Worries of a father and son

Chapter 3 - Worries of a son

The steps to Don's lab were the hardest in Leo's life. His left arm hurt, his whole soul hurt, and he felt tears gathering on the corners of his eyes. But, he couldn't let the tears slip right now. He couldn't do this to Donnie. He was gentle and delicate turtle, and he could get angry easily. Leonardo couldn't bear to see the geeky turtle angry. If Donnie saw him crying because of Raphael, he could do something stupid, that he'll regret it later. He swallowed all the sorrow he had inside of him and knocked on the door.

Donnie opened the door and the moment he saw Leo clutching his arm like a little baby with his other arm he shifted to "the Doc" mode immediately and ordered his brother to sit down on the bed while he examined his arm. Don tried not to make his oldest brother uncomfortable, but with each pat and probe he felt him wince and stifle cries of pain.

"It seems to me like it's broken in few places. And I think that your shoulder is a little dislocated."

Leo's eyes filled with fear at the mentioning of his dislocated shoulder, and he all but cried. It hurt like shell when Don had to reset some part of their bodies when they were in a fight and they were hurt. Not again, not now. Raph, what did you do to me? Leo bit his lower lip.

"It will be painful I know Leo. It's hard for me to do it, and to you of all, but I have to. I will put a cast on your arm after that and a brace so the arm would stay put in place until it heals, okay?"

Leo nodded.

Don took Leo's left arm in his two and he twisted the shoulder couple of times before he set it the way it was before. All the time, Leo refrained himself from screaming. After Donnie set Leo's shoulder, he casted it and braced it. He cleaned the little cuts on Leo's arms and legs and put a protecting cream over the serious ones and closed them with bandages. The bruises already started to turn bluish. Leo said thanks to his brother and was on his way to the door when he heard Donnie speak. "It was Raph, wasn't it?"

Leo couldn't face his brother. He nodded. "Yes, it was him. We were in a fight, again, and he hurt me unintentionally. It was my fault. I-"

Donnie cut him in mid-sentence as he turned Leo over as to face him. "Your fault? Don't make me laugh Leo. I don't see how could you do this to yourself without Raph twisting your arm and taking the katana out of it? I've heard your arguing. And I don't see anything unintentional in the injuries Leo!" Donnie said. "He pressed the arm where it was broken right?"

"How did you...?"

"You have minor fractures in few places where the original injury occurred. Minor bone fractures. That I could feel them under my fingers every time I touched your arm! It will be awhile before you can use your left arm with full strength and maybe a month or two before you start wielding a katana again. Because if you do that, then you can kiss your skills with the swords goodbye. You can lose the ability to move your arm Leo. You won't lift weights, you won't lift anything that weighs more than one plate or glass of water. And this is a serious problem, not one that will go away easily as those cuts and bruises. You will listen to my orders. Are we clear?"

"Yes, we are. Thank you once again Donnie."

"You know Leo, you have to stop this."

"Stop what?"

"Stop acting like you are responsible for us 24/7. You have to dedicate a time for yourself. You cannot function if you worry over us for the whole time. You are human too, I mean you have your own life, and you have to live it to the fullest. Worry won't get you far. It could kill you one day. The building stress, the nerves won't do any good to you Leo. Please think of yourself for a change. And I'm talking to the old Leo that I know is hiding behind the new Leo that we got since we defeated the Shredder. Snap out of it."