I count no less than 4 "poor Mikey"-s. Lol. Glad you're all enjoying the whump. P.S. I totally understand what he's going through. I've had arthritis since I was 17. Don't let anyone tell you it's just an old people thing.

Winter sucked. As reptiles, the boys had never been fans of the colder months. The chill seemed to suck the very life out of their bodies, leaving them sluggish. Donatello wasn't sure if they were still capable of hibernating, so they took great care to keep from getting too cold. At least now they had the warm shelter of a heated Lair, as opposed to their childhood when all the warmth they had was steam pipes and Splinter's own body heat. That they all survived long enough for Donnie to figure out heating, plumbing and electricity, testified to their Father's own particular brand of genius.

Even so, the winter days dragged on for them. They could only leave the Lair when certain temperatures were reached, and still they had to go well bundled carefully watching how long they stayed out. Mikey however, had become even more restricted. The cold and shifts in weather were especially brutal in winter, triggering deep, twisting aches in the bones of his legs. Painkillers and avoiding straining the weakened limbs helped to manage the problem, but at times it was still crippling and there were days he just couldn't keep up with his brothers. Now I know why Splinter doesn't come out with us as much anymore.

The morose turtle found himself in his new usual nest this winter's day, on the couch playing video games. It spoke to how often he was left on his own now, that the idea of having nothing to do but beat his high scores had worn very thin. He started up another round of Distance and tried to ignore his throbbing limbs, wishing his brothers were around more.

He was starting to feel a little left behind. It was becoming rare to see them around for greater than a few hours a day, generally around meal times. They obviously weren't spending all that time on the surface, but running the tunnels was better than stewing at home. The youngest just wished he was well enough to join them.

A particularly nasty twinge had the blue-eyed ninja jerking upright and failing to stifle a curse as his car blew apart on screen. Ok, that's enough. Time for the sure fire cure. He shut down his game and hobbled over to the bathroom. A few minutes later he sighed in sweet relief as the near scalding bath water soaked into his bones and chased away the chill. Painkillers and care were good, but a hot bath meant near instant relief. If only he could stay in here forever. Unfortunately the tub was small, uncomfortable in shape for large shelled turtles and had the annoying "safety" drain that prevented more than a couple inches of water from staying in the tub. It was enough to give him a much needed break from the pain though, so he soaked, and wished the water wouldn't cool so fast.

Bleary eyes blinked open as the youngest of the Hamato clan woke from his nap. Sounds from outside his door told him the others had finally come home. He couldn't quite muster up the energy to do anything about it though. His bed was warm, he wasn't sore at the moment, and frankly, he felt that his brothers had been ignoring him, so he wasn't much inclined to make an effort for them at the moment.

He didn't have to though. Shortly a blue bandana wrapped head poked in his door. "Mikey," his big brother whispered, "You up?"

So much for staying in bed. "Yeah Leo I'm up." Words didn't match to action though as he hunkered further under the covers.

"You feel up to a walk, Little Brother?"

He's asking me to go with them? "You serious? What happened to, "You don't want to strain yourself, better stay here."?"

Leo flushed a bit. "Actually, we kinda, needed to get out on our own."

That hurt. That hurt a lot. They deliberately left him behind? "What you thought the gimpy turtle would slow you down? So you made me stay here, bored to tears? Thanks a lot Leo!" Mikey rolled over and pulled the covers past his head. "Y'know what? No. I don't want to go with you. I'm gonna stay right here thanks."

Leo balked at the venom in Michelangelo's voice. This was not going to plan. So much for that. "Aw Mikey no. It's not like that. We didn't want to leave you out, we wanted to surprise you."

That got his attention. "Surprise me? Surprise me with what." There was still suspicion in his tone, but at least now he was sitting upright instead of sulking.

Leo smiled softly and beckoned his baby brother over. "Well, that's what the walk is for silly."

Now Mikey was getting a bit excited, but the weeks of loneliness and boredom kept him from letting them off so easy. He sighed deeply. "I suppose. It better be one heckuva surprise though." he said as he rolled out of bed and pulled on some socks. Even the chill of their stone floors was unwelcome right now.

Mikey was starting to think it would be worth it, as Leo, of all brothers, was starting to bounce on his feet like an excited little kid. "C'mon Mikey we're just waiting on you."

It wasn't a long walk. Just a few yards down the main tunnel they veered off and into a door that they had passed a million times since moving here. Leo was grinning so wide now that his face was threatening to split in two. Mikey limped through the door, was greeted by the most delicious heat, and stopped dead in his tracks. What he saw was practically a mutant turtle sized terrarium. "Surpise!" His three brothers chorused.

Raph sidled over. "Sorry we been leavin' yah all alone, but this took a bit o' doin'."

His little brother stood frozen, "But…What?!"

Donatello chuckled and took Mikey's hand to lead him forward. "Your sore legs got me thinking. Specifically, the effect your hot baths had in relieving your pain. We try so hard to think of ourselves as people, not just freaky animals, that we ignore our more basic needs sometimes." The soft sand slid wonderfully under Mikey's feet. "If we hadn't mutated, this would be our environment." He gestured up. "Sun lamps for us to bask in." He looked down. "Sand or soil to dig and lay in. "He glanced to the side. "And cool water to swim and soak in. These are all things that we as turtles need. However, there's something else we could benefit from, and you most of all." His sweeping hand drew attention to the steaming pool next to the larger main watering hole. "A hot tub, big enough for all of us to soak in." Mikey could have just about kissed him, so he did.