Sorry for the wait. I hope some are sticking with me here. Enjoy you guys!

Michaelangelo

The waiting was the hardest. Not because of the girl whose life was in limbo on the other side of the door, it was having to watch my brother wait. Elbows propped on his knees, head in his hands, he shook his head slowly sitting no more than a foot from the floor. Donnie, Splinter, and Leo were on the other side. We had brought Serena into Sensei's room off of the dojo after we had tracked the two of them down.

I don't think I've ever seen so much blood before. When we picked her up, it ran down and left a trail behind. Leo called April from the Battle Shell as Donnie began CPR. She was in and out throughout the drive, but she hung on. Now, we play the waiting game.

I rested on the edge of a stool, unsure of what I could possibly do. April tip toed into the room. A steaming bowl was held in front of her with a rag thrown over her shoulder. My eyes followed her as she stood in front of Raph. He didn't even notice her.

Carefully she knelt and set the bowl on the floor before him. She reached a pale hand out to his arm. His head looked up with a deflated expression. "Let's get you cleaned up, okay?"

Raph was nearly covered in smears of dried blood. It streaked his arms and chest and smaller lines of blood were even painted across his cheek. He took a look at himself and his eyes widened at the realization that this wasn't all his. Raph began to grow agitated before April began to soothe him with another soft touch, "It's okay Raph. I'll take care of it."

She dipped the rage into the water before she began at his hands and cleaned up his arms. The rag quickly grew stained. Raph grimaced as he looked into the increasingly dirtying water.

"You're cut pretty bad, Raph," April whispered with concern, turning over his hands in hers. With most of the dried blood gone, it was the first time for me to see the cuts too. They were deep, and he had had them before. Handcuffs always did a number because he always gave a struggle.

I straightened in my seat before standing, "Geeze, I'll grab some bandages—"

"No… don't bother. They're… they aren't that deep." When he spoke his voice was thin and sounded brittle. I sat back down, not knowing what to say. I had only seen him like this once before.

And it had left the crescent shaped fault in his shell.

Water trickled into the bowl once again as she rung out the rag. She tilted his face up her with her small hand. It looked so small compared to his wide face, but as her thumb stroked his cheek, she looked so much stronger. The other hand brought the towel over to clean the remaining blood.

When it was gone, April tossed the cloth down and looked into his empty eyes. "It's going to be okay. She'll be alright."

It was hard to tell, but I thought behind the mask, his eyes were welling. Raphael opened his mouth as if to say something, but everything froze. The door to Splinter's room slid open, and an exhausted Donatello stepped out alone.

Raphael

April stood up with me, and I nearly knocked her down in my hurry. Donnie passed his hand across his scalp. The first thing I noticed was the crusted blood around his fingernails. I met him just as stepped out of the door way. "Well, is… is she alive?"

"Yeah, she is Raph," he sighed with a heavy look.

"She's gonna be okay then… or," Master Splinter and Leo both had appeared to stand behind Donnie. Each shared the same solemn expression.

"Raph," Donnie laid a hand on my shoulder, "I did the best I could. We all did, but—"

I brushed his hand off me. I backed away, silently shaking my head. Leo stepped out and reached towards me, "Raph, please listen, okay? She's stable for now. Serena's in rough shape though. We did what we could."

This time when a hand rested on me, I let it. "Can… can I see her?"

"She's asleep right now, but you can. Just take it slow. We're here with you, brother."

I gave a short nod. Sucking in a deep breath, I walked past all three. I paused only once to see Sensei bow his head towards me. When I passed through the open door, anxiety immediately began to sink in. I backed into Leo behind me when I caught sight of the table in the room. Blood soaked rags and bandages were stacked in a pile. All the medical supplies were scattered chaotically. Despite the lights turned off and replaced by soft candle light, the table still was highlighted with scarlet.

"It's going to be alright, brother. We're here." My eyes fell onto Splinter's low set bed on the far side of the room. It was rarely ever used… except for today. Leo whispered once more, "Go to her. It's okay."

My jaw tightened as I walked towards her. My heart stopped as I stood looking down at her. I fell to my knees beside her. Softly I reached to touch her pale face. My fingertips just barely skimmed her cheek. My hands shook not sure where to go from here. A black sheet was pulled up over her bandaged abdomen. Her arms rested at her sides over the covers. It was nearly impossible to see her chest rise and fall.

My face contorted at the pain that rose throughout my body. I bared my teeth at the scream that wouldn't come, the rage that I was incapable of expressing. It ate away at me on the inside. I lifted a limp hand and held it in both of mine. I pressed my lips into it as hot tears finally spilt over.

I knelt at the side of the woman who had saved my life. Three sets of eyes watched on from the other side of the room. "Come back to me, Serena."

…

"Raph… Hey, Raph," a voice broke through my dreamless sleep. I must have dozed off sometime a while ago, but I was awake now. The shove on the shoulder made sure of that. Casey's familiar voice filled the room again, "Wake up dude. Splinter wants you to try and eat something."

My head rose up from my folded arms on the edge of the bed. I blinked a few times taking a deep breath. I rubbed my eyes before speaking, "No, I'm fine… I really am."

"It's six in the morning. You didn't eat at all yesterday. Heck man, you're even sleeping here. You need to take care of yourself too… you look drained." Casey's voice was calmer than usual. Most wouldn't notice, but I'd known the idiot long enough. I looked up to see him frowning at me, a bowl and spoon in his hand.

"They must really be desperate to send you in here," I took the offered bowl from him and stared into the mushy cereal. My stomach was in knots looking at it.

Casey plopped down next to me on the floor, "It takes a basket case to understand a basket case."

"I wish that was less true," I grimaced, taking a sugary bite.

He shifted uncomfortably beside me, "So… how is she, and also kinda who is she?"

I set the spoon back in the bowl and set them both on the bowl. I had only taken two bites. I rested my hand lightly on hers. "She was a member of the Foot Clan. She was supposed to destroy us, but instead she ended up saving my life. Now… now this happened to her."

"Will she… you know…"

"I don't know Casey. Donnie says her bleeding is slowing, but I don't have any fucking clue what that means. I feel like maybe in some way I'm helping by being here, but…"

His hand landed on my shoulder, "Hey, of course you are. I mean look at your brothers. They would have fallen apart a million times before without you around. She'll wake up Raph."

My hand drew lightly across her forehead and down to her cheekbone. It amazed me how different the pigments in our skin were. My three fingered hand looked clumsy against her soft face. She could make me forget what I was. I felt human next to her.

I was so focused on her face, Casey scared me when he grabbed onto my shoulder, "Jesus… what's your…"

My eyes widened. One of her hands had lifted. I moved to take it and got closer to her. The slight pressure she returned to my hand made start to shake. Her eyes slowly opened with her chest rising and falling a little faster. "Raphael?"

"I'm here, I'm here." The hand that wasn't holding hers went to her hairline, brushing a few strands out of her face. I planted my mouth down on her forehead, and she smiled weakly.

"Where… wh…" her voice kept cutting out with grimaces.

"Shhh… we're safe. We're back in the lair." I paid little attention to where Casey had gotten up in my peripheral vision. Serena was all I needed to see. "Nothing can hurt you now."

Her smile reached her eyes, "I know… 'cause you… can keep me safe."

"Of course I can, and I will… even if you no longer want me to."

"That… could never happen," and reached out to connect with the side of my face, "you are my…"

But here eyes grew empty. Her hand slipped down back onto the bed. I lost the feeling of strength in the hand I held. "Serena? Serena!"

The purest forms of fear and panic filled me as I watched her slip away. Donnie charged into the room. He knelt on the opposite side of her. Is finger rested on her neck for a moment. "She's gone into cardiac arrest." Leo booked it into the room as Donnie began compressions.

"Raph, you should give us some room," Leo said gently.

"No," my voice carried with more purpose than ever before. Old words drifted through my mind:

"Your energy, your presence, is healing to those around you. You have a rare gift I have seen only once before"

I held tight to her hand and focused entirely on her. I concentrated on the memories I had of her. I could feel the heat of her skin. I heard the whisper of her breath. "I stay with her."

Leo nodded before taking over CPR for Donnie. In a last despite resort, I held her face with both of my hands. "Stay with me Serena. Remember, you're a survivor, and you have so much more to live to see with me"

My mouth landed on hers as I filled her lungs with my own breath.