Prologue
My name is Raphael. There's nothing much to me. I'm a mutant turtle. I've have lived 18 years and I'm going to die. There, I said it blunt and simple. I'm going to die. I didn't feel like it when Donatello told me but now I do. I'm dying of cancer. My chances of living are very little. What made me mad was the fact that I couldn't get treatment for it because I'm a mutant. I'm an outcast to society. I don't know any human that can help me.
I remember the day Donnie sat down with me and told me there was nothing he could do. He didn't have the resources or the knowledge to save me. He told me that I was probably going to die. Of course he was down toning it for me. The truth is I am going to die. I didn't want to believe him. I was so furious. Now I have to focus on living my life to the fullest. Taking it one day at a time and preparing for that fateful day.
I went through a lot of changes to deal with dying. Some were terrifying and others made me see life in a different way. It was a way that I had never seen life before. There were days when I was so angry at the world and other days when I felt sorry about myself. Now I feel good about myself. I feel comfortable and I like who I am. I know this is weird to say but dying is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Until you have been through it, will you ever understand what I mean. I feel lucky in way, I know that I'm going to die. I can take care of all the loose ends before it's over.
"It's over," that's still weird for me to say.
Self Discovery
Chapter 1
"All right Leo, I'm going to kick your ass." Raph furiously made a move at Leo but he was too quick for him.
"You should concentrate on fighting me rather than flaunting your meaningless words." Leo made a swift move which Raph was able to block just in time with his sai.
"I am concentrating. I thinking about when I'm going to beat you." With a quick move Raph moved his sai to try to knock Leo swords out of his hands. Leo was able to block in time and knocked a sai out of Raph's hand. Then he swiftly made his next move and removed Raph's other sai. Raph was so surprised and caught off guard, that he lost his balance and fell backwards.
"Your lack of concentration was the reason why you lost Raph." Raph lay on the ground feeling frustrated and confused.
"What the hell happened?" Raph thought to himself.
Splinter walked up to Raph. "Your fury and lack of concentration have caused you to lose this fight. I suggest you focus on the task at hand."
Leo came over to Raph and offered his hand. "I can get myself up, Leo." Leo just shrugged his shoulders and left to take a shower.
Feeling humiliated and mad at himself, Raph finally got up and decided he wanted to be alone.
"So what movie, out of are wonderful collection, should we watch guys?" Mike was on his hands and knees looking through their video collection.
"I don't know Mike, you choose." Mike stopped looking at the videos.
"Leo, I always choose. Don't give me a cheap answer like that."
"Well, I really don't have a preference right now."
"Well can you get back to me when you do? So Donnie, what do you want to watch?"
Donnie looked up from his laptop. "Huh?"
Mike sighed. "I asked you what movie do you want to watch."
"Oh, I don't care, whatever."
Leo laughed to himself as he watched the frustration on Mike's face. Then Mike smiled and said "Okay, since nobody around here is interested in the democratic process of choosing a movie, I will choose. If you don't like it then that is too bad cause you had your chance."
Mike looked through the movies some more and finally decided on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Before Leo and Don could voice there disagreement, Mike turned around with a smile on his face. "I told you, you had your chance. It's too late now."
Leo and Don exchanged a look. They shrugged their shoulders and knew there was nothing they could do. Mike popped the tape into the VCR and began the movie.
"I can't believe I let Leo trip me up like that. I don't understand what's been going on with me lately. I've been feeling so tired and weak. I must be getting the flu or something. I remember feeling a little dizzy when Leo made that final blow at me this morning."
Silhouettes moved stealthily through the shadows of the alley, surrounding the turtle.
"You know why I like this movie so much? It's because of all the candy."
"Yeah, you would." Mike gave Don a look and then looked back at the movie.
Leo was unusually quiet. "Hey, Leo, are you already falling asleep through the movie?"
"What Mike?" Leo seemed distant and deep in thought.
Mike laughed to himself. "I asked you if you had fallen asleep yet. I haven't heard a word from you for awhile now."
"No, I just have this weird feeling that something is wrong." Don and Mike exchanged worried glances.
Shivers went through Mike as he heard Leo say those dreaded words. Leo could always sense when trouble was on the horizon. Mike just couldn't shrug it off and just think: Leo is only worried about nothing. When Leo said there was trouble, there would, without any doubt, be trouble.
Don looked over at his brother, Mike, and saw the seriousness of the situation clearly on his face. Don didn't even want to think about the ramifications of what Leo had just said. He hated to fight. He wished they could just live normal lives without having to be involved in all of these battles. He looked over at Leo. There was no indication of his feelings showing. Leo looked calm and collected.
Raph was still mad and confused about that morning. It wasn't just that morning that bothered him but it was also his tiredness. He seemed to have lost his edge. He was so distracted that he didn't notice the gang that was surrounding him in the shadows. They were waiting there like a panther watching her pray. They were waiting for the right moment to strike. At the same time they were wondering what the hell this green creature was.
Usually Raph is good at hiding in the shadows but now his mind was too occupied. He just wasn't alert enough to watch his actions.
Suddenly, Raph heard a noise. He turned around but saw nothing.
"It's probably just my imagination." After thinking that to himself he slowly became aware of the possibly dangerous situation he was putting himself in. He realized that he was out in the open and that he was in a bad neighborhood.
Then he heard a noise and felt a sharp pain on the back of his head.
There was an uncomfortable silence. The movie was just not enjoyable anymore. Nobody was even watching it. They were deep in there own thoughts.
Leo knew something was wrong with Raph. It wasn't just the awful feeling that he got but also that Raph wasn't himself. His win that morning was too easy. Raph usually put up quite a fight and even has beaten him on bad days. Raph didn't have as much speed. He even seemed weak.
Leo looked over at his brothers. They were disturbed by what he told them. He didn't tell them that he believed that Raph could be in some trouble. They didn't know what kind of trouble he meant.
Leo thought about Raph for awhile and finally broke the silence with a decision.
"I'm going to find Raph and see if he is in any trouble."
"We'll go with you."
"No, you guys stay here just in case he comes back. Besides this is only a feeling." Deep down inside Leo hoped that it was just a feeling.
Raph felt dizzy and confused. It took him awhile to perceive what was happening. He had just gotten hit really hard in the head from somebody behind him.
Raph began to fight them off. It was a hard struggle since the gang had surrounded him. They had circled him. When he attacked one member, he would feel the hard attacks from other members. He was just too out numbered for his condition.
Even though his whole body felt achy and bruised he continued to fight for his life. Then he felt a sharp distinct pain in his left thigh. He looked down and realized that he had been stabbed in the thigh. Blood began to run down his leg.
He started to feel dizzy and confused. The battle began to feel like a dream. His motions were slow. He lost consciousness while they continued to beat him.
"Mike, I can't watch anymore of this movie."
"Didn't I tell you that this is the final decision and we have to watch it."
"That's not it. I'm just too worried. It just feels stupid to be sitting here and watching a movie while something terrible could be happening right now."
"Well, Leo told us to stay here, maybe it's not that serious. If it was serious then he would have had us go with him. I think he's just worried about Raph."
"Well, maybe, but I'm just too distracted to be watching a movie now."
Raph laid in the alley by himself. This is where Leo found him.
"Raph, Raph, can you hear me?" There was no answer.
Leo looked over Raph's body and noticed the blood trickling down his leg. Leo took off his bandanna and applied pressure to the wound. His whole body looked battered.
He picked Raph up and began to carry him back to the lair.
Self Discovery
Chapter 2
Don and Mike anxiously waited for Leo to come back home. Though they never spoke of it, they both knew of each other's worries. Mike tried to lighten things with with his usual banter. It helped to soften the tension but they both still felt uncomfortable. Even though they were best friends that could talk to each other about anything, they just could not talk about this.
"You know, Donnie, if you really want me to I can change the movie."
"Mikey, I don't care about the movie but thanks anyway.
After sitting there for a few minutes, Don broke the silence.
"I have a bad feeling that Leo was right."
Mike couldn't breathe. He was afraid Don was going to say that. He knew that Don didn't care about the movie anymore. Mike just didn't want to face up to his fears that something was really wrong. He just didn't want to think about it anymore. If he didn't say or think that anything bad was going to happen then it won't happen.
Don knew that Mikey had a hard time thinking about things like this but it was just too much for him to think about alone. Why was this such a big deal anyway? All Leo said was that he had a bad feeling and that it involved Raph. Raph always gets into trouble. Leo was like their big brother. He was always worried about them. It was just Leo's nature to be over protective of them. Leo didn't even feel that it was necessary for them to come. Even these thoughts didn't comfort Don. They didn't explain the bad feeling that he had.
"Man, I don't remember you being this heavy, Raph." Leo mumbled to himself.
Leo was slowly making his way back to the lair. He was worried about Raph. Raph has gotten into fixes like this before but this one was different. He could not recall a time when Raph has ever been beaten unconscious by a bunch of thugs. He has been seriously injured by the Foot but never by such amateurs. Either this group was not one to toy with or something was definitely up with Raph. Leo sighed from the exhaustion that these thoughts were giving him and also carrying Raph back to the lair was a lot of work.
Leo placed Raph down to rest and to make sure that Raph was all right.
Raph was looking worse. What appeared to be a stab wound continued to bleed on Raph's left thigh. His skin was a pale green and his whole body was battered with bruises.
"Hang in there Raph. Please don't die on me." Leo softly whispered as he began to cry to himself. He tightened the blood soaked bandana on Raph's thigh. He felt for his pulse. It was a slow and weak pulse. Raph continued to breathe with slow, short breaths.
"At least he's still breathing and has a pulse. We've had a lot closer calls than that." Leo remembered when Raph was beaten by the Foot on the roof of April's apartment building. He remembered the pain that he felt when he saw a barely alive Raph fall through the sun roof. He felt that it was his fault for what happened to Raph. He and Raph had an argument just before Raph left. It was his fault that he let Raph go. Since he got Raph angry, he wasn't careful. He was vulnerable to the Foot.
Another memory came to mind. He waited for days for Raph to wake up at April's farmhouse. One day Raph woke up. He hugged him and told him that he loved him. Looking at Raph's beaten body made him wish that they could share another moment like that.
"Donnie?" Mike was ready to talk now. He just couldn't keep his feelings inside of him any longer.
"Yeah, Mikey." Don turned from his computer to look at Mike. He could see that Mike was very worried. He knew that Mike was ready to open up to him now.
"I'm worried about Raph and Leo. They have been gone too long." A tear rolled down his face.
"Don't worry, Mike, I'm sure Raph and Leo are fine." Don said quickly to calm down Mike. Don was not comforted by his own words.
Mike knew that Don was trying to make him feel better. It helped just to hear that everything was all right but it wasn't enough to stop the stream of tears. Don grabbed Mike and hugged him as he cried into his shoulder.
After doing this for a few minutes, they let go. They sat there for a few minutes just glad to be in each other's company.
The silence was interrupted by Leo's arrival home.
"Mike, Don, Splinter, are you there? I need you." Leo called out in desperation.
Don and Mike quickly gave worried glances and rushed to see what the emergency was. The scene that they saw was not a good one. Leo was gently placing a badly injured Raph on the couch. Leo and Raph were both covered with blood.
"Oh my God, what happened Leo?"
"Raph was beaten up by a gang. Don't worry, Raph is still alive." Don quickly came over to Raph to see what damage had been done to him.
"Mike could you get me my first aid kit please?" Mike quickly left to get the first aid kit along with a few towels. He almost nearly ran into Splinter.
Splinter could see that something was wrong. Michaelangelo was more careless than usual and he could sense that one of his sons was badly injured.
"What is wrong Michaelangelo?"
"Raph is hurt, Master Splinter. He was stabbed." Splinter followed his son into the lair where Raph laid, still unconscious.
Don hovered over Raph as he checked his pulse and examined his wound. Mike quietly handed the first aid kit and the towels to Don. The wound on Raph's thigh was bleeding fast. Don began to stitch up Raph's thigh.
Mike handed a towel to Leo so he could wipe off the blood.
Splinter looked at Raphael. Raphael got in trouble more than his other sons. It was always painful for him to see any of his sons seriously injured.
Mike quietly watched his brother work frantically to save Raph. He was too in shock to cry. Leo saw Mike's distress and put a hand on his shoulder to support him.
After successfully stitching up Raphael, Don bandaged up the wound and continually checked Raph's vitals. Don wiped his hands on a towel and knew what the next task was.
"Raph has lost a lot of blood. Leo, since you and Raph have the same blood type, I'm going to have to draw some blood from you."
"Okay, Don." Leo said without any hesitation. He was used to giving blood for Raphael. Don left the room to wash his hand and get what he needed for the blood transfusion.
"All right, which arm do you want me to use." Leo extended his left arm to answer his question. Don inserted the needle into a vein in his arm and began drawing blood.
After the bag was full, he inserted a needle into Raph and began giving him blood. Raph's color was still a pale green but he seemed to be improving slightly. Don did everything that he could do for Raph. It was now time to wait for Raph to wake up.
"Donatello, perhaps it is time for you to rest now." Splinter was concerned for Donatello. He had been working hard on Raphael for several hours and didn't really have much rest.
"Don't worry Master, I'll be all right." Splinter gave him a stern look. Don knew that he couldn't argue with him and left the room to get some rest.
"Leo, you have given a lot of blood today. I want you to get something to eat and then rest." Leo seeing that Splinter was not one to disagree with, went to the kitchen.
Splinter looked sadly towards Raphael. Even though the scene looked grim, he knew that Raphael was going to be all right.
Mike walked into the kitchen to check on Leo. Leo was sitting at the table drinking some coffee.
"Hey, Leo weren't you supposed to get something to eat?"
"Yeah, but I'm not really hungry."
"Well, I'm going to have to fix that." Mike got up from the table and stood there for second. He was trying to think of something to give Leo. He walked over to the cookie jar and pulled out a cookie. Then he went to the fridge and pulled out some apple juice. He pored Leo a glass.
"There Leo, that's what people usually get when they donate blood." Mike said with a smile on his face. It was good to finally see Mike smile again.
"Uhh, thanks Mikey." Leo took the cookie and juice from Mike and managed to take a small bite. He couldn't help but to smile back at Mike.
They sat there for a few minutes as Leo finished his meal.
"How are you feeling now, Leo?"
"Better." Mike noticed how tired Leo was. He certainly had been through a lot today.
"I think you better get some rest Leo cause you look tired."
"I suppose I should." Leo slowly got up and left the kitchen.
Mike sat in the kitchen by himself for a few minutes. He was still trying to get over the events that occurred that day.
"How could an ordinary day turn into this?"
Leo walked into the Den from the kitchen and checked on Raph. Splinter was sitting by Raphael.
"How is he?"
"Stable. I'm sure he'll be all right, Leonardo. Now I think it's best if you rest now."
"All right, Master." Leo wanted to discuss his concerns about Raphael but decided it could wait. He got up and left the room.
Splinter laid a hand on Raphael's forehead. A tear rolled down his cheek.
Raphael was in a laboratory. He was restrained on what looked to be an operating table. Raph struggled to get out of the restraints but couldn't get loose. After awhile he gave up and laid there trying to think of a way to escape. There was nobody in the room. He could here the light buzz of machinery.
"Well, you have finally awaken, experiment # 231."
"Who are you and what do you want from me?"
"I'm a scientist that works here in this lab. We captured you so we could study you. You are quite an interesting specimen."
"Well, I don't want to be studied." Raphael struggled to get out of his restraints again.
"It's no use, you will never be able to break free." The scientist was looking at some papers on a clip board and began writing some notes. He frowned as he looked at one of the papers.
"This his not good." he said shaking his head.
"What's not good?"
"Your test results. It appears that you don't have much time to live."
"WHAT?! What are you talking about?"
"It appears that you are very sick."
"Sick? I feel just fine."
"Well, you may feel all right but you are sick. You don't have much time left to live. Damn. That isn't enough time to study and conduct tests on you. Just when we finally catch a humanoid turtle, he has to be sick." Raphael began to struggle again.
"Well, I better give you something to calm down now since you just can't relax." He took a needle in injected something into Raphael's arm. This caused Raphael to struggle more.
"What in the fuck did you just inject me with?"
"Oh, it's just something to let you sleep for awhile." the scientist said calmly.
Raphael began to feel the effects of the serum. The room went black.
At that moment he woke up. Sweat was poring down his face. He sat up in his bed breathing hard.
"It was just a dream." Raph mumbled to himself.
He got out of bed and decided to take a shower. He did not want to think about that strange dream anymore. What did it mean?
Raph walked into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked terrible. It seemed like the more he looked at himself the worse his appearance got. His image was morphing. His skin got pale and he began looking weaker. Raphael let out a scream as he smashed the mirror with his fist. The glass shattered to the floor. He must of got cut by one of the shards of glass because his thigh began to hurt. He looked down at it as it bled.
Self Discovery
Chapter 3
Splinter kept a vigil by Raphael all night long. Even though he was tired he stayed alert to ensure Raphael's survival through the many hours of unconscious. About 4 in the morning, Splinter noticed a change in Raphael. Raphael moved a little. He groaned softly as he started to come into consciousness. Splinter felt relief stream through his body.
Raphael opened his eyes a crack and saw the caring eyes of Splinter looking down on him.
"What's going on, master?" Raphael mumbled.
"You were seriously injured, Raphael. You need to get some rest."
"What?" Raphael said with confusion.
"I suppose I better get Donatello up so he can make sure you're all right. I'll be right back."
Splinter rose from Raphael's side and walked in the direction of Donatello's room when he was stopped by Leonardo. Leonardo looked at Splinter then towards the Den.
"Master Splinter, I heard some noise, is Raph okay?"
Splinter gave him a concerned look. Leonardo looked exhausted. "Haven't you been sleeping?"
"I tried but I just couldn't stop thinking about Raph." Splinter placed his hand on Leo's shoulder.
"He just woke up. I'm sure he'll be all right now."
"Oh, good." Leo said with a sigh of relief. Even though he was relieved that Raph was all right he still felt that something was wrong. The way that Raph had been acting lately bothered him.
Splinter could sense that Leonardo was concerned about something but now was not a good time to discuss it.
"Leonardo, why don't you keep Raphael company while I get Donatello."
"Yes, Master Splinter." Leo walked into the Den and knelt down by Raph's side.
"Raph, are you all right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine Leo."
"Do you remember what happened?"
"Leo, nothing happened. Okay." Raphael was frustrated because he had no idea what anybody was talking about. He became aware of a pain on his thigh and noticed a large bandage on it. Leo noticed Raph eying the bandage.
"Well then, how did you get that?" Raphael looked at it and could vaguely remember getting stabbed but an image of a broken mirror was more clear in his head.
"I cut myself from the glass of the mirror in the bathroom, Leo. I don't really want to talk about it." Leo looked strangely at his brother. Why did Raph think that a mirror cut him?
Just then Splinter came back into the room followed by Michaelangelo and Donatello.
"Hey, Raph. You're finally up" Mikey said with a smile on his face.
"I better take a look at you."
"Donnie, I'm fine, okay. I just cut myself on some glass."
"Um... Raph that wound looked more like the work of a knife." Don sat down next to Raph.
"I would know if I was stabbed, Don" Raphael said grumpily. Don looked slightly confused.
"Could you tell me what happened to you, Raph?"
"There's not much to it. I smashed a mirror and the glass cut my thigh. It's not a big deal."
"Hmm..." Don said as he examined his wound to make sure it had stopped bleeding.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Raph said angrily. Don looked up.
"Ummm... nothing, Raph. Just relax."
"How can I relax when everybody keeps overacting over a stupid cut?"
"I think you should rest, Raph. If you want, I could give you something to ease the pain of the cut."
"I don't need anything for a stupid little cut. I wish you guys would stop babying me."
"All right, Raph. Just get some sleep, okay?" Don ushered everybody out of the room.
"Goodnight, Raph" Mikey said.
"What's wrong with him, Don? Why can't he remember anything?" Leo asked with concern.
"He probably can't remember what happened because it was a stressful situation for him and he was knocked out unconscious for quite some time. I think he's just trying to make an excuse to explain everything. He just needs some rest to clear his mind so we can help him understand what happened."
"Will he ever remember?" Mike said in a small voice.
"It might come back to him but he probably won't remember all the details. It'll just be pieces of the puzzle."
"I will watch him tonight. I want the rest of you to go back to bed now. I will wake you up if anything happens."
"Yes, Master Splinter." None of them really wanted to go to bed but they knew that Splinter was not one to disagree with.
Splinter shook his head at them. They worried him sometimes.
"Goodnight, my sons. Please get some rest." he said as the three brothers walked towards their rooms. Splinter went back to Raphael's side. He had already fallen asleep.
Splinter looked at Raph. Raph had a peaceful look on his face. Splinter sighed to himself.
"You just have to be my most difficult son, don't you?" Splinter whispered as he rubbed his hand on Raph's forehead.
Two weeks passed since Raph's injury. He was doing much better but not as well as he should've. He still couldn't remember what happened to him and his bruises weren't healing very well. Leo still felt worried about Raph. Even though Raphael appeared to be getting better, Leo could sense that he was getting worse in another way.
"Master Splinter, I'm worried about Raphael. I know that he's getting better but I think something's wrong."
"I have sensed this too, my son. I can sense that Raphael is not well."
"What do you think is wrong with him?"
"That, I don't know but we must watch over him to make sure he is okay."
"I just wish I could figure out what's wrong with him, Master. I think I'm going to talk to Donatello and Michaelangelo and see what they think."
Donatello and Michaelangelo were in the living room watching TV. They didn't even notice Leo walk in.
"Where's Raphael?"
"I don't know" Mikey said half listening.
"You know, Raphael is hardly ever around anymore" Leo said with concern.
"That's not unusual for Raph" said Don.
"I know that he's gone a lot but not this much. I hardly ever see him anymore. I'm worried about him."
"Dude, you're always worried."
"No, I'm not." Leo said defensively. He thought about this for a minute.
"Okay, so I get worried a lot but aren't my concerns always right?"
"Well, sometimes they have just cause but other times you're worried over nothing and I think today is one of those days."
"Well, I don't, guys. I truly do believe that there is something going on with Raphael and I intend to find out."
"Raphael's had a hard week. His behavior is understandable. Just give him some time Leo" Don said. Leo sighed in frustration and walked out of the lair.
"He's on a mission." Mikey said to Don. Don worriedly looked towards the exit. Why was Leo so worried about Raph? Was there something that he was missing. His thoughts were interrupted by Mikey laughing at something on TV.
Raphael walked along the shadows of the alley. Even after two weeks, he still didn't know what happened. His life just seemed to be so strange. He couldn't understand it anymore. Leo told him that he had been attacked by a gang and stabbed in the thigh. Michaelangelo told him that the night he woke up, he told everybody that he cut it with a shard of glass. He didn't remember any of this.
His body still ached all over from cuts and bruises. His thigh was slowly on the mend but still hurt quite a bit. Don told him that he should try not to over strain himself by walking around too much. He should only walk so much a day. Despite the advice and the pain from his thigh, he continued to wonder around, trying to put the pieces back together. He wanted to figure everything out so badly.
Leonardo walked in the sewers for about an hour trying to clear his mind. Why were Don and Mike so skeptical of him? Maybe they were right.
"I tend to worry too much over nothing. I mean, Raph is recovering from an injury, of course he's not going to be himself. He can't even remember what happened." Leo stopped walking for a second.
"Why am I talking to myself?"
"Cause you're worried and nobody else will listen except Splinter." he said to himself.
"Hmmm...that's true."
Leonardo returned to the lair after clearing his mind from the walk.
Raphael returned to the lair early the next morning. He was tired from staying up all night.
Leonardo was sitting in the kitchen.
"What are you doing up so early, Leo."
"Thinking."
"Well, I guess that makes the two of us." Leo looked up at Raph in shock. He just thought that Raph would say something like "Not practicing, ninja geek?."
Raphael noticed a pot of coffee that Leo had brewed. He took a cup and pored himself some.
"Normally, I don't drink the stuff but I could really use it right now."
"Oh." Leo wasn't sure what to say to Raph. A brief silence followed.
"How's that wound of yours healing?"
"Fine, Leo." Raph said in a gruff voice.
"I was just wondering." Leo said quietly and looked down at his cup. Raphael looked like he wanted to say something but didn't.
They sat there in an uncomfortable silence that seemed to last an eternity until Raph finally spoke.
"Leo, I wish I could understand my life. I can't remember anything that happened when I got attacked. I don't even feel like myself anymore." Leo looked at Raphael with surprise. He's never this open. Raphael looked away from Leo. He got up and left the room. At that point, Leo knew that there was something wrong with Raphael.
The next day, Donatello decided he'd better check on Raphael's injuries to make sure they were healing right.
"I don't think this is really necessary, Don. I feel fine."
"Well, I have to check them. I also need to make sure that the cut in your thigh is healing like it should after I took the stitches out last week." Don removed the bandages and examined the wound.
"It seems to be doing all right. Just remember to not strain it too much so the skin won't rip open."
"Yeah, Yeah, Donnie. I'll be careful. Can I go now?" Donatello looked at Raphael. His skin was a little pale and the bruises didn't seem to be healing very fast.
"Raph, are you feeling okay because you don't exactly look so good."
"What, Donnie? I feel as good as somebody who has been stabbed can feel."
"There just doesn't seem to be something right here." Don rubbed his hand on his chin as he was thinking. Maybe Leo was right. Something was wrong.
"I think I better do a blood test to make sure you're okay." Don finally said.
"Don, I don't need you to be sticking a needle in me. I'm fine."
"I really do think that I need to get some blood from you Raphael. It won't take very long."
"Okay" Raphael grumbled as he extended his arm. He hated needles. Donatello drew some blood and labeled the vial.
"There that wasn't so bad."
"Well, you weren't the one getting a needle stuck in your arm." Donatello gave Raph an amused look.
"Well, you're free to go now."
"Good. I don't particularly enjoy being pricked and prodded."
"I'm sure there are many that would agree with you but it has to be done."
"Well, I don't think it does." Raphael got up and left Don's lab.
Don was left to himself to ponder over Raphael's condition. He had a bad feeling about all of this. Raphael was still sick in some sort of way. He looked at the vile in his hand.
"I hope this blood gives me an insight on what's going on." Don had a feeling about what was ailing Raph but didn't want to think about it. It seemed too terrible to think about.
"Insight on what?" Leo asked. Leo stood in the doorway. Don turned around in shock and looked at Leo. Leo gave Don a concerned look.
"Is there something wrong with Raphael?"
Don looked down at his feet and took a deep breathe. His stomach churned at the thought.
Chapter 4 coming soon!