Back at the lair, Don and Mikey saw Leo carrying an unconscious Raphael. "What happened, Leo?" Don asked anxiously. "Why's he covered in so much blood?"

"I don't know. I wasn't with him."

"Is he going to be okay?" Mikey asked, his lower lip quivering, and blinking back tears, as he studied his blood soaked and battered brother.

"I don't know," Leo said.

"Take him to the infirmary," Splinter said. "Raphael needs urgent attention."

XXX

Inside the infirmary, Leo placed Raphael onto a stretcher, while Don put on his surgical gloves and got out his medical equipment. "I'm going to need hot water and damp cloths," Don said. "Go get them, Mikey."

"On it. He will be okay, won't he, Donnie?"

"Now, Mikey."

Stifling a sob, Mikey left the room.

Most of the blood seemed to be concentrated between Raphael's legs, caked and mixed with what smelled like semen to Don. Was Raph raped, he thought? God, poor Raph. Our strong, brave brother. How petrifying that must have been for him. If I ever discover who did this to him, I'm going to break every single bone in their body!

Mikey returned, handed the cloths to Don, who parted Raphael's legs and began cleaning the blood off of him, the cloths quickly being stained scarlet. Don washed them and reapplied them to Raphael's body, gently removing all the grime and blood. "And?" Leo asked, standing next to Mikey and Splinter. "What happened? Sensei, you said you had a dream in which something terrible happened to him."

Splinter swallowed the lump in his throat and said, "I had a dream that Raphael was attacked by Shredder. Sexually assaulted."

"Raphie was raped?" Mikey asked, nausea bubbling in his belly at the thought of his macho brother being violated in such a despicable manner.

"I fear that's what happened," Splinter said mournfully. "But we'll know for sure once Donatello's finished examining him.

"I'm going to tear him apart," Mikey growled, his blue eyes stony. Gentle natured Mikey wasn't violent by any means, but when it came to his family, he'd do anything to protect them, especially Raphael, who he looked up to and was the closest to.

"Get in line," Leo said. "It's my fault. We were talking, had a fight and I left him there. I never would have if I'd known that Shredder was going to turn up."

Splinter placed a paw on his shoulder and said, "Leonardo, it's not your fault, my son. Please don't blame yourself. It is Shredder's fault and when the time comes, although I don't usually condone vengeance, this time I'll make an exception. For Raphael."

"For Raph," the brothers said in unison.

Don gently ran his hands across Raphael's slit and withdrew his flaccid cock. "No damage to it," he said. Then, getting a forceps, he pried the slit open and peered inside. The odor of dried blood and semen assaulted his senses, and to his immense horror he saw a tear in the lining of his brother's anus. Gasping audibly, Don took a closer look before saying, "Raph's got a tear in the lining of his anus. That creep must have done a real number on him. He's going to be in extreme agony when he wakes up, especially during and following bowel movements. He may also experience bleeding, itching and a malodorous discharge."

"A what, Donnie?" Leo asked.

"A smelly, putrid discharge. I can treat him with home remedies and OTC products by adding bulk to the stool, softening the stool and telling you to give him a high fiber diet. I'd say also a sitz bath, but we don't have that. If that doesn't work, we'll need prescription drugs that include ointments containing anesthetics, steroids, nitroglycerin, and calcium channel blocking drugs (CCBs). Raphael also has three fractured ribs and multiple bruises all over his body."

"So he should recover?" Splinter asked.

"Physically, yes, Sensei, but emotionally, I don't know. Raph always prides himself on his masculinity and he'll see this as an attack on his manhood and that he's weak and pathetic. We'll have to monitor him closely, because he may suffer from PTSD, self-loathing and attempt to take his life. He's also going to need a lot of emotional support, but not babying him. He hates that. He'll want to be treated the same as he was before. Because he's still Raph and Raph would never want to be molly cuddled. And we'll have to be strong and not break down in front of him. He needs our strength, as well as our love. If we're not strong, Raph will find it harder to recover. Can you do that, Mikey? I know you're closest to him and it must be extremely distressing to see him this way."

Mikey looked at Raphael and shook his head. "No. I love him, Donnie, but I don't have that inner strength. Not like you and Leo. Every time I look at Raph, I want to cry. It's too much seeing him this way. I'll cook and bring him things, but I can't be that wall of strength he needs. Not now. I'm not ready. I know that sounds so awful of me, but…"

"It's okay, Mikey," Leo said. "Raph knows you love him. You be with him when you're ready, okay?"

"I love Raph," Don said. "And I'll be his doctor, but I also can't give him what he needs. You can, Leo. You're the one he admires most, despite your constant fighting. You can be his pillar of strength."

Leo nodded and said, "I'll do whatever it takes to help Raph."

"Donatello, I thought you and Raphael were mates?" Splinter said.

"No, Sensei," Don said sheepishly. "We broke up and decided to pursue other avenues. It was amicable. I've done all I can for Raph in the meanwhile. All we can do now is wait for him to wake up. Leo, you'll stay with him?"

"Of course," Leo said, pulling up a chair and sitting down by the bed. "There's no other place I'd be."

After the others had left, Leo took Raphael's hand in his and whispered, as tears ran down his cheeks, "Raph, my warrior brother. I love you so much. Please wake up. I'm so sorry for the hurtful things I said. I wish I could take them back." He bowed his head, letting more tears stream freely and said, "I don't want the last words we had to be ones of anger. Please wake up. I need you. We all need you."

"Leo, there's something I should tell you," Don said, entering the room. "If you're going to be caring for him, you need to know his medical condition. His entire medical condition. In time, the others will learn of it too."

Leo quirked an eye ridge and said, "There's more?"

"Raph and I had sex a total of once, because his condition freaked me out. I saw it and pretended all was fine, as we lay in bed afterwards, but it wasn't. I started avoiding him without telling him why and that's when I cheated on him, so he'd dump me. Which he didn't. Even after that, so I dumped him and told him I couldn't be with someone like him."

"I don't understand. What's wrong with him? Is he sick?"

"Raph has male and female parts, Leo, and I just couldn't. I was so repulsed. For me it's one gender or nothing, you know, and he's my brother anyway, so it was probably wrong. How we ended up together was the result of a night of drinking. I regret it. While I love Raph, I was never in love with Raph. You know what I mean? Anyway, that's not it. Mercifully, Raph didn't fall gravid, but…."

Leo swallowed thickly, realizing what Donnie was about to say. "You telling me that there's a chance Raph may become gravid by Shredder?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Leo. And what's more it could be a human baby."

Bile rose in Leo's throat at the revolting thought and he upchucked onto the floor. His brother gravid with their nemesis's spawn. His sweet, baby brother going through it all alone, feeling violated, and angry and alone. No, he won't be alone, Leo thought. I'll be there for him. Every step of the way and help him if there are babies. I know exactly what I have to do.

"Leo, you okay?" Don asked, concern in his hazel eyes.

"I'm fine. Look, can you give me a minute? I need to do something."

"Sure. I also think Raph has a crush on you. If you ever felt the same way about him, you have to ask yourself if you could handle his condition and babies. I suppose that's a hypothetical given you're with Lotus, but…Raph would need to know that a partner accepts him for who he is."

"Now, Donnie!"

When Don had left, Leo yanked out his cell and made a call. There was no answer, so he left a message, grabbed Raphael's hand and said "Raph, I'm sorry for all that's happened and right now I'm so terribly confused about so much. Lotus, you, our kiss, but I swear that no matter what you won't be alone even if it sacrifices my happiness. And I'm not disgusted that you have male and female parts. You're still my little brother and I'll always love you."

Green eyes flickered open and an anguished cry escaped Raphael's throat, as pain coursed through his body. "Raph!" Leo exclaimed. "You're awake."

"ARGH!"

"I'll get Donnie. Oh, Raph. I thought…"

"Leo? Am I dead?"

"No, Raph."

"The rooftop, we fought, so cold, rain, Shredder…"

"Don't talk," Leo said, placing a finger on Raph's lips. "I'll get Donnie. You're going to be okay."

"Ya said ya love me? Heard ya. Thought ya didn't."

"I love you, Raph. Very much. I always have. I don't belong with Lotus. You were right. Let me…"

Emerald hands reached for Leo's, who grasped them, and Raphael said, "More than brothers?"

"Yes," Leo lied. "And we'll get through this together. I'm sorry, Raph. So very sorry for the cruel words I said. We're perfect for one another. I'll be right back." Leo went in search of Donatello and thought, it could grow into love, right? And I've done the right thing haven't I? My happiness doesn't matter. All that matters is that Raph's happy and makes a full recovery.