Chapter 2: Injustice

A/N: Hey, I'm back with another chapter. I can't believe how fast I'm coming out with this story. Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed thus far. It means the world to me that you're taking a chance on this story. This chapter will be all about Raph and how he's coping with everything. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot of the story.

Raphael kept hitting the training dummy in the living area repeatedly. Each time he did, he imagined it to have the face of the guy who hit Leo. He had just heard the news that the driver had been taken to the hospital but only suffered minor injuries. Not only that, but he was also out on bail. How could people be stupid enough to bail out someone who ruined someone else's life? Would they have shown pity if it had been a person he had paralyzed instead of Leo? Life definitely wasn't fair, and it had turned that way even more so since Leo's accident.

Raph finished his workout and decided to go visit his brother. Leo was in his room now because he hadn't wanted to stay in the infirmary and stare at the boring walls. Raph thought about asking Leo to come out and hang out in the living area, but he didn't want to force his brother to do something he didn't want to do. He found Leo sitting in his bed reading a Space Heroes comic.

"Hey, bro, just wanted to see how you were doin'," Raph said.

Leo looked up from his comic and smiled. "I'm okay, Raph," he said. "But you don't look like you are. What's wrong?"

"Nothin's wrong," Raph answered. "I'm fine."

"No you're not," Leo contradicted. "I could hear you beating on that dummy. What's got you so upset?"

Raph sighed. He knew he couldn't hide anything from Leo. "I'm just pissed about this whole thing," he answered. "The guy who hit you only had minor injuries and he's out on bail. I just don't understand why people do this! Why did they have to set him free?"

"He had someone who could get him out," Leo replied. "That's usually the way bail works."

"Yeah, well, they shouldn't do that," grumbled Raph. "It's just not fair."

"I know what you mean, Raph. I've been feeling the same way after this all happened, but Sensei made me see that I have to flow with change and adapt to it."

"But it won't get any easier for you," pointed out Raph. "You have to adjust to so many things."

"I know, but I think I can do it. So what's all this talk about finding a way to still have me be leader? Sensei mentioned you were working with Donnie on something."

"Yeah, I figured that even if you can't go out topside, maybe he could make it so you can have sort of a control room set up in the lab. Maybe have Don install cameras so you can see what's goin' on and communicate with us either via the T-Phones or headsets. I know it sounds stupid, but I really think it would be cool if you could do that."

"It's not stupid at all, Raph. I appreciate the fact that you still want to include me on missions even if I can't be with you physically. That means a lot to me."

"Don't mention it," said Raph gruffly. "And don't tell the others about this talk 'cause they'll never let me live it down."

Leo laughed. "I won't," he promised. "You do have a reputation to uphold after all. But don't get so upset at the driver either. It can't be helped, and you have enough on your plate as it is."

"Yeah, I gotta go talk to Casey about installin' some ramps for the Lair so you can move around and stuff. He's supposed to come over tomorrow, so maybe we can work it out then."

"Sounds like a plan," Leo said. "So what's Mikey been up to?"

Raph shrugged. "No idea. I think he's been helpin' Donnie with some of the other stuff wer're gonna need. He's been goin' out to skateboard a lot lately, and I think I know why."

"He's upset because I'm paralyzed," Leo noted.

Raph nodded. "Yeah, I think he figured Donnie would be able to fix you up in no time. You know how optimistic he gets, and I think he's mad because Don can't fix this at all. It's like he can't deal with it."

"Maybe you should send him my way," Leo suggested. "I can talk to him and see if maybe I can help cheer him up."

"Sounds good to me. I'll do that if I see him."

Leo yawned. "I'm a little tired, so I think I'm gonna sleep for a bit. What time do you guys go on patrol?"

"In an hour. I'll make sure to check in on you before we head out though."

"Okay, cool," Leo said. "Talk to you then, Raph."

"Yep, have a good sleep," Raph said. Then he headed out of Leo's room and went into his own. At a time like this, he really wished Spike was still here to talk to. Spike wouldn't judge him for being mad about the drunk driver and would listen to him rant with no judgment at all. But Spike wasn't here, and Raph could only sit and think about things by himself. As he sat on his bed, he remembered the day Leo got hit and how everything had changed for all of them.

22222

The night was clear and a bit cool. They were out getting more mutagen canisters so Don could make more retro-mutagen to cure others who had been affected by the canisters. Leo had spotted one and was on his way to get it when a kid went for it, too. Raph was disgusted to see a little boy out so late at night. Shouldn't he have been in bed? Raph watched as Leo grabbed the canister and lectured the boy about it being too dangerous to touch. The boy was stubborn, which made Raph smile a bit, but Leo held his ground. Then a car came barreling down the street at a high rate of speed. Leo tossed the canister to his brother, and Don caught it. Then Leo pushed the boy out of the way of the car's path but wasn't able to get to safety himself before the car hit him dead on. Raph watched in horror as his brother's body flew up and then landed on the ground while the car swerved more and finally hit a light pole.

"LEO!" Raph screamed as they all rushed to their brother's side. He had slipped into unconsciousness, and Raph was worried that he was dead. He checked for a pulse and was relieved to see that Leo was still alive.

"What happened?" Mikey asked. "Why did that car hit him?"

Raph stormed to the car and saw that the driver was passed out and that it reeked of alcohol. "He was drinkin'," he answered. "Dumb asshole was drunk at the wheel."

"We have to call an ambulance for him," Don suggested.

"Are you kiddin' me?" Raph cried. "This guy hit our brother, and you want to take pity on him?"

"We can't just leave him here, Raph," said Don. "I'll make an anonymous call and let them know where he is. You and Mikey take Leo and get him to the Lair before the ambulance shows up. I'll stay until the ambulance arrives and then leave."

"I can't believe you wanna take pity on this asshole," said Raph. "Our brother could die, you know."

"I'm just doing what Leo would probably do, Raph," pointed out Don. "Now get going."

Frustrate that Don would do this, Raph and Mikey carefully lifted Leo and carried him away from the scene. They spotted a manhole cover not far away and used it to get Leo down, though they were very careful about how they did it. All the way back to the Lair, Raph could see that Mikey was trying his best not to cry, and Raph couldn't blame him for that. He was scared, too, and he really hoped that maybe Splinter would know what to do to help Leo out. They entered the Lair and Mikey called for Splinter. He came running and saw Leo being carried between them.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Leo was gettin' a mutagen canister away from a kid, and a drunk driver hit him," answered Raph. "We don't know what's gonna happen now. Don's up top callin' an ambulance for a driver and he'll be back in a little while."

"Take your brother to the infirmary," Splinter ordered. "We will wait for Donatello to get home before we take any other action."

"Hai, Sensei," said Raph. He and Mikey took Leo to the infirmary and set him on the cot that was placed there. Then they just looked at their brother until Don came home and gave them the news that the driver had been taken to the hospital.

"Forget him! What's gonna happen to Leo?"

"We won't know until he wakes up," Don replied. "The best thing we can do is just wait, but I can treat some of his other wounds."

Two days went by with no change, and Raph never left Leo's side not wanting to miss the moment his brother woke up. There were times he despaired of Leo never waking up, but then it happened. Raph was overjoyed, but then came the news that Leo was paralyzed and couldn't move his legs. Raph asked if there was anything that could be done, but Donnie said there wasn't and that he would be this way permanently. It was like a punch to the gut to Raph knowing that his brother would never walk again. It made him even angrier at the driver and made him want to find out where that driver was so he could teach him a lesson. Leo asked to be moved to his room, and Raph took him there after making a stop so Leo could use the restroom. After making sure Leo was comfortable, Raph went to Splinter's quarters at the request of his father.

"Raphael, some changes must be made," Splinter began when Raph was seated. "In light of your brother's situation, I am afraid that I will have to make you the leader of the team."

"What?" Raph asked. "Why?"

"Your brother is no longer fit to lead the team now, so you must take his place."

"Leo's always been the leader!" Raph protested. "He can still be the leader now."

"I am afraid that is impossible."

"Wait, this is because he's paralyzed, isn't it? You think that just because he can't walk, he can't lead the team, right?"

"He will no longer be able to accompany you on your missions, and you need a leader to do so. That means you must be the leader from now on."

"It'll crush him, Sensei!" cried Raph. "First he can't move his legs, and now he can't be the leader anymore! He'll get depressed and upset! You can't do this, Master Splinter. There has to be a better way."

"If you can come up with a better way, then perhaps he may keep his position," Splinter mused. "But for now, this is the way it must be. I am sorry, my son, but it cannot be helped. I know it will hurt Leonardo, but I think he will understand. Besides, you can still seek him out for guidance if you want to. I see no reason for you not to do that."

"I still think this is unfair, Sensei," muttered Raph.

"There are many things in life that are not fair, but we must adapt to them," Splinter lectured. "This is one of those things, and we all need to support your brother during this time of need. You are dismissed."

Frustrated by the whole thing, Raph went back to Leo's room. He didn't want his brother to find out from Splinter what had happened and felt it would be better if he told Leo himself. Leo was sitting up in bed when Raph came in.

"Hey, Raph, what's up?" he asked.

"Leo, I really hate to tell you this, but Sensei wants me to be the leader now," Raph said. "He says that because you can't come to the surface with us, we still need a leader, and he figured I would be the best choice."

"I see. So why aren't you happy about it? Isn't that what you always wanted?"

Raph shook his head. "No, I never wanted anythin' like that," he said. "Yeah, I thought about it sometimes, but you know I'd never do a good job. Remember the last time I tried it? It was a disaster."

"I know, Raph, but this is how it has to be," Leo answered. "I'll be here if you need advice though. And I honestly think that if I can't be the leader, I'd rather it be you." He was smiling, but Raph could see the pain in his brother's eyes. He was upset that his title had been removed from him, and Raph was afraid it was going to put his brother into a severe depression.

"Okay, Leo, I'll try," he promised. "Look, I'm gonna go talk to Donnie. I'll see you later, okay?"

"See you later, Raph," Leo said.

Raph went to the lab where Donnie was making a list about what they would need to accommodate their brother now that he couldn't move his legs.

"What's up, Raph?" Don asked him.

"Splinter thinks Leo can't be leader anymore because of his handicap, but I think there could still be a way," Raph answered.

"He can't go the surface, Raph," Don pointed out.

"I know, but maybe you could install cameras around the city so he could stay here and see what's goin' on. Maybe he could talk to us through headsets or you could set up a control room."

"That sounds like a good idea, Raph, but a control room would be too complicated. Maybe I could rig something up where he could watch us via his T-Phone and communicate to us through some headsets that have cameras attached."

"That sounds pretty cool."

"Thanks. It may take a while to get to because I have other things I need to do first, but I think I can do that for him."

"Great. You really are a genius, Donnie."

Don blushed. "Well, I try my best."

Raph patted him on the shoulder and headed to the living area. He was happy that Don had taken his idea into consideration, and maybe things cold work out for Leo after all. He'd still get to be the leader and guide them on missions just like always.

22222

Raph snapped out of his thoughts and realized that things were looking up for Leo. Maybe they could get through this and make things better. He exited his room and decided to wait until it was time for patrol. They had some more mutagen canisters to find because there were still more across the city. He saw Mikey watching TV and went over to him.

"Hey, bro, I've missed you. Where you been?"

"Out skateboarding," Mikey replied. "How's Leo?"

"Why don't you go see him yourself?" Raph asked him. "I think he'd like to see you."

"I know, but it's hard seein' him like that, you know? I always thought Donnie would have the means to fix him, but he can't, and that sucks. It just hurts knowin' Leo can't walk."

Raph put a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "I know, Mikey, but we have to deal with it. And maybe if you talk to Leo, it'll make you feel better. He doesn't like this any more than we do, but he's willin' to accept it. He really wants to talk to you, bro."

"I'll talk to him tomorrow," Mikey promised. "He'll probably be asleep when we go on patrol."

"Sounds good to me," Raph said. He checked in on Leo before they left for patrol and then led his brothers up to the surface. He wasn't too keen on the leadership thing, but he knew that he'd have to do it for his brother's sake. So he sucked up his pride and led patrol just as Leo would do. The night went well, and they found ten more mutagen canisters without incident. When they got back, Leo was asleep, so Raph decided he'd tell his brother in the morning how thing went. He went to Splinter's quarters and reported on what had gone on.

"I am impressed, Raphael," Splinter praised him. "Despite your reluctance to take on this title, you have proven yourself to be as worthy as Leonardo has been. I am sure your brother will be proud of you as well. He is very lucky to have you."

"Thanks, Sensei," Raph said, ducking his head bashfully.

"Now go get some rest."

Raph bowed to his father and went to his room. He felt good that he'd done a good job and had pleased his father. He definitely wasn't a bad leader and felt that he could take Leo's place for a little while. His brother would be proud of him, and that was all that mattered to Raph. He'd always wanted to make Splinter proud, but now he wanted to show his older brother that he could be a leader too and protect his brothers just as well as Leo could. With that last thought in his head, Raph settled down to sleep, thankful that he'd done a good job.

A/N: Wow. Eleven pages! I never thought it would be that long. So now things are coming more to light for the brothers and how things have to change. Next chapter will be focused on Donnie and how he's coping with all of this. Feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day.