Disclaimer: I don't own any version of this franchise, just borrow them from time to time

It was raining. Of course it was raining, because this night just couldn't possibly get any worse! As if to add insult to injury, when I raised my parched throat skyward to what was most likely acid rain, hey after my luck tonight I'd believe anything, but before the first few drops even fell into my mouth I began coughing again.

My body was shaking so hard I was sure more blood had managed to ooze out, like I wasn't already soaked through to my shell from that dip in the river, now I probably had hypothermia to cap it all off.

I knew I gave a pathetic sort of moan which I would later deny, even as my body betrayed me and let my head fall back face down with an insultingly wet slap. I was laying there, drowning in my own blood and stinking water and seriously debating drinking it and just ending my own misery, at least the parched throat part, when I heard a very soft, very tentative "He-hey, are you okay?"

I startled and at once reached for my weapons, only to moan and curse on myself at even that brief movement. How was I still bleeding? Hadn't it all just come out yet, maybe then the pain would stop. I didn't get a chance to think on it long because whoever had spoken was now shuffling forward, speaking again. "Look, my mom warned me about homeless people, and how they'd mug you and stuff, but if you're hurt, I mean there's lots of blood leading back there and-"

It was a kid, I decided, and despite the high pitched cracking suggesting puberty I'd hazard a guess at boy. When he continued to prattle on I came to an enlightening conclusion, a) this is how my brothers must feel about me all the time, which is probably why they abandoned me to the gutter, and b) he wasn't going away.

Forcing one eye, then the other open I got a hazy look at what I was quickly accepting as karma a la death. I couldn't make out any details, most of the street lights in this part of town had been broken by local vandals long ago, but my eyes finally focused in on a figure at the beginning of my little dead end, hehe how ironic, with either batman wings spread wide or an umbrella over his head. My vision was already tunneling out so it was kind of hard to tell which.

It was only as he began to move forward again, his feet insultingly loud to my pounding head, that realization slammed back into me. I didn't know this person, he could be a foot ninja trying a new tactic on me, I mean they had to take those things off and have faces underneath them right?

It was as my mind cataloged this that it also came to the conclusion I was going to die. Okay all joking aside, I wanted to live! I had too much to live for! I had a new comic book issue coming out this month, and a series finale to watch. Plus my brothers still owed me an apology, it was there fault I was in this mess, and I was not going out without that!

My mental babble was abruptly cut off by the kids words saying, "- call 911 alright cause you're like not even moving any more and-"

"No." I snapped, finally feeling a flicker of warmth surge through me, and ending with a coughing fit in my throat. When that was finally passed and I spoke again, I was horrified to hear the sound of my own gruff voice, was I turning into Raph? Before my brain could derail again I blurted, "no," then quickly pressed on thinking fast, "ugh, I don't have insurance. Look I need you to go to-" I broke off again, my mind floundering. Send him to the lair and expose my brothers, or send him to April and Casey's and very possibly expose our very human friends. I was now as torn on the inside as I was on the outside, either way I felt the danger far out weighed the pros, but I had tried getting home on my own and look how well that turned out.

I sat there agonizing for so long that Babble started again, "I think you really did die, because it kind of looked like you stopped breathing under, whatever you're laying under and my mom's going to get worried so I-"

Taking a leap of faith I blurted out an address and after another coughing fit wheezed, "tell them Mikey sent you." I paused again, and felt a smile twitching across my mouth, possibly my last one ever. "Tell them the pizza's getting cold."

When he took a few steps back again, but hesitated and looked back at me, I realized something else. This was it, my one and only chance to get home. Suddenly I would have given up everything in the world for that one simple place, that I had taken for granted. So I ignored the tears, pushed past the pain, and let go of any dignity I had left and managed, "please." Then I passed out.

There's only going to be three chapters total, and they're already written out, so I'll post the next one tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed!