"Your body and spirit need recuperation, my son," Splinter uttered softly, "You must rest."
Sighing back, Raphael gave a disgruntled cough as he obeyed his master and rested on the couch. Across his son's forehead, Splinter pressed a cool wash cloth to help calm his fever. Among the many things his brothers brought out to him (such as a tissue box, his T-Phone, some comic books, and Spike), Raphael turned over to the coffee table where the little turtle rested and spoke to his small pet.
"This stinks, Spike," Raph huffed gruffly, "A whole week of just sittin' on the couch. Listen: if I start to lose my mind… will you still be my friend?"
Looking up from the corner of a comic book he was chewing on, Spike stared at his master for only a moment, and then continued to chomp on his supper.
"Thadnks, Spike," Raphael sniffled as he reached for a tissue.
Blowing his nose loudly, Raph noticed out of the corner of his eye a large mass of green pass behind the couch. Turning around abruptly, Raphael caught his three brothers red-handed as their attempt to sneak passed him was foiled.
"Aha!"
"W were, uh," Mikey slurred as he hunted through his idea of excuses, "We were just, um, we were gonna-"
"-Get pizza," Donnie insinuated.
"Yeah," Mikey nodded in affirmation, "That's it! We-"
"Can it, dorks," Raph sighed desolately, "I know you're goin' on patrol."
"Aw, c'mon, Raph," Leo ensured his brother quietly, "It's just a week. Time'll fly by, you'll see!"
"Yeah," Raph scoffed, "It'll be up there with the pigs, too, right?"
"I don't get it," Mikey whispered to Donnie.
"It's an expression," Donnie replied quietly.
"We shouldn't be gone long," Leo began, "April just called us and said-"
"Um, excuse me," Donnie intruded, "Who did she call?"
"Ugh, fine," Leo grumbled, "She called you, Donnie."
"That's right," Donnie laughed as he whipped out a picture of April from inside his shell.
"It's like we're connected," Donatello sighed lovingly, holding the picture tight against his plastron.
"Uh, dude," Mikey cringed, "You're creepin' me out."
"And we have to get going," Leo insisted as he turned to his ailing brother, "Sorry, Raph. We'll try to come home soon: promise. Feel better!"
"Rest up, bro," Mikey cried as he followed his brother up the escape route.
"I hope you blood cells continue to fight the viral war that is plaguing your body," Donnie shouted just before he vanished.
Sighing to himself, Raphael picked up Spike from the coffee table.
"Looks like it's just you an' me buddy," Raph mumbled, "So, hurk-hmm, whaddya wanna do?"
Looking up at Raphael, Spike's eyes began to droop as he drifted off into a nice nap.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Raph nodded with a yawn.
Before no time at all, both turtles were lost in a contented slumber.
…That is, until about two hours later when Raph's T-Phone rang.
It had to be about ten o'clock, and combining the offsetting of his internal clock with his fever, Raphael was pretty disoriented right about now. Grumbling, the sickly turtle picked up the phone, and with his green eyes hazy from the fever, Raph could just barely make out April's picture appearing on the screen. Though his voice was weak, the teenager cleared his throat, and answered the call.
"Huuullo," Raphael slurred huskily, "W't's up, Apr'l?
"Raph, thank goodness," April exclaimed in an anxious tone of voice, "We've got trouble! Th- hey, are you alright? You don't look so good."
"F-fine. Whuh-hur'gxt'shh, ugh," Raph began as he stifled a sneeze, "Wh-where are you?"
"A factory on the corner of sixth and Compton way: second floor," she replied, "There was some kind of incident, and Karai, a-and the boys: Leo and Mikey and-"
"-Donnie, right. Thanks April, but I know their names," Raph urged to get the full story, "Now what about 'em?"
"Th-they're trapped," April cried, "Karai tied them up to this crane-thing! Now she has them dangling over some ooze-stuff, and-"
"'Ooze'", Raph repeated worriedly, "A-are they alright? Are you alright?"
"They're just hanging there, I'm fine," she replied, "I managed to escape, but…hey, hey! Get off of me! Get off! Raphael, he-"
And with that, the connection was lost. Raphael didn't hesitate for a second: he knew where he had to go, and he knew what he had to do. He wasn't about to just lie in bed while his brothers and April were in danger! Hopefully, Master Splinter would forgive him. However, right now, he didn't even care. He just cared about saving his family. Though he was a little dizzy when he first stood up, Raphael shook it off and leapt into action.
The address wasn't too far from the turtles' lair, but when you're rooftop-running with a spiked fever in the middle of July, you tend to get a little winded. Raphael tried to ignore the disorientation he was feeling: his throat was on fire; his stomach was nauseous, he need a doctor if not the entire hospital!
"Just…another…block," Raphael murmured out loud as he hopped his final rooftop.
Just like Raphael's fever, things were burning up inside the factory. With a large vat of radioactive ooze below them, the turtles struggled to break through the cold, silver chains that Karai had tied them up in. As the Kraang bots guarded April's incarceration, Karai cackled wickedly as she stared up at the boys in green.
"'Heroes-in-a-half-shell, huh," Karai scoffed, "More like 'zeroes-in-a-half-shell' to me."
"How original," Michelangelo cried sarcastically, "…NOT!"
Unappeased, Karai whipped out the remote control to the crane and lowered the turtles another five feet. Screaming in terror before the crane jolted them at the destined length, Donatello and Leonardo glared at their little brother disapprovingly.
"Okay," Donnie huffed angrily, "You don't get to talk anymore!"
"Ha ha," Karai laughed evilly, "Any last words, turtles? Preferably ones that describe the location of your hideout."
"Never, Karai," Leo replied angrily, "You'll never get us to tell!"
Pressing the button again, Karai sent the boys down another five feet closer to their doom.
"Okay," Donatello choked out after, "Okay, you don't get to talk, either!"
"Are you sure you don't wanna talk, Leonardo," Karai inquired cooly, "You're not exactly in any position to argue, are ya sweety?"
"S-sweety," Leo blushed, "Uh, well, I- er, no! No, we're keeping quiet!"
"In that case," Karai responded, "Let's see just how close you are to your doom."
After pressing the button twice, the turtles were now a mere five feet from the boiling leak.
"No," April cried from her small jail cell, "No, you can't do this!"
"Zip it, Red," Karai snapped as she order the Kraang to stand aside, "You're lucky: I'm gonna let you watch your friends go in before you do. I wonder what a bratty, little red-headed girl will mutate into?"
"You'll never get away with this, Karai," April yelled angrily.
"Who's gonna stop me," Karai laughed.
"Turn around and you'll find out."
Jolting her head, Karai found the source of the voice to be none other than the fourth ninja turtle. Though she was surprised and shocked, Karai only wore a cool smile on her face.
"Raphael, isn't it," she asked condescendingly, "Nice of you to join us. What brings you here."
"Oh, I dunno," Raphael responded, drawing his sais in combat formation, "Just to chat, and, uh- oh yeah, to save my family."
"Raph, what're you doing here," Leo cried from above.
"Yeah, dude," Mikey added, "You gotta rest!"
"You're in no condition to-," Donnie began before stopping abruptly.
It was too late. Karai had all the information she needed; and she knew that a unwell turtle meant an easy fight.
"Aww," Karai cooed mockingly, "You're sick? That's a shame. But you're in luck-"
Raising the remote high in the air, she threatened, "I was just about to make some soup."
Lunging at Karai, Raphael had successfully knocked the remote from her grip. As it rested on the floor, the wicked kunoich and the teenage ninja began their own separate brawl. While the two fought strong, Raphael's weak, infected body soon started to go against him. The fight was going well… for Karai.
"I didn't know freaks could get sick," Karai exclaimed as she attempted to slash Raphael with her katana.
"I'm not sick," Raphael retorted angrily, "I'm just-hur'hmm- j-just a little under the weather, that's all."
"Yeah, right," Karai responded as she flipped Raph flat on his back with her Katana against his neck, muttering, "If you weren't sick, that wouldn't have been so easy. Or… would it?"
Staring up at Karai trying to hide the inhibitions he was feeling, Raphael was stuck. He knew he could think of a plan, but this darn flu gave him a headache that had his thoughts spinning. Why did he leave the comfort of his couch?
"Now, let me ask you," Karai forced out as she drew her blade closer against Raphael's forest green neck, "Does the sick, pathetic, weak turtle have any last words?"
"Y-yeah," Raphael grumbled with a sniffle, "D-do you have a tissue?"
"What," Karai asked angrily, "Why?"
"I- snnff- I-I ha-huh, I hafta sn-sneeze," Raphael gasped deeply, "Ah- I nuh-neeed to c-cover my nose…"
"Nice try, turtle," Karai sneered, "You're time has just run—"
"N'yah, hah, heh…HUUUh'rrROH'SCHuuuUUUUOOOH!"
"Agh! Gross! Ah, oh disgusting, mutant germs! This is is-"
As Karai continued her frenzy of screeching, the turtles and April cheered as Raphael grabbed the remote. Pressing the designated buttons, the red-clad turtle unlocked April's prison door, closed the vat of ooze with its titanium platform and lowered the crane so the turtles could reach it.
"Raph," April exclaimed as hugged the big hero.
"Uh, don't get too close, April," Raph insisted, "Unless you want the flu, that is. Are you alright?"
"Fine," April replied with a frown, "Aw, but Raph- I had no idea you were so sick! If I knew-"
"Look, we can talk later," Raph interrupted as he felt the cold stare of Karai over his shoulder before persisted, "But right now, you need to get outta here. Understand?"
"But-"
"Good," Raph ensued as he whipped out his sais and began to charge at Karai.
He noticed, however, his strength was drained, he could barely move! With one punch, Raph was down.
"Pff, look at you," Karai scorned, "So pathetic. So weak. You're not nearly strong enough to fight me on your own-"
"Good thing he doesn't have to."
And with one clean sweep-kick, Leonardo knocked Karai right off her feet and out like a light. Excited to see their ill brother was okay, Leo, Don, and Mikey ran to Raphael and praised him for all he'd done.
"Atta boy, Raph," Donnie exclaimed while patting Raphael on his shell.
"High three, bro," Mikey cried as he rose his hand up for a congratulatory expression.
As Raphael raised his hand, he stopped midway to catch a coughing fit in his hand. Looking into his brother's eyes, Leonardo noticed how exhausted and sick he felt. With his pale body shaking like a leaf, Leo brought the backside of his hand gently to his brother's smoldering hot forehead.
"Ooh, guys," Leo said in a hushed voice to his brothers, "He's still got a spiked fever.
"Aw, poor guy," Mikey hummed, "You really don't feel good, do ya?"
Going to reply to his little brother, Raphael felt that same dizzy feeling he experienced just before passing out earlier; and his brothers could tell. Rushing over, Donnie grabbed his feverish brother before he fell. He didn't even care that Raph was sick and infested with germs: he just wanted him to be okay.
"Hang in there, buddy," Donatello murmured, "You're gonna be just fine. Just stay with us, alright?"
Nodding tiredly, Raphael looked wearily up at his brothers, and then sighed heavily as he tried to keep his composure.
"Let's get him home," Leo ordered before he helped Donnie grab Raphael, saying, "We gotcha, Raph. Just hang in there."