A/N: Hey everyone, thank you again for your continued support for this story. It makes it worth the time I've put into it. I'm so glad everyone is enjoying it. For this chapter Donatello has made some things for Leonardo. I've done a lot of research on devices to help the blind cope with day to day life and tried to find what would best suit the life of a blind mutant turtle. When I found some of the things I found I was very excited and knew that they'd be perfect. But anyway these are actual inventions that were made for the blind, not just something I made up. If I don't have time to update Sunday I will definitely update Monday.

Louise: I'm so glad you are enjoying this story so far. It was quite a journey for me and I very much enjoyed it. Thank you for the review.

Chapter 3

The first thing Leonardo noticed when he woke was the quiet. He wasn't used to quiet, noise just came with living in a house full of brothers. He could tell he was in the infirmary from the smell of antiseptic, but he couldn't remember how he'd gotten there. The last thing he could remember was heading for the kitchen for some tea after a rough morning practice. But before he'd reached the kitchen his stomach had churned violently, he'd felt very light-headed and then nothing.

Leonardo blinked his eyes open slowly, and breathed in deeply through his nose. He felt better than he had after practice, his stomach still churned a bit uneasily but it was nothing compared to what it had been before. He let his eyes drift closed again, listening for the sound of his brothers.

Usually he could hear Raphael yelling at Michelangelo because Michelangelo had pulled a prank he had thought was funny but had ticked Raphael off to no end. If by some chance Michelangelo had controlled himself and hadn't ticked Raphael off Leonardo could always hear his brother working his punching bag in the dojo. Michelangelo was usually watching TV or playing his video games. On the rare circumstances that he was quiet it was because he was up in his room reading his comic books.

Donatello on the other hand was always in his lab, working furiously on his computer or building some cool new gadget for all of them to use when they went on their patrols. He'd whipped up a few things for Leonardo's use alone as well. At first Leonardo had refused the things that Donatello had offered him, but then he realized he'd hurt his brother's feelings so he took the gifts without complaint. And much to his surprise he found uses for all of them. The most convenient was the pouch that held his cane when he wasn't using it. Donatello had even added a strap so Leonardo could carry it on his shell much like he did with his katanas. He barely even noticed it was there.

But that wasn't the best part, after doing a lot of extensive research online, Donatello made Leonardo an eye stick. Leonardo had been a little intimidated by it at first when Donatello had been enthusiastically explaining how it worked.

"It has a lens here at the bottom, Leo," Donatello said gently picking up Leonardo's hand and rubbing it against the lens at the bottom of the eye stick. "It'll be able to sense certain things when you leave the lair. I made it with some variations of the original of course, but this'll help you avoid running into vents, know when the edge of a roof is coming up, and warn you of any obstacles in your way by sending vibrations up the stick!"

It had taken Leonardo a while to feel the difference in each vibration the eye stick gave off. He'd often misinterpret the vibration and would end up running into a ventilation shaft or get caught up in a clothes line. It had frustrated him to no end knowing he was slowing his brothers down. His brothers, however, didn't seem to mind and were endlessly patient with him, encouraging him along. After a while Leonardo began to associate an obstacle with the right vibration the eye stick would give. He was able to go faster, actually keep up pretty well with his brothers on their patrols and he felt much more independent now that he didn't have to rely on Michelangelo telling him where to step, what obstacles were in his path, and when to jump to make it to the next roof.

Another gadget Donatello had found online and had managed to make his own version of was a navigational bracelet. This too was something Leonardo had been skeptical about at first, after all he never left the lair without one of his brothers, but Donatello told him that one day he might and this little device would help him navigate the city.

"It has a GPS built right into it, Leo! It has audio and haptic feedback so you'll always know where you are in the city!"

The bracelet was pretty simple, Donatello had described it as Leonardo had put it on. It had fit well and Leonardo could tell that Donatello had tried to make it as comfortable as he could for his brother by putting some padding on the underside of the white plastic.

This too had come in handy while on patrol with his brothers. Before he'd always have to guess by sounds and smells of where they were in the city, Michelangelo or Donatello would usually relay back to him of where they were heading so that made it a bit easier but still it was very irritating not being able to see the sights of the city he had once loved so much.

And then there had been Leonardo's favorite invention. A mug that Donatello had fit sensors in for when Leonardo wanted tea. Before Leonardo had had to use his finger so as not to overflow his mug, his fingers were always burnt and sore and had even gotten so bad at one point that he refused to join in their morning practice because he couldn't hold his katanas properly. Donatello had worked a lot of late nights working on a special mug for Leonardo. He'd again seen the invention online and knew he could make one.

After a couple weeks, when Leonardo's fingers were beginning to heal thanks to Michelangelo offering to pour in the hot water for him, Donatello had given Leonardo his gift. It was the first one out of all the inventions Leonardo had accepted.

The mug had three sensors in it, one close to the bottom, one in the middle, and one almost at the top. Each sensor gave off a different sound when the hot water touched them. That way Leonardo could know how much water he'd put into his mug and therefore avoid burning his fingers when he wanted to make tea.

Leonardo had been thrilled and had tried it out right away, delighted that he was able to pour his own hot water and avoid scalding his fingers at the same time. After that he'd been more open to the things Donatello made for him, and Donatello's enthusiasm had grown which had lead to some of the other inventions, Leonardo's eye stick bag for one, to be made fairly fast. Overall things had been made much easier for Leonardo when he went out on patrol with his brothers, and Donatello had made things a lot simpler for some of the comforts in the lair as well.

But there weren't any sounds of his brother working in the next room. The lair was quiet, save for his own quiet breathing. Normally when one of them was sick the others would take shifts sitting with them, but Leonardo couldn't hear anyone beside him.

"Donny?" Leonardo tried, hoping his brother had just gone for a cup of coffee. His voice cracked a little and it sounded as though he were talking through a mouthful of cotton. Leonardo cleared his throat and tried again. "Donny?"

Nothing but silence met him. Slowly Leonardo turned his head as if to look for the brother that would normally have been sitting beside him. He drew in several deep breaths, waiting for his stomach to calm before attempting to roll over and sit up. This silence was too eerie. Something didn't feel right.

A wave of dizziness and nausea hit him when he dropped gently from the bed. He rubbed at his forehead for a minute and breathed deeply in through his nose, trying to suppress the sick feeling that was eating at him. Where were his brothers anyway?

The rustle of cloth rubbing against fur made Leonardo's head perk up a bit, at least Master Splinter was up.

"Master Splinter?" Leonardo called out knowing that he would be heard.

The rustling out in the living stopped for a moment then resumed again, but this time Leonardo heard the accompaniment of Splinter's claws clicking quietly against the floor as he made his way to the infirmary.

"Leonardo, what are you doing up?" Splinter asked his voice sounded tired and worried. Leonardo frowned.

"Is something wrong, Sensei?" Leonardo asked not bothering to answer the question that he'd been asked.

Leonardo heard Splinter's quiet sigh and then felt the rough pad and soft fur on his arm as Splinter gently grabbed his elbow and helped him into Donatello's work chair.

"Your brothers went out tonight, Leonardo," Splinter began gently.

Leonardo felt his eyes widen in surprise and shock. It was followed quickly by hurt. They'd gone out without him? Was he still that big of a burden to his brothers that they felt like they had to leave him behind while they went out on patrol?

"It is nearing dawn and they have not come home, nor have they called," Splinter continued purposefully keeping his voice even and cool.

Leonardo automatically felt for the watch on the wrist opposite of his navigation bracelet. This too was something Donatello had made for him, it was simple design. It had two circular faces, one being smaller than the other and sat in the middle of the watch. Both faces had a small nub on them which helped him feel the hour and minute accurately. Two small notches at the top of the large face let him know where twelve o'clock was so he could tell the time accurately. According to his watch it was a little after five. If Splinter said it was nearing dawn it meant that his brothers had probably been out all night. The uneasiness in Leonardo's stomach increased.

"Did they say where they were going?" Leonardo demanded.

"No," Splinter admitted. "But I fear something has gone wrong. I must go out and find them."

Leonardo started to stand up again only to have Splinter push him firmly back into the chair. "I'm coming with you, Sensei."

"No, Leonardo, your body needs rest to heal. Your brothers were very worried when you collapsed after morning practice. I will find your brothers and bring them home."

"But, Sensei, they might be hurt. There might be trouble! You might need my help!" Leonardo insisted, he kept his voice steady trying not to let his panic seep through his voice where it could betray him. The thought that his brothers might be out there in the cold, hurt or fighting for their lives made his heart pick up a few paces.

Splinter was quiet for several minutes, Leonardo could feel his eyes on him, assessing him carefully as if measuring him up to see if he were really up for this.

"Are you sure you are up to this, my son?" Splinter finally asked. The fact that Splinter wasn't arguing his case further was because he knew he could use Leonardo just in case Leonardo was right. If one or more of his sons had been injured during battle Splinter knew that he would not be able to get them back to the lair on his own.

Leonardo clenched his jaw and nodded. "I'm fine, Sensei – I'm coming!"

"Very well, my son. But dress warmly we do not need you to have a relapse."

Leonardo didn't argue as he pushed past Master Splinter and hurried to get the things he needed.

"Did you call Mr. Jones, Leonardo?"

Leonardo jumped and nearly dropped his eye stick, it was the first time that Splinter had spoken since leaving the lair. A quick thrumming vibration ran up and down the stick and Leonardo took a side step to his left to avoid running into a ventilation shaft.

Leonardo had called Casey just before he and Splinter had left the lair. He knew that Casey might be impulsive, but he was handy to have around in case there was trouble. It would be nice too to have the extra muscle in case they needed help with carrying an injured brother. He had been surprised when Casey had told them he knew where his brothers had gone. Casey told them he'd grab April's van and meet them down there.

"Yes, he said he'd meet us down by the tracks," Leonardo assured him.

Splinter nodded and picked up the pace, his old bones protesting the movements he was putting them through as they made their way across the rooftops towards the railroad tracks. His dark eyes glared up at the heavy clouds, which were now hiding the rising sun. He was grateful for the extra cover but could tell that it wouldn't be long before the snow started to fall again. He glanced at his oldest again and forced himself to go faster.

Leonardo, though he was bundled up in several layers of heavy clothes, could feel the cold seeping through the garments and into his reptilian body. He shivered and forced himself to keep up with Splinter, finding it increasingly difficult to navigate the rooftops, even with his eye stick, as Splinter pushed the pace.

Leonardo felt the vibration of the stick a moment too late and tripped over the edge of the roof. He felt the horrible sensation of falling through the air without a parachute for several terrifying seconds before Splinter's warm hand caught his. The old rat grunted as he helped haul Leonardo onto the fire escape.

Leonardo sat on the freezing metal, panting heavily and feeling tears of humiliation fill his eyes.

"My son, are you injured?" Splinter gasped his hand automatically tilting Leonardo's head back so he could see his face.

Leonardo jerked his head away and wipe the back of his hand across his eyes. "I'm fine."

Splinter frowned. "Are you sure, Leonardo?"

"I said I'm fine!" Leonardo snapped standing up and climbing the fire escape until he was on the roof again. Without pausing to wait for Splinter he jumped and landed lightly on the balls of his feet on the building opposite of where Splinter still crouched on the fire escape.

Splinter could tell that the trip had damaged Leonardo's shaky self confidence and he felt guilty for pushing his oldest so hard. He knew that his brothers never made Leonardo run so fast on their nightly patrols, but in his desperation to find his other sons and being weary of the coming storm Splinter hadn't paused to think about Leonardo's ability to keep up with his with his disability. Splinter leapt lightly to the opposite building, only to find Leonardo clear on the other side. His son's back was turned to him, his shoulders stiff and his blank eyes focused on the rooftop as if he could actually see it.

"We're almost there," Leonardo said as Splinter reached him. "A few more blocks east and we'll be at the tracks."

Splinter nodded and looked at the simple white bracelet that had become a permanent fixture to Leonardo whenever the turtles went out. It seemed amazing that such a simple looking gadget could be so useful. But then again Donatello always had a knack for building incredible things.

Splinter let Leonardo take the lead now, that way he could keep a better eye on him and let Leonardo set his own pace. To his surprise Leonardo went as fast as his legs would carry him, refusing to pause once, even though he came close to running into a couple things. At last he stopped, his breathing heavy and one hand grabbed at his side. Splinter too paused to catch his breath, he was not used to the nightly patrols his sons took and in his old age he found it harder to travel such far distances on foot. Unfortunately the battle shell was out of commission and Donatello hadn't found the time to fix it yet.

"Hey guys," Casey greeted them, stepping out of a shadow he'd been hiding in. Neither Leonardo nor Splinter flinched at his voice. They'd both been aware of his presence by his aftershave.

"Have you seen anything, Casey?" Leonardo asked hopefully.

"Not'n, yet, Leo. But I haven't done too much searchin' yet. Thought it'd be best if I waited fer ya guys ta get here too."

Leonardo nodded once, a bit stiffly. "We'd best start searching any surrounding alleyways. It would go a lot faster if we split up."

Splinter looked up at the clouds and saw a beam of sunlight break through the thick cloud covering. "I believe you are right, Leonardo. Mr. Jones and I will go look down the next few streets, you search these next few alleys."

Splinter felt his stomach tense. He could feel at least one of his sons was nearby, he'd been able to pick up on the feel of their presences thanks to his time on the spiritual plain so he could often tell when something wasn't right with one of them. He waited for Leonardo's tense nod then sprinted off with Casey trailing after him.

Leonardo made his way slowly down the fire escape with relative ease. He knew that a storm was on its way, he could fell the temperature dropping and smell the moisture in the air. When the snow did start to fall the temperature would drop several degrees, making it nearly impossible of him to stay out and search for his brothers. He had heard Donatello talking to Michelangelo once when Michelangelo had been out late one winter. His brother had come home half frozen and had barely been able to keep his eyes open. Donatello had scolded him for not returning home sooner and had explained about the consequences of being out in this kind of weather so long. If Michelangelo had been out there much longer he very well could have slipped into suspended animation.

Leonardo jumped down from the fire escape and shivered when he landed in a small bank of snow. He hated to think of his brothers being out here in this kind of weather, especially if they were injured. He tried not to think about one of them lying alone in the snow barely alive, waiting for someone to find them.

His search down the first alley was fruitless. He suppressed his frustration and hurried down to the next alley. As soon as he stepped into the space between buildings he could feel something was off. There was an odd odor down here that didn't fit in with the surroundings. It had a faint rusty smell to it, and something else he couldn't identify. He made his way cautiously down the alley, keeping his shell pressed to the building wall behind him as he made his way, the further he walked into the alley the stronger the smell became. He wrinkled his beak as the smell got strong enough to make him gag. What was it? Trash? A dead stray? He knew he had smelled it before but he was having a hard time placing it.

As he neared the back his eye stick sent a strange vibration up to his hand. Leonardo froze, he'd never felt that vibration before he was sure. He inched forward a couple steps away from the wall and moved the stick back and forth wearily in front of him. He nearly dropped it when it touched something solid enough to stop it, but soft enough to give under pressure.

Leonardo's eyes narrowed, it was at times like these he really wished he were able to see. It would make this so much easier. Pulling off his glove he reached forward gingerly to touch the still figure.

Ice cold flesh meet his own and he sucked in a sharp breath. Even if this wasn't one of his brothers, whoever this was had to be freezing. As his fingers traced over the shoulder Leonardo's eyes widened in horror. He ran his fingers over the long thin scar he knew so well, it was one Raphael had gotten when they'd gone up against the purple dragons right before Leonardo's sight had been taken. The fight had been fierce and Leonardo and Raphael had been alone. Leonardo had been fighting four purple dragons at once and had failed to see the one with the knife coming at him from behind. He'd heard Raphael's yell a half a second before his brother had been standing right in front of him, a grunt of pain escaping his lips. The knife hadn't gone in deep but had cut from the top of Raphael's collar bone to his shoulder. Donatello hadn't been happy when he'd seen it and Raphael had grumbled the whole time that Donatello had patched him up.

"Raph?" Leonardo whispered, his voice catching in his throat. He brushed some of the snow off his brother's shoulder and found the lip of his shell.

Leonardo felt along his brother's front until he found he found his face, turning it towards himself.

"Raph!" Leonardo shouted to his still and silent brother. He shook his brother's head a little hoping to get a response. He didn't.

Desperately Leonardo pressed his fingers into the side of Raphael's neck, hoping to find a pulse. He released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when he felt one. It was weak, but there. He cocked his head and held his ear just above Raphael's mouth, listening for breath sounds. Faint puffs of air hit his skin and Leonardo again felt relief rip through him. His brother was still alive.

Slowly he began brushing the snow off his brother, feeling for wounds at the same time. As he worked his way down his brother's plastron the strange scent he'd smelled when he'd first entered the alley met him again, stronger this time. He frowned. He brushed the snow off his closest arm and side before reaching over to repeat the process with the other, but paused when his fingers dipped where there shouldn't have been a place for them to dip into.

He felt again, his fingers tracing the area he'd just felt. He couldn't see where it was exactly but he knew it was in between Raphael's carapace and plastron. That alone was enough to make Leonardo's eyes widen in panic. Donatello always hated when they were injured there, always worried about internal injuries and Leonardo already knew there was an inside to this wound. Raphael was hurt, and he was hurt bad. The strange scent grew stronger again and as Leonardo reached in his belt for his shell cell he realized that he could identify the smell now. It was blood, and as his fingers trailed over the Braille names that Donatello had put on his phone so he'd know he was calling the right number, he realized that in order for him to smell it so strongly right from the start was because Raphael had lost a lot of it.

"How do you answer this stupid thing," Splinter sounded annoyed.

"Ya just did, Master Splinter," Casey said, chuckling a bit.

"Leonardo? Did you find anything?"

"Sensei, I found Raph! Come quick he's hurt!"