Donatello frantically begged Raphael to stay with them. Mikey held the cloth in place as Donnie tied it. His heart beat so fast he thought it might just burst. The bleeding wasn't slowing. "Please Raph hang in there. Mikey stared at his brother in horror. The gurgling from Raph's throat had stopped. He moved his hand to his chest and felt nothing. No thump of a beating heart; no rise and fall of steady breathing. Mikey immediately started chest compressions. "Please bro don't die! Donnie! Help! Raph's not breathing!" His loud shout brought Donatello back into reality. His eyes shot open; noticing how still his older brother had become.

"Nooo! Raph don't leave us!" He started mouth to mouth while Mikey continued chest compressions. For several intense moments; they desperately pushed air into his lungs; past the blood. Raphael's body went limp and cold as the last vestiges of life left him. Donnie's and Mikey's pleas fell on deaf ears. They refused to give up. Raph wouldn't give up on them.

Leo pushed Karai into the wall. Anger radiated from him in waves. Donnie and Mikey's screams caught his attention. Glancing over; a grim expression spread across his face. His younger brother lay dead as they frantically tried reviving him. Blood stained their elbow and knee pads, smearing on their skin. Watching Mikey press hard on Raphael's chest; trying to restart a still heart. Something in him snapped. He leveled his eyes with Karai. She smirked and that smirk caused it all. "You will pay Karai!" His voice deadly.

"Oh really? As I see it, I have won. Your brother is dead." She spun her mankiri at Leonardo. He grinned evilly; a plan forming in his mind. Just as the chained reached him; he caught in it with his katana. Gripping tightly to the chain, he swiftly ran around Karai, catching her in it. With another pull; he used his momentum and threw the weighted part off the ledge of the building. Karai didn't have time to react as she fell with the chain. He heard her scream as she fell.

Leonardo sprinted to where his fallen brother lay. His lips blue and skin cold. Leo collapsed to his knees. "Please lil bro, please fight. Ya gotta hang in there. Don't leave us!" Tears fell from his eyes. Fear gripped his heart at the thought of losing his brother. He didn't even feel the still warm crimson liquid staining his skin. "Take a break Mikey. I'll take over chest compressions." Mikey rubbed his sore hands, moving over. Leo pushed down hard, repeatedly on Raphael's cold plastron. He wasn't about to let his brother die.

As Raphael slipped further away from his brothers, he faintly heard Leo's cries for him to stay. Images of his only older brother filled his mind. He saw Leo crying above him. "Is he crying for me?" The image shifted to one of Donnie and Mikey. They were smiling in the photo. They stood on the right side while Leo was right next to them yet he wasn't quite looking at the camera. Instead, he was looking slightly to the side at his immediate younger brother, him. His arm was wrapped the back of his shell. For once they weren't fighting but rather enjoying a nice family moment. Leo held his usual grin. The photo had been recently taken, the week before in fact. Realization hit him. What's gonna happen if he dies? How will they react? He can't leave his family; they need him, no matter what. He fought against the dark force that was pulling him away from his brothers. "I'm not leaving them!"

"You heard them. They don't need or want you."

"You lie!" Raphael pushed harder.

"My son, fight with all your might." Splinter's voice echoed in his mind. "You are NOT taking me from my family!" The darkness split and sudden sharp pain filled Raphael's body as he inhaled sharply.

Leo, Donnie and Mikey gasped as they heard the welcoming intake of air. Although they were happy he returned to them; they had a long way to get Raphael home. Raph slowly opened his eyes; making out his brothers above. They were smiling. He tried talking but it hurt too much to even make a sound. "Shh Raph, don't talk, your throat's been slit. This going to hurt but we are going to have to carry you back home." Don explained. Raph didn't even have the energy to respond, just meet his brother's gaze. "Ok bro, we're gonna lift you now. Leo grab his feet; Mikey his back and I'll get his head. I need to keep pressure on the wound." They were relieved to see Raph awake yet they knew danger still lay ahead of them. Leo didn't want to think of what could happen if any of the rank sewer water got into Raph's wound. They would get him home just to die from infection. Leo steeled himself for the journey ahead. He has to be strong not only for Donnie and Mikey but Raph as well. His brother's life is hanging in the balance.

"Ok let's do this guys." Leo grabbed Raph's legs. He tried not looking upward at the crimson stained sheet. Mikey took his position while Donnie held just tight enough to keep pressure on the wound while supporting Raph's head. "On the count of three, one, two three and up." They lifted their from the cold roof top. Raphael grunted in pain as he was lifted. Sharp pain filled his body as he fought the urge to black out. "Just hang in there Raph. We'll get you home." Leo whispered softly. Raph could only grunt in response. Reaching the edge of the roof; Leo moved closest to the ledge.

"Alright, here's the plan. I will step down onto the fire escape and you two will lower him to me. "I'll hold him until you two jump down." Donnie and Mikey agreed. It was the best they could do. Leo glanced down at his ailing brother. Raphael was growing paler by the minute. Leo bit his lip. They needed to hurry. "Ok Raph do you understand? It's gonna get bumpy on the way down. If you are in too much pain, let me know and we can take a short break." Raphael lightly squeezed Mikey's hand. He refused to let himself black out despite the pain. Mikey squeezed his brother's hand back. "Mikey grab his legs." He did as instructed, switching positions with Leo. Leo jumped down to the first landing. Don and Mikey shifted closer to the ledge as they eased Raphael down to Leo. Leonardo prepared himself to take on his brother's weight. Extending his arms, he immediately grabbed a hold of Raph, cradling him to his chest. The blood soaked sheet stuck to his skin. Leo couldn't tell the sheet had once been white. He grimaced and hoped they could Raph back into the lair in time. They still had several blocks to go. Leo strained holding Raphael in his arms. His brother did certainly weigh more than him. Mikey and Donnie jumped down, relieving Leo of some of the weight.

"We need to keep Raphael as level as possible and not jar him too much. Leo you go backwards and we will direct you." Leo began the slow descent down the fire escape. He wanted nothing than to get back home as fast as home yet going too fast would only harm his already seriously wounded brother. With each step, Raphael winced in pain. Leo's heart twisted seeing his brother in such a state. Each stab of pain Raphael felt, Leo felt the same. Fear gripped Mikey's mind; fear of losing his older brother. He let his eyes stray to the blood stained cloth. A sudden urge to vomit rose up in his throat. Mikey quickly averted his eyes back to the cold metal steps. Drops of blood trailed behind them. He couldn't stop his tears again. Leo and Donnie exchanged glances. They felt the same. "Come on Mikey. We gotta do this. Raph is counting on us." Mikey nodded. They're right. Regaining his composure, they continued down the fire escape until they reached the last landing. They had forgotten about one small detail. The ladder down was still several away from the ground. Too far up to simply walk down. "Leo, how are we going to Raph down?" Mikey grew concerned. It was a good few feet to the ground and with each passing moment; Raphael worsened.

"Set him down gently. I'm going to climb down." Leo spotted a sheet hanging on a nearby clothesline. "Mikey, grab one of those sheets real fast." Donnie and Mikey gently lowered their ailing brother down on the cold metal. Michelangelo swung up, grabbing the nearby sheet. It was too white. Once he returned, Leo grabbed a corner. "Spread the sheet out then we're move Raph on to it. From there; you two will lower him to me then we can wrap him up in it. That we can try to keep him and protect him from the sewer water." Leo glanced down at Raphael's still form. His skin cold and pale; only the slight rise and fall of his chest let him Raph is still alive. He noticed that Raphael had blacked out again sometime during the trek down. Good, he shouldn't feel the rest of the journey home. "We got do this fast." Leo jumped as Don and Mikey moved Raph onto the sheet. They tightly grabbed the sheet at each end and lifting him. Donnie grew concerned when Raphael didn't even flinch.

"He's getting worse."

"Raph's gonna be alright, right Donnie?" Mikey asked with tear filled eyes. Donnie wished he had an answer. He wished he could yes and that this is some sort of nightmare they will wake up from. "Yeah he is Mikey." In the back of his mind. Donnie didn't believe his own words. Mikey knew his brother was lying. How could anyone survive their throat being slit? "You ready Mikey? We're gonna lower him down to Leo now." Mikey shook his head. Leo stood directly beneath the fire escape, his arms extended. As Donnie and Mikey lowered Raphael, Leo took hold of him, hugging him close to his body. He didn't about the strain on his arms, his brother needed him and he won't let him down. Donnie lifted the manhole. Donnie glanced at Leo. "Leo can you hold Raphael while going down the ladder or do you want us to lower him to you?" Leo stared at his pale brother. Raphael lay too still in his arms. Determination filled him, he was not setting him back on the cold ground, afraid of the consequences. "I'll carry him down. Shift his arms around my neck. I'll wrap one around the back of his shell for support. Just guide me down the ladder." Don and Mikey carefully upright. Leo gingerly took one step at a time down the ladder until he reached the bottom. Despite the pain in his arms at that point; he knew it was nothing compared to the agony his brother is in. Raphael grunted a bit in his arms. "Great he's not totally out of it. He's going to feel the journey home. Just hang in there bro." Leo's heart sank. "Almost home Raph. Donnie run ahead to inform Sensei and get your lab ready. Mikey and me will carry Raph from here." Donnie took off towards the lair lightning fast. "Mikey grab the sheet at his legs. I'll support his head." Doing as instructed, Mikey immediately half of Raph's weight vanished from his arms. They sprinted back towards the lair; hoping to make it time.

Meanwhile; Donatello burst into the lair past April and Splinter. Raphael's blood still splattered on his plastron; his pads stained crimson. Splinter caught sight of large amount of blood on his son. His stomach knotted. Running forward; he grabbed Don's shoulder. "My son what has happened? Whose blood is this?" Splinter feared the answer. His guts wrenched with a dreadful feeling. Donnie glanced up, eyes still red from crying. "Can't right now. I need to get my medical supplies ready." April rushed over.

"It's not your blood right?" She swallowed hard. "No." Donnie took a deep breath; his eyes full of emotion. "It's Raphael's.