Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT. I wish I did, though. LOL! I can only dream to.

Warning: This fic may contain some harsh language and maybe some violence. However, it does contain angst. A lot of it, too. Thank you guys for reviewing my story. It means a lot to me. Only time will tell what will happen to Mikey.

SILENCE

Chapter 4

By Raphangela

"Where are they?" Leo asks Splinter and Donatello, pacing back and forth like a trapped tiger. His loved ones watch him as they do, feeling the same way Leo feels- worried is no longer the word for it. Their anxiety has worsened for the past several hours and there is no sign of either Raphael or Michelangelo.

"You've asked that for like the millionth time already, Leo." Donny answers as he calls on the Turtle Com he had been using to try to reach one of his missing brothers for hours, but still has had no answer. "We don't know."

Splinter shakes his head worriedly and then sighs. "Have you made any success in reaching them, Donatello?" 

Donatello frowns deeply and shakes his head. "Strange... I've tried to call them on the Turtle Com numerous of times, but neither of them seems to answer." He answers despondently.

Not liking the news he has received, Leo speaks determinedly, "If they don't show up soon or anything, I'm going out there looking for them." Leonardo sighs and says, "I hope nothing bad has happened to them."

"I don't even want to think about anything happening to them," Donatello answers, his mood now tense. "Especially to Mikey."

"Don't say that, Don." Leonardo declares to his ingenious brother. "Nothing bad has happened to any of them. I know it! Everything's going to be all right, I'll make sure of it." Leo stops pacing and starts to head toward the exit, but is stopped by none other than Splinter.

"You will wait here, Leonardo." Splinter calls out to him.

Leo tries to change his sensei's mind, "But Master-"

"No!" Splinter commands and he seems he could stab the stone tiled floor with his walking stick. "I do not want anymore of my sons out there on the streets. It's already bad enough that two of them already are." Splinter shakes his head and rubs his snout in stress. "No, I refuse to have anymore of my sons running the streets out there."

Leo frowns sadly and bows his head respectfully. "I'm sorry, Sensei…"

"You have nothing to be sorry about, my son." Splinter advises the young leader who now stands before him. "It is only natural for one to go looking for his lost loved ones, for it is what a person with a heart would do." Splinter smiles at him and then says, "Do not fret, my son, for I sense that they are drawing near."

Leonardo smiles back and says, "Thank you, Master." His smile then turns back into a frown as he then says, "I just wish we could at least do something. I really want to look for—"

"MASTER SPLINTER! LEO! DON!" A proverbial voice shouts out. "COME QUICK!"

"Raph!" Leonardo and Donatello call out at the same time. They run to their exhausted brother, but they stopped horrifying view before them. Clutched in Raphael's arms is none other than their little brother, Michelangelo.

"Raphael, what are you—" Splinter immediately gives a huge gasp when he sees a comatose and very sickly turtle being clutched protectively in Raphael's arms. "Michelangelo! Raphael, what happened?"

Raphael gulps and begins to stammer with his words, "I…I…I…he…he…he disappeared…I…"

Splinter sighs and shakes his head. "Never mind for now, Raphael, tell us later… your brother has to come first right now for he needs medical attention fast." He says when spotting a badly bleeding deep gash in Michelangelo's left leg beside the left side of the knee.

Raphael nods hastily at his martial arts master and peers down at his fallen brother. As he did, he felt warm liquid threatening to fall from his blurring eyes and down his cheeks. He folds onto his brother more closely to his body. The youngest turtle looks so delicate in Raphael's arms that it looks like he could break anytime soon if not handled right. Raphael carefully carries Mikey into the infirmary as the others wait patiently for him to lay the young lad down onto the sick bed.

As soon as Raphael did, Donatello rushes over to Michelangelo and checks for a pulse. Donatello frowns deeply when he notices that it is faint and slow. Donatello quickly straps Michelangelo onto life support, puts in an IV into Mike's arm, and then looks at his brothers gravely. "He's lost a lot of blood, badly. One of you two will have to donate due to the fact that I have a different blood type than his and I'm also busy making sure that he stays alive." He stoutly states. 

Leo watches Raphael who is also watching him back and is also looking at Mikey at the corner of his eye. Leonardo sighs in his mind as he sees the impairing looks his brother is sending him. Leonardo wants to help Mikey in all the best ways that he can, but he can clearly see that it is Raphael who wants to be the one to help his younger brother this time. Leonardo doesn't know what happened to them, especially to his younger brother, but he has a hunch that Raphael has a lot to do with it. Leonardo notes on the looks of how bad that Raphael wants to help the youngest of the four. Leonardo also notes that Raphael rarely ever shows concern or any emotion besides anger for any of them. Seeing as how Raphael is acting, Leonardo decides to let his brother volunteer instead of him. Leonardo nods at his brother and thinks, 'Okay, Raph.' Raphael smiles at him and nods back.

Donatello watches as the two brothers looking at each other closely. "I will." Raphael volunteers and goes over to Donny. Donatello carefully searches for a vain in one of Raph's arms. Donatello finds a blood vain and then puts a needle in Raph's left arm and then quickly attaches the tube that belongs to it that is attached to Michelangelo. Donatello stares at Mikey for awhile then sighs to himself as he thinks, 'Poor Mikey… I wish I knew what happened. However, I have a feeling that I really don't want to know.' He then looks at Raphael, who seems to be lost in his own thoughts. 'You've better not be the one to have hurt him, because if so, I'll never forgive you for this one.'

Raphael watches the blood flow through the tube line and into his brother's arm. Raphael then begins to stare at his youngest brother being cared for and being stitched carefully and promptly on the leg by his brother, Don. Raphael stares quietly at Michelangelo as thoughts rush through his head. He remembered what he thought after he had said those cruel things to his brother.

Hopefully the idiot will go home and not follow me.

Raphael shuts his eyes tightly at the memory. He feels the aching dread and regret strengthening within him as the memory of what he thought continues.

It's not like I need to be babysitting his ass all freakin' night. For cryin' out loud, what does Leo think I am? A fuckin' damn babysitta? Shit! Why can't they see that I want my own life and no one else's? What 'bout me? Can't they think of me and what I want for once? Is that so fuckin' hard to ask for, huh? Shit… If it makes anythin' betta for myself for that weakling of a brat to die, so help me God, let it be!     

Raphael opens his eyes and warm and salty tears sneakily fall from his cheeks. Not paying any attention to the fact that a few of his tears have fallen that he had tried to hold back, he just let's them roll down and fall off his face and doesn't wipe them off. He stares almost endless at his unconscious brother's face and how it looks so cheerless in his sleep. Michelangelo looks so pale and weak that he looks like he could die any moment. 'Don't think that, Raphy ol' boy.' He assures himself in his head. 'He's strong. He'll make it. This is Mikey we're talkin' about. He's gonna live and be happy like he always is…smilin' like he always does…for us…for me.'

Raphael doesn't notice Donatello at all as Don removes the tube and needle from his arm and nor does he notice Don putting a band aide where the needle once was. He's too busy focusing on Mikey and his thoughts to notice or to even care about what his intelligent brother is doing. Donatello just looks at him and then at Mikey and then back at him, he then goes back to his business and cleaning up the place after shaking his head. Leonardo had gone to train and focus on his fighting skills and Splinter went back to meditate, all of them fully aware of Michelangelo's conditions.

Truthfully, they all wanted to ask Raphael what exactly happened to Michelangelo and how, but they all knew just by looking at him that it's not a good time to. Raphael not only looks too depressed and lost in his own world, but he also looks like he could burst into a rampage if messed with. He has that 'don't mess with me' feeling he usually has when he's angry or upset about something. Although they knew they could force the information out of the angry turtle, they knew their boundaries of when and not to mess with him. Tonight is most definitely not the night to mess with him, for he is far too upset to even speak without even stuttering. Something must have happened and it must've been seriously bad. They'll have to ask him later on when he's good and ready, if he ever is, or when Michelangelo wakes up… IF he wakes up, that is.

Donatello looks at Raphael once more and then at Michelangelo before leaving the room. He knows that Raphael will want to stay in the infirmary tonight or until Mikey wakes up, so he left his brother a nice warm blanket, a small pillow, and a cot for him to sleep on. Although, Don seriously doubts Raph will use the cot and sleep in the chair instead, he still laid the cot beside bed that Michelangelo is laying on. Hopefully, Raphael will use it. If not, well, it is his choice to. Donatello sighs and leaves the room to continue with his projects, research, reading, or something to get his mind off of the suffering look of his unconscious younger brother. Don was never fond of pain or suffering and still never is. He could never understand why Raph likes gore so much, to him it is far too upsetting to hear of things like that, let alone see them. In fact, as much as Don wanted to, he knows that he could never understand his brother for they are like in two different worlds. Don decides to read a book, not caring much about the title or the fact he could have read it before. He just wants to find serenity in his own mind from things like what just happened today. He has a funny feeling that Raph has something to do with all of this. His gut instinct keeps telling him that and he seriously doesn't doubt that any of the others don't feel the same way.   

Raphael sighs and sighs some more as he then gets up and walks up to his younger brother on the bed. He kneels down beside him and studies his brother's face closely; it looks so sad and miserable. Raph couldn't help but notice the look on his brother's face; Michelangelo looks as if he's suffering from a horrible nightmare of some kind and can't wake up or even move. He seems to be completely petrified by the dream that it paralyzed his body, or at least that's what Raphael wants to think. Raphael wanted it to be a nightmare, a nightmare that Mikey will soon wake up from—what they all will wake up from. 'That's right.' Raphael thinks as caresses his younger brother's pale head gently. 'It's all just a big nightmare. None of this is real… None of this ever really happened. C'mon, Mikey. Wake up… I wanna wake up from this! I wanna wake up from this night of terror like it never happened! Please! Wake up!' Raphael gently lays his head on his brother's chest, failing miserably on hold back his tears any longer. Feeling exhausted and wearied down, Raphael slowly drifts off to a deep slumber in the same position he was lastly in, knowing full well what the truth is. He also knew that only nightmares will come into him in his sleep this night, even though at least he is at his brother's side during the whole time.

To Be Continued

I'm SO sorry for being late. I've been busy lately. Hopefully, I will write more soon and continue this. I'm glad that you guys like it so far. Please review and stay tuned for the next chapter!