Donatello was doing his best to help steady Aria as she insisted on standing from the couch she'd been resting on. He could tell she wanted him to let go, but it was clear that she could barely stand on her own. The black-green veins had spread up to her left cheek and that seemed to cause more pain. Though Lawrence had come in and insisted that Aria explain things to Donatello, the turtles main concern right now was calming Aria down so that she could breathe easy.

"A-Aria…just relax…please…" he pleaded quietly, gently gripping at her upper arms to keep her from crumbling to the floor. "Can't you do something?!" He asked in a slight panic, looking back at Lawrence.

In tears now, Aria shook her head, breathing quickly as if in a panic, allowing Donatello to guide her gently to the floor as her legs gave out. She placed her hands against the cold marble floor, trying to catch her breath. "I-I can't!" She choked out.

"Miss O'Neil used Donatello's key card to get into the estate last night. She took pictures and is planning on using those photos to separate you from Donatello. If you do not explain and allow miss O'Neil to inform Donatello of her own conclusions, he will misunderstand. Is that what you want?" Lawrence replied simply.

Donatello was shocked over Lawrence's cold demeanor. Sure, he was immediately angry that April somehow had his key card and he wondered what it was that Lawrence insisted Aria explain to him, but he was more concerned about her health right now.

"She broke in…?" Aria asked in disbelief, trying to stifle her tears as she looked up at Lawrence. "…that's…not possible…"

"Does that really matter right now?!" Donatello asked seriously. "You need treatment! Isn't there something she can take?"

"Would you like your medicine, Miss Aria?" Lawrence asked, his voice still cold and stern as he stared down at her.

Aria glared at Lawrence now. He knew she couldn't take that medicine in front of Donatello if she wanted to keep her secret. And April breaking in? It wasn't possible. No one knew better than she did how good Lawrence was at his job. Even with a key card, April wouldn't have gotten anywhere near this place without Lawrence knowing. "…you…did this on purpose. You promised…you wouldn't say anything…"

"I have kept that promise, Miss Aria. I haven't said a word. Unfortunately, I think it's best

Donatello hears the news from you, rather than Miss O'Neil, who doesn't have your best interests at heart."

"That's not fair!" Aria sobbed. Her body grew weaker and weaker the more she spoke, finding that her vision was beginning to blur.

Lawrence stepped forward, "…we are running out of time, Miss Aria. What will you do?"

Donatello hated not knowing what they were talking about. Nothing was making any sense, but something had to be done. "Aria, please! Whatever is going on, it doesn't matter! We need to get you treatment, now!"

Aria glanced up into Donatello's eyes, exhaling painfully before she reluctantly nodded her head. At this indication, Lawrence stepped closer and pulled a covered syringe filled with bright green liquid from the inside pocket of his suit. Donatello watched curiously as Lawrence knelt down and plunged the needle into the side of Arias neck. She winced in pain, but the veins faded away slowly and Aria was left simply staring at the floor while Lawrence stood back up and stepped back.

"Aria…what's going on…?" Donatello asked finally, sitting on the cold floor with her as he waited for Aria to catch her breath.

Her tears started again and Aria tried to wipe her eyes. "…the pictures…that April took were mostly like of the Mutagen…I've been smuggling into the city."

"Mutagen?" Donatello repeated, "but—"

"—it's not for anything terrible," Aria insisted desperately. "I-I had it brought in so my people could work on making my medicine. Something to…ease my symptoms…"

"…symptoms of what?"

Aria shook her head, "…it…doesn't have a name."

Donatello glanced up at Lawrence and then back at Aria. "O-okay…so you're experimenting with the mutagen to make medicine for an unknown disease…" he said quietly, not liking where this was going. A heart condition was one thing, but a disease no one could identify was another thing entirely. Using mutagen was dangerous. Why would they try making medicine from such a unpredictable chemical? "…but…why mutagen? Isn't that… extreme?"

"It's…what the doctors thought would help…" answered Aria, nervously fiddling with the charm on her bracelet.

"…why were so afraid to tell me this? It's not your fault your sick…" Donatello started with a cautious smile, reaching over to take her hand. "…or…is it really bad?"

A silence loomed over the room after his question and Aria appeared hesitant to answer him. "…it's…the doctors…"

"Miss Aria is dying." Interjected Lawrence.

"Lawrence!" Aria snapped at him before quickly turning her attention back to Donatello with concern.

The turtle felt as if someone had knocked him against a wall. His head was spinning and his breath had left his body. Dying? How could Aria be dying? She was right here in front of him. Donatello couldn't process what he just heard. It was like he was dreaming for a moment. "…d-dying? …what do you mean, you're dying…?" He asked, looking down at their hands.

Aria's eyes burned with tears and she squeezed his hand tight, "…I…I didn't want you to know…not yet…" she choked out. "…I just wanted to spend as much time as I could with you."

"…how long?"

"…six months…maybe a little less…" she answered honestly.

Donatello shook his head, "no," he breathed out, using his free hand to wipe his eyes of the tears that threatened to escape his eyes. "There has to be something I can do!" He insisted, looking into her eyes now. "I know more about mutagen than anyone! I bet I know more than these doctors! Let me try and help you."

"There is a way that you can help," Lawrence added.

"Lawrence, please! That's enough, don't say anymore…" Aria pleaded, keeping her gaze at the floor.

"Aria, this is important!" Donatello insisted. "You're sick! If I can help you, I want to do anything I can."

Lawrence looked down at Donatello, "if that's the case…"

"Lawrence, don't!" Shouted Aria.

"…we need your blood," Lawrence continued, disregarding Arias pleas.

"My blood?" Repeated Donatello, a little confused. "…why would…"

"Miss Aria was infected with this strange disease ten years ago. It's killing everything inside of Miss Aria, like a poison. Not a single doctor could explain why. Until three years ago, a doctor from New York said she recognized a diluted strain of Mutagen clinging to Miss Arias cells. She was able to determine that this strain of Mutagen…was the cause of this disease."

"…so…because I'm a mutant?" Donatello asked, not quite understanding why that meant his blood was needed for this. Not that he would refuse, it just felt like Lawrence was trying to lead him to some conclusion.

Lawrence sighed, "This strain of Mutagen somehow got into Miss Arias system ten years ago. Can you think of any way it could have gotten in and infected her?"

His heart stopped. Now it made sense. It wasn't hard to comprehend what Lawrence was trying to say now. His own memories had been trying to tell him this whole time. Why else would he recall that specific moment? "…me…" Donatello mumbled under his breath. "…I made you sick…" he continued, looking up at Aria, his eyes wide with horror. "When you were hurt…I got cut…"

"Stop it!" Aria shouted in tears. She knew it was useless, but she didn't want Donatello to think about it anymore.

"—miss Aria won't survive much longer," interrupted Lawrence before Aria could try and stop him. "If we don't find a cure for this, she will die in less than six months. Since it was your blood that caused this, Dr. Fetters believes that your blood will be the key to fixing it." "Shut up, Lawrence! I mean it!" Aria barked up at him.

Donatello sat on the floor in shock. He couldn't even tell if he was breathing. Last night, his biggest concern was that he had messed up by missing their date. Now, he'd just been told that he was the cause of Arias pain. His blood was killing her. "…we…never should've met…"

Aria gasped lightly and leapt forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, "pl-please don't say that!"

"I…I ruined your life. If you hadn't met me…you wouldn't have been treated the way you were…" Donatello's voice shook as he stared out at nothing, making no attempt to return Arias embrace. "…you wouldn't have been sent to those hospitals…you wouldn't have been forced to leave and be so ostracized. …and…you wouldn't be dying. I ruined everything… and I just forgot. How…how can you even stand to look at me? You should hate me…" as he spoke, a lump formed in his throat and it hurt to speak. His eyes burned with tears. He didn't understand how Aria could possibly love someone that destroyed so much of her life.

Aria shook her head desperately, clinging to Donatello in tears. "This is why I didn't want you to know! I didn't want you to blame yourself! It's not your fault!"

"I made a mistake…and it's costing you your life…"

"We were kids!" Aria insisted again, trying to slow her tears by closing her eyes tight. "We were just kids! No one can blame you for this! You were the only one who ever tried to help me! The only one who even cared that I was hurt!"

"And look where it got you…!" Donatello choked out, barely stifling his own tears as he grabbed Arias shoulders and forced her back. "I caused you so much pain!" As Donatello spoke, something awful occurred to him. "…this disease…is it the reason you had heart surgery?"

Aria looked confused and horrified. Though she didn't know how he knew about the surgery, she didn't want to lie to Donatello. "…please, Donatello…that's not…"

"Aria! Tell me the truth…please…!" Donatello pleaded, his hands trembling as he held her shoulders tight.

Choking back a sob, Aria nodded her head slowly, "…it-it always attacks my heart first. …s-so…I needed…a new heart…"

Donatello released Arias shoulders and covered his eyes with his arm, gritting his teeth to keep from openly crying out. This hurt. There was a hole in his chest, leaving him feeling empty and cold. Yet it hurt so much. "…because of me…they took your heart…" he whimpered. "Aria…I'm so-so sorry…!"

"Lawrence…leave us." Aria demanded quietly.

The butler nodded his head. Everything he wanted revealed was out in the open now. So there was no need to be there any longer.

Aria waited quietly until she was sure that Lawrence was out of the room. She wiped her eyes and shuffled toward. "Donatello…please listen to me…" she began, her voice unsteady and hoarse from the pain in her throat. She reached up and cupped his face in her hands, forcing the turtle to look at her properly. It broke her heart to see the devastated look on his face. "… before I met you, I was unloved…and unseen. You were the first happy memory in my life… please…don't disparage that memory…because it means so much to me. You mean so much to me."

The turtles heart felt like it was splintering apart. A small girl who was so starved for love; clung to the first person to show her any affection. It could have been someone else back then. If it had been, maybe her life would have been less difficult. If she'd met some human child, or even if Lawrence had been assigned to her sooner, Aria could've loved someone who deserved her. Yet because she met him instead, her world was turned upside down and her life was being cut short. How could she possibly think meeting him was a good thing? How could she love him? "…Aria…I-I don't understand. …I ruined your life. I took away everything. …because of me…you can't dance anymore. …your heart…"

"Belongs to you," Aria finished for him, smiling through her tears. "I never wanted you to blame yourself for this. I didn't want you to push me away…"

Donatello stared backed into Arias eyes as she spoke. He could hear the desperate state she was in, but he couldn't understand her reasoning. She should want revenge, not his love. "… what if I can't cure you?" He asked with a trembling voice, his tears falling freely now. "You should be yelling at me…cursing me…"

Aria pulled his face forward a bit and pressed her lips against his to keep him from saying another word. "I love you…" she whispered, pulling back just enough to meet his eyes. "…so I could never hate you…"

Donatellos breathed hitched as he held back a sob. No matter what Aria said, he knew he could never forgive himself for this. However, it wasn't fair to Aria if he kept making this about him. "…I won't lose you like this…" he replied finally. "…I'm going to make it right."

"That's not your responsibility," insisted Aria as she wiped the tears from his cheeks.

He grabbed her hands and pulled them down from his face. "Yes. It is." Though his voice cracked a bit, his tone was resolute. "…and you have to let me try. …you can't just come into my life and let me fall in love with you, only to leave me so soon. How could I live with myself…if I didn't do everything in my power to keep you with me…?"

Arias eyes went wide, staring at Donatello in shocked silence for a moment. "…d-did you… just…say you love me?"

It took a moment for Donatello to realize what had happened. His cheeks started to burn as the words he spoke sunk in. He'd said it without thinking and it bothered him that those words would have to come out in a moment like this. This wasn't the moment he hoped it would be. Not while they were both shedding tears. "…I do love you…" he confirmed for her quietly.

"A-are you sure?" Aria asked, trying not to get her hopes up. "You're not…just saying that because you feel guilty?"

Donatello shook his head, "I didn't want to tell you like this…" he admitted. He was too emotionally raw right now. He didn't want to be crying like this when he finally said those words. "…I wanted to see you smiling when I told you…but I messed this up too…" he whimpered, wiping his eyes again.

Without warning, Aria began to cry again, covering her face in her hands as she hung her head.

"A-Aria?!" Donatello began in a panic.

"I-I'm sorry!" She choked out in a muffled voice, sniffling slightly as she uncovered her face and wiped her eyes roughly. "I-I want to smile for you! I'm so happy…but-but I can't stop crying."

Donatello smiled, but tears began to spill from his eyes once again. "…I get it…" he replied, leaning over to pull Aria into an embrace. "…can we…just stay like this a while?"

Aria nodded her head, letting her tears fall without reservation as she rested her head against his chest. There was still a lot to say, but they both needed this small moment of peace.

While Aria and Donatello held one another, Lawrence was standing just outside the room. He seemed rather tired himself, but there was a small, sad smile on his face. He knew Aria would be angry with him for how he went about this, but as he always had, Lawrence did what he thought was best for her. As time went on, he worried that she didn't plan to tell Donatello at all. If that continued, Aria would die for sure. He wouldn't let that happen.

Pulling out his phone, he called Dr. Fetters and walked away from the door. "…everything went smoothly. Get all the equipment you'll need ready. By tomorrow, Donatello will be assisting you in your work."