"He's not breathing. Donnie's not breathing!"

April snapped her eyes open quickly, turning her head and looking around startled. It was still dark. Sliding her feet out of the side of her bed, she looked for her slippers and walked slowly towards the door. As silent as she could, she crossed the corridor step by step, stopping in front of a door with a single stain of purple paint on it. Slowly opening the door, April peeked inside.

A soft whistle could be heard through that dark room. The open window provided moonlight enough for her to spot Donatello's sleeping form over the bed. April stepped inside, closing the door behind her and leaning against it for a minute, not taking her eyes out of him. Quietly, she walked to the side of his bed, kneeling by his side and leaning her elbows on the mattress. Resting her chin between her arms, she looked up at his face. Donnie was still, maskless, with his eyes closed, his plastron rising and falling steadily with each peaceful breath. April sighed, hiding her face between her arms.

He is breathing. Donnie is breathing. He is alive. He is okay. Everything is okay now.

"April?"

Startled, she lifted up her gaze to meet Donnie's eyes, half opened, lazily glancing down at her. He frowned when he noticed something shining in the corner of her eye, under the moonlight. In an instant, he was sitting up, crouching in front of her, his enormous hands softly touching her cheeks in comfort.

"April… Are you… Crying…?"

She lowered her head a bit, wiping out her tears as she got up and sat down by his side.

"Don't worry… It was nothing. I'm fine, I swear. Sorry for… Waking you up, Donnie."

"No no no, it's okay…"

Donnie hesitated. He wanted to comfort her, but didn't know what to do.
Suddenly April leaned against his plastron, her right hand's palm resting over his heart. He froze in place, as she listened close to his breathing and the soft - now a bit accelerated - tumpt, tumpt, tumpt of his heart.

"You stopped breathing."

Donnie looked down at her, confused.

"What…?"

"Back then, when you were trapped in your nightmares with those beavers." April explained, not letting go of him, trying to hold back new tears that threatened to stream down her cheeks again. "You stopped breathing, Donnie. I didn't know what to do anymore. You were dying and there was nothing I could do about it…"

The realization hit Donnie. So that's what happened. That's why April couldn't sleep and was there checking on him while he was sleeping. That's why she was crying.
He almost died without even knowing it.

The young turtle slowly wrapped his arms around his friend, pulling her into a soft hug. April felt some tears escaping as she hugged him back, leaning even more into his embrace. They stood like that for some time, simply hugging each other, until she fell asleep. Not wanting to wake her up again, Donnie laid her with him on his bed to sleep together. Every once in a while, when April shivered in her sleep, Donnie would squeeze her a bit tighter or stroke her hair, to reassure her that he was there, that he was fine.

That he was alive.