He's not breathin'?! "Donny!" Raphael exclaimed, jumping up from his chair, the sandwich flying out of his hand.

Somehow, Mikey caught it.

Raphael grabbed Donatello by the shoulders and shook him, without thinking of the consequences. "Donny! Breathe!"

The injured turtle did just that, with a groan. "No…" he mumbled.

"Yes!" Raphael replied. "Keep breathin'!"

"Stop…" Donatello whispered. "Can't…do that…to Mikey…"

Everyone stared.

"He's dreaming," said Leonardo.

Donatello's eyes unexpectedly opened, and he whimpered. "Stop it…"

"More like hallucinatin'," said Raphael, willing the panicked racing of his heart to stop. His voice was shaking, but he didn't care. "Gotta be the morphine, like what happened last year. That's why he didn't want any."

"Dudes…" said Mikey, jaw hanging open in shock. "Donny…Donny stopped breathing!"

"But he started up again all by himself," said Leonardo, just as shaken as the others. "So I don't think it was a…a dying thing…"

"Whatever he's hallucinating caused it then?" Mikey said.

Raphael shook his head. "Who really knows?" He stared at Donatello, whose eyes were still opened as he stared at something that only he could see.

Donatello suddenly shifted, pulling a hand out from under the covers and holding it out as if reaching for something. "Mikey…" he said. "Come on…"

The three brothers looked at each other. Michelangelo went around the bed and sat on it, taking Donatello's hand.

Donatello closed his eyes for a second before reopening them halfway. "Let's go."

"Where we going, Donny?" Mikey asked.

"Home."

Mikey nodded, trying to think of a response. "Um, good! I'm all for that, bro! Can we grab some pizza on the way?"

Donatello didn't reply, his eyes suddenly fluttering a few times before closing.

Michelangelo stayed where he was for a minute, still holding Donny's hand. He then realized that he was still holding something else, so he reached over the bed and handed Raph his sandwich.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Donatello slept for the next six hours before suddenly becoming aware that a hand was touching his forehead. A cold wet cloth replaced the hand, and he couldn't stop the shiver that turned into a wince.

He tried not to groan, but his vocal chords apparently had a mind of their own.

"Donny?"

"I'm awake," he said, for some reason, though it sounded more like 'mawake'."

"How d'ya feel?" he heard.

Donatello blinked his eyes, trying to focus on the blurry shapes. His brothers were all still sitting around his bed, and he realized that he had no idea how much time had passed since he'd been shot. He winced again at the pain that radiated through his chest.

"Is there somethin' we can give ya other than morphine?" Raphael asked.

"Yeah, It didn't agree with you, dude," said Mikey. "Just like last year."

"Huh?" Donny said, having not caught all the words. He suddenly realized that he had a headache, on top of everything else. His throat felt parched with thirst, and he gave a weak cough, before realizing the consequences of such an action.

The pain seemed to double.

The other turtles were startled at the sudden cry of pain from their brother.

Donny squirmed, as if trying to get away from the pain, the movement resulting in only making it worse. His breathing rate increased in response to the agony, doing its own damage and creating a cycle.

Raphael grabbed Donny's good shoulder, trying to hold him still. He couldn't put his other hand on his brother's wounded shoulder or chest, so he frantically looked for another place that would be as effective without hurting him more.

Through the horrible pain, Donny suddenly felt someone lay their hand against the side of his face. "Stay still, Donny," he heard. "Your hurtin' yourself even more."

Raphael, Donny thought. Someone tried to shoot him! But wait, I saved him…didn't I?

Raphael was relieved to see his brother's eyes open and look into his own. "That's right, Donny, calm down."

Movement behind Raph caught Donatello's attention, and he saw Leonardo holding a glass. "Water," he gasped.

Raphael turned around and took it, sliding his arm under Donny and raising him high enough to drink.

Donny was still breathing too fast, but the drink's allure tried to override the pain, and he reached out his good arm…

But Raphael held the cup back. The look Donny gave him was heartbreaking.

"Are ya nuts?!" Raph said. "You'll choke, and end up in worse shape than ya already are!"

Donatello realized the truth in Raph's words. If one cough had set off the pain to this extent, he couldn't imagine what choking on the water would do.

Everyone watched as Donatello closed his eyes and tried to calm his too-rapid breathing. The struggle was monumental; the morphine had worn off long ago, and the turtles had been afraid to give him anymore after Donny's odd reaction to the drug.

Sweat stood out on Donny's skin. The pain was oh, so bad…but Donny somehow calmed himself down. His breathing didn't quite return to normal, but the threat of swallowing the wrong way was not as likely as it had just been.

The glass suddenly touched his lips, and he jerked his head forward and grabbed the glass with a shaking hand.

"Slowly," Raphael chided, tipping the glass away from his brother in warning.

Donatello opened his eyes, looking exhausted beyond belief from his painful struggle. His skin looked incredibly pale as he obeyed Raphael, taking small sips. He eventually let his arm fall back down to the bed, too weak to hold onto the glass for long.

Raphael knew that, having not relinquished the glass to his brother. After Donatello stopped drinking, he gently lowered him back down where Donny lay, eyes closed, still breathing a little too fast.

A tug on his hand caught the injured turtle's attention. "Donny?" said Michelangelo.

Donatello tried to open his eyes, but found them unresponsive. "I'm…okay, Mikey…" he whispered, his voice sounding strained.

Leonardo went over to their drug cabinet and took out some bottles of what he knew were pain pills. He returned and knelt beside the bed. "Donny?" he said. "Which of these can you take?"

Donatello tried to open his eyes, he really did, but he felt himself floating away, despite the horrible pain that encompassed his chest, shoulder, and arm. He realized that he was losing consciousness, and he didn't have the strength to fight it.

"Donny?" he heard again.

Somehow, the injured turtle managed to momentarily bring himself back. He moved his head slightly, and felt a hand lay itself across his forehead. He re-opened his eyes and tried to focus on the bottles that Leo was holding in front of his face, but grayness was encroaching on his vision and stole his consciousness before he could answer.

Leo sighed and placed the bottles on the nightstand.

TBC
Poor Donny. More reviews please! ;)