Chapter Text
Raph and Donnie hands found their way to Mikey’s shoulders, giving their little brother the strength to open a portal to Leo. All happened too fast. Raph was able to pull the blue-clad turtle out of that blasted prison and Mikey closed the portal right before the Krang managed his way into their planet again.
It was here where they knew things were worse than they expected.
“Leo?” Mikey called.
The red-eared slider had seen better days. They didn’t want to imagine what that monster did to their brother while they tried to save him. But Leo’s condition was here and not in their imagination.
“Leo!” Raph gently shook Leo’s shoulder.
The turtle gasped, coming back to consciousness. He winced in pain. “Agh!”
Donnie was quick to assess their brother’s condition. Several bruises across his body, three long gashes across his plastron chest area, black eye, possibility of broken ribs, bloodied mouth and his knee—oh. Oh God. His knee. It was shattered.
“He needs medical attention NOW!!! We need to get him to the lair!” Donnie stated.
Mikey started crying. “Donnie, what happened!?”
Donnie bit his lip and looked away. Raph placed a hand on Mikey’s shoulder to stabilize him. “I think we all know. But we can’t think about that now. We need to get him home.”
Raph was right, Mikey thought.
With the Turtle Tank out of commission somewhere in the sewers, Raph gently took Leo’s battered body in his arms to carry him all the way back to the lair.
“Agh!” Leo exclaimed in pain.
“Hush, Leo. We’ll take care of you.” Raph spoke softly.
OOO
Leo hadn’t woken up in a week.
Donnie had hooked him up on life support, much to everyone’s eternal worry. He was stable at the moment, but very hurt. His swollen eyes had diminished, leaving behind a fading bruise. The gashes across his chest were permanent though. A permanent scar and reminder of the Krang. Some bruises had long gone while others remained persistent. Donnie had been right about the broken ribs, which almost punctured his brother’s lungs at one point during treatment, but he was now stable. His knee was the biggest injury and Donnie worried that with how shattered the bone structure was, he could never walk the same again.
Splinter never left Leonardo’s bedside.
A worried father he was. The fear he felt when he thought he would never see his son again after the portal closed remained constant with him, even if his baby blue was there. But now he wasn’t fighting aliens from a prison dimension, he was fighting for his life hooked on life support. April once tried to coax him into getting some rest and let her stay with Leo while he did, but the rat gently refused and held the turtle’s hand through it all.
CJ Jones, as they had taken to call him to difference him from Cassandra Jones, felt like he was living a nightmare. One, for Master Leonardo’s life and two, his body had started to slowly disappear, starting with his left hand, which was now transparent like water.
“I think the timeline is trying to fix an anomaly. You.” Donnie had theorized the day after tending to Leonardo and declaring they had no choice but to wait, that it was up to him now. “It’s trying to send you back to the correct time place you’re supposed to be at.”
“Back at the apocalypse?” He had asked fearfully.
“No, I don’t think so.” He had answered. “Since we changed the timeline, it only makes sense that the flow of the universe wants to put you where you belong, in the future, which ever one it is. There is a high chance that where you end up will be a place devoid of an apocalypse.”
“Can’t... can’t I stay?” He was scared of what he may encounter once he was gone.
Donnie sighed. “We wouldn’t mind having you around, but the rules of the universe are clear. You could create a grandfather paradox if you stayed, simply because you are not born yet at this time. And your mom is a bit reckless so it’s best that she doesn’t meet you now, but when the time is right.”
“When she gives birth to me eventually.” CJ whispered.
“Exactly. But I don’t know if you’ll retain your memories of the apocalypse and... this whole situation.”
CJ lowered his eyes at the thought of forgetting all he had gone through, simply because he didn’t want to forget those he had lost. Raphael gently patted his shoulder. “Hey, the good news is that when you get back in your new timeline, we’ll be there with you and catch you up on things.”
CJ looked back at Donnie. “How long do you think I have until that happens?”
Donnie seemed deep in thought. “I’d say about ten days. Or less.”
“I want to say goodbye to Master Leonardo.” He whispered.
Mikey gave him a hug. “Leo is strong and he’ll be pretty upset if you left before you said your goodbyes.”
A week had already passed and his body was mostly transparent, except for his face and right arm.
Raphael took turns next to his unconscious brother when Splinter finally went to rest, even if only for a few hours. The snapping turtle simply stared at Leo and spoke softly to him.
“Hey, Lee.”
No answer.
“Donnie says that you may be able to listen to us if we talk to you, even if you can’t talk back.” The irony wasn’t lost on him. “Which is a first. You not talking back to anyone.”
Silence. Only the constant beeping of the heart monitor filled the space.
“Leo... you did good. So, so good. You saved us and you are a hero, you self-sacrificing idiot.” He chuckled, but there was not actual joy. “Please... wake up. You need to wake up, please. We miss you and we’re worried. Dad barely leaves your side. CJ... he’s disappearing. Donnie says that soon he’ll disappear completely and return to a hopefully new timeline for him. But please...” His voice cracked when he glanced at Leo’s bruised face and the tube in his mouth, keeping him alive and steady. “... wake up.”
Mikey had taken to bring a sandwich with him every time he visited Leo. The sandwich was not for him, but for his brother, in case he woke up and was hungry. Then he would feed him and make sure he was good. Mikey never said anything to Leo, but rather held his unmoving hand. And cried. He cried until there were no tears left in him.
April was the one that made sure that the family wasn’t falling apart. She made sure Raph didn’t blame himself, she made sure Splinter rested, she made sure CJ didn’t feel alone, she made sure Mikey had a shoulder to cry on, she made Donnie took a break from creating a knee brace for Leo. As for her, there wasn’t much she could do. She could only stay strong for them.