No Use |TMNT

Chapter 23

"So, Michelangelo," Kirby pushed his plate away as he finished his meal. "I'm no expertise on the subject of brain damage, but Leonardo has told me a bit of Donatello's condition… Do you mind telling me what your brother does in the daily basis? Maybe I can figure this situation out."

"Uhmm, no I don't mind." Mikey said in between chews. And Leo came out of Donnie's bedroom and sat next to Raph. "He doesn't really do much. He loves watching Clifford for some reason, though. We've only watched that show when we were toddlers, and Donnie was never interested in that. But every time he does something, usually he needs me or Raph to help him do it."

"What do you mean?" Kirby asked, brows furrowing to a worried expression.

"He can't talk." Mikey stated, placing the fork on his plate and he hit his finger with the other as he began to list. "Can't bathe. Can't go bathroom. Usually needs help to eat. He's uhh—yeah, he has seizures, but that's usually triggered due to anxiety, I think." Mike told him, attempting to shake off the trembling of his voice, and smacked his lips together to control his emotions.

"He's been doing better, though." Raph stepped in as he realized Mikey was avoiding eye contact, and Kirby simply nodded cause he knew it was a touchy subject, but he needed answers. "When Mike brought him home, he didn't really interact with anyone. But he's been smiling, laughing, showing emotions."

"Which is good," Kirby answered, "it was a glance, but I saw Donatello's head." He declared, his blue eyes gazing at the table. "I've read on the matter of brain damage, and quite frankly it's not as easy to resolve or even detect. Concussions can repair but still the brain isn't fully healed, or new tissues have formed to fix it. In Donatello's case, doctors would have done some CAT scan, check for trauma and check how their patient act." Kirby said, his voice now whispering because this is Donnie's brother's he's talking to and he knew he had to say this all slowly.

"Immediate surgery would've been done, and the brains very fragile, a little too fragile a -and – I'm afraid I have some bad news." Kirby told them leisurely so all the words can process, and he sighed, it wasn't a sigh of exhaustion, but of sadness. Everyone tensed, and for once Mikey wished he wasn't there to listen what he was going to hear next.

"I'm sorry, but the trauma of the damage is a great extent due to the fact that Donatello hasn't spoken and the chance of your brother fully recovering is… very low. There's a possibility of your brother staying like this, permanently."

No one spoke. The brims of Raph's eyes were flooded with tears, and he roughly rubbed the edges of his eyes. He looked at Leo, unable to point out his emotions, and maybe it was for the best he couldn't point them out, so he looked at Mikey's who tried keeping down his whimpers of sobs.

Raph finally looked at Kirby, his words were choked out, his voice suddenly cracked and raspy like his throat was shut. "He's never going to be Donnie?" Raph asked, voice sounding lost. "Our Donnie?"

Kirby shook his head, his eyes closed. He didn't spoke, he couldn't.

Mikey left the kitchen, uncontrollably sobbing as he entered Donnie's room to only meet his brother sleeping, oblivious to Mike's presence. Mikey wished he went with Donnie that day of his capture, maybe Donnie wouldn't be like this.