"Donnieeee."

There's a warm, wiggling sensation at the bottom of his legs and if Donnie opened his eyes and ignored the call to go back to sleep, maybe he'd see Mikey bouncing on them as another one of his typical wake up calls.

"Donnie. Donnie. Donnie. Donnie!"

"Mikey, please stop. Do you really think chanting his name is helping?"

There's another voice much closer to his head that whispers carelessly in his ear. "Donnie."

"LEO, DUDE! You just did the same thing I did!"

"I did it with style!"

"You just copied me!"

"Leo! Mikey!" Raph's voice next. Great, so they're all in here. "Stop it. We only got a couple seconds to move if we're gonna get home."

Is he not home? He thought he was home.

Donnie shifts his weight to the side, and there's a round of voices that he simply cannot focus on. He groans out in pain when he reaches out to touch what he thinks is the back of his neck. And then the voices are calling to him all over.

Oh, and for the love o—there's a pain making itself obvious all over his shell, just as someone—probably Raph—jostles him. It's like a horrible blister all over his spine, and Donnie cowers when he's placed in his brother's arms.

"You guys.. stop.."

There's silence. And then there's the chorus of,

"Donnie?!" "Dee!" "Bro!"

Voices echo in his head, which bring out a painful migraine he didn't know he had. And he moves around again—probably still in Raph's arms—and cracks one eye open drearily. "...What is your guy's deal? For the love of all things, stop screaming."

Mikey's at least bashful, with a sheepish "sorry, dee" even though there's still a gigantic smile on his face. Donnie thinks he can at least let that slide. Leo and Raph are looking at each other, almost like they're in a secret conversation Donnie knows nothing about. He tries to sit up in Raph's mighty grip, but the pain in his back starts all up again and he finally gets a clue on why they're all acting like this.

Leos gone and he's back so quickly that Donnie never even noticed him disappear. When he returns, he nods at Raph, but he's got something in his arms that Donnie can't identify with his wobbly vision. It becomes even more difficult when Raph starts speed-walking forward, followed by his two other brothers, and Donnie's fully aware at this point that no, they're not in the comfort of his bed. They're not even indoors. They're out somewhere in New York, probably looking for trouble like always, and wow does his shell feels like it's throbbing. Is it throbbing?!

"Where are we?" Donnie asks, bluntly. He doesn't have time for his brother's games. He's gotta get home, assess the obvious damage, and then go back to sleep. He's so tired, but he figures Raph, Leo, and Mikey would all have a problem if he just conked out right here right now.

Raph jumps over something. Donnie doesn't know what it is, but he holds on a little tighter. And Mikey's running to catch up on Donnie's left side, with the pile of junk Leo was holding in his hands. "We're in New York, bro!"

"I know—" Donnie flinches as Raph keeps moving faster and faster. "I know that, Mikey. Geez. Ugh.. what's going on?"

"NICE SHOT, APRIL!" Leonardo's loudmouth voice screams somewhere behind them, and Donnie perks his head up a little bit. April's here? Why is he just now aware of this? Good god, how long had he been unconscious?

"Are we fighting right now?" Donnie mumbles, and he feels so out of it, he wants to think it's a ridiculous question. But clearly it's not when Raph gives a careful look at Mikey, and then tells Donnie "we're definitely not, that's for sure."

"...Okay, but Leo and April?" He murmurs, rubbing a hand over the front of his face. The world is spinning so fast and so quickly, Donnie feels dizzy all of a sudden. And Raph's shouting something back at Leo and April, the very two Donnie's pretty sure are in battle, and Mikey's whispering reassurances to him about how he's gonna be fine, deep breaths Dee. Donnie loves his brother, but the only person he trusts to reassure him of that is himself. And he can't even do that, because he can't get a look at his shell or at his obvious injuries. The only thing he can guarantee is the scratches littering the back of his arms and that's only because he can see those!

No ones answering him, or even at least clueing him in on the obvious fight they're trying to escape from, so Donnie lifts his head up over the crook of Raph's shoulder to get a better view. The excruciating pain in his shell caused just from that movement is enough to send him passing out, but Raph is shoving him back down in seconds with a stern "stay low" so Donnie can't even focus on that.

"Raph," Donnie tries again, despite the chaos of everything. "My shell—it... there's something wrong with it. We have to stop so I can assess the damage."

Raph sends him a sympathetic look. "I know, bro. We're getting out of here. We're gonna take you to dad. You're gonna be fine."

Donnie open's his mouth to say something to that, tell him that no, he really needs to look his shell over right now before he collapses, but Raph is screaming to Leo and April that they're gonna meet them at home. And Donnie's mind goes straight to that, when he barks out "we're just leaving them?!"

"WE'VE GOT IT HANDLED, DEE!" April shouts, because miraculously she heard him.

Donnie doubts they've got it handled, doubts he's gonna get a clear grasp on what's going on until they're home, so instead he just nods and shuts his eyes. One breath after the other, he tries to focus on anything other than the horrible pain he's currently found himself in. He tries to ignore the lingering fear that he can tell his battle shell isn't on him, and that Leo and April are fighting some random mutant ninja man all by themselves.

"Donatello—Donatello, my son, you must stay still!" Splinter hisses, after it becomes apparent that bandaids and cream aren't nearly enough to solve this. Donnie doesn't know what this is, they've still yet to clue him in on details, but he knows whatever it is it's bad. And he knows he and only he needs to check himself over, because honestly what does his father know of medical devices and all the ins and outs in his lab?

Donnie chokes something out that feels like it's a mix between a cough and a sob, though he'd never admit to the latter. He struggles back and forth, trying his best to wean his way out of Raph's iron grip on his arms and Mikey's tough hold on his legs, and just breathe. He's never felt this horrible before, he's never been so out of the loop. He's the genius of the family, and he doesn't know a single thing about what's happening to him.

All of the greats had no problem operating on themselves when it came down to it. His family, the people holding him hostage on a table, seemed to have a problem when he tried to do it himself.

"Dad." Donnie whisper-begs, sucking in a breath to stay calm. "Dad. Please. I can handle it. You know I can handle it. Can you please just let me do this.."

"Donatello," Splinter's on his level and stroking the back of his head. "You are not doing this by yourself when there are people willing to help you. Please, just rest. I have this handled."

Donnie slams his head against the metal table, whining out loud about how this isn't right, he's the scientist, he knows what he's doing more than everyone else.

Mikey pats Donnie's thigh. This is the most emotion he's heard Donnie use in years, so he knows this is something that really is important to him. But at the same time, Mikey's wondering if his older brother has gone and lost it, because what turtle in their right mind would be able to operate on their shell? He'd have to turn his body all around, and who wants to do that?! "Bro, chillax. It's gonna be okay."

"Like you know! No ones even told me how bad it is! No one even knows what they're doing! I just.." Donnie repeatedly lifts his head up and down against the table, until Raph lessens his grip just a smidge to grab his brother's head for him.

"Donnie. Stop." Raph states sternly. He exchanges a look with Splinter and Mikey, while Splinter works on the shell. When his father nods, Raph looks back to his injured brother. "Okay, you want to know what happened?"

"Please.."

Raph sucks in a breath. "We were in a fight. We don't even know who it was with. He was in total black, but it was clearly a mutant. We got distracted. He went for you. When you weren't paying attention, he slammed your battle-shell off..."

Donnie visibly winces at that.

"April and I wrestled him away, but then just like that there were more of them. Like twenty. You and Mike were working together, but they got in a couple good hits without your shell on. You got hurt. But you're gonna be fine."

Theres silence. Raph is holding in a breath. Mikey is watching Donnie register the information. And Splinter's stitching parts of Donnie's shell side by side all while eyeing his purple wearing son to determine whether giving him this information was truly a good idea, or would backfire on them at any second.

Donnie frowns. He eyes the pile of junk that Mikey has brought in and that now sits in the corner. He lets out a sigh.

"I feel like you gave me the rundown version," Donnie stares, emotionless passion back in his voice. "but yeah. Okay. At least I know."

Raph lets out his own sigh. Mikey wipes at his forehead.

"And that's.. that's the battle shell?" Donnie motions to the heap of jumbled parts.

"That's the battle shell." Raph replies, honestly.

Mikey mumbles a brief "sorry, dee" but Donnie doesn't even care at this point.

"Least you guys got the parts back." He visibly relaxes.

Splinter rubs a paw over the back of Donnie's head again, mumbling reassurances as he puts in needle after needle. "Donatello, you may rest now." He tries, but Donnie shakes his head.

"No, I'm fine. If you aren't going to let me do this myself, I need to at least stay awake to make sure all doesn't go wrong."

Mikey face-plants. "Donnnnnnnie."

The sewers quiet when April and Leo swing inside. No ones out in the ramps, the main room, or any other place they first see when they walk in. Leo nudges April's shoulder and points to the lab, the place where the odds his brothers and father being are more than likely, given the circumstances, and April nods her head and jogs forward to catch up.

When they walk in, it's quiet. Donnie's asleep on the metal table, Raph and Mikey have pulled up chairs next to his side. Splinter is washing off surgical devices in the sink. But nonetheless, the whole gang look up at their arrival.

"How's the patient?" April asks, eyeing Donnie. Leonardo swings over beside Mikey to get a better look at Donnie's damage for himself.

"He'll be okay," Raph answers, while rubbing his brother's shoulder. "He passed out a little while ago." Mikey nods.

April watches them for no more than a couple seconds, before she, too, walks over to the rest of the group to sit at Donnie's side.

"He hates this," Mikey mumbles. And automatically, all eyes are on him. "The battle shell, I mean. I know Donnie likes talking about how awesome it is and everything, but... sometimes I feel like he doesn't mean it, you know? I know he wishes... he wasn't..."

"A soft-shell." Leo finishes, with a sigh. "Yeah. I've noticed he feels like that sometimes. And that was before this."

"He's got replicas of it. But none of them have all the same functions this battle shell has, so I know it's gonna be like..." Mikey trails off. "difficult remaking it and not feeling like... I don't know, he needs it. He'll mask it as woooo! new project! no one bother me for a couple hours, though."

April would probably laugh if this was any other time where the turtles were imitating one another. But in times like this, deep conversations where she learns more and more about her best friend's inner thoughts, it gets less funny and she feels worse and worse for the life they secretly have to lead.

She does not pity them. Because she knows each one of them is badass and amazing and everyday she's so grateful she knows them. But she knows sometimes it creeps up on them that they can't be seen in public like she can, not without a cover story. She knows sometimes they have difficulties that they and only they can work through, like Donnie with his soft-shell.

"I don't care if he wants us out. We're helping him with it, whether he likes it or not." Raph mutters, shrugging at the end of his statement. Donnie would know better than to argue when his brothers were determined to help him out with something.

It's just in time, fortunately, that Splinter comes over and flicks a wet rag in their faces. Mikey winces but giggles all the same, and Raph and Leo are yelling at their father, while April grins.

"Enough of this talk." Splinter declares. "Donatello is going to be fine. I do not expect any of you children to pity what he is going through, because it is the last thing he would want. Just be kind to your brother. Boys, you will be staying home for the next while until he has fully recovered. April, you are free to come and go here as you please as long as you do not tempt them to leave."

April crosses her heart on her chest, and Splinter nods satisfactorily.

"Good. One of you come find me when he has awoken. I am going to do my own bit of research."

Raph nods, promises he will just as their father leaves, and then turns back to Donnie.

"Yeah, pops is right. The only thing that matters is that his shell is gonna recover and he'll be healthy in no time! We can help Donnie out with whatever he needs until then."

Leo eyes the marks and sewed up cracks decorating his brother's shell, but nods. "Man, is he gonna hate these next few weeks."

Mikey's got an ice pack pressed against the back of his shell. Donnie knows it does nothing to help speed the healing process along nor does it do anything to make him feel any better, but he doesn't tell any of this to Mikey. He knows that weirdly enough, it means a lot to his brother to know he's helping him out, so Donnie lets it slide.

The purple clad turtle has got his face pressed against the pile of pillows his brother's set down, and he's wedged in between his family during one of their famous movie nights. Things are okay.

It's been five days since, what Leo is calling, The Incident occurred. For most of the 5 days, all Donnie wanted to do was work on a new and improved battle shell, so he could get back out there as soon as possible despite his father's demands. But his bros had different ideas. Fortunately and unfortunately, because as unproductive as it was to lounge around their home all day everyday, it was oddly kind of nice how hard they were trying to spend time with him.

The first day they were all a bunch of suck ups. Raph even tried to feed him. Donnie ended that as soon as it started.

But right now? In this moment? It's strangely okay. Because he's got Raph at his left side and Leo on his right. And Mikey's right behind him with the ice pack, while Splinter's on his chair watching them all. And April's in the kitchen cutting up the pizza she so generously brought over. And Donnie still has to finish his new and improved battle shell, but he can get to that later.

"I can't believe you actually knew what you were doing." Donnie had said to Splinter days earlier, when he realized his shell truly was healing and that this wasn't gonna turn into something that would mark the end of Donnie.

If it was any other time, Splinter probably would have been a bit more serious. Maybe he'd get a tail flick. But no, this time, Splinter had laughed, patted Donnie's side, and said, "you're father always knows what he is doing! You have to trust your family more, Donatello."

And maybe he was right. Dad normally is, Donnie thinks as he tears his eyes away from the horror movie before him. He does need to trust them a bit more. He hasn't even worked on his battle shell for more than an hour and the world hasn't fallen into chaos. Nothing has. He's still living and breathing. He's really, truly okay.

It hurt like hell for awhile, and he's got a lot longer for recovery, but through that he has his brothers. He has his dad, and he has April. He's got the pizza April just placed in front of him. It's all gonna be okay.

"What are you smiling at?" Leo asks, eyeing him strangely. "This not scary enough for the brave Donatello? Because I can name several other times when you were horrified by things to make up for it. I've got a lot. You wanna hear them again?"

Donnie grins a bit wider. He nudges his brother's shoulder. "You know, Leon. I seem to recall a time when we were six years old and—"

"—dONNIE WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT!"

Donnie laughs.