramatic about it." He didn't get an answer but he didn't expect one. "How's the shoulder?"

"Fine," Leo said, grateful for the subject change. "Feels a little heavier."

"Probably 'cause of the walking you did. Side?"

"S'good."

Mike was tempted to check anyway. His brother had strange ideas of what was fine and good, and it wasn't like Leo could stop him if he did. Still...he yawned and sat back in his own chair. Let the painkillers work. The other bandages showed no signs of blood, so Leonardo probably didn't feel much worse than before. Mike pulled his own blanket up higher. The van's heater hummed steadily but the snow storm outside still made the van chilly. "I'll let you get some more sleep," he said. "I'll wake you when we get there."

Leo nodded once and lay his head back. Mike had to judge by his slowed breathing when he fell asleep, and he pulled the blankets up over him again. Not long after, Leo hissed in a breath and turned his head, moving in short jerky motions. Immediately recognizing the onset of a nightmare, Mike put his hand on Leo's and watched his brother calm down again. The change always worried him, that Leo could go from one extreme to another almost instantly.

"Everything okay back there?" Raphael called over his shoulder.

"Yeah," Mike said. "He went back to sleep."

Raphael smiled and took the next turn back to the highway. "Heh. He's not the only one who can keep everyone quiet."

"What?" Donatello glanced at him. "Why are you smiling?"

"No reason." Raphael settled back in his seat and relaxed. The snowfall wasn't so heavy anymore and wind no longer felt like it might blow the van off the road. In another couple hours they'd be at the farm, and then he'd put Leo to bed, set Mike to making dinner and get Donatello to start up the heater and close all the upstairs vents. If his big brother needed close companionship, he'd keep them all downstairs for the whole month if he had to. Already he had an idea for the living room, with its sleeper sofa and two large recliners.

"Fearless leader ain't the only one who can make plans," he said softly to himself. "I've got good plans, too. This one's working out just fine, and so will the next one." With any luck, he would get Leo to take back his old role in the family and Raphael could leave all the worrying with him again. "Even if I have to promise to get off his back every now and then."

Beside him, Donatello glanced sideways at his brother and wondered if Leo was the only one not wholly right in the head. Leonardo's breakdown was understandable, but now Raph was starting to talk to himself. What was it about the job of leading the family that turned the leader into a basketcase?

When they at last arrived on the farm, Raphael drove up close to the porch and parked, leaving the engine running. "Okay," he said, taking a deep breath. "We're here." The snow hadn't let up at all. In fact, it seemed to come down even harder now, and he stared at the heavy curtain of it falling in front of the windshield. That they'd made it here without incident seemed like a miracle. "Let's go in."

"Wait," Don said, putting his hand on his arm. "Not yet. We need get the heater on and make sure the place is empty first."

"But--"

"No buts," Don cut him off. "It's warm in here, he's better off staying put until we get the heater fired up. Mike can stay with him. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Raph nodded once and got out with him, both of them closing the doors quickly before the cold could get in. The double slam woke Leo up, but he barely moved. Without his eyes to help him, he simply hoped that they were at the farm already. He was too exhausted to consider anything else. Mike still sat next to him and his breathing didn't sound agitated, so their brothers were probably just getting things ready.

"You awake?" Mike asked.

He gave a small nod. "Yeah. We there?"

"Yup. They're getting it ready." Mike leaned back in his seat and spun around in circles. "You hungry?"

Hungry? He had to think about it for a moment. "No."

They sat in silence for several minutes. Mike noticed as Leo drew his injured hand back under the blankets. His brother's hypersensitivity probably meant that he felt the cold more acutely than any of them. He sighed and spun his chair around a few more times. Every day the feeder genetics infesting his brother's DNA seemed even more of a curse than before. Couldn't anything good come of it? Just a tiny bit?

By the time Raphael came back, Leo was fast asleep again. Instead of waking him up and making him walk, Mike put his arms under him and picked him up, gathering the blankets along with him.

"Got him?" Raph asked, holding the rear doors open.

"Yeah," Mike said. "He's pretty light. Kinda awkward, though. I'm afraid I might fall over."

"You won't."

A single light in the living room turned the windows yellow, despite the heavy curtains in front of the glass. Mike carried his brother up the steps and inside, then saw Donatello pulling out the sleeper sofa. He only took a moment to spread several more blankets and pillows out and motioned for Mike to come closer. Once Leo was settled on the makeshift bed, they stood straight and heaved a sigh. Raphael heard them as he locked the door and smiled.

"Mission accomplished," he told them, and they smiled back. "Mike, why don't you and Don go make dinner?"

"Yay, food," Mike said, heading straight for the kitchen with Donatello trailing after.

Raphael sat down on the side of the bed and slumped a little. He would never admit it, but driving so far with one of them too injured to move was nerve-wracking. They'd done it before, but it felt worse when he had the responsibility of getting them there safely.

"You were the reason we came up the first time, too," he said softly, glancing at his brother. "I didn't realize how much we use you up."

In the kitchen, pots and pans rattled on the stovetop as Mike and Don argued about what to make and how to make it. After a particularly loud crash, he noticed Leonardo's breathing alter slightly even if he didn't move. Raph smirked. His brother wouldn't lie, but he sure wasn't above hiding.

"Hey, Leo."

"Mm." He raised his head slightly, then relaxed again. "We all made it?"

"Yup. In one piece." Raph frowned, wondering if he should ask, then figured he'd better. It was the reason he'd dragged them all out here. "Leo...what do you hear?"

Leonardo held silent for a moment. "Snowflakes hitting the windows. Wind's still a little loud. Heater's rattling and I think Mike just hit Don with a wooden spoon."

"Anything else?" Raphael asked with a laugh.

"...no. I...nothing." Leo sounded like he'd just discovered something wonderful. "Nothing else. It's quiet."

"Good. Go back to sleep." Not caring if his brother really fell asleep or just faked it, he grinned triumphantly at the ceiling. "Mission accomplished," he whispered.

TBC...