Hospital Love

Mikey's Story

They went into Splinter's room and sat down. Splinter noticed the bandage on Mikey's shoulder and wondered what could have happened but thought maybe he shouldn't ask. After all it wasn't like he was family, therefor he shouldn't pry into Mikey's privet life. Mikey noticed Splinter looking at his bandaged shoulder and couldn't help but smile at Splinter's kindness in not wanting to ask about it, but Mikey felt like they were good friends now. So, what if they haven't known each other long? He felt like they were still good friends.

"Would you like to know what happened?" Mikey queries with a smile.

"I am very grateful that you would offer such a thing, but I could not ask that of you Michelangelo. We have not known each other very long and we are not family. If you where my son then I would like some answers, but you are not, so you do not need to." Splinter explains kindly, grateful for the offer.

"No, it's fine. We're all friends, and I don't mind." Mikey told the older turtle, who seems to have gotten much better since yesterday which is great in Mikey's opinion.

"As long as you're sure Mikey." Leo says, wanting to make sure that Mikey was indeed okay with sharing the story. Yes, Leo and Raph witnessed Mikey get hurt but the way he was talking to the Leatherhead, it was like there was a lot more behind it.

"Well, Leatherhead who is the one that accidently scratched me is my best friend. We've been friends for years. He has always had a problem with his anger, I can't say why because that's for him to tell you, but it was bad. I've been the only person in his whole life to get as close to him as I have, which means he trusts me deeply. There are moments, where Leatherhead will become defensive when scared, to the point where he is no longer the kind and gentle person people know him to be, he can no longer see friend from foe. In these moments, no one can get to him, no one but me. Since I was his first and only friend he's ever had, I've developed a special bond with him to the point where we have become brothers. With our bond being as strong as it is, I can get through to him, and get him to see me. However, today he was supposed to be put to sleep for surgery and instead of waiting for me to get there so I could keep him from becoming defensive like he did, they decided they didn't want to wait for me and went to put him to sleep for the surgery anyway. This in turn, caused all the commotion that happened outside. I rushed in as quickly as I could, unfortunately all the people trying to pin him down and sedate him made him more stressed and scared, with all that commotion I tried to get close to him and he panicked thinking I was someone else trying to hurt him. Now when he wakes up, he won't be able to stop apologizing for what he did, and he just doesn't need that on his mind right now because he's actually a really good guy with a kind and gentle heart." Mikey puts to best of his abilities.

"When you say he does not need it on his mind. Do you mean that you are not going to tell him about the wound?" Splinter asks the light green turtle.

Mikey looks out the window, like it had some sort of answer to the question. He sighs lightly. "Not only am I not going to tell him, but I'm going to make sure he doesn't see it too." Mikey said as he placed his hoody back on. Unfortunately it had a rip in it from were Leatherhead's claws ripped through it and sighs taking the blue hoody back off.

"Here." Raph states, taking off his jacket and holding it out for Mikey to take which made Leo and Splinter look at him in shock. "Ya can us it until ya arm gets better if ya like." Raph says with a smile. Mikey looks at the jacket, quite astonished by the offer. The jacket looked quite expensive, it was a nice black jacked with soft red material on the inside that made it look very comfortable. Mikey took the jacket into his hand and felt the soft materiel, he couldn't help but smile.

"Are you sure?" Mikey asks as he looks up at Raph.

"Yeah." Raph states with a smile of his own.

"Thank you Raph." Mikey said with gratitude. He put the jacket on, it was a bit big on him, but it was so soft, warm and smelt like freshly cut grass and a cool summer breeze. Mikey could only assume that's what Raph smelt like. A single tear ran down Mikey's cheek.

"Mikey, what's wrong?" Leo asks the younger turtle a bit worried something was wrong.

Mikey shook his head as he wipes away the tear with the back of his hand. "It's nothing, I just...I can't remember the last time someone did soothing like this for me. I've spent years of my life giving and never expecting anything in retune that I'm not..." Mikey paused, not quite sure how to finish.

"Not used to people giving back." Leo offered for Mikey.

"Yeah." Mikey states, not really sure what to say.

"Michelangelo." Splinter says, gaining Mikey's attention. "May I ask you a question?" Splinter queries.

"Of cause, you can." Mikey states with a smile.

"I read somewhere that the helper seeks to help, because he knows what it is to be helpless. You help so many people, but what I'd like to know is if it is because you've been in a similar situation? However, please don't feel like you need to answer." Splinter asks, but wanted to make sure Mikey knew he didn't have to answer if he didn't want to.

Mikey took a deep breath, this would be the first time he has told anyone but Leatherhead what happened in his past. Donnie had always told him that he only had to tell people if he wanted to, no one should ever make him feel like he had too, and he knew he wanted to tell them. "I was diagnosed with ADHD and a weak immune system at a young age. The ADHD made it hard for me to concentrate and my weak immune system meant I got very sick a lot of the time. So, I missed a lot of school. Since I found it hard to concentrate and I had so much work I was behind on, none of my teachers could be bothered with me. It got so bad that by the time I got into high school, I couldn't even read a baby book. It wasn't until year 10 of high school that Donnie got sick and tired of the teachers not doing anything and took matters into his own hands. He taught me himself and the four years of education I had missed out because of me being ill, he helped me get back into. I fought with him a lot because whenever I got something wrong or felt like I couldn't do something, I'd give up immediately and I would try so hard to hide the fact that it was because i felt like an idiot. So, i just gave up, that way I wouldn't have to show how hopelessly stupid I felt I was. Donnie, never gave up on me, kept pushing me and eventually I proved myself and everyone else wrong. I proved that despite me constantly being sick, and not being able to concentrate as well as other, I could do it. In college, Donnie kept helping me wherever he could, but made sure that I helped myself. That I knew that if he couldn't be there for whatever reason, I'd know what to do. It took me a while but eventually I found ways to teach myself without getting distracted and I used that method in every single class I had, and Leatherhead was always there supporting me and telling me I could do it whenever I felt I couldn't, and he always told me what happened in lessons and gave me any homework that was handed out on days that I became ill and was in hospital. Now I find that even though I can still get pretty ill, it's been a good few years since I've been taken to hospital. One day I thought to myself that there are many people out there that have to go through what I went through or worse, so I thought that maybe if I could help them the way I wanted to be helped from the start, shed a little light into their lives when things seemed dark, then that could make a huge difference. Sometimes, all you need, is to know someone cares. That can do so much for people and that's why I do what I do. So that I can make someone see that there is a good side, that there is something worth fighting for, that someone is there for them. Someone who will listen, care and make them feel like things can be better. That's why I do what I do, and I will continue to do it until my last breath." Mikey explains with so much passion, honesty and empathy it was like the three older turtles where living his past. Feeling what he felt, going through what he went through, and understanding why he does what he does. They felt like they truly knew and understood Mikey now, like there was nothing they didn't know and that made them feel very honoured and somewhat proud of Mikey for defeating every obstacle in his life that had come his way and they had no doubt that Mikey could continue to do that forever more.

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