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I rewrote chapter 2. I felt like it needed more detail and I needed to add stuff for later, sorry about that.
Leo woke slowly. He could hear the sound of someone crying, but the pounding in his head took precedence. He groaned and raised a hand to his head. The crying stopped and a voice called out to him. "Leo? Leo! Are you okay?"
Leo groaned again and sat up. The motion set his head swimming, but he clenched his teeth and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Mikey, waiting for a reply."Ya, I think so." he tried to say, but his voice refused to respond. The sounds coming from his throat made Mikey cock his head.
"What's wrong with your voice?" he asked.
Leo tried again, but nothing came out but a few squeaks. He got on his hands and knees and crawled over to Mikey, holding his brother's head still so he could see better. Mikey winced as Leo gently touched his swollen eyes.
They both managed to stand, though Leo was leaning in Mikey more than was fair. They soon had a good system working where Mikey would hold up Leo, and in turn, Leo would guide them to the lair.
Raph struggled to breathe. He painfully forced each breath, feeling like he had been stabbed in the chest. He could hear his brother moaning near him, but he could do nothing to help him.
Between his agonized breaths, Raph thought he heard a whisper of words, but he could have been mistaken as more pain wracked his body.
Donatello sat up as soon as the steps had stopped echoing. He immediately moved over to Raph, desperate to help. His brother mouthed something, but Don couldn't make it out. Raph was obviously having trouble breathing, but Don was confused as to why he wasn't coughing or making any noise.
Don pulled a machine from his belt that would read Raph's vital signs. He accidentally fumbled it and it dropped to the concrete. Don looked at the smashed machine on the ground. It should have made a noise, any noise when it landed. He looked dumbly at his brother, slowly realizing why he couldn't hear his tortured breathing. He couldn't hear at all! The gas must have damaged his hearing, just as it had obviously damaged Raph's lungs.
Raph was on the verge of vomiting from coughing when Don pressed a cloth over his mouth and nose. It eased his tortured breathing a bit to make it more bearable. He took a deep breath and looked at the techie. "What happened?" He tried to ask, but Don shook his head.
"I can't hear." he said unnecessarily loud.
Raph nodded and tried to motion his question with his free hand instead. He felt stupid, but Don obviously got the meaning because he practically shouted his answer. "I think that the gas damaged select parts of our bodies. It screwed up my ears and hurt your lungs."
Can you fix it? Raph motioned. Don shrugged. "I'll try."
Raph took another deep breath and tried to stand, nearly falling face first when he lost his balance and couldn't catch himself. Instead he took the blow to his shoulder and rolled onto his back, grimacing at the new pain in his body. at least it distracted him from his aching lungs and throat.
Eventually the two managed to get to their feet and hobble out of the maze of sewers.
When they got back to the lair, Leo and Mikey were waiting. Mikey was sitting on the couch and Leo was crouching next to him, dabbing a wet cloth on his face.
When they heard the duo come in, they both turned to see who it was. Mikey looked a little scared, but Leo had a look of relief on his face.
"Who's there?" Mikey asked, straining his ears to hear anything that could give him a clue. Raph's explosive cough answered him, nearly debilitating the turtle.
Leo's eyes went wide with concern. He shot Don a questioning glance to which Don loudly explained what happened. Mikey relaxed and told Don and Raph their version, including Leo's lost ability to speak
Leo stood and moved to help Don with their injured brother. They sat him on the couch next to Mikey and Don went to his lab to get Raph an oxygen mask.
Mikey reached out and clumsily grabbed Raph's free hand, giving him a reassuring squeeze. Raph smiled. "Thanks Mikey."
The orange banded turtle grinned and nodded. "You holding up, bro?"
Raph chuckled, which immediately threw him into a coughing fit. "I guess you can let your ears answer that one." he answered, once he could breathe again. "What about you? What's it like not to see?"
"It's a little scary, to be honest with you. I can't tell when anything is going to happen." As if to illustrate his point, the scanner, which was programmed to alert them to any news regarding their enemies, began to flash. Four flashes and then it turned on the news or radio channel that it had picked up. The sudden noise made Mikey jump.
Leo looked at the TVs that were broadcasting a report about the building that was secretly the Shredder's headquarters. It was just an informational broadcast about the dynamics of the building and other privately owned skyscrapers in the city.
Leo got up and switched off the sets, just as Don came back with a variety of machines and medical equipment.
He dumped it all on the table near the couch and began sorting through it. He handed Raph the oxygen mask, complete with tank, and a package of cough drops. Raph accepted them willingly and traded the cloth for the mask, fiddling with the knobs to get it to work. To Leo, he handed an ointment for Mikey's eyes, as well as a list of instructions on how to apply it, and a pad and paper for himself.
Don tinkered with a small machine in the mess of gadgets before placing it in his ear, much like an earpiece. He fiddled with it a bit, turning it up all the way. With this device, he would be able to hear louder noises, hopefully he would be able to communicate with his brothers easier.
Once all of the turtles were taken care of, they gathered in the Dojo. Sitting comfortably on the mats, they began discussing what their next course of action was.
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