S h i v e r

Michelangelo

Come one, stay awake, stay awa-so soft.

No stay awake, bad Mikey, bad! Don said never fall asleep if you're freezing or if you have concussion…I'm pretty sure both apply to me right now.

Ok, Ok, just get yourself up, that's right, now push down. I let out a low, pained groan, It shouldn't hurt this much.

I think I've broken my wrist, or sprained it very badly.

Perfect.

Right, calm down, and think. My shell cell is…heaven knows where…my brothers have…no idea where I am…I'm on a snow covered rooftop in the middle of New York city with a broken, or wrist, and I'm bleeding out. My side hurts. A lot. Did I mention that I was shot as well? All things considered.

I'm screwed.

I've gotten outta worse situations before, but I mean seriously, I was lucky to escape alive. Anyways, I've usually got my bro's to help me, but they were so mad at me when I left, after I pulled those pranks on them I doubt they'll come looking for me any time soon…

But common, who could resist swapping Raph's red mask with a pink one and removing all the mirrors, and putting super glue on Leo sword hilts was a classic!

I wonder if the coffee maker has stopped making toast yet…

I hiss quietly as my injuries are stretched. I have to lay still and try and stay awake.

Those foot pack a serious punch...I'll have the bruises for weeks, well, maybe lying on this ice helped. Heh. At least my sense of humor is intact, unlike everything else. If I could feel anything else...I'm feeling pretty numb.

Everything is starting to fade. There's a weird, sensation in my head. I feel hot, and then cold and I can no longer see.

I realize that I'm going to faint a second before I do.

*0*

Come on Mikey, where are you?

Raphael dusted a few flecks of snow off his shoulder, scowling. He hated snow and he didn't know how Mikey could love it so much. It was cold and wet and difficult to move in. Looking out over the rooftops of New York, he thought back to that morning, after Mikey had left.

After Mikey had pulled those pranks everyone had been fuming and just about ready to kill their little brother. Even Don was angry.

Master Splinter had forbidden them to go out and search for their brother, knowing that it would become more of a First-one-to-find-him-can-kill-him type of thing. That had been at about nine in the morning. It was now getting dark and Raphael was feeling uneasy. Master Splinter had giving them permission to go out before noon, but by then, they'd stopped caring. It had only been when they realized that Mikey had been gone for over nine hours that they began to worry. Raph had gone out to search for his little brother while Don and Leo were trying to track him. They'd join Raphael when they were done.

Raphael sighed and kicked the snow angrily. It just made him colder.

For the first half hour of his search Raph had remained calm, searching as he hopped roof from roof, looking for any sign of anything resembling his nunchuck wielding brother. But after he'd searched for an hour, his patience was wearing thin.

"Damnit Mikey, where are ya?" He muttered

Suddenly Raph's cell started ringing, causing him to jump. Scowling, he took it out of his belt and flipped it open.

"'Sup?"

"Hey"

"Donnie, what's goin' on? D'ya Know where Mikey is?"

"No, his shell cell isn't transmitting…"

"What d'ya mean it 'isn't transmitting'?"

"Let's put it this way, its back to good old fashioned searching."

"What's so good about it?" Raph muttered

"No luck either?"

"Nothin'.

Raph heard Don sigh.

"Look, where are you? I'm gonna come help, Leo is already looking, he'll meet up with us."

"I'm at the corner of First and Third. Top roof."

"Right, see you there."

"Yeah. Later…"

He flipped his cell shut and shoved it into his belt. Sighing, hewent back to staring at the cityscape. Mikey loved sketching that.

What could've happened to Mikey to make his shell cell stop transmitting? Either it had been broken in a fight or he'd done something stupid and ended up breaking it. Raph hoped dearly that it was the latter. What if something serious had happened to him?

He kept up his pacing and this train of thought until he heard the soft footfalls of his younger brother.

"What took you so long?" he demanded

"Raph, I was only-"

"Lets get going."

*0*

Raph and Don began searching for their missing brother, they continued on the way that Raphael had been going, making sure to double check every area.

Even as he was searching, Raphael was lost in thought. His youngest brother meant a lot to him more than he let on at times. In all honesty, Michelangelo was probably the only one who really understood him, odd, but true. During battles, Raphael always kept an extra eye out for the orange banded turtle even though Mikey was more than capable of taking care of himself, Raph just didn't want to see him get hurt.

Donatello ran fast, his feet pounding down hard on the ground. He kept coming up with possible scenarios that could have happened to his little brother. He silently cursed his medical knowledge because it made the images so much more vivid… Don shook his head pushing these thoughts from his head, and focused on finding Mikey.

Don paused on a roof to look around, but finding nothing, he leaped to the next building.

Raphael took a second look around and leaned over the edge of the building, getting ready to spring to the next roof. He cleared the gap with ease but upon landing he stumbled on something lying in his path.

"What idiot would..." looking up, he trailed off, A large mass of foot soldiers littered the rooftop, weapons scattered around them.

"Shell…" Donnie muttered in shock.

Both brothers surveyed the scene in shock. Hesitantly Donatello started forward and Raphael followed.

"Damn," Raph muttered, his teeth grinding as he looked over the scene. "Someone's gonna die."

Something on the floor caught Don's attention. He walked over and picked it up. Eyes widening in shock, "T-This is Mikey's shell cell…That's why, that's why I couldn't track his location."

Raph felt his heard sink. It was confirmed. His little brother had been attacked, ambushed by the looks of it, and left to fight on his own. No back up, no help. He hadn't been there, he hadn't been able to protect him…Mikey could be hurt or captured or de- No, Raph wouldn't allow himself to even go there. Mikey wasn't dead, he just couldn't be... Taking a deep breath, Raph continued onwards, avoiding the body's of the foot ninja.

Raph and Don went separate ways, searching the rooftop trying to seek some clues as to where their little brother may be.

Spotting something on the ground, Raph bend down, only to discover that it was Michelangelo's nunchuck, lying abandoned in the snow. Mikey wouldn't just leave his weapons lying around; he never let those things out of his sight. On impulse, even though he was afraid of what he might see, he let his eyes drift forward. Raph felt his breath catch in his throat. He thought that his heart was going to stop when he saw the horrific sight.

Michelangelo was there, lying unconscious in a pool of blood, covered in a build up of snow.

"Mikey," Raph breathed, kneeling by his brother, dusting the snow off. "Mike, can you hear me? Answer me!"

Raph shut his eyes and tried to calm the rising panic that threatened to engulf him. Mikey was dead still, his skin felt like ice and he was barely breathing, in fact Raph couldn't even see the faint rise and fall of his baby brother's chest. His eyes shot open as he realized he couldn't feel a pulse, and fear instantly gripped him, his stomach churned. "No…Mikey no! Come on bro, you gotta be okay!"

He gently picked up the orange clad ninja, cradling him in his arms.

"Don! Donnie! I found him!"

"What?" Don came into view; he was running towards them, not caring how many ninjas he ended up stepping on.

"Oh no . . ." Donnie instantly paled. He had been out here in the cold for two long and barely showing signs of respiration. Blood was flowing from a would that looked a lot like a -

"...He was shot…" he murmured, fear gripping him. "Raph, we've got to get him home, right now!"

*0*

Leo was running as fast as his legs could carry him. Leaping over rooftops, fear in his heart. Just two minutes ago, he'd gotten a call from Don…

Leonardo jumped slightly as he felt his shell cell vibrate. He quickly fished it out from where it was tucked away in his belt and peered at it. Donatello's name was blinking across the screen.

"Hey Don. Any news?"

"Leo, we've found Mikey. Get home right now!" Leo was relieved and happy, but something in Don's voice drained that feeling from him.

"How is he..?"

"Not good. He was ambushed by the foot-"

"Ambushed? How many? Don, what do you mean by ambushed?"

"I mean a rooftop covered in Foot ninja."

"Shell…"

"Look, I've gotta go. Meet you back home."

"Okay, be right there."

What if they were too late when they had found him? How long had he been there alone, in the cold snow? Why the ambush? Why hadn't they found him sooner?

Michelangelo meant a lot to Leo, he held them all together and the Blue clad ninja knew it.

He was the one that kept everyone going, kept everyone believing.

He kept them smiling, kept them happy…

Kept then sane.

Leonardo forced himself to concentrate on getting home as fast as he could. If Michelangelo died, he would never forgive himself.

"Please be alright..." Leo whispered.

*0*

Master Splinter sat in the middle of the lair, his eyes closed and tail twitching slightly. He waited in overwhelming worry and suspense for his sons to return with Michelangelo.

He prayed that his son would come home well. Without him, he knew this family would not last.

Most often, his brothers took him for granted, beating him away or shouting at him for his pranks that they failed to notice the things their youngest brother did for them.

He had the ability to get Leo to cease his excessive practicing by simply annoying him until he relented and joined his brothers in the living room.

Mikey was also the only one that could successfully get Don to go to sleep or to eat when he got involved with one of his projects.

He was also the only one who could relieve Raphael's tension, by making him more angry and them having the gift to calm him down at the same time. He sometimes got hurt doing this, heh.

Master Splinter heaved a great sigh and opened his eyes. He prayed that his sons would bring Michelangelo back safely. He had a bad feeling about that evening, to do with his youngest son, one that he could not shake. Suddenly the doors opened and Leonardo came rushing in, breathing heavily.

"My son! What has happened? Where is Michelangelo?" He asked as Leonardo came forward.

"Mikey was…ambushed….Donnie and…Raph have him…" He panted out between breaths. Splinter's eyes widened in worry over his youngest. A fight with the Foot always had serious consequences; the time when Leonardo was ambushed was proof of that. Splinter turned back to his eldest son.

He had obviously put great strain on himself to get there.

"Leonardo. He said gently, "You must rest; I shall wait for Donatello and Raphael to return with your brother."

"No, I'm fine Sensei; I want to be here when they return."

Splinter nodded in understanding and he joined Leo in waiting for the others.

*0*

Don rushed into the lair, followed closely by Raph who was carrying an unconscious Mikey in his arms.

The moment that Leo saw his little brother, ice cold and still, barely breathing, he thought that his heart was going to stop. He stood there, rooted to the spot, while everything seemed to slow down around him. His youngest brother was covered in blood and his skin was pale from the cold.

He looked dead.

Michelangelo. His baby brother looked dead. What if it was true, what if he was dead? Leo just couldn't comprehend the possibility.

Splinter laid his hand on his son's shoulder, snapping him out of his trance.

"Leonardo. You must be strong, your brothers need you."

Leo nodded and turned from his father, hurrying to his brothers.

Mikey had been laid down in the infirmary while Don hurriedly checked his vital signs.

"You can do this Donny" Leonardo stated, as he entered the room, sounding more confident than he felt

Donatello nodded and placed his hands on Mikey's wrist, feeling for a pulse. He waited.

And waited. He felt tears sting the back of his eyes.

And waited, the hope draining from his spirit. They had been too late to save him.

And then he felt it.

A beat.

A faint, weak, beat, but a beat nonetheless.

He let out a sigh of relief.

"He's alive!"

Raph and Leo looked up, relief evident in there gazes.

He hadn't died; their baby brother was still alive.

"Raph, Leo, get blankets, quickly!"

Grabbing a blanket from Raph, He wrapped Mikey in the blanket. He took another from Leo and laid it on top of Mikey.

Carefully he pulled the blanket away from the wound in his side. Examining it carefully, he was relieved to see that the bullet had gone through the skin but come out close by. A shallow bullet wound wouldn't pose much threat to his brother's life.

He cleaned the area and wrapped it in bandages.

Raph watched his younger brother tending to Mikey's wounds, only paying slight attention. His thoughts were else ware, like how they had almost been too late. He could tell by Don's tone, when he had announced that Mikey was alive, that he had been worried about him dying. The fear in his eyes spoke volumes.

Raph made a promise to himself there and then. He would kill the barsteds that did this to his baby brother; they would regret the day that they ever messed with his family.

Next to Raph, Leo was having exactly the same thought. Vengeance. The shredder would pay for hurting his brother. For causing them this suffering.

Finally Donnie stopped working and sat down, looking exhausted. For a moment nobody spoke.

"What now?" Raph finally voiced

"Now we wait. Don answered grimly, "He was obviously out in that snow for a long time. We need to warm him gradually or his body could go into shock."

"Donatello, what is the extant of your brother's injuries?" asked Splinter, worry lacing his tone.

Don sighed and reluctantly continued, "Mikey has several broken ribs, a bullet wound in his side, fractured wrist, bruises, cuts, concussion and…."

"And what, Donnie?" Leo asked, uncertainly

"And possible brain damage due to the cold, bump on his head and blood loss. He also has marks on his neck indicating brief strangulation. The lack of oxygen is also a bad sign…"

"What chance is there…?"

"Sixty Five percent change that he will have serious brain damage..." Donnie's voice cracked, "…thirty percent chance that it could result in death."

*0*

Silence.

A rare thing in the home of the turtles.

Then again, it always was Michelangelo who was the loudest out of his brothers, filling the empty lair with laughter and spirit.

It had been two whole days since Michelangelo had been found unconscious on the roof top, and They could do nothing but wait for him to wake up…

Hope was the only thing left and it was fading fast.

In the dojo, Raph was working out on his punching bag.

"Aaaah!"

He sent a forceful kick to his punching bag, splitting it down the middle. Furious, he punched the wall and whirled to face his younger brother. "When the shell is he gonna wake up, Don? You're the freakin' genius and you cant even tell us when he's gonna wake up….if!"

Silence overcame them.

"Raph…I-I don't know, I…" Donnie swallowed hard. He was so worried about his younger brother, but he could do nothing until he woke up. Nothing.

"I just, he's right there but…I- we, it's just, aaah!" He hit the wall again, this time with more force, causing a crack to appear.

Leonardo and Donatello exchanged glances at their distraught brother.

The only thing that could bring him back to his old self would be if Michelangelo woke up. As strange as it was, the youngest turtle was probably the only one who was really able to calm Raphael when he went into one of his moods…and the orange banded turtle was unconscious.

Silently they left the room. …

…Minutes later Splinter entered.

"Something troubles you."

"I failed him, Sensei." Raphael quietly confessed, curling his fist angrily. "If I hadn't...If we hadn't chased him out... none of this would happened. They were just pranks and we over reacted and - " he broke off, pounding the table "I Wasn't there! It's my fault! I couldn't protect him! I…failed…"

"You are not to blame for this, Raphael." Master Splinter replied "Putting this burden on your shoulders by believing that will not help the situation."

"Yeah...but-"

"Your brother survived. He is not `conscious, but he is breathing." Splinter patted Raph's shoulder, "He will wake up, we will get through this my son. Trust." With that he left Raph alone with his thoughts.

Not his fault…but it felt like his fault. He hadn't been there when his little brother was attacked. He thought back to when he had found him. He had barely been breathing, his pulse had been so weak that Raphael hadn't been able to feel it. Don had later told them that his body had been on the verge of going into what was called 'suspended animation'. When ones body kinda…slowed down…like hibernation.

Raph hadn't cared, he only cared that his little brother was alive, but he couldn't forget the terror he had felt for that moment, the fear that he had been to late, that they couldn't save him…that he hadn't made it this time…

He clenched his fists, shutting his eyes in anger. His eyes stung and his throat ached. He'd failed him…and now he hadn't gone to see him all day in fear of what he may find…fear that he would here the dreaded sound from the heart monitor, that his baby brother would no longer be breathing when he next saw him. That his nightmare would come true.

….

A few moments later Raphael forced himself up and walked to the infirmary. He paused hesitantly at the door before going in.

The youngest member of the family was lying on the bed in the corner, wrapped in bandages and covered in a white blanket. He laid motionless, breathing shallow, eyes closed. Raph's heart clenched in sadness and worry.

Raph laid his hand softly on his brother's shoulder.

"Common Mikey…" He muttered, "Wake up…we need you."

*0*

Splinter watched his youngest son with sad eyes. Another day had past and he still hadn't woken up. The elderly rat refused to give up hope, yet he felt it slipping.

Michelangelo's condition had neither improved or deteriorated and the waiting was tearing the small family apart. Leonardo practiced his katas without rest, stopping only for his youngest brother. Raphael relieved his frustration on his punching bag and street thugs while Donatello overworked himself in his lab.

Splinter gently reached over and stroked the orange clad ninja's forehead softly.

"Michelangelo…you must not give up. Return to us…your brothers need you." He sighed quietly.

Slowly he put his head in his arms and closed his eyes. In truth, he was exhausted, he had not slept for nearly three days and it was beginning to catch up to him.

He had finally been able to convince his three older sons to rest while he kept vigil on Mikey. He was fighting sleep but he could not keep his eyes open for much longer. Finally he relaxed his body and gave into the darkness.

*0*

Beep…beep…beep

Michelangelo's eyes opened, groggy and bloodshot, "Guys…." He whispered, "What happened?"

~FIN

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