It's going to be ok

11 0 0
                                    

I was getting tired of waiting for Lameonardo. But Mikey had woken up and fell back asleep again, and leaving him seemed to be impossible. While Mr. O'Neil explained the basic stuff about epilepsy to Donnie, I just watched Mikey.

"He's going to be ok, dude. Mr. O'Neil said that it was just going to be an adjustment for all of us." I looked at Casey, stealing his pizza and laughing. He rolled his eyes, then went to grab another slice. "Very funny, Raph. Now where's the pizza?" I just gave him a look and then I realized the pizza was missing from the box. I looked at Mikey instinctively and smiled.

"Did everybody get some?" He asked as he chewed his pizza burrito, and I patted him on the head, a bit gentler than usual.

"Leo was going to have some when he got here."

"Don't worry, we have another one in the kitchen."April said as she walked out of her bedroom.

"So this is official?" Mikey asked, confusing us like usual.

"Yeah, you have epilepsy."

"Not that, I mean... Splinter. We left him in the sewer." I felt the rage building in me, but this one rare time, I let it go. This wasn't my furniture to smash anyway. But I could see by the way Mikey tried to hide himself crying, this was hurting him. "This is all my fault. If I could stop seizing then we would be home now instead of crashing with April." This reminded me of something I told myself I would never tell anyone. But I think Mikey deserved to hear it.

"You remember when we were little and I was in charge of watching you when Donnie and Leo were finishing their training?"

"A bit. You finished first and I finished last. That's around the same time that..." he gasped, scaring us all a bit. He didn't seize though, so I continued.

"You kept wanting to go swimming and wanted to see how long you could hold your breath. I was in charge of trying to keep you in the lair, but one day, you woke up before me and I couldn't find you. I ran to find you underwater, but when I tried to pull you out, you just kicked me. Turns out you followed Spike all the way to the end of the sewers and saved him right before he was about to fall over into the outside world."

"I...I did that?"

"Yeah little brother." I patted his shoulder and Jones chanted "Mikey! Mikey!" Like we were at one of his Hockey games or something in his 'indoor voice'.

"All I remember is that I was able to see the world beyond the sewers one of those days." Mikey admitted, smiling at us happily. I chuckled, patting his shoulder again.

"You make me proud, little brother." I told him, giving him a hug. "It's going to be okay. Maybe one day we'll go back and find Sensei in regret for what he did. But it'll be ok, I promise. It isn't your fault."

"Raph and hugs? What did I miss?" Now Leo shows up? I let go of Mikey, who was happily smiling and sleeping at the same time. I smiled as he snored lightly. I sighed and nodded towards the kitchen.

"So what did Karai say?" I asked him, bracing myself for bad news.

"There's a building in Chinatown where we can stay, come and go as we please. It's safe enough that Mikey can stay there if he needs to while we go out on patrol, and all Shredder wants is to talk about making an alliance with us, if we decide to become free agents. That's how Karai put it anyways."

"Free agents? Nope, we charge by the minute. We have to make sure that we have enough pizza and everything so Donnie can make more of his retromutagen. And he said he might be able to make a cure. He needs a lab."

"Hopefully he'll be able to build one in this building. We'll check it out tomorrow night. It's almost morning." Leo sighed and I handed him some pizza Mikey didn't eat.

"Mr. O'Neil said we can all stay here for the night. And day. He's going to work and calling April in as sick. She and Casey are both just as tired as we are."

"What about Casey? Does he have to leave?"

"No, he was suspended last week for fighting." Leo chuckled at that, reaching for another slice.

"What's so funny?"

"Just reminds me of you, that's all."

"Difference is that I'm better looking. And I wouldn't have been caught." We laughed. Then Leo made a worried face towards Mikey. "Hey, it's gonna be ok, got it?"

"Are you telling me, Mikey, or yourself Raph?"

"Does it matter? It's gonna be ok."

You've reached the end of published parts.

⏰ Last updated: Sep 11 ⏰

Add this story to your Library to get notified about new parts!

Little Brother: a Mikey Story. Where stories live. Discover now