Later in the night, Don's bed was moved to Leo's room. It was bigger and it would be pretty convenient having the two of them in the same place so if one of them had nightmares (especially Donatello) they could comfort each other. Leatherhead had gone home after helping move Don's bed.
"Guys, do you think they are able to eat? You know with the plastrons thing?" Mikey asked.
"Well, Leatherhead and I saw their internal organs. They had stitches, especially in the stomachs but… I think… something liquid could be good for them." April explained.
"Hmm… better make some soup for them." Raph said.
"Did you just say… you saw their organs?" Mikey's face changed into a grossed out expression.
"Not a nice picture if you ask me but Leatherhead and I had to make sure why they had their plastrons opened. I'm still curious about why their stomachs had so many stitches." April commented.
"I swear Shredder is dead when I see him again!" Raph murmured.
"By the way, Raph… how's Leo's fever?" Casey asked.
"Gone for good, though his stomach still hurts."
"Well, I hope his stomach can handle this." Mikey said as he left the kitchen with the tray of food in his hands.
"Mikey, just one thing… don't tell the guys their stomachs had been opened, please." April told him.
"No problem." Mikey said and made his way upstairs.
Meanwhile, Don and Leo had just woken up from a long nap, but with nothing more to do than staying in bed, things were getting pretty… boring for the genius turtle.
"I'm bored, bored, bored." Don repeated.
"Don, you've said that like a million times!" Leo sighed in exasperation.
"But it's true! I need to check the security systems, update some programs…" Don said.
"You almost died and you're more worried for your computer and other projects?" Leo chuckled.
"Says the turtle who's going nuts for going to the dojo and train 5 hours straight." Don mocked his blue masked brother.
"Very funny, Don." Leo said, crossing arms in front of his chest. Mikey appeared with a wide smile and the soups.
"Dinner time, dudes!" He cheered.
"Thanks Mikey, my stomach just woke up." Don said.
"April suggested some liquids since your stomachs are… kinda weak." Mikey said, remembering what April told him about the stitches.
"Sounds good." Leo said, taking his soup.
"Well, if you need something, just call us, ok? We're gonna be downstairs." Mikey said and left the room.
"Mmm… I was missing this!" Don exclaimed as he ate his dinner.
"It's just soup." Leo chuckled, doing the same as his brother did.
"So what! We were starving a few days ago; it's reasonable I missed food… even soup." Don added. When he took another spoonful, the genius turtle winced in pain and clutched his stomach.
"What's wrong?" Leo asked in concern.
"It… it felt weird… like if it was burning my…" Don managed to say.
"Stomach?" Leo completed Don's statement.
"Yeah, how do you know?" Don asked.
"Because… I'm feeling the same way!" Leo answered, also clutching his stomach.
Downstairs in the living room, the others watched a movie. They were calmed down now that they knew Don and Leo were ok and back home. April still had some doubts about their friends' stomachs' condition, but as long as they could breathe everything was ok until Leatherhead decided to take the blood samples. The sound of glass breaking caught everyone's attention.
"What was that?" April asked.
"Sounded like broken glass." Mikey answered.
"I better check if Fearless didn't try to stand up again." Raph sighed and made his way to his brother's bedroom.
"Nngh… why… does it… hurt so much?" Don clutched his stomach fiercely, trying to numb the pain but failing.
"Feels like… acid!" Leo managed to say, his hands almost pawing the hurt area.
"Guys, you ok?" Raph asked. His eyes widened as the scene. "Holy…! April, I need ya here now!"
April and the others ran upstairs and got into the room, facing the terrible scene in front of their eyes. Both Leo and Don were crawled up in their beds, eyes watering and tightly closed; this pain was unbearable, it was like nothing they had felt before in their lives… the arsenic was already working, hurting them, like wanting to rip them apart from the inside.
"Casey, bring them some water, please!" April said as she rushed to Don's side while Raph ran to Leo's. Casey left the room and went to get the water.
"What happened to them?" Mikey asked in concern, sitting beside Don, trying to comfort him.
"Seems like their stomachs are weaker than I thought. It won't be safe for them to eat anything until Leatherhead and I take the blood samples." April explained.
"But April, they hadn't eaten for a long time!" Raph exclaimed, helping Leo sit up.
"We can use an IV instead… trying with some fluids first." April said, helping Don instead.
"Here's the water." Casey entered with the glasses and handed them to both injured turtles. But just when the liquid touched their affected organs…
"AHHH! Feels… w-worse!" Leo winced. This time it felt like billions of needles inserted in his flesh all at the same time.
"What da shell did they do to their stomachs?" Raph asked angrily.
"What? Our… stomachs?" Don asked in confusion.
"And what do you think they were gonna do when they opened your plastrons?" Mikey said without thinking.
"MIKEY!" The others glared at Mikey angrily.
"April… what did you see inside us? I want the truth." Leo said in a serious tone.
"Your… you had… your stomachs were…" April stuttered nervously.
"April…" Leo insisted.
"Don't pressure her, dudes! It's not that easy seeing two of your friends with their stomachs all stitched," Mikey added.
"MIKEY!"
"Stitched?" Don asked, now getting extra worried for their internal condition.
"They… they not only opened our plastrons, but our stomachs, too?" Leo realized.
"I think I'm gonna throw up." Don clutched his stomach fiercely.
"Good luck with that when you have nothing in your stomach." Mikey said.
"Mikey, why don't you go call Leatherhead and make some coffee? I have a feeling this is gonna be a long night." April said.
"Very well April." Mikey said. He went down to the kitchen to start making some coffee.
Splinter, Raph, and April stayed with Don and Leo, trying to comfort them from their pain, but the arsenic was powerful stuff.
Mike called LH to come back over and the blood samples needed to be drawn now because Leo and Don were in such excruciating pain. "I'm on my way Michelangelo." The large mutant croc said.
There was so little that anyone could do for Don and Leo to comfort them besides just being there for them.
They sure hoped that despite the pain, they weren't going to die.