A/N Hi everyone! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day/night whatevs! Just so you know, I'm kind of a sucker for the hurt/comfort genre and with Mikey sleeping through most of the chapter, I figured this is a great time to indulge in one of my favorite genres and give the other Turtles (mostly Donnie this time around) a chance to shine! Hope I'm still keeping them in character and I'm no medical expert, so any medical stuff in this chapter and further into the story is completely made up, so don't be counting on medical accuracy. (Of course most movies and shows take great liberties with that aspect as well!) I struggled a lot with this chapter and I'm still unsure about the results but I hope you like it. Don't forget to leave a review! I love hearing from y'all! ^_^

Without further ado, enjoy!


Chapter Three

"OK," Raph muttered as he, Leo and Donnie stood in the first intersection of the sewer near the lair looking at three different routes they could take to look for Mikey. "Which one? Tunnel one, two or three?"

"He has so many favorite skateboarding tunnels," Leo frowned, "It could be any of them."

"Or none of them and he's somewhere else completely," Donnie added.

"Split up?" Raph suggested.

Leo shook his head, "No, Splinter said we have to stick together."

"I don't get why exactly," Raph huffed, rolling his eyes, "He said it was important we get back as soon as possible and we'd find him a lot faster if we split up."

"I know, but Master Splinter was pretty clear," Leo pointed out.

"He seemed worried," Donnie mused and the others nodded in agreement.

The evening had been pretty normal with Mikey being his typical annoying self until he decided to go skateboarding and then things were nice and quiet. Raph and Leo enjoyed their video games in relative peace that is until Raph won and Leo demanded a rematch which led to another rematch when Leo won that round and things got a little…heated as usual. Regardless, they didn't bother Donnie, who was able to work on his latest project without further interruptions now that Mikey had left, until Master Splinter came in.

"Where's Michelangelo?" he had asked, looking around the room.

"He went skateboarding," Donnie shrugged as Raph and Leo, who were by then wrestling on the floor arguing about who won, scrambled to their feet and acted like they weren't just fighting in a very ungraceful, un-ninja-like manner.

"Where?" Splinter demanded.

"Is everything all right Sensei?" Leo asked cautiously, because while Splinter was acting like his normal stoic self, he seemed almost on edge.

He nodded, "Yes." He closed his eyes and took a calming breath, "Yes I'm certain everything is just fine. However…I want you boys to go get him. It is urgent that I speak with him as soon as possible."

"I'll get 'em," Raph volunteered.

"No," Splinter replied, "All of you will go. I want you to stay together."

The three Turtles looked at each other in confusion because they could all sense that something was off even though Splinter was doing his best to act like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Are you sure everything is all right?" Leo asked again.

Splinter seemed to relax a little, but there was something in his eyes that betrayed anxiety. He nodded, "I believe so, but I had a bad feeling a moment ago though it is gone now. Now go. Stick together and hurry."

They left without further question. All three confused about their Sensei's odd behavior.

"I wonder what's wrong," Donnie pondered as they stood at the cross tunnel, "you don't think something might be wrong do you"

"Who knows?" Raph shrugged.

"He had been meditating, and he said he had a bad feeling," Leo sighed, "I don't know but Sensei's intuition is rarely off. It might be nothing, but if he feels better if we're together, then I do too. Let's go this way," he pointed to the right and the three headed down that tunnel in silence.

They looked through the first tunnel, which led to one of Mikey's favorite skateboarding haunts but he wasn't there. It was a known fact though that there were a lot of places in the sewers Mikey liked to skate, so they made their way to the next one. Nothing.

"This is taking forever," Raph grumbled. When Leo shot him a dirty look he shrugged, "What? We could've each searched a tunnel three times over by now."

As they made their way to the third possible location, they heard a noise echoing in the distance. It almost sounded like a cry of pain, but the way it echoed the sound was distorted so it could've been anything. It could've been Mikey, but then it could've been an animal, a city worker, or a threat like Bradford or the Kraang.

Leo stopped and motioned them to stay quiet. They figured it was most likely Mikey, but considering the other possibilities they silently agreed to proceed with caution in the off chance it wasn't. Donnie clicked off his flashlight and the tunnel was suddenly bathed in darkness, but the faint light from the city streetlights above seeped through the cracks provided enough light to continue. Growing up in the sewers and being trained most of their lives to stay hidden in the shadows made it easy for their eyes to adjust to the darkness.

They quickly followed the sound in silence. Not even their footsteps made a sound as they moved. They heard another sound just as they turned the corner and in the pale light saw a figure stumble in the distance. Another groan. It sounded like Mikey.

Donnie dared to turn on his light as it illuminated their little brother. He looked…awful.

"Mikey?" Raph called out cautiously, the others echoing him.

Mikey looked up, grinned at them, "Dudes! So glad you're here!" he called, his voice was remarkably weak. And then, with an audible wince he collapsed.

"MIKEY!" Raph called out in alarm and the next moment the three of them were at his side.

Leo and Raph helped him up and Leo swallowed hard at the sight of the blood caked on his battered body and the scarf roughly tied around his shoulder that was saturated in blood. He took care as he steadied him on that side, noting the injury and trying his best not to aggravate it any further and worried at how unnaturally cold and clammy his skin felt.

"Man what happened to you?" Raph demanded worriedly.

To everyone's surprise Mikey grinned as though nothing was wrong, even though he looked like roadkill. "It's a looong story," he replied, his voice faint and strained, though sounding surprisingly happy. Then with a wince of pain his eyes fluttered and he went completely limp in Raph and Leo's arms.

"Mikey!" Raph called, shaking him. There was no response though, he was out cold.

Donnie shone the flashlight and frowned at how pale Mikey was, he was almost white. He pressed his fingers to his throat and his frown deepened, "We gotta get him back to the lair, I think he's going into shock."

There was no arguing, no hesitation as Donnie led the way while Raph and Leo carried their injured brother back home.

0-0-0

"Master Splinter!" Donnie called as he burst into the lair, a few paces ahead of the others. Already he was in action, rushing to gather blankets, mumbling to himself as he made a mental list of all he was going to need. Splinter was there almost instantly.

"Donatello, what is it?"

Donnie didn't have to reply because the others arrived and Splinter's eyes widened at the sight of his youngest. He ushered them into Donnie's lab and quickly, unceremoniously cleared his table of the various items Donnie had been working on and Raph and Leo gently set Mikey down. Donnie didn't have it in him to protest the treatment of his projects, he didn't even give it a thought. Mikey was more important.

"What happened?" Splinter asked, gently lifting Mikey's head as Donnie put a pillow under it and moved to let him drape a blanket over him, leaving his bloody shoulder exposed.

"No clue," Leo replied, his voice shaking a little, "when we found him in the tunnels he passed out before he could tell us. Whoever did this to him…there was no sign of them so I think Mikey was making his way back to us."

"He's lost a lot of blood, Sensei," Donnie cut in, because the questions of who, what and why could wait, "He's going into shock."

Splinter nodded solemnly as he leaned over his son and checked his pulse. He gently untied the mysterious blood-stained scarf so they could see the wound, "We must work quickly then. Raphael, fetch some hot water and towels, Leonardo, the first aid kit," he ordered. Leo moved quickly but Raph hesitated a moment, unable to take his eyes off of his brother but a gentle, "Go," from Splinter got him moving.

As Splinter peeled the scarf from the wound, different scenarios of what might've happened to Mikey crossed their minds. Was it the Kraang? Foot Ninja? Something else? For Splinter, whose fear of the Shredder only grew deeper the moment he realized that his old enemy not only knew that he was in New York City, but also knew about the Turtles, his sons, he worried about the Foot. He knew it was only a matter of time before they were discovered. What if the Foot did this to Michelangelo? What if they used him as a trap like Shredder's disciple Bradford had a few days ago?

Calm yourself, he breathed, peeling the fabric away. Panic would do Michelangelo no good and they still didn't know what happened, or what they were facing. He frowned at the sight of a hole in Mikey's shoulder, not a stab wound like he expected.

"What is it?" Donnie asked, noticing Splinter's frown deepen further he looked at the wound, "Master Splinter, is that a…a bullet wound?"

Splinter nodded, oddly relieved because a bullet wound meant it was not the Foot like he had feared. A Foot Ninja would never sacrifice their honor by resorting to using such a weapon. The relief was extremely short lived though, quickly replaced with anger and concern for his injured son.

Fortunately the blood had clotted around the wound so it wasn't bleeding as badly as it clearly had been, but he had lost a lot of blood, and upon gently lifting his shoulder to look at the back, Splinter sighed deeply, his brow furrowing with worry as he turned to Donnie, "I was afraid of this."

"What?" Donnie asked, taking a look for himself. He paled, "No exit wound." He had feared that too but he had hoped that the wound would've required little more than a few stitches. Stitches he could do, easily. But he couldn't possibly…

"Donatello…"

"I have to get it out," Donnie whispered, panic rising within him.

"Get what out?" Raph asked as he and Leo returned with the items requested.

"Th-the bullet," Donnie replied absently, his mind reeling, "Master Splinter, I don't know if I can do this…"

"Wait, what?" Raph cut in, "Someone shot my brother? Oh, I'm going to find out who did this and when I get my hands on 'em I'll…"

"Raphael," Splinter admonished sternly yet gently, "Now is not the time."

"But…" Raph growled angrily, "someone did this to him and they gotta pay!"

"Raph," Leo scolded quietly, though there was a vengeful glint in his eyes as well. Raph started to argue but when their eyes met he realized that Leo was thinking the same thing as he was and they nodded in silent agreement. They were going to find out who hurt their brother, but now was not the time.

Donnie meanwhile suddenly couldn't breathe. He knew what he had to do, but it wasn't like anything he had done before. What if he messed up? What if he hurt Mikey more than he already was? If it was just cleaning the wound and giving him a few stitches it would be no problem, but Mikey was going into shock, he lost a lot of blood and…

"Donatello."

The firm tone Splinter used to say his name sliced through his panic like a knife, and Donnie gasped, taking in a deep breath as Leo placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. He looked at Raph, who was staring at their youngest brother's unconscious form with worry, clenching his fists with pent up rage.

"I've never done anything like this before, Sensei," Donnie murmured, his eyes drifting to Mikey's pale, bruised face.

"I realize that," Splinter replied gently, "but you can do this. You have proven yourself more than capable of treating injuries. You're smart, you've studied; you know what to do."

Donnie snorted doubtfully, this wasn't the mere first aid he was used to. This wasn't wrapping up a sprain, or giving a few stitches or treating the flu, this was surgery. "In theory, sure. It's one thing to read about it, but another to actually do it," he pointed out, pressing his fingers to Mikey's throat, frowning at how weak and rapid his pulse was.

Raph looked up to meet Donnie's gaze and Donnie's breath hitched at the pleading look in Raph's eyes. Gone was the tough guy façade Raph tended to convey in a time of crisis, instead Raph looked lost and helpless and his eyes begged Donnie to fix their brother.

OK, think… Donnie ran his hands down his face, rubbing his eyes, Prioritize… He felt Leo give his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "OK," he said with a nod, "OK…" he could feel three sets of eyes on him, waiting for him to say something, to do something. It needed to be done, and he was the only one who could get the bullet out. Splinter knew a little bit about field medicine and had taught him what little he knew about first aid, but the always inquisitive Donnie was the one who read further and studied beyond the basics.

When he was nine Donnie had found a discarded box of old medical textbooks and read through them all over the years. The others teased him for his choice of leisure reading materials, especially comic book loving Mikey, but he had found them so fascinating. There was also a medical dictionary that he often referenced it whenever one of them got injured or sick, and with Splinter's guidance Donnie learned how to treat most minor injuries and give stiches and when Raph fractured his wrist last year he even helped set the bone.

But this was different. This was surgery. This was more advanced than he was ready for. Donnie might have read a few text books, but he specialized in machines and computers and technology, not medicine.

But still, out of all of them, Donnie was indeed the only one even close to being qualified to remove the bullet. He knew it had to be him but doubt was overwhelming him. What if I make a mistake? I could kill him! Donnie's breath hitched at the thought with renewed panic. He hated working under pressure, and this was almost more than he could handle. This was Mikey's life on the line and if he screwed up…

Splinter sensed his unease and placed his hand on Donnie's shoulder, "Donatello, trust your skills, trust your instincts. You may lack experience, but you're smart and you know more than you think."

He took a deep breath and replied doubtfully, "Thank you, Sensei."

"You can do this. You must not let fear and doubt cloud your judgement. You are smart, resourceful and capable. I know Michelangelo is in good hands."

Raph and Leo echoed the sentiment. Donnie smiled but he couldn't help but worry that when the time came to remove the bullet, that he'd only make things worse. And despite their encouragement, Donnie knew they were worried about the same thing. How could they not? They were no strangers to injury, but this was more serious than they had ever seen before, except maybe Splinter, but not since he was a human when there were actual trained doctors and actual hospitals that could take care of any serious injuries.

"So what do you need for us to do to help Donnie?" Leo asked.

Donnie closed his eyes a moment. Think, focus on what you know… "We need to get him stabilized before I do anything. He's needs blood."

Raph and Leo both readily volunteered to donate their blood but as it turned out only Leo was a match. It wasn't long before Leo was sitting on a chair by the table tethered to Mikey, his blood flowing into Mikey's veins.

"What can I do?" Raph asked, clearly on edge. Raph was all about action and he was already pacing, shoulders tense, fists clenched, itching for something productive to do. Since revenge was currently out of the question until they knew more, he was ready to jump out of his shell if he didn't get to do something. He couldn't stand it when one of his brothers was upset or sick or hurt and there was nothing he could actively do to help.

Donnie tilted his chin towards the water and towels Raph had brought, "Start cleaning some of the dirt and blood. And we need to get him warm."

Raph nodded, grateful for a task and got to work, removing Mikey's elbow pads and knee pads, noting to Donnie and Splinter the swelling in his knee. He washed Mikey's wounds with a tenderness that was not typically associated with the hothead.

Donnie quickly checked the knee. "I'm guessing torn ligaments," Donnie said, but it clearly wasn't his main concern at the moment. Still, he and Raph propped the knee up on a pile of blankets and Donnie wrapped it like a pro. He still had to look at it more closely later, but he was confident that his diagnosis was correct. He was oddly grateful for it, because he wasn't feeling very confident about anything else. That was at least something he knew he could do well.

Eventually color began to return to Mikey's bruised face and after checking his vitals Donnie determined it was time to stop the transfusion, though he was uncertain about it. Blood transfusions was another thing Donnie hadn't done before, and he knew the risk he was taking by having Leo donate blood directly to Mikey. Not that they had much choice, there was no time to do it the safe way. And Donnie realized that he didn't know how much Leo had donated, or how much Mikey still needed. He wanted Mikey to get the best care but didn't want to risk Leo in the process…

"How are you feeling Leo?" Donnie asked, his face grim as he removed the needle from Leo's arm.

"Fine," Leo replied.

"Not dizzy or anything?"

He nodded.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Leo insisted. "Are you sure that's enough?"

"No," Donnie admitted, "but you're starting to look almost as pale as he is."

"I can do this all day if it helps Mikey," Leo stated.

"Leonardo," Splinter warned.

"OK, so I'm a little dizzy but I'm fine."

Donnie frowned, "It's not going to do any of us any good if you make yourself sick."

"He's right you know," Raph agreed.

"So then what do we do now?" Leo asked turning to Donnie.

Donnie bit his lip doubtfully, "Now, we wait. I can't remove the bullet yet, not until you've had a chance to recover," he told Leo, "I'm afraid Mikey will need another transfusion when I'm done getting the bullet out. I don't want to wait too long, but…" Donnie's mind was racing, as he thought of all the things that could go wrong. What if I make a mistake? What if I make things worse?

Splinter sensing his escalating anxiety spoke up, "Raphael, help Leonardo to his room. He needs to rest."

"I'm OK," Leo protested rising to his feet only to falter.

Raph grabbed his arm, holding him steady, "Sure you are, Hero."

"But Mikey…"

"Is stable now, thanks to you," Splinter assured him. "Go. We will call you if anything changes. Raphael, look after him."

Leo sighed and acquiesced, though he wasn't happy about it. Raph chuckled softly and gave him a gentle pat on the shell, "Come on. I think there's a glass of orange juice and some leftover pizza in the fridge with your name on it." He led Leo out of the room, looking over his shoulder in concern on the way out.

After they were out of earshot, Splinter turned to Donnie, "Donatello, breathe."

Donnie did as he was told, taking a deep breath. It was then that he realized that he had been on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Letting yourself get worked up in a panic is not going to help Michelangelo," Splinter said.

"I know Sensei," Donnie sighed, "and I know that this will be a relatively basic surgery, but there's so much that can go wrong…"

"But it needs to be done," Splinter reminded him and Donnie nodded in agreement. "I'm going to leave you here alone, give you some space and a chance to clear your mind."

"OK," Donnie breathed out slowly, trying to calm himself. He gave his Sensei a wan smile, knowing he was right. Panic and worry would only cloud his judgement. Though trying to reconcile that fact with his nerves was not going to be easy.

Splinter placed his hand on Donnie's shoulder and turned to leave.

"Sensei, wait," Donnie stopped him, as a thought occurred to him, "Could you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Could you call April?" he asked, grabbing a piece of paper and a pencil, "I was going through our supplies," he said, jotting a few things down, "and Mikey's going to need some things that we don't have. Could you ask her to get these things for me?" he handed Splinter a list of supplies.

Splinter scanned the page, raising his brow at some of the items but said nothing. He nodded once and started to leave, pausing to place his hand tenderly on Mikey's head, closing his eyes briefly as though praying and then he was gone and Donnie was alone.

Donnie checked Mikey's pulse again and frowned. His vitals had improved but it provided little comfort because he knew that could change drastically when the time came to remove the bullet. He wished he had access to all the resources hospitals had, like antibiotics, anesthesia, morphine… He knew April would be willing to help, but those items would be out of her reach, but he knew she would try. Otherwise they would have to improvise with over the counter medication.

Since Mikey's temperature was back to normal now, thanks to the transfusion, Donnie decided that while they waited for Leo to recover from his impromptu blood donation he would work on getting the swelling down on Mikey's bruised face and his injured knee. He risked leaving his side to get some ice packs they kept in the freezer. He saw Leo lying down on the couch with Raph sitting beside him as they went through the motions of watching TV. It was clear they were too worried to be paying any attention to what was on. Splinter looked up as he hung up the phone. They all looked at him expectantly when he emerged.

"I'm just getting some ice for the swelling," Donnie explained quietly.

"April will be here as soon as she can to get the items you requested," Splinter announced.

Donnie nodded, grabbing what he needed and disappearing back into his Lab. Raph started to follow, but Splinter motioned for him to give Donnie his space to which Donnie was grateful. He was on edge and the company, no matter how good the intentions always added to the stress. Though at that moment, he would've given anything to hear Mikey pester him and ask all sorts of annoying questions that always tested Donnie's temper.

He sighed and closed the door behind him and gently put an ice pack on Mikey's swollen knee, and another on his battered face. The bruises and broken skin made Donnie wonder what exactly struck him, because it wasn't just someone's fist. Mikey shuddered at the sudden cold, but didn't stir.

"What happened to you?" he whispered, adjusting his blanket. He went to his bookshelf and grabbed one of his textbooks, deciding a quick refresher wouldn't hurt.

0-0-0

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but a groan from the table pulled Donnie away from his book. "Mikey?" Donnie queried, jumping to his feet, leaning over his brother in anticipation.

Mikey flinched, whimpering in pain, his head rolling from side to side, the ice pack sliding off his face. His eyes fluttered and he moaned, "Hmm…Donnie?"

"I'm here," he assured him. "How are you doing?"

With effort, Mikey opened one eye, the other one was pretty much swollen shut, "Never better," he whispered faintly, giving a half grin. He shifted, trying to sit up and gasped in shock at the pain, "Owww….on second thought, anyone get the number of that train?"

Donnie chuckled slightly at Mikey's humor, "Don't try to move too much."

"Noted," Mikey quipped with a weak groan.

Donnie grabbed his penlight and shone it in Mikey's eyes, frowning at how his pupils were slow to react. "Do you remember what happened?"

Mikey groaned, squeezing his eyes shut from the light and tried to concentrate, "Not really…bits and pieces, I guess…" The color suddenly drained from his face and he swallowed hard, "I think I'm… ugh…going to be sick!"

Reacting quickly Donnie grabbed his trashcan and helped Mikey sit up. He retched into the can, whimpering in agony as the sudden movement jarred his injuries. "It's OK," Donnie soothed, wrapping his arm around Mikey's back to both comfort him and support him, "you're going to be OK." He glanced up and noticed the door opening carefully and he saw Raph and a wobbly Leo standing in the doorway, watching in concern and relief. Splinter was right behind them but when he realized what was happening, he quietly slipped away to get some water.

When Mikey was done, Donnie took the trashcan away and set it on the floor as Raph, eyes wide in worry rushed to his side, "Mikey! What happened? Who did this to you?"

"Raph, not now," Leo chided, unsteadily moving to sit on the chair.

"H-hey guys," Mikey tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

"Take it easy," Donnie soothed, "What do you remember?"

"Th-there was a girl," Mikey said, closing his eyes in concentration, "and these guys attacked her and…one of them shot me!" He opened his eyes and regarded his brothers with an indignant look on his face, "I mean, dude! Who does that?" he blurted incredulously.

The others couldn't help but smile at that. Mikey might've been hurt, weak and in pain, but he was still Mikey and that was a good sign. Splinter returned with the water and helped him drink and then he and Donnie eased him back down.

"What hurts?" Donnie asked, checking his pulse again, wanting to know if there were any more injuries besides the ones they could see.

"I think the question is what doesn't hurt," Mikey moaned.

"Well, you got beaten up pretty good," Leo frowned, "besides getting shot…"

"I-I still have to get the bullet out," Donnie cut in, trying not to sound terrified at the idea.

"Wait, what?" Mikey asked, his good eye widening in panic, "You mean like, surgery?"

"Yeah," Donnie swallowed nervously, "but it'll be OK, don't worry. I'll take care of it. You're going to be OK."

Mikey relaxed and blinked sluggishly, processing the information. He was starting to drift again, but he gave Donnie a smile, "Of course I'll…I'll be OK," he breathed weakly but with confidence, "With Dr. Donnie on the job, I know it'll all be OK…" He sighed and closed his eyes, a small smile on his lips.

Donnie grinned, his little brother somehow managed to say exactly what he needed to hear. He was still nervous, but Mikey waking up, even if it was only for a few moments, helped to lift his spirits. Mikey had faith in him, they all did. He could do this.


A/N OK, so my chapters seem to be getting longer and longer. Hope y'all don't mind. More to come soon! Please let me know what you think! My muse is hungry. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far!