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CHAPTER ELEVEN

"Raph," Leo said, turning to his brother with joy in his eyes, "We're compatible, and we already have your blood. We can do the transfusion after all!"

"Um, will you guys excuse me fer a sec?" Raph asked, getting up from the table. Master Splinter, Donnie and Mikey looked confused as he headed upstairs.

"Raph, no!" Leo said, running after him, "We can't do it now. We have to wait until later."

"Why?" Raph whispered, stopping in mid-step.

"We don't want anyone to get suspicious," Leo said, "You just ran off during dinner, Raph. What if someone comes to your room to ask why?"

Raph growled, but sighed. "Fine." He said, turning to head back downstairs.

"What was that all about?" Donnie asked as Raph sat back down.

"Nothin'," Raph said, grabbing another taco, "So who wants dessert?"

"What's for dessert?" Mikey asked, getting excited.

"Leftovers," Raph said, pointing his thumb in the general direction of the fridge, "Ya made too much dessert the other day, Mikey. We've got enough ta last a lifetime."

It was Donnie who suggested a movie after dinner. Leo told Raph it was probably because he was feeling guilty for arguing earlier, but Raph privately thought it was because Don didn't want to be in his lab since some of his stuff was missing. Raph felt a little guilty about that, but he wasn't going to apologize just yet. After all, Donnie still had no idea that he took the stuff. And if he valued his life he wasn't going to tell Donnie anything about that just yet.

Splinter excused himself as soon as dinner was finished, so that left Mikey, Donnie, Raph and Leo alone to watch the movie. Raph didn't even want to watch it, he wanted to get Leo patched up, but Leo wanted him to spend some time with his brothers. They had a big argument about it in the kitchen, when they assumed no one was around to hear them. In the end, Raph compromised and just left the movie halfway through.

He went to his room and set up the tools. After a lengthy argument with Leo over certain parts of the procedure and how it was outlined in the textbook, they finally agreed with each other and began the transfusion. They had two procedures set up: one to put the good blood in, and another to take the bad blood out.

"Think it'll work?" Raph said, watching the blood move from one of his blood bags into Leo's arm.

"It better." Leo said.

It was slow going, but Raph wasn't about to leave. One by one his blood bags were hooked up to Leo, and one by one they were slowly emptied.

"Last one," Raph said, hooking it up.

Slowly, bit by bit, the blood left the bag.

"What if it doesn't work?" Raph asked.

"Then we'll get some more blood from Don's lab." Leo said.

They both waited silently for a while. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Raph? You in there?" Mikey asked from outside.

Leo and Raph looked at each other.

Shell.

"Don't let him in." Leo stressed. Raph nodded in agreement.

"Comin' Mikey," Raph said, blocking the view of Leo on his bed as he opened the door. "What's up?" He stepped out quickly and closed the door behind him.

"Movie's over," Mikey said, "And I was wondering if you'd like to play a board game with me."

"He's reaching out to you." Leo said.

Raph looked at Leo with surprise. Hadn't he left him back in the bedroom?

Apparently Leo could reach his thoughts now. "I walked through the door, genius." He said, rolling his eyes.

"Raph?"

"Sure thing Mikey," Raph said, turning his attention back to his younger brother. "Just give me a sec, okay?"

"Okay." Mikey said, starting to smile, "What game?"

"I dunno. Pick whatever you want." Raph said.

"Great!" Mikey said, bouncing off. "I'll be in my room when you're ready!"

"Can't wait," Raph said, watching him go. "Okay Leo, let's finish this."

The last blood bag was empty when he got to Leo's body, so Raph unhooked everything.

"I'm bleeding," Leo noticed, pointing to the small entrypoint they used to deliver the blood into his veins. "That's a good sign. It means my blood is flowing faster than it was before."

"Yeah," said Raph, bandaging his brother and putting everything away. "When we get back from playing with Mikey, we'll see if it worked or if the poison's still there."

Carefully making sure that all the stuff from Donnie's lab was placed neatly on the dresser, bed and floor, Raph turned off the lights and left the room. He closed the door tightly behind him.

"You should ask Donnie to join you with Mikey." Leo suggested even as Raph started walking down the hallway.

"What, didn't Mikey already ask him?" Raph asked, turning around to face his brother.

"You should invite him anyway." Leo said.

Raph sighed, but he listened to Leo. "Yo, Don!" He called out.

"You don't have to yell, you know." Donnie said, peering out of his bedroom door.

Huh. Raph thought he'd still be in the lab right about now.

"Wanna join me an' Mikey? We're gonna play board games in Mikey's room." Raph pointed.

"He already asked me." Don said.

"Ask him again." Leo suggested.

"Wanna come anyway?" Raph said.

"Fine." Donnie said, stepping out of his room, "What are we playing?"

"Let's find out," Raph said, walking past Donnie in the direction of Mikey's room. "Yo Mikey! Ready to play some board games?"

"Mind if I join in?" Donnie said sheepishly, stepping into the room.

"Mind? No way!" Mikey said, brushing aside some two-player game that was on the floor and reaching for something else that was in his closet, "But I get to be red."

"Excuse me?" Raph asked, "I always get to be red. See da mask?"

"Yeah, but there's no orange and it's my game." Mikey said, smiling cheekily, "Deal with it, Raphie boy."

Raph rolled his eyes, but sat down on the floor and waited patiently as Mikey set up the game.

"I get purple," Donnie said, picking up his token.

"Guess I'm either blue, black, white or green." Raph said, pointing to the remaining tokens. "I'll be black."

"Good choice." Donnie said.

"Wish I could play." Leo commented, sitting just behind Raph.

"Youngest goes first!" Mikey claimed, rolling the dice, "Twelve, yes! Alright, I go...here. Your turn, Donnie!"

"Um, Raph? A little help here?" Leo asked as Donnie rolled.

Raph turned around and raised an eye at his brother. He wasn't going to outright ask him what he wanted, not with his brothers there.

"I'm not feeling too good." Leo said, swaying a little where he sat.

"Your turn, Raph!" Mikey prodded.

"What? Oh, yeah. Um, here." He rolled a three and moved his token. "Listen, I gotta go check something. I'll be back in a sec."

"But we just started!" Mikey said.

"It's alright Mikey," Donnie said, "He'll be back soon. Hey Raph, while you're up can you check the lock on the lab?"

"What?" He asked.

"I locked the lab tonight," Donnie said, "I think I might've been taking things out in my sleep. Just check it for me, will you?"

"Yeah, sure." Raph said.

He walked casually out the door.

"Raph," Leo said, following him slowly, "It's my body."

Donnie's lab would have to wait. As soon as he was out of Mikey's room Raph raced to his own. Leo's body was covered in sweat.

"That is not good," Raph said, placing his hand on the body's forehead. "Geez, you're burning up bro!"

"A fever." Leo said, "Yeah, it feels about right."

"Shell, what're we gonna do?" Raph asked.

"Grab a wet towel." Leo said.

"On it," Raph replied.

"And check the lock on Donnie's lab," Leo said, "I have an idea what the problem might be, but we're going to need to get in his lab. I hope he forgot to lock it."

"I'm already there," Raph said, sprinting out of the room. He raced downstairs, taking a quick detour to test Donnie's lab door.

It was locked.

"Shell," he whispered, then raced to the kitchen. One wet towel later, and he was back in his own room, placing the towel on Leo's forehead.

"You're going to have to get back to the game," Leo said, looking pale, "They'll get suspicious."

"Not when you're sick." Raph said.

"Then go tell them you'll be a little longer," Leo said, "We don't want them coming in here and seeing me just yet."

"But Leo, can't Don help?"

"Not yet," Leo said, shaking his head, "We can handle this if we move fast enough. Go back to Mikey's room. I'll tell you what to do when you get back."

"Right," Raph nodded.

He raced towards Mikey's room, and stuck his head in.

"Hey listen," he said, "I forgot somethin' important I need ta do. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"You're not leaving the Lair, are you Raph?" Donnie asked.

"Don't worry Don, I'll be back," Raph said, "Trust me, it's important."

"But Raph-" Mikey said.

"It's an emergency," Raph countered.

"It's okay, Raph. We understand." Donnie said, in a voice that meant they didn't understand at all.

"Thanks," Raph said, "I gotta go. Oh, almost fergot. Yer lab's locked, Don."

Ignoring Donnie's thank you, Raph quickly left Mikey's room. But Mikey's voice stopped him in the hallway.

"I'm worried about Raph," Mikey said, obviously thinking that he was already out of earshot, "I don't think he knows that Leo's really dead."

"He knows, Mikey." Donnie said, "He took care of his body for me."

"But," Mikey said, "He's been talking to him. Splinter says it's natural and he'll get over it, but Don, it's creepy. He thinks Leo's really there, and it's weird."

"Mikey," Don interrupted, "Trust me, he knows Leo's dead. But you see, it's got to be really hard on him. He's the leader now, and he's got to keep up from falling apart. He's been doing most of the work for us. That first day? I couldn't even look at Leo. I had to ask Raph to do it for me."

"But-"

"Mikey, listen to me. I don't think Raph's had time to cry. This imaginary Leo is just his way of coping with his dead, and a way of trying to think the way Leo does. Don't argue about it with him, that'll just make things worse."

Raph didn't wait around to hear any more. He turned and silently walked back into his room.

"Any change?" He asked Leo.

"No." Leo answered, "The fever feels just as bad, and it might be getting worse. Raph, I have an idea. I think it's the poison, and it's attacking the new blood. I think we might need more blood to flush this completely out of my body."

"What, already?" Raph asked, "Weren't we gonna wait until tomorrow?"

"I don't think we can wait anymore," Leo said, "All this blood will just get overrun with the poison, like your blood sample did earlier under the microscope. I need fresh blood to replace the tainted blood and fight this off."

"But we can't get into Donnie's lab right now," Raph said, "He locked the door. We're gonna have ta wait until tomorrow."

"Shell," Leo said.

"So, what else can we do?" Raph asked.

"Well," Leo said softly, "We've been using your blood for the transfusion..."

Raphael looked at his older brother and understood.

"Yeah," he said, "You're right, we have. And I'm got enough ta spare."

He started setting up Leo's body for another blood transfer, and tied a bandage tightly around his own upper arm.