No Use |TMNT

Chapter 8

Mikey had only waited ten minutes until Leo opened the doors. He zoomed in to the lab in fast pace, expecting Donnie to be smiling and awake. Except, that didn't happen. His brother was still sitting upright, his head leaned back against the pillow as he appeared dead. The only reason Mikey could tell that he was still alive was the withered breathing that heaved his chest.

Disappointment and sorrow curved his lips into a frown. His excited sprinting gradually turned to a hesitant walk, almost as if he was going up to a podium at a funeral, giving a speech for his lost loved one. He came close to the unmoving turtle as his steps swayed fearfully to a sudden halt.

"He hasn't woken up, yet?" Mikey asked, his hand brushing his brother's forearm gently.

"We had to drug him so he wouldn't feel the pain, he should be waking up soon." Leo told him with a soft ring to his tone, nudging him lightly. "We stitched all his wounds, and he's all patched up. He should be fine."

"I'm sorry Leo, somethings up, Don wouldn't be in the middle of the street for no reason. I'm telling you something's wrong." Mikey told him, crossing his arms. He knew he was right. Only, he wished he was wrong. He'd give up anything to be wrong about this one thing. He didn't want this for him. He never wanted Donatello, his genius of a brother, to be…different when he woke up.

"I think it was the blood lost." Leo told him bluntly. "We're not sure why Shredder let him go, but it's evident Donnie was acting a little weird. But other than that, I think he'll be fine." Leo turned to his heels, "hey, can you watch Don? Sensei wants someone in here. We can take turns and I'm going to make a snack, want any?"

"From you?" Mikey felt a smile creeping on his face, "I'll pass dude, I don't want my food to be all soggy or burnt." Mike made a light tease, receiving a glare from Leo.

"Oookay Mikey, just call me if you need anything." With that, the leader left the lab, leaving him alone with Donnie, a cold silence seeped to the lab once more.

Michelangelo sat on a chair close to Don, as he leaned his body back and looked at him with a watchful gaze. He expected his brother to wake up the moment he sat down, but his older brother was still asleep. A yawn surpassed Mikey's lips; sleep sounded good right now –But he couldn't. He had to watch his brother…

His eyes gradually turned to a close, his head beginning to sag from his spot. He tried to stay awake- for Donnie- but soon enough, his exhaustion started to take over, encompassing him into a light slumber.

Mike shot himself upwards, a gasp escaping him as he awoke.

Shell, he thought bitterly. He was supposed to be watching Donnie. Rubbing his eyes, he looked over at Don in the expectation that he would still be asleep. To his surprise, he wasn't. He nearly fell from his chair in shock and relief. Donnie was awake, but his attention was turned to the wall. He wondered how long Don had been sitting like this…

And why didn't he wake him up before?

"Hey Donnie!" Mikey greeted the turtle, a smile widening on his lips. "How are ya feeling?" He asked, anxious to know. But he received no answer. He frowned a little at the lack of response. It was just like when he pulled him from the streets.

"Bro? Don? Yoohoo. I'm over here, dude!" Mikey tilted his head and, soon enough, maroon eyes met his. Mike jerked backwards in a slight panic, rubbing his head. "Don, you scared me for a moment-"

He allowed a few seconds to run by. This wasn't Donnie. He would've at the least acknowledged him by now if he was okay. He felt his heart skipping a beat, his mind coming to the hard realization. No; it couldn't be. He couldn't be one to jump to conclusions too quickly. There had to be another reason why his brother wasn't answering him- why he had such a dazed look in his eyes. But it was true –he was right about what he said earlier.