Raph had never felt so sore and exhausted in his entire life, and normally all he'd want was a hot shower and to sleep for a week. But that thought never once occurred to him. All his focus was on Leo, on holding him as gently as he could. Thanks to their mystic powers, getting off Staten Island was pretty easy. They'd only paused long enough to contact the others and tell them they had Leo, and he was alive but badly hurt before taking off for the lair. With the Turtle Tank still in the sewer, the best option was getting there on foot.

Leo hadn't woken up once, though occasionally he winced or let out a soft whimper. Raph cringed every time, and he could hear Mikey's quiet sniffling from Donnie's back. He knew his youngest brother was desperate to do more, to ease Leo's pain and improve his chances, but neither Raph nor Donnie was willing to let him drain himself even more.

When they reached the lair, none of them noticed the damage from the attack but moved straight for the infirmary, where Donnie immediately went to work. Raph had urged Mikey to rest, offered to take him to his room, but despite being almost too tired to stay on his feet, the box turtle had stubbornly refused to leave his injured brother's side. Raph could tell there would be no arguing with him but insisted that Mikey sit and stay sitting. Once he promised, Raph moved to join Donnie.

"What can I do?"

He saw the irritated look on his genius brother's face when he looked up; Raph knew Donnie didn't like others butting in when he was working on something, but this wasn't a complicated algorithm or machine. This was Leonardo, and Raph wasn't going to just stand by and watch while his little brother needed him… needed all of them. Taking a deep breath, he managed to keep the quiver out of his voice.

"Please, Donnie."

The softshell met his eyes for a few moments, then Raph saw his gaze soften for a moment before he gave a brusque nod and returned his attention to Leo.

"Start cleaning any lacerations. You know where the disinfectant is. Mikey, if you don't stay where you are, I swear to Pizza Supreme I'll strap you down!"

Raph glanced over to see that, sure enough, their youngest brother had risen to his unsteady feet… probably without realizing, if the surprised look on his face was anything to go by. Giving him a stern but gentle look, Raph nodded. Looking reluctant, Mikey sank back down, and Raph moved to follow Donnie's instructions.

The snapper kept on a calm face and steady hands as the two tended to their brother's wounds, but inside, his heart was breaking at seeing the evidence of what Leo had suffered at the hands of that monster.

It should've been me. I should've been there to protect him.

They had barely tied off the last bandage than they heard running footsteps entering the liar. Raph turned as Splinter, April, and Casey came rushing into the infirmary, and felt his eyes well at the looks of shock and heartbreak on their faces.

"Leonardo…" Splinter's voice was hoarse and fearful in a way the turtles had rarely heard, a strange combination of joy and grief in his eyes.

"Sensei!" Casey cried, looking stricken, and April seemed unable to speak at all.

"He's alive," Donnie said quickly. "And extremely lucky. But he's not out of the woods yet… that Krang pounded him bad. All we can do now is monitor him and wait. Raph, can you help me get him in bed?"

Mikey's small voice spoke up.

"W-what about me? Can't I…"

"Maybe later," Raph said, casting a small smile toward his youngest brother. "But we can't risk that now, you gotta get rested up first."

"But, what if…"

The box turtle's voice trailed off, and the others knew what he wanted to say.

What if he dies before then?

The thought struck a painful chord in Raph, but he knew he couldn't show that he was feeling that same fear. Instead, he kept his voice calm and reassuring.

"Hey, this is Leo we're talkin' about. He's tough, Mikey, we've seen that. If anyone can pull through something like this, he can."

After a few moments, a small, tired smile came to Mikey's face, which made Raph's widen.

"Raph," Donnie said in a quiet voice. "Come on."

Turning, the eldest turtle gently lifted Leo into his arms again, carrying him to one of the beds. As him and Donnie got the slider settled in, Raph heard Mikey struggling to stifle a loud yawn.

"Okay," he said. "Now you, go get yourself some shuteye."

"But… Leo…"

"Is in good hands," Donnie finished, his tone strangely gentle. "Don't worry, Mikey. Anything changes, we'll tell you."

Mikey let out a quiet sigh, then slowly stood. When he swayed as if about drop face first to the floor, April hurried over to steady him.

"Easy there, little guy," she said softly. "Think I hear your bed callin' you."

Taking hold of her arm, Mikey looked at Leo again, then one of the empty beds in the infirmary.

"Thanks, April, but… can I…"

The others followed his gaze, and Raph felt another sad smile tug at his face that he knew the others were matching.

"Are you sure?" April asked. Mikey nodded.

"I wanna…" His voice quivered a little, but he swallowed and went on steadily. "I wanna be here… with Leo."

With a nod, April guided him to the nearest bed. The small turtle was so exhausted, he fell asleep almost the moment his head hit the pillow. April smiled as she tucked the covers over him, but the smile faded as she joined the others by Leo's bed. The slider's breathing was slow and heavy, the slight frown on his face indicative of the pain he was in even now. His head, shoulders and almost entire torso were swathed in bandages, his left arm in a sling. After a few moments, Casey spoke in a soft, fearful voice.

"Is… is he going to make it?"

Donnie let out a quiet sigh, a rare look of worry on his face.

"Honestly, I can't say. If it weren't for Mikey, he'd be gone already. We've done all we can, the rest is up to him. But he's as resilient as he is annoying… he has a chance."

Raph felt his throat tighten again as he looked down at Leo. Seeing the younger turtle like this, reduced to a silent, broken shadow of his former self, it just felt so wrong. The eldest turtle could feel his exhaustion catching up with him, but the idea of sleeping now seemed wrong too… like he was abandoning his brother. He knew it wasn't rational, but it killed him to know that Leo would have to fight this alone, just like he did with Krang Prime.

"There's really nothin' else we can do?"

"He might hear us if we talk to him," Donnie replied. "But right now, we ought to get some rest… we won't be much help if we pass out on him."

Raph nodded.

"One of us should stay with him," he said softly. "Just in case there's any changes."

Casey stepped forward right away, his eyes never leaving the still form of the turtle in the bed.

"I can. I'm not that tired… and I don't think I'd be able to sleep anyway."

Raph felt a strong sense of sympathy for the teen… he still remembered Casey's desperate plea when Leo had revealed his plan to seal Krang Prime in the prison dimension.

"Leo, please! I can't lose you again!"

The snapper knew all too well the pain Casey was in… his family had already endured the torment of losing their son and brother once, and to be frank, he didn't think any of them could face it again. His eyes then moved to Mikey, out cold in the nearest bed. He was the one Raph was most worried about; out of all of them, the youngest turtle had refused to give up, had fought the hardest to save Leo… not once, but twice. And Raph knew he would have gladly given all he had. If the worst happened, he knew with a certainty he couldn't explain that Mikey would blame himself… for not doing more, for not being enough. They would all feel that way.

Slowly, Raph pulled out the photo Leo had been holding when they pulled him out of that hellish dimension. He gazed at his younger brother's bright eyes, his confident grin. Would he ever see that look again? Letting out a sigh, he stepped forward and placed the photo in Leo's right hand, gently closing his fingers over it. He hoped it could be some comfort for his brother.

"You keep on fighting, little bro," he murmured. "You were tough for us once, be tough for us now too."