"Careful, guys… try to keep him steady," Donnie said, following behind his brothers as they carried Mikey into the apartment, moving as quickly as they dared. Getting him up the fire escape had been risky, but they didn't dare try any other way. Grace was close by the unconscious youngest turtle, anxiety and fear written clear on her face, while Hamari hovered at the back, her dark eyes scanning for any threat of discovery. Once they were all inside, April closed the window and locked it as the others headed for the living room.

"Here," Donnie said, gesturing to the wide sofa. "Lay him down gently."

Leo and Raph immediately obeyed, their expressions tight with fear. Mikey seemed to barely respond beyond a slight flinch as he was lowered onto the cushions, and Donnie quickly moved to kneel beside him. Grace did the same, stroking a gentle hand over Mikey's head as she murmured encouraging endearments. The sight made Donnie's throat tighten, but he cleared it and forced his voice to remain steady.

"April, Raph, get blankets, as many as you can. We've got to do all we can to keep him from going into full shock… his chances are dicey enough already. Leo, get the first aid and suture kits."

As the others rushed to do as he said, Donnie felt Mikey's neck for his pulse. It was weak and growing thready, but not so much that there was no hope.

Just be strong, little brother. Be the fighter we know you are.

April and Raph returned within a minute, closely followed by Leo with the requested medical supplies. They piled on the blankets, careful to leave the shoulder with the stab wound exposed, and Donnie began to carefully peel back the bloodstained dressings. He was somewhat relieved to see that they had succeeded in slowing the bleeding, but that didn't change the fact that Mikey had still lost a lot of blood. Any kind of transfusion here would be much more difficult than it would be at the lair. All he could do was treat his brother as best he could and pray that didn't become necessary.

First things first… clean and disinfect.

Opening the first aid kit, Donnie grabbed a cotton swab and saline solution. Grace looked at him with wide, fearful eyes.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Focused on his own task, Donnie replied without looking at her.

"Grab a swab and clean the other lacerations. Be careful not to uncover him any more than you have to, he needs to stay warm."

"On it," Grace replied, her voice calm and collected despite the fear in her eyes. As the two worked, April and Leo watched anxiously while Raph began pacing, his every muscle wound tight enough to snap. As Donnie turned to get what he needed from the suture kit, he heard the main door of the apartment open and knew Casey and Splinter had arrived.

"Yo! We're here!" Casey called as their hurried footsteps drew closer. "How's Mike?"

Donnie took a moment to glance up and saw his father approaching. There was a stunned look on his face that quickly turned into a stricken look that the genius turtle had rarely seen on his face. Approaching the couch, he laid a gentle hand on Mikey's head.

"Michelangelo…" he murmured. "My son."

Mikey's face shifted the slightest amount, but otherwise he remained silent and still as stone. Splinter directed his gaze to Donnie.

"His condition?"

Focused on threading the needle, Donnie replied in a brisk, professional tone.

"A few minor lacerations, and a stab wound to the shoulder. He's in minor shock as well… we're doing what we can to counter it."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Grace look up from her task at Splinter. Her face betrayed little emotion, but Donnie thought he could see a strange coldness in her gaze before she returned her focus to Mikey. The genius shrugged it off and went back to his own task. It was perfectly understandable that Grace was upset, and only natural that she might have some misdirected anger. It was something they'd have to help her sort out once the danger was past, along with Hamari… stoic as she was being, Donnie could tell a lot of it was for her friend's sake. Both girls had lost nearly everything in the space of an hour, and Donnie knew all too well how that felt.

"The shuriken missed anything vital, miraculously," he said. "He's not in danger of bleeding out anymore, but the next hours are still going to be critical. I don't think a transfusion is necessary, which one less thing for us to worry about, though there's some risk of infection. We'll have to see if he makes it through the night. It would've helped if I got to it sooner, but Mikey's strong and as resilient as anyone I know. He won't give up without a fight."

Donnie heard a soft growl behind him, one he knew well enough to tell it was Raph, then the pacing footsteps stopped. A harsh thud then told Donnie his red-banded brother had punched a wall. Splinter's frown deepened, but it was a testament to how worried he was that he didn't call Raph out on it. And really, the hothead had shown quite a bit of restraint; if he had used his full strength, he likely would have put a hole in the wall.

Finishing the last stitch, Donnie snipped the thread and wiped away any stray flecks of blood before pulling the blankets up to cover the shoulder. He hesitated for a moment as his fingers brushed his younger brother's face, then rose to his feet with a tired sigh. He placed a hand on Splinter's shoulder, then his eyes moved to Grace. The girl had remained kneeling at Mikey's side, holding his hand tight in both of hers. Her eyes were closed, and Donnie could hear her whispering though he couldn't make out the words. Strangely, she didn't seem to be talking to Mikey, or even herself. The genius turtle frowned in confusion, but a hand on his arm drew his attention. Hamari had walked up beside him, her sad, tired eyes fixed on Grace.

"She's saying a prayer for him," the teen whispered, so only he could hear. Donnie looked at her, but before he could ask any questions Hamari went on. "Her father was a Christian, and strong in his faith. At first, I think she took the same faith to honor him, but she matches his conviction now."

Donnie nodded, then looked closer at her.

"You all right?"

Hamari let out a soft sigh and shrugged.

"As much as I can be."

Leo came up on her other side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry for everything," he said. "But we'll work it out."

Casting the leader a small smile, Hamari nodded.

"Thank you."

She looked past Leo, and Donnie saw her face grow concerned again. He followed her gaze to see Raph walking toward them with slow, heavy strides. Any trace of anger was gone from his face, replaced with a blank, weary expression. Sinking into a nearby chair, he slumped forward with his head in his hands.

"Raph?" Donnie asked softly. The older turtle's shoulders quivered, and his voice was hoarse.

"We let 'im down, Don. We're s'posed t' be there for him… n' we failed."

Donnie felt his throat tighten, but before he could say anything Leo moved to stand in front of Raph and placed a hand on his shoulder. His voice was heavy with grief and similar guilt, but gentle and soothing as well.

"We made a lot of mistakes, Raph. But that's in the past. What matters now is what we do tonight, and after. Maybe we weren't there before, but we can be now. We'll get him through this, and then make it up to him."

Donnie felt a small smile form on his face as he watched his brothers, but the fear didn't leave him. He hoped beyond hope that Grace's prayer was getting through, because if Mikey didn't make it, the genius turtle felt certain that their family would never recover.

Now more than ever, Donnie wished he had told Mikey how much he meant to them all, how proud of him they were. Maybe if he had, this wouldn't have happened. In fact, he was sure of that.

Raph's right… we failed him.