Hey guys! Thanks for reading again! I really hope you like this multi-chaptered story, because I think this one is going to be a big one... Heh, maybe I should've made this a stand-alone story outside the one shots. Ah well, who knows ;-)

And here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!

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Keeping You Safe

With a defeated sigh Don placed his elbows on his desk and let his head rest in his hands. For the past time he had analysed Leo's blood sample and he could make one conclusion: Leo was poisoned by a fairly strong drug cocktail causing all of his muscles to constrict rapidly, especially the ones with lots of veins attached to it, like the heart. At some point Leo's body would get too worn out until it just shuts down. According to what Don knew, he estimated Leo didn't have long without the right cure. And that was the problem…

Although the drug was a pretty simple mixture which he could separate easily to analyse the single constituents, there was one petty little combination that was a major problem. Don had never seen a mixture like it and had no clue how to examine it further. If he did not undergo the right steps, the right cure could never be found. And Don had no clue what the exact right steps were. Not even with his knowledge. One little mistake and he was the one killing his brother.

He looked up and went through his notes again. The different formulas written in his unusual sloppy handwriting seemed to dance in front of him, mocking him for his ignorance. Not getting any wiser, he shoved the papers roughly away from him and closed his eyes tiredly. His brilliant brain started to rethink the steps he took earlier, desperately trying to figure out if he missed something. But whichever scenario he thought of, the conclusion stayed the same… Whether he did something or not, Leo would not make it if it was for him.

Slamming his fist on his desk, Don let out a frustrated cry. He had never felt so useless before. Although his primary expertise laid in mechanics, he had spend years gaining knowledge about medical issues, so he could help his family when it was necessary. And he had proven himself multiple times by stitching up gashes, set broken bones, treating a concussion or two, taking care when one's ill... But now all of his understanding of the medical field was worthless! If only he had spend more time on chemistry instead of nursery, first aid and surgery, he could help his brother. But now he was failing him to a great extent.

Knowing he could not do this by himself, Don grabbed his phone and entered April's number, hoping she could help him get further.

I

Two rooms away, Raph and Mikey were sitting silently next to the cot where Leo was lying on. Although Leo kept breathing harsh and labored, he didn't seem to get worse to the relief of his watching brothers. Problem was, he wasn't getting better either.

With growing concern for his only older brother, Raph couldn't help himself from getting fidgitive. He hated to sit on the sidelines like this with nothing to contribute. He needed to do something, he needed to get out and chase down the bastards who hurt his brother. No one gets away hurting his family. No one…

He noticed Mikey had also troubles sitting still. The youngest was deep in thought, watching over the oldest as his fingers tapped rapidly on the aluminium frame of his chair. Listening to it for a couple of minutes, Raph got extremely nervous and suddenly it got too much. "Fer cryin' out loud, Mike. Stop freakin' tappin' yer chair or I'll break yer fingers!" he fell out, standing up angrily. Immediately Mikey froze in his seat, looking at his red-banded brother with big eyes. "I'm sorry," he said in a small voice, quickly putting his hands in front of him so Raph could see he wasn't doing anything anymore. "I just hate waiting like this."

Raph sunk back in his chair, a guilty feeling washing over him. "I know. Me too, bro," he said in a much softer voice. Mikey gave a sad chuckle, accepting the unsaid apology. "Heh, I guess we're all a bit on edge."

"A bit?" Raph asked with a grin. "That's an understatement."

Mikey shrugged and put his elbows on his upper legs, slumping his shoulders. With a tired sigh he propped up his head in his hands. "You think Donnie's making progress?" he asked as he watched his older brother shifting his worried expression to the frail form of Leo on the bed. After a moment of hesitation Raph nodded. "Of course. It's Don we're talkin' about," he said, leaving no room for discussion. "He knows exactly what he's doing."

Swallowing hard, Mikey turned his head and looked at the door of the infirmary. They had closed it so it would be warmer for Leo, since his body temperature was way too low the moment they had moved him to the cot. Luckily his temperature went up quickly the moment Raph and Mike were taking care of his wounds, but Raph had noticed it went a little too fast. At this rate a fever should kick in soon and that was definitely not what Leo needed at this moment. His defence system was already working overtime just to fight off the weird stuff in his blood Don had discovered. Although Raph tried to keep it quiet, Mikey knew exactly what was going on. And his worry rose by the minute. "But what if Don might n-" he started, but got cut off roughly by Raph. "Shut up, Mike! Just shut up!" he said angrily. "I don't wanna hear any of yer 'what ifs'. Things are gonna work out like they always do, so just…" Trailing of, Raph sunk back in his seat, matching Mikey's semi-slumped posture as he rubbed his hands tiredly over his head. "Just shut up," he finished in a an almost begging sigh. Mikey looked at Raph, a slight put off, but understanding frown on his face. "I just wanted to ask if Don might need help," he said in a small voice. He saw Raph look up with wide eyes from misunderstanding, and swiftly he looked another way. "But you're right. He knows what he's doing. We'll only be in the way," he said quickly, staving off Raph's guilt towards himself. Knowing his brother, Raph could explode from culpability, frustration and his own uselessness any minute now and that was not what any of them needed right now. So like most times, Mikey tried to calm his brother down by averting his emotions directly to himself, although this time in a more subtle way - by words instead of actions. Seeing it worked slightly, Mikey gave his brother his trademark smile to push further. "The only negative 'what if' you're getting from me, is 'what if Leo doesn't like the movie I'm gonna pick out to watch when he wakes up'."

Giving a soft snort, Raph shook his head by his brother's way of dealing with his feelings. Appreciating the gesture, he gave Mikey a smile of his own. "We jus' make him watch it, whether he likes it or not."

"Heh, yeah. He doesn't have much of a choice," Mikey chuckled. For a moment it was quiet. Mikey reached out his hand and laid it carefully on Leo's arm which was laying on top of the blankets. "All you have to do is wake up, bro." He waited before continuing. "Hey, if you wake up now, you can pick a movie. How 'bout that?"

"Yeah right, Mike. How many times did we actually heard that? Whatever's tha case, yer tha one pickin' anyways," Raph commented as Mikey looked up to him with an insincere scowl. "I just have great taste in movies you all appreciate."

Raph raised an eye ridge. "Sure, bro," he began sarcastically. "As long as ya believe it yerself…"

Mikey stuck out his tongue and turned to the ailing turtle on the bed. "Leo! Raph's mean. Do something," he said in his innocent little brother voice, like he used many times before. Most of the times Leo would take Mikey's side and told Raph to back off a bit, but this time his big brother remained quiet. Mikey gave a disheartened sigh. "Just wake up, bro. We need you," he said softly in an almost pleading voice. Still not getting a response, both Mikey and Raph grew silent. Soon the only sound was the ragged breathing of Leo, which didn't seem to get better.

I

As Raph and Mike studied the irregular breathing pattern of his older brother for another twenty minutes, they suddenly heard some sounds coming from their living room. They both looked at each other with raised eye ridges. "Don?" Mikey asked. In response Raph shrugged. "I guess."

Mikey stood up since he was closest to the door. "Stay with Leo," he instructed. "I'll see if he needs help." He waited for Raph's nod and walked to the door and opened it in a swift movement. "Yo, Donnie! Need some - Oh shell..."

Alarmed Raph looked up by the fretful tone of Mikey's voice. The moment he wanted to ask what was going on, he saw Mike turn his head, eyes wide. "Down!" he yelled, but it was too late. There was a soft metallic sound, like something was thrown on the floor and before Raph could register what was happening an enormous explosion filled the living room. In an instant Mikey was swept from his feet by the impact and he crashed hard into the cabinets on the other side of the infirmary. With a groan he fell on the floor just a few feet from Raph. With big eyes full of disbelief Raph stared at the still body of his youngest brother, as blood trickled from a large wound on his head. "Mike?" he managed to whisper, but he was still unable to move. Suddenly realisation sank in. Someone who didn't belong there was in the lair, attacking them. In an instant he was on his feet, his sai twirling in his fingers. Quickly he took a few steps forward, protecting both of his injured brothers. "Mike?" he asked again, this time a little harder. "Mike, wake up, bro!" Not getting an answer, Raph dared to sneak a look behind him. His youngest brother was out cold, but was breathing normally. Trusting he would be alright in time, Raph looked back at the danger in front of him. "Don't worry, bros. I'll keep ya safe."

With a roar he jumped forward and stood protectively in front of the door of the infirmary. A little surprised he let his eyes take in what he saw in front of him. A small army of government agents was standing in their living room, weapons at the ready. His surprise instantly vanished when he put the pieces together. "Are ya the bastards who hurt Leo? And my little brother?" He clenched his sai in his fists. The moment he opened his mouth to yell more, he suddenly heard a small amused chuckle coming from their front door.

"Very good, Raphael," the voice of Bishop filled the room, making Raph even more angry than he already was. "You!" he spat out. "Yer a dead man, ya hear me!"

With a grin on his face, Bishop limped further into the living room. "Don't make promises you can't fulfill, Raphael." He looked around the lair amused. "This is a nice place you have here. Too bad of the scorch marks behind you. I do hope Michelangelo is not too injured," he said with mocking insincerity. "It was not my intention to get rid of him like this. I had other plans with the young one."

Raph almost trembled with anger and hate. "Don't ya freakin' talk about ma brother! I'm gonna kill ya if it's the last thing I'm gonna do!"

Bishop raised his eyebrows and put his hands on his back. "Do you really think you stand a chance against me? I've took out two of your brothers already. It is just a matter of time before I will get to Donatello." His head turned towards the heavy lab door and grinned. With a satisfied chuckle he looked back at Raph. "You cannot protect all of them at the same time."

Suddenly the lab door burst open and Don ran out, his bo in front of him. "He doesn't have to!" he yelled as he charged towards Bishop. At the last moment Bishop stepped aside, avoiding a hard blow of the wooden weapon. Gritting his teeth he saw Don jump back and land next to his brother.

Feeling a little more confident and calm now Don was here, Raph took in a decent fighting pose. "Tha cure?" he asked curtly to gain information. After a small pause Don answered. "Working on it. April's coming to help and I bet she's taking Casey with her."

Raph nodded. "Good."

"What's with the explosion? Leo's fine?" Don asked in turn, adjusting the grip on his staff. Raph gave a snarl. "Leo's good fer now, maybe a fever. Explosion was prob'ly a grenate or somethin'. Took out Mike."

"What?!" Don exclaimed as he looked behind him through the open door of the infirmary. There he saw Leo still lying down on the cot, fighting hard just to breath. As his gaze went further, he saw his youngest brother unconscious on the floor, a small puddle of blood around the top of his head.

"This will be the end for you meddling turtles," Bishop suddenly spoke. He turned to his agents. "Remember what I have instructed. I want them alive." He turned his back towards the brothers. "In every sense of the word..."

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Yes, a cliffhanger. I'm very sorry! But I really hope you have enjoyed it! Please, tell me whether you did or didn't :). I love reviews!