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"So did everybody have enough pizza?" "Dude you can never have too much pizza!" "True, true..." The brothers all laughed, despite the gloominess they've experienced since Master Splinter passed away a few weeks ago.

Mikey could make anybody laugh despite the situation. That's why Splinter had always thought of Mikey as the heart of the team.

The brothers paid the lady at the counter and walked out the door. "Hey Don, how come we always get pizza in the worst parts of town?" "There's only one good reason for that Raph, th-" The brothers stood aghast as their brother limply fell to the ground. The only thing that filled the air was the BANG from the bullet as it left the guns barrel. "Take that you freaks!" The brothers watched as the figure ran further and further until it rounded a corner. Then all eyes focused on Mikey...

Leo bent down and lifted up Mikey's head off the clod cement floor. Don struggled to get the bleeding to stop, but failed. Soon there was a crowd and news vans. Then came the sirens of the ambulance as they came closer and closer. "Leo!" Leo looked up to see April running towards them. "What's going on? I was just coming home from Walmart when I saw the crowd. Is everything okay?" Leo struggled to fight back the tears as he choked on the next sentence he tried to say. "It's Mikey...he's...been shot..." April's eyes widened as Mikey was carried past her on a stretcher and put into the back of the ambulance. "Which one of you want's to ride with him to the hospital?"

The brothers didn't hesitate to send Leo with Mikey. "April, ride with Raph and Don to the hospital. I'll wait for you guys in the waiting room."

The ride in the ambulance was quiet. The man sitting in the back with Leo and Mikey tried to lighten the mood, but failed miserably...

"You missed the turn Don! The sign even said turn left at Oakland to get to NYC hospital!" "Raph just let me drive! How are you doing back there April?" "Oh, I'm fine." April couldn't help but laugh a little as the two brothers argued , even in the hospital parking lot. "Come on you guys, we have to go find Leo."

It was quiet in the elevator as Raph, Don and April nervously approached the second floor where Leo would be waiting with some kind of news. The brothers hesitated as the doors swung open and they saw Leo sitting there with his head in his hands.

"Leo!" Leo's head shot up as he saw April and his brothers walking quickly towards him. "Well?" Leo hung his head and lowered his eyes to the floor. "The shot injured four of his vital organs...he's in surgery right now." The gang was silent as they sat there waiting for the doctor to come through the doors with some kind of news.

Hours passed as the brothers nervously began to move around, unable to sit still any longer. Then the doors swung open and a skinny man in white said something to the nurse at the counter then signaled for Leo to come over. Leo immediately got up and walked over to the doctor. "How is he?" Leo could feel his stomach churning as he waited for an answer. "Well his organs were terribly punctured. He will need some time to heal; he'll have to be more careful when they are healed. You get what I'm saying?" "Yeah..."

Leo thanked the doctor and walked back to his brothers and April. "Can we see him yet Leo?" Leo looked up at his brothers, his eyes full of defeat. "Yeah, only two at a time." Leo let Don and Raph go and see him first. "What is it Leo?" Leo's head perked up and his eyes looked into April's. "I've failed April." Leo got up and walked over to the window and watched as Mikey laid in bed laughing while Don and Raph argued. "What do you mean 'I've failed' Leo?" Leo gave out a big sigh and turned to face April. "I've failed because I let one of my brothers get hurt. I can still remember what Master Splinter said to us right before he died... 'Leonardo, our body needs four vital things to live and function. You Leonardo, are the leader; protector. Rapheal, you are the strength; muscle. Donatello, you are the brains. And Michelangelo, you are the heart.'"

April went silent for a moment then burst out in laughter. Leo looked at her, bewildered. "What's so funny?" "You are Leo! Don't you see what Splinter was trying to tell you?" A body must work together to function. Although sometimes one part may get hurt, the body will always work together to heal."

Then without any warning, Leo fell unconsciously to the floor. "Leo? Leo!" Don and Raph ran out to see what was going on? "Leo!" They both shouted as they raced towards their brother lying limp on the floor. "Go get someone April. Raph, go and sit with Mikey." April quickly got up and ran towards the receptionist while Raph went to keep Mikey company. "Come on Leo, stay with me..." Don sat there holding Leo's head while two doctors and some nurses came running towards them, wheeling a bed and some machines.

"Hurry! Hand me the paddles!" "Sure!" "1, 2, 3, clear! Come on! Come on! We're losing him! 1, 2, 3, clear!" Beep...Beep...The heart machines made beeping noises as the pulse grew a little stronger. "We got a pulse!" The nurse standing around holding an oxygen machine immediately hooked Leo up to it. "Take hi to room four. I need to talk to his brother."

Donatello ran over to the doctor, his heart thudding in his chest. "Your brother will have to stay in room four while I do some tests to see what is wrong with him. He already has a fever of 118 and that's not a very good sign." Donnie nodded and went over to sit by April. "April, go home and get some rest. I'll let you know when something happens." April nodded and headed warily to the elevator.

Don got up and went to tell Mikey and Raph the news about Leo. "How are you feeling Mikey?" "Fine...how's Leo?" "Not too good you guys. He has a fever of 118 and they can't find out what's wrong with him."

Donnie and Raph took shifts between Leo and Mikey. Don and Raph didn't sleep much. They were too busy watching their brothers. Afraid that if they closed their eyes, they would disappear.

Nurses came in and out to get blood samples from Leo and give Mikey pain medicine.

The next morning both brothers woke with a start, realizing that they had fallen asleep. But when they saw that their brothers were still there, they settled down a little bit.

Raph was sitting in Mikey's room, fiddling around with some of the utensils. "G'morning Raph!" Raph dropped the untensil, shocked to see his brother acting so much like himself, not that that was a bad thing. Mikey laughed as Raph awkwardly bent down to pick up the utensil. Then Don came in. "Good Morning you two. How do you feel Mikey?" "Great actually! I'm starved though..." The brothers laughed, happy that Mikey was back to his normal self. "Hey Don?" "Yeah Mikey?" "How's Leo?"

Don's smiled vanished as he thought about Leo. "He's not too good Mikey...his fever keeps going up and his blood pressure is too high..." The room fell silent until the shouts and mumbles from the doctors running towards Leo's room echoed into Mikey's little room.

"Leo!" Raph and Donnie both shouted. "You go see what's going on. I'll stay here with Mikey." Don nodded and hurried to Leo's room. "Doctor, what's the matter?" "Your brother is having a heart attack due to his high blood pressure. Nurse hand me the paddles please." "Sure thing doctor." "1, 2, 3, clear!" "Nothing!" Don sat there horrified as the doctor tried to start his brothers heart again. Come on Leo! "Clear!" "We got a pulse!" "Get him hooked up to an IV immediately!"

Don's heart thudded harder and harder as the doctor walked over to him. "Your brother has a very rare disease. It is mainly cause by stress and worry." "Is there any way to cure it?" "Maybe if he heard Michelangelo's voice. I think he is stressed that you guys will loose him." Don nodded and plodded down the hall to Mikey's room.

"How is he?" "Not good. The doctor said he has too much worry and stress." "About what?" "Loosing you Mikey. The doctor said he might do better if he hears your voice." "let's go see him." Raphn walked over to the closet, opened it, and pulled out a wheelchair.

Raph and Don both helped Mikey climb into the chair. Raph pushed while Don held open the doors.

The brother's faces saddened as they saw Leo lying there, dripping with sweat. Raph parked Mikey next to Leo's bed and took a seat next to Don.

"Leo, it's me Mikey. I need you to wake up and stop worrying about me. Our body can't function without the shell. Sure we have brains, strength and a heart, but those things are nothing without the sheel that holds them. Please Leo wake up! We all miss you so much!" "Yeah, come on buddy." "We all need you Leo." All three brothers gathered closely around Leo, waiting, hoping that he would open his eyes.

It felt like a boulder was dropped on the brothers as they waited for him to open his eyes. Then a sudden movement caught their eyes and they flashed up to Leo's face. Leo was looking down at them.

"Leo!" "Hey...you guys..." Leo found himself in a pile of hugs and pats. "We've missed you Leo!"

Once Leo was out of the pile he reached over and patted Mikey on the head. "You saved me..."

Mikey laughed and said, "No, we saved each other."