Author's Note: Sorry for not updating for a while. I've had to deal with having my cat put to sleep after she'd been sick for a while, so writing went on the back-burner for the most part. I'm back, and with another update to this story! Now I promise I'll update my Turtle Dove stuff, and this story is already halfway through. After that, I'll be working on another story called "The Power Inside Him", and I'll give more details on that later! For now, let's see how Donnie handles seeing April after what happened! Read and review!

Chapter 6: Repercussions

Donatello stared up at the hazy outlines of his siblings and father, but had trouble focusing due to all the bright lights. He didn't know why his mouth and nose felt so dry, but a curious hand discovered the oxygen mask. A turn of his head found the IV and monitors, and another turn found the tray of supplies and the bowl and rag. Obviously, someone in here was in critical condition, and that someone was him. As much as he wanted to ask, he also wanted the others to step back and give him time to process everything around him. The biggest thing he couldn't process was the question he thought they could answer.

"…W-What h-happened?" Donnie rasped out, surprised at how frail his voice sounded. A cough came out of his dry throat, causing him to eye the glass of water in Splinter's ready hand. "W-Water-"

Splinter hurried to his son's side and slid the oxygen mask off, placing the edge of the glass to Donnie's lips and tipping it upward. The turtle gratefully gulped the water down, and drowned out his father's requests to take just small sips. His throat was so dry, it literally hurt…and come to think of it, most of his body had a dull ache resonating through it. What happened to him to put him on an IV and oxygen mask and have everyone this worried? Did he just survive another attack from the Foot, or another building explosion?

"…Someone…s-someone tell me wh-what happened." Donnie begged in a clear voice, darting his eyes from person to person until he realized someone was missing. "D-Did Casey…go home already?"

The others stood in shocked silence. Donnie making mention of Casey was nothing unusual, but now they realized he didn't remember what happened to him or who the perpetrator was. Hearing him make no mention of April proved unsettling as well. Did he forget her, or just believe that she was somewhere in the lair? All of them feared that perhaps Donnie developed a degree of amnesia, and they worried he even forgot them as well. With a few seconds of thinking and a rough nudge from Raph, Leo decided to share a tidbit of what happened. But first…

"Donnie, what do you remember before you woke up?" Leo asked patiently.

With Leo taking a seat next to the bed, Donnie painfully closed his eyes and tried to remember what happened before he found himself like this. He could remember being lifted into the sky by something, and he could remember voices calling his name and begging someone to stop. He remembered the wind slicing through his skin and he could remember falling. Then the sound of something slamming to the ground, a cracking sound…then nothing. Now he was here, somehow unable to get up from the bed and wondering why he couldn't remember anything else.

"I was…I was lifted up, a-and then I fell." Donnie began with a moment of hesitation. "I-I could hear voices…calling my name. I-I heard a crack, a-and I f-felt pain…" Looking over at his brother, he finally asked, "…I-I'm hurt pretty bad, a-aren't I?"

A dead silence set in, and it only filled Donnie with more dread. A silence like that usually confirmed someone's worst fear. Then Leo finally gave him the answer.

"Donnie…that fall cracked your shell open." Leo cringed at the horror written on his brother's face. Part of him wanted to just fake a laugh and say 'just kidding', but doing that wouldn't heal his shell. Though he feared Donnie wasn't ready to hear who made him fall, he'd give him enough of what he needed for now. "We…we thought we lost you, but you pulled through. But…" Leo stalled after the 'but', though Donnie would demand he reveal the rest. He'd just save him the trouble of asking. "We don't know the extent of the damage. Rockwell's gonna examine you, but…Donnie, there's the possibility that you'll be paralyzed. If you're not, you'll have to go through a lot of therapy. You…won't be on the field for a while, bro."

Donnie no longer looked confused. Leo swore he felt his heart stop at the absolutely-broken look on his brother's face. Donnie himself fell into despair and fought not to lose it. He'd been injured multiple times in the lab and on the field, and he always came back bouncing. Now being told he could be permanently paralyzed shook his entire foundation. He couldn't stop the twin trails of tears flowing from his eyes, gazing up at the ceiling to avoid the concerns of everyone else. They still wouldn't tell him who put him in this state, but now he wished his assailant just put him out of his misery already.

Being dead was much better than being in pain and possibly paralyzed at this point.

Mikey was the first one to push past Leo and offer some comfort to his genius brother. With tears matching Donnie's, he simply lowered himself so their foreheads touched, which made Donnie's sobs louder. Leo followed next and simply held one of Donnie's trembling hands, but even that didn't stop their brother's sad moans; it actually made them worse. Raph only stood frozen when Karai stepped up and tried to calm Donnie down. While the others weren't paying him mind, he sent a text to Casey to share the news. Maybe Donnie's pseudo-rival would give him some sort of comfort. Whatever comfort they could offer, no matter how minimal, they would give it to him. He would need all the comfort and support he could get right now.

But there was still the elephant in the room: whether to inform April. When Master Splinter confessed to talking with April, he didn't mention if she was allowed to return. They just knew that she'd have a lot of work to do to earn his forgiveness once he learned she did this to him. For now, though, they'd have him rest and take the time to process his broken body.

"W-Who…w-who did this to me?" Donnie's voice remained sorrowful, but they could hear the anger buried underneath his question. He wanted someone to curse at, to hate for what they did to him, even through his sadness. "W-Who h-hurt me?"

Donnie deserved to know the truth if it meant starting the healing process…but revealing April's name to him would also bring even more heartbreak. If he remembered that April lifted him into the air and slammed him down, he ran the risk of never recovering physically or emotionally. Leo could bounce back after the times Karai betrayed him. Even when Raph faced betrayal from Mona Lisa, he came out of his stupor and fought back. Donnie was a different story, however. He barely bounced back when April abandoned them after Kirby's mutation…this could be something he could never bounce back from.

Thus, Leo decided to say, "We'll leave that for later, Donnie. Just rest now…you'll get your answers when the time's right."

Donnie wasn't satisfied with that answer, and he figured out right away the name of his attacker wouldn't sit well with him. Why did they have to think he was too fragile to hear the truth? Why couldn't they just give him the truth, no matter how painful it was? He wanted to demand Leo reveal a name, but exhaustion quickly stopped all thought processes and found himself closing his eyes. He prayed to whoever listened that they would tell him what they saw.

But there was one thing he didn't tell them. When he finally fell asleep, he could still feel the gaze of those hate-filled, ghostly-blue eyes…

Casey found himself on this third night of patrol and again found himself doing nothing. Unlike his usual self who craved the sound of his hockey stick connecting with a human skull, all desire to fight left him and remained absent. His dad and sister noticed how unusually quiet he became and constantly asked what happened, and he would only reply that a friend got hurt. That was all he needed to say. He didn't need to tell them his only human friend just tried to murder the guy he fought over her with.

He just found himself sitting on the rooftops and thinking of what he learned yesterday. Against all odds, Donnie woke up from his coma. However, he also learned no one would tell him April hurt him, and made him promise not to tell until he was ready to hear it. He could understand why they didn't want to tell Donnie, and he didn't want to shake the guy up anymore than he was. They even expressed worry that April was trying to pry information from him, but they didn't have to worry. If anything, he avoided April as much as he could since the incident happened. He could end up smashed into the pavement if he said the wrong thing…

He suddenly felt a presence behind him and went rigid. It could've been Raph giving him updates on Donnie, but the footsteps didn't match; he learned quickly how to identify his friends by their footsteps thanks to good ol' Splinter. He quickly turned his head to give a solemn 'yo' when he saw who it was. He immediately froze, feeling goosebumps spread on his arms and his heart pounding in his chest. His brain commanded his body to run, but his body wouldn't comply. He could only let his jaw hang slightly open and not utter a sound.

It was April. Then he could see it…she still had that crystal around her neck.

"Uh…hey, Casey." April was apprehensive in her greeting, but plastered on a good front to say otherwise. "I haven't seen you for a few days."

Casey opened and closed his mouth, eyes trained on the crystal, and finally croaked out, "Y-Yeah, just…busy. Patrollin', and all that junk…"

April's face fell at Casey's hesitation. It was just as she feared: he was terrified of her. The others were angry, but Casey was outright petrified in her presence. But he didn't need to be; she wouldn't hurt him. Sure, the way he used to get up in her space and antagonize Donnie earned him a few hits to the head, but she wouldn't want to hurt him. Holding her hand out, she pleaded, "Casey, I won't do anything to you. What happened was-"

"No offense, Red, but I can't exactly get over th' fact that you cracked D open like an egg." Casey cut her off when he found his voice. To him, she tried to act like the whole thing was no big deal and her claims of not hurting him were bogus. And if she knew better, she wouldn't claim it was an 'accident'. Tripping Donnie would've been an accident, not slamming him into the pavement.

"He was just tryin' to talk some sense into you. You got mad at 'im for it an' took it too far. I've got nightmares from it, y'know…an' I can't really tell my Dad an' sister that you tried to kill 'im."

April cast her eyes down and buried whatever irritation she felt underneath. Casey wasn't the type of person to lecture her, and she didn't even want another lecture from anyone. But he was right…she couldn't expect Casey to be okay around her, and she made the choice to let her anger consume her. The thoughts inside told her to shoot Casey down and throw his rivalry with Donnie in his face, but she ignored them in favor of listening.

"Casey, I'm sorry." April apologized somberly. "I just got so mad, and I ended up losing control when I should've listened to Donnie in the first place…"

"Don't say sorry to me." Casey spoke quietly, brown eyes narrowed with caution and watching April for any changes. "Say it to Donnie. He deserves that much. He doesn't deserve to be kept in th' dark."

April suddenly looked up in surprise. "Kept in the dark? You mean…"

Casey immediately gulped. 'Oh, crap.'

Why did he let it slip? Now April knew Donnie was awake, and he could see her make a running start for the lair. Granted, she would've eventually been told, but Splinter had to give her clearance first. Sensei was definitely going to kill him if Raph didn't first. He suddenly started trailing after her and thinking of a convenient cover-story along the way…

"Here, just take small sips, okay?"

Donnie stared at the bowl of warm soup with apprehension before looking back at Mikey. For one, he wasn't used to hearing his baby brother sound so mature and attentive. If anything, he expected him to hold the spoon in the air and tell him the 'train was coming'. But having Mikey act like a serious and nurturing brother instead of some goofy babysitter felt off, though not in a bad way. A few seconds passed, and all that maturity went out the window when Mikey gave him the puppy-dog eyes. Donnie really wasn't in the mood to eat, but complied as to not upset his baby brother.

Mikey grinned as Donnie turned his head and sipped broth from the spoon. "See, it's not so bad! I don't make pizza-related stuff all the time, bro!"

"Yeah, it's not like my body can tolerate pepperoni and cheese mixed with chicken broth." Donnie spoke tiredly before taking another spoonful of soup. "So, how long are you planning to keep my attacker a secret?"

Mikey's grin disappeared, which made Donnie regret asking the question. Before he could backtrack, the turtle in orange replied, "D, if it were up to me, I'd totally tell you who did it. But you don't deserve to hurt worse…so you just gotta wait until you're better enough to handle it."

Donnie looked away, staring at the IV drip and monitors that served as cruel reminders of his condition. He had to face the possibility that their team would be one turtle short forever. No…no matter what Rockwell would say, he wouldn't give up. He would make himself get better, find his attacker, and give them a taste of what they put him through. He normally wasn't one to go for ruthless vengeance, but having his shell caved in gave him justifiable reason for it.

"When will that be, Mikey?" Donnie asked lowly. "How do I know you'll even tell me at all?"

Mikey grew quiet at Donnie's accusatory questions. He wanted to tell him, but didn't want to hurt Donnie even more. If Donnie could just understand that, things would be a lot easier. Donnie wasn't fragile, but he didn't have the thickest skin, either. But when Mikey readied another bite of soup…

"What the hell are you doin' here!?" Raph's voice roared.

Out in the pit, Leo and Raph kept themselves glued to the television until Mikey finished giving Donnie his dinner. That was when they heard footsteps and assumed it was the Mutanimals or Casey. They opened their mouths to give a casual greeting, but instead found themselves face-to-face with April. April and the crystal still resting against her chest. Did Splinter give her clearance without their knowledge? A panting Casey right behind her told them everything they needed to know.

"Casey, you idiot…" Raph rumbled.

"I-It slipped out, man!" Casey breathed out, hunched over with his hands on his knees. "I-I didn't think she'd go now, honest!"

Leo remained calm in contrast to Raph, but the look on his face conveyed his own displeasure. "April, you know you have to get clearance from Splinter first. You should keep your distance for a while."

"I have to see him, Leo!" April begged. "I have to know he's awake!"

April didn't wait for Leo to answer or go fetch Splinter, however. Right as Leo opened his mouth, she bolted past him and Raph and went straight for the lab. The two of them immediately gave chase, Casey trailing behind in pants, but were unable to stop her from stepping into Donnie's path of vision. They heard her call out Donnie's name again, surprising Mikey and getting Donnie's full attention. But the moment Donnie locked eyes with her.

Donnie's breathing grew labored. His eyes widened as big as dinner plates, his entire body shook, and the monitor indicated his heart racing to near-dangerous levels. His broken shell immediately burned, and images flashed through his mind as he stared into her eyes. Instead of those expectant blue eyes he knew, he once again saw those hate-laced, glowing eyes. He saw those teeth bared, that hand raised, the anger in her voice…

He remembered now. April did this to him.

"G-Get away! G-Get a-way from me!"

Mikey reached over in an attempt to calm his brother down, but that was when Donnie started flailing violently. His arm swatted the bowl of soup out of Mikey's grasp, and it fell to the floor in a pile of broken china and hot broth. Leo darted past the now-hurt April and helped Mikey restrain Donnie, who kept shouting as long as April remained. Raph suddenly intervened, but kept glaring at April; he wanted her to know she wasn't welcome.

"Donnie, calm down!" Leo insisted while holding his brother's arm.

"GET AWAY!" Donnie screeched, fighting his brothers and surprising them with his strength. "GET HER AWAY!"

April's jaw slacked open, and if it wasn't for Casey, she'd have fallen to her knees. She watched helplessly as Donnie thrashed around, small drops of blood hitting the pillows from aggravating his shell, and his brothers attempting to hold him down. Having Casey afraid of her was bad enough, having the guys and Splinter angry at her was enough…but this killed her inside. She never would've thought Donnie would be so afraid of her that he begged her to get away. She already caused him so much pain and now more just by being in his sights.

"You heard him." Raph spoke dangerously. "Get away."

April stood like a statue for a few seconds, but started shaking her head slowly, hot tears prickling her eyes. She bolted out of the lab and into the tunnels when the consequences of her actions proved too much. Mikey and Casey watched her leave with actual worry, wanting to chase after her. Leo remained torn, but focused his attention on calming Donnie down. Raph, however, figured she didn't leave soon enough and prayed she wouldn't come back.

As Donnie's cries died down, that was when Splinter entered the fray. The way he tapped his cane spoke of his displeasure and desire for answers. "What is going on here?"

April didn't know what tunnel she ended up in, but she didn't care. She figured she ran far enough from the lair so that no one could find her, if they gave chase. She could easily ignore the stench of the sewer water and darkness of the tunnel. All she wanted was to be alone and think of what happened.

The redhead collapsed onto her bottom and hugged her knees as she thought of Donnie's reaction to her. She traumatized him so much that instead of wanting to be in her presence, he begged to be out of her presence. Long ago, Donnie would give anything to have her around, and the time she lived with them was a dream come true. Now she was a walking nightmare to him. But if it had happened to her, she'd do the same. Who would want to be in the same room as the person who tried to kill them? It became too much; with each passing day, she faced more and more of the consequences of her angry outburst.

'What did I tell you? They no longer trust you. They think you're a danger to Donnie. As long as they have any say, they'll never let you be around him.'

"But you saw how Donnie reacted! He was terrified of me!" April argued. "As long as I keep this crystal, they'll never trust me again! I should just get rid of it and go from there!"

As April grabbed the crystal, her skin suddenly burned. Raising it above her head caused more tears, the pain intensifying with every pull, until she gave up and let it fall back down. She wanted to get rid of it, but didn't want to let go of it, either. Her thoughts suddenly grew stern, and April found herself shrinking.

'So this is how you want to repay me for making you stronger? You want to get rid of me? You want Donnie to keep suffering?'

"What? N-No, I needed to be stronger!" April answered. "But this shouldn't be worth his life!"

'Even if you get rid of it, will they trust you? Will they really blame the crystal, or will their blame be squarely on your shoulders? Face it, April…they think you're no different from a filthy Kraang. That's what you are to them; what you've always been.'

"But…"

'Trust in me alone. I will never be angry with you. As long as you do that, you will save Donnie, and he'll beg to be around you again. That's how it should be, right?"

April lowered her head and hovered her hand around the crystal, but avoided having it in the usual strangle-hold. Now, her fingers barely touched the stone. She couldn't shake how cruel and calculating the thoughts had become…

"So, you are telling me that Donatello is now frightened of April?"

With Donnie now under heavy sedation, Splinter decided to ask the others of what happened. They explained April learning about Donnie through Casey's slip of the tongue, Donnie's violent reaction to April, and her running off into the sewers. When they couldn't restrain Donnie, they had no choice but to medicate him and prevent further damage to his shell. Now they were left pondering what to do concerning him and April. Judging from the expression on the rat's face, it was something they didn't want to hear.

"This is much worse that I imagined. Donatello being this frightened of April will prove to be a challenge." Splinter spoke, leaning on his cane as he felt a weight press against him and lower his mood. "Healing must take place, not just for Donatello, but for all of us."

Leo leaned forward with interest. "What are you suggesting, Sensei?"

Splinter stood before his sons and Casey and addressed, "We must heal in terms of forgiving April."

Raph suddenly shot up from his seat. "You want us to forgive her, Sensei!? After everything she did!? Don't you care about how scared Donnie is!?"

"Sit, Raphael."

Raph wanted to protest, but Splinter's cold gaze prompted his body into obedience. Once he sat back down, the rat decided to explain further, "We must each address April's insecurities and forgive her for her actions, or true healing will not occur. If we want her to have our trust back, we must present her with the opportunity to do so. One-on-one sessions will prove effective…and Donatello will be last."

"Maybe if Donnie sees that April's trying to make amends with us, he'll be less afraid of her…" Mikey realized quickly.

"You are correct, Michelangelo. Each of us must find a way to heal our relationship with April, but it will all come down to whether or not Donatello forgives her. Also…"

Leo tilted his head, "There's another reason, isn't there?"

Splinter slowly nodded. "If April is allowed another chance with each of us, then it could lessen her dependency on the crystal. Finding greater trust in us, if all goes well, will weaken her reliance on it. True healing between herself and Donatello will not begin until the crystal is gone."

The others mulled over Splinter's plan, and it made some sense. April had a problem with keeping her insecurities to herself, hence why she grew to rely so much on the crystal. If she could see that they would give her another chance, lay things out on the table, then she would probably get rid of it. Without the crystal, she couldn't hurt Donnie like she did again, and they could start working on healing. The looks on their faces told them they were on board…except for one.

Leo watched Raph raise from his seat and stomp towards his room. "Raph, where are you going?"

"To my room, where else!?" Raph replied heatedly before sharply turning around. "Your fantasy plan might work in your head, Sensei, but I want nothin' to do with this! I want nothin' to do with HER!"

The door to Raph's room slammed shut, and Leo looked at their father with worry. Splinter only sighed deeply and spoke, "Give him time. As with April, Raphael's anger clouds his judgment. It is easier for him to hold a grudge than risk opening himself up to April."

"Well, if we're going to do this, we'll need Karai and Shinigami involved, too." Leo suggested. "They have a part in this; they're more-or-less the trigger for all this."

Splinter nodded, but also wondered if he bit off more than he could chew with this plan. True, he didn't trust April as of now, but if she truly showed remorse for her actions, then he would allow her to earn his trust back and find forgiveness. He hoped the others would comply with this plan if it meant helping Donatello. But having Raphael cooperate with a plan involving forgiveness was never easy…

And there we have it! So, will Raph finally buckle and decide to give April another chance, or will he remain a stubborn ol' turtle? April's going to start some one-on-one sessions with everyone and not only get through her dark feelings, but also work to earn everyone's trust and forgiveness. But will she give the crystal up so easily? Not if a certain spirit has anything to say about it. Stay tuned for the next chapter and Turtle Dove updates!