It was thirst that drew Raphael awake. The red-masked turtle sat up in the recliner, rubbing bleary eyes as he wondered what time it was. With a soft groan he released the foot rest on the chair, and began to work his way upright.
The report of pain in his injured limb made him hiss under his breath, and pause in the attempt to rise. Raphael took a deep breath and let it out slowly before carefully maneuvering onto his feet. Both legs felt practically worthless as he staggered toward the kitchen.
When he walked through the door, Mike instantly glanced over from the stove.
"Hey, Sleepin' Beauty. I thought that might get you up," he cracked.
"What might get me up?"
"Food," Mike stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Raphael stared past him at the pot he was stirring on the stove, and shook his head. "Nah, sorry, Mikey. I'm not really hungry."
Movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, and he noticed April sitting at the kitchen table. The woman had her head cocked toward him.
"Are you all right, Raph?" she asked. "You don't look like you slept well, and it's kind of late."
Raphael's gaze shifted to the clock on the stove, and he was surprised to see that it was mid-afternoon. "I'm okay, April, just thirsty."
She got to her feet to approach him. "You're okay?" April sounded incredulous. "Is that why you're sweating? Did you fit in a workout before you came in here?"
"I am not." Confused irritation sprung to the surface of his mind immediately.
"Yes, you are," April insisted. "Would you come sit down please?"
Raphael was already on the defensive now, and swiped a hand across his forehead just to prove-no, there was moisture there.
"Raph, come sit down," she repeated.
Shell, what does she sound so worried for?
"I'll get you some water, bro," Mike volunteered. "Why don't you take a load off with April?"
"Why are you two treating me like I'm broken?" Raphael scowled.
"Why are you being so stubborn?" April demanded. "You don't look right, Raph. You're really pale."
"Okay, okay." Raphael shuffled toward the table, hesitating in his step when it felt like his legs would give out on him. He stretched both arms toward the table to support himself and exhaled sharply.
"Raph!" Mike was behind him in the flash of an instant.
"I ain't a cripple, Mikey," he growled.
"You're not okay either," the orange-masked turtle insisted, yanking a chair over to him.
As much as Raphael wanted to prove that he didn't need the help, he was still grateful to sink into it. "Would you guys quit looking at me like that? It's no big deal; my leg just hurts, all right?"
"That's why you're still wearing your sweats!" Mike said accusingly.
"Take it easy, shell-head. Does it look like I'm dying over here?"
"Which leg? The left one?" April asked knowingly.
"How did you figure?"
"You didn't hide it as well as you think you did. Let me see it, Raph."
He rolled his eyes but didn't fight as she reached for his pant leg. When the woman lightly fingered his makeshift wrap from the night before, he sheepishly looked at the floor.
"You did this yourself I take it. Your Sensei and Donny don't know you were injured," April suggested.
"No - but I spent a lot of time cleaning it out."
"Raph, that isn't always enough, and you know it! Why did you hide this from them?"
It was Raphael's turn to look incredulous. "You have to ask? Wait, what are you doing?"
April gave him a look as she loosened the bandage. "This wrap isn't even good any more, Raph, you've bled through it. It should have been changed hours ago." When the woman looked back at his leg, she gasped.
"What, April? It can't be that bad. I only nicked it on the edge of that freakin' dumpster. If you-AH, stop!"
She wasn't gripping his leg very hard, but the pressure still felt like she was sending ten inch needles through his thigh.
"If it's not that bad, why does it hurt that much?" she asked.
Raphael gave her a dirty look. "Y'know, you're kind of annoying me right now."
"You've earned it," April shot back.
Mike nodded. "She's got a point, bro. That thing looks infected."
"What, like you're an expert?"
"If you listened to Sensei and Donny every now and then, you'd see it too. Sit here and don't move. I'm gonna grab Don from the Lab."
Raphael massaged his temples as Michelangelo left, just for a reason to escape April's gaze. She was still giving him a dark look when glanced up.
"All right, I'm caught. Would you give it a rest?"
"I don't get you sometimes, Raph. If your brothers tried to hide an injury like that, you'd be the first one coming down hard on them. Why are you fighting this so much?"
"Leo needs them."
"He didn't need both of them all night."
Raphael shrugged and prepared himself for the next phase of the storm that would arrive along with his genius brother. Donatello swept through the door ahead of Michelangelo, and knelt swiftly at Raphael's feet.
He was relieved when Donatello only looked at his leg and held off from touching him. Raphael expected another telling off, and was surprised when Donny was silent. It made the red-masked turtle nervous.
"Talk to me, Donny."
"I want to get you to the Lab so I can have a closer look at this."
Raphael peered at him closely. "You're worried."
"I need to do some tests, Raph. You're not going to give me any trouble, are you?"
"With this bunch around? No way. April's about to skin me alive."
"Do you blame her?' Mike piped up.
Donatello offered Raphael his arm. "Let's take this slow, okay?"
Raphael rose gingerly, his legs feeling even weaker than before. He turned toward Donny, blinking rapidly as his head spun. "Don, I don't feel...so good."
Donatello's grip tightened on his arm. "Mike, help me."
Raphael sagged willingly in their grasp. "I'm sorry."
"Hey, just stick around on me, Raph." Donatello was trying to sound light. "I promise not to go off on you."
"Well, that'd be nice." Raphael managed a half grin. "I'm still thirsty though...and tired."
"Raph?"
Darkness flashed for an instant before Raphael's eyes, then his purple-masked brother came back into view. Don had the back of his hand against his forehead.
"Is it bad?" Raphael asked.
"It's pretty hot, bro. Let's get you off your feet."
"Yeah, sure..." he murmured. "You gonna tell Sensei?"
"Yep. April, will you wake him up please?"
Raphael widened eyes that were feeling heavier by the second. "Will you wake me up too?"
* Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. This little Author needs the encouragement right now. Writing has seen me through some hard times in the past, and I just hope that continues to be the case.
