In spite of years of experience with the turtle's emergencies, April's heart felt like it was thudding a hundred miles and hour when she finally arrived at the den. The red-haired woman let herself in the front door without knocking, and was instantly met by a surprised Leonardo.
"What happened, April? I thought Mike was going to meet you!" The blue-masked turtle stepped aside to allow her access into the hallway.
"So did I," Michelangelo declared from the living area. "Why didn't you call me like you were s'pose to, Ape?"
"I didn't need a ride," she answered, dropping her small rolling suitcase by the door. "It isn't that far of a walk from the van entrance. You two act like I haven't done this 2000 times!"
April gazed between the two turtles, focusing on each of them in turn. Leonardo only held her eyes for a couple of seconds. The tension in his frame never seemed more obvious than when one of his brothers were suffering.
Mike looked genuinely happy to see her and stepped forward to give the woman a hug. "I'm glad you're here, April, but we shoulda done breakfast or something."
"Sorry you had to come home to this," Leo mumbled.
April squeezed the blue-masked turtle's shoulder. "I only wish I could have been here sooner. Where is Marcus? Is he with Donny?"
Mike shook his head. "Not yet. He's showering and changing first. Marcus ended up with gasoline on his clothes too."
April stiffened at the orange-masked turtle's words. "Those guys were going to kill Raph, huh?"
Leo nodded unhappily. "And we wouldn't have been any the wiser."
"That doesn't make it your fault," she told him pointedly.
The turtle brushed off her words with a shrug. "Can we get you something, or would you like to lie down?"
She shook her head and glanced toward the lab. "I wouldn't mind dropping in on Donny for a minute, if you think that'd be okay."
"Sure, I guess," Leo said. "Don doesn't want us in there, but it'd probably be safe for you."
April smiled with all the reassurance she could muster. "I'll see both of you in a little while."
"I'll put your stuff in the lounge. We figured you and Marc would be staying over." Mike reached for the bag the woman still had slung over her shoulder. "I really could have come and gotten you."
April waved Mike off as he grabbed her suitcase from beside the door. "I try not to fly too heavy."
"Be sure and tell me if you need something," Leo reminded her.
The woman exhaled tiredly. "I know my way around here pretty well, Leo, but thanks."
April tousled her fingers through her hair as she opened the door to the lab. Her forehead creased at the sight of the purple-masked turtle bending over his prone brother, but Don looked over his shoulder before she had a chance to speak.
"Hey," he greeted quietly. "You're back."
She gave him a wry smile. "Just in time for a disaster."
"I'm blaming Doc. He's the one who said we were overdue."
Donatello started to rise, but April held out a hand to stop him.
"Don't get up, Donny. I know you're busy here…but I needed to see Raph for my own peace of mind."
He nodded with understanding. "It could have been worse. He's got some nasty bruising around his throat, but the only other wound I've found is the head injury. The laceration isn't extremely deep, but I still have to irrigate it because of the dirt and grime he came in contact with."
"That's the glamorous life of a vigilante medic."
"Oh yeah, you know it, April." Donatello's gaze drifted back to his brother, and she noticed Raphael's arm twitch.
"Stay still," Donny commanded with gentle force, pressing Raphael's bicep down when it started to rise. The purple-masked turtle glanced at April apologetically. "He doesn't like it when I mess with his head. Raph tried to stop me right before you came in."
"He's awake?"
"Uh…sort of. I'm not sure how much is getting through. I don't know whether his condition is related to a concussion or his fever." He laughed humorlessly. "Maybe it's both."
"Is his temperature very high?"
"A little over 102 degrees, and that's after being in lukewarm water. I'm going to keep an eye on it for the next hour before I go ahead with hydralin. Fevers can be a great tool for the body to use to kill bacteria."
Raphael's arm pulled against Don's grasp, his hand flailing out of control. The older turtle slurred through several unintelligible words before April understood two.
"…leave it…"
"I know it hurts, Raph, but I need to do this," Donny explained patiently. "I'm almost finished cleaning, but you shouldn't be touching it."
April silently grabbed the other turtle's wrist, dragging his arm down carefully. "I'll keep him occupied for you, Don."
"Thanks, April. This won't take much longer."
The woman evaluated the muscular turtle as she confined him with very little effort. Raphael seemed more exposed without his trademark mask. The lines in his forehead indicated the pain he was experiencing, even if he couldn't understand that his brother was helping him. April let go of his wrist suddenly and grasped his hand instead, not minding that he didn't return her pressure.
"Hey, big guy," she said affectionately. "It's almost over, so be a good boy for Donny."
"Maybe if he le-go my hand," the turtle murmured.
"I have your hand, Raph. It's April."
"April?" He pronounced the word like it was a mystery.
"Yup. Now that I know you understand me, don't try fighting Don."
Raphael groaned under his breath, suddenly opening his eyes. "April," he croaked.
"He sounds like he needs water, Donny."
Donatello reached for a sports bottle that was sitting nearby and handed it to April. "Let me help him sit up first." The purple-masked turtle adjusted the back of the bed and Raphael sighed as he was raised to a higher position.
"Thirsty, Raph?" April offered him the straw.
The older turtle attempted a drink and immediately grimaced.
"Does it hurt to swallow?" Don asked.
Raphael's glazed amber eyes searched for his brother. "Forgot to tell ya somethin', Genius."
"What's that?"
"'m sick."
Donatello nodded. "Yeah. You forgot." There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone, but he was quickly sympathetic once more. "I'm not going to force you to keep drinking if it hurts, but I will have to start you on an IV."
"I don't care," Raph said faintly, his eyes sliding closed.
Don sighed. "We'll get you feeling better, Bro, I promise."
When it was clear that the purple-masked turtle was finished, April let go of Raphael's hand, and extended an arm around Donatello. "You're not trying to do everything yourself, right?"
"No, just getting a jump on things before Marc joins me. It's nice to have you back, April."
"Nothing good ever happens when I leave. Do you need anything, Donny?"
He shook his head. "Mike has caffeine covered. I'm going to take the first shift with Raph, so hopefully Marc will get some rest with you."
"What about Luke?"
"I'll get around to calling him. I figure he needs a good night's sleep too."
"He won't be happy that you waited to call him."
Donatello shrugged. "I'll deal with it."
"I'm gonna get out of your hair then."
"That expression doesn't work on one of us, April."
"It still means the same thing. All right if I check in with you later?"
Donny nodded. "Your welcome here any time you want."
"All right. Well…don't wait too long to call, Luke."
He shook his head. "I won't."
April left the lab and wandered back into the living area. The open space was empty and quiet. She stood still in the middle of the room for a moment, until she heard voices coming from down the hall. The woman identified Michelangelo and Marcus before she turned the corner to go to the lounge.
"…you can feel free to help yourself, Marc, but you know I'd be happy to make you something."
"Thanks, Mike. I'll let you cook for me tomorrow, okay? I need to get with Donny."
"Do you have time to see me?" April grinned at the way Marcus jumped when she came through the door.
"April. Mike said you made it here on your own. You didn't have to do that."
The woman chuckled. "I was fine, Marc. I've been making the trek longer than you have."
"That doesn't mean you can't let someone be a gentleman," Marcus pointed out.
"True enough," she allowed, studying the man carefully. Marcus had assured her that he was all right over the phone, but it felt better to see him in person.
He held out an arm to her, and April allowed the man to draw her into an embrace. "I'm sorry I couldn't meet you."
She shook her head fiercely. "No. You did the right thing. I would have been upset if you'd left Raphael in that condition. Not that I want to imagine you being in danger either."
"I did what I had to, and I got lucky. It could have ended very differently."
April gazed up at him for a couple beats of silence, and his grip around her waist never lessened. The man's quiet nature sometimes made it difficult for him to express himself fully, but he didn't need words for her to recognize how overwhelmed he was.
Mike cleared his throat in the background. "Yeah, okay. I'm gonna take Donny his coffee, and you guys catch up."
April was amused when Marcus turned a little red, but she managed to stifle a laugh for his sake. Forcing a more serious express, her fingers softly caressed his jawline. "You all right?"
He nodded. "Yeah. The Avalanche is kind of scraped up. It just barely fit into the alley."
"Did anyone see you?"
"I'm not sure. When I backed out of the alley, I know I saw a couple of people halfway down the block. Whether or not they were paying attention or would connect the dots is anyone's guess. But I did what I had to," he insisted.
"I don't doubt that. You don't act impulsively, Marc."
"I also happen to know where my real strength lies, and scaring off dirt-bags isn't in my job description. It was a strange feeling, if I'm being honest. I was sitting in the car waiting for the guys to show up and save the day, getting more nervous by the minute. I swear I almost had an asthma attack while I was doing nothing. But when I heard Raph, when I knew he was in mortal danger, it changed everything. Not my physical abilities of course, but my frame of mind. I basically went numb, and instantly had better control over my breathing."
"Adrenaline is a powerful thing, Marc. You probably changed from 'flight' to 'fight' mode pretty quickly."
"I wasn't going to leave him. I couldn't."
"You saved his life."
Marcus snorted. "All I did was show up."
"And the bad guys ran. If you hadn't made the decision to stand your ground, Raph probably wouldn't be here. That makes you a hero in my book."
He nuzzled her forehead with a shaky sigh. "Thanks. But I think I'd rather let someone else be the hero and stick to medical support. I'd probably live longer."
"That would be a plus," she agreed. "But we've all done some pretty insane things where these guys are concerned."
"Leo wanted to give me grief about disobeying him at first, but I think he even gets it now."
She gave him a half smile. "You have some authority too, Marc. Don't be afraid to exercise it."
He snorted. "I'm better off staying in the background to fix the stuff the bad guys break. I'm a lot more suited to Donny's lab than the streets of New York."