Beep-beep. Beep. Beep-beep.

Am I dreamin'?

No. Raphael was not at the bus stop anymore.

Beep-beep. Beep. Beep-beep.

Dats a fuckin EKG. Yeah. Heard it a million times on tv. The fuck was he? Shit like that ain't in the sewers.

A bandage covered half the turtle's face, so he concentrated on the unbandaged, closed eye. The only eye. His body broke out in a cold sweat. The eye struggled to follow orders but it finally popped open.

"Raph!" Donatello was at his brother's side.

Raphael viewed the world through a peephole. Plastic sheeting covered every inch of the room. Everywhere. Just like the plastic sheeting he had snatched down from the bridge. For the body.

Raphael's voice slurred. "Let me up!" He'd heard toothless hobos more articulate than him.

The red ninja twisted in his restraints. He looked down. There were no restrains. His arms just twitched and danced around.

Dr. Don to the rescue. "Whoa! Whoa! Take some deep breaths for me. Try opening and closing your fists. That's it. You have been heavily, heavily sedated." Fuck that hesitation. "For a while."

Raphael tongue was a lead tea bag. "How long?"

"Seventeen days."

"Fuck." Red asked, "Where's my eye?"

Donnie's hands shook like he was drugged out his mind. He checked the IV trying to cover the hurt springing to his eyes. Raph wasn't blind.

Donatello picked up a syringe handy on a shiny, metal tray. "It's gonna be okay." He plunged the contents into his brother's IV. That shit told no lies, at least.

Raphael heard the goddamn theme to Sesame Street, now. "What you doin' to me?"

"Sorry, it's morphine. I need to stay calm, which means, you cannot go charging around the Lair."

A chair creaked under Don. He took Red's hand. Oh, sunny days, Donnie took his glasses off.

"Raphael. I'm sorry. Your eye is gone."

Gone. He imagined his bloody eyeball comet circling the toilet bowl, then with a bubbling, sucking sound, down the hole.

Fuzzy-fuck-me, Raphie felt good. Magma no longer waited beneath the surface, and the only thing he wanted to do to Leonardo was hug him to death.

Don spoke in slow motion. "How's your pain level?"

Gone. Everything was a-okay. When could he have some more morphine? "I miss Leo."

Sniffing the air, Donnie cocked his head. "Shit!" He ran over to the door and cracked it open, just as quickly, he shut it. "Shit. Master's coming."

"Dad?" Raphael wanted a hug!

Donnie's coffee breath got close. "Listen, big guy, pretend to be asleep, yeah? Can ya do that for me?"

That was the stupidest idea ever; and of course, he could. "I love you, D." Raphael's head-music swelled.

Don's voice rose an octave. "Master!"

Smoking a cigarette, Splinter forced out a heavy breath. The hate-cloud hit Raphael's face. His father snapped. "Well? How is he?"

"The same, Master." Donnie awkwardly coughed.

Silence. No: 'I just wanted to check on my dear boy' or 'I wish he were awake!'. Only burning puffs and pissed off exhales. All the relief crumbled away from Raphael's heart.

Donatello filled the gap. "As soon as my brother wakes up you'll know."

SLAP!

Donatello's anguished cry crackled around the room.

The morphine leash cinched tighter around Raphael's neck.

Master hissed. "He is no longer your brother. It's bad enough having a new mouth to feed, but, I also have to pay that cunt at the hospital, don't I? DON'T I?" Raph only hears the drag of a cigarette. "What do you say?!" Splinter's tail swished in the air.

Donnie stutters. "T-Th-Th-Thank you, Sensei."

"I won't support this much longer. Get him conscious and get him out."

Raphael kept his eyes closed for a long time. No. His eye. Just one. The warm hand on his shoulder got him to look up.

Don whispered, "You're my brother."

"Not if you knew."

"What?" Don didn't like that.

Raphael ignored all the questions from his brother, because, there she was. The Blond. She gave him the middle finger with a big, red smile on her neck. Raphael shut his lonely eye and bawled. He had killed her. He could never deny that. Did Donnie know?

The questions stopped. Donnie looked frantic for an answer. Raphael had to say something, and unfortunately, he probably sounded a lot like a rapist, now.

"I didn't rape that girl."

Donnie swallowed all the certainty from a moment ago. "So, what don't I know?"

Raphael's soul was gone. "Dunno. My head's all fucked up."

"Just rest. I'll go find Leo."

"Okay, yeah." Raph stopped his brother before the door closed. "Hey, what happened to that girl?"

"Maryjane is our new sister."

oooooooooooooooooooooo

A/N Thank you for sticking with me and reading, I really hope you like this direction! xoxo