Liability

Chapter 7

Raph set Mikey down on a cot in the lab as Donnie began hooking him up to a machine.

"Donnie, what are you going to do?"

"I need to hook him up with intravenous fluids and perform gastric lavage."

"English Donnie!"

"These fluids will help flush toxins from his body and I need to pump his stomach."

"Toxins?" Leo echoed.

"He-" Donnie paused, gazing down at his innocent little brother.

"He overdosed."

"Overdosed? On April's pills?"

Donnie nodded. "Xanax. It's supposed to treat anxiety and panic because it decreases the activity in the brain, but for people with normal brain activity, it creates a " high" and it's highly addictive not to mention dangerous. It increases the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid in the brain; in an overdose, it means a severe slowing or even a complete stop of certain central nervous system functions like breathing rate and heart rate-"

"Donnie!"

Donnie flinched. "I'm sorry!"

"I mean, his breathing and heart could stop if I don't hurry!"

"What should we do?"

"Leave, for now, I need to concentrate."

Leo yanked Raph out of the lab despite his growls of protest. Once he was alone, Donnie immediately got to work, pumping out the toxins Mikey had filled his body with.
A couple of minutes later, he was done and he called his older brothers back into the room. 

Leo peered at Mikey worriedly. "Donnie, is he going to be ok?"

"For now." 

Raph stepped toward the bed tentatively. "When will he wake up?"

"He should wake up soon..."

"Don, why would he do something like this?"

"I don't know. I honestly don't."

Mikey suddenly stirred on the cot, moaning softly as his eyes blinked open. 

"Mikey..."

"D?"

"Hey bud, how are you feeling?"

Mikey brought a hand to his head with a whimper. "My head hurts..."

"I would give you pain meds but I don't think that's a good idea."
Mikey winced. 

"Mikey, how long has this been going on?" 

Mikey stared at the floor responding in barely a whisper, "since the day April first said she lost her pills..."

"Mikey! It's been over a month!"

Mikey clenched his jaw. 

"Why have you been doing this?" Leo asked.

Mikey shrugged. "It helped calm me down."

"Calm you down?" Leo repeated looking at Donnie.

"Yeah, it does calm you down and it slows your organs down too. It's dangerous Mikey!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Look, Mikey, I don't blame you for your addiction, but you can't keep doing that, you need help."

"Addiction? But I'll stop, I promise!"

"Mikey, it's not that easy! First of all, you will want to keep taking them and even if you do stop you'll have to go through withdrawal symptoms."

"But-"

"Mikey, I just want to help."

Mikey sighed in defeat, slowly beginning to push himself up from the cot. Donnie put a hand to his shoulder stopping him. 

"Rest for now."

"But I'm fine!" Mikey protested.

"No. You're not."

Mikey reluctantly slumped back on the cot, forcing his head to rest against the pillows.
Mikey took a breath and prepared to press onward. Donnie could tell it would be hopeless to argue. He turned helplessly to Leo.

"Just get some sleep, ok Mikey?"

Mikey said nothing and Donnie sighed, turning to leave.

"Thank you, Donnie."

"For saving my life."

Donnie paused in the doorway. "I would've killed myself if I hadn't."

Leo left the room after Donnie, leaving Mikey alone with Raph. 

"Mikey..."

"What?"

"Did you do this... because of me?" Raph looked sick.

Mikey wanted to scream at him but the guilty, pained expression on his older brother stopped him. He bit his trembling lower lip as pools of tears formed in his eyes.

"It was all of you, everything, but mostly it was me..."

"What- What do you mean?"

Mikey threw his hands up, tilting his head to try and stop his tears from falling. 

"I screw up so much, I ruin everything, I get people hurt... Do I even deserve to be on the team- I mean, what does my life hold?"

Raph stared at him as he rambled on. 

"Shut up Mikey! Just shut up!" He exploded.

Mikey immediately shrunk away from Raph, frightened by his outburst.

"Raph..?"

"I said shut up-" His voice cracked and for the first time, Mikey noticed the tears glistening in his emerald eyes. 

Mikey jumped up, engulfing his older brother in a tight embrace. Raph didn't hug back, he just stood there as he began to sob. 

"Raph, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry!"

Raph's head fell to Mikey's shoulder.

"I was so scared you were gonna die..."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I-"

"Didn't you hear me, I said shut up, this isn't your fault, it's mine."

"No." Mikey lifted Raph's head gently, cupping his face in his hands.

"This isn't your fault. I should have told someone I needed help, I should have told someone I was hurting..."

"But I'm the one who made you feel that way!" Raph exclaimed. 

"I'm the one that pushed you to do this... This is my fault."

"But you didn't know!" Mikey insisted. "You weren't thinking. You were just mad!"

"I wasn't thinking about your feelings! I never once thought I was hurting you so much."

Mikey shook his head. "It wasn't just you."

He forced a smile, though it only made Raph's expression more serious.

"I love you Raph. I can't do this alone, I know I need help, just please don't blame yourself for this."

Raph slumped against him, taking a shaky breath. 

"Get some rest, Mikey." Raph stood up giving his younger brother a sad smile as he left the room.

Mikey laid back down, turning on his side. He was dreading tomorrow but he was too tired to dwell on it much and within minutes he was fast asleep.