Leonardo had lingered in the kitchen for nearly an hour over his tea. He didn't want to think, and he didn't feel like venting, so he'd spent that time in silence. He was secretly grateful that his brother had left and he probably wouldn't have to deal with him again until morning.
The blue-masked turtle carried his cup to the sink, rinsing it out slowly with warm water. He washed it thoroughly instead of letting it sit, and put it aside on the drying rack.
When he exited the kitchen into the living area, he saw his two younger brothers relaxing in front of the TV. The way Michelangelo was surfing channels suggested that they hadn't settled on anything, but at least they appeared occupied. It's a good thing too. I really don't want to talk about Raph anymore. When his purple-masked brother gave him a small glare over his shoulder however, he couldn't ignore it.
Leonardo scowled in return. "Don't look at me like I just killed your best friend."
"Was that necessary, Leo?" his brother demanded. "You don't know why Raph asked me to take Splinter for him tonight. You assumed without having a single fact."
"Sometimes you guys force me to draw my own conclusions," Leo returned crossly.
"You could have asked me what was going on."
"And you wouldn't have covered for Raph? You're too nice, Don."
Donatello was quiet for a beat. "You don't know what's going on with him; I'm not even sure I do. All he told me was that he thought Sensei would be better off with me because of the issues with his breathing today."
"You don't think the fact that he couldn't wait to get out of the den had anything to do with it?"
"I don't know, Leo! But seeing Sensei like this is hard for all of us to take. Did you ever consider that he might be scared too, and that's why he's acting out?"
Leo opened his mouth, but he didn't have an immediate comeback for his brother. "It doesn't help," he said finally. "Why can't Raph see that? Why can't he understand that running isn't the answer for everything?"
"I think he does get that, Leo, I do," Donny said more quietly. "But it doesn't make these emotions easier for him to process. I think you're too hard on Raph sometimes. You can't expect all of us to react to something the same way you do."
"He's the one making this hard," the blue-masked turtle declared. "Do you think I enjoy fighting with him? If there was one thing I could do to fix it, I wouldn't hesitate…but my gut says that no matter what I do, he'll fight me on it. It's just the way he is. Raph is hardwired to disagree with anything I say, because I represent some kind of authority figure in his mind. He has to respect Splinter, but he doesn't have to respect me – he's made it very clear."
"Do you ever try to see where he's coming from, Bro?" Mike ventured. "He probably doesn't think you respect him either. Maybe if you came at him more like a brother and less like an authority figure, he wouldn't get so defensive."
"Right, it's all my fault," Leo muttered, flopping down in a chair. "Of course it is. I should be used to it." He felt his phone shift uncomfortably on his belt, and set it down on the side table.
"Do you want to get along with him, or don't you?" Donny challenged. "You can be the bigger person. You could try something different, if it's worth it to you."
Leonardo sighed tiredly. "It wouldn't make me this crazy if he wasn't worth it to me. I only wish it didn't have to be this hard." His cell phone suddenly vibrated, traveling in a half circle on the table beside him before he grabbed it up. Marcus?
"Is it Raph?" Mike asked.
The blue-masked turtle shook his head. "No – it's Marc. Hang on a second." Leo sat up straighter in the chair and adjusted his phone to a better position. "Hey, Marcus. What's going on?"
"Um…that's a good question, Leo. I wish I had a real answer."
Leo's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? Is something wrong?"
"Something's wrong all right, but I'm not sure how serious it is. I saw Raph a few minutes ago."
"Wait. Raph went out to see you?"
"I don't know what his plans were originally. I missed a call from him earlier today, and when I reconnected with Raph tonight, he sounded weird. He wouldn't tell me what was going on over the phone, so I convinced him to meet me. He's sick, Leo. I wanted to bring him back myself, but he wouldn't let me drive him."
Leonardo's breath seized in his chest. "He's sick? Are you sure?"
"Positive. I could have seen it from a mile away."
Leo covered the phone with one hand while he cursed under his breath. I'm blind. I'm an idiot. I can't believe I didn't see this!
"Where did he go after that, Marc? Was he heading home?"
"That was probably his intention, but we're way off course at the moment."
"We? I thought he wouldn't let you bring him!"
"He didn't. I've been following him on his bike from a couple of blocks away. I wanted to make sure that he got home safe, but now I don't know what's happening. Raph pulled over to the side of the road for some reason, left his bike, and eventually disappeared into an alley. I'm not sure why he'd do that unless he decided to head straight underground. I thought I would get a bit closer and have a look around myself."
Leo's mind raced with possible scenarios. It wasn't likely that Raphael would leave a prized possession such as his bike unprotected without a good reason. But he wouldn't try to get into with anyone either, not when he was sick. Right?
"What are you doing right this second?" he asked Marc, suddenly aware that his younger brothers had crowded in closer and were hanging on his every word.
"I'm driving up behind his bike…and I smell a strong odor. I think it's gasoline. Is it possible he was having trouble with the motorcycle?"
"Your guess is better than mine at this point."
"Well, I'm going to get out and see if he's still around here."
Leonardo bristled at the idea, though he wasn't sure why. "Marc, stay in your car for a minute, okay?" He looked at Donatello. "Try calling Raph, will you?"
"Leo, what's going on? Did Marcus tell you that he's sick?"
The blue-masked turtle nodded grimly. "And I drove him right out the door, when he probably wasn't heading that direction to start with."
Donny's brown eyes were downcast. "Don't feel bad, Leo. I didn't see it either, and I should have."
"We can worry about what we did or didn't see later. We need to figure out what's going on with him, so would you call his phone please?"
The purple-masked turtle nodded, drawing out his cell.
Leonardo returned to Marcus. "Don's calling him."
A few seconds of silence followed, as everyone waited for the red-masked turtle to answer. Donny shook his head at Leonardo finally.
"It rang a couple of times, and then it cut out. Does Marc think something's happened to him?"
"Don, I—"
"I heard it, Leo!" Marcus exclaiming, gaining his attention. "When I opened my window, I heard Raph's phone, faintly. There are voices too. Someone else is in that alley."
Leonardo cursed inwardly. "Marcus, do not get out of the car. Don't expose yourself in any way. Hold on." He turned back to Donatello. "Get the location software up. We're going after Raph."
Donny was already on his feet and running to the lab when Michelangelo grabbed Leo's arm.
"Does Marcus know something?" His youngest brother looked like a bundle of nerves.
"He heard Raph's phone ringing from an alley, and there are other voices down there too," Leo explained.
"Leo, listen!" Marcus spoke up. "If Raph was attacked, if he's been seen by someone, we might not have much time!"
"If he was attacked, you'd be in danger too, Marcus!"
"Am I supposed to drive off when he could be in trouble?"
"Marc, Don is tracking your coordinates as I speak. We'll be out the door in three minutes. We're coming – don't make any potential problems worse!"
"Leo, I told you we're way off track! It'll be at least half an hour before you reach us."
The blue-masked turtle shook his head like Marcus could see him. "It won't take that long, not if we stick to the Slider underground."
"Leo—"
"Do what I said, Marcus! Don't expose yourself."
Donatello dashed back into the living area. "Raph is several miles away, and the vital readings coming from his implant are all over the place! Something definitely happened. We've got to get out of here."
"You took the words out of my mouth," Leo said smoothly. "Don't even mess with clothes, guys. We're leaving now."
"I'll try to stay put, Leo!" Marcus told him.
"Trying isn't optional - just stay! I'm hanging up, and I expect you not to move. Call me back if you see Raph."
The man hung up without answering him, and Leonardo leaped to his feet.
"Get the Slider ready, Don. I'm going to tell Splinter we're leaving."
His brother nodded. "We'll be ready to go."
Leo hurried down the hall, busting in the door to his Master's quarters louder than he'd intended. Splinter's head rose at once, and onyx eyes flew open to stare at him.
"What is going on?" the rat murmured.
"I apologize, Sensei. I wanted to tell you that we're leaving. Something's up with Raph, so we're going to track him down."
Splinter's ears flattened. "Something is wrong?"
"We think he could be in danger," Leo returned. "We'll bring him back – I promise."
His Sensei nodded. "I know you will – now go!"
Leonardo's heart raced as he ran out the door, and quickly exited the den. He jumped onto the back of the waiting Slider, content to keep some space with his brothers for the time being. His cheeks were burning with the shame of his earlier mistake, and he didn't want to talk about it anymore.
The blue-masked turtle took two deep breaths, trying to steady the nerves rocketing through his body. He'll be okay. Raph will be all right. We're going to get there.