a/n

so….much…medicine….so….much….tired…..I SWEAR NOW UNLESS I AM IN A SORT OF DYSTOPIA AND I NEED TO I WILL NEVER EVER BE A DOCTOR! I'M A MAN/ACUTALLY WOMAN BUT SAYING MAN SOUNDS BETTER) OF HISTORY! BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?! I DID IT! I SPENT MONTHS RESEARCHING THIS CRAP AND GETTING THE DETAILS RIGHT!

...

what kind of person am I?

Pierce the Skin

"I should have known better than to think you'd ACTUALLY sleep."

Maybe it was because he had been so deep in meditation Leo hand shot out to grab the edge of the couch, his abnormally tense skin almost jumped off his muscles. Mostly because when he opened his eyes he found himself staring into a darkened reflection of himself in a small TV screen. (He really could understand why people screamed when they came across him in a dark alley (if his reflection was anything to go by). He turned his head to see his friend exiting out of the room he had laid Little Don in. Even in the dim light Leo could see the disappointment on her face, "I wasn't tired."

"Yeah sure, I've heard that one before." Claire shook head shook lightly, her hand grabbing her baseball cap off her head before taking two steps into her kitchen. Leo could still remember when Claire had told him the story about her first day in Marine Corp boot camp after someone had made a comment on her 'long blonde hair. That night she had taken a knife and completely shaved her head but even after her service she had decided she preferred the 'shorter hair style'. Leo had been quite unsure where that story had come from at the time, but then it had occurred to him that Claire had told him the story to gently warn him that she had a knife on her at all times.

The fridge door opened the smell of cold pizza and other takeout filled the room, "I have vegetarian pizza with extra pickles right still have some from the last time your brother ticked you off."

"I'm not hungry." Not only that, he had a bigger concern to worry about. He glanced back to the room Claire had exited from. He didn't hear that painful coughing, that was a good thing but it didn't make him feel any better. Nothing would till Little Don was better-

"Oh really? We both know the more you shake when you don't eat."

Leo opened his mouth to say something when his eyes fell down to his hands, noting the tremble running across them. With an irritated thought, he hoisted himself back onto the couch before a cold plate rested on his lap filled with the anti-meat pizza he so loved. His fingers tore off the edge of the pizza ,careful to get as much pickle on it as possible (pickles made everything taste better, even when he refused food) out of the corner of his eyes, he could see the 'Street Doctor' settle on the couch. Tearing off the pieces he slowly put them in his mouth. He couldn't deny his longing for his favorite pizza (he never got it back home, it was always extra meat, or extra gross. )

But the fact the 'Street Doctor' hadn't even said anything yet was enough to almost to ruin the glorious pizza. He forced his eyes back down to his food, "How's Donnie doing? "He asked between bites

""He's resting I brought up some extra oxygen tanks just in case."

"Thanks," Leo tore off a few more pieces of pizza, his stomach barely catching up with him. Though where Claire got extra oxygen tanks, he had no idea. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten. But the sweet bliss of pineapple and pickles were enough to stir the growling monster inside his stomach.

"You going to explain him?"

Leo looked up from his food. Claire's eyes bore onto him, not as though she was demanding he spill his guts and tell him everything before she spilled his guts FOR him (he hadn't seen that look in a while) but he knew the question was aimed at him, "What do you mean?"

"Well, either your brother is much shorter then I remember then I remember him or this isn't him. Most of the time I really don't give a dam, but I figure I should get a explanation."

"I never lie"

"Yeah but you just do what you do with your brothers, which is not tell the whole truth." the visor lifted up so lightly, even in the night light and dark he could see she had glanced at him, "I alteast deserve 2/3's of a truth this time, don't you think?"

"There's nothing to explain, he's from another dimension and he just stumbled here."

"Fine, don't tell me." eyes retuned to the table but held no spite. If anything it was Leos' cue to eat more, he didn't particularly care if Claire believed him in that moment, but there was a certain concern on his mind "Do you know what's wrong with him?" Leo asked, though his voice barely came out in a whisper

A part of him didn't want the answer

"Its pneumonia. It looks like it's been building up for a while but you don't need me to tell you that," her gaze turned to him, "I really wish you had brought him to me sooner."

"I didn't know he was that sick till a week ago. Leatherhead and Professor Honeycutt have been giving him some antibiotics to see if that would work. That's why I'm here now. "He paused, though he craved the rest of the pizza on the plate. Self-will pushed the plate onto the table and his elbows to his knees, "He needs help, help I can't provide him." His hands slid down to hug himself. Trying to ignore the phantom echoes of horrid painful coughing that kept him from sleeping. From doing anything other than keeping vigil. He was tired of doing nothing

"Please tell me you can help him."

A moment passed, then another. Dreaded silence-

Claire turned to face him, legs drawing in to cross her legs, "I don't have a lot of resources here, I can't even be sure if there aren't any more problems. If he was a human, we could draw out the liquid in in the pleural space and test the liquid," her voice trailed off, though Leo really didn't need her to finish the sentence. He could vaguely remember pleural space (He wasn't' quite sure how). But he knew the procedure. He knew the area the needle needed to be put through would be completely covered. The normally forgettable weight on his back reminded him what set them apart from humans

"And we have shells." he leaned back against the seat of the couch, "WE have shells." his eyes closing as he leaned back against the couch. His hands went up to press against his face,

There was always something

There was always something-

Something shoved the side of his head pushing his face right out of his hands, "Ow! What?!"

"I didn't say it was a death sentence, I can't help him here. But …." Uh oh, Leo couldn't help but visibly cringe. An old ache crept up the back of his arm, a scar from the last time the word 'but' came out of Claire's mouth, "There's a high end clinic down the street, it has all the equipment I would need to save him. I could give him a x-ray and see what's going on inside his chest

"And how do you known this?" he asked, he tried to keep the tone. Leo couldn't stop the narrowing of his eyes except for the fact that Claire glared right back at him

"Because when a mother comes to your house in the middle of a night because her newborn is coughing up blood, you do whatever it takes to help them."

Leo honestly wished he had the energy to keep glaring at her. But he could remember all the times Master Splinter had to break into Pharmacies for Don's asthma medicine, or all the other times when Leo found himself in the same situation. His elbows resting down on his knees again, "I'm sorry-"
A hand slid up, rubbing his shoulder in a sympathetic way that almost made him nauseas "it's alight man, you're under a lot of stress."

A shaky breath blew through his lips as his palms pressed against his brow for a moment

What choice did they have?

"This will help him?" the question came out in a breath, soft and unsure. He didn't want to get his hopes up

"It's better than letting him drown in his own lungs."

Leo drew in a fast breath, teeth clamped together as his fingers ran over his scalp. His teeth so tight together it sent aches through his entire skull. His chest hammering and skin turning clammy.

He pushed himself up onto his feet before walking around the couch, pushing the guest door open. The young kame under the sheets lying flat on his back. The sound of his weak breathing and whistling breath reaching his ears in an indication of his life.

He didn't want to fail him

He would do whatever it takes to save the child.

Leo tried to nod but his neck tightened under the strain of muscles, from sleeping in a chair and upright for a week "If that's what it takes I'll do it."

"You're not going alone, I'll be right there to watch your back. You should lie down though."

Great, "I'm not tired."

"The suns coming up, we can't do anything till night comes. The worst thing you can do by sleeping is kill a few hours."

What? Leo looked back to the thickly blinded window, but even with the thick black fabric he could see the minute traces of light trailing under the blinds. Sunrise? It was sunrise already? The mere thought sent a weight to his bones, slowly sinking down to sit on the bed, "Just for a few hours…"

"I'll order some more of those spring rolls you love."

Spring rolls, those did sound good. And with the sound of a clicking door mechanism, a blissful dose of silence filling the room other than the small hiss of oxygen. He braced his hand on the bed before hoisting his feet up to lay down. He picked up the edge of the blanket to pull over himself, a thought made him glance back over to the young kame sharing the blanket to make sure he was covered up before lying back down, his arm curling over the pillow as a second cushion before he closed his eyes.

This was going to be a long day

(#)(#)(#)(#)

Leo tightened the strap around his elbow, he wasn't' sure where the idea of wearing 'joint pads came from. But he could be sure it had something to do with the many tears Mikey had shed over the years from scraped knees and bloody elbows. It had almost seemed childish at the time, but it had become a part of their 'style'. He always felt naked without it. Such thoughts might have seemed random to a second party, but he honestly needed to focus on something else.

His eyes fell back on the coffee table where the remaining pizza laid
"You done eating?"

"Yeah," Leo rested his back against the couch; he almost wished he had gotten more sleep. But he had chosen to accept the three hours he had been given and prepare himself. Turning his head around to glance at the pathetically small dining/kitchen, Claire had her hoody sleeves rolled back almost to her elbows and an orange perched in the palm of his hand. And a needle in the other, testing the surface with the very tip, he could see her eyes furrowed under the brim of her hat seared with concentration and focus that only a few were gifted with, "Still practicing?"

"I haven't performed one of these on a person in a long time, not since I was stuck in that hell of a desert." nearly sightless eyes glanced over in his direction," I had better vision back then too, and I didn't have to work with skin as thick as oranges flesh. The more practice I have the better."

"I think he'd prefer it" Leo reached over and picked up the plate before moving around the couch, taking a place at the table, "This clinic will have everything you need?"

"It has in the past, x-rays a lot of fancy machines, and a loophole in security, if I was a thief I'd have one hell of a pay day. "She glanced back over to him, though a smile indicated her own joke. Maybe even an attempt to alleviate his tenseness, "We leave on your mark. When you're comfortable."

"I haven't' been comfortable for a week. "He lowered his head down lightly, his forearms acting as a cushion for an already pounding head, "The sooner we get this over with the better." his eyes looking to the darkened window. Just a little past 10pm, "You have a few trench coats right?"

"Right." the sound of squeaking chair filled the air, "I'll grab a couple of coats and my gun before we head off to Oroku Saki Memorial Clinic."

Leo nodded lowering his head down lightly, maybe some sleep would make him feel-

His fingers froze, a cold chill shooting up and down his body like a shot of lightning, a name ringing through his head in age old instincts, shivers crawling over his skin over a name long dead, "did…" he paused for a moment, his lips shivering unable to choose his exact emotions, "you...say.."

"You know I use a gun, and they've saved your ass enough times," the sound of rustling coats filled the air; I'm just bringing a handgun and a rifle. Unlike you I have permits-"

"Oroku Saki," he stood up from the table, "Oroku SAKI. You chose Oroku Saki's Memorial Clinic to perform you 'Robin Hood vigilante doctor rescues' in Oroku Saki Memorial Clinic?!"

"Calm down it's barely a clinic, they're not even open 5 days a week and only help high class business men-"

"I'm not worried about the MEMORIAL part." the words shouted from his lips, his friend looking at him with an 'are you out of your mind look on her face, "it's the OROKU SAKI part that worries me."

"What about him?"

"What ABOUT him?!" he demanded, "what about him is that he's the SHREDDER. ancient evil pink squid of doom? Remember? You didn't believe me till I showed you a picture of the freaking ice he's frozen in? ", he couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction as his friends eyes widen, the gun slowly lowered back onto the couch (aimed away from the conversation,)and the coats draped over the back, "Shredder?" Claire repeated, "As in the same Shredder you told me about?"

"Leader of the Foot Clan, Universal tormentor, and trillion are. You've been 'violating' the Foot Clan." his eyes closed, "Karai,"

"Your psycho girlfriend, "

"NOT girlfriend." he really couldn't deal with the jokes, not now, "As in the clan my clan currently has a peace treaty with."

Silence returned, along with a weight, heavy and unbearable. Ruined

"Then you should ask them for help. They own the clinic, they would be able to –"

"NO!" he couldn't stop the shout from escaping his lips, or from the table splintering under his fist. A trail of sweat ran down his pulsing veined arm.

Calm

He needed calm

He needed air, drawing in soft cool breathes past his lips, head lowering, "A treaty, doesn't mean trust, it means…a stalemate. I asked her to keep an eye on Bishop's activities…but that's about as far as it goes. For us. We stay away from each other. I would…..I would never risk any of my brothers, any of my family members by asking the Foot Clan to help them." he swallowed, struggling to return moisture to his throat, "I would never risk their lives by trusting them….that's why I trusted you. That's why I asked you for help."

"Then nothing's changed, " Leo could of smacked himself in the forehead, if a hand hadn't fell on his shoulder a coat over his shoulders, he couldn't even look at her, "I've only been to this clinic, they've upped the design but I know the security down once we get inside."

"This is a ninja clan; it's one of the few reaming left in the entire world how the hell did you get inside? How are you still alive? They should have found out who you are by now and hunted you down." His words were harsh, but her glare unwavering. Claire's hand slipped down into her leather jacket, slowly drawing out a thick plastic card, a flick of her wrist sent the card sliding across the table, bouncing off Leos' elbow and resting face up, a unfamiliar face looking back up at him with uninteresting lettering. He picked the card up slowly turning the back towards him to see familiar coding of an authorized card, "How did you get this? You aren't a thief."

"I'm not. But I have a duty to help the people in my neighborhood or anyone else who come to my door. I needed a way to help them the same way you come to me now. Without stealing this card, a lot of them could have of died. Without it, your friend will die. So unless you want to risk waiting a week and getting access to another clinic this is our only option."

A cough filled the room, weak and breathy; a pained moan at the end drew Leo's attention, turning his head to the side to the guess bed room door,

"And I honestly don't think he has a few days though."
Leo drew back in a thick breath, his hand going over to press over his face. He wasn't' sure what this was supposed to help, other than give him a moment of peace, of silence. Just to think.

His hand grabbed a hold of the coat draped over his shoulder and shoved his arm through them, buttoning the front and reaching back into his hood to yank it over his scalp, "I'll get Little Don, you just get ready to go," before running back over to the bedroom door, all sounds his friend might have been making were muted on his ears.

(#)(#)(#)(#)

Leo could barely see the hallway from underneath his dark hood; the swivel of cameras reached his sensitive ears and caused the arms holding his charge to tighten painfully. He fought the growl rising up in the back of his throat to rest his head back against the wall.

"They're useless, I put in my cousins program and they won't even alert the 'nonexistent' guards in the computer room.'

Right, how many times had she told him that? Twenty times on the way over when she wasn't glaring at him for smirking at her "Star Trek" Cheap Sci-fi'" looking "car glasses". All the way till they stashed her car three blocks from the clinic. But Leo had honestly thought it wouldn't of been hard for him to find such an out of place building, it was like looking at a modern jet situated among ww2 fighter jets. The sign was bright enough to completely illuminate the buildings surrounding and in front of it, destroying all chances of stealth.

Luckily Claire had her other way in

It was a way Leo was more familiar with.

Through the sewers, through an elevator (that's' when Claire's card had come in handy). And when Claire had taken out a small black remote and gave him a wink.

"You're sure her program works?"

"More sure then anything. I've been here more times than the actual doctors have."

Leo glanced back down the hall, his own instinct and years of training made him hesitate before turning down the hall. His feet refusing to move faster than his training commanded, glancing back over his shoulder for a moment to ensure his companion was still behind him, "Which room?"

"203 on your left."

With a nod, Leo turned and looked back the way they had come as Claire went past him, the small clicking and swiping indicating the success of the stolen card, without having to look, he took several steps back into the room and it was closed after him.

The room was just a clean and pristine as you might expect from a 'memorial clinic'. The blankets folded at the foot of the bed gleamed with silk, a large screen TV situated in the top corner of the room and a water fountain resting on a dresser made up of bamboo and stones. Leo hurried over to the bed; lowering down the turn and pulling the heavy thick blanket down to finally reveal his face,

"They have an oxygen machine to your left; it refills itself they won't notice if we use their stuff."

Leo looked over to the small square next to the bed, its sleek design indicated top of the line design, his hand trailed down to the end of the oxygen tank and unhooking his mask for a moment, before connecting the other end of the machine and pressing the button. The machine began to hum softly (next to unnoticeable) as a small moan escaped Don's mouth for a moment before fading, "There." he smiled lightly before turning, Claire had removed her hood for a moment, her hand running down her shoulder strap before walking back over to the door, "I'll be back, I'm going to get everything we need and bring it back. That way we can avoid someone seeing us."
Leo nodded, looking away just as the door closed again. His eyes going up to the window, he wasn't sure where the intense light coming from the building came from. There were no lights on inside the building. If Don (well, either Don) were here, then he would say it came from reflecting the light from the moon, creating nothing but an eye sore. If he squinted hard enough, he could see into the apartment across the street-

He jerked his head away, storming over to the window and grabbing the curtain to close. Now in complete darkness, he felt his heart began to relax, to slow. Darkness

His ally

His companion

He walked over to the bed again, tugging on Don's pillow ever so gently to ensure it was fully under his head, "There, it won't be much longer now Halfshell." His hand went up to press on the oxygen mask for a moment before running his fingers down the tube, if only to ensure him for the fifth time that the air was unobstructed. But the slight hitch in his charge's breathing indicated a separate problem entirely. "Its ok buddy." he whispered lightly, raising his hand to rest back on Don's chest, "you'll be better soon, and I'll take you to all the placed I promised I would. Remember?" he found his free hand sliding back up his scalp, pushing the hood away freeing himself of the heat built underneath, "All the placed I promised of take you to? When you couldn't sleep? I'm going to keep that promise, all of my promises. "Leo reached behind him, taking the chair right by the bed. Though its stiff cushion indicated its lack of use, "It won't be long, I promise. "

"You know, it's funny but I chose this clinic for a reason. When I started needing a place to… 'Examine' people."

Leo turned for a moment, not sure how Claire got into the room without him knowing, a bag draped over his shoulder and a large machine on wheels drug behind her, hanging off her boot (how did he not hear that?) a sort of smirk on her face. The bag dropped onto the drawers and the machine drug fully into the room,

"Why? I thought most people worshiped Saki."

"Most yeah," she reached over for the long extension chord, kneeling down to hook it up, "and when he died it seemed like there were a million buildings dedicated to his memory made by his daughter. Libraries, Hospitals, Clinics, I even saw an Oroku Saki Memorial stall in the Oroku Saki Art Museum. But the problem was ever thing in his 'memory'" Leo could just see her air quotations,' "But none of it was made to actually benefit the city. Only the people who could afford it."

Leo looked back over to the curtain in his mind he could see the city surrounding them. Neighborhood, the clinics' stark white walls stuck out among the dark brick ones surrounding it, windows dimmed with sleep and darker lines signifying graffiti. Homes that Casey had told him about, crumbling from the inside and barely livable, "Even this clinic?"

"This clinic was built for businessmen with STD's they didn't get from their wives, and to house the hookers they impregnated and don' want people to find out about. Trust me, I know my neighborhood."

"You didn't know the Foot Clan was here."
"They haven't been causing trouble; if they had I would have done something about it. As long as they stay quiet, I won't 'annoy' them." a small smirk went across her face, before she rose up on her feet again, her hands going up to the machine on wheels, "This is a x-ray, I need to see his lungs before I do anything, I need you to sit him up for me."

Leo nodded, moving round to stand on the other side of the bed, his hands going under Little Don's shoulders and pits, slowly rising him up to a sitting position, the blanket sliding off his front and pooling in his lap, head hanging down to the side in a way that made Leo's stomach twist, "Do we need to take his shirt off?"

"Not yet, this is a pretty high tech x-ray. I don't even think the Presidents' doctor has this." her hands going to the side of the machine and the crease that ran down the middle, thumbs finding a place and unfolding the sides, "REALLY advanced."

he almost wanted to see what she saw, but he was too busy moving Little Don around, his shell now resting against his chest, "What about radiation?"

"As, 'sci-fi' as it sounds, it's really not going to be a problem." the machine wa swerved around, Leo could just see a tiny lenses in the front, the box being turned to aim for them, "I can adjust the 'sight' so it just hits his chest, and his shell should prevent us from getting a 'double picture' of your organs too."

"Good, just hurry." he repositioned his hands, despite Claire's words; he moved his body back a step and his hands higher up under Don's armpits. He could hear the lenses swiveling and focusing, but Claire was entirely hidden by the machine, "Claire?"

"1...2….3"

IN mere reflex of being bombed by Mikey for numerous pictures that ended with his sight filled with colors for hours, his eyes snapped shut. Before remember that x-rays didn't actually require flash, but small snap filled the air, "well?"

"I freaking love this thing, if I didn't think I would get ninja's up my ass, I'd sneak it out. IN screen picture, hell even I can see it-"

"Claire."

"Right right, sorry. It looks like, my theory was right. He does have water in his lungs, but it looks like there's a buildup in his pleural space as well. Located between chest wall and lungs, it's not as significant as the fluid built up in his right lung. It's the reason why the antibiotics you were giving him weren't working."

Leo lowered Don back onto the bed, his hand hooking behind his scalp until his head reached mattress and looking back of Claire, "Ok, you know what's wrong now,"

"Yeah." The 'window' of the x-ray was closed; the machine pushed away, eyes meeting his for a moment. Her dark eyes glanced away for a moment, "Yeah I know what's wrong."

"And, how to fix it?"

"I do, but I sure as hell wish I had practiced on some more oranges before I got here. I thought I was going to drain the pleural, but that won't work for this. If I drain the pleural space, it won't fix the problem. It won't change anything. But if I perform a Thoracentesis on his right lung and drain them, then give him antibiotics, it will release the pressure on his lungs, help them expand and work more effectively."

"SO you do have a plan."

He couldn't count the number of times he had gone to "Able Gym." Frustration burning through his pores and steaming as bad as Raph. Self-control down the drain as his knuckles bled, you could follow his path by the bloody fist prints imbedded in the walls following him. His pride almost poisonous, radioactive. resting on a fire escape trying to reign in.

Trying to calm

trying to calm.

Then a hand would tap his shoulder, a friend he trusted smiling to him without a word, sometimes without even a call, welcomed by the sight of vegetarian pizza, and blissful silence for a night. Some nights, stories were passed, stories between warriors. Failures, successes, and battles. Over cold pizza and take out. In hers, there was always a confidence, I her actions, decisions no matter where they lead. Maybe that's why he went there, rather then Aprils, or spending time by himself.

It was the same reason why he chose the company over a young turtle he wasn't even related to; rather then spend a night listening to his brothers.

"Do you have a plan?" he asked again,
"I have a plan, I have a plant that forces me to go through his side rather then his back, risking internal bleeding, collapsed lung, broken ribs, a worse infection, but yeah. I have a plan."

"That's good." it was all he could say. It was either that or an unseemly cuss word that even Raph never used, "I know you can do it."

"I, "there was a pause, almost a snarl, "I know I can do it. It's just not going to be easy."

"Good, nice to know we're on the same page." he wasn't sure if he was actually being encouraging, or grinding on the nerves of the one person who could help Don. Btu Claire took her hat, off, running her fingers through short hair for a moment, eyes swerved to stick on the duffle bag she had brought in, "I'll ned you to do exactly as I say."

"You know I will."

"Then I'll need you to keep your friend sitting up on the edge of the bed, otherwise I might not get all the liquid."

Leo nodded, putting his arm back under Don's shoulders and slowly lifting him back up to a sitting position, "now what?"

"Get a chair in front of him and sit in it, let him rest against you. Normally I'd have him lean on a desk or a table, but it might be better for him this way."
"How?"

"You might not want to hear this," Claire was down on her knees, pulling the bag open, "Even if I put anesthesia on the spot, there's a chance he might wake up. And I don't know if he'll do so well waking up needle in his side and a human so close to him. So if he DOES wake up, I need you to be the first thing he sees, I'll need you to get him back to sleep and keep from knowing what's going on at all costs."

Waking up? Leo glanced back down to charge, putting his arm underneath his knees to turn him towards the edge of the bed before moving over and kneeling down, with his hands still bracing Don in a sitting position, his foot reached over and hooked around the bottom leg of the chair dragging it over slowly, ""My Don was right, toes really are handy." he wasn't sure why he chose to share this thought, he pulled the chair over and sat down on it, scooting it as close to the bed as his could, spreading his legs out from side to side till Don's knees were against his chair, his hands going up to position Don's head against his chest, turned to face his left, his hand snaking up to rest on the back of his scalp while his left hand rested up in right pit. Trying to ignore whatever Claire was doing to prepare. IT would just be easier if he didn't know.

Leo closed his eyes for a moment; everything was going to be alright. He knew that, he trusted Claire's skill, he trusted her skills. He trusted her ingenuity.

"Leo."
He looked back, a long needle rested in her hands but he forced his eyes back up to Claire's, "What?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't want you looking when I perform the procedure, alright? It'll just be easier on both of us."

Leo nodded, he couldn't help but feel a relief going through him, he wasn't sure if he could even watch anyway, "No problem."

"Good." she was stalling, Leo knew when Claire was stalling, a part of him wanted to tell her to hurry up but the other half almost wanted to tell her to go away. That this whole idea was a mistake, maybe there e was still a chance for the antibiotics to work on their own

But he knew better

Hope was a lie
"I'm going to perform the anesthesia now."

Leo turned his head away, lowering his cheek down to rest on Don's scalp aimed right for the window. Lowering his elbow to that it rested on his knee while his forearm deflected Don's from his side and his free hand remained on his shell, "You got this."

A breath filled the air, a last hesitation before he felt Don's body shiver ever so slightly, Leo didn't have to look down to know what was happened, his hand pressing harder on the back of Donnie's scalp, his form relaxing for a moment but not fully. He ran his fingers up and down Don's neck for a moment, focusing on the pattern of the skin, closing his eyes and blowing out slowly.

Would Claire tell him when the procedure was done? Or was she still putting it anesthesia? He wasn't sure how anesthesia worked or how deep it would have to be injected, but she'd know. She didn't have a chance to finish medical school but her experience in the Corp working with corpsmen more than made up for it. Why did Corp have to sound so closely to Corpse? It was unnerving and every unlogical bone in his body told him it was a warning-

Another breath,

But he felt a pressure under his coat, stabbing into his side like a pang of guilt. The Shell cell he had adamantly avoided looking at since he had stolen Little Don from the Lair. Half dreading the call that would send guilt down into his soul, half worried that his phone had remained silent. He knew that Donnie would explain to his family what he did; he would defend his big brother.

They trusted him

They trusted him to do what was right

That's the same trust Little Don had given him.

The same trust Claire had given him when she had let him keep her face for 3 months, or allow a complete stranger into her apartment.

The same trust he had earned from Splinter, to keep his family safe

Earned

Won

Deserved.

"Done."

Leo was almost unsure of what that word meant for a moment, not until he felt Don's hoody lowering back around his waist. He turned his head to see Claire stick something into a bag, "Done?"

"Done, and trust me that wasn't something you would want to see."
Done. She was done, the source of Don's pain and discomfort was gone, Leo's arms tightened around Donnie for a moment, squeezing him tightly and lowering his head again. Before remembering the actual process required a very long needle into his side that was currently being squeezed by his arms and released immediately, "Crap! I didn't damage anything did I?"

"He's tougher then he looks don't worry." why did she have to laugh? He wasn't being funny he was legitimately concerned! What was wrong with that?! Leo gave her a glare before rewrapping is arms around his charge, "What are you going to do with the liquid?"

"I have a friend in a lab; I'll get him to test it so we can make sure he gets a full recovery."

"You're not going to tell him it came from a giant turtle, are you?"

"Nah, I give him stuff to test all the time, this honestly won't be the weirdest thing I've given him."

Leo wasn't sure he wanted to know, but a smile grew across his face anyway, sighing in relief before tilting his head back lightly, "You said you were going to give him antibiotics?"

"I didn't have enough space to get it." Claire slowly rose back up to her feet, hand brushing off knees and snatching her hat back off the ground, "I'll get it, grab you a pickle from the vending machine and be right back. Keep him warm."

"Make it two pickles." it was very hard to pretend to ignore the finger flipped in his direction, but it was hard to hold a grudge against it to. He leaned forward, allowing Don to fall back on the hospital bed before leaning back in his seat. A familiar pressure on his side reminded him of his task, his hand fished out the familiar shell cell, the screen lighting up for a moment as his fingers found the words he hardly ever found himself texting (he was told by Mikey he was a 'old lady texter')

"Mini me's fine. Going to be ok."

Leo took a moment to admire the words on the screen before pressing 'send'-

The door opened, Leo was about to greet her when it was slammed shut, Claire glanced through the window for a moment , her hand going up to lock the door before the other snaked into the back of her pants, the black cold of a gun pulled out and rested against her hip, Leo went to his feet, "What happened?!"

"I saw someone, I don't know if they saw me though."

"I thought you said there were no guards here."
"There AREN'T. That's' what worries me," she turned back to the window. Leo hurried over, finding space on the other side of the window, with a wave of his hand; Claire was back towards the center of the room. Leo knew she would be checking over Don, and even going over of the large outside window to check its security.

Leo couldn't see anything, nothing but the gleam of the moon that barely filled the end of the hallway. His eyes turned towards the darker side, without even realizing it, his hand had slid up to grab the hilt of his sword, hidden under his trench coat. A bitter bite of nerves going up and down his arms.

He couldn't see them

He couldn't hear them

But he knew something was there.

Worse

He knew who was there.

"The windows won't open, there's a van parked across the streeet."

A van? The Agent from hell was never big on stealth and treasured his assault vans and the badge that allowed him to do what ever he wanted. Like breaking into a memorial clinic in the middle of the night. Maybe bandits eveN

But the 'presence' in the hall way weren't amateurs

These were his kind

These were warriors

"You can see good in the dark right?"

"yeah."

"Good." Leo moved back to the bed, his hands yanking his hood over his scalp, "I'll carry him, you cover the front, we don't want to hurt anyone. Hopefully we can scare off any one coming our way we can't let them see our faces." he pulled Don's hood over his scalp as well, "Deal?"
"Deal." familiar click of a gun sent a painful shiver down Leos' neck. The weapon he so hated and scorned, but there was no way Claire was going to be able to carry Don. As strong as she was, she he was still a mutant turtle and his shell would make it difficult to carry and they would lose a major advantage. Even worse then not knowing if they face one enemy or two. So they had only one option.

Leo scooped Don back into his arms, his stomach twisting at the irony currently hunting the hallway, and the one that would ensure their safety. HE took a moment, lowering his head to press his forehead against Don's before turning back to the door, where Claire's gun stayed in her hands, rifle over her shoulder and steely eyes on him, her free hand sliding up to unlock the door before rising up again, holding up 5 fingers.

5

Keep going

4

Don't stop

3

Don't look back

2

Stay together

1

RUN