Greasy, Grimy, Gloppy Glue

By:

Me

I own nothing, but myself.

Michelangelo's point of view:

Everything was messed up. Raph and I were sick and Donnie was getting worn down. I just knew that Splinter and Leo would eventually wear out too. I couldn't lay here and do nothing. Squeaking softly, I carefully pulled my IV needle out of my hand. I pushed myself to the edge of my bed and had to manually lift my right leg covered by a brace to the floor. Standing was awful and I had to hold on tight to the edge of the bed as I teetered on weakened muscles. I felt miserable and dizzy, but my family needed me.

"Okay, Mike," I thought to myself, "You can do this. You got out of the Kraang's headquarters and you were much worse than you are now. Move it."

I hopped on one leg about a foot and was able to grab onto a back of a chair. I panted as if I had run a mile. Slowly, I made it to the lab door and had to rest against the doorframe. Raph was in the bed looking just awful.

"Raph?" I called out softly as I hobbled from one piece of furniture to another, "Raphael?"

I finally reached the edge of his bed and called out his name again. My older brother opened his eyes and looked at me groggily before gasping and pushing himself up a little straighter. Awareness flooded his face as he looked at me with panic.
"Mikey?" Raph whispered weakly before turning and coughing a little, "What tha hell are ya doin' out of bed?"

"Came. Raph," I answered trying to get my words out right, but standing was tiring and I was beginning to shake badly.

"Get up on the bed, Knucklehead," my brother muttered as he scooted over and I gratefully sat on the edge with Raph trying to assist me as best as he could, "Donnie is goin' ta have my hide if ya catch bronchitis."

I reached a trembling hand out and felt my brother's forehead. He was still overheated and I had heard everyone trying so hard to get some nourishment into Raph. I licked my lips and tried to speak again.

"Raph, sick," I began as my brother nodded at me, "Need eat. Get better for Donnie, Leo, Father, and me. Not want you sick. Want you better."

Raph looked at me somberly as I reached for the bowl of soup by his bed. I was annoyed that the bowl felt heavy, but I pushed through and placed it on the bed.

"Raph, eat," I pushed again and held out the trembling spoon to my brother's lips, "Making sad you sick. Get better."

I smiled brightly when Raph opened his mouth and accepted the spoonful of soup. Raph smirked at me and ate the next spoonful of soup that I held out to him as he gently patted my knee. It felt good to be able to help.

OOOO

Leonardo's point of view:

Father and I were able to talk Donnie out of his room. My poor brother was skittish and at his wits end, but he pulled himself together and insisted on going back down to care for Raphael.

"I'm sorry for my outburst," Donnie apologized as he looked sheepish, "I panicked when I saw the blood in the sputum, but that is pretty normal with bronchitis. I just don't understand. I'm doing everything I usually do when Raph gets sick and nothing seems to be working."

"We'll figure it out, Child," Splinter assured as he gave Donnie a squeeze on his shoulder, "I am very proud of how hard you have been working at taking care of your brothers. Now let us not leave our Raphael alone any longer. We need to get him to eat or he will not get well."

However, the three of us froze out in the living room when we noticed that Mikey was not in his bed and his IV needled was dripping away on the floor. I pointed at the open lab door and we rushed to the door and froze again.

"My God," Donnie whispered as we watched Mikey feeding Raph spoonful after spoonful of soup, "Will you look at that. How did he get in here?"

Raph looked a lot more awake and he was smiling slightly as Mikey tried to talk with him as best as our baby brother could with his impaired speech. Donnie had assured us that Mikey's normal dialect would return once he strengthened. Mikey looked exhausted and shaky, but seemed determined to get every drop of that soup into his brother.

"You see?" I asked Donnie as he looked at me in confusion, "Glue. That's what has been missing. Raph is going to get better now. The glue is putting him back together."

Donnie smiled softy while we continued to watch as Mikey set the empty bowl to the side and yawned sleepily. I entered the room as my baby brother looked up at me fearfully.

"Don't ya dare yell at him, Fearless," Raph croaked out as he narrowed his eyes at me.

Felt really good to hear some of that hotheaded attitude again. I hate when Raph gets sick and he's not himself. The world doesn't feel right without his snarky comments.

"Not planning on it," I stated as I helped Mikey put his braced leg on the bed and covered him up next to Raph, "Mikey is still having trouble regulating his temperature. I think if he stays with you then he will be warmer."

"Mmhm," Raph agreed as he put an arm around our beaming, baby brother, "I'll keep ya warm, Knucklehead."

"Kay," Mikey agreed as both he and Raph drifted to sleep.

Donnie walked over with Mikey's IV stand and gently inserted a fresh needle into our baby brother's hand. He then checked Raph's temperature and smiled.

"The fever seems to be coming down," my younger brother whispered, "Raph looks like he is fighting to turn the corner, but I'm going to skin you alive, Leo, if Mikey gets sick."

"I do not think that Michelangelo will catch this illness," Splinter soothed, "It seems like he is actually chasing it away."

OOOO

Epilogue:

Raph's point of view:

"Thank you, Donnie!" I exclaimed as I rubbed at my itchy muzzle after he had removed that damn breathing tube, "That feels good. Mmm."

My brothers laughed as I rubbed at my snout. I was nearly completely over my bronchitis. Mikey had been allowed to stay with me and his happy chirping had been music to my ears over the past two weeks as his sunny-light helped me get stronger.

"You're going to rub your lip off," Mikey giggled from beside me as I leaned back in the bed we were sharing and enjoyed the fact that my little brother could talk in complete sentences again.

"Nope," I denied as I knuckled the top of his head gently, "Lip's still there."

"This does not mean that you are off bed rest," Donnie ordered me with narrowed eyes, "I'm keeping the fluid IV going for a couple of more days just to make sure you don't get dehydrated."

I rolled my eyes as I leaned back huffily.

"How tha shell can I get dehydrated when Mikey keeps forcin' food and water on me?" I demanded as my baby brother looked at me innocently.

Leo shared a grin with me at the memories of all Mikey had done to help me get better. My fever finally had broken, but I had little appetite. Mikey refused to eat or drink anything unless I ate and drank the same amount. Kid really stuck to it and I knew that he couldn't afford to lose any more weight. I had no choice, but to eat and it seemed to make Mikey happy so, whatever.

"Good job, Mikey," Leo congratulated our little brother, "You certainly stick with it when you put your mind to it."

"That's because I'm just that awesome," Mikey playfully bragged before frowning when he looked up at a frozen Donnie.

We all looked in concern at our resident genius. The purple-banded brother walked back over and sat on a second stool next to the bed that Mikey and I were lying in.

"Mikey, you do persevere through thick or thin," Donnie began, "I've been wanting to ask you this since you woke up. Do…do you remember what happened when you went after the antidote for Father?"

I froze at my brother's question before exchanging glances with Leo. Mikey was silent for a couple of minutes before nodding once.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Donnie pushed as Leo and I leaned forward to hear.

"Um…I was upset and scared," Mikey started as he curled in on himself before relaxing when I put an arm around his shoulders and Donnie and Leo each held one of his hands, "I didn't want Father to die and I thought maybe I could fit into the ventilation shaft and get to the antidote without being detected since I'm like the smallest of the four of us."

"But that didn't happen," Leo stated as he closed his eyes with a pained look on his face.

"No," Mikey agreed, "I was small enough to fit inside, but I didn't think that maybe I was too heavy for the shafts that were only attached by screws in the ceiling. The ventilation shaft held for me to reach the antidote, but crashed down with me in it on the way back."

Donnie sucked in a harsh gasp.

"You fell a long way down, didn't you?" Don questioned and hissed when Mikey reluctantly nodded his head, "That was probably when you damaged your rib cage."

"The fall really hurt. I think that is when I hit my head too," Mikey admitted, "I was so confused and there was so many Kraang-bots firing at me. I just remember thinking that I can't allow anything to happen to the antidote vial. I ran and fought and the lasers burned so bad. I took out a lot of the bots, but there was so many and their weapons hurt me."

I growled loudly and pulled Mikey closer to my side. I noticed how angry Leo and Don were as well.

"My head hurt so bad I could hardly think and I was having a lot of trouble breathing," Mikey continued, "I got out of the building by jumping and I think I may have fallen badly because my leg hurt, but I just kept running until I reached a manhole. Then I kept coughing up blood and forced myself to make it home for Father and…."

"And?" Leo prompted our baby brother as he stayed silent with his head down.

"And I wanted to prove to you three that I was a good ninja and could stand on my own two feet," Mikey moaned as he looked away from us sniffling, "I…I wanted to still be a part of the team and I didn't want you to hate me."

Leo leaned back in horror as I froze at our sweet, Mikey's words.

"Never!" Donnie stated as he turned Mikey's head to look directly at him and he used his thumbs to wipe away our baby brother's tears, "We could never, ever hate you. I know we have all apologized over and over again to you, but please know that our words were the most asinine bunch of spewed bullshit that has ever existed."

My eyes widened to comical proportions as Leo's mouth dropped open in shock.

"Damn, Donnie," I gasped, "I never knew ya had it in ya! I'm so proud right now."

Mikey laughed hard and we all joined in and ended up in a sappy, sweet group hug. Gag me with a maggot, but thank God I had three to hug and not just two.

"I've got something for you, Mikey," Donnie grinned out as he stood and came back with a familiar, orange mask, "I've made you a new mask. You're old one was not salvageable. Can't have one of the turtles on our team improperly dressed, can we?"

I grinned when Mikey sat up eagerly to allow Donnie to tie his mask back in its proper place. Leo beamed up at our baby brother as Donnie sat back down and smiled happily.

"We are so glad you are still here with us," Leo offered as he wiped at the moisture in his eyes.

"Well, you haven't heard your punishments yet," Mikey chirped as he leaned back looking evil.

We all looked in alarm at our baby brother. What did he have up his Prank-en-stein sleeve now?

"Leo you are punished by always having to hug me whenever I need it and giving me cuddles," Mikey growled with a severe look on his face and sparkling, blue eyes, "You also have to read my comic books to me at least once monthly with the cool voices you do."

"I'll cleanse my tarnished honor by accepting my punishment graciously," Leo agreed with a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Donnie you have to help me get better and tell me stories whenever I want you too," Mikey ordered, "Oh…and you have to take a lot of breaks from your work to rest and eat. And I better get plenty of hugs and cuddles from you too."

"If I must," Donnie smiled out, "I guess I need to cleanse my tarnished honor as well."

"And, Raph," Mikey giggled out, "You have to get better and play videogames with me whenever you have a break. You are not the huggy-cuddly type, but I insist on a hug every now and again. You also have to chase all of the monsters away when I have nightmares because I don't like being scared."

"I can do that," I said as I nodded, "But ya have to promise to never, ever go off and do anythin' by yourself like you did with tha Kraang. Not one of us like when ya are hurt and scared either, ya got me?"

"I promise," Mikey beamed out at all of us happily, "Can we get some pizza now? I'm starving!"

"I get it now, Fearless," I snorted as Leo looked at me in confusion, "Glue. Greasy, grimy, gloppy, glue. We can't live without it."

Leo and Donnie grinned and nodded while our baby brother looked confused. I swear I've never seen such a contented smile on all of our faces as Mikey continued to chirp happily within our circle. Father peeked his head inside of the lab and nodded at us peacefully before taking his leave. The wall between Father and Donnie, Leo, and myself had come down with the twinkling of blue, mischievous eyes.

I still needed to completely recover and Mikey was facing several weeks of rehabilitation, but our family was going to be just fine and even stronger than before. We had glue to reinforce our bonds.

The end.