Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Please Speak Mikey

Chapter 16

"How is he Donnie?" Said Leo as his genius brother gently rubbed the cold cloth over his baby brother's crimson face. Well this was déjà vu, going all the way back to square one! The day Mikey had been attacked by the foot soldier that had led to a near-fatal death. Their baby was in a feverish state; his little body jerking as he harshly coughed, his breathing quivered in short, quick gasps every time he inhaled trying to gather oxygen. The shakiness was evident underneath the double blankets securing his movements for protection. His feline kitten cried out whining powerless to shield her saviour from the torture, no matter how much licking and warmth she provided. Donnie scratched the little cat behind the ear affectionately. "You know in Egypt cats are believed to have the ability to go back and forth between the world of the living and the dead. Don't suppose you could go there and sniff out Mikey and April for us?" He half smiled sadly. The cat purred and rolled over. "Didn't think so." He sigh.

The dark circles were now showing behind the purple mask, the soreness from constant rubbing. Understandable as the medical turtle has spent the last forty-eight hours while unsuccessfully hiding the anxiety and frightening conclusion that his brother has taken a turn for the worse. No surprised his little brother had a very traumatic experience and the gruesome weather shattering down on the earth had only joined among the emotional rollercoaster ride threatening to exploit his sibling health.

"No change." he replied tiredly. The leader could see heavy toll evidential on his little brother's face, in fact on all of them. Although Master Splinter had cleaned and rewound the stitches, they first believe it to be an infection; however neither redness nor any white puss seeping out the cut made Donnie suggest it might be a cold or worse pneumonia. But what alarmed the middle brother was the fact that Mikey remained asleep. His light blue orbs firmly shut behind a delirious, incoherent sickly frame, leading Donnie's intellectual brain to conclude that his little brother was imprisoned somewhere unable to find a way out. Donnie just wanted to shake him. To cuddle him. To call into his ear, begging him to wake up! But he knew it wouldn't do any good.

"Oh Mikey" he said sorrowfully wishing there was another way to end his suffering. The heart can only take so much and everyone was on the verge of collapsing, especially since the family refused to leave the room for some rest. Splinter sat down in a rocking chair which April had discovered in her attic giving it a new makeover and a present for her sensei. He rocked slowly back and forth on the right side of the bed next to Donatello who continued to or tried to comfort his youngest. Leonardo and Raphael sitting on the left were made of stone. His two eldest children hardly moved their muscles. They were almost like two guard dogs since their smallest brother suddenly developed this virus...or whatever this was. Their dull, monotonous eyes absorbing their baby bro current fragile state, both feeling helpless and unable to sooth him like a parent singing a lullaby to her child. Instead Raph would hush his brother by circling his finger on his stomach minding the stitches, although not having much affect it kept the heart sickened boy busy. Mikey used to love it when Raph did that as kids. A much simpler and happier time...before Raph adopted this "I hate the world" attitude.

Splinter was staring over at the second improvised made up bed which was occupied by April. While she displayed no symptoms the girl was stationary, the only sign the red-headed female was living was her breathing. By the slow but deep rise of the chest it would be made to believe she was sleeping, but Splinter knew otherwise. April had been the only one who seemed to know what was going on. However the moment she had started to reveal it to them, this had happened. A little too much of a coincidence. He was only almost sure that their young human friend life was in no danger....he hoped. More like she was something this "presence" felt needed removing from the equation. Yes. The one thing the rat was certain of was that higher forces were at work here and they were going to make sure nothing got in the way.