"Careful… easy…" Donnie said as he and Raph gently lowered Leo onto the bed. As Donnie fitted an oxygen mask over Leo's muzzle, his eyes moved to the crisp white bandages wrapped around the slider's midriff. That wound was the most serious and had him more worried than any of the others.

"Hope those stitches hold," he muttered. "We can't have that bleeding again." Raph glanced at him and nodded before pulling the blankets up to their unconscious brother's shoulders.

"There ya go, little brother," he murmured. "Just rest now, we're gonna look after ya."

He reached out and ran a hand over Leo's head, and his eyes widened.

"Donnie."

It was then the genius saw the red tinge and the sweat forming on his twin's face, and his stomach clenched.

Not again.

He placed a hand on Leo's forehead and his mouth tightened.

"Of course, again," he gritted out.

"What?" Mikey's voice was anxious and full of fear. Raph looked at the youngest turtle, his brow creased with worry.

"A fever, like last time," he said softly.

Mikey's eyes stretched wide.

"B-but… he was fine last time, right? We just need t' help him ride it out again, don't we?"

Donnie pinched the spot between his eyes, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.

"It's… not that simple. A lot of his injuries were internal then, but now… he's lost a lot of blood, and that's just going to put even more strain on his body. That transfusion we did is most likely the only reason he's… that he's still alive. He's hanging on by a thread. We might need… to start preparing ourselves for the worst."

Dead silence met his words, and he could almost feel the dread in the air. Then he heard a soft, choked exhale, and looked to see Splinter holding his head in his hands, looking as if he was barely keeping himself from collapsing.

"Oh, Splints," April said softly as she knelt to place a hand on his back. Donnie felt about as close to breaking down himself, unable to repress the heavy feeling sitting in his chest like a lead weight.

Why?

The bitter questions wouldn't stop coming. Why did this happen? How much more could their family take? Hadn't they given enough? Even more scary, how many more times could Leo cheat death and come back without damage that couldn't be fixed?

Suddenly, a large hand rested on his shoulder. His big brother's voice broke through the fog… gentle, steady, just like every time he'd soothed away nightmares.

"Take a deep breath, Don."

It was then Donnie realized his hands were fluttering anxiously, his breaths growing fast and frantic. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to breathe deeply.

"But Raph…" Mikey's voice was choked and quivering. "We… we can't…"

"I know," the eldest turtle said. Donnie could hear the quiver in his voice too and looked up at him as a sudden thought hit him.

"Wait, you connected with him in the Mind Meld, didn't you? Did he… say anything? Could you, I don't know, tell anything about his condition?"

Mikey perked up too, his eyes wide and with a sheen of hope even as tears slid down his face.

"Did… did you?"

Raph smiled, but the smile was small and sad.

"He didn't say much, but it's rough. He's gonna need us."

Mikey sniffled as his eyes grew even glossier, hugging himself and pulling his head into his shell a little. Donnie knew what his little brother was thinking, but he wasn't saying it because he knew what the others would say. Mikey wasn't one to break a promise after he'd made it, but he was also one to do anything for his family. Donnie knew he'd be fighting the urge to use his mystic power every minute, and the genius hoped that he could resist it… and them too.

After all, there was a very good chance that might become their only option. And if something went wrong… Leo wouldn't blame them, Donnie knew, but he would blame himself, and nothing would convince him otherwise.

"Dee," Raph said. His voice was still so gentle, so calm, that it made the genius blink in confusion. But his oldest brother only kept looking at him with that small smile.

"Leo's not gonna give up," the snapper said, utter surety in his face and voice. "I asked him t' trust us, an' he does. We gotta be here for him, as long as it takes. I promised him."

Despite himself, Donnie couldn't hold back an amused huff.

"Making promises for us, dear brother?"

That got a chuckle out of the eldest turtle too, even though the sadness never left.

"Nothin' any a' you guys wouldn't a' done."

For some reason, those words struck Donnie so hard that his throat tightened, and his eyes began stinging. Out of instinct he looked down, closing them as he struggled to push the emotional surge down. This was why he hated emotion. It made him feel so out of control, and being in control, keeping a cool head, was the best way he knew to keep everyone he loved safe and well.

And the idea of failing to do that scared him more than anything. He felt Raph's hand stroke his shoulder, and even before he looked up Donnie knew the snapper was looking at him with that small, knowing smile he got when he knew what his brothers were thinking.

"It's okay, Don. It's okay t' be scared. But we didn't let it get t' us before, and we can't now."

A soft, trembling inhale drew the turtles' attention to Splinter. Slowly, the rat straightened, patting April's supporting hand with a nod of thanks. He looked so very tired, smaller and older somehow. The thought came to Donnie that the whole reason Splinter had left his clan when he was human was to avoid facing this same pain. Now it had happened, not just now but in the Krang invasion. Donnie wasn't sure how he was picking himself up now, but he found himself feeling a sense of both sorrow and gratitude. Donnie knew better than anyone that their father had his flaws, but he also knew that they could trust him with their lives.

Splinter looked at Donnie, then walked over to him. He held out a hand, hesitating to give the softshell a questioning look. Knowing what he was asking, Donnie nodded. At that, his father placed his hand on the softshell's arm. His eyes were gentle, but so full of pain it made Donnie's throat tighten.

"You have all overcome fear that would defeat many others," the old rat said softly. "I always hoped that I could at least keep you from that, but…"

His voice broke a little, and he took a deep breath before going on.

"It seems I've failed in that too."

Donnie felt his eyes widen a little, and he cursed his emotional awkwardness for the umpteenth time as he struggled to find the right words to say. But as always, Raph knew what to do. Reaching out his other arm, he pulled them both into a hug as he lowered to his knees.

"Ya didn't fail, Pops," he murmured. "We're who we are 'cause of you, and that's how we got through it all."

Donnie's throat was too tight now to say anything, so he simply pressed into the embrace as he ordered himself not to cry. He heard footsteps approaching and immediately recognized them as April and Mikey's. The genius could hear his youngest brother sniffling quietly as he nestled in near him, and the sound nearly broke him.

No. Don't fall apart now.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed down the emotional turmoil raging inside. Then, sensing someone's eyes on him, he looked up to see Casey standing nearby. The grief on the teen's face was even more heartbreaking, but the fact that it somehow belonged there made it even worse. There was also clear longing there, but reluctance too. Normally, Donnie let one of his brothers handle this sort of thing, but when Casey's eyes met his, the softshell felt something compelling him to reach out. So he did, taking hold of Casey's sleeve and tugging him into the huddle as well. Casey stiffened in surprise, then Donnie heard his trembling sigh as he relaxed into it. The genius couldn't keep a faint smile from coming to his face, despite the tears stinging in his eyes.

We're all family here, he thought. And we have to face this as a family.