Lost in the Fight

Chapter 24 - Waking Up is Hard to Do

*Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

*Special Note: The wonderful cover art for this chapter was done by the immensely talented CorolineThePheonix. I love your work, my dear friend. Thank you so much!!

*Author's Notes: Chapter 24 of 'Lost in the Fight' is here. I have to warn you in advance, this chapter is extremely emotional. I realize that most chapters in this story have been rather emotional, but this one is a bit of a tearjerker.

I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read, vote on, and/or comment on 'LITF.' No words could ever truly express how much all of your kindness has meant to me. Thank you so much!  I hope you like the chapter. ;) CJ

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Chapter 24 - Waking Up is Hard to Do

Two days had passed since Donatello had awoken only to drift back into unconsciousness. During those two days, the mood around the lair had gone from bad to worse. The tension that hung in the air was so thick, it could be cut with a katana.

The only time that Raphael came out of his room anymore was for the occasional bathroom break, mandatory morning training sessions, and to cover his shifts watching Donatello. Whenever he did leave his room, he went out of his way to steer clear of his family members as much as possible. Even during practice, he hardly spoke a word to anyone. He would just go through the motions, and as soon as the training session was over with, he would rush straight back to his room and slam the door shut. He hadn't eaten much of anything the past two days, and from the looks of him, he hadn't slept a whole lot, either.

Michelangelo hadn't been faring much better. He had become far more withdrawn than ever before, and like Raph, he spent most of his waking hours locked away in his room or at Donnie's side. The negative vibe radiating from the once happy-go-lucky turtle was rather unnerving.

A few hours after Mikey's blow-up, Leonardo had gone to his baby brother, seeking forgiveness for his mistreatment of Donnie and for the many wrongs that he had committed against his family. Mikey had verbally accepted the apology, but Leo still felt as though his youngest sibling was giving him the cold shoulder.

The leader in blue supposed he should be grateful that Mikey was at least willing to talk to him, even if it was minimalistic at best. Mikey and Raph had not spoken more than a couple of words to each other since the day that Donnie had woken up for just those few short minutes.

Even though Raphael clearly felt remorse for what he had done, he had neglected to apologize to anyone for his actions. This had not gone unnoticed by Michelangelo and it only seemed to add to the growing tension between the orange and red-clad turtles. Mikey was generally not one to harbor a grudge over anything, but after the incident in the infirmary, he had been doing whatever he could to avoid any and all contact with his hotheaded brother.

Master Splinter had also become increasingly reclusive. While it was not unusual for him to spend hours on end hidden away in his room, lost in meditation, he now rarely came out of isolation. Just like Raphael and Michelangelo, he only left the sanctuary of his bedroom for restroom breaks, practice, and to watch over Donatello. The few times throughout the day that Master Splinter did emerge, it was obvious that he was distracted by his troubled thoughts. Leonardo had even caught his father just staring off into space several times during practice the last few days. Losing focus was something that their sensei would oftentimes criticize them for, but now, he himself was finding it difficult to concentrate on anything but his grief.