Okay so it's been a hassle lately to get all these stories going but I'm going to try, wish me luck and enjoy the chapter.

The pure and simple truth,

is rarely pure and never simple

-Oscar Wilde

Donatello's hands trembled with such ferocity that you would think the stitches he had done earlier were impossible for his unsteady hands. A soft hissing sound accompanied by steady beeps filled the silence in the lab. Leo's respirator and heart monitor. He shuddered, just thinking of what could have had happened if they had never found Leo in the sewers.

Their search that evening had started out the same, looking in the sewers close to the vicinity of the lair. Around an hour and a half later, when they started going to the surface world, they had found his body. Just below the manhole. Barely breathing, limbs mangled, and the smell of blood hanging thickly around him. There was so much blood, it covered his body and gushed out in multiple wounds. It was horrid.

Foot steps could be heard shuffling right behind him. Raphael. His foot steps are always heavy, not much though put into them, but at the same time hard to hear. His breathing was ragged and shuddered when he exhaled. Emerald green hands appeared on Donny's olive colored shouldered. Raph squeezed Don's shoulders in reassurance.

"I'm scared, Raph" Don confessed, his voice cracking. He really was scared, what would happen to Leo? People don't just bounce back up after these kind of traumatic events. That was just in the movies and books. But this was real life and real life didn't get happy endings, it rarely ever got happy endings. That was just life. Women get raped, Men get slaughtered, kids get kidnapped, it was a messed up world.

"Everythin' will be okay" Raph assured, though both him and his brother knew that he was lying. Nothing was going to be the same, not in a long time.

"Where's Mikey?" A way to change the subject. They didn't want to talk about the inevitable.

"He's passed ou' on the couch, the knuckle head hasn't been able ta sleep since..." since his big brother mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Michelangelo always had an over imaginative mind, so when it came to these situations all he could think of was Leonardo dead in a ditch, Leonardo in the bottom of the Hudson river, Leonardo six feet under. All possible scenarios haunted poor Mike's mind.

Don's head rested against one of Raph's hands, that were still on his shoulders, and sighed. A wet liquid streamed down Raph's hands and dripped on the floor. He looked down to see Don crying softly, tears leaking out of his shut eyes, and shoulders shaking in silent sobs. Raph awkwardly hugged him from behind. It was not that he didn't love his brothers, it was just that he didn't know how to act in these situations. Don would listen to them and give them advice, Mike would try to make them laugh, and Leo would console them.

Raph was just not the type of guy to talk to when things got screwed up. He was just, well, Raph.

"Don' worry Donny, were talkin' about fearless leader here, he's too stubborn" Another lie. Raph couldn't Leo imagine not bouncing back, he was there strong fearless leader. It felt wrong, as wrong as a chilly breeze in the middle of a scorching July day.

"That's just it Raph, this isn't some stupid fairy tale!" Too much, just too much stress, Don's fraying rope had finally snapped, "His injuries are beyond serious! Something that traumatic is bound to break someone. Were not just talking about some measly nightmares after this, I'm talking about PTSD, when the body cant heal the trauma, and this can go on for years! Even for Leo, and who knows what's going to happen after he wakes up" the last part ended in a low hoarse whisper.

Raph's eyes widened the size of saucers at Don. His level headed brother had just snapped at him. Sure, Donny could be a snappish turtle from time to time, and those occasions usually involved his coffee. Raph snapped out of his stupor and barked,

"Bu' he's Leo!"

"Leo isn't immortal, he's not invincible or unbreakable, and he's far from from fearless!"

"So yar sayin' that out brother is nothin' but a' coward! Is tha' what'cha sayin'?" Raph was seething, how dare Donny accuse Leo of not being able to handle this situation! He was Leo for crying out loud! He survived Shredder's ambush, defeated the ultimate ninja, pulled through when Karai stabbed him, the first one to show his dragon avatar and countless other things. What couldn't Leo do! Raph just didn't get it.

"No, that's not what I'm saying, the thing is Leo isn't some great god, he can be defeated, Raph" And with those words he trudged out of the lab. Raph's blood was boiling! That wasn't true! Leo...he...he could never let down his family, it just wasn't right. He let out an animalistic growl and and balled his hands into fists. Raph sighed, knowing it would do no good to start bashing walls even though it made him feel better.

Raph slumped down on a rickety stool, making it creak in protest. He clutched at his head and willed himself not to cry, but no matter how hard he tried the tears kept building up and blurring his vision. And so, while the lair reigned a deathly silence, with its occupants either asleep or in their rooms, Raphael let the hot fat tears loose, his shoulders shaking and his hand in a vice grip with Leo's bandaged one.

Sorry! I am so sorry! I haven't updated in a while and all this stress with seventh grade starting in less that a week and I'm like HOLY SHIT Cause I still need to do my homework and I am literally pulling my hair out. And now I'm rambling to you so I'll just go, hope ya liked the chapter, I out! (hehe always wanted to say that)