Fair enough dear readers, you caught the SAINW vibe I threw into this. For that I reward you with another chapter, and the honor of being right. You would make Leo proud. Now, don't kill me, but things aren't looking good for the boys. No one dies, I promise!

I don't own TMNT

Take away the sensation inside, bittersweet migraine in my head
It's like a throbbing toothache of the mind, I can't take this feeling anymore.

Drain the pressure from the swelling, this sensation's overwhelming,
Give me a long kiss goodnight, and everything will be alright
Tell me that I won't feel a thing. So give me Novocaine.

-Green Day

Donnie's POV

It's been two hours since my brothers (and Slash who's in another room and in a far better condition) got the cure. The only sign that it's working is their fever slightly decreasing and breathing stabilizing.

Leo came back from surgery not long ago, and he sounds terrible. The tracheotomy now installed in his throat can't be removed till we're sure he can breathe on his own again. His lungs are severely damaged, he'll have to take Spirometry tests when he's well enough and awake. These tests measures the flow and amount of air when you breathe in and out as deeply and forcefully as you can. This way we'll be able to measure Leos lung capacity. Rockwell installed a pulse oximeter that he's currently wearing just in case. Knowing that his heart might stop again sends shivers down my shell, so to say. His constant wheezing is painful to listen to, but I'll have to get used to it. I'm well aware that his condition might be chronic, that he'll have to retain himself doing training, that is, if he'll ever be able to actually exercise after this.

We've talked about getting the cure out to the public, but we haven't made a plan yet. With both leaders down, and me too exhausted to think clearly... Let's just say we'll have to wait a little longer with that. Of cause the thought of people dying while we sit here with the antidote is pointless, but what exactly are we supposed to do? Let April enter the hospital, filled with sick, crazy people, walk up to a nurse and give it to her? That would seem suspicious, and they would start asking her about it. No, that's too great a risk. We talked with Jack Kurtzen, who's the only grown up human that we know, besides Kirby, that may succeed in delivering it. Yes they would ask him how he got it, but in the end he would manage to trick them. This was the only idea that we all agreed on, yet still, it needed some details...

An hour later

Finally, the moment we were all waiting for. Mikey, the ball of sunshine was waking up. He was blinking rapidly to keep his tired blue eyes open. We were all beside him, sending him warm smiles of relief and greeting. I don't know what we had expected, but it hit us all when he didn't smile back. Instead he frowned and started whining. I tried to sooth him by stroking his forehead, telling him that he would be okay, but he only got more agitated, and his breathing got fast again. It only took me a few seconds to realize that he was having a wave of nausea. Mikey was already sitting up partly from all the pillows behind him, and as soon as the bucket was in place, or actually a few seconds before that, his stomach started contracting. A few minutes of violent retching and whimpering made the youngest break into mad sweating, and for a minute it looked like he might pass out. I sat beside him and placed a hand on his stomach to rub soothing circles as he started drooling into the bucket. A desperate groan later and puke spouted out from both mouth and nose. It was mostly water and bile, but it didn't make it any less painful for him, or for us to look at.

As the vomiting slowed down he began to mumble about pain in his stomach and left arm, but said arm wasn't there anymore, meaning he must have experienced phantom limb pains. Rockwell did warn us about that. He leaned against me, using my forearm as a pillow. We stayed like that for a little while before he fell back asleep.

I hadn't been prepared for that kind of awakening, but at least he wasn't in the same level of danger anymore. Still, the fact he didn't realize he was missing a limp, and didn't ask any questions worried me. Would I have to tell him before he notice it? Or maybe he'll try and reach out for something, only to find his arm none responding. Would he have a breakdown? Please no, not a depressed Mikey...

Raph woke a few minutes after Mikey fell back asleep. He seemed to have troubles opening his eyes, head moving restlessly on the pillow while mumbling incoherent words. We tried talking to him, but he didn't respond. The restless turning in bed almost send him over the edge, but Casey caught him just in time and got him back up. The sudden bite of Casey's hand was a bit of a surprise, and Rockwell immediately started running tests on him, just in case he got infected. After that no one dared to get too close to Raph, except me.

His fever was still pretty high, so we had to pull the blanket off of him. He didn't like that one bit and immediately started trembling madly, like someone just covered him in a thin layer of snow for the fun of torturing him, but it was necessary. I placed a wet rag on his forehead with a yawn, only to be rewarded with a hand on top of mine, trying to push me away. It was too weak to have any effect, and he soon gave up with a feeble sigh.

To find the strongest of us pathetically trying to shove my hand away like that made me realize...This devastating event had turned our world upside down, and I was now the strongest of us.

The sudden pained whimper managed to wake up our oldest, who's eyes flung open. He turned his head towards Raphael, but those glazed eyes told me that he was disoriented. He must have turned his head towards the noise by instinct. We tried talking to Leo as well, without gaining his attention. Either he didn't realize we were trying to talk to him, or then he couldn't respond. Then I realized that the tube had this button that you had to press down to be able to talk. I told April who went to him and carefully pressed it, but he was still none responding. She let go and he kept his death stare for a while, but finally broke it by a frown. His eyes closed as he slowly filled the catheter hanging on the side of the bed. He would have been embarrassed If he wasn't so out of it. How I just wanted everything to go back to normal...

That's it, the end of the world as we know it is coming fast this year. Oroku Saki, the shredder, also known as our arch enemy, of all living people, managed to gather the cure as well, and was now holding a speech on a big screen in New York city, telling everyone about the miracle cure him and his group of highly intelligent scientists made. But of cause he wouldn't give it out for free, and demanded to be the almighty ruler of New York in return. Figures.

Why was the news reporters even out in the fields and not isolating themselves? Who in their right mind would risk getting infected by a deadly disease, just for a juicy story?

Now back to the Shredder, who wanted to rule the world once more. He wasn't wearing the Kuro Kabuto, the large burn on his face covered up in thick layers of make-up, and wearing a black wig? Actually, he almost looked formal, wearing a suit and everything. In some way that only made him seem even creepier.

Oh man, things aren't looking good...

"I knew it! We should have acted the minute we got our hands on the antidote! What are we supposed to do now? Confront him?" Casey's sudden angry outburst made us all flinch. We were all on the edge, worrying about our hideout getting discovered. None of us was battle ready, and I felt like fainting at any moment now.

I've been looking at the leg braces that Rockwell gave me, and They all wanted me to try them on. Instead, I lay on the couch, head in Aprils lap as I tried to focus on the TV screen and not the beeping machines. She stroke my face gently, trying to lull me to sleep. I felt my eyes getting heavier, and before I knew it I fell into the first stage of non-REM sleep...

Simultaneous gasps woke me up, and an unwanted whimper escaped. I felt a few tears as I forced my eyes open. I looked at the bright screen, making me narrow my eyes. The Shredder had got an agreement. Soon he would be in control of the city and everyone living here, and with that sick vendetta of his it wouldn't take long before every soul of New York would be his slaves, constantly looking for us, the mutants, the freaks that spread the epidemic. He filled them with lies, blaming us for infecting an entire city. They had to be desperate for believing that nonsense.

I fought to keep my eyes open, I had to know what sick plans he had in mind, but the exhaustion overpowered me, and I was soon unconscious. The others would tell me everything I missed in the morning, but for now, I needed rest.

Oh no, what will happen now? What do you think? Tell me in a review ;) Thanks for reading!