First of all I really want to thank you guys for all of your kind reviews! Really, every time I read one of your comments it makes me so happy and it really stimulates to keep on writing. So... Thank you guys! You're amazing!

And as predicted I'm late, but still I'm very sorry.

I have decided to wrap this arc up, making this the second last chapter. The next one will be the epilogue. But I might take this story out of The Things I Do, rewrite some parts and make it a stand alone. If so, keep your eyes out to Keeping You Safe.

But without further ado... The next chapter.

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Recuperation

For a little while Don, Raph and April looked down on Leo's weak body, listening to the raspy, almost choke-like respiration.

"It doesn't work. Why doesn't it work?" Raph asked frustrated, seeing no immediate effect. April laid a calming hand on his shoulder. "Have a little patience, Raph. It will take a while to get from one end of the tunnel to the other end."

Giving her a slight amused glare for the somewhat blunt comment, Don breathed out. "The antidote is now in his bloodstream and most likely traveling toward his muscles at the moment. The next step is to contain the poisonous particles and destroy them. It just takes some time for the cure to do it's job," he explained so Raph would understand it easily.

"How much time?" Raph demanded. Averting his eyes to Leo again, Don gave it a thought. "If I remember correctly, Bishop mentioned something about three hours. According to the test results we came up with, I'd say it would be true."

Raph grunted. "Ugh… Why do we trust him?"

"Bishop? We don't," Don said. "We trust us."

Not having much to say, because it simply was true, Raph sat down. "I hate waitin', not knowin' whether things work out or not…"

"Don't worry, honey. Everything's going to be fine," April said soothingly as she slid her arm around his broad shoulders. A little flushed, Raph looked away. "Don't call me that," he muttered. Playfully April pressed her head against his. "Or else what?" she asked teasingly.

"I don't know… Jus'- Just don't," Raph said awkwardly, not daring to look her in the eyes.

"Aw.. You're such a sweetie." With a grin April pressed a quick kiss on his head to tease him even more. "A little bit of affection never killed a guy, you know," she said with a wink as she let go and stood up. Jerking his head away with big eyes, he followed her movements towards the cabinets. "If yer referrin' ta Fearless… I ain't gonna kiss 'im!"

Noticing how the tension was leaving the room slowly, Don allowed himself to grin. He also looked at April, who was wrinkling her nose at the sight of the blood splatters that were still on the doors. Deciding she would clean it later, she opened them. "While we wait, how about we take care that arm of yours properly, Raph."

A little frightened Raph looked at her. Putting his good hand protectively over his injured arm, he twisted his body a bit. "How 'bout when this all's over?"

"She's got a good point, Raph," Don interjected, trying to look past Raph's shielding arm. "I've never got a chance to look at it, but we've got to do something. At least stabilize it a bit."

Walking back, April held up a square package. "What about just a sling for now?" Sitting down next to him again, she already opened up the packing. With a defeated grunting sigh, Raph gave in. "Fine, as long as ya stop buggin' me after that."

"Oh, stop acting like a wuz. Now sit still."

After some grunting complains, April could work on him, securing the sling as firmly as possible. Some time later she rolled back her stool and looked at her work. "Well, that wasn't that bad, wasn't it?" she said with a well-deserved smile. Raph gave her a glare. "Delightful," he said dully, but he had to admit it actually felt much better. So he gave her a rare smile. "Thanks."

April answered with one of her own. "You're welcome." She threw away the empty plastic and walked towards the door. "Now you boys behave and keep an eye on your brother. I'm going to check up on Mikey really quick."

Although Don really wanted to go to his younger brother himself, he knew he had to stay to see how the cure was developing. In case anything went wrong, he had to be here. Looking at her, he smiled gratefully. "Thanks, April. You're amazing."

"You better remember that," she said with a wink, carefully maneuvering through the door which was hanging by a single hinge. Both Don and Raph watched her go. After a few seconds Raph gave a huff. "Yeah, she's cool."

Don nodded in agreement as he looked Raph's arm over, the white sling really contrasting with his green skin, which had bruises and cuts all over. Raph saw him looking. "I'm fine, Donnie. Jus' back off."

Don threw up his hands in defence. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry for caring."

Snorting at the comment, Raph tilted his chin towards him. "Ya betta take care of yerself, genius. Yer side looks like tha friggin' rainbow."

Don pointed his finger up. "Nah, it's just the fluorescent lighting in here," he said in a non-convincing voice, making Raph chuckle. "Moron." With that they made the silent agreement not to talk about each other's injuries but taking care of their brothers first.

I

Putting his hands on his knees, Casey laid his head in his hands. His eyes were fixed on the youngest turtle, who was lying so unnaturally still in his bed it made him very anxious. It wasn't particularly the quietness that made him uneasy… It was the very un-Mikey-like expression on the youngest face. Most times when Mikey was in pain or anything he would show some look of discomfort, even unconscious. Now there was nothing - no twitch, no stir, no frown. Casey had never seen Mikey expressionless. This just wasn't right.

Suddenly he felt a familiar hand his shoulder, and immediately he reached out to touch the soft skin. For a few seconds they remained silent, looking over the youngest worriedly.

"Did he wake up yet?" April broke the silence. Casey shook his head. "Nope. Still no improvement." He turned his head to look at her. "How're they doin' back there?"

April leaned forward and put a hand on Mikey's face, stroking her thumb affectionately over his cheek, hoping for any kind of reaction. "Donnie has injected Leo with the antidote. We're waiting for the cure to do its job." She gave a small smile.

"Will 't work?" Casey asked, his eyes almost pleading. After a few moments of hesitation, April breathed out. "The cure will work," she said, avoiding Casey's eyes. Swallowing hard, she continued, "Problem is, we don't know if Leo's strong enough." She moved her hand down so it was half on Mikey's neck, half on his shoulder. She gave him a small squeeze.

Casey rubbed a hand over his face. "Come on, babe. Leo's survived worse. Give him a little credit," he said, trying to sound convincing. Not looking up, April continued to press Mikey's side of his neck. "We're not giving up until Leo does himself."

Casey gave her a frightened, but doubtful look. "Ya think he will?"

Moving her hand to Mikey's other shoulder, she shook her head. "He won't, but unfortunately there's more to it than mentally holding on. His mind may be so strong, but the body can only take so much."

"Man, that sucks," Casey said softly by the lack of other words. He sighed loudly, slightly surprised when a soft moan filled the silent room. When he heard April laugh silently, he looked up, seeing some small movements underneath the thin blankets.

"That's it, Mikey. You're doing great," he heard her say. "Come on, open your eyes for me, please."

Realising what was going on, Casey got to his feet to see it better. Finally, for the first time in a few hours, he saw an emotion on Mikey's face. It was pained and disoriented, but it was there and albeit the whole messed up situation, Casey had never felt so much relief. Heck, was he in for a treat when Leo appeared to be okay too. He allowed himself to smile. "Whaddid ya do?"

Still coaxing Mikey to open his eyes, April ignored him, which Casey completely understood.

"Michelangelo, time to wake up, honey," she said softly, but a little more firmly than before. Whimpering with every exhale, Mikey's face showed signs of great discomfort. Ever-so-slowly, one eye opened a crack, but immediately shut again, followed by a moaning respiration.

"No, come on, bud," Casey joined in, putting his hand on Mikey's lower chest and shook him a little. "Wake up."

"Mikey, I need you to look at me," April tried again. Receiving some incomprehensible sounds, Mikey's head lolled to the side and with that he was out again. She gave a slight disappointed sigh as she moved her hand again to Mikey's head, stroking it gently. "Sleep tight, Mikey. Just wake up soon."

I

Fumbling with a loose thread from his sling, Raph kept on waiting, although his patience was wearing thin. Just when he wanted to get up to stretch his legs and punch something random, the ragged breathing of Leo suddenly lessened and a mostly silent exhale followed. A little alarmed Raph looked at his older brother, whose painful expression also alleviated. At that moment everything went quiet. "Eh...Does this mean tha cure works?"

With big eyes Don looked down on his older brother as realisation sunk in. "No! No this shouldn't be happening!" He jumped up and ripped the blankets off Leo, pressing the side of his head against his brother's chest, as his hand reached for Leo's wrist. Listening and feeling intensely, he searched for a beat, a sign of life. One second became ten seconds, but it remained quiet and still. Right before the intuitive panic began, Don stopped himself and let his mind take over. "H-His heart stopped," he announced as he got up from his bend position. Raph looked at the whole scene with more fear in his eyes Don had ever experienced. "Then do somethin'!"

Don placed his hand on Leo's plastron and put his other hand on top of it. "Working on it!" he said in the same tone. With a lot of force he started to give chest compressions, trying to start Leo's heart again. "Grab the AED!"

Scrambling to his feet, Raph raced towards the small desk. "Where's that thing?" he yelled, making a mess in all of his panic. He jerked open all of the cabinets, emptying all of its contents down on the floor. In his fear and anger he actually pulled one of the doors out of its hinges. If Leo's life wasn't in danger right now, he would think it was pretty funny, but now he cursed and threw in a corner, already raging through the next cabinet.

"...27, 28, 29, 30," Don whispered to himself, keeping a steady pace. They made it this far, Leo couldn't slip away now. It just couldn't. Leo's suppose to be the one you could built on, to go to when everything seemed hopeless. He would give an extra boost, encourage everyone, despite the messed up situation. He never gave up. And now… "Come on, bro. You can't do this to us," Don begged, still not feeling a heartbeat. Slowly his rational mind became clouded with fear, although he tried to suppress it greatly. "Shell," he cursed, not getting the desired result fast enough. He totally loved being a turtle, but sometimes it was a real curse, like now. Their plastron was so thick, that even forceful compressions probably couldn't get through the layer. Knowing there was only one option left before artificial respiration, he clenched a fist and folded his other hand around it. Hoping for the best, he brought down his hands, which landed hard on Leo's chest. Not getting a response, Don brought up his hands again. The moment Don wanted to try again, there was a harsh choking cough, followed by a raspy inhalation. For an instant everything froze: Don still had his hands in the air, Raph had a big pack of cotton balls in his hands, ready to throw it over his shoulder. Both looked anxious at Leo, expecting him to stop breathing again. Instead Leo took another breath, followed by a long exhale.

For a full minute the brothers listened to Leo's breathing, as it was the best sound in the whole world. And it was.

"So, still need tha AED-thingy?" Raph finally asked to break the silence. Daring to rip his gaze off Leo, Don looked at Raph and shook his head. "No, I think we're good." He put his trembling hands in his neck, trying to calm down his own breathing. "Jeez, Leo. Don't scare us like that," he said with a relieved smile, moving his hand towards Leo's wrist again. Within a second he felt it - a strong, steady heart beat, a hundred times more better than the irregular beat it was before. Without hesitation he continued to give Leo a full vital check.

Shakily Raph walked back to the cot, feeling relieved, but extremely stupid he could not find the AED when it was needed. "Good job, Donnie," he praised his younger brother before looking at Leo. "How's Fearless?"

Finishing counting Leo's breathing rate, Don looked up. "Actually, he's doing pretty good. Most of his values are already returning to normal. His heart rate is acceptable, so is his respiration rate." He put a still shaking hand on Leo's forehead. "His temperature did not drop, but I'm expecting the fever will break soon. I just want to check his blood pressure. If that's lowered too, then I guess the cardiac arrest did the trick."

Thinking Don's words over, Raph nodded glumly. "So he had ta die first, before gettin' better." He paused. "Typical."

Refusing to join the downcast feeling, Don gave a small chuckle. "Come on, Raph. Stay a little positive. Leo didn't die, he just…" He trailed off, searching for words. "... turned off and then on again," he alleviated the tension a bit. Raph shook his head with a smirk. "Yer a nerd, Don. A genius and a hell offa bro, but a nerd."

"As long as my nerdiness can help you guys, I'm cool with that," Don grinned, accepting the compliment. Not getting too comfortable, since anything could happen, he turned back to Leo, deciding his next step. "Can you hand me the sphygmomanometer, please?" he asked. Raph looked at him with a blank expression. "Tha what?"

"The blood pressure meter," Don explained. "It's next to the AED on the counter, next to the sink," he said with a teasing grin. Raph turned his body to look. There indeed was the red case containing the AED. Internally slapping himself, because he had rushed by it twice, he walked up to it to grab the meter. "Who tha heck puts it over there? It's not logical at all!" he muttered, snatching the device from the counter. "And ya could've told me where it was in tha first place!" With big steps he walked back and handed it to Don, who immediately started to work. "I'm sorry. But I was a little occupied," Don answered a little harder than normal. "But next time I'll sort out my priorities better, and help you look for things that are always standing on the exact same place."

Feeling he had deserved this, Raph swallowed in his frustration, also knowing Don didn't mean it. "Yer right. I'm sorry. I was jus' - Well, ya know.. Panic an' stuff."

"I know, Raph, don't sweat it. Things worked out," Don said absently as he looked at the tiny dial on the sphygmomanometer. "Hmm.. 138 over 89. Could be worse," he mumbled, and he reached over to the small table at the side of the cot grabbing the second syringe he had brought with him earlier. Carefully he undid the sterile packing.

"Yeah! Things worked out now, but what if -" Stopping his rambling, he barked out a tired laugh as he realized something. Not too long ago he was reprimanding Mikey for using 'what if', and now he was doing exactly the same. He saw Don look at him puzzled. Shaking his head, he gestured his comment away. "Ferget it. No what-ifs."

Shrugging indifferently, Don turned his head back and located a vein in Leo's arm. "Sorry for stinging you much, bro," he said as yet again a needle pierced the green skin. "But I've got to check your blood levels." Carefully he filled the syringe with fresh blood.

Looking at it with slight disgust, since he hated needles, Raph took a few steps towards the door. "I'll call April ta help ya check it," he said. "She's way more useful than I am."

Pressing a small gauze on the needle mark on Leo's arm, Don gave a grin. "You're useful in other ways bro. But if you want to get her, it's highly appreciated."

Raph nodded. His gaze went to Leo, who actually seemed rather peaceful. The freaky ragged breathing was as good as gone and the pained expression on his face had almost vanished. Trusting Don his vitals were okay too, he dared to leave the room to get April. And to check up on his little brother, whom he was still very worried about. "Be right back," he said as he stepped through the door, resisting the urge to completely rip it from its last hinge.

I

Stepping into Mikey's room, immediately gave him the chills. It was never quiet in there when Mikey was around. Even asleep he was tossing, turning and mumbling the whole night. This just wasn't right. Walking forward so he was standing next to Casey who had April on his lap, he finally looked at the bed. Immediately his heart constricted by the look of his youngest brother. His pale face was in great contrast with the dark purple bruising that stuck out of the white bandage around his head. Although Mikey looked rather peaceful, Raph knew better. He knew his brother, he knew how he acted when he was injured, even unconscious. This wasn't Mikey's typical behaviour. The youngest wasn't doing well and it scared him. "How's Mike?" he asked hesitantly, breaking the silence. Casey gave a shrug. "Okay, I guess."

"Oh yeah, he's lookin' very okay," Raph responded frustrated, pointing at Mikey's silent form. He wanted to open his mouth again, until April stood up and looked at him firmly. "Easy, Raph. Mikey is doing okay for now," she calmed him down. She shifted her eyes towards the bed, looking at the vulnerable turtle as she searched for words. "For a little while I was afraid he might have slipped into a coma, but about forty minutes ago I managed to wake him up for a few seconds. We coul- "

Feeling his frustration transforming into light panic, Raph jerked his head to Mikey again. "Coma? Whatcha mean by that?" he interrupted her as he bend his body to give his brother a better look.

"Dude, are ya listening? Mike's okay," Casey pitched in, his voice hard but gentle. "The biggest threat is over. But we've got ta keep a close eye on him fer tha next few days though."

April nodded. "Indeed. Although he woke up, I'm still not satisfied. We got zero response from him, so we have to keep stimulate him. So every few hours we have got to wake him to see if we can provoke any reaction to us."

Raph stared at her blankly. "So how bad is it?"

Giving him a sad smile, April put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay I guess. Now he woke up the immediate danger is over." Seeing Raph's expression didn't change, she tried something else. "Mikey is not in a coma and there is a very slim chance he could in the nearby future. He is just asleep at the moment," she explained more directly. "We have to have patience."

Raph reached out and touched Mikey's cheek. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect ya, little brother." He sighed. "It shoulda been me."

"Don't blame yerself, Raph. Shit happens," Casey tried. Still fixated on the youngest, Raph shook his head slowly. "Shit should happen ta me. Not to him. I'm suppose ta protect him, not tha other way around." Thinking back to the moment Mikey had opened the door of the infirmary to check the noise outside, he suddenly ripped his hand back from Mikey's cheek and slammed it on the nightstand. "He had time ta move!" he yelled. "He could jump out of tha way and move to tha wall! He could…" Trailing off he put his fist to his forehead and rubbed hard. "Instead he kept on standin' there. Takin' tha freakin' blow!" Lowering his hand he looked at the youngest with pleading eyes. "Ya stupid moron." Feeling a soft hand on his shoulder, he shrugged it off, but was kind of glad he could set his mind on something different. "Yer needed in the infirmary," he said to April, more bluntly than he wanted. Alarmed April looked at him. "Did something happen?"

Raph snorted. "Besides tha fact Leo's heart stopped a while, I couldn't find tha AED and tha infirmary is a mess? Not really."

"What?!" Casey jumped up. "His heart stopped? He's dead?"

"Ya really think I could stand here so calmly if that happened? Course not, ya blockhead!" Raph fell out. Feeling the same hand on his shoulder, he calmed down a bit and met April's gaze. "Raph, what happened?" she demanded. Raph heaved a sigh and explained the situation to her.

"Well, that's good, right?" Casey asked as Raph was finished. Raph gave a shrug. "I guess. Donnie said it was, so I trust him." Casey nodded agreeingly.

"I'm going to the infirmary," April said and she walked to Mikey's bedroom door. In the frame she stopped and turned around. "You guys take care of Mikey?"

Casey nodded. "Of course, babe."

Giving him a smile, she exchanges looks with both of them. "Make sure one of you guys stays in case he wakes up. If not, try to wake him up in seventy minutes."

"Got it," Raph answered, quickly gazing up from looking worriedly at Mikey. "Now move it and fix Fearless properly."

With a smile she vanished from the doorway, the clicking of her low heels disappearing out of hearing range soon.

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Again, sorry I'm late! But I really hope you liked it. Please tell me :)