After several unbearable minutes of being pressed by his kin for some kind of explanation, Raphael was beginning to wonder if he was going to have to tell his family about the unconscious mutant in his arms. But then, just as he was getting ready to tell them all to shut up, his younger brother suddenly stepped back and pointed a finger at his brother's torso. Effectively, he redirected the attention of the collective with three simple words; "What is that?"
Donatello was the second to respond, as his attention jerked first toward the bloody handprint smeared across Raphael's plastron, and then to the woman cradled in his arms. He nearly jumped out of his shell in surprise and started to take a step back, but then hurdled himself forward and nearly tore the woman from his brother's embrace. As soon as the woman was taken away, the remainder of their family quickly surrounded Donatello.
"She's a mutant." Leonardo conceded, turning his chocolate gaze questionably toward his brother who only returned his comment with a derivative expression.
"To be honest, I really thought that would be the last thing you noticed." Raphael countered, gesturing vaguely toward the woman's upper torso. Confused, the mutants turned and followed the indication. Chaos quickly ensued as the engineer nearly dropped the unconscious woman when he finally saw the blood still flowing from her shoulder.
"What the shell happened?" Leonardo demanded, turning fully to his brother with wide eyes. Meanwhile, Donatello turned away and sprinted into the interior of the chamber, closely followed by Master Splinter. Though Donnie stopped in the living room, the aging rat continued through the lair and disappeared into his own chambers. In the time that the engineer carefully set the woman across the couch cushions and Splinter reappeared with an armful of bandages and other assorted medical ointments, a frantic voice coursed through the air in the confusing jumble of words and statements as Michelangelo dialed the one person he knew could help them.
Raphael watched the situation for half a second before responding to his older brother. "I guess the Foot got tired of hunting us." As soon as the flagrant words left his lips, he could see the building exasperation in his brother's disapproving gaze and subtly braced himself for the coming lecture. However, he wasn't prepared when their sensei was the one who scowled his disapproval.
"Raphael," The rodent snapped shortly as he passed his load to Donatello who had already started cleaning the woman's shoulder wound with a rag and bowl of steaming water. At the sight, Raphael couldn't ignore the split second curiosity of where it had come from before his attention was returned to his sensei. With a scowl, he turned toward his mentor with a shrug. "I don't know what happened. She was already shot when I found her. Maybe they mistook her for one us. Foot ain't exactly intelligent, ya'know." He responded haughtily. At that moment, Michelangelo reappeared in the corridor as he closed his shellcell with a relieved sigh. "Brennen's on his way." He announced, "ETA about thirty minutes."
At the words, Raphael loosed a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as he thought about the outspoken physician they'd had the good fortune of befriending almost two years ago. It was now a waiting game until he arrived and could tend to the wounds Donnie was ill-equipped to handle on his own. Instead, he rubbed a hand across his forehead in exhaustion, his amber eyes briefly eying his older brother before falling back on the unconscious mutant in the adjoining room. He had thirty minutes to quell the confusion swirling around him, confusion he wasn't even sure he was immune from. However, he knew one thing. It would be foolish to mention Karai's involvement around Leonardo. As much as he claimed he didn't, Raphael knew there was still a part of his brother that wanted to believe Karai wasn't just another mindless follower of the Shredder's. She had helped him to safety, that much was true, but he still wasn't entirely convinced it wasn't all just a ruse. The ease of their escape had simply been too easy. With a sigh, Raphael strode into the living room, beckoning for his brother to follow.
While the four mutants settled into the room, Donatello continued his work, only half listening to the conversation during the process. Occasionally, he hissed under his breath in disgust. And while he continued cleaning the shoulder wound, Raphael began his story from the first gunshot they had heard echo through the night. It was the gunshot that had effectively ended their little scavenger hunt. Donatello, Michelangelo, and Leonardo had quickly regrouped, but when Raphael hadn't returned they'd all begun thinking the unthinkable. In response, Leo had sent the younger brothers back home in case Raphael had gone there, while he searched the surface. But even Leo had given up the search when he'd encountered the legions of Foot Clan ninjas combing the streets. He'd barely managed to escape himself and had a couple cuts and scrapes to prove it, though clearly nothing as dire as the woman before him. His gaze briefly lifted from the couch as he peered over the back cushions to a table across the corridor and the lone firearm that waited there for his inspection. He'd only just begun taking it apart when Raphael had shown up. Now it sat neglected waiting for his return. When Leonardo had brought it in with him, Donnie was convinced it was just a basic M24 sniper weapon but as he got a closer inspection of it, he'd realized it was anything but.
Behind him Raphael's story continued as he spoke about shadowing the troupe of ninjas that ultimately led him to the injured mutant in front of the engineer. Blinking quickly, Donatello returned to his work, Brennen would arrive soon and his work would be a lot easier and faster if he didn't have to worry about having to clean the injuries first.
The work and chatter continued longer than Donatello expected, and made him rather nervous about the severity of the sustained injury when a rather obnoxious voice suddenly rang through the entranceway. "Somebody call a doctor?"
Brennen's voice was unmistakable as the thirty-year-old physician rounded the corner toting a small black pouch that seemed seriously outdated for the time period. Donatello bit back a scoff, as he lifted a bloody hand to beckon the physician into the living quarters. "Here." He called as his brothers leapt to their feet, urging the man further inside.
"Hey! Woah! Okay! What's going on?" The doctor responded as Leo, Raph, and Mikey shoved him around the couch, though the words fell dead in his mouth as he spotted the woman. He dropped his bag where he stood and shoved Donatello out of his way. The engineer expected nothing less as he righted himself and collected the medical bag their companion had brought. The cocky individual who had walked through the door was suddenly gone, replaced by a confident and serious doctor as he muttered medical terminology under his breath. He inspected the wounds, letting out a hiss through his teeth as he carefully rolled the woman, to see what Donatello assumed was the exit wound in her shoulder. But even his breath caught his throat as he saw the damage. The bullet had not entered through front, as he had suspected, but clearly from the back. Her shell was shattered directly above the wound, fragments were embedded her flesh, and spider web cracks surrounded the area of her broken carapace.
"We have to clean this, now." Brennan growled, beckoning for Donatello's brother to step forward. It wasn't clear which one the physician wanted, and frankly, Donnie assumed he didn't care either. Raphael and Michelangelo swiftly stepped forward, though Mikey looked pale as his blue eyes lingered on the bloody shell.
"Help me flip her," Brennan instructed, pushing his arm across her chest, supporting her weight, "carefully." He added sternly as Raphael and Michelangelo grabbed the woman and helped roll her onto her belly. Mikey suddenly let go unexpectedly as the full extent of damage came into his view. He made a retching noise and suddenly disappeared. Brennan hissed in disapproval as the woman's weight shifted, but Leo easily slipped into his brother's place, careful not to look at the blood. Together, the three males laid her across the couch cushions with as much ease as they could manage.
Once she was situated, Brennan stepped back, eying the mutants around him. "This is what's going to happen." He began, "First, Donnie and I are going to wash our hands, and we will be the only ones touching her from this point on." He instructed with a stern glare, "Judging by how much blood is smeared across his plastron and arms, I'd say it's a fair guess that Raphael knows more about what happened than the rest of you. Therefore, he will tell me what happened. I don't want Mikey coming back in here until we're done. I don't need him contaminating my work area with his vomit. Therefore, one of you needs to keep him occupied." Brennan continued, waving a finger between Leo and Master Splinter. The rodent mutant nodded easily, before turning away.
"Okay, so Leo, you've got a special job." Brennan said as the ninjutsu master left the room, probably in what ever direction his son had run off in. "I need you right at my side; I tell you I need something, I need it. Immediately, okay? Not three minutes later, not two minutes later, not thirty seconds later; immediately. I need to close this wound as soon as possible. Raphael, start talking." He demanded, as Leonardo slipped around the couch while the physician and Donatello maneuvered swiftly to the kitchen. The sound of running water filled the space as Raphael launched into his story again.