Lost in the Fight

Chapter 25 - Donnie's Decision

*Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

*Author's Notes: Here it is! 'Donnie's Decision!' I think it probably goes without saying that this chapter is rather emotional.

A GREAT big thank you to all of my readers. I'm extraordinarily grateful to each and every one of you for all of your support. Thanks so much for reading! ;) CJ

Okay, onto the chapter . . .

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Chapter 25 - Donnie's Decision

"Donnie! No!" Throwing his usual unshakable self-control to the wind, Leonardo practically screamed out the words, struck by a vivid and sickening sense of déjà vu as he stared down at his little brother's motionless chest. It felt as though his jackhammering heart was suddenly stuck in his throat and no air could pass in or out of his lungs.

He couldn't go through this again. He couldn't lose Donnie after everything that had happened. He just couldn't.

His own words from that horrible night that they had nearly lost Donnie began to repeat in his head . . .

Please, don't do this to me, Donnie. Take a breath.

Well, at least Leo had thought that the words had been repeating in his head. It took a few prolonged seconds for him to become dimly aware that he was actually saying them aloud, like a mantra for all to hear. Once he realized that he was just standing there like an idiot, saying the same thing over and over again, rather than helping his lifeless little brother, he mentally slapped himself.

Come on, Leo! Pull yourself together!

But it was kind of hard to pull oneself together when Mikey kept whimpering Donnie's name – just like he had that night on the rooftop.

Raph, on the other hand, just stood there clenching his fists, his silence also eerily reminiscent of that night.

A twinge of dread lanced its way through Leonardo's gut.

It was as if history was repeating itself and they were being forced to relive the whole ghastly nightmare all over again.

Attempting to push the memory of that night into the furthest recesses of his mind, the leader in blue leaned over his unresponsive brother and anxiously checked for a pulse.

Please, don't do this to me, Donnie. Take a breath.

This time, Leo knew the words were inside his head, because he didn't have the breath to speak them.

It was at that moment that Master Splinter entered the laboratory.

Upon hearing his oldest son's distressed voice cry out, Master Splinter had bolted towards the infirmary, where he found his three conscious boys gathered around his unconscious son's cot. It only took but a moment for the father to figure out why there had been such panic in Leonardo's voice. Splinter shook his head in disbelief as he looked at his second youngest child's bloodcurdlingly still and silent body.

"No! My son," Master Splinter gasped out when he saw that his oldest boy had the tips of his fingers pressed up against Donatello's neck. The realization that his comatose son was not breathing had been devastating enough, but seeing Leonardo checking for a pulse was nothing short of horrifying. Though visibly shaken, the distraught father rushed to his wounded son's side to assist in any way possible.

Afraid that he might get in the way, Michelangelo pushed himself down off the cot and took several clumsy steps backwards. His big, blue eyes never left Donnie's stock-still form while his mouth gaped open, as though to cry out in agony, but he didn't make a sound. He could only stare.