Hey guys! It's Monday, December 8th, 13.08h and it's time for an update! Since some readers wanted someone getting ill or sick, I've decided to write a chapter about it. It's a continuation of the previous chapter Late Night Talks, so you probably know what that means. If not, you'll find out soon!

Oh, before I forget... The chapters I write are written with TMNT 2K3 in mind, so that's why there's no Kraang, no Rahzar, no Snakeweed and other bad/good guys from the 2K12 show (and that's why there is Hun and there are Elites). Which also means that some characteristics of some characters are different, there's not really much pizza and there's no Space Heroes. Also there's another relationship between April and Don (and Casey). But if you look past it you can read it with all incarnations of our favorite brothers, of course :). They are still the Leader, the Rebel, the Brain and the Mike. And no matter in what universe they are, they're still the same and we love them all together. But you know... I just want to clear that up a bit.
That doesn't mean I'm willing to try to write with 2K12 in mind on some occasions (I've promised a long time ago to write a Metalhead chapter). And yes, I've promised more ;-). Your requests will not be forgotten! Soon there will be nightmares, hurt Leo, fluffy chapters between Leo/Mike and Raph/Mike, SAINW aftermath and a lot more brotherly awws. But for now... The new chapter!

00000

Sick Day

Everything hurt. His throat was on fire and his stomach felt like a spinning washing machine. Every movement made his muscles ache, while every breath felt like a challenge. But that wasn't even the worst… The pain in his head was so intense, Don was fairly certain his head was trying to kill him from the inside out. The constant pounding made him dizzy and nauseous and although he knew it wasn't possible, it felt like his brain was trying to push his eyes straight out of his sockets. Normally he wasn't the turtle that gave in to a cold or an infection or something, but now he didn't have any choice. He knew he had to take better care of that burn mark on his shoulder, because the burning garbage that had fallen on his shoulder wasn't the cleanest. He kind of neglected to clean the stupid blisters properly in time, since he wanted to wait for the fire department which actually took over forty minutes, and now he had to deal with the consequences - a freaking infection which was mostly fighting a war in his skull. Sure, his shoulder hurt pretty bad, but that was nothing in comparison to his head. Heck, he couldn't even open his eyes without experiencing an explosion of light in his head. So now he was laying down on the couch feeling miserable, trying to fall asleep to get rid of the pain. Unfortunately that was impossible. The pain in his head was too severe to drift off to the realm of divine unconsciousness and he hated it. He hated being sick, especially by his own fault.

The commotion around him didn't help either. He heard Leo call out commands in a hushed voice, Raph's heavy footsteps and the soft jingle of the chains of Mikey's nunchucks somewhere far away. They were up to something, causing Don to worry a bit. But how much he wanted to figure out what was going on, he couldn't find the energy to do so. He let out a long shaky breath, until he felt a cool hand on his forehead, startling him a bit. He tried to open his eyes, but shut them tightly again when little lights behind his eyes popped painfully.

"How are you holding up, buddy?" the gentle voice of his oldest brother asked him with worry. Don swallowed painfully and wanted to say he was doing fine, but instead a strangled moan crossed his lips. Leo sighed distraughtly and ran his thumb over Don's sweaty forehead affectionately. "I'm sorry, bro. I wish I could do more for you."

Don knew exactly how his older brother must feel. He himself always felt distressed when one of his brothers was out of commission for any reason, and Leo got the big brother slash leader weight on top of that, so he had to feel extremely desperate. Besides that, Leo was probably beating himself up for not living up to the threats he made to him for not taking good care of himself. Well, it wasn't Leo if he didn't feel guilty about something, right? Internally Don smiled at the thought and found some new energy. He opened his eyes a bit and looked in the concerned eyes of the eldest. "I'm 'kay," he said in a hoarse voice. Despite his concern, Leo couldn't help but smile. "Of course you are, Donnie," he said with insincere sarcasm. For a few moments it was quiet, until Leo sighed. "Listen, Don," he started, searching for words. "Raph, Mike and I have to go out for some time. I wish there was another way, but we really have to." He leaned forward and grabbed cold cloth off the small table next to the armrest of the couch. "I've asked April to come over to take care of you for a little while. I hope that's okay?" he asked and he placed the fabric on Don's forehead. Don exhaled contently.

Suddenly there was a loud thud coming from the garage and Leo whipped up his head in concern, until he heard a muffled 'Mikey!', followed by a smacking sound. Quickly the concern was replaced by annoyance for disturbing their sick brother.

Don sniffled and swallowed hard. "Whatcha gonna do...?" he slurred, trying to lift up his head. An extreme feeling of dizziness engulfed him and he laid his head back quickly. Leo noticed and placed a hand on his little brother's chest. "Easy there, bro. Just try to sleep some, okay?"

Don gave a dissatisfied hum and shifted a bit under Leo's hold. "Don't wanna..."

Alarmed Leo looked at his brother's face. "What do you mean?"

"Hm?" came the tired response. Leo laid his hand on top of Donnie's head once more. "What do you mean, buddy?" he asked again, a little slower this time. Don cracked open his eyes again. "I don't wanna sleep…"

Squinting his eye ridges in slight confusion and worry, Leo dipped the cloth into the bowl of water and wringed it. "Why is that?" he asked and he wiped the cloth gently over Don's forehead. Don swallowed again. "Wanna know whatcha gunna do.."

Leo chuckled a bit. "Nothing you should worry about, bud." He wiped the cloth over Don's hot face and neck, hoping to give a little comfort. Don grunted in appreciation, before moving his head. "Wanna know..."

The eldest gave a warm smile, knowing his brother would never change. Although his genius sibling was probably the most relaxed one of the family, he always wanted some sort of control and knowledge of the situation, like he had with his computers and machines. Leo cooled the cloth again as he decided his brother deserved to know. Well, at least something. "Alright," he started. Curious Don opened his eyes and looked at him expectantly. "Casey called a couple of minutes ago to tell that there's a large gathering of Purple Dragons at the docks. They're obviously up to something big, so we have to check it out," he explained briefly, leaving the cloth to rest on Don's forehead. After a few moments of silence he sighed heavily. "I'm sorry for leaving you behind, Don," he said rather guilty, placing his hand on Donnie's warm shoulder. Taking in a shaky breath, Don gave a nod. "..'ts okay," he said, knowing his oldest brother would never leave in this situation if it wasn't really necessary. Being a four-turtle team, they always tried to prevent fighting dangerous battles when not everyone was present. Looking directly in Leo's warm, but concerned eyes, Don knew their leader didn't have a choice. Giving a weary smile, he touched Leo's hand. "...Jus' be careful."

Leo smiled in return. "Don't worry. We'll be back before you know it."

"You'd better be…" Don answered as his eyes slid shut again. Leo let out a long breath and caressed his brother's head. "Try to sleep, bro. When you wake up, I'll be right here," he whispered. Don just made a soft humming sound to let him know he'd heard it, but didn't made an effort to open his eyes again. Within a minute he fell into a long awaited and well-deserved sleep.

Looking at his sleeping brother, Leo reluctantly let go, letting his own head rest in his hands. He felt terrible for leaving his side, not being able to take care of him when he was needed, but unfortunately he had no choice. He couldn't risk sending just Raph and Mike, since the mission would be too dangerous and he would never forgive himself if something bad would happen without him being there.

Suddenly he felt a soft hand on his shoulder, jerking him out of his thoughts. Glancing up, he looked straight in April's eyes. She gave him a small smile. "Hey, Leo," she said softly, careful not to disturb Donnie. Leo returned the smile before standing up. "Thanks for coming on such short notice, April," he said grateful. April mentioned with her hand, waving the comment away. "Absolutely no problem. I'll be happy to help out." She looked at Don, who was breathing harshly as sweat pearled on his forehead. "How's he doing?"

Leo rubbed his head. "He's still pretty sick. The fever didn't break yet, but at least he's doing better than this morning." He sighed, looking at Donnie again. April followed his gaze. "Good," she said with a small smile, although worried. "By the way, you know it isn't really his fault for getting sick, right?" she asked. "Infections can be tricky like that."

Leo nodded. "I know. It was just bad luck…" He gave a sigh. "But that doesn't mean he shouldn't take care of himself more regarding his health. He had to come home immediately after the fire had scorched off his skin. He always takes care of us so well, but when something's up with him, he's brushing everything off like it's nothing until it's too late," he said with slight disappointment, although his voice was filled with concern. April gave a small smile. "I think he has learned his lesson."

"Let's hope so…"

For a minute it was quiet, until April cleared her throat. "You have to go, Leo," she spoke up. Leo nodded, but didn't look away from his brother.

"Leo," she said again, this time with more urge in her voice. Finally he gazed up, and April locked eyes with him. "Go! I have everything under control."

Leo straightened his back, regaining his leader posture. "Yeah, I know." He reached over his shoulders to make sure his katanas were still in place. "Just call when something's wrong."

April gave him a playful smile. "As long as he doesn't turn into a monster like last time he was sick, I'm sure everything will be alright," she joked. Leo snorted. "Don't worry. He's not been exposed to some weird mutants in the last few weeks. Just some flammable garbage and sewer water."

"Although that's kind of disgusting, it's also good to hear." Sitting down next to Donnie, she pointed to the garage. "Now go. Your brothers and Casey are waiting."

Leo nodded reluctantly. "Alright. Call me wh -"

"- when something's wrong, I know," April finished his sentence. "Now move your shell."

Leo grinned sheepishly. "Alright, alright. I'm going," he said quickly. Stealing a final glance of his sleeping brother, he turned around. "Thanks, April," he said softly and he walked towards the garage, readying himself for the upcoming mission.

00000

So that's it for today! Please let me know what you think! Hope to see you next week!