*Donny-boy...you've got a lot of growing to do.


Donatello yawned, rubbing bleary eyes as he walked into the kitchen.

His orange-masked brother glanced over at him from where he was working at the stove. "Hey, bro. Did you get enough sleep?"

Donny nodded. "Yeah, I'm just stiff. I need to do some stretching."

"Did Doc release you for anything else?"

"I bet I could get him to sign my permission slip today," he offered impishly. "I wasn't even that sick."

The younger turtle shrugged. "Doc usually knows best."

"Except when you're the one being restrained, right?" Don shot back, going to check the coffeemaker. The timer was working properly (for once) and the delicious brew was already waiting for him.

"You gonna eat some food to round out your breakfast?" Mike teased. "I'm taking Sensei his tray, but I could fix ya something after that."

"Nah – I'll just make some toast for now."

"Toast: the breakfast of champions. Why don't you choke down some wheat germ if you really wanna waste a meal?"

The purple-masked turtle grinned. "I can feed myself from time-to-time, Mikey."

"Sure you could, but you choose not to. I might sound like I'm kidding, but I'm kinda not. You need more than toast to get going again."

Donny repressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, Mommy."

"Better straighten up or I'll send you to your room, and no phone or computer for a week!"

Donatello shook his head. "Don't you dare joke that way. I have a lot of catching up to do from the work I missed last week."

Mike wagged a finger at him. "All the more reason to eat a good breakfast."

"Mike, I'm going—" Donatello stopped mid-sentence when his cell phone vibrated, and he immediately looked at the clock. The call was a couple of minutes early, but he already knew who it was going to be. When he pulled the device off his belt, Mike made a surprise grab for it. The move was so unexpected that the orange-masked turtle succeeded in capturing the phone. "Hey!"

"Maybe I'll just hold onto this to ensure your cooperation." Mike glanced down at the facing and chuckled. "Don't worry, bro, I'll talk to your girlfriend for you."

"Give me the phone!"

"Hang on a second, Donny!" Michelangelo held up an arm defensively before punching a button to answer the device. "Hello? Is this the party to whom I am speaking?"

"Mike, give it!"

His brother laughed. "Yeah, it's killing him, Jenna. Pretty fun to wa—"

Donatello lunged, pinning the smaller turtle in a flash. He still had a battle on his hands to pry the cell phone away from Mike. "Let me have it!"

"Shell, Donny, your girlfriend's not going anywhere," Mike jabbed.

"Neither am I," he retorted darkly.

"Easy, bro! You want me to deliver Sensei's tray in one piece, don't you?"

"Phone. Now."

He released his grip on the cell phone, but the purple-masked turtle didn't get off him immediately. Mike squirmed uncomfortably on the floor. "You wouldn't turn your favorite little brother into a turtle-pancake, would you?"

Donatello smirked, but finally rose. "Next time."

Mike hurried across the room to get the tray, but cast one more grin over his shoulder before leaving the kitchen.

Don exhaled deeply as he sat down at the table and answered the phone. "Hey, Jen."

The young woman was laughing. "It sounds like you must be feeling better."

"Oh, I am," he assured her. "My flu wasn't serious to start with, even if convincing anyone else was impossible."

"I'm glad. I don't like to hear you sick when I'm half-way around the world."

Don snorted. "I'm surprised you didn't get any funny ideas about burning some more frequent flyer miles."

"You'd better stay well, or I might. On that note, how is Splinter doing?"

Donatello's breath caught in his throat guiltily. "He…um…he's okay, Jen. Still fighting the same cough, and he's pretty weak. We're doing everything we can to help, but whatever this bug is, it's not letting go easily."

"Well…are you concerned about this?"

"No, no, Jenna. It's under control. I wish I had the power to knock this cough out of him, but I don't. If we had the proper medication, or we knew what was causing this…" Donatello trailed off weakly.

Jenna was silent for a long moment. "I don't like the sound of this, Donny. You'll let me know what's happening, won't you?"

"Yes, Jen . We're still hoping that it could clear up on its own, but in the meantime, we're looking for a cause and a solution." Don sighed softly and changed the subject before she could press the issue any farther. "So. How is the trial going?"

Jenna made a scoffing sound. "You'd have to ask my dad. I haven't stepped within fifty feet of the courtroom, and I don't intend to. It's all a joke anyway."

"Are you okay?"

"I will be, when this farce is over and the terrorists can continue rotting in prison forever. I don't know how Michael sits there day in and day out. It's like my dad thinks their conviction might be overturned if he's not there to oversee the appeals process."

"He wants to make sure you're protected. I'd feel the same way."

"The courtroom is no place for a mutant ninja turtle, Don."

"It would probably end the proceedings faster."

"This is true. Do you feel like hopping on a plane?"

"I could try, but I don't think I'd make it through customs when I get to Australia."

"What good is it being a ninja if you can't use your skills to get past a few government agents? I'm always the one coming to you. This relationship is beginning to feel one-sided."

Jenna's tone was teasing, but deep down, the purple-masked turtle agreed with her. Though he couldn't deny his intense feelings for the 23-year-old woman he'd met as a teenage boy, he also still felt like the relationship was an exercise in futility.

There are so many things that I can't give her. Jen deserves more out of life than living underground in the dark. She's talented, smart, beautiful…she could probably have her pick out of a lot of guys. I can't help wishing it had never gone this far.

"Don? You know I was only playing with you, right?" Jenna's voice was tentative.

"Oh, yeah, Jen. I'm sorry. I'm a bit distracted."

"You're probably a bit tired too," she chided. "Take care of yourself, please? I know a lot of things need your attention, but you won't get them done if you're half-dead. Better to get your strength back first, and then tackle all of it."

"I won't try to do too much," he promised. "Keep me up to date on the trial, okay?"

Jenna huffed softly. "I'd rather not talk about it at all. I don't want to waste a moment's thought on those idiots."

"Any thought devoted toward keeping the bad guys in prison is good enough for me."

"Right…fine. You'd better be on your best behavior today, because I'm calling back later to talk to Mike. He'll tell me anything."

Donatello shook his head. Even if Michelangelo tried to lie to Jenna for him, he probably wouldn't pull it off convincingly. "I'll take it easy as much as I can. You know how things are around here."

"Donny…"

"What? Are you sending me back to bed?"

"If it were an option, I would. I bet you'd go willingly if I was there to tuck you in."

The turtle sighed longingly. He was in love with the woman, and there was nothing he wanted more than to be with her. Sometimes the force of his bottled up emotions made him feel like he would explode if he didn't tell her how much he missed her, but he often refrained.

At some point, Jen will meet someone. She will. I'd rather have it happen naturally, with her falling for someone else, than to keep trying to pry her fingers off my wrist. When there's another guy in front of her, it'll be easier for Jenna to let me go.

"I love you," Jen said quietly, reminding him once more that she was still on the phone.

He winced. "I love you too."

"I hate it when you get quiet on me. It's harder to tell what you're thinking over the phone, Donny."

"Sorry I'm spacing out, Jen."

"Spacing out?" she repeated. "Your brain never stops moving."

"I guess that's true."

"I'll call you later, okay? And I expect you to do more of the talking," she finished lightly.

"I will, Jen."

"Remember to take it easy. I'm checking up on you."

Don chuckled. "Okay, Jen. Bye"

When Donatello hung up the phone, he felt like a traitor. He hated not being up front with the young woman about how he felt, but he didn't want to make the attachment stronger.

"Have you eaten anything?"

Donatello jerked in surprise over the question that appeared out of nowhere. When his blue-masked brother had entered the room was a mystery to him. He glanced over at the toaster, and looked back at Leonardo. "I'm working up to toast."

"April stocked us up on fresh stuff," Leo said, heading for the fridge.

"Did Doc ask you to force-feed me?"

"He might have dropped a few suggestions. You sure couldn't eat much last week. How about something more substantial, like Cream of Wheat?"

"Gag me."

"Is it just because you don't want me touching the microwave again?"

"That should be a given."

"The machine wasn't brand new when you brought it home! Isn't it possible the thing was defective?"

Don shook his head. "Some things don't go together, no matter how hard you try to line up the pieces, Leo. You and cooking are one of them."

His brother scowled at him over his shoulder, then resumed looking in the refrigerator. "How about yogurt? That should be good for you, if your stomach is up for it."

"Sure. I'll take whatever's in there."

Leonardo pulled out a small package and set it on the counter while he checked a cabinet. "Want me to add some granola?"

"Let's go crazy, Leo."

The blue-masked turtle took his time stirring the components together, lingering over the counter longer than Donny deemed necessary. Donatello studied his brother silently, looking for subtle clues of his mood.

"What's wrong?" he asked at last.

Leo came to the table and set a bowl in front of him. He fidgeted on his feet for a moment longer before sitting down too. "Is it my imagination, or is Sensei getting worse?"

Don looked down at the table as the desire to eat fled. "It's not your imagination."

"I didn't think so. What's going on, Donny?"

"We don't know, Leo. We're still searching for possible causes…we just haven't found a way to make a dent in it. Yet."

Leonardo sighed. "I'm worried, bro. Really worried. Do I have a reason to be?"

The purple-masked turtle clenched a fist unconsciously. "Not…not yet, Leo. Don't borrow trouble, okay? When we have real answers…we'll tell you."