Hey guys! Welcome back! I hope everyone's been having a great couple of weeks!

I just want to shout out a special thanks to CelandineGranger again for helping me with my writing! She has given me so may great pointers and tips that I'm super grateful for! And to 000Marie198, who's been super encouraging and just a great friend! Both of these authors are really great and if you haven't heard of them before I highly recommend you check their stories out! You won't be disappointed!

Ok, back to the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT, the lair, or New York. ;)

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Chapter 14

Michelangelo stood there, too shocked to move as Leonardo stumbled out of the dark tunnel and into view with a desperate, ragged gasp.

The sight was so unreal Mikey's mind couldn't seem to process it, and he just froze to the spot. Eyes wide in shock and horror.

Leo was standing in the drainage river. His scratched, husky breaths, though small and quick, echoed loudly through the tunnel, giving Mikey cold chills that scurried up and down his spine.

The light wasn't very good, but Michelangelo could still easily see the dark rivulets of blood flowing down Leo's arms and legs, seeping almost nonchalantly into the sewer water. A deep gash on Leo's right arm looked especially bad. The whole limb slicked with the dark oozing liquid, dripping lazily from the tips of his fingers.

Mikey couldn't cope with what he was seeing. His whole body was taught, ready to spring, but it refused to move, his feet feeling like they'd become one with the concrete floor as his heart fluttered unbelievably fast in his chest. He felt cold, but was too paralyzed to shiver. All the blood had drained from his face as pure terror clutched his heart, and clogged throat.

It can't be real. His mind argued, refusing to believe what was so obviously in front of him.

Leo stumbled forward again, as if catching himself, gasping desperately for breaths of air. He looked up at Mikey, his tired blue eyes glassy and faded.

"Mikey?" he rasped, before collapsing into the drainage river.

At the sight of his eldest brother falling unconscious into the water, Mikey instantly snapped out of his shocked trance.

"Leo!" he cried, his voice instantly returning.

Without a single second of hesitation he ran into the drainage river to help the fallen leader.

Sloshing to a quick halt, he knelt next to his brother's limp body and felt a deep sickening feeling knot in his stomach.

"Oh no," his voice shook.

As carefully as he could manage, Mikey pulled Leo's body over so that he was lying on his carapace, and made sure to hold his head his head out of the oily grease-slicked water.

He fumbled for his t-phone, his fingers feeling thick and clumsy. Finally getting a hold on it, he pulled it out and tried to call Donnie. His hands were shaking, and his heart was pounding hard and fast. Finally he was able to hit the call button and desperately pressed the t-phone to his ear.

The ring seemed to drag on, painstakingly slow, while Mikey watched Leo struggle harder and harder for his next breath. A terrible, sickening feeling of terror gripped his insides as the reality of the fact that he could be the witness to Leo's death was realized.

Donnie will know what to do. He can still save Leo, Donnie can save him. Mikey told himself over and over.

"Please pick up," he begged into the phone's mouth piece, watching helplessly as Leo fought for an even less rewarding breath than before, "And please, please hurry."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Donatello heard the familiar cheerful ditty of an incoming call and felt his heart almost stop.

Was it Casey? Or April? Had they found Leo? Did they need help?

His heart pounded as he quickly pulled his t-phone out and looked at the screen.

"Mikey," he muttered, instantly deflating.

Great. He's probably lost the map already and needs directions. Donnie thought with a roll of his eyes.

Picking up his pace he let it ring a few times before answering with a sigh,

"Donatello-"

"DONNIE!!" Mikey's voice practically screamed through the t-phone speaker.

Donnie jerked the phone away from his ear with a start at Mikey's ear piercing shriek.

He grimaced at the high pitched ring in his eardrum, switching the phone over to his other hand and tentatively putting it up to his other ear.

"Mikey! Don't shout into the t-phone!" he lectured angrily, more than a little distraught.

"I'm sorry 'D'," Mikey said quickly, making Donnie question the sincerity of the apology, "But he's hurt and I don't know what to do and-"

"Woah woah. Slow down Mikey," Donnie instructed calmly, "Slow down and start from the beginning. What happened?"

"It's Leo!" Mikey exclaimed over the phone and Donnie felt his blood run cold, "He's hurt really bad, there's blood everywhere! Donnie! What do I do?!"

Donnie skidded to a halt, feeling his heart drop into his stomach at Mikey's choked voice.

"Mikey, where are you right now?" he asked slowly.

"I'm still in the sewers. At the 'X'."

It took Donatello a second to figure out what Mikey was talking about, but was soon running full speed towards his brother's location. A map of the sewer system unfolding itself in his mind.

"Alright, I'm on my way. But it may take me a while to get there, so you'll have to take care of Leo till then. Got it?"

"Okay," Mikey's small voice squeaked, "But I- I don't know what to do!" he cried.

"It's ok," Donnie assured, surprised by how calm his voice was compared to the panicked drumming of his heart, "I just need every detail available. No matter how minuscule."

Donnie's gut twisted painfully with guilt at the idea of what horrible description his baby brother would be forced to depict.

Mikey was always the sensitive one, things affected him far more deeply and personally than it did the elder three. And it was no secret that they would do anything to save Mikey from any situation that could hurt him in any way. If there was any way to trade places with his only little brother and spare him from reality, Donatello wouldn't hesitate to take it. But Donnie had no choice here, and he hated it.

"You said there was a lot of blood, how much is 'a lot'?" even as the words left his mouth Donnie's heart hurt.

"A lot," Mikey's trembling voice answered, "It's all over."

"Does that mean he's still bleeding?"

"No. Wait. He is a little, but it's slow and thick."

"How thick?" Donnie needed more details, as much as it hurt him to know his little brother was the one analyzing every dirty detail.

"Like, really thick," Mikey's voice trembled quietly, "And he- he's so pale."

"Mikey, stay with me bro. You're Leo's only hope right now."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!" Mikey cried, the fear in his voice ripping at Donnie's heart. The same heart that beat like a hummingbirds wings, in terror for his eldest brother's very life.

It hardly seemed fair. His younger brother's innocence, for his oldest brother's life.

And he could do nothing but charge on, hoping that if he kept giving Mikey instructions it might keep the youngest turtle focused.

"Mikey. Was Leo awake when you found him?"

"Uh- yes."

Finally some good news.

"Okay, that's good. Now this is very important, I need you to keep him awake."

"Ummm.. Why?"

"With that much blood loss he could very well be suffering exsanguination and if he falls asleep he could slip into a comatose state."

There was a dumbfounded silence from the other end of the call.

Left! Donnie's mind reminded him at the last minute, and he turned sharply down a smaller, darker side tunnel.

"Comatose means a coma and the explanation of exsanguination isn't important right now," Donnie explained hurriedly, his mind rushing a mile a minute to keep track of all his thoughts, "Just keep him awake okay?"

"Uhm.."

The sound of Mikey's hesitant voice spilled dread into Donnie's stomach.

"Mikey. Leo is awake right?"

"He was at first!" Mikey cried, "But then he just collapsed before I could get to him!"

"Okay," Donnie bit his lip, "Okay, this isn't sounding good. Is there anything else? Has he moved or made any indication that he's trying to talk to you since he's lost consciousness?"

"No, I- I don't think so. But his breathing isn't normal!"

"What do you mean 'isn't normal'? Can you describe it? Every detail is important."

"It's-" Mikey never finished the sentence.

Donnie heard a high pitched 'beep' from from his t-phone and Mikey's call was abruptly cut off.

"Mikey?" Donnie called uselessly, fear chilling his skin when there was no answer, "Mikey?!"

Still no response.

He stopped at a fork in the tunnels and unclipped his t-phone from his shoulder strap.

"Connection lost," he read off of the screen.

No! That's impossible! How could I have lost connection?!

He clipped the unhelpful piece of technology back to the leather strap and turned right, picking up his pace to a mad-panicked dash.

His mind raced, prodding him to run faster, the satchel with his medical supplies thumping against his side.

I need to get there! I need to be there! Leo could die! Leo could die if I don't make it in time! His panicked thoughts screamed at him as he sped through the dark dripping sewer tunnels.

Right. Then left. Left. Now right.

Each step through the maze of passages took him one step closer to his destination. But he couldn't help thinking that the step before could have been the step too late. His heart pounded heavily with fear for his brothers.

"Please," he prayed breathlessly, "Please let me get there, before it's too late."