Poisons Of Fear

Chapter 21

The next few days seemed to drag by for everyone in the lair.  The brothers were all healing mentally and physically.  Splinter had decided it would be best to stop training for a few days and was instead taking care of his sons, and Haley rarely came out of her room.  The brothers were growing increasingly concerned with her behavior.  She had never done this before, even when she had just got out of the hospital.  

Leo was the most concerned for obvious reasons.  The few times Haley had come out of her room, Leo had barely gotten a few words out of her.  There were times he had left food outside her door, and she hadn't touched it, meaning she had gone a while without eating too.  But, this time, Leonardo was not leaving her door until she came out and actually talked to him.

He knocked on the door with his elbow pad since one hand was holding a crutch and the other was holding a plate of food for dinner.  "Haley?  I brought your dinner.  Can I talk to you for a second?" There was no answer.  "Please, I'm worried about you."  He heard footsteps on the other side of the door, but it didn't open.  "Haley?" 

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry," She said quietly from the other side of the closed door.  

"You haven't eaten in a few days, Haley.  Its not healthy," There was no answer again.  "Will you please come out and talk to me, babe, and tell me what's going on with you?  I'm worried about you," Leo said as he learned against the wall, taking pressure off of his leg that was still healing. 

"You don't need to worry about me," Haley said still from the other side again.  "Just leave the plate outside.  I'll eat it when I'm hungry." 

Leo sighed.  "I'm not going to do that, Haley.  You didn't eat the last few meals when we left them outside.  Just come out and talk to me at least.  If this is about what happened to me and that guys on patrol, it's not that big of a deal.  We made it back just fine."  

Leo looked at the doorknob and saw that it was turning slowly before opening.  Haley poked her head out of the door.  "How can you say 'not that big of a deal', Leo?"  She paused.  "You left and came back bleeding, needing stitches.  You could have died from blood loss!  If this was not a big deal to you, then what is?  How bad does a fight have to get for you to consider it a big deal?  Do you have to nearly die for that to happen or are you going to surprise me with that too?" 

"That's not what I mean, Babe," Leo said with wide eyes, shocked by the confrontation.  Haley was usually so quiet.  This was a new side to her that he was seeing.

"Then what do you mean, Leo?" 

Leo sighed.  "Can I come in?" He asked waiting for his girlfriend's response.  She slowly nodded and opened the door more.  Leo walked in as best as he could.  He set the plate for food on Haley's desk, pulled out her desk chair and sat down.  He then watched Haley sit on the foot of her bed. "I know you're upset, and I don't blame you for being upset.  But, you have to realize this is part of my life.  It happens.  I'm saying this injury," He gestured to his leg, "Is not that bad.  I'll be walking like nothing happened in a few days.  I've had worse, and I will have worse in the future too.  Its unavoidable sometimes." 

Haley shook her head.  "Why didn't you warn me?" 

"I... I honestly didn't think it would be that big of a deal," He said with a sigh.  "I didn't think I would have to explain that sometimes, in battle, we get injured." 

"It never crossed my mind that would happen.  I've never had to deal with the worry of if you will come back at night.  What will happen if one day you don't come back?" Haley asked quietly.  

"That's not going to happen, Haley," Leonardo said quickly.  

Haley shook her head.  "You don't know that.  You can't promise that you'll always come back because there is always the chance you won't." 

Leo sighed as he leaned back.  "...you're right.   I can't promise that I will always come back.  I can't promise that all of my brothers will always come back either.  Every time we leave to stop a plan from the Foot Clan or the Kraang there is always a chance something will happen that we cannot stop.  But, I can promise that I will always do my best to come back to you.  I can promise to always try my best to make sure my brothers will come home too.  But that also means I have to promise that I will do whatever it takes to protect the people I love, no matter the sacrifice, and that includes you." 

Haley then looked up.  She wasn't sure if she had heard him right.  "You... you love me?"

Leo looked at her.  Honestly, he had shocked himself by saying that.  He knew he had loved her for a while, but he didn't know how to tell her.  Now, it had just slipped out.  It felt natural.  "Yes, I do love you." 

Haley looked down.  "I... I did not expect you to say that," She looked at him.  "I haven't heard that in a really long time." 

"Well, I think you deserve to know how I feel about you," Leo said with a soft smile.  

"The last time I loved anyone was my family..."  Haley said quietly.  "When they died, I never felt so alone, even though we hadn't been a functional family in so long.  I know they loved me, even if they didn't think so, and I still love them, but I don't think I'm ready to love anyone else yet." 

Leo's face lowered slightly.  "Do you want to break up?"