Okay, so I've earned the title "heartbreaker" here on FanFiction. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing...? How about a non-depressing fanfic for once? :)
"I'm s-so cold, Raph"
"I-I know, Mikey. M-m-me too."
The older Turtle did his best to shelter his little brother from the bite of the bitter winter wind and the swarming snowflakes by covering him with his body. A pile of snow began to form on Raph's shell as the minutes passed. It didn't help that he had a deep wound in his right side from which blood was gushing and staining the once pure white snow red. Both of them were too weak and wounded to get up and find a warmer and more secluded place to hide in until their brothers found them. So all they could do is continue to lie there on the blanket of snow and wait.
Some of the blood dripped onto Mikey's hand, which startled him. "R-Raph, are...are you b-bleeding?" Mikey asked in a small, frightened voice.
"I-I'm okay, Mikey," Raph calmly assured him, though he knew that he was far from okay. "Don't worry about me."
"But-but you bleeding?" Mikey asked again, starting to sound more frantic. "I-I feel something wet on-"
"Shhhh..." Raph gently hushed his baby brother and stroked his cheek. He lifted his head a bit to look down on Mikey's face. His lips were starting to turn purple from the cold and his little freckles had faded a bit along with the lime green color of his skin. And his once baby blue eyes were now completely white.
Mikey had lost his sight during the battle with Tiger Claw. That blasted furball was definitely going to pay for this later. If there is a later, Raph thought to himself.
All of a sudden Raph felt a sharp pain in his side and went into a coughing fit. He turned his head to the side so that none of the blood would land on Mikey's face.
"Raph!" Mikey hoarsely screamed.
"It-it's okay, L-Little brother," Raph stuttered after he finally stopped coughing. He was glad that Mikey was unable to see his face, which would've given away the unbearable pain that he was feeling right now.
But Mikey wasn't in any way soothed by his brother's words. "Raph," Mikey's voice quivered as he started to cry, "are...are you going to die?"
"No, of course not," Raph immediately said. Although he hated to lie to Mikey, he didn't want to worry his already distressed brother. But then again, he just might pull through this.
He seriously doubted it, though.
Letting out a sob, Mikey gripped both of Raph's sides. "P-please don't die. Please! Don't...don't leave m-me all-all alone here...!" Streams of hot tears flowed down Mikey's cheeks as continued to beg his brother not to die.
Mikey's fingers dug painfully into his wound, but Raph did his best to stifle a grunt of pain. He knew that Mikey didn't mean to hurt him, nor was he aware that Raph was seriously hurt in that particular area, and he didn't want Mikey to find out and panic even more. So instead of telling Mikey to let go, he simply rested his forehead against his little brother's and continued to softly shush him.
"Mikey, I won't die," he whispered as he lovingly nuzzled Mikey's beak.
He heard Mikey sniffle wetly. "You promise?"
Raph couldn't bring himself to make that promise, so he instead shifted to where his chest touched Mikey's cheek and pulled him closer. "L-listen to that, Mikey. Can-can you hear it?"
He felt Mikey nod against his plastron. "Your heartbeat," he croaked.
"Yeah, you-you just keep listening to that heartbeat. And-and as long as it keeps beating, I'll never leave you."
"B-but what if-"
"Shhhh, don't talk. Just listen."
Mikey finally relaxed and closed his eyes, listening to the comforting sound of Raph's beating heart. It was slow but strong and made him feel safe. Raph always made him feel safe...except when he was chasing him around the lair for playing a prank on him or breaking his stuff. Mikey couldn't help but smile to himself as he slowly drifted off to sleep in Raph's arms, the strong heart pounding against his cheek.
Raph smiled wearily as he watched Mikey fall asleep, but then winced as the pain returned. He instantly reached for the wound with his right hand, feeling the warm blood spill through his fingers. The world around him became blurry and he could feel his strength leaving him. His entire body shivered from the cold and it was getting harder for him to stay awake.
Then he felt Mikey shift slightly under him.
"No," he gritted his teeth and inhaled deeply, the cold air burning his lungs. "Not yet." He closed his eyes and willed his heart to keep beating...for his little brother's sake.
"Leo, let me have a look at your arm."
"Never mind that! We need to find Raph and Mike-AAH!"
Leo hissed in pain and gripped his bleeding shoulder. The two brothers hid in an alley, several miles from the where the intensive battle took place about half an hour ago.
"Leo!" Donnie shouted in aggravation. "Stop pushing yourself! Your shoulder is seriously damaged!"
"I don't care about that, Donnie!" Leo retorted. "Our brothers are out there somewhere! Raph was badly injured when I last saw him! So was Mikey! They could be dying for all we know!"
"Leo, please," Donnie reached for Leo's other arm, but the leader roughly shoved him away.
"Don't try to stop me," Leo growled. "I am not going to lose Mikey or Raph."
"Like how you lost Master Splinter?"
Leo visibly flinched at those words. His midnight blue eyes burned with tears at the memory of their father being impaled by the Shredder and then falling to his death.
Donnie looked at his brother with sympathetic auburn eyes and gently touched Leo's good shoulder. "Leo, look, I get it," he softly said. "But you can't help Raph and Mikey in this condition. It won't take me but a couple of minutes to-"
"We might not have a "couple of minutes", Donnie!" Leo screamed. "I can't...!" He squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lower lip, the tears finally falling free.
"Leo..." Donnie sadly whispered.
"I can't fail them, too," Leo choked.
"Then let me help you first," the genius brother took his gauze bandage roll from out of his belt and coaxed Leo to sit on the ground. "And then we'll go looking for them together. Okay?"
Leo sighed in defeat and allowed Donnie to tend to his shoulder, all the while fidgeting impatiently. He silently prayed to himself as Donnie worked. Please stay live. Don't die on us, guys. Stay alive.
Once Donnie had finished, they immediately began to search for their brothers throughout the city. For ten solid minutes, they could not find any sign of them...until they finally spotted a trail of blood leading to the docks. Leo's heart pounded with fear as he and Donnie followed the trail. Oh, god, oh, god, oh, god, oh, god...!
As they got closer to their destination, they could make out a figure lying on a dock. Leo's eyes widened as he instantly recognized that red mask. "RAPH!"
"NOOOOOO!" Leo screamed at the top of his lungs as he raced toward his father's body which was lying on the street.
Nearly all of Raph was covered in snow, and his skin looked deathly pale. His right side had been bleeding greatly and left a large red spot on the white ground. Leo dropped to his knees and shook his brother, the snow falling off of him. "Raph, talk to me!" he desperately shouted. Raph didn't respond and continued to lie very still.
"Father...!" He knelt over Splinter, who didn't respond and continued to lie very still.
Donnie gasped as he spotted something under Raph's body. "Mikey?!" He and Leo very carefully rolled Raph over, allowing him to take Mikey into his arms. His little brother let out a very faint moan, but Donnie definitely heard it. "Oh, my god," his voice quivered. "He's still alive. Mikey, can you hear me?" Mikey responded by slightly opening his eyes, and Donnie instantly covered his mouth with his hand in shock. "He's blind," he whispered.
"Is...is it permanent?" Leo asked as he gingerly held Raph in his arms.
"I don't know," Donnie swallowed a lump around his throat as he continue to check Mikey over. "Is Raph...?"
Leo focused his attention back on Raph and put a hand over his brother's plastron, hoping to feel the thump of a heartbeat. There was nothing.
He placed a hand over Splinter's chest, waiting to feel a heartbeat, but there was nothing. "No!" he sobbed as he pulled his father's limp head closer to him. "Please!"
"No!" Leo cried, pulling his brother closer. "Raph, please!" He quickly placed his fingers on Raph's neck in a final desperate attempt to detect a pulse.
And to his tremendous relief, he felt the faintest heartbeat.
He laughed tearfully as he grabbed Donnie's hand and guided it to Raph's neck. "Donnie, you feel that? Raph's still alive!"
The gap-toothed Turtle's jaw dropped and his eyes became as wide as saucers.
The steady beeping of the heart monitor echoed in the lab as Donnie finished tucking Raph in and re-adjusted the breathing mask over his face, which was slowly regaining its emerald color. A tube had been inserted in Raph's arm, transferring blood back into his body. Donnie chuckled to himself as he recalled Raph teasing and ridiculing him for asking for a small donation every year. He'll thank me after he wakes up.
He gave Raph a gentle pat on the knee before exiting the lab and plopped down on the couch next to Leo in the living room.
"So how is he?" Leo worriedly asked.
"He's going to be fine, Leo" Donnie calmly assured him. "It won't be a speedy recovery, of course. In fact, it'll probably be a month before he can even get out of bed."
"Well, all that matters is that he's still with us," Leo said with a small smile.
Donnie nodded in agreement. "And how's Mikey doing?"
"Still knocked out. He's completely exhausted. Donnie, about his blindness, will he ever...?"
"It's still too early to tell," Donnie sadly looked down at the carpet and twiddled his thumbs. "It could be permanent. Or maybe he'll get lucky and regain his sight."
"Hopefully," Leo whispered and looked at the floor as well. He was ashamed of himself for allowing this to happen to Mikey and Raph. There were times when he seriously doubted Splinter's wisdom in making him the leader of the team and eventually the Hamato Clan. No matter how vigorously he may train or how often he may mediate, he could never replace their Sensei.
The fact was Splinter left too soon.
"I still can't believe it," Donnie mumbled.
Leo turned his head and looked over at his brother. "What?"
"Considering the amount of blood he had lost and the time he had spent in the cold weather, Raph shouldn't even be alive. It completely baffles me."
Leo chuckled softly. "That's because Raph is just too stubborn to die, and he refuses to leave us behind. He'll do anything for his family." He smiled fondly at the memory of Raph sitting patiently next to the bathtub and watching over him in his comatose state. "Anything."
"Leo...?"
They instantly turned their heads to the direction of the small, frail voice that belonged to Mikey. The youngest Turtle slowly walked into the living room, feeling around him as he could no longer rely on his sight. Leo and Donnie immediately ran to his side and helped him over to the couch.
"Mikey, you shouldn't even be up," Donnie gently told him as he and Leo tried to sit him down.
But Mikey refused to move another inch. "Where's Raph?"
"Raph is fine, Mikey," Leo soothingly rubbed his little brother's shell. "He's recovering in Donnie's lab."
"Take me to him," Mikey said.
"Raph is resting right now," Donnie patted Mikey's hand. "When we wakes up, we'll-"
"Please," Mikey choked, tears brimming in his eyes. "I have to know for sure that he's still here. I have to hear him."
Donnie raised an invisible eyebrow in confusion. "'Hear him'?"
Leo's eyes slowly widened in realization. He remembered how he found Raph lying on top of Mikey, protecting his little brother from the snow and wind. A smile formed in his lips. Raph, you really are a good brother. He gently took Mikey's hand and slowly guided him to the lab.
"Wait, Leo, what are you doing?" Donnie followed them.
"Mikey needs this, Donnie," Leo whispered as he stepped through the entrance.
Mikey could hear the heart monitor as they walked in and squeezed Leo's hand.
"You hear that, Mikey?" Leo spoke softly to him. "You hear Raph's heartbeat?"
Mikey's lower lip trembled and he slowly nodded. He could hear Leo pulling the stool over to where they stood.
"Do you want to stay with him for a while?" Leo asked.
"Yeah," Mikey croaked as he sat down on the stool with Leo's help. He felt Leo take his hand and place it over Raph's. His brother's skin still felt cold, but it was at least warmer than it was hours ago.
"I'll leave you two alone," Leo's footsteps faded as he walked out of the lab.
Mikey gently rubbed his thumb over Raph's calloused hand. The hear monitor continued to beep, the only indication that Raph was alive. He wanted to speak to his brother, to hear his rough yet comforting voice. He wondered if Raph could even hear him. He wanted to let him know that he wasn't alone and that they both made it.
"Shhhh, don't talk. Just listen."
Listen...
Mikey got an idea and carefully pulled Raph's arm closer to him. He placed Raph's hand over his plastron, right where his heart was. He closed his eyes as his heart continued to thump against his chest and reach the other Turtle's palm.
Can you feel that, Raph? My heart? As long as it's beating, I'll never leave you.
Even though he couldn't see, Mikey had a feeling that Raph was smiling beneath his breathing mask.