Diversity

Part 8

Donnie blew out a breath, shaking out his hands before rubbing his sweating palms across his thighs in nervousness. He hated lying, mostly because he was a bad liar. He just hoped that he would be able to lie to his older brother about his test results well enough that Raph wouldn't suspect him of anything.

He rubbed at his tired eyes. He knew that he was going to have to begin to give Raph shots of testosterone, but that was something he did not keep on hand. Most of the drugs he was able to get from April, others were 'appropriated' from ambulances that idled outside of the hospitals with their doors wide open while patients were being transported inside.

The testosterone was something that would be harder to get a hold of. He had wracked his brain to come up with a solution and had hit upon an idea. He had called April and told her about the situation and swore her to secrecy. Casey could not know what was going on. Casey would not be able to keep a secret, especially not about something as horrible as Raph suddenly being neutered.

April had of course been suitably horrified and had promised to help in any way she could. Donnie had then told her of his plan to get the drugs Raph would need. It only required Donnie to hack into the Med-center closest to April's apartment, create a patient chart and number, and then electronically send the prescriptions and the dosage to the pharmacy just down the block from April's. April could then go pick up 'her husband's' prescription.

April was actually on her way to pick up the prescription right now so that Raph could begin his 'treatment' right away.

Donnie knew that telling Raph he had diabetes was not going to be easy and he may have been able to think of a more likely scenario, but it was the first thing that had popped into his mind to explain the need for getting an injection once a month. Although Donnie knew this would not be the actual treatment for anyone with type 2 diabetes, Donnie figured that Raph wouldn't know this and probably wouldn't ask too many questions; at least he hoped he wouldn't.

Raph strolled into his lab, a slightly worried look upon his face.

Donnie had told Leo to go and tell Raph to meet him in his lab for his test results.

"Geez, Donnie, the look you're givin' me right now is freakin' me out." Raph tried for light-hearted, but his eyes looked worried, which was not an emotion Donnie was used to seeing on his hot-headed brother's face.

Donnie tried to smile, but had a feeling that the smile probably looked gruesome. "I have the results of your blood test, Raph." Donnie said, not bothering to answer his brother's implied question. He motioned for his brother to take a seat.

"I'm fine, right?" Raph asked, sitting down opposite Donnie.

"Yes, you will be." Donnie answered with a nod of his head.

"Will be?" Raph questioned, his frown growing deeper.

"I know you haven't really been feeling quite like yourself lately, and I managed to figure out why."

"Come on Donnie, quit stallin' and just tell me what's goin' on." Raph huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You have Type 2 Diabetes." He informed his brother.

"I have what?" Raph asked in confusion. "Isn't that the thing with the needles and that test where you gotta poke your finger a million times a day to check your blood sugar or something?"

"Uh... yes." Donnie said, clearly surprised that his brother knew anything about diabetes. "But you have Type 2, not Type 1." He quickly put in. "Which means you don't have to check your blood sugar every day or anything like that. All you have to do is change your diet, nothing overly high in sugar, and I will give you a shot of insulin every month. I have no doubt that you will start feeling like your old self soon enough." Donnie told his brother, somehow managing the lie about the diabetes and the insulin shot that was in actuality, a shot of testosterone.