"Raph!" Donatello heard the urgency in his brother's voice, and bolted up from his current project, fixing the Shellraiser after it had crashed a few days back. "Hang in there, Raph, I'm coming!" He was in Raphael's room in a matter of seconds, though he was not prepared for the sight that met him. "Oh gosh..." Donnie rushed over, only for Mikey to make an appearance at the door, along with Leo.

Michelangelo stood by the bed, terrified and unsure of what to do. "What's wrong? Donnie, is this supposed to happen?"

"No, it's not! Mikey, go get a towel. Or two. Go get two, we're gonna need two!" Donatello fumbled with the blankets, trying not to make things worse for Raphael, and as he put them aside he turned back and nearly lost it. "Don't hold him down, Leo! That'll only make it worse! Damnit, let me in there or turn his head to the side so he doesn't choke on his tongue!"

Leonardo stepped back immediately. He rarely heard his brother curse, and when he did, everyone knew he meant business. "What's going on?"

He took a breath and checked his brother's pulse. "It's the eggs, they must be hatching and his body isn't reacting well to it. At this point, we'll just have to wait for them to come out on their own. It's the safest option we have." Mikey came back in a flash with several towels, fear in his eyes as he put them where Donatello motioned for him to place them. "Thank you, Mikey."

"No prob..." Michelangelo put his hand lightly on Raphael's head. If he was conscious at all, it could only have been vague. "You're gonna be okay, bro. I promise. Donnie promised and I promise, too." He knew he couldn't hear him, but it put the orange-striped turtle's conscience at ease. He gently stroked his brother's forehead, eyes wide with the hopes that maybe, just maybe, Raph wouldn't remember this whole ordeal.

He was conscious, though. Raphael could feel everything happening inside him, could feel his little brother's hand on his head, could hear his words and Donatello's panicking. His insides pulsed, throbbed and tightened, and if Raphael could have screamed, he would. There was something moving. Something alive. It was definitely alive, real, it was real and this hurt like hell-

"Leo, I need a towel!"

"It can't be going that fast, Donnie!" Leonardo handed him a towel, his eyes fixed on his younger brother, holding his hand tight.

"It's not going that fast! Can you lift him a bit?" Donatello slid a half-folded towel beneath Raphael's backside, an amazing feat as he was still trembling and thrashing, though the latter had died down some. A bit of blood dripped onto the off-white fabric. "He's bleeding, this isn't good... It's normal, but it isn't good..."

Raphael grit his teeth, he was regaining control of some things and his jaw seemed to be first. "You're awake!" Mikey exclaimed. "Dude, I'm so sorry you're going through this... But you're gonna be alright. You gotta be alright. Okay?" He was able to nod, but more of Raphael's focus was on getting these things out of him by any means necessary. His eyes squeezed shut from pain, but it was only a small amount of time before Leonardo's shocked yelp and the strain of muscle told him that there was one down, however many more to go.

Donnie was on his toes through the whole thing. "I'm gonna need another towel, Leo!" And in a few moments the strangest little creature was wrapped up in one of the smaller towels Mikey had retrieved, its antennae twitching to and fro, its massive eyes flickering and getting a good view of the room around it. About the size of a baby turtle, though just by looking one could tell it was partially cockroach.

"So it IS a turtleroach!" Michelangelo nearly jumped for joy. "I knew it!"

He could get words out now. "That's freakin' wonderful, Mikey, don't get too attaAAAGH OH MY GOD."

"What? What's wrong? There isn't- oh, you have got to be kidding me..." Leonardo got another towel ready as the turtleroach's twin emerged, this one just a bit smaller than the first, which was a welcome relief to Raphael.

"Are we keeping them, then?" Mikey's hand had left his brother's head, and he was cradling the first turtleroach in his arms. "Can we name this one Audrey? Like the giant Flytrap in that musical Leo likes?" His attention turned to the smaller one. "And that one, uhm... Huh. Charlie? Charlie sounds good. We should name that one Charlie."

"What if Charlie's a girl?" Leo asked.

"It's a girl's name too!"

"Are we... seriously naming them?" Raphael caught his breath and tried to sit up. Donatello helped him up, and he looked around, taking in the scene before him.

"Well, yeah! See?" Michelangelo held Audrey the turtleroach in front of Raphael. "This little guy's name is Audrey." The older turtle begrudgingly held the turtleroach, and it flicked his face with its antennae. "Aww! He likes you!"

It was all Raphael could do to not freak out right then and there. It- Audrey, then -was kind of cute, he had to admit, but it also looked too much like a cockroach for him to be anywhere near comfortable.

Maybe Mikey could take permanent babysitting duty.