The bullet had caught Leonardo fully on his chest. None of them knew if it had caught the heart too. The blue masked ninja laid in the ground struggling for breath.
"Leo, no!" Raph ran to his brother's side and pressed his knee pad on the wound trying to stop the bleeding. Leo coughed weakly.
"A-are you…" Leo stuttered, the blood pouring down his chin.
"Shhh, don't talk" Raph shushed him.
"Mikey, get Thompson to the copter. Raph, you help me with Leo" Don carried Leo's legs while Raph grabbed his torso. He had used his belt to keep the knee pad in place.
Once in the copter, Mikey and Regina prepared a mattress; Raph and Thompson's son made sure Leo was lying there in a comfortable position. The blue masked turtle still struggled for breath and he was getting paler and weaker.
"Shell, Leo! Why?" Raph asked.
"T-that's… what… b-brothers d-do" Leo smiled before coughing out blood.
"Doc, how bad is it?" Mikey asked fighting back his tears. For much this was hurting him, he had to stay calmed.
"Son, the flashlight" Thompson ordered. Raphael did was his father told him.
"The wound is pretty deep. Raphael, keep pressure on it" The red masked turtle wasted no time and pressed harder.
"Is he gonna be ok?" Regina asked in concern.
Let's hope" Thompson sighed.
They finally made it to the turtles' lair. Splinter was shocked to see his eldest son in such horrible conditions. He looked skinnier, paler and weak. Thompson father and son placed Leo on the lab's bed while Don prepared the oxygen to help Leo with his breathing. Raph kept pressing the wound.
"Dad, I had some of my instruments from the hospital here. Do you think we can remove the bullet?" Raphael asked showing his bag.
"Well, the bullet didn't make it to his heart" Thompson said.
"Thanks God" Don sighed in relief.
"However, he's lost a lot of blood and some blood vessels are damaged. He could die in the middle of the surgery" Thompson continued.
"What about a transfusion while we operate on him?" Raphael suggested.
"Could be. Who of you has Leonardo's blood type?" Thompson asked.
"According to LH's test… he's A+" Don said checking Leo's folder.
"Doc, I'm A+ too!" Raph said remembering his own test's results.
"Alright then… we can proceed"
They prepared everything immediately; they had no time to waste. Raph laid on the bed beside Leo's while Roger prepared the equipment for the transfusion. The surgery was going to be long and difficult; although Don wasn't a doctor, his help was going to be needed in that moment. The genius turtle could check up on Raph's vital signs during the transfusion. Sure he had to donate blood to Leo but just enough to keep him alive. If Raph gave more than three pints, he could get in shock.
"What's wrong with Raph, Donnie?" Mikey asked worried when he noticed his red masked brother had an IV and laid beside Leo.
"He's gonna give some blood to Leo" Don explained. Mikey looked nervous and worried; Raph could tell by the look of his baby brother's blue eyes.
"Don't worry, kid" Raph smirked sounding convincing.
"Y-yeah… I know. It's just…" Mikey said sheepishly fighting back his tears again. This was too much; he didn't want to lose his brothers… especially his blood brother: Raph.
"Come here" Raph called Mikey who walked closer to the bed. Raph pulled Mikey into a one arm hug allowing him to shed some tears.
"Please, be ok" Mikey sobbed softly.
"I'll be, Mike. I'll get Leo back, ok? We both are gonna be fine. Stayed calmed" Raph soothed Mikey.
"Please Mikey, wait outside" Don said. Mikey let go and walked towards the lab's door.
"Good luck, bro" Mikey said and left the room.
"We're ready, doctor" Don indicated.
Roger Thompson removed the belt and kneepad that Raph used to stop the bleeding. Luckily, the rough method had worked after all; the wound wasn't bleeding so much now but that wasn't the risky part. They still had to remove the bullet. Leo's signs were normal but he looked pale. Outside the lab, Splinter prayed in silence for both of his sons while he comforted Mikey.
Regina was still in shock for the whole situation but this was not the time for questions; she didn't know Leo or Raph but she did know what it was like to see someone slowly dying. She had to see that many times when she visited her mother in the hospital until she finally passed away. Regina trusted his father and brother would do a great job, she just hoped the "creatures" could make it.
"How are you feeling Raphael?" Roger asked.
"Better than ever, doc" Raph said with a lazy voice.
"Alright, tell me when you start feeling dizzy" Thompson said. What he didn't know was that Raph was already starting to feel dizzy. But Raph was going to stay there till Leo was out of danger; he didn't matter if he had to give all his blood in the process.
"Almost there" Roger muttered. A little more cutting and carving inside the wound and the bullet was successfully out.
"His vital signs are fine; his breathing is slowly going back to its normal rhythm, blood pressure is stable" Thompson's son indicated checking Leo's monitor.
"You heard that, Raphael?" Roger called but the red masked ninja didn't answer.
"Raphael?" Roger insisted. Don had an idea of what was going on here and confirmed it when he noticed Raph's body trembling a little.
"Disconnect him, now!" Roger ordered. Don disconnected the catheters immediately.
"Raph, Raph can you hear me?" Don tapped Raph's face gently.
"How are you feeling?" Don asked in concern.
"Cold. I-is… he… a-alright?" Raph said groggily referring to Leo.
"Yes, he is" Roger confirmed.
"K… 'm glad" Raph sighed.
Don and Thompson's son helped the red masked ninja to sit down; Mikey was already told to bring something warm to eat for Raph and more blankets. Leo, on the other hand, had to be observed; the surgery had been a success but nothing was a hundred percent sure till he woke up and yet he would still need to rest and be checked regularly. Minutes later, Roger and his son left the room with good news to tell.
"Leonardo is a great patient, I have to say. However, he hasn't woken up from the anesthesia yet so… it's a little early for making a diagnosis. But in general, he'll be fine" Thompson said.
"I can not thank you enough for what you did, Dr Thompson" Splinter thanked.
"No need to. I have my own kids as you can see… well… not exactly "kids, kids" but still…" Thompson shrugged.
"How's Raph?" Mikey asked.
"A little dizzy. I told him to get some sleep. After giving that much of blood he needs to sleep now more than ever"
"Er… dad?" Thompson's son called and opened the lab door just a little. The red masked ninja rested his head on his hand, all his senses focused on Leo. Roger couldn't help but sigh heavily. Raph was definitely a bad patient.
"Oh dear… is he always that stubborn?" Thompson sighed.
"Tell me about it" Splinter chuckled.
"Well, a worried Raph is as stubborn as a mule. No matter what you do, he won't leave his spot" Mikey said.
"And especially after what happened…" Thompson muttered remembering now the reason why Raph was acting like that: guilty.
"Huh?" Don and Mikey looked at each other trying to understand what Roger had said.
"Let's just say Bishop took advantage of Raphael's doubts and used them against Leonardo. The poor kid was really depressed" Thompson explained.
"You mean… the tests?" Don asked figuring out what the problem was. Thompson nodded.
"Man, I wonder what did he say. I mean, when Raph's in his sour mood, he reaaaally messes up" Mikey commented.
The Thompsons and the Hamatos remained in silence… waiting. In the lab, Raph fought the dizziness rubbing his eyes, pinching himself… he had to stay awake no matter what. The guilt was killing him; he had almost lost his brother. Brother, now that word sounded familiar for Raph this time. Too bad he had to learn it the hard way… again.
"I don't know if you can hear me, Leo… but if you do, then… I have to say I'm sorry. I know it's not enough to fix this mess but… at least it's something I can do" Raph said. The steady rise and fall of Leo's chest was the only sign to know he was alive. Raph smiled sadly and took one of Leo's hands.
"Thanks bro. Just do me a favor…" the red masked ninja continued squeezing Leo's hand slightly.
"Please, wake up soon"
With this, Raph finally let the sleep taking him. His head rested on Leo's bed, the hold on his brother's hand was still there. Although Raph was asleep, he wasn't resting. He couldn't do it… not until his brother was safe.