Hey guys! Guess what? Today is a very special day, because I will post my 25th chapter! That means I'm working on this 'story' for 25 weeks now, which is in my opinion pretty long, haha.

I want to thank everyone who reads and reviews my stories; without you guys I wasn't able to make it to the 25th chapter. Please, keep on reading and commenting! I'm always very excited when I receive a message that says someone's written a review.

As for now... Brace yourself for a new story, with all of our favorite turtles. I've really tried my best and I'm kinda happy with the result. I really hope you will enjoy.

0000

Knowing

He knew what was going to happen.

The moment he had made the jump to prevent his brother from losing his head by a katana-wielding Elite, he knew what the consequences were. Knocking out the skilled ninja with a swift move from his weapon, he tried to brace himself for the oncoming attack he saw coming from the corners of his eyes from another Elite. He was fast, but unfortunately their enemies were too, and the fraction of the second he had, he knew he was too late. Before he could even made an effort to defend himself, he felt the sharp stab from cold metal entering his body with a sickening sound. A moment everything seem to stand still, until the pain started screaming from his side. Stumbling on his feet, the ground came closer.

With big eyes Don stared at the scene in front of him. One moment he was fighting an Elite, the next moment another Elite crashed to the ground behind him and in his distraction, his own opponent had lashed out fast with his spear. He was slightly surprised the weapon missed his body by a few inches, until he heard a faint groan from behind him. Turning around, he felt his heart break in little pieces when he saw his younger brother fall to the ground, blood gushing out of a wound on his side, eyes squinted in pain.

For a moment he couldn't do anything, just stare at the horrific scene in front of him, until an furious roar shook him out of his trance.

"Ya freakin' bastard!" Raph's angry voice filled the air as he jumped on the spear-wielding Elite, who was readying himself for another attack. In a heap they tumbled to the ground, fighting with everything they had.

Suddenly Don's senses came back and his eyes shot to his little brother. Slightly surprised he saw Leo slid to a stop at Mikey's side, falling to his knees. The eldest grabbed Mikey's shoulder and gently rolled him on his back, revealing Mikey's pain-covered face. "Mikey! Talk to me, bro!" he said urgently as he slipped his hand under Mike's head to support him. At that moment Don moved forward, lowering himself at Mikey's other side.

"Dude…" Mikey said through gritted teeth. "This freakin' hurts..."

"I know, bro. Just hold on," Leo said sympathetically, relief flowing over him when he heard his little brother talk, meaning he was still with them. He whipped up his head, crossing eyes with Donnie. "How bad is it?"

Don let out a shaky breath. "Let me take a look." Gently he grabbed Mike's wrist and pulled his hand away from his side. Seeing the injury he sucked in a worried breath. Right under Mikey's ribs was a large open gash which was bleeding freely. "Aw shell," Don muttered as he pressed his hands against the wound tightly. Mikey gave a painful groan, eyes shut tightly. "Dude…"

"I'm sorry, Mikey. I'm so sorry. That- that Elite… I should've -"

Exhaling painfully, Mikey opened his eyes and looked at his immediate older brother. "Don, stop."

Confused Don looked up. "I need to put pressure on the wound, Mike! You're crazy if you think I'm gonna let you bleed to death here!" he said, his voice filled with frustration. Mikey gave a weak chuckle. "Totally appreciated, dude." He stopped to take in a breath. "But I meant stop with the apologies... You would've done the same thing for me," he finished weakly, rendering Don speechless. Wearily he let his head loll to the side, seeing his most hot-headed brother fight with the last Elite. Suddenly he felt a little jerk on the back of his head, accompanied by a hushed question. "Mikey?"

With some effort Mikey turned his head back, staring in Leo's worried eyes. "Still here, bro." He swallowed hard. "Shouldn't you... help Raph out?"

Leo's gaze softened. "You worry about you, alright. Let me worry about the rest." He gently rubbed his thumb affectionately over the back of Mikey's head, shifting his eyes towards the battlefield. With one look at Raph's angry, but determined face, Leo knew everything was alright there. He turned back to Mikey and looked him over, noticing his little brother had started to shiver. "Are you cold, Mikey?" he asked alarmed. Mikey gave a small nod. "A bit."

"Don?" Leo asked worried, knowing his purple-banded brother had much more medical knowledge than he did. Don bit his lip as he tried to make some emergency compress from his mask and a roll of bandages which he had always on him. "We need to get him home fast. Just try to keep him warm." He cursed softly as the blood flow didn't seem to reduce. "And I need your mask."

Immediately Leo gave him the blue fabric and started to rub his brother's arms in an attempt to create a little bit of heat. He looked up again, seeing Raph was still fighting. "Raph! We need to go!" he called, hoping his brother would catch the seriousness of the situation. He knew he could go and help him to defeat the Elite, but he didn't want to leave Mikey. He couldn't bear the thought something bad might happen and he would be somewhere else, not being able to help out when his youngest brother needed him.

Suddenly Mikey winced when pain shot through his side and his body jerked violently. Immediately Leo's attention went to his littlest again, who had shut his eyes tightly.

"I'm sorry, Mikey. Please hold on just a little longer," Don pleaded, taking the words right out of his mouth. Leo nodded. "Yeah, bro. We'll be home soon."

"But 't hurts," Mikey groaned, trying to shift to get rid of the pain, without success. He felt a warm hand on his chest and looked up to see Leo's eyes again. "We know it hurts, buddy. And I know it's not fair when I say you have to deal with it a little longer. But we don't have a choice."

The youngest sucked in a breath through his teeth. "I know…" He tried to block out the pain, but unfortunately meditation wasn't his forte. Giving up quickly, he became aware Leo and Don were talking, but since he didn't felt himself being shaken or being forced to look at any of them, he knew they were talking to each other about something. Probably him. He tried to follow the conversation just because he was curious, but he couldn't. They were talking so damn fast... Or he was just slow, he didn't know. Suddenly he heard a distant roar and he realised Raph must still be fighting. Moving his head ever so slightly, he watched the fierce battle between the two warriors, hoping it could set his mind off the pain.

Raph ducked under a well-aimed punch to his head, then stepped aside and tried to kick the Elite in the back. In response the Elite blocked and that was the moment Raph was waiting for. Quickly he countered and with enormous force he swung his left arm out, hitting the ninja straight on his jaw with his fist, sending him back a few inches. Immediately Raph clenched his sai in his right hand and send a direct hit on the temple of the man with the hilt of his weapon. Bonelessly the Elite collapsed to the floor as Raph stood victorious.

"And freakin' stay down!" he barked, putting his sai back in his belt. Knowing the Elite would not regain consciousness any time soon, he turned around and ran towards his brothers. Seeing his little brother bleeding on the cold ground, the build-up adrenaline in his body was flushed away in an instant. "Mikey…" he said just above a whisper.

"That was weak, dude," Mikey said weakly with a half-smirk on his face as Raph came closer. Slightly caught off guard, but very relieved his little brother was still talking, Raph gave an insincere scowl. "What's that suppose ta mean?"

Mikey swallowed and gave a little cough. "You could've had 'im way faster…" His eyes followed Raph as he knelt down next to Donnie. Raph snorted, despite his concern. "Yeah, right. At least I didn't get stabbed in ma side, ya bonehead." He ignored the disapproving glare he received from Leo and looked into Mikey's eyes, who gazed back thinking about that statement. "Good point," he admitted weary with some amusement in his voice. Feeling a bit more at ease with all of his big brothers around him, he relaxed a little, feeling incredibly tired all of a sudden. Slowly he moved his head again and closed his eyes. Don saw it. "Mikey! You have to stay awake, alright?" he warned him. While he was distracted he pressed his hands to the wound tightly.

"But I'm tired…" the youngest whined softly, not making the effort to open his eyes. Leo shook him slightly. "Come on, bro. Listen to Donnie."

"But I -"

"No buts, Mikey. Just stay awake," Leo cut in firmly as he propped Mikey's head a little more up, letting his brother rest in his arms. The youngest grunted. He knew exactly why he had to stay awake, but it was really hard to keep his eyes open.

"Focus on me, Mikey," he heard Raph say and with squinted eyes he looked at his brother, who had become a little blurry. "Focus...?" He gave a weak smile. "Think you got... the wrong bro, bro…"

Raph grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Don't gimme that. Jus' hold on a little longer." Receiving some incoherent murmur, he gave a frustrated huff and looked at his older brother. "We've gotta go," he urged. Leo gave him a worried look. "I know. When Don's ready, we're moving."

Don nodded, his bloodied hands working fast. "I'm almost finished. Gimme a minute," he said rushed without looking up. "Mikey? You're still there?"

A moment passed, causing the two oldest turtles to panic slightly, until a small moan escaped the youngest. "Yeah," he answered in a tired breath. Leo gave a relieved sigh. "You're doing great, buddy," he said as he laid his hand on Mikey's sweaty forehead. He turned to Raph, who still looked at Mikey with worried eyes. "Raph," he started to get his attention. The red-banded turtle looked up, crossing Leo's firm gaze. "You've got to carry Mikey home. Don and I will take care of the surroundings and flank you. Be quick, but careful and don't stop for anything. Getting Mikey home is all that matters now."

A second it was quiet, until Raph gave a grunt. "I hear ya," he said curtly, his gaze shooting back to Mikey, who had shut his eyes again, a pained expression on his face.

"This will have to do," Don announced as he gave a final look at the emergency bandage. It wasn't great, but it was the best he could do at this moment. Giving Raph a light push to signal he had to make room, he crept closer to Mikey's head. "Hey, buddy," he said softly. "I know it hurt and I know you want to sleep, but you have to be strong for a little while longer, alright." Affectionately he laid his hand on Mikey's head. Mikey opened his eyes a crack. "Got it, bro," he said, managing a small smile. Abruptly Don leaned forward, pushing his forehead against Mikey's. "Thanks, little brother," he whispered, knowing he wouldn't have survived it if Mike hadn't stepped in in time. Now he had to make sure his bro would get through this. He pulled back, giving a slightly startled Mikey a smile. "Let's go home."

Together, Leo and Don supported their little brother and hoisted him on Raph's back. With a painful grunt Mikey got in a semi-comfortable position and he let his head rest on his older brother's shoulder.

"Let's move," Leo ordered and let the way towards the closest abandoned subway tunnels, because they couldn't risk it to lower Mikey through a manhole. Don took care of the back, paying attention to his surroundings, while keeping a close eye on his little brother, who's unusual stillness scared him a bit. He would never forgive himself if Mike would not recover from this, since this was all his fault. He was the one who didn't pay enough attention in the first place. He should be the one wounded; not the little brother he cared so much about. Mikey was practically dying from the enormous amount of blood he'd lost. Pushing away his thoughts he focussed on the task at hand: take Mikey home and treat his wound properly, hoping he would bounce back like usual. Knowing his little brother, Mike would be up and running in a week, despite the warnings he received from his older siblings. Don sighed, hoping that would be the case.

With steady paces, Raph ran in the footsteps of his older brother. They just went underground without problems and it wouldn't take long until they should reach the security of their home. He heard Mikey's breath coming out in short, shaky pants and turned his head a little to see his brother out of the corner of his eyes. "Still with me, Mikey?" he asked softly. Mikey gave a soft hum while exhaling. "Always…"

Raph snorted. "Yer a big sap, ya know," he said jokingly, hoping to keep Mikey awake for just ten more minutes. Not getting an expected response, he gave a small shrug with the shoulder the youngest was resting on. "C'mon, bro. We're almost there. Don't give up now."

"...'m try'n..." was the tired answer. Raph cursed under his breath. "Don't ya dare, Mike," he warned, a little more fear in his voice then he implied. He listened closely, hearing Mikey moan softly. "'ts'kay..."

"Shell…" Raph grumbled, the concern for his little brother increasing by the second. Right before he wanted to say something back, Don appeared next to him. "Get Mike to the infirmary once inside!" he ordered before whipping his head up to address his other brother. "Leo, go to my lab and grab two bags of O-neg from the cooler in the back."

Raph looked up and to his surprise he saw the entrance of their home coming in sight. Leo was there already, punching in the security code. "Got it!" said turtle called as as the door opened. Letting Raph and Don pass, he also ran in, closing the door behind him. Immediately everyone did what they had to do.

Coming into the infirmary, Raph and Don laid Mikey carefully on the cot. Feeling something soft underneath him, Mikey opened his eyes a crack, seeing the blurry image of his hothead brother above him. He managed a small smile. "C'n I sleep y't...?"

"Almost, Mikey. Don's almost finished," Raph answered, putting his hand on Mikey's sweaty forehead. Heaving a sigh, he looked at Don, who was fidgeting with an iv-bag and some needles. Suddenly Leo ran in, the requested bags of blood in his hand. "Here you go, Donnie," he said, his eyes shifting from Don to Mikey and back. Mumbling a thanks, Don grabbed the bags and hooked them on a standard. Carefully he attached a tube to the bottom and connected the other end of the tube to Mikey's arm, letting the much needed blood entering the weak body. Leo and Raph watched anxiously as Don did a quick check on Mikey's vital signs. After a few minutes, Don looked up and met Raph's eyes. Giving a small smile, he indicated it was alright. As Don got up, Raph turned to Mikey and tried to look serious and kind at the same time, which was very hard to do for him. Lightly he brushed his hand over his little brother's head. "Hey, bro," he started, getting his attention. Wearily Mikey looked at him as Raph stroke his forehead gently. "Here's tha deal… Only if ya promise ta wake up soon, ya can go to sleep," he finished with an affectionate smile. Mikey let out a small amused breath. "...pr'miss…" he whispered and closed his eyes, letting the darkness envelop him. Slowly the pain faded out and he let out a content breath. Everything would be alright, he just knew it. His big brothers would make sure of it.

00000

That's it... The 25th chapter. A real milestone in my writing career. I really hope you've enjoyed it and I'll see you next week! Don't hesitate to leave a little comment :)