It was still strange to wake up in April's apartment instead of the lair. They had stayed here before, but not too often; four turtles took a lot of room, even though the apartment was bigger than some of April's previous ones. The turtles rarely slept anywhere but underground, so waking up and being able to look out of the window to see the sky was… different. It was weird to hear the wind instead of the water running through the pipes, strange to be so close to the outside world.

The sky was clearer, it wasn't snowing anymore. Donatello placed his hands down on the windowsill as he looked out, but quickly drew them away when the surface was colder than he had expected. He shuddered, moving to the kitchen to make coffee.

Even weirder than waking up in a different apartment was not smelling tea in the kitchen. Leonardo always made tea in the morning. Sometimes his morning practice stretched and he was late for breakfast, explaining the lack of the smell of tea, but that definitely wasn't the case today. Leo had fallen asleep during the movie, and hadn't woken up even though they hadn't been exactly quiet. You'd think that Mikey, a ninja, could be quiet for just one today, but no. He couldn't. But Leo hadn't woken up and they had left him to sleep on the couch – which was better than him training and possibly slowing his recovery – but it was still strange. The kitchen felt empty.

"Hey. Make some for me, too." Raphael appeared into the kitchen and sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, resting his head on the table.

"Was planning to. Slept well?" Donatello took out two cups from the cabinet, sitting down to wait for the coffee to be ready.

"Could still sleep more", Raph grumbled, his eyes closed. "Haven't done anything but slept, yet I'm almost asleep again."

"It's the cold", Don said, hiding a yawn behind his hand. "It always makes me drowsy."

"Yeah", Raph mumbled his agreement. "Hope you're making strong coffee."

"Don't I always?"

They were almost finished eating when Michelangelo dragged himself to the kitchen, finding a chair even with his eyes still closed. He laid his head on the table, much like Raph had done when he had first entered the kitchen.

"Guys", Mikey mumbled against the surface of the table. "I think I'm dying. I'm too tired to open the fridge."

"It's just the cold affecting all of us, Mikey", Don said calmly, pushing the bread and jam towards him. "Drink something warm, it'll help you shake it off."

Mikey lifted his hand, reaching for the food, but his hand fell limply on the table.

"I'm not going to make it", Mikey gasped dramatically, his hand shaking as he tried to reach the bread. "This is how it ends. I'm never going to see home again, I'm-"

"Just eat, bonehead", Raph grumbled, slamming the jam in front of his face so that Mikey could reach it. He even opened the lid, knowing that Mikey would complain about opening it as well.

"Raph, you're my savior", Mikey grinned, lifting his head up from the table and grabbing a knife to spread the jam. Hunger won over sleepiness, and Raph rolled his eyes.

"I thought Leo would be up before Mikey", Raph commented. Don wasn't the only one bothered by the lack of the lingering smell of tea. "Since he was up yesterday and all. He doesn't usually know how to rest."

"Neither do you", Don said, pouring himself another cup of coffee. "Last time you were hurt we had to lock your door from the outside, and you almost came through the poor door. The sai marks are still there."

"I didn't need to rest!" Raph defended himself, leaning back on his chair, folding his arms across his chest.

"Of course not", Don said evenly, sipping his coffee. His eyes wandered towards the guest room. The door was ajar. Had Leo gotten up already?

Don placed his cup on the table, pushing his chair back as he stood up. He walked quietly to the door, not wanting to wake Leo up in case he was still asleep. But the bed was empty, so he was up. How hadn't he seen him? The door could be seen clearly from the kitchen.

Don glanced to the bathroom, but it was empty as well. The apartment wasn't big, Leo couldn't be far – yet Don couldn't find him from any of the rooms.

"Guys? I can't find Leo", Don said as he returned to the kitchen, unable to not look worried. Both Raph and Mikey glanced at him.

"What do you mean?" Mikey asked, but then his eyes widened. "You don't think that he went out again?"

"Well, I sure hope he didn't. All our clothing is here, so I doubt it. The fever already went down…"

"You sure you checked everywhere?" Raph asked, finishing his coffee in one big gulp and getting up.

"Yes! Haven't seen him after we left him to sleep on the- oh." Donatello dragged his hand across his face, turning around and walking to the couch, leaning over the backrest to look down. The blue of Leo's bandanna and the top of his head were the only things visible; he had burrowed himself under the blankets, and Don hadn't noticed him even when he had walked past the couch.

But now that Don looked at him he realized that Leo was in exactly the same position he had been in when they had left him to sleep here, and the blankets on top of him weren't moving in the rhythm of his breathing. Fear washed over him as he grabbed the blankets, pulling them down roughly, holding his hand in front of Leo's face.

He could feel the warm puffs of air, and he lowered his head in relief. Sometimes it was frustrating how quiet and unmoving Leo was when he slept. This wasn't the first time he had given Don a scare.

But he had to raise a brow at Leo's stillness. To sleep in the same position for so long? Leo was going to be sore when he wakes up. Somehow the stillness was really weird even for Leo, it was natural to move even a bit while sleeping. Don placed a hand on his forehead, but there was no sign of a fever. His forehead wasn't warm. Actually, it wasn't warm at all, feeling almost cold against Don's hand.

"Leo", Don called gently. Now that the fever was gone it shouldn't be difficult to wake him up, but Leo didn't even stir at his words. Don called his name again, a bit louder now. He touched Leo's shoulder, shaking him gently. No reaction. The fear he had felt before creeped back in.

Raph walked over since Don had raised his voice, and he leaned over the couch to look at them.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking from Don to Leo.

He didn't really need an answer; Don was shaking Leo, calling his name again, heavy worry coating his voice. Raph leaned away from the back of the couch and moved next to Don, nudging him out of the way. Raph hesitated for a moment, but ended up giving Leo a slap on the face. Well, that felt therapeutic. Leo had been so frustrating to deal with when he had been delirious from the fever.

But it didn't feel good for long. The worry alone in Don's voice should've been enough to wake Leo up – all of them always reacted if they felt like one of them were in trouble, but the slap should've definitely woken him up. Leo, who could be woken up by a feather falling on the floor, wasn't waking up from a slap? Raph glanced at Don. Something really was wrong. Raph turned back to Leo, slapping him again and grumbling Leo's name, still getting nothing.

"His skin feels colder than it should", Don said quietly, leaning closer to lift Leo's eyelid, while his other hand pressed against his neck to feel his pulse. Raph swatted Don's hands away, certain that his method was more useful right now. Mikey had appeared to their side, and pressed close to Don as Raph lifted his hand to slap Leo once more.

The third slap rang through the room, making the younger turtles wince. Raph was clearly hesitating, his hand still in the air; he didn't want to hit their brother a fourth time. Don was trying to move closer again, carefully leaning on Raph to see better, when Leo groaned, lifting his hand in front of his face to shield himself from any more hits. Raph grinned from the relief, but the bad feeling remained. Still, he kept his grin as he glanced at Don. "And that's how it's done."

Don seemed relieved as well, and now he pushed Raph away instead of just nudging him to the side, reclaiming his place in front of Leo. Raph was nudged even further away when Mikey made room for himself, and Raph only grumbled at the treatment he was receiving.

"Leo, how are you feeling?" Don asked carefully, not expecting much for an answer, but needing to hear him talk. To get over the scare, and to be able to determine what condition he was in. Raph crossed his arms over his chest as they watched Leo slowly coming around.

Leo took a deep breath, opening his eyes, blinking to get some focus into them. He stared at his siblings, raising his hand to touch his cheek.

"…Like someone just slapped me three times", he answered, shooting an accusing look at Raph while rubbing his cheek. Raph only shrugged, grinning.

"You weren't waking up", Mikey said quietly. Leo's eyes moved to him and he groaned when he moved to sit up straight, his sore muscles voicing their discomfort.

"I wasn't? I'm awake now, though." Leo rubbed his eyes. "Although I don't feel like I slept at all."

Don hesitated, but said it anyways. "Must be the cold."


There wasn't much to do. Don didn't have his lab and Raph didn't have his punching bag, but Mikey was having a blast with the few video games he had stored into the box where April kept her movies. You never knew when your brothers wanted to have a boring meeting at April's or something, so you had to be prepared. He had gotten Raph to play with him since the red turtle was bored as well, and since Don had forbidden him from doing anything that could put a strain on his still healing arm.

Mikey hadn't complained about his head anymore, and by the way he was yelling and jumping around as he played meant that that his headache must've gotten better. Don still kept an eye on him – on all of them.

Every time he checked Leo's body temperature – which was often – it was a bit lower than the last time. It was a symptom of the common cold, and Don wasn't sure why he was so worried about it dropping. He just couldn't stop thinking about how long it had taken Leo to wake up earlier. They had all been exhausted, and Leo had been very sick, so it was understandable. But the apartment was warm, Leo had had lots of something warm to drink- yet Leo's temperature wasn't going up. First it had refused to come down from the fever, and now it was dropping too low… why couldn't it just stay where it should?

"Again, Don?" Leonardo asked as Donatello sat down next to him. Leo had been ordered to continue resting, and not receiving any protests had definitely been alarming, but there wasn't much reason to worry besides that. Leo really seemed fine otherwise, his voice wasn't so weak anymore and he wasn't coughing that much. The slight whistle was still audible when he exhaled deeply, and Don could tell that the leader had been trying to hide the sound by controlling his breathing.

"Yes, again", Don said, lifting up the thermometer. Leo lifted his hand, signaling that he could do this himself, and Don handed the device to him.

They waited for the results in silence, and when the device beeped Leo didn't even have time to take it out of his mouth himself. Don grabbed it from his lips so fast that it clicked against his teeth, and Leo groaned as he sunk down into the bed and pulled the blankets higher.

"Don't worry so much, Donnie", Leo said, his eyes already half-closed. "'m just tired."

Don had been the one ordering Leo to rest, but somehow felt nervous about letting Leo sleep. They were all affected by the cold, but they weren't exhausted like Leo, just a bit drowsy, and it went away if they got up and moving. This wasn't the first time that they had experienced drowsiness during the winter, but the weather rarely got this extreme. It was expected for their bodies to react to the cold, especially since Leo was sick, so the cold skin and tiredness shouldn't have been alarming. But it shouldn't have been so difficult to wake Leo up earlier, either. It wasn't normal to need to be slapped to wake up.

"Just…" Don touched Leo's shoulder gently, trying to gain his attention to prevent sleep from taking him. Leo looked at him, and Don hated how much effort it seemed to take for Leo to keep his eyes open. "Stay awake for a bit, okay? I could get you a book, or I could read for you, or…"

"Don", Leo said, again with that exhausted tone, placing his hand over Don's. "I'm fine. I feel a lot-"

"Who wants some hot chocolate?!" Mikey slammed the door open, startling both Don and Leo. "April even had marshmallows in her cabinet!"

"Mikey, you can't just take those without asking…" Don murmured as he turned to look at the youngest brother. Mikey was holding a tray with three steaming cups on it.

"Too late, they're already in the drinks! Unless you want me to take them out and put them back into the bag. And, well, Raph already ate his marshmallows – even though I told him that they'd be better if you ate them while you drank, but no, he had to pick them up and eat them one by one – soo that'll make it a bit more difficult…"

Don shook his head, taking the mug Mikey was offering him. "Thanks, Mikey. You little food-thief."

"Hey, I'm sure she doesn't mind!"

Don smiled at that; it was most likely true. April loved to spoil Mikey with sweets, not understanding why the rest of the brothers always groaned when she brought candy. She didn't have to live with Mikey when he was having a sugar rush. Besides, they would be sure to replace everything they had used when the storm was over. Don added the marshmallows to his mental list of things they needed to get.

He took a careful sip, sighing at how good the warm drink was. The marshmallows melted on his tongue, and for once Don was glad that Mikey was a sweet-toothed thief.

Don watched as Mikey helped Leo up, but couldn't help noticing how Leo's hands shook as he took the warm mug. Mikey seemed to notice as well, since he kept his hand on the other side of the mug, helping Leo lift the drink.

"Thanks, Mikey, but I can do this on my own", Leo murmured against the edge of the mug, clearly embarrassed by the way his hands were shaking.

"Just helping a little", Mikey shrugged, not taking his hand away. Leo gave him a look, but had to accept the fact that Mikey's hand wasn't going anywhere and took a sip. By the look on his face they could tell that Leo loved the drink just as much as they did, and despite being worried about Leo's shaky hold they smiled at the sight. Don was glad that Mikey had decided to show up with the drinks; it was an excuse to keep him awake. Even if it was just for a little bit longer.

"I'm going to check my laptop", Don said, hoping that Mikey would keep Leo awake for that long. He still wanted to monitor the storm, and now that today was calmer, he might even be able to contact April and Casey again.

"Dunno why he keeps on checking on the storm", Mikey said, nodding towards the window. "I mean, all you gotta do is look outside and you'll see how it is."

"That site of his tells him if it's going to get worse", Leo said, even though Mikey knew that.

"Yeah, but what's that gonna help? What can we do if it does? Besides, today looks much better."

Leo blew on his drink, not answering. Right from the start of the storm he had been pretty useless, leaving Don to worry about the numbers. He knew he couldn't blame himself for being sick, but he was better now, he should be there with Don, planning in case the storm really was going to get worse.

"But we're okay here. We've got video games and hot chocolate!" Mikey seemed pretty confident about that, and Leo smiled a little, hoping he was right. A new wave of exhaustion washed over him, and he tightened his hold on his cup so he wouldn't accidentally drop it.

"Dude, you look like you're about to fall asleep any second", Mikey observed, trying to sound amused, but it didn't really work. Don had been constantly taking Leo's temperature, making a big fuss about his condition, and Don never made a fuss about something unless there was a reason to be worried. Well, okay, he did, sometimes, but Mikey had seen how much effort he and Raph had put into waking Leo up earlier.

"I feel like that, too", Leo admitted with a sigh, but smiled a little. "It's strange. I'm usually back to training at this point, aren't I?"

"You sure are", Mikey said, this time not returning the smile. Leo caught the flat tone and sighed again.

"Look, Mikey, I don't know why Don is overreacting, but he is. I'm sure I'll be better once I sleep this off. Could you do me a favor and try to take his thoughts somewhere else?"

Mikey looked Leo into his eyes, not liking how glassed over they were.

"He's the doc, Leo", Mikey said, "If he's worried-"

"Remember that time you hurt your finger on that saw when you were helping him? He thought you had cut your finger off, and even after it was clear that you hadn't, the bandaging he did was ridiculous."

"Hey, I thought I cut if off, too", Mikey defended Don, laughing at the memory. Okay, he had done everything but laughed when it had happened – there had been so much blood! – but now the memory was just silly. He had panicked, Don had panicked, and he had even looked at the floor to search for the finger he had thought he had lost. "But yeah. It was ridiculous. I couldn't move the whole finger because he went so crazy with the bandages!"

Leonardo smiled. His hands weren't shaking so badly anymore, so Michelangelo allowed him to hold the drink on his own.

"I'll see what I can do about him", Mikey said as he turned to grab his own drink. Helping Leo had given the drink some time to cool down, not too much, but enough so that he wouldn't burn his tongue. He was often too impatient to wait for his drinks to cool down, but perhaps this time his mouth would be spared. "Maybe I'll get him to play a few rounds of Astrozone with me."

"Sounds good", Leo said, his voice a lot quieter than what it had been a moment ago, and Mikey glanced at him. Leo was still sitting up, but his eyes were closed. Part of him wanted to let him sleep, part of him… simply didn't. Mikey looked down at his drink, feeling a bit nervous. There was something he had wanted to talk about, something he needed to talk about, and talking was one way to keep Leo awake.

"Leo…" Michelangelo started, but wasn't sure how to continue. If he kept silent maybe Leonardo would fall asleep and they could talk later, yup, that was the better option after all-

"Yes?" Leo asked, and Mikey sighed. Maybe it was better to get this out of the way now.

"I… you said you had trouble remembering last night, right?"

Leo seemed to think for a moment, and then he exhaled softly.

"Yes… and I haven't really had time to think. I mean, I have all these… images, but I'm not sure if those happened or if I just dreamed them. I mean, they seem kind of..."

"…Anything about windows in there?" Mikey asked, unsure if he was allowed to sound amused.

"…That really wasn't a dream?" Leo asked, sounding a bit horrified, his eyes open now. Mikey couldn't help snickering a little – okay, it definitely hadn't been cool of Leo to do what he did, escaping through the window into the night, but now that it was behind them it was amusing.

"Yeah, dude. Your fever was pretty bad, and there you were, casually climbing out of windows."

"That means that I… oh, Raph, I need to apologize…" Leo moved to get up from the bed, but his exhausted body resisted, and he had to lean back against the head of the bed as he coughed. Mikey set their mugs away as he rubbed Leo's arm in a comforting manner, waiting for the coughing to stop.

"I think that it can wait", Mikey said, but couldn't help being curious. "Raph hasn't told us what happened. Oh, wait, he did say that you tried to fight him."

Leo groaned, closing his eyes. "I guess I did. I tried to fight Don too, didn't I?" He sighed again. "It feels so stupid now to not have realized that what I saw wasn't… real…"

Mikey had a feeling that he shouldn't ask about the hallucinations, so he didn't. Instead he dragged the blankets back over Leo, letting his hand rest on top of them.

"What else do you… remember?" Michelangelo asked carefully. Leonardo was silent for a long time, and Mikey was starting to think that this time he had fallen asleep, but then he spoke.

"…Lying down on the floor of the shop", Leo chuckled, but his smile faded quickly. "I'm sorry, Mikey, I should've-"

" You're sorry?" Mikey laughed, but it wasn't a happy laugh. He couldn't believe that Leo was apologizing when he had been about to do it – but then again, he could believe it. Leo always blamed himself for everything. And right now it made him mad.

"I'm the one who fell on you at the shop, and when I was hiding from nothing I was preventing you from breathing, and- you were so sick, Leo, and I couldn't-"

Leo used his remaining strength to push himself up from the pillows and grab Mikey's shoulders, bringing him close. Leo's skin felt cold, only making Mikey's guilt heavier, but he couldn't stop himself from wrapping his arms around Leo and hugging him tightly.

"You took care of me, Mikey", Leo said quietly. "I can't remember everything but… I assume that you were going to get to Don and Raph – you were taking care of all of us, but sometimes unpreventable things happen, and…" Leo had to take a breath before continuing; despite his chest feeling better he was still having a hard time talking so much.

"I remember feeling your presence, hearing your voice…" Leo's eyes slid close as he leaned against Mikey, the warmth radiating from his brother making him even sleepier. "It helped me get rid of the hallucinations. Thank you for taking care of me, Mikey."

Mikey held Leo a bit tighter. He had already heard from both Raph and Don how he had done nothing wrong, but hearing it from Leo, who was the one he felt he had let down was… relieving, even if Mikey still felt bad. He could feel how weak Leo was, and he bit his lip, doing his best to keep his emotions in check. He had already made Leo speak too much, all because he was feeling so guilty and couldn't keep quiet about it.

"Of course, bro", Mikey said, sniffling a little. Alright, he had never been good at pushing his emotions away to deal with them later, so here he was. Upon hearing the sound Leo drew back, and Mikey tried to turn his head away, but Leo had already cupped his cheek and looked at him with those worried big brother eyes of his.

"Mikey", Leo said quietly, sounding almost sad. "If I had known you were blaming yourself about this-"

"No, it's fine", Mikey said, wiping the corner of his eye with the back of his hand. "I'll feel better once you're okay, Leo."

"And I'll feel better once you understand that I appreciate everything you did."

"Even hitting your head on the stairs as I dragged you up from the shop?" Mikey joked, and Leo smiled.

"That I might need to take some revenge on…" Leo threatened, and Mikey yelped as the older turtle yanked him down on the bed, showing no mercy as he tickled Mikey's sides. Mikey laughed as he squirmed in Leo's hold, but it didn't take him long to realize that Leo was much weaker than he was, and he managed to grab Leo's wrists and end the torment.

"Unfair", Leo smiled tiredly, Mikey letting go of him once Leo lied down on the bed. "You'd better be careful once I'm back to…"

A few small coughs interrupted Leo, and Mikey draped the blankets over his brother once again. He decided that a nap wouldn't hurt him either, so he lied down next to Leo, snuggling close. Yeah, the nap was definitely his reason for staying, not the fact that it was comforting to sleep next to Leo.

"Ugh, your skin is so chilly", Mikey complained, but pressed closer to Leo anyways. "Hurry up and get better."

Leo only hummed, already comfortable under the blankets, surrounded by Mikey's warmth. For once Mikey had enough fingers to count something; it didn't take more than few seconds for Leo to fall asleep. Must've been a record or something. Mikey wasn't far behind, falling asleep with his arms draped over Leo.


The TV was showing some old movie, not really interesting neither Don nor Raph, but somehow they had gotten caught with the plot and needed to see how the movie would end. Don hadn't been able to contact April, but had left her a message to call him as soon as she could. He had been about to go back to the guest room after leaving the message, but had heard his brothers talking, and had decided to leave them be.

Don sighed as he leaned against Raph, stretching his legs a little. Normally Raph would've probably just pushed him back to his own spot on the couch, but none of them seemed to mind the closeness at the moment. The warmth was nice, but after everything that had happened it was just good to be close for a bit. Raph draped the blankets tighter around them, bringing Don even closer in the progress.

"That's the fifth time you've sighed in under a minute", Raph said, not taking his eyes off of the screen. Don sighed again, making it the sixth.

"I know. Too many thoughts. I just wish I had my lab."

"He's going to be fine."

Don didn't answer, and silence fell over them as they focused on the plot of the movie. The story was coming to its end, and both turtles groaned at the obviousness of the plot. It could've been good, but it ended up being one big cliché.

"Even the stuff Mikey picks is better", Raph groaned, sitting up. Don noticed Raph's flinch when he stretched his arms, and the doctor of the family was immediately inspecting Raph's hurt arm.

"I think I should take off the bandages to take a look-"

"Don, relax. I'm fine, Leo's fine, we're all fine. Even without your lab you're overworking yourself."

Don shook his head, but then realized that maybe that was exactly it. Without his lab, without being able to take a blood sample from Leo – well, he could take blood, he just didn't have the equipment to test it with, so that would be extremely pointless – and otherwise check on him, he felt useless. Worrying was all he could do.

"Perhaps April has some of my equipment left in the shop, back when we were moving them-"

Donatello stood up, even though he had already gone the shop through (twice), but Raphael's grip on his arm stopped him.

"Don", Raph sighed. "Just rest for a bit. I'll make something to eat, can you stay still for that long?"

Don glanced at his brother, looking a bit amused. " You? Making dinner?"

"It's not that difficult", Raph mumbled, tugging at Don's hand, and the genius was forced to sit back down on the couch. "Stop making that face or you won't get any."

"And that would be a bad thing?" Don continued his teasing, and Raph huffed as he stood up and headed towards the kitchen.

" Fine, I'll just make yours extra spicy."

Don knew that it was an empty threat, but at least the good-hearted bickering had made him feel a bit better. Perhaps Raph was right, maybe Leo was fine and he was just overthinking, since his mind didn't have anything else to do. Leo had been very sick, of course it'd take him time to recover. Maybe his recovery was just feeling slower since they didn't have the dojo where Leo usually went after getting better. There really wasn't much else to do than think… and overthink. Now that Don realized it, he allowed himself to let go of some of the worry. To take his thoughts further away he reached for the book he had been trying to read before getting caught up in the movie, hoping he could focus on it now that his mind was a bit clearer.

A crash and some swearing were audible from the kitchen. He'd also have to hope that Raph didn't destroy any of April's stuff.


Leonardo woke up gasping, his hand flying up to his plastron. His heart was racing, and he held his hand over it as if he could've somehow controlled the hammering against his chest. He felt too hot, and he pushed the blankets off of him, trying to escape the uncomfortable warmth. He breathed heavily for a moment, allowing himself to calm down. Slowly, slowly his heart slowed down and the warmth disappeared with it, leaving him shivering. The contrast between the feelings was too big, first burning and now freezing. Leo curled up, wrapping his arms around himself, trying to make some sense of the situation. Was he feverish again?

Leo sat up, swaying a little. He was sure he had been asleep, but once again felt like he hadn't slept in days. He glanced to his side, seeing that Mikey was still asleep. Shivers ran up his spine, and Leo hugged himself tighter. Something was wrong, but his thoughts were escaping from him, and he couldn't think about anything but the cold he was feeling. He wanted to lie back down and wrap himself into the blankets, but something was preventing him from doing so.

He sat still, staring at the window in front of him, not really seeing anything.

When the door of the guest room opened Don lifted his head from the book, glancing behind him just in time to see Leo close the door after him. The door closed, but Leo stood still in front of it, his back turned to Don.

"Leo?" Don's voice sounded hopeful; he knew that Leo had been asleep since he hadn't heard Leo's and Mikey's voices in a while, but now he was up, and hadn't needed anyone to wake him up. That was a good sign. "How're you feeling?"

Leo didn't react to his words at all; he turned away from the door slowly, and Don couldn't help noticing how he stumbled every now and then as he walked. The worry came right back.

"Leo?"

Leonardo turned his head towards him as if he had heard him only just now.

"Y-yes?"

"You sure you're feeling well enough to be up?" Don asked, setting the book aside as he watched his brother walk over, sitting down on the couch next to him.

Leonardo sighed, his head drooping as he held his eyes closed.

"I'm… fine", Leo said, his speech slower than usually. Not slurred, the words just following each other slowly. "Just tired."

That was the same answer Don had already gotten many times, and he could tell that Leo wasn't lying about the tired part. He looked like he was barely able to sit up.

"So… why aren't you sleeping?"

"I was", Leo said, opening his eyes to stare blankly at the TV-screen. "It doesn't help."

"You didn't sleep enough", Don corrected him, carefully eyeing his brother. "You sure you're not feeling anything else besides tired? Any pain, or even aching, or-?"

"I'm sure", Leo said, already pushing himself up even though he had just sat down. "Need to shake this drowsiness…"

Donatello watched as Leonardo started pacing the room, his movements sluggish, like he wasn't in full control of his body. Don would've liked to force him back to bed, but perhaps this was what Leo needed. To move around so that his blood would start flowing again and he'd get warmer.

Don picked up the book again, hesitantly returning his attention to it. He was able to continue reading, but unfortunately he was very good at multitasking. Even as he read his mind kept working; it was good that Leo was awake now – even if just barely – but usually when Leo wanted to snap himself out of something he trained, even if all he could do right now were some basic katas. He would be at least meditating, not… pacing around.

"Leo?" Donatello called again, unable to keep his eyes on the book. "Is there… something on your mind?"

His big brother wasn't easy to read. He wasn't only a master of hiding himself in the shadows, but he did a good job on hiding his pain and worries as well. But once Leo broke out of his habits it was a clear sign that something was bothering the leader. Leo wasn't just tired, there was something else. There had to be something else.

"I don't know", Leo said, surprising Don with how distressed he sounded. Another surprise was that Leo hadn't just said that nothing was wrong – that was usually what happened, since Leo was so stubborn about telling what was wrong with him. "It's just this… restlessness."

Leonardo didn't elaborate, but Donatello waited patiently. He knew by that tone that Leo was trying to wrap his head around things, and Don tried to guide his thoughts by voicing his worry.

"You're usually back to training by now. Not that I mind that you're not – I would just order you back to bed, but I thought you'd be at least trying to."

Leonardo flinched at his words, pausing his pacing, and Donatello realized his mistake. If he had managed to make Leo feel guilty about not training for a few days– what was he thinking? This was Leo. Of course he had.

"I'm… you're right. I should get back to it", Leo said, sounding like he had just been lectured. Just as Don had suspected, and he slapped himself mentally. Wanted to slap Leo as well for always thinking like this.

"No, Leo, you need the rest", Don tried to correct himself. "And for once you seem to realize that too. Pushing yourself is not what you need right now. I think you really shouldn't even be up yet, you're barely even keeping yourself awake."

Leo fell silent. He moved his hands behind his shell, continuing his pacing.

"So… is something bothering you? Anything you'd like to talk about?" Don tried again, but Leo shook his head, and Don could see how he frowned at himself.

"Something's just..."

Once again Don waited Leo to elaborate, this time giving him more time to continue.

"I don't know how to describe it", Leo said after a long silence, not sounding only frustrated, but confused as well. Don tilted his head. He wanted to help, but Leo wasn't giving him much to work with.

"Well, I think you're still sick", Don said gently. "Your temperature is still low." Which reminded him that he should see just how low it was. It had been more than few hours since the last time he had checked, and with how quickly Leo's temperature had been dropping earlier…

"You need to rest."

"I know", Leo said, the defeat in his voice slightly surprising. After his words about training he had expected Leo to get back to it, but he seemed to have accepted that it wasn't a good idea yet. Don had even expected Leo to say how he was tired of staying still already and that was why he was feeling restless – Don had actually hoped so.

"But resting feels so…" Leo couldn't find the word, so he sighed. Now even his sigh sounded frustrated.

"You feel restless because you've stayed in bed for so long?" Don suggested, still hoping that that could be the case. He was so used to forcing Leo back to bed that hinting about training felt… strange. Leo didn't seem to agree with the suggestion, but he shrugged in defeat.

"I guess that could be it", he said. "Sorry, this didn't give neither one of us any answers."

"It's alright", Don said quickly, not liking how tired Leo looked, how restless he sounded, but it was good that Leo was at least trying to tell what was bothering him. Instead of keeping it to himself, like usually. "Just wish I could do more to help."

"You've done more than enough", Leo smiled, finally giving up on his pacing. Don watched as Leo gathered some blankets and sat next to him, and soon the leader was burrowed into the warmth of the blankets. Don smiled at the sight, hoping that Leo would be able to go back to sleep. He allowed his attention to slide back to the book again. The subject wasn't that interesting, he already knew most of the things the book had to offer, but now that he could feel Leo steadily breathing next to him he had better luck concentrating on it and nothing else.

After a few pages he could feel Leo shifting, and he looked up when Leo moved the blankets away and stood up. Disappointment washed over the genius turtle; for a moment he had thought that Leo had fallen asleep, but it looked like the restlessness hadn't gone anywhere. He was about to ask Leo about it, but saw that he had disappeared into the bedroom. Oh, right, the TV was still on – perhaps Leo could sleep better in some quiet. Don grabbed the remote control, muting the device.

But Leo wasn't gone for long; he came back to the couch, carrying more blankets in his arms. Once he dumped them on the couch Don raised a brow, having to move a bit to the side in order for all the blankets to fit. There was no room for Leo, and Don was a bit amused, about to voice the fact, but Leo seemed to think differently. To Don's surprise the leader managed to shift the blankets just enough, and neatly fitted inside them, like they had been shaped just for him.

The sight was amusing; he could hardly see Leo at all. He had made a real blanket fortress. Don would've teased the leader about it, but something stopped him. Leo had his own sense of humor, but this had nothing to do with it. This was something he would've expected Mikey to do, not Leo. Was Leo feeling so cold that he felt the need to literally bury himself in this many blankets?

Donatello leaned over, having to pull some of the blankets down in order to even see Leo. Don touched his forehead, his skin feeling almost chilly. His temperature had been getting lower.

Leo didn't reacted to his touch, and Don realized that this time he was asleep. That had been… fast. Not like Don was surprised, but it still bothered him. Especially the cold skin. Don's hand moved down to Leo's neck, finding his pulse. It felt normal, and Don was about to remove his fingers, but hesitated. No, his pulse was slightly slower than what it should've been. Not alarming, but concerning.

Don stared at Leo's sleeping face, trying his hardest to understand what was wrong. Leo was unaware of his worry, looking almost peaceful as he slept, which was pretty rare now that Don thought about it. There had been a lot of going on before all this, before the winter storm, before Leo had gotten sick – long patrols, lots of criminal activity. They had been pretty busy, and them being busy usually meant that Leo had a lot on his shoulders.

Donatello sighed softly. He knew that the reason Leonardo had gotten sick in the first place was most likely the cold weather, but then again, nobody else had caught the cold. Not yet, at least. Leo's stress could've easily had a part in this; it could be the whole reason why his fever had gone so high. He would never know for sure, but the hunch was strong. Leo deserved some rest.

As well as something to make him better. But… Leo was just sleeping. There wasn't medically anything wrong with him, expect for the slightly weaker pulse. How could Don treat him when there wasn't even anything to treat? How could he help when he didn't have the equipment to even find out what needed to be treated?

He could already smell the dinner Raph was making, knowing that his brother would call him over soon. He would've liked Leo to eat something to get his strength back, but perhaps the rest was more important. Don hesitated, unable to decide whether to make Leo eat before allowing him to continue his sleeping. He ended up wrapping the blankets back around Leo, hoping that rest would help. Warmth was the best medicine at the moment.


"Leo, don't be like this."

Donatello had allowed Leonardo to sleep for a few hours before deciding that he needed to eat. He had pried the blankets down once again, had gently tried to rouse Leo from his sleep, but that hadn't worked. Nothing had worked – Don had tried to wake him up by talking to him, had shaken him, had raised his voice – and now he had already slapped him five times, sure that he was using the same force Raph used yesterday.

"Wake ", slap, " up. "

Leo's skin felt cold. His lungs no longer rattled as he breathed, but even that would've been better than the soundless flow of air as his chest slowly rose and fell. There was too much time between his inhales and exhales.

"Please, Leo."

Don's voice was shaking, his heart having sunken into the bottom of his stomach. He couldn't understand this – why was this happening again, Leo had seemed better, some rest should've helped, not… not caused this again! Letting Leo sleep had been a mistake, a mistake that was on Don, he was the doctor, he should've known, he should've-

Don raised his hand again, but instead of a slap his hand only fell against Leo's cheek, the desperation making his heart hammer against his chest, a stupid contrast to Leo's sluggish pulse. Cold, so cold. His fingers moved over Leo's lips just to feel the weak puffs of air, and Don's chest ached. He didn't know what to do. He was supposed to know, but he didn't, and the frustration threatened to flow over.

No, he did know what he needed to do – he needed to calm down and think. Leo needed him, and he couldn't allow himself to be defeated by his increasing panic. He had held bleeding wounds, had dealt with his patients panicking, had been in situations where he didn't know what the best medical action was- but all those times he had had even a hunch of what needed to be done, but now he was at total loss. He had always been more of an engineer than a doctor, but during the years he had been forced to learn a lot about taking care of wounds and illnesses. But it seemed that this was where his knowledge ended. Nothing was wrong, yet at the same time everything was. Leo wasn't just sleeping; he was slipping, his breathing slowing, body growing colder. Like his body was just giving up, slowly shutting down.

He scooted closer, his eyes scanning Leo's body as his mind raced. Had the fever really been too harsh, had it taken too much out of Leo? Had it been high enough to damage his internal organs? But he had shown clear signs of recovering, even the whistle in his lungs had disappeared. But if there really was some internal damage, what could he do? Even his equipment at the lair wasn't advanced enough for treating something like this.

Don's hand was still over Leo's mouth, and he halted. He couldn't feel Leo's next exhale, fear making his heart skip a beat. He grabbed the blankets, forcing them down roughly to have better access to his brother as yelled his name.

"Leo! "

Panicked hands felt the cold skin on Leo's neck, searching for a pulse. Leo was right here, right in front of him, yet Don could do nothing to stop Leo from fading from them.

"Don! What's going on?"

Don's yelling had alerted both Raph and Mikey, who stumbled into the living-room. Don had no time to pay attention to them, fingers slipping on Leo's skin as he desperately searched for the pulse he couldn't find.