Disclaimer - I don't own the TMNT, or April for that matter. I do own Lindy, though.

A/N - OK, guys, I'm leaving to go on vacation this week, so the story won't be updated for about two weeks. It'll be driving me nuts, but I won't be near a computer, so that makes it impossible. Not to worry, though! By the time I get back, I'll probably have tons of ideas, so updates should come shortly. See you guys in a few!

Chapter 12 - Aftershock

"What happened to you guys?" April moved out of the window to let them through.

"We were attacked." Leonardo came through first, then reached back out to help Donatello through.

"By who?!" She put a hand to her mouth. "Oh no…"

"Yeah." Leo said simply. Don came through the window, grimacing.

"Are you guys OK?" April asked, standing there, wringing her hands helplessly. She hated this part. The not knowing if they were OK. Not knowing how to help them.

Michaelangelo came through with Lindy, followed by Raphael, who moved to help Leo with Don. They gently set him on the couch.

"You doing OK, Donnie?" Leo asked as he heard a small groan escape his brother.

"OK." Don tried for a small smile.

"What's wrong?" April asked. "How did they find you?" She could see Michaelangelo lower his head to look at the ground, and Leo looked at him for a second before answering.

Leo shook his head. "Never mind that. Don's leg's broken. Do you have anything we can use?"

April shook her head. "Not on me. But there is a medical store down the street."

"Can you?" Leo asked her.

"Sure." She sighed. She looked at the rest of them. "Is there anything else?"

"Um…" Leo looked at the rest of them, his eyes coming to a stop on Raph. "Maybe a few diapers and some baby food. I don't think we should go back there tonight.

Raph let out a small sigh. "Leo…"

"Raph, please!" Leo said, exasperated.

Raph's mouth turned into a snarl. "I was gonna say maybe one of us should go with April and help her get the stuff. Is that OK with you?"

It was Leo's turn to sigh. "Raph, I…" He began, but then stopped. "Yeah, OK. You want to go?"

"I do now." Raph said.

"You guys." Don interrupted from the couch, making them all look over at him. "I need to get this leg set, and the longer you guys take…"

Leo nodded. "OK." He turned back to Raph and April. "You guys go. And hurry, please?"

April nodded, her purse already in her hands. "OK. Let's go, Raph."

Raph nodded, then left with her, shooting Leo a nasty glance on his way out.

After the door shut, Leo sank into the chair with a sigh.

"This just isn't working." He whispered.

"What?" Don asked.

Leo shook his head. "Nothing. Never mind, I… I was just thinking out loud."

Don glanced to Mike, who continued to look at the ground. "Hey, Mikey." He said lightly. "Make yourself useful, will you, and grab me some pillows?" His tone was light, and he hoped it would bring Mike out of his mood.

"Sure." Mike said quietly, then headed for April's bathroom closet.

"Leo." Don said as soon as Mike was out of the room.

Leo lifted his head in response, looking at Don.

"Are you OK?" Donatello asked. Leo smiled, then chuckled quietly.

"I should be asking you that." He said, looking down at his hands. "Seeing as how I got off pretty easy. Just a couple of bruises."

"But I asked about you."

Leo looked back up at his brother. "I was just thinking how it could've been worse." He began, then stopped. He looked at the hallway, then back at Donatello. "It could have been a lot worse."

Don nodded. "I know." He said, then winced. "I hope they hurry. Should've told them to bring something for the pain." He mumbled, gritting his teeth.

They both looked up as Mike came back, a few pillows in his hand. "You guys should see the stuff she's got in there. You wouldn't believe it!"

He was trying to sound lighthearted, Don realized. And it wasn't working. Mikey was still troubled by the events of the evening, and trying to hide it.

"Mikey…" Don breathed. "Did you look in the mirror when you were in there?" He asked, and Leo looked up at Mike.

"No. Why?" Mike frowned. He looked down at his plastron and legs. "I don't see anything."

Leo eyes widened when Mike looked down and he could see what Don did.

"Mikey," Don began. "You have got a goose-egg on your head the size of a golf ball."

"Really?!" Mike said wide eyed. He reached around and touched the back of his head. "Ow!" He said when he found the spot.

Don laughed quietly. "Sorry." He said, looking at Mike. "Guess I pushed you harder than I thought."

"Pushed me?" Mike said. "Barreled straight into me is more like it." He rubbed his forehead. "I'll be seeing you jumping straight for me in my nightmares."

They all laughed, and a little of the tension left the room.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" Mike asked Don.

Don shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm good for now." He looked at Mike, cocking his head. "You'd better go get some ice for your head. And some aspirin."

Mike nodded. "Good idea." Then he left to go into the kitchen.

Lindy sat up from where she'd dozed off on the floor. She looked at Don and Leo, then let out a wail. She crawled over to the couch, and was about to lift herself up, when Leo stepped over and grabbed her up.

"Sorry, Lind, not now." He said, and she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. Her lower lip trembled, and Leo smiled. "Don't give me that look." He looked down at Lindy. "Do you think April's got anything we can give Lindy?" He said to Don, then looked up at his brother. Don's eyes were closed, his mouth in a frown. "Don?" Leo stood, concerned.

Don's eyes opened, and he seemed to focus again. "I think… I think that April keeps a bit of 'emergency' food here, just in case. It should be in the kitchen." He said softly.

"Are you OK?" Leo asked, a frown on his face.

"I… Yeah." Don said, trying to shift his body a bit more. "The adrenaline's wearing off now, and I'm really beginning to feel it."

Leo nodded. "OK, I'm sure they'll be back soon." He said, then took Lindy into the kitchen, looking for food.

****************

"OK." April walked out of the store, carrying bags in her hands and around her shoulders. "I think that's everything." She turned the corner, nearly walking into Raphael, who was picking at a cut on his arm.

"Jeez." She breathed, then recovered, shoving a few bags in his arms. They began their walk back to her apartment in silence.

"Alright." April broke the silence. "What happened? The rest of them don't want to talk, and you're being too quiet. What's up?"

"We're just tired is all, April." Raph said, looking straight ahead, and avoiding her questioning gaze. "Look, we'll talk about it after we get everyone fixed up."

"But I…" She began.

"After we fix them up."

That seemed to do the trick, and they spent the rest of the walk home in silence.

*****************

As soon as April and Raph got back home, they set about tending to their wounds; setting Don's leg and fixing up their various bruises, cuts and scrapes.

They had a meeting in the living room, after Lindy had been put to bed. Donatello had wanted to attend, despite the other's protests, so they gathered around the couch, in various places from the chairs and floor.

"What do you think, Leo?" Don asked from his place on the couch.

"I think we need to definitely adjust our thinking around the Foot, now."

Mike nodded. "Yeah, they were weird tonight, man. Like, not themselves."

"I agree. Their behavior was sporadic, at best, and they had no identifying fighting characteristics." Don added. "What that guy did at the end there? That was spooky."

April looked between them, growing more and more confused.

"The Foot, they're… back? Like, full force back?" She asked, but no one seemed to hear her question.

"I say we go after them while they're a little tired, too. I wanna pay them back for what they did to Donnie…" Raph growled.

Leo sighed. "Raph, what they did to Donnie is the big reason we shouldn't go after them. We're one person down, and I don't know about the rest of you, but they were pretty tough to handle." He looked to the others. "Did anybody get a count?"

"Six." Don said.

"Six?" Leo's shoulders slumped. "Just six?! There seemed to be so many more…"

Don nodded. "I know." He said. "But that's how many there were."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah." Don sighed. "I'm sure. If any more, maybe eight. But no more than that."

"I saw the same two guys the whole time." Mike said. "Six is probably about right."

Leo groaned and sat back in the chair.

It was silent until April broke in. "What happened?!" She cried. They all looked at her, shocked.

"I'm sorry." She said, crossing her arms. "I'm sorry. I just… I love you guys, you know that. But it's so… frustrating when you come in hurt and wounded, and don't let me know what's going on." She sat down on the edge of the couch. "I know, it's none of my business…"

"No, April." Don put a hand on her arm, then looked at his brothers. "We have been using you, haven't we?" He whispered, looking back at her.

"No." She shook her head. "It's not about that. You don't, you know, use me. I just… worry. About you guys."

Leo looked down. "This wasn't a good idea." He said.

"What wasn't?" April asked.

He looked away from her. "Coming here. Bringing you into this. We shouldn't have done this to you." He looked down. "We won't do it again."

"What are you talking about?" She cried. "I want you guys to come here. I like helping you, I just don't like not knowing what's going on."

"And we can't tell you everything that goes on."

"I don't want you to tell me everything…"

"I think this was a mistake…" Leo retorted. It only seemed to fuel the fire.

"A mistake…?!" April rose, but Don tightened his grip on her wrist.

"Wait." Don said. "We need to stop this. Now." He said firmly. "Everyone's tired. It's been a long and trying day. We are frustrated and angry and we shouldn't take it out on each other." He turned to April.

"April. We couldn't do half of what we do without you. You've pulled us out of too many binds for me to count. You mean too much to us, and we worry sometimes about that."

She smiled. "I'm sorry, guys, Leo." She shook her head. "It's just been a long day for me, too." She sighed.

"I'll tell you what." Don said. "Why don't we get a good night's sleep, then we'll tell you what we can in the morning." He looked at Leo, who nodded slightly. "I don't know about the rest of you," He continued. "But I'm still a little confused."

Raph nodded. "Yeah, it, uh, happened kinda fast."

"Yeah." Mike nodded. "But a little shut-eye sounds good to me. 'Night guys, April." He turned and left to go to the other room.

"Mikey's got the right idea." Raph yawned, stretching, then stopped "Who would've thought I'd ever say that?" He grinned, then headed off in the same direction as Mike.

Silence ruled the room for a few minutes, until April stood.

"I'm going to get some sleep, too." She walked over to where Leo sat in the chair. "I'm sorry, Leo." She whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Don watched as Leo's shoulder's drooped for a moment before he turned to look up at April.

"No. Don't be." He said. "I'm sorry, April. Like Donnie said…"

April nodded. "No problem." She smiled. "I think I'll call off work tomorrow." She said suddenly.

"You don't need to…" Leo protested.

"I know." She stretched. "But I want to. I just need to take a day off. Then the three of you can get some of your stuff back, and Donnie can help me out around here."

Don smiled. "Almost makes me wish I could go with you and possibly face the Foot."

Leo grinned as April protested.

"I'm going to bed." She said, trying to hide her grin. "Good night, guys."

"'Night." They chorused, watching her leave.

"Well, I think I'll head off to bed, too." Leo said. "Need anything?" He asked Don.

"Nope." Don said, then watched as Leo began walking away. "Leo?" He called, making his brother stop.

"Yeah?" Leo turned, then walked a few steps back into the room.

Don swallowed, then began talking. "What did you mean when you said 'this isn't working'?" He asked, then continued. "Do you really regret coming to April for help? Because I think this has been really beneficial…"

"I regret a lot of things." Leo said wearily, speaking so low, Donatello wasn't sure he was meant to hear it.

"Leo…"

"We both need our sleep." Leo interrupted. "I'm going to go to bed."

"OK." Don said, knowing his brother wouldn't talk anymore about it. "Good night."

"Good night."

Don watched his brother walk away and into another room. He sighed. Somehow he felt this was only the beginning.