"-aph- phy pl-as-! -ak-p!"

"-an y- hea-m-?"

Raph's conciousness came shuddering back to him. Voices halted, making no sense. Raph tossed his head fitfully, trying to shake his hearing into cooperation. Finally, piece by piece, the noises of the room reached him; his brothers and his father, calling him. Raphael opened his right eye. The other seemed to be covered by something. The light that pierced his eye was viciously bright, white as the sun. Raph blinked tight, be he heard an excited gasp.

"-e's waki-g up!"

"-aphae-?"

"Hi- eye opened, I s-w it!"

"My son..."

Raphel eased his good eye open again. Bright light softened to reveal blurry shadows of his family. As his vision cleared somewhat, Raph found he couldn't really speak or move. Words were going to be slower to return, and something seemed to be binding him. In typical Raphael fashion, his first instinct was to fight and he began to struggle, but a green shadow with a purple blur on its head firmly pushed him down.

"Don't move," came the voice of Donnie, although his voice was monotonous. His face came into view, but Donatello didn't look pleased. His brow was tight and he didn't smile. Raph blinked at his brother.

"Raph!" came a high-pitched squeal. Raph turned his head and saw Mikey, clad in his orange mask, leaning over him. Raph coughed and tested his voice, which came out gravelly.

"...ik...ey?" he croaked. Mikey, who had been standing on one leg and clinging to Leo, threw himself onto Raph's bed. His injured leg jostled and Mikey grimaced, but threw his arms around Raph's neck. Raph suddenly seized with pain, and Mikey was hauled off by Leo and placed back into the wheelchair Donnie had made for him out of a computer chair and old bicycle wheels that Master Splinter had scrounged.

"Sit there a sec, Mikey, you can't climb on him now," said Leo.

"But-!" Mikey started to whine, but Master Splinter placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You must be patient, Michaelangelo. Your brother is awake, but he is still severely injured."

Raph blinked, and took inventory of his body and his surroundings. He was laying on a makeshift bed in Donnie's lab. It wasn't very comfortable, but at least he was covered in a clean blanket. His body hurt from head to toe, and there were bandages over his numerous cuts and scrapes. Gingerly, Raph tried to lift his arms, but only his right would move. He touched his head. It was wrapped in a bandage that came down and covered his swollen left eye. He moved his head, slowly so as not to make himself dizzy. He observed his torso, and felt his breathing quicken.

His left arm was, while not injured itself, strapped down to his side and across his stomach with bandages. It was like wearing a straight jacket. He tried to move it, and knives of pain went through his chest and arm, causing him to wriggle even more, groaning.

"You must leave it, Raphael," said Splinter, stepping closer, his face a mix of relief and sadness. "You arm must remain immobolized while you heal."

"I...don't...whadoyoumean?" Raph shook his head, still trying to make sense of everything. Donnie, still not making eye contact, shuffled his feet and pointed to the upper left side of Raph's plastron. It was covered in thick layers of gauze and the bandages strapping Raph's arm to his body also bound it tightly.

"There is a deep wound in your plastron," said Donnie flatly. "You lost a lot of blood. I managed to stop the bleeding, but there is a chunk missing, and any movement could rupture it again. It will never grow back."

Donnie's words would have hit Raphael like a ton of bricks, had he not been staring at Mikey the whole time. The little turtle leaned forward in his chair, leg propped up with cushions, and he gazed earnestly and worriedly at Raphael underneath his slightly-stained orange mask. It seemed to Raph that it had been forever since he had seen Mikey. Had he always been so small? So gentle looking? He finally managed to speak.

"How long have I been out?"

Master Splinter placed a gentle paw on Raph's free arm. "Two days."

"You're just lucky we had leftover supplies," said Leo, gesturing around the lab at the last few shreds of bandages and empty morphine bottles. Raph swallowed hard.

"My son," said Master Splinter, "please, tell me what happened."

Raph sighed, and slowly told them everything, at least what he could remember. Trying to get Mikey's mask back, and something really big and sharp stabbing his plastron. Mikey's eyes were watering, but he kept wiping his eyes.

"Raphy," he said, his voice trembling, "I'm sorry, please forgive me!" He reached for Raphael's hand.

Raph felt his chest tighten. "Mikey, no-", but Mikey interrupted, forcing himself to stand on his good leg, shoving Donatello's hand out of the way. He leaned on the bed and grabbed Raphael's fingers.

"Raphy, I'm so sorry! It's because of me this happened. I never should have cried, I messed everything up. I'll never cry in front of you again, but please, please say you don't hate me-aah!" Raphael had sat up, using all his strength, and thrown his free arm around Mikey's neck. He pulled him in to a deep hug, even though it made his chest burn, and Mikey bumped his bad leg against the bed frame with a sore sounding clang. Mikey stared in confusion, when he suddenly felt warm tears pooling in the crook of his neck, where Raph had buried his head.

"Michaelangelo, don't you ever say sorry for any of this, ya hear me?" Raph half-yelled, half-sobbed. "This was all my fault. I never should have said I hated you, I could never hate you. And you are not a crybaby, you're the bravest turtle I know!" Mikey was crying now too.

"Only because of you, big brother. You taught me that!"

The two wounded brothers, aching all over, clutched each other for all they were worth. Master Splinter decided to give them a moment, and excused himself, past the sullen Donatello. Leo watched, conflicted. He had been so worried about Raph, he forgot how mad he was for what he did, and also for putting him and his brother's through so much worry. He had watched as Mikey sat by the unconcious Raph, wanting to punch his hot-headed brother while he was out for upsetting little Mikey even more. How could Mikey forgive him so easily.

"Raph, what you did was completely irresponsible," he ventured. "Don't you ever think about anyone but yourself?"

"Leo!" Mikey turned from where he sat on the edge of the bed, shocked.

"I'm...I'm sorry Mikey but it's true! He put you through hell!"

"LEO!" Mikey shouted, angry now. His sweet face contorted into an angry glare. "Raphael is my brother, and I forgive him. You should too! You were so mean to him! You said he didn't care 'bout me...he does too care, look what he did just to get my dumb mask back! And you and Donnie were both jerks to me too, don't think I've forgotten! Now tell Raphy you're sorry!"

Leo was stunned into silence. Mikey's tired face was scrunched into a fierce countenance. Leo gaped. What did he have to apologize for? Raph looked at him with his good eye, and half-shrugged. Mikey wasn't going to let it go. Seeing Raph bleeding, his injured plastron, useless arm bound to his side made Leo ache just by looking. And Raph's green eyes, at least the one not covered by bruises and bandages, were filled with pain, sorrow, and a few remnant tears. Raphael never cried. Leo sighed. That meant he must be either in agony, or truly sorry, or both. Thinking of what Master Splinter had said, about forgiveness, Leo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Raphael...I apologize."

"No!" snapped Mikey. "Not like a growned up! Like a brother!"

Leo wrinkled his nose, but looked at both his brothers. He stepped closer and delicately touched Raph's shoulder.

"I'm...sorry."

"Me too," Raph rasped. His hand under the bandages clutched his sore torso. He was losing strength and wanted to sleep.

"Your turn, Donnie!" chirped Mikey.

"NO!"

The three brothers stared. Donnie was fighting back tears, fists clenched, from the shadows.

"Don?" Leo asked.

"NO! I can't forgive you, Raphael! It was hard enough for me, putting Mikey back together, and then you...you show up...nearly dead!"

"Donnie," said Leo, hands up to try and calm him, but Donnie slapped his hand away.

"You don't know what it was like, Leo! I'm the one who has to listen to bones snapping and see blood gushing! Mikey got hurt 'cuz of Raph, and then Raph goes and...goes and...Raph...RAAAA-AAA-AAAPH!" Donnie cried hysterically. Raph leaned towards him, but pain held him back.

"Raaa-aaph! You nearly died! Your chest-I could barely-I thought you were-why did you do that? I nearly lost two of my brothers in twenty-four hours!" Donnie was hyperventilating, his brown eyes ringed with terrified white. He gasped for air, and seemed to swoon. Leo stepped for him and held him until he caught his breath.

"Donnie..." Mikey whispered.

"Don...I'm sorry..." said Raph. "I didn't know..."

"Of course you didn't!" spat Donnie, but he was wiping his eyes, still wrapped in Leo's arms. "Don't you ever-EVER-scare me like that again. That goes for you too, Mikey!"

Mikey held his arms open and Donnie fell into them.

"I'm sorry, Donnie," he said.

"Do you promise?" Donnie asked sternly, sitting back and looking into Mikey's eyes.

"I promise," said Mikey seriously.

"And you?" Donnie turned to Raph, who pointed to the three inch thick gauze lump covering his wound.

"You said it won't grow back. I promise. And this'll keep me from forgettin'."

"Good," said Donnie, wiping his nose. Leo joined them on the bed, all of them with shimmering eyes. They sat together for a while, not saying anything, but just holding each other. Each one felt like the luckiest turtle alive, to have such good brothers. Soon, though, Mikey was shifting, his leg obviously aching him, and Raph's breathing had grown short. Donnie eyed Leo and he nodded. He helped Mikey into his chair and wheeled him away.

"Raph needs sleep, and so do you."

"Night, Raphy, I'll be back soon, kay?" Mikey yawned and waved. Raph had closed his eyes, too hurt to keep up pretenses, but he managed a small wave as Mikey was steered away. Donnie changed some bandages and added more pillows to ease his brother's pain. He shot Raph a sideways smile.

"You really are an ignoramous, sometimes, Raph."

"If you're going to insult me, at least use words I understand," Raph groaned, but smiled himself.

"You're an idiot," Donnie grinned, and gently pressed his forehead to Raph's. "Bit of a fever, I'm not surprised. Get some rest."

"Not much else I can do," Raph half-shrugged again. Before he knew it, sleep had claimed him again.

When Raph woke up again, he was in his room, and it was dark. It was more comfortable, but he still ached all over. He felt a weight on his right arm...had that been bandaged now, too? He wriggled it a bit, and realized the weight on it was from Mikey's head.

Mikey lay on Raph's right side, leg propped up by pillows. He must have snuck in here. The empty wheelchair was beside the bed, and the effort must have exhausted him as he was fast asleep. His breaths were almost little snores. Raph gently eased his arm out from under him, and sat up. Mikey stirred, but didn't wake up. Raph smiled. He reached, painfully slowly, to his bedside table and grabbed a marker. In the dim light, he scrawled on Mikey's cast, smiling as the little scratching noises of the pen blended with Mikey's breathing. When he was done, Raph lay back down as carefully as possible. Despite the pain, Raph dozed off with a smile, thinking of the message he had left for Mikey.

A lightning bolt, just like the shape his broken plastron would have permanently.

And written below...

Mikey, you're in my heart.