A giant thank you as always to Amonraphoenix for beta reading this chapter and for her wonderful suggestions and ideas! You are beyond awesome!

Also a big thank you to my reviewers mela989898, I Love Kittens too, KirmacTheFriendlySpartan and Flamedragon242!

And now on with the show...or story I guess...;)

Chapter 8

Donatello looked down at Raphael, whose skin was still a sickly shade of yellow-green. His brother's pain filled amber eyes looked back at him steadily; lines of agonizing pain etched deeply into his brother's face.

"Just come out and say it, Donny." Raphael growled weakly, his breathing sounding laboured and forced.

Donatello swallowed down the hard lump of anguish that had lodge deeply into his throat. "Raph..." He began but his brother interrupted him.

"I'm dyin'. There, was that so hard to say?" Raphael asked him with a faint mocking voice that wavered and then broke miserably.

"I don't..." Donatello began, but paused as he took a shaky breath. He leaned over and touched his brother's forehead, still slick with sweat and overly warm to the touch. "I don't know that for sure." Donatello forced out the words even as tears pricked his eyes.

"Don't lie to me, Donny. You still suck at lying." Raphael snarled as he coughed weakly into a white linen cloth that was already stained red with the blood his brother had begun coughing up. Raphael shifted slightly, moving his gaze away, as if trying to get more comfortable. But Donatello could see that Raphael had shifted his gaze to cover up the tears that had suddenly formed in his brother's eyes.

Donatello opened his mouth, about to comfort and reassure his brother, but decided that his brother was right, Raphael deserved the truth. Donatello slid his chair closer to Raphael's bedside. "Your liver and your kidneys are failing. It... it's only a matter of time before... before your heart fails from the toxic strain." Donatello managed to get the last few choked words out, his voice full of abject misery.

Raphael gave a sharp nod of understanding; still avoiding Donatello's tear filled, grief stricken gaze.

"Kitten know yet?" Raphael whispered softly in a broken voice.

Donatello shook his head in denial. "I haven't told her yet." He whispered wretchedly, thinking about how he was going to break the news to his girlfriend that Raphael was dying.

At the moment, Katherine was downstairs in the kitchen, making the broth that Donatello would attempt to force down Raphael's reluctant throat.

It had been three days since his brother had woken up from his coma, and Raphael had not improved. He was drinking small amounts of water, and they were still able to get a small amount of broth into him; but Raphael was still unable to keep anything down for long.

"Good. Don't." Raphael ordered sharply coughing into his cloth again, more red blooming onto the marred white fabric surface.

Donatello felt his mouth fall open in shock.

"I don't want her to... I don't want her to worry, or... or feel... bad." Raphael managed to stammer out between harsh, hacking coughs.

"Raph..." Donatello began to protest, but Raphael just shook his head weakly, silencing his protest.

"I've done enough to her already. I don't... I don't want to see her crying, Donny. I can't... I just can't handle that." Raphael told him, finally meeting his gaze again.

Donatello let the subject drop, knowing that he would never be able to keep something like this from Katherine, no matter how much he wished he could.

"Yeah I know." Raphael said with a small smile. "She'll know anyway. All she'll have to do is take one look at your miserable mug and she'll know I ain't getting off this island alive."

"Raph..." Donatello protested again.

"I always found her so hard to read." Raphael began ignoring Donatello's weak protest. "I could never figure out what she was thinking. Even when I thought I knew the answer, I was always wrong. Every word that came out of her mouth was always a surprise. But she could always read me... like an open book. Every lie, every secret that I told myself -and others- was all there, laid out bare for her to see." Raphael seemed to almost drift off into a pleasant memory, before another coughing fit dragged him mercilessly back to cruel reality, and the horrific finality of his situation.

"Raph." Donatello said his brother's name so softly he wasn't sure if Raphael had even heard him as he began to talk again.

"But I finally figured it out." His brother said almost proudly, a smug tone to his raspy voice.

"W-what, Raph?" Donatello asked because it almost seemed expected, even though his voice shook with overwhelming emotion.

"I still have no idea what she is thinkin', but I figured out that everything I ever needed to know, was in her eyes. It's not just that her eyes seem to change colour depending on her mood. It's so much more than that. Her eyes, that is where she's most vulnerable. She can hide her emotions and her thoughts so well, but her eyes, they always give her away. It's there that you can almost understand her." Raphael dashed tears from his eyes and shook his head from side to side.

"Raph..." Donatello tried speaking to his brother again after an uncomfortable silence descended upon the room. The problem was, he didn't know what to say. Donatello had no words to express the misery of emotion that he was feeling right now.

Raphael weakly waved away the silence with a shaking hand. "Killed by a mosquito bite." Raphael snorted derisively. "I knew there was a reason I hated bugs." He growled. "Just never thought one'd actually kill me." He grumbled before taking a deep breath and letting it out in a short huff of air. "I always thought I'd go out with a bang, you know?" Raphael caught Donatello's eyes again. "I thought I would go out in a blaze of glory. Maybe takin' out one of the big bads, or savin' the world, or savin' a brother's life." Raphael paused as Donatello struggled to find something to say to his dying brother.

"I want to be buried next to Master Splinter." Raphael said suddenly.

Donatello let out a choked sob of denial and shook his head back and forth, not even wanting to listen to his brother's words anymore, but knowing that he had no other choice.

"You'll probably have to burn my body or somethin', cause I would think that I would be rotting by the time you'd be able to get outta this place; and that's okay. Just as long as you get most of me back and bury me beside Master Splinter, out at Casey's farm, right under that big oak tree by the stream."

"Raph." Donatello's broken voice pleaded for his brother to stop. He couldn't handle it. He couldn't deal with the thought of not only Raphael dying, but having to carry out his brother's final wishes.

"And tell Mikey he can have the comics I always stashed under my mattress when I pretended I didn't read them. And tell Leo he can have my heavy bag. Tell him to try usin' it once in a while. Might help him with his temper. or maybe it will help get that big stick out of his ass." Raphael quipped with a slight smile before looking into Donatello's eyes intently.

Donatello dashed the tears from his eyes as he felt the hot, salty wetness run down his cold cheeks.

"Donny, could you bring me my jacket?" Raphael asked gently.

Donatello could only stand and nod, not even asking why his brother wanted his dark canvas trench coat that he had never worn on the island, the weather too warm for such a garment.

He quickly dashed from his brother's room and his death bed last wishes. He ran into what had been Raphael's bedroom, looking at the cracked ceiling as he pulled his brother's coat from the closet and quickly running it back to him.

Donatello gently handed his jacket into Raphael's outstretched, shaking hand. "I never wanted to steal her back, Donny." Raphael began softly.

Donatello made some sort of sobbing, choking sound, which his brother ignored, continuing his line of thought.

"I wanted her back, but I knew I would never get her back. She had you, and I was okay with that. You're right, she's happier with you than she ever was with me." Raphael said miserably.

Donatello shook his head ferociously in denial. "That's not true, Raph." He choked out. "I didn't mean that. It was a lie. She was happy with you." He protested, needing to say something to make up for the hateful words that had tumbled unheeded from his lips during their earlier fight.

"Doesn't matter, Donny. The only thing I wanted..." Raphael paused gathering his thoughts. "I wanted her to know that... that I was a better guy, 'cause of her. I wanted her to see that I had changed, and that even though we could never be together again, I was gonna continue to be better, because of her." Raphael's words were shaky, strained, and weary, as if it was taking too much effort to even speak anymore.

"And she knows that." Donatello said soothingly. "You aren't dead yet, Raph. All you have to do is fight. You always fight, it's what you do! You fight even when you are outmatched and outnumbered!" He said fiercely. "You can still beat this, Raph. I am not going to let you just give up!" He snarled at his brother ferociously.

Raphael just shook his head sadly. "Donny... everything hurts. I can feel... God, Donny I feel so weak. I feel like something that was shit out, eaten and then shit out again. Talking hurts, my chest hurts, my head hurts. Hell, even my toes hurt." Raphael growled a slight spark lighting his eyes as he dug around in his trench coat's pocket and pulled out a little, black velvet box.

"This is for you, Donny." Raphael said holding out the box which Donatello took in a shaking hand. His tears blurred his vision so badly that he could barely see, let alone understand what he was looking at.

Donatello managed to pry open the box that he held in trembling hands. He looked at the diamond solitaire ring in confusion. "I... I don't..." Donatello stammered out.

"I was gonna propose to her. The day she got back from Egypt I had that thing burning a hole in my pocket. I managed to scrounge together a little bit of money by doin' a few odd jobs here and there, where no one had to see who and what I was. And Casey helped out a bit too. Case and I were out drinkin', and watching the game. I wasn't expectin' Kitten back for another few days, but me and Case were celebrating and I was gathering up the courage to ask her to marry me. I knew she deserved a hell of a lot better than me. Hell, she could probably buy fifty of those rings with her family's weekly pocket money. But... I wanted to ask her because I didn't think I could live without her. I know the marriage wouldn't be legal, or even religious, not that Kitten ever cared about that sort of thing. But I wanted to make her mine, Donny. Mine for the rest of my life." Raphael paused, seeming to gather up his thoughts before continuing. "I tried to give Casey the ring to go pawn when I... when I messed everything up. But Casey wouldn't take it; said I should hang onto it. Thing is, I was glad I hung onto it. It always reminded me of what I lost. Carried it everywhere with me."

Donatello forced himself to meet his brother's fevered gaze, still not understanding what his brother wanted from him.

"I want you to have it, Donny. You want to marry her, I can tell, even if you haven't thought about it. You love her and she loves you. So give her that and ask her. She'll say yes. You have to look after her for me, Donny. Promise me that you will look after her." Raphael pleaded desperately, becoming agitated and worried.

Donatello could only nod miserably. "Kay, Raph." He promised closing the lid of the small box and slipping it into his front jeans' pocket. His mind and body went oddly numb, not even contemplating what his brother wanted him to do, because it was too much bear right now.

Donatello's answer seemed to comfort his brother who seemed to deflate slightly. Raphael's eyes slid closed, and his body went alarmingly still.

"Raph?" Donatello questioned, his voice soft but containing the faint edge of panic. "Raph." He tried again when his brother made no movement and did not respond to his name.

Donatello shook his head in denial as tears streamed down his face. "No!" He managed to choke the word out as he swallowed down his panicked fear. He reached out a trembling hand and checked his brother's pulse. After several agonizing seconds he felt the faint throb of life under his fingertips. Donatello felt his shoulder slump with relief. He dashed the tears from his eyes and dragged shaking hands down his cold cheeks. Raphael still had a pulse, but it was weak and thready.

Donatello quickly stood, nearly knocking back the chair that he had been sitting in as he dashed into the hallway, bumping into Katherine who held a bowl of warm broth in her hands.

She took one look at his face and the bowl slipped from her suddenly numb fingers to smash onto the floor at her feet. Her face grew deathly white, tears filled her eyes as she shook her head back and forth in denial. She took a step back and placed both hands over her mouth, holding back any words she may have screamed or said.

"He's asleep." He reassured her quickly, knowing that Katherine was thinking that Raphael had died. "But..." He swallowed down the lump of grief that had risen painfully in his throat. "He.. he." Donatello tried to choke back a grief stricken sob that crawled painfully up his throat. He wanted to deny his thoughts and believe that Raphael still had the ability to pull through, but he knew the truth. And the stark reality was that his brother was dying right before his eyes; and there was nothing he could do to stop him from slipping away into Death's cool, merciless embrace. "He has a few hours left, maybe a more, but he won't make it through the night." He stated grimly, pulling himself together enough so that the words were able to tumble from his lips. The sound of his own wretched voice brought a fresh pricking of tears that burned his eyes as he blindly reached out and pulled Katherine into his shaking arms.

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. He looked at the screen dully, his mind and body nearly going numb. He flipped open his cell phone and dialed his oldest brother. The phone cut to voicemail automatically, so he left a message. He then dialed his baby brother's phone and got his brother's voicemail. He left an identical message on Michelangelo's phone, amazed that he was able to get the shaking, devastating words out of his mouth.

His phone clattered to the phone unheeded, as he pulled Katherine in even more tightly into his fierce hug. He buried his face into her neck and sobbed out his grief and sorrow. He was heartbroken that he was unable to even give his brothers the news of Raphael's death personally. Instead they would hear the horrible news through their voicemail.

"I'm so sorry." Donatello managed to choke out through shaking sobs; though why he was saying he was sorry to Katherine he wasn't quite sure. He supposed he was trying to comfort her in some way; to let her know he had tried and done everything he could to save his brother's life, but he had failed.

Katherine clung to Donatello, her face buried in his cool neck, but she didn't answer him. He wasn't even sure if she had heard him, or if she was too buried within her own grief to even understand what he was saying to her.

Donatello pulled back slightly, tipping up Katherine's tear streaked face so that she had no choice but to meet his own tear filled eyes.

Her face was still deathly white, her green eyes a brilliant shade of blue -green he had never seen before. He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. She was crying, but she hadn't broken down... not yet. She shook her head in denial again; as if Raphael's death were too great and horrific a thing to even contemplate, let alone believe.

But it was true, and there was nothing he could do now for his brother; but wait until Raphael died, and carry out his final wishes.

The small velvet box felt like a lead weight sitting in his pocket, burning and taunting him with the finality and selflessness of Raphael's last request.

A sudden thought struck him then; shaking him to his very core.

He mentally cursed himself.

He hadn't done everything that he could to save his brother. There was one last thing he could try.

He tried not to contemplate the ramifications of what he was about to do, because he couldn't. All he cared about at this moment was saving Raphael's life; no matter what the cost.

He clutched desperately at Katherine's shoulders, his words coming out soft but surprisingly strong and steady. "Do you still love him?" He asked her, a near frantic edge to his voice. His mind spun furiously out of control, as his heart pounded painfully in his chest at what he was about to do.

"W-what?" Katherine stammered, shaking her head -not in denial of his question- but rather in dumfounded confusion.

Donatello squeezed her shoulders more tightly, causing her to wince in pain at the increased pressure. He lightened his grip slightly, but in a tone that was just as serious and just as desperate, he asked her again. "Do you still love Raph? Could you ever be with him again?" He asked again, trepidation flowing through him at her answer.

"D-Donatello...?" She stammered in confusion; unsure of what he was asking of her. More tears rolled down her pale cheeks, her eyes becoming just a tiny bit more blue.

"Because if you can be with him... then you need to be with him." He told her fiercely.

Katherine's eves widened in shock, and if possible, her face paled even further. "What are you asking me to do?" She whispered.

"I never should have...we never should have...It was always you, Katherine." He said softly, as if he could make her understand his disjointed thoughts. He tried again. "Raph's given up. He doesn't think he's going to make it, so he has accepted that he is dying. He won't fight anymore because he has nothing to fight for." He insisted.

Katherine's eyes widened even more. Donatello could see her grief-stricken mind attempting to make sense of what he was saying.

Donatello brushed his thumbs across Katherine's cool, damp cheeks. "He still loves you. He would fight for you. Me, Leo, Mikey... we aren't enough for him to fight for. You know Raph better than anyone, and you know Raph always fights for something; even when he is in a berserker rage. Raph fights for justice, recognition, revenge, and protection. He always fights for something or for someone, but he feels like he has nothing to fight for... no one to fight for."

"Donatello..." Katherine's eyes desperately searched his own, her voice unsteady.

"Raph loves you and he needs you." He insisted.

Katherine took a step back, her arms pulling away as she looked back at him, as if he had betrayed her; which he had. "You want me to tell Raphael that if he lives, I will be waiting for him?" She whispered in shaky disbelief.

Her words sent a sharp, shooting pain straight through his already mangled heart. He ground his teeth together so he wouldn't tell her that it wasn't what he meant. He forced himself to swallow down the traitorous words, because he wanted to tell her that he loved her, and wanted to be with her... forever.

Raphael had been absolutely right. Donatello wanted to marry Katherine. He wanted to be able to wake up next to her every day for the rest of eternity, because the rest of his life wasn't long enough.

Instead Donatello said, "If you can be with Raph, please, please be with him; because you might just be able to save his life."

Katherine's eyes closed in misery as her head tuned sharply to the side as if he had slapped her across the face. Donatello knew that he was betraying Katherine in a way that was virtually indescribable. He was treating her like a toy; a plaything that could be swapped, borrowed, given away, and even given back. Donatello knew that it didn't work that way, that he couldn't just command Katherine to love Raph, and to be with him so that he might gather up the sheer force of will required to live; yet Donatello asked this of her anyway. And he asked her this, knowing full well, that even if Raphael died -which was the most likely outcome- Donatello would never see Katherine again.

Donatello also knew that if Katherine did not feel that way about Raphael anymore, she would be unable to promise Raphael anything, even if it was to ease his dying. Because Katherine would never promise anything she could not give, and because Katherine never lied... ever.

Donatello studied Katherine's eyes. They had lost all of their green colour, going completely blue with anguished sorrow. He could see her mind furiously at work, giving serious thought to his words, no matter how much they had deeply wounded her, because that was the way she was. Donatello realized that Raphael was right; everything you ever needed to know about Katherine was right there in her eyes; an open book to all of those who knew how to read and decipher them. And right now Katherine's tear filled eyes were full of pain, misery, betrayal and something else.

With the ring burning in his pocket, and an image of Katherine looking at him with love in her eyes seared into his mind, Donatello steeled himself against the words that were about to break his heart. "We were a mistake, Katherine. We never should have been together." The lie felt like acid burning across his tongue. Though in a strange way, his words were actually true. They never should have been together, they had been a mistake, because he never should have betrayed Raphael the way he had.

"You love him." He continued, because he knew it was true. He had seen it in her eyes, the moment she came to the realization that she was still in love with Raphael. "Katherine, we are over. We can't be together anymore." He said roughly as black spots of despair began to dance in front of his eyes.

Katherine let out a choked sob, but didn't protest his words. She didn't break down and beg him not to do this to her, because Katherine knew that Donatello was right. She could not just sit back and watch Raphael die, no more than he could. And so against all morals, scruples or any other factors, she would tell Raphael that if he fought and lived, they would be together.

Her face went blank. It was as if she was pulling every single last remaining shred of her sanity and her emotions together, one ragged piece at a time. She took a deep determined breath as her eyes shifted to more green than blue.

"Donatello, I don't..." She took a shaky breath and tried again. "We..." She was having a hard time getting her words out. He knew that she wanted to agree with him, tell him that he was right, and that they had been a mistake and that they should never have been together, but she couldn't, because to her, it would have been a lie. And she couldn't lie; not to him and not to herself, no matter how much she wanted to. Her voice cracked slightly as she spoke her next words, which rang out clear and true. "You're right, I love Raphael, and he needs me."

At her words Donatello felt a stab of intense pain, located somewhere in the region where his mangled heart used to be. The pain nearly brought him to his knees in agony. He wanted to protest, to cry out that he loved her and to please not leave him, but he forced his lips to remain closed. There was no turning back now... there never was. Not from the moment that the idea had fist bloomed in his mind.

He knew that he would never have been able to stray away from this exact path, because the moment the thought took root, he could no more discard it than Katherine could.

They both looked at each other, Katherine's eyes were filled with unshed tears, but there was a strong, steely look of determination that now resided in her brilliant blue-green eyes.

Katherine stepped past him and slipped into Raphael's room without a backwards glance.

Donatello felt his knees buckle and then finally give way. His knees struck the floor with a biting pain, which he welcomed. He could almost feel it through the numbness that seemed to have permeated throughout his body, as the full enormity of what he had just done, struck him.

Donatello should have forced himself to stand. He should have forced himself to run as fast as he could, anywhere but where he was currently located. But apparently he was a masochist, because instead he strained to hear every word that Katherine whispered to his dying brother.

Donatello struggled to his feet, his leaden appendages forcing him closer to the sound of his torment; close enough so that he was able to observe Katherine and Raphael though the slightly open door.

Katherine sat at Raphael's bedside; in the exact chair only moments ago he had vacated in a mad dash to get as far away as he could from his brother's words of last request.

Katherine stood slightly and shook Raphael's sweat covered shoulders hard. "Raphael!" She whispered fiercely. "Wake up!"

Raphael made a slight moaning sound as Katherine continued to shake Raphael and call his name until finally, his brother managed to open his eyes a mere crack.

"D-Donny...Donny musta... musta t-told ya." Raphael stammered brokenly as he tried to look away from her. Katherine had other ideas. She gently lay her hand on Raphael's cheek and forced him to look back at her.

"You are a fighter, Raphael. You are supposed to be fighting this, not giving up...not this easily." Katherine ground out, but her voice had begun to shake with unbearable grief.

Raphael only sighed and tried to close his dull, listless eyes. "Go away, Kitten." He ordered gently.

"No. You don't get to get rid of me." She barked harshly, tears that had been threatening to fall, finally streaming down her cheeks.

Her choice of words sliced Donatello to the very core of his soul. Whether Katherine had actually aimed the words at Donatello purposefully or not was not important. What was important is that it was exactly what Donatello had just done to Katherine moments earlier. No matter his reasons, he had gotten rid of her because it suited his purposes to do so.

Raphael tried to ignore Katherine, and settle back into sleep; but Katherine wasn't giving up. "How are we to ever be together again, if you are dead, huh?" Katherine sobbed out as she pulled her hand away from Raphael's hollow, yellow tinged cheek.

Her words and her actions however seemed to have garnered his brother's attention, because Raphael's pain filled eyes opened, looking at her in confusion as he winced as another painful spasm wracked his frail body. He took a ragged breath and coughed up more frothy blood. Katherine gently held and dabbed the mostly red linen cloth to his lips.

"Kitten." Raphael murmured, turning his head away from her. His eyes were still full of confusion and pain, but this time the pain was not physical, unless a broken heart counted as physical pain. "You love Donny." Raphael whispered as he forced his eyes to meet Katherine's gaze. Raphael reached out a shaky hand and clutched her pale hand in his own. "I know what you are try to do..." Raphael began sadly.

"What? What am I trying to do, Raphael?" She asked harshly, pulling her hand away and using the back of her hand to quickly dash away her tears.

"You're trying to get me to live." Raphael whispered wretchedly, reaching out his hand and brushing his finger across the scar that stood out starkly against her pale left cheek.

"Of course I am trying to get you to live!" She shouted back in exasperation.

"Don't..." Raphael began but Katherine was already cutting him off.

"I love you, Raphael. I have never stopped loving you." She told Raphael fiercely, as if daring him to call her a liar.

"Kitten, you love Donny..." Raphael's voice trailed off.

"I do." She confirmed. She didn't try to deny her feelings for Donatello.

Donatello closed his eyes in despair. Her words did not comfort him, not in the least. Instead he felt the metaphorical knife that was piercing his heart twist even more painfully in his chest.

Katherine continued. "But sometimes love isn't enough to keep two people together. Sometimes other people are more important." She whispered softly, stroking Raphael's fevered cheek.

"Katherine." Raphael used Katherine's full name, which was rare, and meant that anything Raphael was about to say, was not only important, but very serious. "I love you. You know I love you, but I can't betray Donny like that. He loves you. You are his girlfriend..."

"Was." Katherine interrupted in a shaky voice. "I was his girlfriend. We broke up, Raphael. Donatello and I are no longer together. You know Donatello and I were having problems..."

"Katherine-" Raphael tried again, but she interrupted him a second time.

"I can't lose you, Raphael." She shook her head miserably. "I love you too much to ever lose you. The thought of my life without you in it is unimaginable." She gently touched Raphael's cheek, her eyes looking imploringly into Raphael's fevered, desperate, agony filled amber eyes.

Raphael covered Katherine's hand which lay against his fevered cheek with his own hand, but shook his head slightly in sorrow.

"Please, Raphael, Please, please, don't ever leave me." She choked out as more tears rolled down her already damp cheeks.

Donatello watched as Raphael was unable to deny Katherine any longer. The moment she said the very words that Raphael had spoken to her a few days earlier while he had been delusional, destroyed all of his remaining protests.

Raphael gathered Katherine up in his arms and pulled her against his burning chest as tightly as he could. Her arms went around his neck as she buried her face into his throat.

"I don't want to die, Kitten." Raphael choked out wretchedly.

"Then fight to live, Raphael. For me... for us." She whispered as Raphael pulled her back enough to search her eyes to confirm that what she had said was real. That he was not just imagining her in his arms again. Whatever Raphael found there seemed to reassure him.

Katherine leaned in and kissed Raphael passionately then. Her kiss was full of love, desperation and need. Raphael returned her kiss just as fiercely, all the while clutching her to his chest as tightly as he could manage. Raphael was the first to break away, sliding Katherine to his side and tucking her in closely beside him.

Katherine lay her head on Raphael's plastron, right over his weakening heart, her arms hugging him tightly around his shoulders.

Raphael gently stroked Katherine's hair until his hand stilled and slackened. "I love you, Kitten." Raphael whispered faintly as his eyes slid closed, a peaceful expression on his face as he went frighteningly still.

Katherine clutched at Raphael's hand. Donatello could hear a muffled sob from his ex-lover and he tried to hold back his own tears of grief as he rushed into the room, fearing the worst.

Katherine held up a hand indicating that Raphael was still alive, but had just fallen into an exhausted sleep.

Donatello nodded in relief, pulling up the chair that Katherine had recently vacated. He reached out a shaking hand and clasped Raphael's free hand in his own, closing his eyes. "Fight, Raph, please, please fight." He growled softly. A warm hand suddenly slid over the hand that was clutching Raphael's, giving it a quick squeeze.

Donatello's eyes flew open in surprise as he looked into Katherine's blue-green eyes. Her eyes were full of almost too many emotions to separate out, but Donatello thought that he detected a hint of forgiveness, understanding and love. Love for himself, but also love for Raphael.

Donatello placed his other hand on top of Katherine's and turned his attention back to Raphael, praying that he made it through the night. He watched in despair as each breath Raphael took seemed get more faint and more difficult with every passing moment.