Chapter 3 - Health

"3.) Health: When healthy your pet should be alert and bright-eyed. Make sure there are no discolorations or cracks on the shell or discharge around mouth or nose. If your terrapin becomes lethargic or loses its appetite, make sure to take it to a vet right away."

Casey wakes up to his alarm clock glaring at him with angry red letters spelling 16:47 o'clock. Silently he thanks all the gods he ever heard of for not having to go to work. The human dresses himself in training trousers and a loose shirt before stepping out of his bedroom and into the living-room area.

He is surprised by the sight in front of him. There's Raphael still lying on his couch, still passed out by the looks of it. The covers must have fallen off somewhere during the night, leaving the mutant reptile shivering on the cushions. The long-haired male walks over and shakes the shockingly cold shoulder until his friend finally begins to stir awake. Maybe the guys have been rubbing off on him, he wonders, since he normally would never be able to sneak up on Raph.

"Huh?" He mumbles sleepily, sounding confused, but then he meets Casey's eyes and sits up. "Oh Case."

"Mornin', Sunshine." The older one walks into his kitchen, grabbing two bottles of water and goes back to the sofa to hand one over. "Didn't think you'd still be here. Don't you have training or something?"

"How late is it?" One hand rubs lazily at tired eyes, while the other accepts the drink gratefully. Somehow his head was spinning like crazy today.

"Almost 5 actually." He states and watches in amusement when Raph almost splutters out the liquid with wide eyes.

"Oh shit!" The turtle puts down the water hurriedly and moves around the apartment fast, mumblings of "Damn, now I'm in for it." and various curses following him in a constant drawl. "Case!" He calls out from the hallway. "Where is the damn bandana?"

"Bathroom." More rather nasty words wave through the apartment and Casey can't help but smirk although he knows the consequences for this incident very well. Master Splinter doesn't mind his son hanging out with his human vigilante friend as long as he didn't get hurt badly or began to forget about training.

Although it only happened a handful of times before the punishment is always the same; They weren't allowed to see each other for two weeks full on and when they finally did Raphael would be ready to drop from all the extra training he had to take to make up for his mistake. The turtle never blamed it on Casey, who wasn't exactly innocent most of the times though, a trait that the man rather enjoyed.

Suddenly there is a loud crash coming from the bathroom followed by an almost inaudible whimper of pain. "Raph?" The vigilante walks into the hallway and stops in the doorway. "You alright?" The teenage turtle is leaned against the tiled wall, rubbing at his head with his red headband clutched in his hand. He doesn't answer him and gathers himself up with some difficulty. His legs seem uncertain about the weight put upon them.

"Okay, I think…Somethin' is definitely wrong." The green skin is as pale as it was the evening before, sweat already collecting on the turtle's forehead. "Why issit so hot in here?" As soon as he wipes the drops away, they seem to form right back.

"Whatcha mean?" Golden eyes gaze at him and he finally notices that there is something off about them. They aren't really focused; seem way too wet and shiny. "Are you sick?"

"Nah, no way…I haven't been sick in forever. I'm pretty sure that's not even…" The turtle is still talking when Casey stands in front of him, but trails off slightly when the human puts a measuring hand behind his neck. "possible…What exactly are you doin'?"

Dark eyes stare into golden ones and suddenly the teenage mutant ninja turtle is being flung over the human's shoulder. His feet dangle uselessly for a moment, the bandana fluttering to the ground in shock.

"Case, are you out of your damned mind?!" Raph is struggling heavily against Casey's hold on him. "Whatcha think ya doin'?!" He demands while pounding his fists into the human's back.

"I'm gettin' ya to a vet." It sounds so serious that Raph almost believes the statement for a minute. "Now keep still before I hurt ya."

"Are ya fuckin' serious?" The man challenges him with a lasting and serious look. "Case, put me down." Raphael continues his statement as Casey tries to open his mouth. "NOW." His tone holds a solemn tone of finality.

Moments later he is being settled down on a comfy bed with surprising gentleness. The human sits on the edge of the bed with a look that's clearly of the sulking kind, a pout on his lips. "Dude, you know that there is no doctor around here that will not ask questions about a 5.2 feet tall, talking turtle, right?" He merely nods.

All of a sudden the human feels embarrassed for his stupid behavior. What had he been thinking? He stares pointedly at the bedroom floor in front of him.

"Look." A green hand covers his shoulder, digging into it with just slightly. "Just call Donnie, okay? He will know what to do." Once again he is reduced to nodding silently.