Chapter Text
Leo was acting wrong.
He was carefree when walking into the main lair space. In a way he hadn't been since- for a while. They'd all bounced back as well as possible but Leo was different now and they all knew it.
Then he made comment on Raph's eye. Donnie froze. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong wrongwrongwrong.
Calm down. Analyse. Don't freak out.
Leo was a prankster, but he would never joke like that. Never joke about that.
It became increasingly clear that his brother was disorientated and confused. He wasn't joking, so it could only mean that he really didn't know. A medical issue, then.
The others hadn't figured it out yet. It seemed to be dawning on Mikey at least a little, his training as Doctor Feelings and Doctor Delicate Touch coming in handy, but Raph was confused and emotional. Not a good combo to saddle on his mentally addled brother. Casey was taken aback, but he was tough and logical and Donnie trusted him not to make a scene until they knew what was going on.
When Leo turned to him, he demanded they go back to the medbay. The correct place for a concussion patient to be, Leo.
Raph was helpful in that. He carried Leo all the way back to the medbay. Of course, Leo was uncooperative as always, but not for long.
He checked Leo's brainwaves as extensively as possible with the equipment he had on hand. Donatello had built all these tools himself, but he figured after this basic check-up he'd need to do more extensive checks, because they weren't showing much that didn't line up with what they already knew: head injury, concussion. Donnie tapped onto google on his wrist guard. He may be able to build medical equipment but Leo was team medic. Amnesia seemed like a good start. Ask him questions. Find out where the parameters of his memory loss lie.
Calm down. Analyse. The situation is under control.
Was it?
Two. Years. From what he could tell Leo's available memories end two years ago. Before any of this. He doesn't know anything. He doesn't remember-
It was times like these that Donatello cursed his own logically illogical mind. He could figure out his brother's issue quickly, but the sudden wave of that information into his still very squishy non-robotic brain flooded through his nervous system and made him sick and shaky. The lights were too bright, the walls closing in and widening again like he was seeing them through a funhouse mirror.
Outoutoutout
He quickly excused himself and hurried past Casey, sat alone on the tunnel floor, before he wobbled into his lab and collapsed. He curled in on himself, rocking back and forth. He knew he was gasping for breath because he could feel himself getting dizzy and lightheaded, but he couldn't make himself stop. He was too hot and too cold and he didn't even really understand how that worked given he was a turtle.
Just ride it out. It always ends eventually.
Donnie felt a warm, comfortable weight settle over his battle shell. He grabbed at it and fisted his hands in the soft fabric of the… blanket? He blinked, confused, disorientated. Knocked out of his hyperventilating by the distraction he was able to focus more on the present.
Mikey was sat down next to him, quiet and not looking directly at Donnie. Of course his little brother would know what to do.
Donnie looked forward again at one of the blank walls of his lab. He breathed in and out while fidgeting with the blanket. As he came further back into awareness, he sagged in exhaustion. He was cold, tired and too wrung out to be kind of angry at the whole universe anymore.
Once he'd calmed down enough, Mikey turned to him curiously.
He needs to know. If we're going to deal with this properly he needs to be able to help Leo.
Donatello took a deep breath in through his nose, out through his mouth. Mikey would be upset without a doubt but he could manage it. (Not like Donnie, who'd just freaked the hell out).
Apparently he'd taken too long thinking, because when he turned to Mikey in confirmation he was ready for a conversation, Mikey started. "Leo hit his head really badly, right?" His younger brother's face was sick with worry. "He answered that all wrong- he-" Mikey's voice started to hitch and he took a deep breath.
Donnie decided now was the time to throw in his own input. He felt like he probably had the grace of a fish trying to flop its way off a fishing boat in conversation right now but he couldn't leave Mikey without a real explanation. "Leonardo has lost some of his memories, yes, about two years and-," a breath "most of our major life events as of recent."
"So what do we do?" Mikey said sadly.
Well he didn't really know but- "People can regain their memories after traumatic injuries. We treat Leo's condition and don't allow him to overexert himself. And meanwhile," Donnie stands up, "I will research amnesia in more detail. I will hack into or break into as many research institutions as I need to if the basic information isn't enough!"
Mikey got up too, so he took that as his cue to start walking back to the medbay. God- breaking it all to Leo and Raph-. At least he knew Raph wouldn't be letting Leo be irresponsible with his injuries. Their biggest brother would probably bubblewrap Leo if he could after all of this.
On their way back they passed Casey in the hallway again. Mikey looked at him. "Can you handle Leo and Raph?"
Looking down at Casey then back to Mikey, he nodded affirmatively.
Mikey sat down next to the future boy as Donnie started to walk away. Mikey could break the news to him, at least that would get everyone currently involved on the same page.
He took a deep breath before opening the door to the medbay.