AN: hey, you know what the best thing for new writers and old ones is? It is the little button down at the bottom left hand corner. You know the review button… not that I'm complaining or anything I love you guys! Its just the more reviews the more updates!

Look who's finally updating!! I am! I am!! Heh, I lost so much stuff when my comp crashed I'm so sorry that I haven't updated!! It will take a while with school… and I am only a thirteen year old! I can't write twenty four seven.

Mike coughed lightly and sat up from the couch and winced. His lungs have been aching ever since he had first coughed up blood. He sighed and was instantly caught in another cough attack and was handed a paper towel by Donatello who was trying to fix the TV. He smiled and coughed into it and when he stopped it was soaked with blood and he groaned. It had been about three weeks since Leo kicked him and this started and he had barely gotten any rest since he was up coughing most of the time.

"Don?" he said in a hoarse voice that made the turtle wince. "I thought that you were a genius and yet it takes you two days to fix a short?" the sick teen said grinning as Don stuck his tongue out at him.

"Nope just a day and a half," Don said fusing two wires together and then getting up and stretching. "All right your royal majesty the TV's fixed," Don rolled his eyes as Mike turned on the TV with a silly grin on his face.

"Is that TV I spy?" Raph said jumping the couch as Mike yelped and pulled his legs out of the way.

"No its not! Its just the radio!" Mike said grinning.

"Really?" Raph said making a lazy swipe for the remote that was pulled out of his reach. "Give me the remote and no one gets hurt," Raph said trying to grab the remote.

"Never!" Mike said laughing as he and Raph struggled for the remote. Suddenly he stopped and doubled over coughing into his hand and searching for a towel with the other. Raph gave him the towel and put a hand on his back as Mike's now thin form trembled with exhaustion and pain.

"Sorry," Raph muttered actual concern on his face. Don then noticed with a smile that Raph was actually believing the truth that he had thrown aside since he had found the boy. He was beginning to understand that Mike was indeed Mikey's reincarnation.

"Its alright," Mike said after a while and grimaced as Don took the bloody towel from his weak, trembling hands.

"Do you need anything?" Leo said coming from the practice room after hearing their charge coughing. "Like water or something?"

"Pizza?" Mike said his eyes pleading. "Please?"

Leo looked at his other brothers and then grinned.

"Ok I'll get it as a treat…. But you can't do this every time!" Leo said grabbing his trench coat and fedora.

Mike leaned back on the couch and Don took the non-occupied seat as Raph sighed and grabbed the remote that was forgotten in the midst of Mike's coughing fit and flipped through the channels. The peace was not to last.

When Leo got home he immediately sensed that something wasn't right. He slipped into the lair to see that the TV screen was cracked and the wired inside crackling. Ignoring the feeling of dread that was overwhelming his senses he checked the living room carefully and saw signs of struggle and a few spots of blood. Satisfied no one was there he ran quietly to the dojo and stopped dead in his tracks. Lying on the floor were the bodies of Donatello and Splinter. He rushed over to his master and after making sure that he was not wounded rushed over to the bleeding form of Donatello.

"Don!" he called in a hushed whisper shaking his brother lightly. As soon as he got a groan out of him he lied him back down and rushed back into the main room straining his ears and senses for any sound or presence. He picked up the sound of hoarse breathing and jumped up to the second floor and stopped in his tracks as he saw the countless bodies of foot around a very exhausted and bloody Raphael. Leo rushed to him and checked his vitals before hearing a noise behind him and whirling around his katanas knocking the bo out of his brother's trembling hands.

"Raph," Don said and fell heavily to his knees untying his headband and tying it around a particularly deep wound. He then looked at Leo who was untying his own headband. "Leo… find Mike."

Leo handed his headband to Don and then stood up and stepped over the bodies of the foot and entered Raph's room he staggered backwards at the overwhelming smell of blood and death. He covered his snout and his sharp eyes roaming around the room. His eyes widened as he saw the figure he was looking for and he ran over to him.

"Mike," he held the boys still form to him shaking him slightly. "Mike… c'mon answer me… wake up!" there was a sound outside and soon Raph staggered in followed by Don who had a very worried face on.

"Mike!" Raph and Don collapsed next to them and Don checked his vitals.

"He's… unconscious to say the least," Don said his hand shaking and his pale green skin an even lighter shade. "I'll have to do a full scan to see the extent of his injuries."

"At the moment," Leo said picking the human up and watching as Don and Raph got up stiffly. "Take care of your own injuries. I'll get him settled in the infirmary and then Don you can take care of him and Raph can tell me what happened."

Don and Raph exchanged a glance and then followed Leo to the infirmary.

"Now," Leo said wrapping Don's arm as he looked at Mike more thoroughly. "What happened in the fifteen minutes I was gone?"

"Well," Raph said grimacing as he wrapped his own leg and watched as Leo moved over to the bed Splinter was laying unconscious on the bed next to Mike. "We were watching TV when Masta' Splinter and Don started getting weird vibes. Mike and I were on instant alert. About five minutes later foot started burstin' through the door and we fought… you know the usual. But then the elite came and when Splinter went down we knew we wouldn't win. Don was yellin' at me ta get Mike out of there but the only way to go was up. So we ran to my room, which, as we all know, has an escape route. I heard when Don went down and soon we were all swarmed. WE managed to fight them off but soon I went down. Before that though I was overwhelmed by this bloodlust… the result… upstairs. I don't rightly know what happened after that but it seems that Mike managed for a while but was overwhelmed."

"Most probably by the sickness," Don said weakly. "He has minimal damage on the outside… but it seems as though his sickness has gotten worse. Dudes, we need a doctor."

"He's a human," Leo pointed out. "We could take him to the hospital."

"With no past, no identity, and no money," Don shook his head. "We'll have to see if April knows anybody."

"I'll go," Leo stood up and walked to the door. "Don't argue. You're all hurt and plus," he locked eyes with Raph, "you need to be here," Raph shuddered and looked back to Mike and Don smiled.

"Good luck," came a raspy voice from the bed next to Mike and Splinter sat up holding a paw to his head. "And stay hidden my son, the foot will be looking for you."

"Yes sensei," Leo said his voice showing the relief he felt at his master's recovery.

Don turned back to Mike and placed a hand on his forehead to find it burning in fever, just like a month and a half ago. He sighed and got up to work on finding a simple cure for the deadly disease as Raph took care of their master and Mike.

"Hey April," Leo said slipping into her apartment via window. "I need your help," he stepped into her living room and immediately turned around a slight smile playing on his lips as April and Casey yelped and adjusted their clothes before turning to Leo.

"What's up?" April said and Leo turned around to see her blushing. A month and a half ago he would've made fun of them but now…

"We need a doctor," he said grimly and Casey and April immediately lost their blush and turned serious.

"What happened?" April said leaning on one foot her arms crossed.

"The others were attacked by the foot while I was getting a pizza. Sensei, Raph, and Don weren't seriously hurt, Mike however, pushed himself to hard… and isn't doing that well."

"Why not take him to the hospital?" Casey said and April sighed.

"He has no identification, in police records he doesn't exist," April said walking into the kitchen and flipping through the phone book. "I have a friend that I keep in contact with who specializes in lung surgery. I could call her."

"Is she trustworthy?" Leo said and April flashed him a grin.

"She was my roommate through college and graduate school," she said dialing her phone number. "She's trustworthy. She wouldn't even tell her boyfriend the time of day unless she had a good reason… and I mean a really good reason," the boys waited as April sighed as the answering machine clicked on. "Hey Melanie! This is April O' Neal, I have a friend who needs your…" she trailed off as she heard someone pick up the phone and then her eyes grew wide. "What do you want?" she said harshly and then sighed. "Of course," she handed the phone to Leo who took it baffled.

"I have your friend," a gruff voice said with a hint of triumph in his tone. "You want her? Come and get her. The abandoned warehouse at Fifth Street. Good-bye… Leonardo."

Leo gave April back the phone in deep thought. So the Shredder had their only hope to saving the boy who reminded them so much of Mikey. Was it worth it? Leo shook his head. Of course… it was an innocent.

"What are you going to do?" April said clearly concerned for all of her friends.

"I'm the only one in fighting condition," Leo sighed and folded his arms thinking.

"Wrong," Leo turned to see Raph sitting on the counter by the window covered with bandages. "I'm coming…"

"Raph," Leo said crossing and putting a hand on his brother's unharmed soldier. "You're hurt and Don needs you."

"Don sent me here because I was in the way… Master Splinter says that I am fine," Raph said folding his arms with a smirk. "You ain't shaking me. Now what are we doing?"

"Shredder's got our only hope of saving Mike," Leo said climbing up to the window. "And we're gonna get her."

"Her?" Raph asked raising an eye ridge before following his brother.

At the lair about an hour later Don took off the glasses he had found easier to see in and sat back in his chair looking down on Mike's pale sweaty form. He had done all he could… it was now up to Raph and Leo to rescue the doctor. He put his hand on Mike's forehead and sighed. Time… was not on their side. They were now going on luck… and a brother's love.