âDid you get hurt at all?â Don asked, coming up next to April while keeping an eye on Leon as they got Raph situated and passed him a bowl of the chicken stew Mikey had made.
âNo, Raph kept me protected while we were getting flung around. I got a little nauseous from the trip, but that went away a long time ago,â April assured, thanking Mikey when he pressed a bowl of stew into her hands as well. It smelled amazing to her empty stomach influenced nose, and she eagerly stuffed a spoonful in her mouth.
âThatâs good. Take it easy now, and feel free to ask if you need anything,â Don breathed a small sigh of relief, glad to hear that there werenât going to be any more injury surprises. That just left one last patient, which caused Don to hold up a hand to refuse the bowl Mikey was pushing his way. âNot now Mikey, I need to check on Le-â
âHey did you take Donnieâs contacts out?â Leon suddenly blurted around a mouthful of stew, his form leaning against the bed Lil Mikey and Raph were both on now, left leg crossed over the right to remove all weight from it.
Don flinched in surprise at the sudden question, but also mild annoyance at the distraction. It was like Leon knew he was going to address him now, and it looked like Leon was going to take a lot more convincing to pull him out of taking care of everyone else first. But⌠he did have a point. The battle shell wasnât a good thing to wear while sleeping, but neither were contacts. âUhhâŚ. no. I didnât know he had them, and didnât think to check,â Don admitted with a semi relenting sigh.
âNo problem, I got it,â Leon shrugged, setting the bowl down and teleporting over to Donnie in a flit of ninpo, ignoring Donâs eyes narrowing slightly. As Leon delicately crouched next to Donnieâs battle shell that had been left by the foot of the bed, Don watched in very mild fascination as he expertly manipulated it to open a small compartment. A small click, and shift of one of the panels. It was one of the upper compartments though, so despite being free from its latch the door still got caught on a mildly damaged part, not open enough to fit any fingers in. But it ended up being easy to remedy as Leon just gave it a good smack with his fist to get it to pop open completely. A bottle of contact solution and glasses case were removed from the device, and a smaller case for the contacts was pulled from the belt before he stood and scooted onto the bed. Leaning over Donnie, Leon lifted his brotherâs eyelids with one finger and plucked the contacts out with ease that betrayed familiarity in the action. The contacts were then dropped into their case filled with cleaning solution before being put on the nightstand nearby. And then the glasses case was set next to Donnieâs head as he squirmed in his sleep to get comfortable again after getting poked at, with Leon sitting back in content.
âThere we go,â Leon hummed, pushing himself back to his feet in satisfaction, ready to return to the other bed to finish his food.
Yet before he could move Donâs forearm was pushing against his chest, firmly shoving him back onto the bed and holding him there as Donâs other hand latched onto his shoulder.
âWha- Hey!â Leon protested, reaching up to push back against Don while also bodily leaning forward. âWhatâs the big ide-â
âIs there anything else critically life threatening with your brothers?â Don interrupted, leaning forward slightly to use his weight to counter Leonâs and keep Leon in place.
âWhat? No! At least⌠I donât think so,â Leon sputtered, confusion flashing across his features that quickly became uneasy. âAre you implying-â
But Don cut off that train of thought quickly as well, resorting to rude insistence to break Leonâs current mentality focusing on everyone but himself. âThen itâs your turn.â
The words caused Leon to flinch, reflexively turning his head slightly to hide the bandage on the back of it from Donâs view, his gaze shifting away. âWhat are you talking about? Iâm fi-â he huffed, an automatic reaction spilling from his mouth before he could fully consider it.
âNo. Itâs. Your. Turn. Leon,â Don insisted, giving Leon a little nudge with his arm to reinforce the punctuated statement and ignoring Mikeyâs snickered comment about how strange it was to see Don on the lecturing end of that situation.
Leonâs expression towards him was irritated at first, but after a moment of letting the facts sink in, and for Leon to start to accept what Don was saying, his expression started to soften. Along with it his body stopped pushing against Donâs arm, his form very slowly relaxing as the cool down part of his medic mind started to kick in. His brothers were safe. Their wounds were dressed, their needs taken care of. April was fine too. No one else needed his help. It was his turn now to have his injuries addressed. He was now at the top of the list of the ones that needed care. He knew that earlier, he just wasnât used to someone else being there. Heâd been so easily hardwired into thinking he had to wait for Donnie to wake up to help him. Normally Donnie was the backup, and the one to give a second opinion and make sure Leon didnât ignore what was inconvenient or scary. He wasnât used to there being a third medic.
âI-...â Leon gaped, words failing him as he tried to somehow respond. Half formed mental lectures of disappointment from his family filling his mind. Lectures that he ended up half responding to. âSorry. Iâm not⌠This isâŚâ His voice trailed, unsure of how to put the situation into words since it was so far outside his expectations.
â...Youâre not used to having someone look after you?â Don pointed out, chuckling slightly when Leon blinked, then gave a small nod. âItâs okay. I get it,â Don assured, familiar with the feeling. Before Leatherhead had started helping it had only been him after all. Just his own hands and the internet to try and fix whatever disasters his brothers managed to bring on themselves. He felt fairly certain Leon was in the same position. âI got you. Just take it easy now.â
It was strange to hear. Having someone tell him they would take care of him in this situation. Not asking for him to walk them through it. Expecting him to be the doctor and patient. It was strange, but also strangely nice. The words were becoming a soothing balm on Leonâs mind as they repeated in his head. He could just be taken care of this time. Heâd seen what Don could do firsthand. And heard what he knew and did for his brothers. It would be okay. Leon could feel the pushed back exhaustion starting to roll into him again, and his knee and head throbbed with painful awareness as he sagged into the mattress, reluctantly relenting to his role as patient. â.... YeahâŚ. Okay,â he agreed, a little quietly.
Grateful that Leon was cooperating now, albeit awkwardly, Don just gave him a smile that was quickly growing in fondness as he dragged the nearby stool over to sit in front of him. He already had a small flashlight in his belt pouch, having been intending to check Leon over since they had finished with Raph, and raised it now to pass over Leonâs eyes. âConcussion?â he asked, watching Leonâs pupils as the lad blinked and squinted slightly.
â....Yeah,â Leon admitted, a little reluctantly. âJust a small one⌠I think.â He wasnât sure how muddled his banged brain actually was, so just expressed what he thought the answer was. Don sounded like heâd known that for a while now, and was just asking Leon because he knew Leon had the medical knowledge to understand the symptoms. Leon was grateful Don hadnât shoved him on bedrest immediately, and still let him help with Raph. But it also explained why Don had seemed to be keeping an eye on him as well during the procedure. The care and expressed trust was enough to motivate Leon to offer a little more about what he knew of his condition without having to be asked. âApril disinfected the head scrape. But it could probably use a bandage change now. AndâŚâ he paused, pursing his lips for a moment before willing himself to admit what heâd been denying and brushing off earlier. âMy knee really hurts.â
Donâs smile was quick to show his gratitude for Leonâs cooperation, appreciating the information Leon provided that confirmed his earlier suspicions. And he could only give a soft, sympathetic chuckle at Leonâs comment about his knee, moving a hand to momentarily rest on his cheek in comfort. âOld injury flaring up?â he asked quietly.
Giving a slightly hesitant nod, Leon absently rubbed the offending joint. âI have a brace at home that helps. But I⌠couldnât really grab it,â Leon admitted, puffing his cheek slightly in irritability. He hated having to have a brace in the first place. It was such an annoyance. At least if he lost his glasses he could still function relatively well without them. But his stupid knee liked to throw a tantrum when it was ignored, or the weather changed, or he walked too much. He hated it.
Yet Don didnât seem to think any less of him for needing the support. âI see. Mikey has ankle braces too for that reason. And I have a brace for my whole arm,â he admitted, giving a wide grin, reassuring Leon that he wasnât the only one that had to deal with old joint injuries. âWe usually use heat therapy with Mikey, does that work with you?â he asked, just to be sure. He wasnât surprised Leonâs knee was hurting that much, heâd noticed it was getting worse in the middle of fixing Raphâs leg but had only filed it away in his mind to keep an eye on him. It was easy to tell Leon had been favoring not using his left leg even then, and the fact he teleported to Donnie just now made it obvious the pain had gotten bad.
The way Don talked about recurring pain from old injuries as though it were no different than brushing teeth was surprising, but it also helped Leon feel less self conscious about it. He and his brothers all had to deal with some part of their bodies having chronic pain now, but they had always kept it fairly quiet. Not really talking about it other than to ask for help getting the remedy. It was as though discussing the results of the events that caused the injuries would crack open the well of emotions none of them were ready to deal with again just yet. But there Don was, casually chatting about them as though they were common dinner table topics. It caused a small smile to return as Leon nodded, giving a small, hesitant chuckle. âYeah⌠Donnie and I have a bunch of heat packs around the lair, and it kind of sucks when it snows. It feels like we never have enough, and then dad yells at us for having the heater on too high until he realizes why,â he laughed lightly, feeling like old wounds in his heart were healing somewhat with the words. It gave him a mild rush of relief that caused him to keep talking a little more. âMikey ends up stealing all the ice packs instead, the heat just makes his arms feel worse when theyâre flaring up. And Raph switches between the two.â
It was a little concerning to hear that all of these kids had some sort of chronic pain they were apparently dealing with, but Don was grateful for the openness and glad to see the subtle change in Leonâs demeanor. It was easy to sit quietly and listen to the mild ramble, and Don had to chuckle when Leon mentioned their dad complaining about the heater being on too high. He was pretty sure Master Splinter would scold them too if they tried that. Being covered in fur definitely changed someoneâs heat tolerance.
It didnât seem like there were any other injuries that Leon hadnât noticed on himself, so Don shifted to stand up again. âWeâll collect the electric heat pads that we have to make sure you guys have access to them too then. The ice packs will have to stay in the freezer though,â he assured with a chuckle, reaching out to give Leon a small head pat and rub as he stood up fully. âIâll get you some tylenol, one of the heat pads, a compression brace for later, and change the bandage on your head. Just stay here and take it easy now, okay?â
âOkay,â Leon chimed in response, kicking his non achy leg in content and finding it easy to comply now. When Don left to get the items, April took her chance to bring Leonâs bowl of stew back to him, passing it over with a grin as she plopped onto the bed next to him and leaned against his side. She had been there for Raph while he was getting taken care of, so she felt her role as big sister was needed once more for her other brother. And he seemed pleased with the decision too, his feet bobbing happily as they wordlessly stuffed more food in their mouths. It wasnât like what Lil Mikey cooked at all, missing some subtle flavors. But it was still tasty, and they had to chuckle when Mikey assured Raph that he could have seconds, thirds and fourths if he wanted.
The atmosphere of the infirmary was starting to feel lighter as the teens staved off their exhaustion just a little longer. The quiet calmness was making it harder to stay awake, and Leon found that Don sounded just a little louder than expected when he came back with the items. The electric heat pad was plugged into the nearby outlet and clicked onto a medium heat before Don passed Leon the medicine and a bottle of water. âDrink the whole bottle please. Iâd rather not have to stick you with an IV too,â he requested, with a slight joke. As Leon obediently popped the pill in his mouth and chugged the water, Don sat back on the stool and gently lifted his leg to rest his lap before he wrapped the heating pad around Leonâs knee. Holding it in place with his hands and pressing the heat into the joint, Don had to chuckle as Leon let out a hum of relief. Keeping still for a few minutes to let the heat soothe Leonâs knee a little more, Don eventually shifted to move Leon's leg to rest on the stool so he could stand and change the bandage on Leonâs head. It thankfully didnât look infected at all, and was a fairly shallow scrape. So Don just put some ointment on it before he covered it with a clean bandage while Leon quietly ate the rest of the stew he had. By the time Don was done Leon was starting to lean while his eyes fluttered, the soothing heat on his leg lulling him to sleep as well. Even April gave a huge yawn as Mikey almost stealthily slipped the empty bowls away from them.
âTheir Raph has already fallen asleep by mini Mikey. We should just tuck these guys in here, they seem used to sharing beds,â Mikey whispered, more to Don than the others. The comment caused Don to glance over to the other bed, happy to see Raph curled up around his youngest brother like Lil Mikey was a teddy bear. They both looked peaceful, and just having the other two sitting next to him seemed to have smoothed the furrow in Donnieâs brow completely.
Giving another chuckle, Don nodded in agreement before he gently hovered his hands towards the remaining two teens to coax them to lay down as well. It took a bit of shuffling, but luckily they didnât protest. Aprilâs glasses were slipped off and placed next to Donnieâs case, and Leon crawled over to the other side of him before putting his own case on that side of the bed as well. It took the last of Leonâs effort to take his own contacts out, using a portal to drop the case on the nightstand, before he gave in to his exhaustion and flopped over.
âSleep well. Call us if you need anything,â Don hushed, pulling spare blankets over them as the three teens shifted to get comfortable around each other.
Everyone is taken care of now, yeeey time for a good nap XD