A giant thank you to Amonraphoenix for beta reading this chapter, and for her great ideas and suggestions! YOu are beyond awesome!
also a big thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, has enjoyed this story, and given me the encouragement to continue:D
Please enjoy!
Chapter 13
Donatello blearily opened his eyes. He struggled to breathe, his lungs painfully protesting the movement of air entering and exiting his lungs. His breathing sounded raspy and strained, as if he was not able to drag in enough air. He closed his eyes and opened them again, his mind trying to rapidly process all of the information that his senses were gathering to understand his terrifying situation.
He could hear the slow trickle of water above his head, and he knew he was lying on the floor; his lower extremities submerged in icy water and crushed under the massive wooden bookcases that had fallen on top of him during the earthquake.
He had been walking from the library when suddenly the whole mansion began to shake. Books had flown from book cases, furniture had toppled, priceless antiques had shattered and the roof had groaned ominously as huge palm trees smashed into the skylight above his head sending down a rain of sharp, broken shards of glass.
Donatello had tried to dodge the falling glass -the earthquake only lasting mere moments- but was unable to dodge as a bookcase had tumbled over, crushing his legs and lower torso, and trapping him as another heavy, solid wood bookcase landed on top of the first one.
He had managed to hold onto consciousness, calling out to his brother and Katherine, hoping that they had fared better than he had.
Donatello wasn't sure how long he had waited there, straining to hear any movement in the wreckage of the mansion, finally breathing out a sigh of relief when he heard Raphael's panicked voice calling out his name and Katherine's.
Donatello had yelled that he was pinned under at least two bookcases and unable to move. He told his brother that he was truthfully unsure of his injuries, but felt that at the very least, his left leg was broken, possibly a few ribs as well. Raphael's voice had gotten closer, and there was banging on the outside of the library's heavy mahogany doors. Raphael had then told him that part of the roof had collapsed leaving beams and other debris blocking the door to the library.
Donatello had shouted at his brother, asking him if Katherine was okay. His brother had hesitated before answering that Katherine was trapped in the basement. Raphael had been in the kitchen when the earthquake had struck and had been knocked unconscious by falling cabinetry. When he had regained consciousness he had found Katherine who was unhurt but trapped. Apparently she had been in the living room -an area that was already structurally unsound- when the floor had collapsed beneath her; the upper story of the mansion caving in, trapping her within the basement. Raphael had tried to get to her through the door that led to the basement, but the stairs had collapsed, and the stairwell completely blocked. Raphael had then gone in search of Donatello, hoping that he would help him get her out.
Raphael had then asked him if he knew what had happened, and Donatello had informed him that there had obviously been an earthquake, a strong one, probably located somewhere in the Caribbean ocean. Donatello had then told his brother to be careful and to get Katherine out.
Donatello had then struggled in vain to free himself from the two massive bookcases, but only managed to cause himself extreme pain. Two aftershocks had then rocked the mansion, causing dust, debris and more shattered glass to fall upon the bookcases that held him pinned to the floor.
He had yelped in pain as his legs were crushed even more, momentarily falling into unconsciousness before regaining it, his heart clenching in horror at the sound of Raphael's raised voice, screaming out Katherine's name.
Donatello finally heard more scrabbling and grunting outside the library doors as his brother desperately tried to get in to free him.
Donatello had yelled at Raphael asking him if Katherine was okay, and able to breathe a little easier upon hearing that Katherine was fine, but was now pinned under debris as well. Donatello had yelled at Raphael to get Katherine out and worry about him later, because even if he was freed, he wouldn't be able to help Raphael free Katherine anyway.
Raphael had reluctantly agreed, but told him that he would be back to get him freed after he rescued Katherine.
Donatello didn't know how long he lay there trapped- he had long ago lost feeling in both of his legs, his lower body slowly growing numb- when a horrifying thought struck him.
"Raph!" He had called out frantically, his heart beating painfully in his chest as an all consuming terror rose up to choke him. "RAPH!" He shouted again, desperately hoping his brother had at least managed to free Katherine.
"What?!" Raphael angrily shouted back.
"Did you get Katherine out?" He asked praying that his brother had.
"NO!" Came Raphael's frustrated reply.
"Get her out, Raph, get her out NOW!" He had ordered, his voice shaking slightly in fear.
"What the hell do you think I've been tryin' to do, Donny?!" Raphael barked angrily.
"Raph, you don't understand! There was an earthquake in the OCEAN! There could be a tsunami coming our way."
There was dead silence before Raphael answered fearfully. "How do I know if one of those things is coming?"
"If you look outside, it will look like the ocean is rapidly retreating, or there will be a wall of water coming towards us." Donatello answered grimly.
Donatello had waited, praying he was wrong or that the tsunami would pass them by. Raphael's sudden panicked shout instead confirmed his worst fears.
"DONNY!" Raphael's panicked shout came from outside of the door. Raphael pounded on the door. There was scraping and the sound of splintering wood.
"Raph, forget about me, get Katherine out of here!" Donatello had yelled, willing his brother to save the woman they both loved. If the tsunami hit, Katherine would drown, trapped as she was in the basement. "Get her out, and get to the highest ground you can find!" Donatello had shouted, his voice coming out strong and steady.
"Donny, I can't get her out! You need to help me!" Raphael's voice now contained a hysterical edge to it. "I refuse to play some shitty game of Russian Roulette where one of you has to die. So I am getting you out, then you are going to help me get her out!" Raphael had snarled angrily as more scraping noises came from outside the door.
Donatello had taken a deep breath trying to calm his frantically beating heart. He opened his eyes and tried to twist, turn, do anything to free himself from the bookcases, but to no avail. Donatello knew that Raphael was still weak from his illness, and would probably not even possess the strength needed to free Donatello anyway.
"Raphael, get her out, NOW! Because if you let her die because you tired to save me, I will NEVER forgive you!" Donatello screamed harshly at the top of his lungs.
Donatello had heard a fluent string of curse words that would have made a sailor proud before his brother obviously moved away from the library door. Donatello knew he could accept his own death, but he couldn't accept Katherine's or Raphael's.
Several minutes passed before the mansion was suddenly rocked, hard. Donatello couldn't see anything but the closed library doors in front of him. He could hear his brother yelling, but then all he could hear was the ominous creaking of wood and the sound of rushing water, approaching ever closer.
Beams snapped, and walls collapsed before he was suddenly submerged in icy, churning, debris filled water. Donatello struggled to pull his body free, the water lifting the bookcases enough that he was able to pull himself partially free.
Encouraged Donatello had fought more desperately, knowing that if he didn't he was going to drown. But no matter how hard or how much he struggled -stubbornly ignoring the agonizing pain in his legs- he was unable to break loose completely.
His vision had begun to go black and he knew he was running out of time... and air. He gave one last desperate thrashing push, trying to dislodge the bookcase from his legs, but failed to move it.
He couldn't hold his breath any longer. His lungs were screaming for air; air he would be unable to give them.
He let out his pent up breath knowing that the next breath he took would be his last. He had closed his eyes tightly, praying that Raphael had managed to at least save Katherine's life. He thought of Katherine, thought of the many mistakes he had made regarding her, and hoped that Raphael and Katherine would be able to marry and live happily together, and not mourn his death too much.
Donatello's world had then gone terrifyingly black.
Donatello moved slowly, choking back a cry of pain as he wondered how he had possibly managed to survive. He lay there taking in one rasping breath after another as he looked at the library doors which were now open, one hanging drunkenly on its remaining hinge.
Donatello realized that the force of the incoming water must have pushed open the doors releasing the pooling water before he drown. He carefully lifted up his head, getting the distinct impression that most of the library had been washed away. He was able to confirm this impression by the brilliant sunlight that flooded the usually darkened library. He vaguely realized that the tropical storm that had been battering the island for the past few days must have finally abated.
"Raph!" Donatello called out weakly, his voice hoarse and shaky as if unused for a long period of time.
There was no answer. Donatello listened for any sounds, only the rolling of the surf hitting the beach, the cry of gulls and the soft creaking of wood against wood.
He gathered up a painful breath, still unable to get enough air into his lungs as he shouted Katherine's name. All he received for his efforts was silence only interrupted by a wet, hacking coughing fit that sounded as unhealthy as it was painful.
Donatello forced away the agony that blazed red hot across his chest and continued to call out to both Raphael and Katherine, but only silence greeted his calls which became weaker, and more filled with bitter desperation and grief as time passed.
Donatello called out until his voice grew so hoarse that he was unable to even let out a pained squeak. Donatello closed his eyes, tears flowing freely down his cheeks at the loss of his brother and his former lover.
His heart twisted painfully as he let out one heart wrenching, agonizing sob after another. He laid his head back down the remaining water resting just below his right eye. Donatello wondered how long it would take him to die, trapped as he was and unable to free himself, knowing that no help would arrive to pull him from the wreckage of the library.
He then wondered if he was going to die of his injuries, or if he would manage to stay alive long enough to die of starvation or dehydration, since the water he was currently lying in was undrinkable. He knew that three days would be all he would be able to last without fresh, clean, water in the tropical, heat drenched ruin of the mansion.
He lay there drifting in and out of sleep or unconsciousness, he wasn't quite sure, until his eyes snapped open at the sound of a huge crash of something hitting the water surrounding him. The sound of water rushing in made his eyes widen in horror as the water level around him began to rise again. Donatello pushed weakly at the heavy wood that pinned him to the ground, pain shredding and tearing at his body as he gave up his futile struggles.
Drowning quickly would be a preferable death than waiting to die of his injuries, dehydration or starvation; whichever killed him first.
He opened his eyes lifting his head up slightly. "Raph! Katherine!" He weakly shouted out one more time, hoping to hear a reply. However, nothing but silence greeted his desperate calls.
Donatello lay his cheek down, comforting himself in being able to see Raphael and Katherine on the other side soon. He watched the water rise up ever so slowly closer and closer to his nostrils.
"I love you, Raph. I love you Katherine, I'll see you both soon." Donatello whispered in a broken, wretched voice as he let out another grief-stricken sob, pain exploding through his chest as he broke into another couching fit, blood staining the water around his face red. He closed his eyes trying to remember all of the good times he had shared with his brothers, Katherine, and his friends.
"I'm sorry, Leo, I'm sorry, Mikey." He apologized to his brothers who he would never see again in this life. "I Love you guys." Donatello murmured wretchedly as he closed his eyes, waiting for the water to rise above his head.
He smiled bitterly to himself. He could almost believe he could hear Michelangelo and Leonardo calling out his name, even though he knew it was impossible for his brother's to be there.
Leonardo sat in the plane watching Michelangelo fidget. His brother shifted in his seat, nervously looked out the window, looked back at his phone, shuffled as much as he was able to and looked out the window again.
Usually Leonardo would be telling Michelangelo to stop fidgeting and to settle down, but his baby brother was not vibrating with repressed energy, rather he was shaking with fear.
Leonardo had long since stopped trying to say anything comforting to his brother, his words only seeming to agitate him even more; mostly because as much as Leonardo tried to keep a note of hope and comfort in his voice -even to his own ears- his assurances that Donatello and Katherine were safe felt thin and weak.
Leonardo tried not to glance at the screen that showed their flight plan and the number of minutes until they could land, but he glanced at it anyway because he was a masochist. All he was doing was watching each minute tick painfully by, the last few hours the most painfully slow of his entire life.
After he had seen the news he had called Karai, who was in China of all places. He had quickly explained his situation, leaving out Raphael's death, and begged her to lend them a plane.
Karai had readily agreed, giving instructions for her one of her private jets to be readied for them. He and Michelangelo had grabbed a few supplies, food, water, first aid kits and made their way to the airport where the plane was waiting for them as well as two paramedics who only nodded in professional acknowledgment as they boarded.
They learned that it would take four and a half hours to arrive. It was of course four and a half hours too long, but knew that it was the best they could do.
Leonardo knew that he and Michelangelo should sleep, try to get some rest before reaching the island, but neither one of them had and Leonardo hadn't even suggested it. He was too worried, his stomach clenched into large knots of dread and fear.
He tried to calm his heart, which was hammering painfully in his chest. The adrenalin was pumping through his veins, screaming at him to do anything but sit calmly in his padded leather seat, doing nothing but waiting.
"We are beginning our decent." The captain, said over the speaker system.
Leonardo blinked in shock, knowing that it hadn't even been four hours since they had left New York.
"We are unable to land on the island. The runway has been washed out. We will be landing in Jamaica, a chopper will transport you to the island." The pilot's voice informed them over the intercom.
Leonardo felt his heart sink even further and the knots in his stomach clench even tighter. He didn't like that there was a delay, but even worse than the delay, was knowing that at least some of the island was now underwater.
Leonardo forced himself to breathe deeply as the plane began its decent, finally landing. They quickly exited the plane and ran for the helicopter which was no doubt piloted by more of Karai's men. The pilot and co-pilot did not start at their appearance; no doubt being well paid for their silence.
Leonardo hoped that it would not take them long to reach the island. It was already after four in the afternoon, and in the Caribbean, the sun started to set just after six.
He and Michelangelo sat in silence as the helicopter lifted off and they began their flight across miles and miles of ocean towards a tiny island that looked like a washed out sandcastle on the beach, destroyed by a bully's foot in a fit of gleeful cruelty.
Leonardo could only be thankful that the mansion seemed to still be standing; however not much of it seemed to be left upright and intact.
They didn't wait for the helicopter to land, he gave orders for the paramedics to stay in the chopper and be ready to give medical attention and for the pilots to keep the chopper running and ready evacuate the area immediately. The humans nodded their agreements as Leonardo threw down a line and slid down the thick black cord to the heavily damaged area below. Michelangelo swiftly followed with a large first aid kit and landed on the sand beside him.
Leonardo looked up at the mansion and swallowed down the cry of disbelief and horror that tried to escape from between his tightly closed lips.
Leonardo couldn't speak, only motioning with his head to follow his lead. They both made their way grimly towards the groaning structure.
The mansion's entire upper floor was gone, collapsed in on the lower level, though some walls remained standing in places. They began climbing over debris and tried to get their bearings as to what part of the house they were now in.
"Donny!" Michelangelo shouted, raising his hands to his mouth to try to make his shout louder.
Leonardo blinked in shock at the sharp, echoing sound. The area was so quiet, so still, like the sorrowful feel of a cemetery during a funeral. It felt almost disrespectful to break the silence with anything other than reverent, hushed whispers.
Leonardo shook himself out of his bleak thoughts, and lent his voice to his brother's. "Katherine!" He called out hoping to hear an answering call, a movement, anything to indicate that they were not staring at a tomb rather than a broken building.
Leonardo searched desperately, beginning to overturn piles of rubble as best as he could, listening for any sounds other than the rushing sound of water.
Leonardo stumbled past the skeletal remains of the stairs that had once led to the upper floor. The railing was gone, the wooden steps sticking out from the wall like broken, tombstones.
He turned his head looking down at the stream of water that flowed over his feet. He lifted his gaze looking at the broken library doors that swung drunkenly on its hinges. He strode forward, the water just reaching mid-calf. He entered what was left of the library. Half of the roof was gone, the other half hanging precariously overhead. Two walls had been reduced to rubble, the late day sun streaming in. Water trickled in from a broken pipe, filling the room with water.
Leonardo caught a brief flash of purple out of the corner of his eye. He turned quickly, the twin tails of Donatello's mask floating on the surface of the water, his brother's head lying just beneath the surface.
"DONNY!" He shouted in horror as he rushed to Donatello's side. He tried to pull his brother's head above the water, but was unable to. He looked at the two bookcases that were crushing his brother's legs and lower torso.
"MIKEY!" Leonardo yelled as he tried to heave the bookcase from his younger brother's body.
Michelangelo splashed up next to him, lending his strength to moving the top bookcase, before being able to lift the second one up enough that Leonardo was able to pull Donatello's limp body from beneath the heavy wood.
Michelangelo let the bookcase drop and Leonardo laid Donatello down onto its flat surface. He didn't even glance at Michelangelo, unable to bear the look of frightened terror that he knew would be etched into his baby brother's face. Leonardo's shaking hands shook Donatello roughly, his fingers flying towards his brother's throat, searching for a pulse.
Amazingly Donatello had a faint pulse, but his chest did not rise and fall. Fear spiked through him as he tipped his brother's head back and opened his mouth, exposing bloody mucus that was blocking his brother's airway. He put his ear to his brother's mouth and heard no breath passing between his brother's lips. Leonardo stuck him fingers inside of his brother's mouth and scooped out the frothy, sticky blood that blocked his brother's air way as best as he could before he bent down and covered his brother's mouth with his own, blowing a puff of air into his lungs. "Come on, Donny." He whispered to his brother as tears silently crept down his numb cheeks. He repeated his actions twice more before Donatello suddenly let out a choked cough. Bloody water and mucus bubbled up from between his lips as Leonardo helped turn Donatello's head to the side, shifting him up slightly so he could cough out the remaining water and breathe easier.
Donatello let out a strangled cry of pain, as Leonardo froze, trying not to move his injured brother anymore.
"Donny?" Leonardo asked gently as his brother's eyes fluttered open slightly. His eyes were glassy and it was as if he was unable to focus. His breathing was strained and sounded like a gurgling wheeze. His brother let out a few more strangled coughs, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth as he finally seemed to be able to focus on Leonardo's face.
Leonardo felt tears well up in his eyes. He looked at Michelangelo who was looking at him with lost desperation swimming around in his tear filled eyes.
Leonardo swallowed down a lump of grief as he clutched his injured brother to his chest. He didn't know if Donatello was dying, but he strongly suspected that his brother was drowning in his own blood, possibly from a punctured artery.
"Hang on, Donny." He whispered miserably. "Don't you dare die on me, okay? Th -there are some paramedics and they can help you, so please, please just hang on. I-I can't lose another brother. I just can't." He choked out miserably, willing his brother to pull through and hoping he was wrong about the punctured artery.
Leonardo motioned for the first aid kit. He tore into the kit knowing his brother needed fluids and oxygen at the very least. "Mikey, oxygen." He ground out in a shaky voice as his trembling fingers managed to find a vein inserting the needle and beginning an IV drip while Michelangelo covered Donatello's mouth with an oxygen mask, turning on the small portable tank of oxygen.
"Ka...th." Another coughing fit wracked Donatello's body as tears of agony trickled down his cheeks, his breathing sounding even more strained and liquid filled.
"I-it's okay, Donny, we'll find her." He promised as he took hold of Donatello's cold hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.
Donatello's eyes became glassy and less focused. Leonardo clutched at his brother's hand more tightly as Donatello's eyes shifted from his own to somewhere over his shoulder. Leonardo quickly looked over his shoulder and didn't see anyone or hear anything but Michelangelo's soft sobbing as their baby brother knelt, clutching Donatello's other hand in his own..
"R-Ra...ph." Donatello choked out miserably as a spike of icy fear shot down Leonardo's spine. He looked over his shoulder again and saw nothing. He wondered then if Donatello was seeing Raphael's spirit; possibly because Raphael was waiting for Donatello on the other side.
"NO! NO!" He yelled in panic as Donatello's eyes slid closed and he went limp. Leonardo felt his breath catch in his throat in terror as he shook his head back and forth in denial. His fingers flew to Donatello's throat and managed to find a steady, but weak pulse beneath his shaking fingertips.
He felt his shoulders slump with relief as he gave a slight smile to Michelangelo indicating that Donatello was still alive.
"We need to get Donny medical help, now. He might be drowning in his own blood, but I don't want to move him, so I'll stay with him while you go and get the paramedics.
Michelangelo knelt down, beside Donatello, his fingers checking Donatello's pulse. "I'll stay here with Donny, you go find Kitten." Michelangelo said quietly.
Leonardo felt his mouth fall open. "Mikey-" He began, understanding Michelangelo's need to find Katherine as well, but Donatello could be dying and every second that they wasted, the possibility of Donatello dying increased.
"Besides the fact that Donny would never forgive us if we let Katherine die because we were too busy with him," Michelangelo interrupted. "Donny isn't bleeding out or internally. His pulse is steady. If he was bleeding internally his heartbeat would be faster, trying to pump the blood throughout his body, but unable to because he was losing somewhere."
Leonardo stared at Michelangelo in shock.
"Hey, just because I don't understand half of what Donny says most of the time, doesn't mean some of it doesn't sink in. And I watch a lot of medical dramas, you pick up a few things here and there." Michelangelo said with a slight shrug. "Go find Katherine." He insisted seriously.
Leonardo nodded, knowing that Michelangelo was right, at least the part about Donatello never forgiving them if they hadn't done everything in their power to find Katherine. He wasn't quite comfortable with Michelangelo's amateur medical diagnosis, but the more time he wasted fighting with him, the worse the chances for both Donatello and Katherine became.
Leonardo stood, making his way over the debris and out of the library. "Katherine!" He shouted as his eyes searched the ruined mansion, panic beginning to fill him. "KATHERINE!" He roared hoping to hear some sort of response and feeling his heart clench in terror when he heard nothing.
He stumbled through what was left of the kitchen, and found no sign of her. He left the kitchen and made his way to the living room. Leonardo surveyed the damage and prayed that Katherine had not been caught up in the destruction that had ravaged this part of the house.
The outer wall had collapsed and the roof had caved in leaving the floor littered with thick beams, drywall and wood framing. It appeared as if some of the debris had been washed away slightly, exposing a gaping hole in the floor, which was filled to the floorboards with water. A few beams and other debris were sticking out from the dark water's surface.
Leonardo took a step towards the hole and felt the floor sink slightly beneath his foot. He looked down and realized that the floor had become soft, the water weakening the structural integrity of the wood.
He backed away slightly and called Katherine's name again. Hearing nothing he moved away from the living room, knowing there was still more of the house left to be searched.
He went down another hallway and checked a few closets that had managed to survive the onslaught and found them to be empty. He came to the door which led to the basement; which he now knew to be filled completely with water. The door was broken and looked as if it had been kicked in, hanging drunkenly off of one of its hinges, only darkness visible beyond the partially closed door.
Leonardo reached out a hand towards the door as the possibility that Katherine had been killed and her body washed away filtered through his mind. He tried to push away the thought and hold back the grief that threatened to overwhelm him at the thought of Katherine being dead. Even if Donatello managed to survive his injuries, Leonardo wasn't sure if Donatello would be able to survive the news of Katherine's death.
Leonardo threw the door open and looked down the darkened stairwell. Wooden boards from the stairs bobbed on the surface of the water. Leonardo felt his heart seize in grief, all thoughts of Katherine wiped from his mind as he saw Raphael's body suspended in the water by debris and a broken piece of the stairway that had floated to the surface pinning his arm.
Leonardo felt fresh tears stream down his cheeks as his mind tried to understand how Raphael's body had come to be floating in the stairwell, since he was supposed to have been cremated.
Leonardo fell to his knees as he realized that Donatello had been unable to burn Raphael's body, and for some reason had placed it in the basement to keep it cool and preserved; possibly for transportation home. It was possible that Donatello had wanted them to be able to see and touch Raphael one more time before they buried him or cremated him. It was either that or the tropical storm that had been ravaging the island had prevented their brother's cremation.
Leonardo gave a choked sob of grief as he reached out and grabbed the edge of the wooden stairway, pulling it towards him. He leaned forward, wrenching his brother's arm from between two pieces of debris.
More tears blurred his vision as he looked over Raphael's body. His hotheaded brother was pale, his face streaked with blood, deep bruising covering his face and arms which were thinner than he remembered them being, the disease having ravaged his body before he had died.
Although Raphael lay unmoving, it almost looked as if his brother were only sleeping and would wake at any moment to snarl at him and tell him to quit fussing, and that he was fine. But this would never happen, because his brother had died weeks ago, and Leonardo had not even been there to comfort him in his final moments.
Leonardo hauled Raphael's cool body from the raft and gathered him up in his arms, hugging him tightly.
"I'm sorry, Raph. I am so sorry I wasn't here for you." He sobbed out as he held his brother close, not knowing if holding his brother's body in his arms one more time was more or less painful than never seeing him again.
Leonardo dashed the tears from his eyes as he stood up on shaky legs, scooping his brother's lifeless and much lighter body up in his arms. It was obvious to him that Raphael had suffered in his final days, his body wasting away until the Yellow Fever finally ended his agonizingly slow and painful death.
This thought nearly brought him to his knees again, but he struggled on, taking Raphael to the library; which was closer to where the helicopter would be waiting for them. He would make one more quick sweep of the mansion, before giving the order to leave, with or without Katherine.
He entered the library and Michelangelo looked up. His baby brother's face paled to a sickly grey-green at the sight of him carrying Raphael's body. Donatello moved slightly and moaned as Leonardo laid Raphael's body next to him. Michelangelo let out a sob of grief as Donatello opened his eyes. His vision seemed more focused that it had been before, but still filled with pain and slight confusion as he looked at Leonardo's grief-stricken face, his eyes shifting to Raphael's body.
"Raph." Donatello managed to choke out as he shook his head from side to side in wretched misery. Donatello shifted, reaching out and pulling Raphael's body up and into his arms.
Donatello hugged Raphael's body close and Leonardo felt his throat tighten with emotion. Donatello placed a hand on Raphael's cheek, the movement causing pain to rip across Donatello's features. Donatello slumped back, closing his eyes as he let out another cry filled with pain, and despair.
Raphael twitched and Leonardo jumped slightly. Leonardo reached out a shaky hand towards Raphael. Raphael's head suddenly lolled to the side and Leonardo pulled his hand back as Raphael's amber, pain filled eyes opened a crack.
Leonardo swallowed down his momentary horror before relief flooded through him. He remembered then that Donatello told them that Raphael wouldn't survive the night, but now it was obvious he had. And corpses didn't bleed and Raphael was bleeding from various wounds and lacerations, the most disturbing being the gash across his temple.
He reached out and placed a shaking finger on Raphael's pulse point in his neck and found a strong beat beneath his fingertips.
Leonardo felt warm tears course down his cheeks in relief. He gathered up Raphael from where he lay partially in Donatello's arms.
Donatello's eyes slowly opened as Leonardo clutched Raphael close, revelling in the knowledge that his hot-headed brother was alive, injured but alive.
"You're going to be okay, Raph." He assured in a shaking voice as he looked to Michelangelo whose face was full of shocked relief tinged with worry.
"We're going to get you and Donny some help." He soothed as Raphael's eyes blinked in comprehension.
Raphael's gaze widened slightly and shifted from Leonardo to Donatello, palpable misery and despair lit Raphael's eyes as his face crumpled in grief.
"I tried, Donny." Raphael choked out. "I...I tried, but I...I c-couldn't... I couldn't get her out." Raphael broke down, curling slightly into a ball of misery as silent tears rolled down his pale cheeks.
Leonardo's gaze shot to Donatello who closed his eyes, tears coursing down his cheeks as he rolled slightly to his side, a terrible wheezing, gurgling cough wracking his body, more blood trickling from between his pale lips as he let out a keening wail of grief.
Thoughts and opinions are always welcome!