Chapter 9: Epilogue

Mikey found his red masked brother still sitting by Leo's cot in the lab. It had been two days now and Leo had yet to wake up. Don had said that Leo needed the rest, that his body had taken on immense stress from being beaten as he had, from being buried alive, and finally losing all of his air supply. He guessed that was true, but he wished Leo would still wake up.

He sat down silently in a chair next to Raph and quietly watched Leo's chest rise and fall, giving testament to that fact that he was still alive. They had been so close to losing him, to digging up one more corpse. He shuddered as the images of the dead body he had dug up passed through his mind once again. It had given him nightmares, but not as badly as seeing Leo gasping for air, his body bucking, fighting hopelessly to get free. He would have nightmares of that for weeks. Seeing the bags under Raph's eyes, he knew his brother was having the same nightmares as well.

Don wasn't faring that well either. He was the one who had known the full danger Leo was in during their search and after they found him. The stress was wearing him down. He had been the one to patch Leo up, putting him on a tank of oxygen as soon as they had gotten home. He said it would help Leo to not suffer any effects from loss of the air he'd had. But Mikey didn't really understand all that. All he knew was that for the next two days it had helped his older brother. Don had taken him off of it an hour ago and yet Leo was still unconscious.

Splinter had been horrified of what the Foot had put Leo through. Mikey could not forget the look of shock and horror when they finally told Splinter what had happened. He had only just left Leo's side to get another cup of tea. He had stayed near Leo just as much as Raph had. As he and Don had too now that he thought about it. No one wanted to leave Leo alone. Not after nearly losing him like that.

What bothered him the most was the fact that as soon as they had pulled Leo from the casket, the Shredder was gone. Oh sure there was a puddle of blood being washed away by the down pour, but the fact remained. The Shredder had disappeared. Raph had gotten this look in his eyes that said he was about to go chase down the Foot leader. One moan from Leo had him ordering the group home. Leo needed their help more.

Mikey kept silent as he finally took one of Leo's hands and gave it a squeeze. Donny said he would wake up soon, the question was when. His older brother's body was covered in bandages, his right foot wrapped up in a cast. He wouldn't be getting out of bed anytime soon, but he would never be left alone. And he would be alive. That was the most comforting thought despite his brother's condition.

A moan made Mikey jump, Raph jerking beside him as well. They both stared at Leo, his eyelids flinching.

Raph jumped up and ran to the lab door. "Don, Sensei, get in here!" He quickly returned, sitting back down next to Mikey and leaned forward.

Mikey licked his lips as he heard footsteps running in to stop behind him and Raph.

Leo's eyes opened, a faint smile crossing his lips after a moment. "I knew you'd come," he whispered faintly.

The thick tension left the room as if someone had just unplugged the cork sealing it in.

"Of course we came," Raph grunted. "We weren't gonna leave ya six feet under."

Leo's smile widened slightly. "I know."

Mikey didn't miss the relief or the faint horror in his eldest brother's eyes. An involuntary shiver passed through him. What had it been like to be buried alive? He swallowed thickly. He really didn't want to know. "We thought you weren't going to wake up."

Confusion crossed Leo's face. "Why?"

"You've been asleep for two days bro," Raph grunted.

"What?" Leo gasped, eyes going round.

"Chill bro. Ya needed it. If ya hadn't noticed, you're pretty banged up."

"It's just your body's way of healing itself," Don replied.

Leo leaned back against the pillow, seeming to deflate a little. "I guess so."

Splinter put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Regardless, you are awake now and it is good to have you home once more."

Leo nodded, bags showing under his eyes.

"I believe it is time for you all to get some rest. Healing is something that takes time, but energy as well," Splinter advised. "There will be time to listen to all the events in the morning." Splinter gave Leo's hand a squeeze and left the lab, a smile of reassurance on his face.

Mikey couldn't help a yawn. He really was more tired than he thought, but the thought of more nightmares didn't sit well with him. He looked at his brothers, a thought occurring in his mind. "Can't we all just bunk in here?"

Don looked at Raph, Raph looked at Leo, and Leo looked at Mikey.

Leo shrugged. "I don't see why not."

Mikey nearly grinned. "I'll get more pillows and blankets!"

"I'll get the extra cots set up," Don offered.

"And I'll go call Case, let him know ya survived," Raph grunted, but smirked at Leo.

Leo smiled and seemed to relax as some resemblance of peace settled over him.

Mikey left to gather all the pillows he could. Hopefully by bunking together, the nightmares would stay away if only for just one night.

Leo lay in the dark with his brothers surrounding him. Two were breathing deeply and even. One was lying awake in the silence just as he was.

"What was it like?" a gruff voice asked.

"It was dark," Leo answered after some hesitation. He almost didn't want to talk about what he had just gone through. It was too soon, but the darkness around them now... It made his chest tighten and quickened his breathing. He could feel Mikey's hand grasping his arm as if afraid to lose him. Don's arm brushed up against his, just to know he was near. Even Raph's shoulder seemed to be touching him slightly.

"The cell offered some light for awhile," he continued to whisper, hoping he wouldn't wake his other brothers. He didn't want to talk about this now, but at the same time, if he didn't say anything, he didn't think he'd be getting any sleep any time soon.

"I thought we were going to lose you before we even got to the right cemetery," Raph whispered.

He nodded, knowing that had been one of his own fears. Though there was one thing that bothered him more. "Mikey mentioned you guys dug up dead bodies trying to find me."

"Yeah. But don't think we're sorry we did. We woulda dug up a hundred bodies looking for you."

Leo smiled slightly, but remorsefully. "Thanks..."

"Yeah well. We gotta stick together and stay alive, right?"

"Right," Leo agreed. He just wished he his brothers had never had to see that. He couldn't imagine what it was like to dig up a dead corpse instead of their brother. He also wished the dark wasn't so frightening, but even now it made him feel as if the walls were caving in around him, making his breathing increase just a little more. The claustrophobic feeling mentally transporting him back to the crushed casket.

"Hey," Raph spoke up again. "What's up?"

Leo bit his lip, mentally trying to shake the feeling from his head, hesitant to divulge this little secret. He didn't want his brother to think less of him.

"You've been through hell Leo and survived. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. They're sleeping, you can tell me."

Leo let out a long sigh, deciding to just get it over with. "The dark makes it seem like the walls are closing in just like the casket did," he murmured, feeling ashamed of his fear.

There was silence before Raph rolled off the cot and shuffled across the room. A small light lit up at the far end of the lab. Raph returned and silently lay back down.

He blinked, a tear leaking down.

"Don't worry Leo. It'll go away. I know you, you won't let this control you." Raph paused. "But it doesn't hurt to have a little help if ya need it."

Leo nodded. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Raph muttered, turning over, a snore echoing after a few silent minutes.

Leonardo let out a breath, feeling the tightness in his chest ease. The walls were no longer closing in on him. The darkness wasn't oppressive. His body was battered, but he would heal, physically and mentally. That is, if he accepted his family's help. But really, was that such a bad thing? He really didn't think so as much anymore. He let out a breath, grateful for the wonder of the feeling of air passing through his lungs, and slipped off into a relaxed sleep.

"Never look back. That's where the shadows are." – Anonymous

The End

Well I hope you all enjoyed the fic despite the nail biting tension. :) I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed this. Each review was always the highlight of my day to which I always looked forward to. I will be updating Dark Angel next now that I'm not carried up in burying Leo alive and hope you all have a great day!