Donatello laid on his carapace, staring at the ceiling. The room was silent other than April's slow, even breaths. Light began to punch through the curtain as the sun rose higher in the sky. Donnie thought of his brothers, who were probably eating breakfast and wondering where he was. The turtle grabbed his tPhone from the bedside table and sent a brief text to his eldest brother.

Donatello: April called me early this morning, said she was really sick. I'm going to stick around until she's better, then I'll be home. Tell Sensei I'll make up training this evening

He placed the phone back on the night stand and allowed his eyes to fall shut. A few moments later, the phone buzzed.

Leonardo: No problem, Don. Hope she gets better soon. Mikey says to tell her hi

Donnie smiled at his youngest brother just as he heard a small groan from the girl beside him. He turned over on his side to see her moving slightly. Her jaw locked into a yawn and she began to stretch. Donatello laid his head back down onto the pillow and smiled at her.

April's eyes slowly slid open, looking fully alive and back to their normal blue. The corners of her mouth curled into a sleepy smile.

"Hi," she said quietly.

"Hi," Donnie replied in a near whisper.

The pair remained facing one another silently for a few moments. April began to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"Feeling better?" Donnie asked.

Still drowsy, she wordlessly replied with a nod and grumbly mm-hmm.

"Do you feel like you could eat something?" he asked.

April's eyes flew open and she nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, definitely."

Donatello began to sit up and climb out from under the blanket. April began to do the same, but he stopped her.

"Just stay there. I'll bring you breakfast in bed. How does that sound?" he suggested.

She smiled, but shook her head. "You don't need to do that for me, Donnie. I feel so much better now."

Donatello walked around the bed to April and pulled her covers back over her. "No, really. Let me do this for you."

April frowned a bit. "Are you sure, Don?"

"Yes," he said through a chuckle.

Soon the apartment was filled with the smell of bacon. April's stomach growled as she sat up in her bed, happily anticipating a good breakfast. Donnie appeared in her doorway with a large tray. He sat on April's side of the bed and handed her a tall glass of orange juice.

"I attempted an omelette, but it just turned into scrambled eggs. Mikey is a much better cook than I am. Oh, and I almost forgot: Mikey says hi," Donnie remarked as he laid the tray across April's lap and removed a plate for himself.

She chuckled at him. "Scrambled eggs are my favorite anyway. And you can tell Mikey that I said 'hi' too." She took a bite of toast and tapped the open bed beside her. "Join me?"

The turtle grinned. "Certainly."

Just as Donnie sat back on the bed, he asked, "So where did that headache come from? Do you get them often?"

April took a sip of her orange juice. "I actually used to get migraines like that all the time when I was a kid. I don't really know when or why they happen. Just something I have to deal with every now and then," she explained.

Donatello furrowed his brow and looked at her. "That's miserable though. Isn't there anything you can do to prevent them?"

She shook her head. "I never know when they'll happen. I just have to take medicine as quickly as I can and tough it out."

The turtle munched on a strip of bacon. "That's awful, April. I'm glad you called me."

"Yeah, me too," April said. "It's good to know you're only a few minutes away when I need you. And I definitely needed you this morning." She stole a glance out of the corner of her eye, making her blush slightly.

"Thank you, Donnie," she said quietly, keeping her eyes on her breakfast. "You just being here has meant a lot."

Although she refused to make eye contact with him, she could feel his eyes burning into her. Donatello truly was special, especially to her. He never failed her, never let her down, never disappointed her.

The turtle chuckled. "You should know by now that all you need to do is say three words: Get here now."

April laughed, and they smiled at each other. A surge of guts came over her and she quickly leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek before filling her mouth with orange juice again.

She saw Donnie's face light up with blush and an uncontrollable smile spread across his face. His voice cracked a little when he spoke.

"So, are you going to try to make it into school for the rest of the day?" he asked.

April scrunched up her face in thought and checked her clock. "Well, I've already missed English class, and trigonometry is almost over now. I guess I could try to make it in. I still don't feet like I'm back at one-hundred percent, though."

"Well, then," Donnie started. "Maybe you should just play hookie for the rest of the day. No harm in missing one day, right?"

April began to smile. "As long as we can move this little game of hookie to the lair."

The turtle beamed and took her empty plate and glass. "As long as you think you feel well enough, I'd be happy to have you there."

"If I'm going to miss school, I might as well spend it with you guys. Let me text Casey about the homework and get cleaned up, then we'll go." April climbed out of bed a stretched a little before wobbling and sitting back down.

"You okay?" Donnie asked.

She rubbed her temples for a moment. "Yeah, just a little light-headed from the medicine."

Donnie placed the tray of dishes on the bed and knelt in front of April. "Just take it nice and easy, alright?"

She nodded and tried to stand again with Donnie holding her elbow to support her. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. "I think I'm good now. Thanks, Don."

The turtle took the tray of dishes into the kitchen as April fired a text message to Casey.

April: Hey Casey, I'm sick today. Can you bring my homework over to the lair sometime this evening?

She walked down the hallway to the bathroom and placed her tPhone on the counter next to the sink. April began to brush her teeth, but let out a loud blech!

"You okay, April?" Donatello called down the hallway.

She laughed a little. "Yeah I'm fine! Orange juice and toothpaste make a horrible combination!" she shouted back to the turtle. She finished brushing her teeth and spit, just as her tPhone buzzed.

Donnie appeared in the doorway as April brushed her hair.

"Can you read me Casey's text?" she asked.

Donatello grabbed her phone and leaned his shell against the door frame.

"Um..." Donnie started. "He doesn't seem too happy."

April furrowed her brow. "What did he say?"

Donnie read the text aloud. "He said, 'Oh, so you're sick enough to skip school, but not enough to skip hanging out with Donnie Boy?'"

April pulled her hair into her signature low ponytail and rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Whatever. He'll get over it. And he had better still bring me my homework. Let me throw on something other than pajamas and we'll go."

She squeezed past Donnie and walked back down the hall to her bedroom. As she was about to shut the door, the turtle stopped her.

"Do you want me to text him back?" he asked.

April pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. A sly smile spread across her face and she grabbed her phone. She quickly texted Casey, then handed it back to Donatello. "There, let's see what snarky reply he has for that."

The door shut and Donnie looked back at the tPhone, reading the text she had sent.

April: Just bring me my homework, Casey. And jealousy is the ugliest trait :)