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Dr Don - Chapter 9

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Chapter 9: "Trust me"

"… fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…" Leo counted, as he was handing over each chewed up candy stick to Mikey on the floor. Donnie's lab coat was slowly getting lighter with each object the turtle removed from its many pockets, and the major part of the content had soon become ridiculously obvious. "… Seventeen, eight- Okay, this can't be healthy for anyone."

"Yeah, dude. He's teeth are gonna fall out," Mikey nodded, while sporting no less than three lollipops in his mouth and using the discarded candy sticks to build something that could be a rent free cottage for cockroaches. He loudly crunched on the candy with a content look. "Man, he's gonna start looking like Casey. What a bummer. Wait, do you think April would like him more then?"

Leo didn't answer as he picked up yet another stick and gave it a look. "I know that he's been eating them non-stop all day, but this is just…" Leo shook his head in disbelief. "And these are just the ones he didn't throw away-"

"Oh! Is that a blue one?" Mikey suddenly interrupted, his eyes focused on the pockets like darts on a bullseye. Before Leo could answer him, the young ninja had swiftly jumped up from the floor and snatched the lab coat to take a closer look.

"I would be careful putting my fingers in those pockets if I were you," Raph pointed out from the couch, without looking up from his comic book. "You might feel a prick…"

Mikey froze in the middle of the motion with a creeped out expression. Leo took the coat again and Mikey started to slowly back away from it, as if the sleeves might try to bite his face. Leo glanced at the couch and the gangly, motionless body lying next to Raph. Donnie was still asleep. Whatever Splinter had done to knock him out earlier, it was apparently very effective. Raph however was not about to let his guard down just because the mad scientist was out cold. The red masked ninja kept looking up from the comic to throw a wary glance at Donnie, showing off excellent skills in multitasking.

Leo had spent the last hour trying to come to terms with of how everyone was doing after the horrific events in the lab. He had concluded that Raph's murderous intent towards their brother had definitely been dulled down a notch, and Leo suspected that it was partly thanks to the punch. It seemed like the opportunity to physically hurt Donnie had an almost therapeutic effect on the hothead, and made him surprisingly calm considering the circumstances. The fact that everyone was fine and finally outside the lab was probably a contributing factor as well. But Leo had a feeling that Raph had not forgotten, less forgiven, what Donnie had done. The turned tables just kinda dampened his anger a bit.

Mikey was the one who was acting the most like himself, and at the same time the one Leo was the most concerned about. His blood grew considerably colder when he thought about the look in Mikey's eyes in the water tank. Leo had never seen him so scared in his whole life, and it clashed severely with the carefree turtle that was munching on candy right now. Leo suspected that Mikey's mind must be doing an admirable job trying to protect him from those memories, and instead made him act as if Leo and Raph were the only victims in the room. No matter how much Leo wanted to appreciate his little brother's cheerfulness, the light mood was somewhat tainted by a worry of how this was going to end. He had to talk to Splinter about this later.

The best word Leo could come up with to describe his own feelings was "conflicted". He had felt many things towards Donnie today. Fear, anger, and even pity… But right now, it was more of a mix of distrust and responsibility. The reasonable voice in Leo's head told him that Donnie was a victim too. That it was the mutagen that made him do the things he did, blinding him from realizing what was truly going on. Donnie didn't comprehend that in reality, he was harming his brothers. He didn't compute… Every cause of discomfort had been completely justified in his foggy mind. The same way Leo and the others didn't see anything wrong in beating up the Kraang, or even to kill Shredder. It was justified, because in the end it was for a good cause. A greater good. Just like a retro-mutagen. In a twisted way, Donnie was just trying to help everyone. Leo knew that. But he had to keep reminding himself of it, as another part of him only wished that he could punch Donnie too. Or something worse.

Leo turned back to the lab coat and picked up the next item from the pocket. It was a small glass bottle containing a clear liquid. Mikey leaned closer and studied it with a skeptic look. "Dude, take this from a water balloon expert. That stuff is probably not water…"

"I get it, "Leo replied, and turned it over to read the label. He frowned at the text. "… I don't even know how to start pronouncing this."

"I know someone who can," Raph answered, and glanced at Donnie with a somewhat cruel look. He put away the comic before grabbing the scientist's shoulders and started shaking him roughly while shouting "TURBULANCE". Donnie's eyes snapped open as if he was being murdered in his sleep and he sat up in an instant. Raph grinned at the shocked turtle's expression and folded his arms. "Bright eyed and bushy tailed. What's the matter? You look like you've had a nightmare."

Donnie's horrified expression soon changed to a pained one. He groaned miserably and leaned forward, heavily resting his head in his hands. Raph picked up his comic again and eyed his brother unsympathetically. "Still having headaches, huh?"

Donnie didn't answer but nodded in response.

"Anything else?" Raph asked casually.

"Is it cold in here…?" Donnie mumbled, and slowly looked up in anguish. His expression changed into a surprised one when he noticed Leo. "… Is that my lab coat?"

"Not the answer we wanted," Raph muttered, and went back to reading.

"Here," Donnie sighed, and held out his hand to Leo. "Can I have it back?"

"No," Leo answered, as he gave the glass bottle to Mikey who put it in the pile of pocket treasures.

"And why not?" Donnie asked indignantly.

"Because it's not your lab coat," Leo clarified, and turned to Donnie with one hand on his hip. "You took it, remember?"

"And you didn't say 'please'," Mikey pointed out, with a smile.

"Alright… Then give me back the lab coat, please" Donnie said, with an unamused look. "Come on, guys. Stop messing around, I need to-"

Donnie seemed to just now realize what Leo and Mikey were doing, and looked at the pile of candy sticks, glass bottles, and the pieces of a broken glass slide Leo suspected that Donnie must have put in the pocket without thinking twice. The scientist gave his brothers a deadpan look. "… That's my stuff, isn't it?"

"Nope," Leo said again. He tossed the lab coat over to Mikey before turning to Donnie with a stern look. "Again, you took it. Taking something doesn't make it yours, stealing is wrong, and I shouldn't even have to tell you this."

"I say that we make sure those grabby fingers don't shoplift anything else," Raph said, and looked at the leader. "Didn't he have those pockets packed with cable ties? Here. Hand me some, will ya? I wanna try something fun…"

"Sorry, Raph. Seems like he's all out," Leo told him. "I'm guessing that's why he didn't tie up April's legs when he was-"

"Wait- April…?" Donnie asked with a surprised expression that slowly turned into a look of panic. Donnie suddenly shot up from the couch, making Raph quickly abandon his comic to pull him down again. The hotheaded turtle kept a firm grip on the scientist's shoulders, forcing him down to keep him from going anywhere. Donnie however didn't seem to pay much thought to his brother, and was busy scanning the lair with an increasingly troubled look. "Where did April go?"

"Home," Raph answered, eying him warily. "What? You thought we were gonna have a sleepover?"

Donnie gave Raph a narrow look and then sighed. He started to rub his left temple tiredly, as if his headache had taken a turn for the worse. "Okay…" Donnie said calmly. "I'm just gonna go out on a whim here and assume that no one in this room had the common sense to take a blood sample from her before she left? Oh, right. I forgot. You're terrified of needles-"

"It doesn't matter," Leo interrupted in annoyance. "The lab is locked."

Donnie's look turned completely blank. "The lab is what?"

Mikey, who had thrown the lab coat over his head to look like a semi-successful impression of a ghost, took out one of his lollipops and used it to happily point at the lab doors. They were sealed with heavy chains, three different padlocks, and two large wooden planks that had been bolted to the metal with screws the size of thumbs. Donnie stared at the handiwork in disbelief before turning to his brothers. "Oh, come on…! Really? Why would you do that?"

"Well, for starters, the stench of fear and insanity was getting all over the place," Raph said, with a subtle glare at his brother.

"Don't worry, it's just temporary," Leo told Donnie. "And once you understand why we did this, I think it will be safe enough to open it again."

"You guys are jerks," Donnie said, and folded his arms with a disgruntled look. "You know that, right?"

Meanwhile, the freckled ninja had continued the exploration of Donnie's lab coat, and discovered an inner pocket they hadn't checked yet. Mikey hauled up a small, orange, plastic bottle and curiously opened it up to check what was inside. The young turtle frowned. "Um, Leo…? Do drug stores sell pez?" Mikey asked, and held up the bottle. "Cuz, I kinda want this to be candy too, but something tells me it isn't."

Leo quickly took the bottle and checked the label. This word he knew how to pronounce. "Not under the name Adderall, they don't..."

"Um, I could actually use some of that," Donnie began, and made an attempt to get up, but Raph grabbed his arm and squeezed it warningly.

"Which means that you don't get to touch it," Raph stated, and then looked at Leo. "What does it do?"

Leo was still reading the label. "… Donnie?" Leo suddenly said, with a glance at his brother. "When was the last time you slept?"

Donnie scratched his chin, as if Leo just had asked him to help with a crossword puzzle. He then looked at him with a furrowed brow. "How would you define sleep?"

Leo simply shook his head, and turned to the others instead. "Well, I think I have an idea of how he's been able to stay up for almost 48 hours straight."

"Are we strictly counting REM sleep, or does the times I've been knocked unconscious count?" Donnie continued curiously. "Also, if you don't mind, I could really- Ouch, ouchouchouch…!"

Donnie had subconsciously tried to stand up again, which immediately resulted in Raph clenching his fingers even tighter around the scientist's arm, forcing him to sit down. The green eyed turtle didn't even look at him, and was only focused on Leo as the leader read the label out loud.

"… side effects may include nausea, tics, insomnia, grandiosity, obsessive behavior, irrational behavior, headaches, and… sugar cravings," Leo said, and raised an eyebrow at the last part. He glanced at the pile of candy sticks on the floor. "Alright, seems like we're another mystery down. And this bottle is prescribed to someone named Ashley. How did you get it?"

Raph had let go of his brother's abused arm, and the taller turtle was currently rubbing the sore spot. Donnie pondered over the question for a minute, like someone trying to remember what he had for lunch last Tuesday. "I… have absolutely no idea."

"Are you serious?" Leo asked, with a doubtful look.

Donnie didn't answer immediately. As the pain in the arm faded away, the pain in his head seemed to slowly make a comeback. He shut his eyes tightly and buried his face in his left hand. His voice was slightly muffled when he started talking. "I've had... I don't wanna call them blackouts, but I'm experiencing a couple of 'gaps' from early this morning. ... And from most of last night, to be completely honest."

"And you didn't think this was important enough to share with us?" Leo asked, with growing impatience.

"On the contrary, I think this may be reason for some pretty serious concern…" Donnie mumbled. "I didn't say anything because I didn't wanna worry you guys."

"You thought THAT would worry us?" Raph yelled. "Are you kidding me?! Hey! Do you wanna know what MIGHT worry us a little-"

"Please, lower your voice..." Donnie begged, and leaned forward with a groan. "Every time you talk it's like 200 decibels are having a steel pan orchestra in my head..."

Raph studied the purple masked turtle for a moment. His furious look soon softened and he looked at Donnie with an evil grin. "HUH? WHAT WAS THAT?" Raph yelled sarcastically, and put an arm around Donnie to pull him closer. "TWO HUNDRED, YOU SAY? WOW! ISN'T THAT SOMETHING!"

"Itchaaa…" Donnie whimpered in agony and tried to cover his ears.

"Knock it off, Raph!" Mikey suddenly interrupted. The younger ninja glared at the older one with an attitude Leo rarely ever saw Mikey use. Especially against Raph. "Give him a break, okay? How is he supposed to go back to the real Donnie if you keep treating him like the bad one!"

Raph blinked and stared at Mikey. Even Donnie looked up, temporarily distracted from the pain by the scene in front of him. They both looked at the younger turtle, who now was wearing the lab coat as a sort of white cape, but his eyes were stubborn and fixed on Raph. Leo could feel a familiar vibe in the air. The same one he always felt seconds before Raph exploded, usually whenever Mikey said or did something to tick him off. The hotheaded turtle suddenly got up on his feet, his eyes riveted on the younger ninja like bolts of green lightning. Everything in Raph's body language was making warning signs, and the freckled turtle instinctively took a step back. Raph, however, didn't move. He just watched his little brother closely, like a shark trying to decide whether it was hungry or not. But something was holding him back. Leo noticed how Raph's look lingered one second longer on the white coat around Mikey's shoulders. Without a word, Raph picked up the same comic book he had been reading earlier, and sat down on the couch again. Still within a punching distance from Donnie, but further away from him than before.

Mikey looked just as shocked as Leo felt, and Donnie was still observing the younger turtle with a look that Leo had no idea how to interpret.

"Anyway," Leo said, to kill the uncomfortable silence, and turned to the others. "The question is: How do we get the 'real' Donnie back?"

"Um, sitting right here," Donnie pointed out, and carefully raised a hand to support this statement.

"Yeah, we're not talking about you," Raph clarified, still reading the comic.

"Wanna know something ironic?" Mikey asked, and scratched his head. "If it was me or Raph or Leo who got messed up in the head with mutagen, the real Donnie would totally know how to fix it."

Leo watched Mikey for a second, before looking back at Donnie. He studied the scientist while musing over something. "… Maybe we won't need the real Donnie for that?"

"Again, I'm just as 'real' as any of you guys," Donnie pointed out, with an exasperated gesture. "I have to ask, is this some kind of elaborated practical joke? Should I be laughing my dimples off by now? Because I just find this whole thing increasingly infuriating-"

Leo suddenly sat down on Donnie's other side and looked him in the eyes. "Hi there, Donnie. Say, if someone hypothetically would inhale some boiling mutagen and started acting weird and dangerous, what would you do to cure that person?"

"Well…" Donnie began, with a thoughtful expression. "… In that case I would start by mixing five milligrams of sodium chloride with two milligrams of liquid nitrogen, and stir it down together with ten buckets of nothing."

"Wait, hang on," Mikey interrupted, while scribbling down something in a small notepad, which also had formerly belonged to one of Donnie's pockets. "How do you spell 'so dumb claw ride'?"

"Leo, listen to me," Donnie told his brother in a kind, but tired voice. "I know that I'm 'that person'. And I get that this 'hypothetical' scenario is a representation of our current situation. My head hurts, yes, but it doesn't mean that I've completely lost the ability to read between the lines. I'm not brain dead. And I'm well aware of this amazing, though totally unsubstantiated, hypothesis of yours that mutagen fumes somehow would affect your brain chemistry to the extent that it would change who you are…! It's absurd. And I can assure you that except from a persistent migraine and couple of bruises here and there, I couldn't feel better." Donnie smiled at him. "Do you understand? Trust me, Leo. There's nothing to worry about."

Leo didn't return the smile and looked at Donnie sternly. "What worries me is that if something did alter your brain; wouldn't you be the last one to know?"

"Huh. Interesting perspective," Donnie admitted, and scratched his chin. "You mean like the fact that a delusional person wouldn't know that he is delusional or he wouldn't be delusional? A little bit like that? Well, the only obvious fault in your reasoning would be the fact that I am still highly functioning, intelligent and very much the same person-"

"You're definitely not. But just humor me here," Leo interrupted, in a voice that was treading a thin line between calm and impatient. "Assuming that I'm right, how would you-"

"I can't assume that, the whole scenario doesn't make any sense…!" Donnie protested.

"Stop wasting your breath, Leo," Raph said, in annoyance. "How the heck is he supposed to help anyway? He doesn't even think he's sick!"

Leo didn't answer. He kept his eye contact with Donnie, as if he was hoping to find an instruction manual in his eyes. "Okay then, Donnie," Leo eventually said and folded his arms with a defiant look. "Prove to me that you're so smart. Answer this: Someone inhales the fumes of something. It could be mutagen, it could be a chemical, it could be Kraang pea soup, we don't know. The important thing is that whatever this is, it starts affecting this person's behavior. How would you fix that?"

Donnie studied Leo in silence. It felt like minutes before he finally spoke. "… What kind of behavioral symptoms are we hypothetically talking about here?"

Leo felt like bringing out the fireworks. He sighed in relief and managed a small smile. Donnie was finally playing along. If only to entertain his own intellect.

"Okay, um…" Leo hesitated, trying to pick his words with the greatest care. "Well… The personality is pretty much intact, but… Is there a term for someone who completely lacks any sense of moral, can't tell right from wrong, doesn't seem to feel regret, empathy, or jealousy for that matter, and with a very unhealthy confidence in his own ideas and brilliance?"

"Raphael?" Mikey boldly guessed, making the red masked turtle roll his eyes but he didn't say anything.

Leo could almost hear Donnie's mind working to construct the reply. The scientist was glancing at the ceiling, his mind too far away to notice the rest of them. "Well, if you put it that way… I'd say that a lack of empathy and overconfidence is a pretty good definition of a person suffering from a psychopathic personality disorder."

Leo blinked a couple times and Raph looked up from his comic in surprise. "For real? Huh. I think some other smart turtle mentioned that earlier…"

"Will you just keep reading?" Leo said tetchily before turning back to the taller turtle. "So, Donnie. Since you're also a pretty smart turtle, what would you do to turn this hypothetical person back to normal?"

"Hard to say," Donnie answered, with a troubled look. "That would depend entirely on the properties and abilities of the active substance that's causing the symptoms. I would start by analyzing this Kraang soup and-"

"You can't. You don't have the equipment for it," Leo stated deadpan.

"It's locked up," Mikey clarified.

"… I think you're making this hypothetical scenario unnecessarily difficult," Donnie pointed out with a skeptic look. "Anyway, I'd say that for the fumes to be able to cause these kinds of symptoms, the properties of said chemical agent must somehow have affected the neurons in the brain-"

"Yeah, yeah, never mind how it happened. How do you fix it?!" Raph wanted to know.

"Okay, well, that would depend on how it happened…!" Donnie retorted, with a glare. "Or what? Am I supposed to guess? This is crucial information. If your stomach hurts, it could be appendicitis, but you don't remove your appendix because of a bad burrito."

"So what would you do in this case, Donnie?" Leo wanted to know.

"Honestly? Nothing," Donnie answered truthfully.

"… Please be joking this time," Leo asked in disbelief.

"No, I'm very serious," Donnie stated. "Without the proper equipment, I wouldn't be able to find out the components of this chemical or Kraang soup or whatever, which means that I would have no idea what it would take to reverse the effect. I could mix together 20 random antidotes and ask Mikey to pick one from a hat and that would be just as good a guess."

"Fine. I get it," Leo said bitterly. He realized that they in a way had painted themselves into a corner by sealing off the lab. But they had no choice. Donnie was too dangerous to be allowed around the equipment in there. And having someone keeping him under guard during his experiments was out of question, since they had no way of knowing whether he was mixing an antidote or making knockout gas. Plus, analyzing the 'Kraang soup' would mean analyzing the boiling mutagen. And Leo was not going to let Donnie or any one of his brothers near that stuff ever again.

Leo suddenly gave Donnie a serious look. "Can you at least tell if it's permanent or not?"

"Let's see... Considering the symptoms you listed," Donnie explained. "… I believe it's pretty safe to assume that it's the neurons, also known as the nerve cells, in the brain that are causing the problem. Which means that this mysterious Kraang soup probably has altered them somehow. But it's impossible to say if the effect will be permanent or not. However, brain surgery would probably be an efficient way to-"

"Wait, did you say nerve cells?" Leo asked, feeling a small jolt of hope. "Cells die and replace themselves all the time, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"Which means that this completely hypothetical person should go back to normal all by himself," Leo concluded. "With the fumes from the mutag- I mean, the Kraang soup gone, the affected cells will eventually die and then be replaced with new, unaffected ones."

"Is this hypothetical person an alien?" Donnie asked politely, with a hint of annoyance. "If he's not, then the whole scenario you just painted up is physically impossible."

"What are you talking about?" Leo asked, honestly not sure what Donnie was trying to say.

"First of all," Donnie began, and folded his arms. "Don't interrupt me when I'm trying to explain something important. Trust me; it's for your own benefit. Secondly, neurons don't undergo cell division like normal cells. The ones that are transmitting information via your synapses as we speak are the same ones you've had your whole life. Most of them were born before you were." Donnie hesitated and scratched his chin. "Though, in retrospect, you might not be the best example… I have no idea whether our mutation also created new neurons or if we have the same amount as that of regular turtles. I would have to run some tests on your cerebral cortex, permitting that you'll let me open up your-"

"Will you just get to the point!" Leo snapped.

"I thought I had?" Donnie answered in surprise. "I'm telling you, if the nerve cells have been permanently damaged, there is nothing that can be done. Neurons don't replace themselves. They'll live until you die."

Leo observed Donnie as the meaning of his words slowly become clear to him. Mikey had sat down on the floor with the lollipops still in his mouth. The candy was long gone, but he was still chewing subconsciously on the sticks while looking from Leo to Donnie. If he did understand Donnie's point, he didn't show it. Raph's expression went from shock to annoyance in an instant. He then got up from the couch and walked over to Donnie.

"What if it's not permanent?" Raph wanted to know. "You said it yourself. It's impossible to know for sure. What if the stuff messing with those nerve cells didn't damage them, but just… Shook them around a bit. How would you fix that?"

"… Still without the access to proper equipment?" Donnie asked carefully.

"Oh, you betcha," Raph stated, and leaned a little closer to Donnie with a threatening look.

"In that case," Donnie said, and leaned away from Raph. "The answer is pretty obvious. If the Kraang soup was what caused the odd behavior, the symptoms should go away once the source has been removed. You don't need an antidote for that; it would be much safer to just wait for the substance to leave the system on its own."

"And how long would that take?" Leo asked.

"Pick a number. Any number," Donnie stated with a shrug.

"Right …" Leo sighed, and got up from the couch. "Mikey, hand me that notepad."

"Good idea, Leo. You start writing down numbers, and I'll go fetch a hat," Raph said sarcastically.

"Not quite," Leo said as he quickly scribbled down something. "Donnie can't be left on his own, so we're gonna have to watch him. I call this…" Leo ripped off the piece of paper and showed it to his brothers. "…our new babysitting schedule."

* * *

The smell of warm food was filling the kitchen. Leo took a moment to close his eyes and just inhale it. After everything that had happened, the appealing scent in the room had a soothing, almost tranquilizing effect on him. In fifteen years, Leo had never thought that the kitchen suddenly would become his favorite place in the lair.

Leo was standing over the stove while stirring a pot of soup. He and Mikey had been assigned to make dinner. A very late dinner… None of them had even thought about food until Mikey's growling stomach had reminded them all that they hadn't eaten since lunch. And since it was too late to order pizza, Mikey had found the perfect solution inside the kitchen cupboard where they kept the packages of instant noodles. Leo sprinkled some more salt in the soup while Mikey was staring at it intently over his shoulder.

"… This is false advertisement, bro," Mikey complained with a tortured look. "Someone should write those guys a letter, cuz this instant ramen isn't instant enough…!" Mikey made a whimpering sound while eying the boiling water. "… Come on, dude, this is seriously killing me. My stomach's gonna eat itself if I don't give it something. Is it done yet?"

"You're the food expert, you tell me," Leo said and offered Mikey the ladle.

Mikey blinked at Leo for a moment but then brightened up and took the kitchenware. He twirled it skillfully between his fingers while studying the soup, and then scooped up some of the content. He tasted it with a sceptic look.

"Did you add any salt?" Mikey asked Leo, with a narrow look.

"About eight seconds ago," Leo replied and folded his arms.

"… Are you sure?" Mikey asked again, with a raised eyebrow.

Leo rolled his eyes before turning off the plate. "We're eating now."

Mikey's stomach suddenly made an impatient growling sound, and the younger turtle cringed with a look of agony. Leo firmly took the ladle away from him. "… Before your stomach starts devouring your other organs too."

"Ugh, man… I'm so hungry I could puke…!" Mikey said, and wrapped his arms around his abdomen. "Is that a thing? Is that something that could happen? How can you throw up when you got nothing in there…!"

"I don't know, and I don't wanna find out" Leo said honestly while filling a bowl with the liquid food before handing it over to Mikey. "Here."

The hungry ninja's eyes grew to the size of baseballs at the steaming, glistening content. He grabbed the bowl, sat down at the table, ignored the chopsticks, and then started to simply drink the warm, tasty soup. Leo stared at him in surprise.

"Good thing that we've got twelve packages of this stuff…" Leo mumbled, and put the ladle pack in the pot. "I'll go fetch Raph and Donnie."

Mikey made an affirmative sound as he gulped down the last drop of the soup before slurping down the noodles as well. Leo estimated that he had finished the whole bowl in less than 12 seconds. He observed the younger ninja for a moment. "… Don't eat it all while I'm gone."

Mikey was already on his way to the stove for seconds, but stopped at Leo's words. He looked from the food, to Leo, and then back to the pot of soup again. His look turned serious. "… I can't promise anything," he said solemnly.

Leo had barely left the kitchen when he heard Mikey scooping up another bowl of ramen.

It had been almost six hours since they had sealed the lab, and Donnie had so far not shown any signs of returning back to normal. He still seemed disturbingly unable to comprehend the severity of the things he had done. But on a more positive note, Leo had noticed that Donnie appeared to be experiencing something similar to withdrawal symptoms. Hopefully, it meant that the mutagen was leaving his system, and that once it was all gone, he would be himself again. Hopefully.

Leo found his other two brothers in the same state he had left them. With Raph idly watching a cop movie on the TV, and Donnie lying nearby on the couch. The only difference was that this time, the purple masked turtle had buried his face deep in a pillow. Leo didn't have to ask to know that he was in pain. The most consistent symptom so far had been the headaches. The severity seemed to fluctuate a lot, but Leo was pretty sure that in the last two hours, the pain had grown even worse.

"Guys, dinner's ready," Leo told them when he reached the living room. "And there's apparently a black hole in Mikey's stomach, so I suggest that you move your shell while there's still any soup left."

"Yeah… Someone's gonna have to bring it out here," Raph stated straight-faced, not taking his eyes off the TV screen. "Genius here can't get out of the couch."

The scientist made a groaning sound and put the pillow over his head instead. Leo watched him for minute. "Do you need any help?"

"Please don't 'help' me..." Donnie mumbled from somewhere inside the pillow. "Raph already tried that, and now I think my shoulder's dislocated…"

"Come on, Donnie," Leo sighed and nudged his brother's shoulder, making the other turtle flinch. "Just a brisk walk to the kitchen. You can do it. It's not that far."

"… Are you basing that assumption on any particular set of rules on what constitutes a physical length, or is that estimation based on some other criteria, because I highly doubt that we have the same concept of…" Donnie's voice successively lowered until it trailed off into an inaudible mumble.

Leo eyed him in confusion. "Come again?"

"I'm not hungry," Donnie stated, and Leo could almost hear his brother grimace at the mere thought of food. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm kinda experiencing problems of a much more pressing matter at the moment, and it has nothing to do with my stomach. So if you don't mind, I'm just gonna…" Donnie rose a little from the couch, seemingly about to get up, but then lazily slid down from it until he was lying face down on the floor instead. "… lie down here for a bit."

Leo raised an eyebrow at Donnie's choice of mattress. "… Why?"

"... Floor's colder," Donnie mumbled, as if it answered everything.

Leo frowned at this and quickly crouched next to the ninja. Having a hunch, he stretched out a hand and touched Donnie's forehead, getting no objection from the passive turtle. Leo could feel his brother's skin radiating heat underneath his fingers. He made a mental note to add fever to the list of symptoms. "… Maybe someone should get him an icepack," Leo said with an uncertain look at Raph.

"Why? He looks comfy," Raph said with a quick glance at the scientist. "And who knows? Maybe a fever can burn away all that nasty stuff in his brain…"

"I think you mean 'boil'…" Donnie sighed weakly, and wrapped both his arms around his head. "Considering that the average human brain consists of around 75 percent water if counting the oh no, not again…!" He trailed off and gritted his teeth at a new wave of pain, making him tremble and curl his toes in a weird way. "Ugh… Something's wrong. There's no migraine in the world that causes fever…! Okay, so this… This is clearly something else. I… I need to figure out what's causing this…run some tests… None of these symptoms add up..."

"Wait… Are trying to figure out what's causing this?" Leo asked in disbelief, and glanced at Raph, who answered with the look of someone who wished to be fired from his job.

"He's been like this for the last hour," Raph clarified. "Apparently, even he has figured out that something's not right with him." Raph gave Donnie an annoyed look. "For the fourteenth's time, it's the mutagen! You're just detoxing. Tough it out and stop complaining."

"Wow, thanks a lot, dear colleague..." Donnie muttered, without looking up. "Your impeccable medical knowledge is of great comfort in a time like this."

"Sorry, Donnie. You don't have the attitude to pull off sarcasm right now," Leo stated, and grabbed Donnie's hands. "Come one, you can't lie around like this. Here. Up we go-"

"Ouch!"

Leo immediately stopped pulling Donnie in surprise and let him fall back to the floor, not sure about what just happened. He observed his brother as the purple masked turtle re-entered a curled up position, clutching his left hand tightly while quietly hissing in pain. Leo looked down at him in confusion until he noticed the bandage covered in dried up blood.

"...Right," he concluded slowly, as the stabbing-incident with Mikey was replaying in his head like an old commercial. "Sorry. I… sorta forgot about that thing."

"That makes two of us..." Donnie panted in a slightly higher voice, trying to take slow deep breaths to ride out the pain.

"It can't hurt that much, can it?" Leo frowned, with a doubtful look at the wound.

"Actually... it would be nice if it did," Donnie pointed out weakly with his eyes half-close, looking like he was only somewhat aware of his surroundings and Leo's voice. "I'd rather be distracted by the gentle throbbing pain of blood leaving my body than... than this... this raw, hammering, agony that's... that's drilling... crushing... skull..."

The scientist's words trailed off as his body slowly went stiff on the ground. His face suddenly took a paler shade and his eyes expanded like water-balloons ready to burst. Leo instantly recognized the signs, and he knew what was coming next.

"Are you gonna-" Leo began uncertainly, but then saw how Donnie with a panic struck face covered his mouth with both hands. "Oh, okay. You are. Um, do we have a-"

Leo didn't even have time to finish the sentence when Raph casually kicked over a bucket to him, without taking his eyes of the screen. Leo grabbed the container and handed it over to Donnie, who immediately sat up and dove his head down into it. Even though it was impossible to see exactly what Donnie was doing, the unmistakable sound of vomiting left very little to the imagination. Leo watched his sick brother with an uncomfortable look, patiently waiting for the wave to pass. He gave the bucket a pondering glance and then curiously turned to the hothead, who was busy turning up the volume on the TV.

"Did you get this for him?" Leo asked with a nod at the retching turtle beside him, having a hard time picturing Raph being that considerate.

"Does it look like I'm wearing a maid-uniform?" Raph asked with a reproachful look at the leader, as if Leo just had accused his brother of being the tooth-fairy. After making sure that Leo had got the message, he resolutely turned back to the TV. "Ask Mikey."

That made more sense. Mikey was way more likely to pick up on their brother's declining health than Raph, even though it was unexpectedly farsighted of him to bring a bucket before Donnie needed one. Leo wondered for how long their brother had been experiencing nausea along with the fever and headaches...

He was brought back to reality when Donnie finally went silent and slowly left the privacy of the bucket. He was panting like someone that just had been subjected to a very effective jump scare, and his fingers were tightly clutching the edges of the container as if he feared it would grow legs and abandon him. If he hadn't looked drained before, he definitely did now.

"Feeling better?" Leo studied him carefully, with his arms crossed. The tall turtle shook his head with a deadpan look.

"Good," Raph butted in, feeling the need to share his view on the matter. Leo made a small sigh at the hothead's comment, but then suddenly saw how Donnie with an almost dazed look prepared to lie down on the cold floor again. Leo jumped into action and grabbed him by the shoulders before he could settle down.

"Okay, that's probably not a good idea," Leo stated firmly and managed to force the reluctant scientist into a sitting position. "I don't think lying down here is gonna do you much good in the long run. Besides, it's gonna be hard for you to eat ramen from the floor..."

Leo's last comment made Donnie tense up. The scientist stared in front of him with a pale look, before immediately reaching for the bucket again. Leo flinched and expected him to leave a new contribution in it, but after a couple of coughing sounds, it was clear that nothing was gonna leave Donnie's insides. The purple clad turtle made a deep sigh that was a strange mix between disappointment and relief, before gently putting the aid back on the floor.

"… So I guess food is off the table then," Leo concluded, with an uncertain look at his brother.

"Well, I wasn't hungry then, and I'm most certainly not hungry now..." Donnie pointed out. He was still pale, but at least his voice had returned to normal. Though, it seemed like it wasn't the only thing that had returned. He pressed his palms against his forehead again, revealing that the headache was also back.

"Have it your way," Leo told him with a light shrug, and made a gesture to the kitchen. "Or I could get you something from the freezer if you want?"

"I don't care much for food right now, no matter what temperature it is…"

"I meant for the fever," Leo clarified. He observed the weak turtle for a moment with serious eyes. "Look, I know that this is the last thing on your mind right know, but you barely had any breakfast this morning, we didn't even see you at lunch, and lollipops aren't food. You really have to eat something."

"Actually, you have to eat something," Donnie replied as he glanced at Leo from underneath his palms. The scientist observed the leader quietly for a moment. "Did you remember to keep taking the fluid replacement like I told you to?"

"No. But I remember watching Raph pouring it out in the sewer drain," Leo answered coldly. He didn't find the subject very comfortable, especially since he had almost managed to forget about the horrible taste. He didn't want to revisit the memory of that vile mixture forcing its way down his throat. It made him queasy just thinking about it.

Donnie looked up at Leo in genuine surprise. "Well, that wasn't particularly clever… Your body is probably in more need of nutrition than anyone else here, you know, considering all the samples I took from you... Are you sure you're not feeling lightheaded or anything? In order to restore your blood volume, I think we better-"

Donnie stopped talking in midsentence and stared emptily in front of himself. Leo could see Donnie's expression slowly change from a blank one to an increasingly horrified look before he shot up from the floor.

"Heparin!" Donnie exclaimed, panic written all over his face.

"… Some new girl we should know about?" Raph asked uninterestedly.

Donnie didn't answer. His body had grown as stiff as petrified wood. He quickly turned his eyes to the lab. "I forgot to add any anti-coagulant in Leo's blood samples. How could I be so- Oh no, oh dear, this is… This is bad. This is really- Wait, maybe I can still…"

Before Leo understood what was going on in Donnie's head, the scientist suddenly dashed towards the lab doors. Leo felt an ice cold stab in his chest and set off after his brother, but was immediately outrun by Raph. The hothead's relaxed manner seemed to only have been a front while patiently waiting for Donnie to make a move. His reaction was instantaneous, like pressing a button. The red masked predator ran on top of the couch and then leaped towards his prey, tackling Donnie to the ground just a few feet from the TV. There was a painful cracking sound when the two bodies hit the floor, and Leo hurried over to them. Donnie had landed on his stomach and Raph was quick to put a knee on his back, pinning him down while forcing Donnie's left arm backwards.

"Ow, owowowOW!" Donnie cried out, while squirming underneath the heavier turtle. "Ouch! Twisting- You're twisting it- You're seriously twisting it...!"

"Twisting, huh? Then I'm not doing this right," Raph said, with a malicious grin. "Tell me when you hear something snap…"

"Are you nuts?!" Donnie asked, and cringed in discomfort. "Raph, let go of- What's wrong with you? I need to get back to the lab, this is important, why won't you let me go back there?!

"The fact that you have to ask," Leo pointed out, and folded his arms with a stern look.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Donnie wanted to know, but then shook his head in frustration. "This is ludicrous… None of you are making any sense!"

"Huh. Must be contagious," Raph stated, and twisted the arm a little more.

"Lis- OUCH! Listen to me!" Donnie yelled at them, with a narrow look. "The blood samples will dry up if I don't do anything, and then they will all be useless! It will go to waste, all of it! Do you understand?" Donnie turned to Leo, his eyes serious. "If we can't save this batch, then we're gonna have to do it all over again. Is that what you want?"

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," Leo stated.

"Then everything will have been for nothing!" Donnie yelled, with a furious look at his uncooperative brothers. "How's that supposed to help anyone?! This isn't helping anyone!"

"As long as you don't get near that lab, I'm actually fine with that," Leo told him calmly.

Donnie struggled underneath Raph's body, but every time he tried to pull himself free from his grip, Raph cruelly twisted his arm a tad bit more. The act made Donnie bite his lip and temporarily stop squirming. Leo had seen Donnie losing to Raph in the dojo countless of times. But he had never seen Donnie push through this much pain to try and win a fight that was already over.

"I can't believe this…" Donnie muttered under his breath as he tried to kick himself free. He was breathing quickly in an agitated manner. "This is unbelievable, this is beyond selfish, this is a whole new level of plain idiocy…!" Donnie glanced at his brothers. Leo was almost taken aback by the detest in his eyes. "What the heck's wrong with you?! You keep sabotaging everything, you interrupt my work, you kick me, punch me, cut me… and for what? Is it all just for laughs and giggles, are you brainwashed or… I don't understand! Why would you NOT want me to create a retro-mutagen?! Are you just being purposely thick? I can't do anything from out here, don't you get it? How am I supposed to fix everything from out here?!"

"That's the whole point!" Raph retorted and used his weight to secure Donnie to the floor even further. Leo eyed the struggling turtle in surprise. This was the first time today he had seen Donnie truly lose his temper. He had been so calm and unflappable in the lab that Leo had completely forgotten that there was only one turtle that could compete with Raph when it came to angry outbursts. Leo couldn't decide whether this was a good sign or not.

Donnie kicked and squirmed with every drop of strength he had left. His muscles were tense as bricks. Then, without a warning, his shoulders slumped. He exhaled deeply and he let his face heavily fall to the ground with a low thud. His whole body turned as limp as a broken toy. Leo heard something that almost sounded like a sob, and took a closer look at Donnie's face. The scientist's expression had faded into a completely numb one, but his eyes looked exhausted. Leo couldn't help but think of a trapped animal that had stopped fighting and now waited to be killed off.

Raph didn't move an inch from the lifeless body. Leo was almost amazed over the fact that the hothead hadn't used the opportunity to actually break Donnie's arm. He probably wanted to. It was impossible not to sense it, since Raph had practically been reeking of a desire to hurt Donnie ever since they had been freed. The red masked turtle was still holding the scientist down, and the arm looked like it was less than an inch away from breaking in two. Leo had no idea what was keeping Raph from doing it, but he suspected that whatever it was; it must be paper thin...

And at the same time, Leo couldn't blame Raph from wanting to hurt him. Watching the stronger turtle manhandle their brother like this didn't make Leo feel sorry for Donnie. Not even a little. It would have been easier to forgive him for all the insane experiments if he hadn't acted so much like… Donnie. The twentieth time he had drawn Leo's blood. The disgusting liquid he had made Leo drink. The moment the rusty blade of the saw had touched Leo's plastron… During every single one of these horrific events, Donnie's personality had been completely intact. And that's what made it so difficult for Leo to accept that their brother would never do these things. And he hated to admit it to himself, but watching Donnie in the same amount of pain as he had caused them during the day actually felt… Satisfying.

A stray idea suddenly got caught in Leo's web of thoughts. He felt an uneasy sensation growing in his mind as the idea slowly transformed into something ugly and terrifying. Donnie hadn't felt sorry when torturing them in the lab. And now, Leo didn't feel sorry for Donnie... He knew that his brother was in pain, but he just didn't care. The realization made a chill travel down Leo's spine. Was this how it felt like? Were these feelings caused by the mutagen affecting his brain…?

Leo's worry faded almost as quickly as it had shown up. No, it was impossible. In more than just one way. The fumes had been too far away from him. He couldn't even smell them from where he had been lying. There was simply no way that the mutagen could have gotten to him. And Donnie was lacking moral and ethics, which Leo didn't. Plus, Leo wasn't suffering from any withdrawal symptoms. This feeling wasn't caused by any toxic fumes. This was simply the feeling of revenge. It was normal. Disconcerting, but normal.

Raph tilted his head to take a look at Donnie's face. The scientist looked drained, both physically and mentally. He didn't even try to squirm, even though Leo knew that Raph's merciless grip was anything but comfortable. The red masked ninja raised an eyebrow at the leader. "… How was he planning on opening the doors anyway?"

Even if Leo did have an answer to that, he didn't get an opportunity to say it since Mikey suddenly popped out from the kitchen. He walked over to them with the look of someone who had a big announcement to make. "Can I have everyone's attention please?" Mikey started, with a gesture that told everyone in the already silent room to be quiet. "Just so you know… I've made us ramen."

"And what's so terribly wrong with the one I made?" Leo wanted to know, and folded his arms disapprovingly.

Mikey held up a finger, as to request a moment of silence, before he opened his mouth and released a majestic burp. He then folded his arms in the same manner as Leo, with a defiant look. "It's gone."

But Mikey's proud look quickly changed into a surprised one when he noticed Raph and Donnie. The young turtle blinked as his eyes made a road trip from the barely breathing brother on the floor, to the other one sitting on top of him. Twisting Donnie's arm in a way that shouldn't be possible. Mikey didn't say anything at first, but then glanced at Leo. "Um… Someone fill me in on this?"

"Don't worry, Mikey," Raph said reassuringly, and got up from Donnie. The purple masked turtle didn't as much as move a finger when the heavy weight was lifted from his back. "Just some friendly tackle-hugging. Like when we were kids. Right, Donnie?"

Donnie didn't answer as he, on shaky arms, tried to get up on all four. Raph waited two seconds before he simply wrapped his arms around Donnie's waist and hoisted him up from the floor. Donnie immediately tensed up and his eyes boggled in terror at the sudden act, but Raph didn't pay any attention to it. He simply carried Donnie back to the couch and dropped him in the exact same spot where he had been lying ten minutes ago. Donnie groaned in discomfort and carefully sat up on the couch.

Mikey quickly bounced over to Donnie's side and studied him with the same skeptic look he had given Leo's cooking earlier. "… I think your tackle hugs look a lot like your tackles, Raph," Mikey stated, and tilted his head while observing Donnie's brand new bruises. "Wanna know the secret? Easy on the tackle, extra on the hug. You can't go wrong."

"… Where do we keep the aspirin?" Donnie mumbled in anguish, and rested his face in his hands.

"That would be the lab," Leo sighed.

"Of course it is," Donnie said, in an oddly matter of fact voice.

"Come on, D. I got something way better than that," Mikey said cheerfully, and nudged Donnie's unbruised arm, trying to compel his brother to go with him. "Just wait 'til you taste my new special ramen with pizza crusts and topping! You'll feel all better in no time, I promise." Mikey looked up at his two other brothers, who hadn't moved from their spot. "What are you waiting for? Stop being slow and start moving like a turtle, yo!"

"In a bit," Raph said, and turned to the leader in blue. "You got a sec, Leo?"

"Sure," Leo answered, and raised an eyebrow. "What's it about?"

Instead of answering, Raph turned back to the youngest ninja. "Hey, Mikey. Stay here and cover for me, will ya?" Raph asked, and subtly nodded towards Donnie.

"No problemo!" Mikey happily announced, and saluted. "Michelangelo's reporting for Donnie-duty!"

"We're NOT calling it that!" Raph protested in annoyance. "You giggle like an idiot every time you say it!"

Mikey's grin was wider than his face as he scooted over to the TV. He picked a tape from the box and quickly shoved it into the VCR. "Hey, Donnie! I've memorized all the lines from episode sixteen of Super Robo Mecha Force Five! You gotta hear my impression of Captain Dash. It's totally realistic! Wait, I'll show you!"

Mikey threw himself down next to his taller brother in a carefree way. Donnie didn't make a sound, and his face was still buried in his hands, but somehow Leo thought that he looked even more miserable than he had ten seconds ago.

Leo followed Raph until the noise from the pinball machine made sure that they could talk in private. Raph turned to his brother with a serious look. Leo studied him uncertainly. "Okay… What is going on, Raph?"

"It's getting late," Raph stated. His green eyes were uncharacteristically grave. "Have you thought about how we're gonna guard that maniac when we're asleep?"

"I… guess we'll just have to keep taking shifts and watch over him," Leo said, with a shrug. "I'll take the first hour, and you-"

"See, I knew you were gonna say that," Raph interrupted with a voice that was balancing between irritation and anger. "Wanna hear my suggestion? I say that we lock him up in his room tonight and let him out tomorrow morning."

Leo blinked. "Are you serious? Come on, Raph, that's ridiculous..."

"It's foolproof!" Raph retorted, with a narrow look.

"No," Leo stated. "Splinter told us not to let him out of our sight-"

"Everyone's already tired!" Raph pointed out, with an annoyed gesture. "What happens if someone nods off while on watch?"

"Nothing will happen," Leo calmly explained. "He's not exactly a threat right now. He doesn't have the lab coat, he doesn't have his drugs… Donnie can't do anything without his stuff. Not to mention that he's so sick that he can barely leave the couch…!"

"If he's so harmless, then why guard him at all?" Raph asked, and folded his arms with a cynical look.

"Just because he can't hurt anyone in his current state doesn't mean that we should let him roam the lair while everyone's asleep," Leo told him. "Plus, I'm starting to get worried over those withdrawal symptoms… They seem to get worse and worse, but we haven't actually seen any signs of him getting back to normal yet. Someone should keep an eye on him, just in case."

"Today has been a nightmare, Leo!" Raph snapped. "And it's probably gonna loop all night in my head while I'm trying to forget that it ever happened! But, if I'm losing any sleep because of Donnie tonight, it will NOT be because you wanted to be nice to him!"

Leo eyed Raph with a stern look. The truth was that he didn't do it to be nice. In fact, the thought of locking Donnie up like a prisoner felt very tempting. But he didn't want to act upon it. That was not the kind of leader he thought himself to be. Locking up their own brother, especially in his currently defenseless state…It wasn't right. The lab was sealed, he was unarmed, and he had no pockets anymore. Plus, Donnie was already more or less incapacitated by his strange headaches, which seemed to grow worse by the hour. Locking him up, tying him down, or restraining him in any way would mainly serve one purpose at this point. And one purpose only: payback. Leo was above that. He still had a responsibility. And he never wanted to see himself in a position where he enjoyed hurting his brothers. No matter how much they had hurt him.

"And besides," Raph suddenly added, and gave Leo a severe look. "Don't take this the wrong way, but… Even if those symptoms become worse, like for example, if he suddenly starts coughing blood, or stops breathing, or something like that..." Raph paused before looking at Leo sincerely. "Then, what are we supposed to do about it anyway?"

Leo realized that Raph had a point. A horrible one, but a point nonetheless. All the medical equipment was locked up in the lab. And even if they had access to it, none of them possessed the knowledge to use it. No matter how Leo looked at this, the only one who could help Donnie if his condition got worse was Donnie himself. And they couldn't trust him.

Leo quietly thought about this for a minute. Donnie hadn't slept for a whole day, possibly more. With the Adderall gone, he would probably pass out the moment he hit the bed. Guarding a wake Donnie was a necessary precaution. Guarding a sleeping Donnie was the opposite of necessary, but even more so, it was mortally boring.

Leo gave Raph a look and then nodded. "You're right."

Raph stared at his brother as if he just had been slapped in the face by a talking lamppost. "Are you serious…?" Raph asked, genuinely curious. "You're actually okay with this?"

"It's like you said," Leo admitted. "Everyone's tired, and I think we all could use some proper sleep. And that goes for Donnie too."

Leo hadn't seen Raph this happy since the training session earlier that morning. And it was no wonder. Leo couldn't remember last time he had said the words "you're right" while looking at Raph simultaneously.

"But first of all, we're gonna eat," Leo stated, and started walking back to Donnie and Mikey. "And then, you and I are doing some late spring cleaning of Donnie's room…"

* * *

Next Time: Even the best ideas have their flaws…

I suck at estimating the length of my chapters… ^^; Once again, this chapter was supposed to be longer, with four different segments, but it ended up with two. This means that the remaining two segments will make up an unplanned bonus chapter, leaving this story with 11 chapters instead of 10. So… Two more to go, apparently. Yay?

The good news are that a big chunk of the next chapter is already finished, since I realized too late that I'm not gonna be able to fit it all in chapter 9. And since school's almost over, I'll probably be able to update this creepy little fella fairly quickly. :aww:

I'm sorry for the delay, and I can't say how incredibly flattered I am to read all your comments. :heart: I'm not that great about finishing projects, and it's only thanks to you guys that I've been able to keep this up for so long. Thank you all SO much for the support. :love:

And as always, keep a lookout for those grammar gremlins for me, will you? :meow: Tell me if they've snuck past my defenses and I'll gently remove them from the premises.

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Chapter 1: lokrume.deviantart.com/art/Dr-…
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Chapter 3:
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Chapter 4:
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Chapter 5:
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Chapter 7a: lokrume.deviantart.com/art/Dr-…

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Roxx-83's avatar

Maybe the aderall had something to do with it? I mean, 2 of the side effects were obsessive behavior and irrational behavior, and they said that it was probably how he had managed to stay awake for so long and what caused the lollipop thing, so…